Juniper Hill School to Provide Summer Educator Institute Focused on Outdoor Learning in August

Juniper Hill School will be running a Teaching with Nature, Summer Educator Institute this summer in person August 5-8th at Juniper Hill School (with safety measures in place). It will be an opportunity for anyone interested in establishing outdoor learning at their schools or programs this fall.

They will be focusing on the uniqueness of this coming year and especially the First Six Weeks outdoors–academics/curriculum, setting up an outdoor classroom, community learning, and risk management.

For more information or to register visit Juniper Hill School’s Website or contact info@juniperhillschool.org with questions.

Upcoming and Ongoing Virtual Sessions and Recordings Offered by the Maine DOE

Check out the Maine Department of Education’s Professional Development Calendar for upcoming professional development offerings. The Department continues to offer office hours for School Based Mental Health Supports and School Counselors each week. Now is the time to register for two of our upcoming series, one on Reading Differentiation using Jan Richardson’s Practices and our Pre K for ME Curriculum Training

Be sure to browse our webinar library for recorded sessions, we have recordings on a range of topics, everything from ESEA Office hours to World Languages! We have newly uploaded sessions on Physical Education, Health Education and coming soon will be playlists for Business Managers in addition to a series of recorded sessions about ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds).

Find the Professional Calendar here.

Find the Webinar Library here.

FREE Virtual Professional Development for School Transportation Teams July 30-31

Provided by Transfinder, sponsored by Maine Deptartment of Education. Held Thursday, July 30 – Friday, July 31, 2020

DAY ONE

Thursday, July 30
Register for Day 1: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4579505920092838411

Agenda

Glimpse Into the Transfinder Future
9:00 am – 10:00 am

This session will build your excitement for the new technology being developed at Transfinder. See the next generation of Wayfinder Navigation allowing drivers to benefit from turn-by-turn voice guidance. Learn about Tripfinder for managing field trip requests and secure access for district personnel to submit requests and track approvals. Stopfinder, the All-in-One parent engagement app, brings enhanced communication with parents and district administration through push notifications, 2-way messaging and GeoAlerts. And Routefinder PLUS – the next generation of Routefinder Pro. This easy-to-us, full-featured browser-based transportation solution is revolutionizing school transportation with Faster, Safer and Smarter routing.

Routefinder Pro 101
10:15 am – 12:15 pm

Welcome to Routefinder Pro! Routefinder Pro is a powerful, easy-to-use school bus routing, scheduling and planning solution. By attending this session, you will learn the basics of navigating through Routefinder Pro by learning the tools available in the toolbar, how to look up data, and using your maps to begin creating trips. You will walk away with knowing how to set trip criteria, stop creation, driving paths and timing. In addition, you will know how to create trip reports once your routes are complete.

Field Trips with Infofinder Le: Part 1
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Infofinder le is a web-based solution that leverages your investment in Routefinder Pro by providing an unlimited number of designated district personnel access to your student and trip information. In this session you will get an overview of the entire Infofinder le program, learn how to create user accounts for district personnel, and begin learning how to configure the fields of the Field Trip Request Form. You will know how to use the security module in Routefinder Pro to set access rights for the user accounts of district personnel, so they can access Student and Trip data, run reports and request and approve Field Trip requests electronically.

Field Trips with Infofinder Le: Part 2
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

In Part 2 of this session you will learn how to adjust the Infofinder le system settings and create a message for the Infofinder le homepage. You will also walk through the steps of how to request and approve a Field Tip request, assign resources to a Field Trip, and complete a Field Trip Request Form. In addition to the above, at the end of the session you will know how to run and print driver sheets and invoices, populate dropdown lists for users and set up easy billing.

Wayfinder
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Wayfinder is Transfinder’s All-In-One In-Vehicle App. Enhance your fleet by using Wayfinder to Build Routes and Navigate all from your mobile device. In this session you will learn how Wayfinder can help you prepare for the upcoming school year and use the navigation feature which will safely and clearly guide your drivers along the planned trip as well as tracking student attendance as you arrive at each stop. At the end of the session you will know how to add routes to Routefinder Pro using a tablet or smartphone
and create stops with the click of a button

DAY TWO

Friday, July 31, 2020
Register for Day 2: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7905766088626871051

Agenda:

Viewfinder
8:30 am – 9:30 am

With Viewfinder you can monitor the day-to-day operations of your transportation department from any computer. Quickly access updates on students, trips, field trips, vehicles, and staff to ensure your operation is running smoothly. In this session you will learn how to use Viewfinder to gain powerful insights into your operation. At the end
of the session you will walk away knowing how to use the dashboards and automated reporting function so you can monitor the Transportation Department from outside Routefinder Pro.

Servicefinder – Part 1
10:00 am – 11:00 am

Servicefinder simplifies fleet maintenance to help reduce costs, reduce vehicle downtime, extend vehicle life, increase technician productivity, maintain lower inventory levels and extend better control of personnel and vendors. In this session you will learn the tools and functions available in the Dashboard, Driver Portal and more. You will walk away with a greater understanding of how to use these tools to help you tackle the complex administrative tasks associated with keeping your fleet running smoothly.

Servicefinder – Part 2
11:30 am – 12:30 pm

In Part 2 you will learn how to import data for buses and parts, and use the Quick-Add method to enter and maintain the system. You will explore the Control Panel configuration, and learn how to make the most of customizable options and settings.
By the end of the session you will know the process for receiving inventory and how to generate work orders.

Pre-K for ME Curriculum Training

The Early Learning Team at the Maine Department of Education is pleased to host this free training for public Pre-K teachers, ed techs and administrators. Together with four Pre-K teachers from RSU 57, we’ll provide a two-day training for those interested in implementing the newly developed, whole-child, comprehensive curriculum, Pre-K for ME. Access to curriculum units is free and available now on our website at: https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/earlychildhood/PreK4ME

This two-day training will be held in-person at the Massabesic Training Center in Waterboro, Maine on August 3^rd and 4^th. All necessary precautions will take place regarding the health and well-being of our participants. We will also offer remote attendance through a Zoom conference link, provided after registration. Please note that the in-person setting may change pending guidance from the CDC, Governor Mills and registration results.

Attendance by school administrators is highly encouraged in order to support the ongoing needs of your teachers, as well as to gain a better understanding of the science behind the curriculum, best practices in a Pre-K setting, and the six comprehensive units of study that the curriculum offers.

Registration is available now through the end of July at: http://events.egov.com/eventreg/ME/event.htm?name=prekformecurriculumtraining

Any questions should be directed to Nicole Madore, Early Childhood Specialist nicole.madore@maine.gov

Find an Array of Virtual Support Sessions Crafted Just for Maine Educators and School Staff on the Maine DOE Website

The Maine Department of Education’s content specialists along with partnering educational leaders from the field continue to schedule, provide, and record a wide variety of virtual support sessions, professional development, and continued and engaging conversations over the summer.

Upcoming sessions include everything from supporting PreK and K teachers, remote learning, Multi-tiered Systems of Support, brain centered support, grading equity for ELA, all the way to an Iced Coffee Hour with VPA educators from across the state, and more!

Find a schedule of upcoming sessions here | Find recorded sessions here.

NEW: Remote Learning 101 with Maine DOE Digital Learning Specialists

Digital Learning Specialists at the Maine Department of Education are hosting a Remote Learning 101 professional learning series. The series is currently underway and consists of three modules total. Sessions are being recorded and will be posted to the Maine DOE website and YouTube Channel as they happen.

The first module of the series provides an overview of getting started with remote learning, the fundamentals of engaging in a virtual environment, including establishing classroom management practices, setting norms, digital citizenship, and more. The second module of the series explores the key components of designing and delivering effective instruction in a remote learning environment. Building upon the first module, we look at different models, the elements within them, and the various digital tools that can aid in implementing them. The third module of the series focuses on tying everything together within a remote classroom. We look at bringing students into the process as they connect with the content, with each other, and with the educator(s) to encourage students to make deep connections and demonstrate their understanding in ways that are new and exciting.

View the complete schedule, view previous recordings, and register for upcoming sessions here.

PRIORITY NOTICE: DOE Virtual Professional Learning Now Available Through Mid-June!

The Maine Department of Education has posted an updated and robust schedule of virtual professional learning, office hours and meetings through mid-June to support school and district staff with their professional learning needs as they conclude emergency teaching plans and prepare for the possible scenarios we will face in the 2020-2021 school year.

All of the sessions are available virtually, and most will be recorded for watching at another time. Please check the schedule in advance to allow time for pre-registration or the need to email the host to obtain meeting information.

Please note that the Department will be upgrading our calendar system over the summer to allow for more efficient event updating, viewing, sorting, and searching for events!

See the Professional Learning, Office Hours, and Meeting Schedule Through Mid-June Here

You can also now check out recorded webinars in one convenient place that you can watch when you are available. The Department will also be working on organizing and upgrading the webinar library over the coming weeks to make it easier to search. Thank you for your patience!

FREE TRAINING for Comprehensive Emergency Operations Planning: A Framework for Fall 2020

Maine Department of Education is proud to announce that our Maine School Safety Center Team will be hosting a series for all School Administrative Units (SAUs) and their Collaborative Planning Team members to create or review their Emergency Operations Plans. These plans should serve as the framework for any emergency planning and response effort, and requires a whole community approach. While it is still too early to finalize guidance for schools in Fall of 2020, by participating in this training, SAUs will be optimally positioned to apply forthcoming guidance to their existing frameworks.

This eight week series, beginning June 9 and occurring every Tuesday at 10:00 am, will walk participants through the comprehensive framework, from which all emergency response plans are built, and will include expert presenters for the individual topics and training that was developed by Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS).

Week 1: Overview of the Six Step Planning Process (1 hour)
Week 2: Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) (1 hour)
Week 3: Continuity of Operations Annex (1.5 hours)
Week 4: Recovery Annex (1.5 hours)
Week 5: Infectious Diseases Annex – broad coverage (1 hour)
Week 6: Integrating Disabilities (1.5 hours)
Week 7: Bereavement and Loss Annex (1.5 hours)
Week 8: Understanding Resilience and Developing a Self-Care Plan (1 hour)

Your Collaborative Planning Team should include your school nurse, administrators, educators, and representatives from transportation, food service, local emergency responders, and your local or regional community health experts, and we encourage you to share the registration with them.

When timely guidance for Fall 2020 is provided, additional training that builds upon this framework will be provided by Maine School Safety Center, and will ensure all SAUs have the necessary tools to make sound decisions for the safety and well-being of your school communities.

Please register in advance of the meeting, here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Contact hours will be available at the conclusion of the series.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Virtual Meeting Schedule: May 11 – May 15, 2020

The Maine Department of Education continues to schedule virtual office hours and professional development with Department Specialists to support educators and administrators during extended remote learning. During these meetings, our specialists are available to provide support, professional learning opportunities, and guidance regarding distance learning and school supports, as well as to facilitate networking and resource sharing between educators.

It is advised to check the schedule in advance. Many of the virtual meetings now require pre-registration or the need to email the host for a link and password, these measures help to prevent inappropriate interruptions.

Virtual Meeting Schedule:

The virtual meeting schedule for educators is regularly updated on the Maine DOE website: See the schedule
See the professional learning schedule for Education Technicians here! – Ed Tech professional learning sessions will be recorded and available here a few days after they are scheduled to take place.

PRIORITY NOTICE: Virtual Meeting Schedule for Next Week; PL for Ed Techs Now Available

Virtual Meeting Schedule May 4 – May 8, 2020

The Maine Department of Education continues to schedule virtual office hours with Department Specialists to support educators and administrators during extended remote learning. During these meetings, our specialists are available to provide support and guidance regarding distance learning and school supports, as well as to facilitate networking and resource sharing between educators.

***NEW – Professional Learning for Education Technicians: Through ongoing efforts to support the needs of Maine schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maine Department of Education is responding to requests for professional learning for Education Technicians with a series of online opportunities, scheduled through the month of May and early June. Learn more here

Please note: many of the virtual meetings now require pre-registration and password protection to prevent inappropriate interruptions, so be sure to check the schedule ahead of time, and make sure you can register or obtain a password ahead of the meetings you wish to attend.