Virtual Workshop for Teachers: Middle School Science & Engineering Fair

The below opportunity is being hosted by the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance.

When: Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Where: Online (Interactive)
Benefits: Participation stipend, Subscription to Science News
Registration Deadline: May 28, 2021
FMI, Contact: Stefany Burrell

Did you know that Maine has a science fair for grades 6-8? The Maine State Middle School Science & Engineering Fair (MSSEF) provides youth with a chance to share their independent STEM projects with judges and their peers. The event encourages students to explore their own area of interest, engage in authentic science and engineering practices, and hone their science communication skills.

Late each spring, the MSSEF welcomes middle schoolers from around the state to present their work in a supportive environment. Students can work alone or in teams of 2-3. There is practically no limit to the topics a student can pursue. If it falls somewhere in the realm of science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM), it fits within the mission of the MSSEF!

As a middle school teacher, you may love the idea of giving your students this opportunity. But how do you start? Join us on Wednesday, June 23 to learn how. We will convene an interactive Zoom session where you’ll learn some tips for getting your students started on their projects and take away some activities to help them make the most of their independent work.

The top 10% of our state’s projects are invited to participate in the national Broadcom MASTERS competition. Although the prestige of winning is reserved for a handful of projects, all students who participate learn invaluable STEM and 21st century skills. Because the MSSEF is affiliated with the MASTERS competition, the Broadcom Foundation has provided MMSA with a grant to pay stipends to teachers who attend this training.

Learn more and register here: https://mmsa.org/2021/05/middle-school-science-fair-teacher-workshop/

New UMaine Special Education Leadership Certificate Available this Fall

The University of Maine College of Education and Human Development and UMaineOnline will begin offering a new graduate certificate in Special Education Leadership this fall.

The Maine Department of Education lists Teacher of Students with Disabilities among the state’s teacher shortage areas. The new graduate certificate is designed to address an accompanying shortage of special education administrators. There are currently 242 special education directors in the state of Maine — one for every 127 students with a disability. The 12-credit graduate certificate in special education leadership can lead to Maine DOE certification as an assistant administrator of special education.

“This certificate is a response to feedback from PreK–12 professionals in Maine and beyond about the immediate need to support the growing number of students with disabilities and who are at risk,” says Sarah Howorth, assistant professor and coordinator of the graduate program in special education in the UMaine College of Education and Human Development. “Assistant administrators serve an important function in local districts, helping directors provide legally mandated access to a free and appropriate education for all students.”

Assistant administrators contribute to overseeing all facets of a school district’s special education department, including programs, services, personnel and budget.

The four courses in the graduate certificate are Law and Policy Affecting Individuals with Disabilities, School Law for Administrators, Organizational Behavior in Education, and an Internship in Special Education Administration. The program objectives are based on guidelines from the Council for Special Education Administrators (CASE). Students can pursue the certificate as a stand-alone program, or as part of coursework toward an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree.

Applications for the Special Education Leadership: Assistant Special Education Director graduate certificate are being accepted through Aug. 15 for students interested in starting the program in the fall 2021 semester. For students interested in starting in summer 2022, the application deadline is April 15, 2022. More information is available on the UMaineOnline website.

For more information, contact Howorth at sarah.howorth@maine.edu.

STEM and Social Studies Virtual Study Tours to Germany this Summer

The Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) is hosting STEM and Social Studies virtual study tours to Germany this summer:

STEM Virtual Study Tour: June 8 – July 1, 2021
Social Studies Virtual Study Tour: July 6 – July 29, 2021

On each 4-week virtual tour, participants can immerse themselves in current topics relevant for both Germany and the U.S./Canada, meet experts and educators from across the Atlantic, and connect with other North American educators, including TOP Alumni.

Learn about a variety of topics relevant to both contemporary Germany and the U.S./Canada.
Engage in exchange and dialogue with German educators and experts.
Discover and be trained on digital teaching tools to use in the classroom.
Create a lesson plan or project on contemporary Germany to use during the upcoming school year.
Build connections with other educators across the U.S., Canada, and Germany.

All meetings will be held in English and can be attended live on Zoom or viewed as a recording at a later time.

Participants can join the tours casually, as time permits, or register to take the virtual study tour as a professional development course for graduate credits.

Learn More & Register.

Go straight to Registration.

Maine DOE Special Services Team to Host NY Times Best Seller Peter H. Reynolds for SPPS Meeting

An upcoming Special Purpose Private Schools Director’s Meeting provided by the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Special Services Team with special guest Peter H. Reynolds, New York Times bestselling illustrator, who has created many acclaimed books for children, including The Dot, Ish, The North Star, and So Few of Me, to share his new book, Peace Train, written by Cat Stevens, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.

The public is invited to this virtual meeting which will be held on Zoom on May 26, 2021, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. EDT. Register in advance for this meeting: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qc-yuqTwvG9f4PwAb5Xkp2_YITmnJfGBq (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.)

IN CELEBRATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF CAT STEVENS’S ICONIC SONG “PEACE TRAIN,” HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS WILL PUBLISH STEVENS’S PICTURE BOOK OF THE SAME NAME

New York, NY (January 12, 2021) – Cat Stevens, ’70s troubadour, singer-songwriter, inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and known to millions for his hits including “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” “Wild World,” “Father and Son,” and “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” has partnered with New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds to produce PEACE TRAIN, a children’s book celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic song’s original release on his multiplatinum album Teaser and the Firecat.

Featuring joyful illustrations and the timeless lyrics of the much-loved peace anthem released in 1971, this hopeful picture book continues Stevens’s commitment to children’s education and shared love for people of all cultures and identities. Stevens invites readers to hop on the Peace Train and join its growing group of passengers who are all ready to travel together to a better world of peace and human understanding.

“I wrote these lyrics more than fifty years ago, and I know the words still boom as true and loud today as they did in the 1970s,” says Stevens. “It’s incredible to see how Peter Reynolds has made the words jump into life in brilliant style for a new generation with his joysome illustrations.”

To see Cat Stevens’ interview about The Peace Train on the Today Show May 11, 2021, click here: https://www.today.com/video/yusuf-cat-stevens-talks-about-turning-peace-train-into-children-s-book-111699525572

2021 STEM for All Video Showcase May 11- 18

2021 STEM for All Video Showcase: Learning from Research and Practice
May 11 – 18, 2021
Online event, https://stemforall2021.videohall.com,

Researchers, practitioners, policy makers, informal educators, and parents interested in enhancing STEM education are invited to take part in a free, interactive, 8-day video showcase event, showcasing federally funded projects to improve STEM and computer science education. All are welcome to view, discuss, and vote for favorites from May 11-18.

The online event, https://stemforall2021.videohall.com, provides an opportunity to hear how programs across the nation have addressed the challenges posed by COVID and related school closures, particularly in underserved communities. Over 1,100 presenters and co-presenters have come together to share 287 3-minute videos. More than half of the presentations address racial or gender inequities and provide strategies to broaden participation and quality experiences for students of all ages, from the youngest elementary students to those pursuing graduate degrees. Collectively they provide a comprehensive introduction to the creative work being done across the nation to improve STEM education in both formal and informal environments.

Visitors to the site can filter the presentations by grade level, organization, state, keywords, or audience type to find those of greatest interest. In addition to discussing the videos, all visitors can vote for their favorite presentations. At the end of the event, presentations that received the most votes will be identified as “Public Choice” winners.

While most of the projects presented are funded by the National Science Foundation, there are also presentations from projects funded by 8 other federal agencies, including ED, NASA, NIH, NOAA, IMLS, US Dept. of State, ONR, and USDA.

Last year’s STEM for All Video Showcase is still being accessed, and to date has had over 87,500 unique visitors from 181 countries.

The STEM for All Video Showcase is hosted by TERC, in partnership with: STEMTLnet, CADRE, CAISE, CIRCLS, STELAR, CS for All Teachers, NARST, NCTM, NSTA, NSF INCLUDES, and QEM. The Showcase is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#1922641).

To learn more about the Showcase and to watch the project videos, visit http://stemforall2021.videohall.com

Join Dr. Habib Dagher to learn about UMaine’s leading research in floating offshore wind

Tesday, May 11th, 9:00-10:00 am

There is an international race to develop floating wind turbine technologies. Educators and students are cordially invited to learn about these technologies and how they can help Maine mitigate climate change and keep more energy dollars in the state. Dr. Habib Dagher, executive director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, will be leading a webinar about the pioneering research in floating offshore wind being conducted at UMaine.

Dr. Dagher will give a presentation geared towards middle school and high school audiences that will cover the engineering of floating wind turbines. How does one design floating turbines that can survive 500-year storms? How is the power brought back to shore? How are these turbines anchored to the seabed? How many turbines does one need to power Maine?

Register for the webinar today!

The event is free but limited to 1,000 participants. Please register ASAP!

Did you know that harnessing just 3% of the Gulf of Maine offshore wind resource can provide enough electricity to heat every home and drive every car in Maine?
The Gulf of Maine’s offshore wind capacity is equivalent to that of 156 nuclear power plants.
Researchers at UMaine are working with NASA to optimize the design of floating offshore wind platforms.

Learn this and more during Dr. Dagher’s presentation.

For more information contact Advanced Structures & Composites Center.

Building from What You Have: A Process for Scaling up Tiered Supports in a MTSS

The Maine Department of Education, in partnership with the University of Southern Maine School of Education and Human Development are seeking school Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) teams to engage in a summer learning institute titled Building from What You Have: A Process for Scaling-Up Tiered Supports in a MTSS. Continuous Improvement Teams from PK-12 are invited to submit an application.

The focus of the Institute is to assist school MTSS teams with engaging in a deep-dive into their current resources in order to scale-up tiered supports, particularly in Tier 1. School teams that wish to apply must be willing to commit to seven 3-hour sessions, held weekly, beginning on Tuesday, June 22 from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM with a 30-minute lunch break built in. The Institute spans 8 total weeks (please note we will not meet the week of July 5th).

This professional learning opportunity has been specifically designed for teams to engage in the work together. To that end, there is one application for the entire team. The team should consist of 4-5 individuals, including: a principal or asst. principal, two general education teachers, a special education teacher, and one team member of their choice (school psychologist, instructional strategist/coach, Title 1 teacher, school counselor or social worker, etc.).

We will be requiring two books as resources during the Institute. The first, Effective Universal Instruction: An Action-Oriented Approach to Improving Tier 1, will be provided as an eTextbook to each team member to support the summer work. The second, Supporting Successful Interventions in Schools: Tools to Plan, Evaluate, and Sustain Effective Implementation must be purchased by either the school or individually for each team member.

The session schedule is as follows:

June 22: MTSS Overview, Resources, and Q&A
June 29: MTSS resources session and workshop: Personnel
July 13: MTSS resources session and workshop: Curriculum and Instruction
July 20: MTSS resources session and workshop: Data and data-based decision making
July 27: MTSS resources session and workshop: Time
Aug 3: MTSS resources session and workshop: Facilities and physical space
Aug 10: Priorities Planning

Due to the highly interactive nature and the need to provide supports to teams, this Institute is being capped at 5 teams. Sessions will be molded and designed to meet participating teams’ needs to the greatest extent possible while covering all of the primary topics.

To apply for this professional learning institute, download and complete the application below. We will review applications on a first come-first serve basis. Only complete applications will be considered. You may submit your completed application beginning on Wednesday, May 19th, and you will be notified of your application status within two weeks of submission. Registration for the institute will remain open until all slots are filled.

Click here to download the application.

For more information or questions regarding the Institute, you may email Andrea Logan at andrea.logan@maine.gov or Rachel Brown-Chidsey at rachelb@maine.edu. You may submit your competed application to Andrea Logan at andrea.logan@maine.gov beginning Wednesday, May 19th 2021.

Free Inclusive Practices Training & Technical Assistance for Public Preschool Programs

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to announce a professional development opportunity designed specifically for Public Preschool Programs. This initiative will support a third cohort of public preschool educators and administrators in providing inclusive practices within high quality preschool environments for 4-year-olds.

This offering is available to any district in Maine with a Public Preschool Program. The 2021 cohort will consist of 3 classrooms of 6 participants each. Teams must include the preschool teacher, ed tech, principal, special ed director, elementary special ed teacher and a regional CDS consultant or teacher. The purpose of team participation is to ensure consistent understanding and application of the course content so that high quality inclusive practices will be supported and sustained.

The DOE Inclusive Initiative is a collaboration with Child Development Services (CDS) and Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network (MRTQ PDN), a University of Maine System partnership between University of Southern Maine (USM) and University of Maine (UMaine). The partnership includes the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) which has expertise in providing training and technical assistance around inclusion, equity and access.

The project faculty will deliver a continuum of learning and support activities through a blended learning model that equips teams to learn about, reflect on, practice and apply the information and strategies to build and strengthen instructional practices that promote high quality preschool environments. Each team will participate in and have access to:

Online training covering a range of topics with the objective of helping early educators develop a deeper understanding of how to promote inclusion in the classroom.
Consultation to expand on the training content and use the materials to personalize learning within your own setting.
A facilitated professional learning community (PLC) with other peers as “thinking partners” to share and explore topics and application strategies.
A suite of resources and tools to support this work.

Benefits of Participation for Maine Schools

Opportunities for administrators, teachers, educational technicians and CDS staff to:

Devote dedicated time as a team to focus on preschool pedagogy.
Develop a shared understanding of the components of high quality inclusive preschool classrooms.
Identify, plan and work toward a common goal to continue to support equity and excellence.
Gain access to other early care and education professional development opportunities.
Enhance teacher recruitment, retention and quality.
Receive certificates of contact hours which support certification renewal and/or local professional development requirements.

Please visit here to hear from past participants about their experiences in this initiative.

An informational lunch and learn meeting is scheduled for Monday May 17, 2021 at 11:15-12:15. Pre-registration is required and available here. A recording of this session will be made available for future viewing here.

Districts are asked to apply by June 4, 2021 to take advantage of this exciting professional development opportunity. Notifications of acceptance will be provided by June 10, 2021.The tentative timeline of project requirements is outlined in the table below.

The project requirements include:	Projected timeline:
Completing the On-demand training: Inclusive Environments in Public Pre-K.	By August 18, 2021.
Participate in a half-day virtual orientation session.	Mid-August 2021
Completing an 18 hour online training: Creating Inclusive Preschool Settings Classrooms.	September-November 2021
Participate in 2 PLC’s scheduled as follow-up support during the online training.	October 2021
Participate in consultation* It may be necessary to align class coverage on the days of consultation for some period of time.* 2 (1-2 hour) classroom based consultations (onsite or technology-based). 2 (1-2 hour) administrative consultation (onsite or technology based)	October-November 2021
Participate in a wrap up meeting hosted by the DOE to evaluate the project and short district team presentations to showcase your learning.	December 2021

The complete application is available at this link.

You may access this PDF version to preview the application prior to completing.

For more information, view the FAQ or contact

Nicole Madore at Nicole.madore@maine.gov or

Marcy Whitcomb at Marcy.r.whitcomb@maine.gov

PRIORITY NOTICE: Interactive Workshop by Wabanaki REACH – Moving Forward: Opening a Path to Truth, Healing and Change

Maine-Wabanaki REACH is a cross cultural organization working in support of decolonization and Wabanaki self-determination. REACH focuses on truth, healing, and change. Our work with Wabanaki people is flexible, responding to activities in the communities themselves. It includes wellness and history learning, healing circles, support for growing food and medicines, and emergency financial support. This work takes place in Wabanaki communities, Maine communities, and in the Maine State Correction System. Our work with non-Native people around Maine and beyond includes learning about the history and ongoing relationships of Native and non-Native people, understanding colonization, and the work of decolonization.

Interacting with Wabanaki-Maine History

This program is an interactive experience in which we engage in a story of particular events in the history of 400-years of colonization of Wabanaki people by Europeans in this territory now called the State of Maine. This highly engaging experience requires our full participation in order to genuinely increase our understanding of colonization and what it means for current descendants and future generations; to reflect on what story we are writing for our grandchildren.

This workshop is sponsored by the Maine DOE’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team.

The two-hour interactive workshop will be offered on three different occasions. To maximize the impact of the experience, a cap of 50 participants per workshop will be applied. This means space is limited. We will be accepting registrations on a first come-first served basis. A certification of completion will be provided to attendees that can be used toward Maine educator endorsements.

Monday, May 17, 2021 from 7:00pm-9:00pm
Monday, May 24, 2021 from 7:00pm-9:00pm
Monday, June 7, 2021 from 7:00pm-9:00pm

To register for this workshop, use the following link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=q6g_QX0gYkubzeoajy-GTlcU2QBaiG9CuTPNt6EYjMFUMkVGSk40UElXUDgzWVJETFYwUkxNVVNTSy4u

For more information contact Danielle Despins; a volunteer member of Maine DOE’s internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) sub-committee at danielle.r.despins@maine.gov.

Call for Proposals: Regional Computer Science Education Conference Hosted (virtually) in Maine!

Are you a teacher who loves computer science and tries to weave it into everything you teach? Or maybe you’re still somewhat new to technology, but have developed an understanding throughout the past year? Share your progress and showcase your innovations in computer science education at this year’s Computer Science Teacher Association New England (CSTA NE) conference, hosted (virtually via Hopin) by our very own Maine CSTA chapter!

The CSTA NE conference is a great opportunity to learn more about computer science education, connect with other computer science teachers, and hear perspectives from computer science teachers in other New England states. Sessions will be focused around innovation and will vary in both duration and topic. Session designs include: 15-minute flash talks, 30-minute topic discussions, and 60-minute sessions.

To learn more about CSTA NE, click here.

To submit a session proposal, fill out this form by May 24th, 2021.

If you’re not interested in presenting, but you’d like to attend the conference, registration to attend opens soon! Check back for updates.