Please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse on January 20 at 3:00 PM EST for an informational webinar on the latest resources to address the mental health impact on students, parents, teachers, and school personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The session will feature guest speakers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, which is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Presenters will provide an overview of national COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and share resources to address the mental health impact on students, parents, teachers, and school personnel.
The discussion will feature additional school safety-related resources available through SchoolSafety.gov, as well as a Q&A session.
When: January 20, 2022, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Adobe Connect (access link to be provided one day in advance of the event)
For: K-12 School Superintendents and Principals; School and District Administrators; Teachers and School Staff; School Counselors and School Psychologists; Emergency Management; Parents and Guardians; and Students
Melissa Condon, the Emergency Operations Planning Officer for the Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center will be offering virtual office hours for anyone working in Maine’s education workforce who is interested in talking about School Emergency Planning.
Sessions will be offered Weekly on Mondays & Wednesdays from 8:00am – 10:00am starting on Monday, January 19th and ending on Monday, February 28th
If you are interested in registering to attend any of the Office Hours, email Melissa.A.Condon@maine.gov for a link to join the virtual meeting.
Description:
Available for personalized discussions for School Administrative Units (SAUs) related to various areas of emergency management and planning to include mitigating against, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from various threats and hazards that exist both to the school and surrounding community.
This is an opportunity to ask questions and/or seek technical assistance for topics such as:
The development of a Comprehensive Health and Safety and Emergency Management Plan
Identifying and planning for all hazards and potential hazards that could reasonably be expected to affect a SAU
Forming a collaborative, multi-disciplinary planning team
Developing and enhancing MOUs/MOAs with community partners
Physical site assessments
Emergency management training and education opportunities
Save the date for an 3-day free online conference for Social Workers, Law Enforcement, Educators & Prosecutors.
This event is co-sponsored by Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center, Maine Department of Education’s Maine School Safety Center, Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), and Portland Pump Company.
Trainings are designed to provide cross disciplinary education, advocacy for systemic legal change, guidance for survivor support and leadership on emerging technologies, education and training around how to recognize and address the intersecting forms of child maltreatment in connection with child sexual abuse is the focus of all.
FEBRUARY 2-4, 2022 – 8:30AM TO 4PM
Day 1:
Essentials of Trauma-Informed Care
Essentials of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Empowering Survivors To Understand The Impact of Childhood Trauma… Getting Through, Not Over
Vicarious Trauma & Self-Care Strategies
Day 2:
Understanding the Impact Of Trauma On Boys
Strategies, Tips, & Activities for The Classroom: Building Connections & Developing Empathy
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Parents
Personal Safety Building Blocks: Consent, & Empathy for Professionals
Day 3:
Trauma-Informed Approaches to Victims of Technology-Facilitated
Abuse No Perfect Victim: Combating Issues & Overcoming Jury Bias in Cases with Difficult Kids
Smoke & Fire: Trauma, ACEs, How They Impact Child Abuse Investigation & Prosecution
Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces for Victims & Families Throughout the Justice System
Due to an increase in requests for training, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) will host an encore presentation of their latest study, Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools.
As part of its mission to prevent targeted violence, NTAC has long maintained a particular focus on the safety of children in schools. The following NTAC resources are available to assist community partners in developing behavioral threat assessment programs and to inform the decisions for when and how to initiate a threat assessment.
Additional resources:
Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence provides eight actionable steps for establishing multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams. Behavioral threat assessment is a proactive approach to identify, assess, and appropriately intervene with students who display a behavior that elicits concern for the safety of themselves or others. – Enhancing School Safety
Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence is the most comprehensive analysis of targeted school violence ever produced by the federal government. The study offers unparalleled insight into the motives, behaviors, and other situational factors that ultimately led to school violence. – Protecting America’s Schools
Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools examines instances when a student advanced a plan to attack their school, but was stopped before violence occurred. The report affirms the importance of bystander reporting and intervention before a student’s behavior escalates to violence. – Averting Targeted School Violence
Specialists from the Maine Department of Education’s Early Learning Team are excited to offer a web-based professional development opportunity for early childhood educators in the Pre-K and Kindergarten grade span.
The text study will take place virtually on Mondays in four, 75-minute sessions on a bi-weekly basis.
February 28th 3:30-4:45 Part 3 (chapters 7, 8, & 9)
Registration will be limited to 30 participants and together we’ll work to reflect on three big questions:
What about teaching young children sparks your passion?
What unique skills and interests do you bring to your job?
What valuable lessons have you learned in your career so far?
The answers to these will help you identify where you are on your teaching journey and guide you in taking control of your own professional development.
Those interested are encouraged to register. Participants will receive a copy of the book and up to 14 contact hours at the end of each text study.
Registration is free and can be completed here. Registration closes December 15th at 11:59pm. Participants will be selected on a first come, first served basis.
For further information, please contact Nicole Madore, Early Childhood Specialist at Nicole.madore@maine.gov.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is sponsoring a two-week summer institute designed for K-3 elementary teachers, “Identity and Multilingualism through Picture Books.” The institute will focus on pedagogical approaches to language learning through an equity lens.
The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce an excellent opportunity for all Maine educators to deepen their knowledge and skills for supporting students who are English learners (ELs) (also referred to as multilingual learners [MLs]).
Organized by UCLA Center X Northeast Region, the ExcEL Leadership Academy provides teachers with free professional learning through a program of micro-credentialing. Through a project called ExcEL 2026: Improving Outcomes for EL Students in Rural Areas there are two micro-credential pathways: Essential Support for Working with Multi-Lingual Learners and Advanced Support for Working with Multi-Lingual Learners.
ExcEL 2026 makes professional learning accessible to teachers wherever they are located, and ‘the work’ is embedded in their teaching so it aligns with their immediate learning needs. Teachers also become part of the ExcEL network and substantially improve outcomes for students who are ELs. There is NO cost to participate. Participants receive stipends for successfully completing micro-credentials as well as support for classroom materials and supplies.
Visit the ExcEL Leadership Academy website to learn more and apply. Maine educators are also invited to join project director Laureen Avery on December 13th from 3-4pm for more information! Contact Laureen Avery at avery@gseis.ucla.edu if you have any questions about how ExcEL 2026 can support you and your colleagues in improving programs for ELs.
Topic: Maine ExcEL 2026 Info Session
Time: Dec 13, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/3300361098
Meeting ID: 330 036 1098
On December 7th at 3pm, the Maine Department of Education welcomes Dr. Thomas Sauer, Assistant Director of Resource Development at the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) and Codirector of Professionals in Education Advancing Research and Language Learning (PEARLL), who will facilitate a free one-hour webinar on the Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning (TELL) Framework, which outlines the core characteristics that world languages teachers exhibit.
What are the elements of an effective language teacher? While a solid foundation in subject matter content is clearly important for any teacher, research suggests that it is not so much what the teacher knows but what the teacher does in the classroom that maximizes student achievement. Many teachers look for a magic solution, but becoming an effective educator requires a clear definition. The TELL Framework has identified those characteristics and outlined simple processes teachers can complete in order to take charge of their professional growth.
Professional Learning Outcomes:
I can identify how the TELL Framework can help me identify my strengths as a teacher.
I can prioritize my professional growth goals and identify measurable outcomes that will serve as evidence of my growth.
I can use the resources provided by the TELL Project to outline a plan for professional growth.
Contact hours will be provided. Please register by December 2nd and contact April Perkins, World Languages & ESOL/Bilingual Programs Specialist, at april.perkins@maine.gov with any questions.
On November 16th at 3pm, April Perkins, World Languages & ESOL/Bilingual Programs Specialist, is hosting a webinar on the Maine Seal of Biliteracy.
Teachers, school counselors, and principals are welcome to attend. The webinar will describe the eligibility criteria and application process, as well as the benefits for students who earn the Seal of Biliteracy.
Looking for ways to connect your students with national issues and events through a local lens? Three Maine agencies have partnered to create “primary source sets,” themed packets of images, documents, artifacts, and sound recordings that open a window into Maine’s past.
The Maine State Museum, Maine State Archives, and Maine State Library have partnered with the Maine Department of Education to offer these free resources to schools and homeschools across the state.
The structure is simple. Each packet provides an introduction with contextual information on the topic. Then, students receive the primary sources – with no explanation of what they are. Students spend time with their source, finding clues, making observations, asking questions, and interpreting what they see and how it might connect to the broader story. The materials are presented like mysteries that the students can solve, with optional analysis worksheets to walk them through the process. They actively do the work of historians.
Only after these steps do they get the “answers,” labels with the names, dates, and facts associated with their sources. Optional reflection questions and activities offer opportunities for additional depth to the lesson, often drawing the line between the historical materials and issues that impact the present.
Sources exploring the history of incarceration in Maine.
What Kinds of People are in Prison?
Life in Prison
Captivity Outside of Prison
Working in Captivity
“Since mass incarceration is such a critical part of our history and our present, we must be able to offer students a way to understand how we got to this point,” said Freedom & Captivity Coordinator Catherine Besteman who worked on some of the materials for this project. “The U.S. is the world’s largest jailer. It is likely that many children have been impacted by the legal system because of the arrest or incarceration of a family or community member. Understanding how the criminal legal system in the U.S. developed, how it has grown, how it impacts families and communities, and what alternatives exist is a profoundly important task for our schools if we are ever to correct the abuses and problems of the past in order to build a healthier future.”
Interested in learning more? Join the next webinar about these great resources. More information can be found below. You can also reach out to Maine DOE Social Studies Specialist Joe Schmidt at Joe.Schmidt@maine.gov or contact Manie State Museum Education Program Specialist Kate Webber at kate.webber@maine.gov.
Part 4: “Maine Pandemics” Primary Source Set Exploring pre-packaged online educator materials on the theme of the history of pandemics in Maine. 3:00-4:30pm ET November 9th (Register for this session)
Maine DOE Newsroom 