Maine DOE Update – March 7, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

PRIORITY NOTICE: Reminder to Review and Report any District Data Errors in 2019/20 Subsidy Printouts (ED 279s) by March 15, 2019

The Maine Department of Education would like to acknowledge the hard work of school districts in ensuring that the data they submit to the Department is as accurate as possible. Each year there are a handful of data errors that districts notice after the release of the ED 279 printouts and these can have a significant impact on subsidy. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

PRIORITY NOTICE: Maine Department of Education’s Position on School Mascots and Logos

Because our schools must provide safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments, and because schools teach many lessons by example, DOE urges schools to refrain from using mascots and logos that depict Native American tribes, individuals, customs, or traditions.| More

Guidance Regarding Automated Translation/Interpretation Services

As Maine districts have experienced increasing numbers of students and parents who speak languages other than English, there has also been an increase in the availability of machine or automated translation/interpretation software and apps. | More

Resources to Help Schools Eliminate Browntail Moth Nests

The Maine Department of of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry has put together the resources and information below to help Maine schools eliminate Browntail Moth nests | More

National Congress on School Transportation Writing Committees Seeking Input

The National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) is accepting change requests from any interested party on the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures. | More

The Maine Association of School Nurses (MASN) is Seeking Nominations for School Nurse of the Year 2019

The purpose of this award is to recognize the contributions of Maine School Nurses by honoring one school nurse who has demonstrated leadership and excellence in the practice of school nursing. | More

Seeking Additional Maine Schools for Social Emotional Learning Pilot Program

The Tobacco and Substance Use Prevention and Control Program with the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (MECDC), in partnership with the Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE), is seeking additional schools that would like to implement the social emotional learning (SEL) program, Second Step, funded by a grant through MECDC. | More

Maine DOE Employee of the Week: Sarah Adkins

Sarah Adkins, Student Assistance Coordinator, is the Maine Department of Education’s Employee of the Week. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Somerset Valley Middle School Shares Recent Highlights & Successes

Somerset Valley Middle School is located in Hartland, Maine. It is currently grades 3-8. The district is in the process of consolidating due to a new high school/middle school construction project. | More

Senator King Visits LearningWorks Afterschool

Senator Angus King visited the LearningWorks 21st Century Community Learning Center Afterschool program in Biddeford on Friday, February 8th. | More

Windham Middle School Named a Common Sense School

RSU 14, Windham Raymond Schools, has been working very hard to help their students become responsible and safe in their digital lives. | More

The Five Town CSD and MSAD #28 Held the First Ever Remote School Day in Maine

This process began last summer when we convened a group of teachers representing K-12 staff to begin working on the idea. | More

Event Highlights from Downeast School and William S. Cohen School in Bangor

Highlights of great things happening in Bangor including the welcoming home of a deployed Military Service Member. | More

Dike-Newell School’s Classroom Buddy Reading Initiative Supports Literacy and Building Community

Dike-Newell School is a Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade elementary school of 250 students, located in Bath, Maine. | More

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Maine DOE Update – February 28, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

The Special Education Staff Certification Report (EF-S-05 Part II) Open on March 1, 2019; Deadline is April 5, 2019

The EF-S-05 Part II Special Education Staff Certification report must be verified and certified by the Special Education Director in the Maine DOE’s NEO System. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Certification Processing Reduced to Three Weeks

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce that its certification office has reached its operational goal of a three-week turnaround time for processing educator certification applications that are complete. This is an enormous improvement from the significant processing times educators have been experiencing. | More

Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) Follow-up and Guidance for 2019-20

Thank you for the tremendous efforts put forth to complete a district level CNA during the 2017-18 school year. The intent behind this process was to streamline state and federal requirements into one succinct document to support districts in making data driven decisions. | More

Public Comments Sought on Maine’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Application for Federal Funds

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking public comments on its annual application for federal funds under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers services to children with disabilities, ages 3-20. | More

Streamlining the Basic School Approval Process; New Release Date May 1, 2019

Based on feedback from schools and districts around the state over the past year, the Department is working hard to bring school administrative units a leaner and more streamlined school approval process. | More

Reminders for Storm Closures and Updated Guidance for Remote School Days

This school year, Maine has already experienced a number of weather-related school day cancellations. As in other recent years, this may cause some districts to exceed the number of storm days that were originally planned for in the school calendar. | More

Reminder of Cybersecurity Opportunity for Students

As a reminder, ‘GirlsGoCyberStart’, an exciting national program that uses online games of discovery to introduce high school girls to the cybersecurity field, is open for registration. Young women in high school who excel in the GirlsGoCyberStart game will have the opportunity to win scholarships and other prizes. | More

Maine DOE Employee of the Week: Adriane Ackroyd

Adriane Ackroyd, Maine Department of Education’s Food Service Program Coordinator is the Maine Department of Education’s Employee of the Week. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Awesome Things Happening at James F. Doughty School in Bangor

Mrs. Kathryn Kennedy of James F. Doughty School (JFDS) is one of eighteen educators from across America to have been selected to participate in Memorializing the Fallen — a teacher professional development program from National History Day®. | More

Caravel Middle School’s Top Priority is Doing What is Best for Students

In RSU 87 we work to provide the best possible educational experience to the students in our community. We support staff development in order to help our staff be as effective as possible in their position(s) and be responsive to students. We use a student-centered decision making model so that our top priority is always what is best for our students. | More

Madison Junior High School Provides Students with Quality Learning Experiences

Madison Junior High school staff, students, administration and parents work together to create a productive, positive, and rewarding atmosphere in which our students will learn and grow. We work hard to create lasting memories through quality learning experiences and special events. | More

Carmel Elementary School Shares their Success with One Book, One School Experience

Picture the combo gymnasium/cafeteria, typical of schools built in the mid 70’s. Enter one hundred fifty-three kindergarten through grade four students. Today, students efficiently organize into pre-determined discussion groups; they wait patiently, anticipating the work that is about to begin. They know how to do this work. One Book, One School has been part of the school community in one version or another for over a decade. There is an air of expectation and enjoyment in the gymnasium: purposeful talk is about to begin. | More

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Maine DOE Update – February 21, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

EPS High-Cost Out-of-District Report (EF-S-214) Open for Reporting on March 1, 2019; Deadline is April 15, 2019

The EF-S-214, also known as the EPS High-Cost Out-of-District Report will be open for data entry to Maine public schools on March 1 in the Maine DOE’s NEO Portal. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

PRIORITY NOTICE: 2019/20 Subsidy Printouts (ED279s) Now Available with Explanation of Funding Changes

The fiscal year 2019-2020 ED 279 subsidy printouts are now available. The subsidy printouts are provided based on the $1.1 Billion in General Purpose Aid funding recommended for FY 2019-2020 by Governor Janet Mills in her FY 2020-2021 biennial budget. | More

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine Participates in National Cybersecurity Opportunity for Young Women in High School

To help educate more young women about the opportunities in the field of cybersecurity, Governor Janet Mills, the Maine Office of Information Technology, and the Maine Department of Education are promoting ‘GirlsGoCyberStart’, an exciting national program that uses online games of discovery to introduce high school girls to the field. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Oceanside High School, Setting Students up for Success

Submitted by Jesse Bartke, Interim Principal at Oceanside High School and written by Jenny Goode, GT Teacher and Hannah Faesey, Social Worker. At Oceanside High School in Rockland, a system has been established that supports students to build a foundation of success as they enter High School and then encourages them to challenge themselves and focus their education on individual passions. | More

River View Community School Takes the Kindness Challenge

Submitted by Vicki Duguay, Principal, River View Community School in MSAD 11. River View Community School in South Gardiner, part of MSAD #11, has taken a concerted effort to increase the kindness factor within our school. We believe that the promotion of kindness among our students and school community is vitally important to the atmosphere within our school. | More

MSAD 49 Partners with Harvard University School of Education

Submitted by Reza Namin, Superintendent of Schools for Maine School Administrative District 49. Under leadership of Superintendent Dr. Reza Namin, Maine School Administrative District 49 has implemented a partnership with the Harvard University School of Education. 47 teachers, staff, and specialists in 8 Professional Learning Communities are taking part in the partnership. | More

Healthy Decisions Day a Success at Maranacook Community Middle School

Submitted by Kristen Levesque, Principal at Maranacook Community Middle School. Healthy Decisions Day is an annual event at Maranacook Community Middle School, that is organized by the school counselor, Gwen Mohlar, with support from other staff. | More

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Seeking Schools to Participate in “Youth Mindfulness” Opportunity

The Maine DOE has teamed up with OmKids and Radiant Beginnings to offer a 2-hour, in-person training on a video-based mindfulness and stress relief curriculum to support students’ and teachers’ emotional health. This opportunity is available to a small number of Maine schools that include PreK through grade 5 | More

Professional Learning Opportunity: Leveraging Free Technology to Create More Inclusive Classrooms

The Maine Department of Education and Microsoft are collaborating to offer educators the opportunity to participate in a program from March 2019 to June 2019. The program will focus on leveraging free technology tools available to Maine educators to create more inclusive classrooms. A Microsoft Learning Consultant will lead these sessions. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Maine DOE Update – February 14, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

School Safety and Security Bulletin: Planning for those with Access and Functional Needs

Throughout the 2018- 2019 school year, the Maine Department of Education, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Department of Health and Human Services, Maine State Police, Maine Sheriffs Association, Maine Chiefs of Police Association, and the Maine Emergency Management Agency will provide tips and resource information to Maine schools to help provide some guidance for identifying signs and preventing school violence. | More

U.S. Department of Education Acts on School Safety Report Recommendation to Improve Understanding of Student Privacy Law

The U.S. Department of Education released a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on schools’ and districts’ responsibilities under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in the context of school safety. | More

Maine Seeks Qualified Peer Reviewers for 21st CCLC Grant Applications

The Maine Department of Education is seeking qualified peer reviewers to read, assess, and score competitive grant proposals for the 21st Century Community Leaning Centers (21st CCLC) Program. This federally-funded grant program provides opportunities for schools and communities to develop “community learning centers” that serve children and youth during out-of-school time. Maine currently has 32 grant-funded 21st CCLC programs operating 55 individual centers in communities across the state. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Mountain Valley Middle School (RSU 10) – A Safe Place To Learn

Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico, is part of Regional School Unit #10, in the picturesque foothills of western Maine. At Mountain Valley Middle School, we strive to provide all students with a safe place to learn where all staff and students follow a code to be respectful, act responsibly, and do what is right, even when no one is watching. We pride ourselves on knowing where we need to grow and we all work toward becoming better students, teachers and learners. | More

From Early Reading Struggles to Bowdoin College: One Student’s Story in RSU#34

Reading Recovery is designed to help struggling first graders catch up to their peers in 12 to 20 weeks. Specially trained reading teachers work with students in a one on one setting to meet each child’s individual needs. In RSU #34, about three quarters of these students reach the average of the class by the end of first grade. But we often wonder what happens to these students as they move on. Here is one student’s story. | More

Thomaston Grammar School Shares their School and Community Success

Thomaston Grammar School, located in the Mid-Coast town of Thomaston, is a great place to be. Our K-5 school has approximately one hundred and eighty-five students, with two classes at each grade level. In addition to having a daily focus on mathematics, literacy, science, social studies, and health instruction, students also have weekly art, music, technology, SEL (social emotion learning), and physical education classes. | More

Happenings in Afterschool Programs for RSU#13

At Broadreach’s 21st Century Learning Center, providing afterschool programming for the towns of RSU#13, we are proud to announce that students from grades K-12 participated in their town’s local “Pies on Parade!” | More

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Professional Learning Opportunity: Learning Design Lab at East Grand School

Maine Educators are invited to visit East Grand School in Danforth, Maine on Tuesday, March 5th, 2019, to join a Learning Design Lab lead by Kim Gray, a Kindergarten teacher, Jill Plummer, a Middle School teacher, and Jennifer Gilman, a 6-12 Mathematics teacher. This is an opportunity for educators to visit classrooms and talk with students and teachers about ways technology is successfully integrated into elementary, middle, and high school grades. | More

Bullying Prevention: Online Professional Development

Through a collaborative effort with Safe Schools, an industry leader in K-12 school safety, the Maine DOE is providing all schools free, equitable access to professional development that addresses Maine’s anti-bullying law. The professional development course, Bullying: Recognition & Response, specifically highlights An Act to Prohibit Bullying and Cyberbullying in Schools and addresses the proper use of Maine DOE’s model bullying policy and procedures, which can be found here. | More

Professional Development Opportunity: Fostering Musical Early Childhood Classrooms

The Maine Department of Education invites educators to be part of its upcoming professional development opportunity, Fostering Musical Early Childhood Classrooms. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Maine DOE Update – February 7, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

PRIORITY NOTICE: Data Submission Correction Process Now Available; February 8 Deadline

Recognizing the collection of attendance data remains relatively new to Maine schools and districts and in response to school and district feedback, the Maine Department of Education is pleased to provide an opportunity for schools to correct errors related to data in the following three (3) areas: | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Administrative Letter: Clarification Concerning Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

To assist and support school districts in their diligent work to document student Individual Education Plans (IEP), Maine Department of Education is providing clarification concerning least restrictive environment (LRE) and the calculation of the percentage of time that a child is with non-disabled peers (Section 9 of the IEP). | More

Maine Seeks Qualified Peer Reviewers for 21st CCLC Grant Applications

MLTI T-shirt Design Competition Accepting Entries Until April 12, 2019

The Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) has hosted a design challenge for years. Students were asked to submit original works of digital art that could be used as screensavers. Twenty winners were chosen, and those images were used as screensavers on thousands of student laptops across the state each year. This was a way to celebrate the varied ways students could create with the MLTI technology and share with others across the state. | More

Maine DOE Kicks off February ‘Read to ME Challenge’ at Young School in Saco

Maine Department of Education Commissioner A. Pender Makin along with students, educators, and administrators from Young School in Saco officially kicked off the Read to ME Challenge on Monday, February 4, 2019. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Rise and Shine Program Proves Successful at East End Community School in Portland

At East End Community School in Portland, 75-80% of the students receive free or reduced lunch, student mobility is about 50%—there are almost 150 new students that leave at the end of the year, with that same amount of new kids coming in the following school year. | More

Extensive Dual Enrollment Program at Maranacook Community High School Creates Opportunities for Students

At Maranacook Community High School, to best support our students and community we have worked to create the most extensive dual enrollment program in the state. Routinely each year, students from Maranacook graduate with an Associates Degree in Liberal Studies from Thomas College before they graduate from Maranacook Community High School. | More

Katahdin Schools – RSU 89 Shares Successful Outcomes from Recent Initiatives

I am excited to share the positive initiatives that are a part of Katahdin Schools and making a positive difference for students and their learning. This is my third year as a principal in Maine. Prior to moving to Maine I was a classroom teacher, instructional coach and principal in Philadelphia and its suburbs. | More

Erskine Academy Wins School Spirit Challenge Tournament of Champions by Raising a Record-breaking 196,969 Pounds of Food

Beginning in September, Erskine Academy committed to a challenging mission, once again, to collect food and funds to support the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine (GSFB) by participating in WGME13/Fox23’s School Spirit Challenge Tournament of Champions. The School Spirit Challenge (SSC) is a friendly competition between schools to show school pride and spirit, all while helping the community. | More

St. George School Chosen as the School of the Year by the Maine Environmental Education Association

St. George School has been chosen as the School of the Year by the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA)! In the award letter to the school, the MEEA wrote, “Your demonstrated commitment to creating authentic learning opportunities for your students and engaging them in their environment as well as your clear dedication to reaching into the community to create real world learning opportunities make St. George School a clear choice for this award.” | More

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

New Webinar Recording Available for Administrators on the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Model Policy

The Children’s Safety Partnership is pleased to announce that the Maine’s Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Model Policy Overview Webinar is now available online. | More

2019 Winter Wellness Workshop Day: PUTTING WELLNESS CENTER STAGE

The Maine Schoolsite Health Promotion Program, a program of the Maine Department of Education is offering this professional development opportunity, 2019 Winter Wellness Workshop Day: PUTTING WELLNESS CENTER STAGE!, to support health promotion and wellness for staff and positively impacting school and student health. | More

Rural Maine Attendance Summit to be held April 11

Rural Maine Attendance is hosting small school districts from across the state for a day-long summit held at gather at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer on April 11th, 2019 with experts from across the state to talk about ways to improve chronic absenteeism in rural schools. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

Maine DOE Update – January 31, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Certification Processing Times & Reminders

A huge thank you to the education field for their patience and understanding as the DOE has continued to implement enhancements to the new online certification system and enhance information found on the certification webpage. | More

PRIOIRTY NOTICE: Update Regarding the Release if the ED 279 Subsidy Printouts

The Maine Department of Education has been working as quickly and efficiently as possible to calculate and prepare the ED 279 Subsidy Printouts as we know that school districts rely on this information to set their local budget. | More

Maine DOE to Kick-off Read to ME Challenge on February 4th at Young School in Saco

To kick off the 4^th annual Read to ME Challenge, Maine Department of Education’s Acting Commissioner A. Pender Makin will read to students at the Young School in Saco. | More

Teacher of the Year Nominations Open Until February 4th

As a reminder, nominations are still open 2019 County Teachers of the Year and 2020 Teacher of the Year. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and nurturing the achievement of all students. | More

National School Counseling Week 2019 – School Counselors: Providing Lessons for Life

February 4 – 8, 2019 is National School Counseling Week, please celebrate your school counselor(s)! | More

Due Process Procedure Update

The Office of Special Services would like to inform school districts and parents that the Due Process Office has a new email address specific to special education due process issues. | More

Maine DOE Seeks Community Partners to Help Feed Hungry Children This Summer

With the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maine public schools have long offered a nutritious breakfast and lunch meal program to thousands of income eligible children in Maine during the school year. To extend this program, Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition (Maine DOE) is seeking organizations who would like to participate in the federally funded Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides children healthy meals when school is not in session. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

RSU 9 – Mt. Blue Middle School Initiates “Strive for Five” Initiative to Improve Absenteeism

The Strive for 5 campaign at Mt. Blue Middle School was initiated after a routine end of the year audit on student data. After my first year as the principal of MBMS I wanted to see what our data, including attendance, said about my first year as principal. We reviewed academic, behavioral and demographic data to see deficiencies and strengths in order to create school wide goals. | More

RSU 19 -Newport/Plymouth Elementary School is Engaging Students and the Community in Unique Ways

One of the great things about being a part of the RSU 19 school district is the involved community that we are a part of. Getting to invite community members in to see the fantastic work that our students are immersed in every day is one of the ways that we can help celebrate our students’ success with the help of community members, creating memorable experiences for all. | More

Parent Praises Hard Work of Arundel CDS, Shooting Stars Preschool in Scarborough, and Young School in Saco

I am a parent of four children, three of whom were diagnosed with autism. Two of them are considered severe, nonverbal, but have done great so far, thanks to Child Developmental Services support in Arundel, our interventionist Linda Gatz who worked with all three of our kids. | More

Seeking Success Stories from Maine Schools

In an effort to help promote and highlight the positive stories, initiatives, and efforts happening in Maine’s local schools, the Maine DOE will be collecting and sharing stories from local schools and districts and sharing them in a new section of the Weekly Maine DOE Update called Maine Schools Sharing Success. | More

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Professional Learning Opportunity: Using Assessment to Strengthen Instruction

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the next installment of its Balanced Assessment series: Using Assessment to Strengthen Instruction for high school grades. Participants will explore SAT data and methods to compare local data to determine instructional priorities. The workshops will be at USM, UMO, and UMPI. There is no cost for these events. | More

Upcoming Integrated Pest Management (IMP) Workshops

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry’s Maine School IPM Program has announced the Winter/Spring 2019 workshop schedule. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here

Maine DOE Update – January 24, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

School Health Annual Report Summary for 2017-18

The Department of Education is pleased to announce the release of the School Health Annual Report summary for 2017-18. This report is a combination of the required reporting for Maine and optional data that is being collected as part of the national initiative with the National Association of School Nurses, Every Student Counts. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Read to ME Challenge to Kick-off February 4th at Young School in Saco

Year 4 of the Read to ME Challenge is scheduled to begin on February 4, 2019. Maine Department of Education Acting Commissioner Pender Makin will launch the campaign by reading to children at Young School in Saco. She will follow up her reading by issuing a challenge to participate in the 2019 campaign. | More

Maine DOE Awards Third Round of EMBRACE Grants for Regional Efforts

Call for Student and Educator Team Proposals: MLTI Student Conference

The MLTI Student Conference Committee is issuing the call for student and educator team proposals for the 16th Annual MLTI Student Conference, to be held on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at the University of Maine in Orono. | More

Maine DOE Awards McKinney-Vento Sub-grants for the Education of Homeless Students

Maine DOE is pleased to announce that the following school districts will be receiving 2019 grants to support the needs of homeless children and youth: Augusta SD, Bangor SD, Biddeford SD, Lewiston SD, Portland PS, RSU 57, RSU 60, and Westbrook SD. These funds augment other local and federal funds that districts have allocated for homeless education and can be used for activities that include instructional services, transportation, parent and staff training, support and referral services, and emergency assistance. | More

Maine Students Selected for United States Senate Youth Program

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) announced that high school students Mr. Joseph Eugene Bergeon and Mr. Jay Raj Philbrick will join Senator Susan Collins and Senator Angus King in representing Maine in the nation’s capital during the 57th annual USSYP Washington Week, to be held March 2 — 9, 2019. | More

Maine FFA Helps Good Shepherd Food Bank to Address Hunger Issues in Maine

On January 16-17, 2019, high school student State FFA Officers of FFA (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”), worked with nearly 30 FFA student volunteers and their teachers from Sanford Regional Technical Center, Region 4 United Technologies Center (Bangor) and Narraguagus High School to assist at Good Shepherd Food Bank facilities in Auburn and Hampden. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

Seeking Success Stories from Maine Schools

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here

Maine DOE Update – January 17, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

NEO Account Passwords Soon to Expire

A password reset email will be sent out to all NEO user accounts on January 31, 2019. Any unchanged passwords will expire after 7 days. For security reasons, NEO will now require a password change every 90 days. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

School Safety and Security Bulletin: Family Reunification

Northern Maine FFA Service/Leadership Workshop Addresses Hunger, Community Service & Leadership Skills

On Friday, January 11, 2019 at the Northeastland Hotel, student State Officers of FFA (formerly known as “Future Farmers of America”) and their assistants conducted a workshop on topics of community service and leadership for Aroostook County FFA chapters. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

In an effort to help promote and highlight the positive things happening in Maine’s local schools, the Maine DOE will be collecting and sharing stories from local schools and districts and sharing them in this new section of the Weekly Maine DOE Update. Each of the stories will also be highlighted on Maine DOE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages. If a school or district would like to contribute to this section, please have a school official write out a few paragraphs and send it via email to Communications.DOE@maine.gov.

OHills Reads – A Community Reads Initiative Targeting the Opiod Addiction

OHills Reads is a community-led group in collaboration with Healthy Oxford Hills and MSAD 17 that aspires to build a stronger, healthier, and more empathetic community by uniting schools, businesses, local organizations, and families with a community-wide reading and discussion of a common book. This month, in an effort to raise awareness and reduce stigma around substance use and misuse, the community read will be The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner. | More

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

2019 eMPowerME Assessment Administration Training Workshops

In preparation for the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA) for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy for grades 3-8 eMPowerME assessment administration, the Maine DOE will be holding half-day regional workshop trainings February 12-14, 2019. | More

Maine DOE World Language Specialist Available for Program Support

The Maine Department of Education’s World Language Specialist, Lavinia Rogers is available to talk with and support districts interested in creating a plan to realize world language programs for all students, especially those districts who may be experiencing a teacher shortage in that area. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here

Maine DOE Update – January 11, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Enrollment Data Deadlines for Spring 2019 MEA Registration

The Maine Department of Education would like to remind district personnel that are tasked with maintaining enrollment data that eMPowerME, SAT, and MEA Science reports need to be reviewed for accuracy and completeness in January. These reports will be used to electronically complete student registration for the spring 2019 administration of the Maine Education Assessments. Accuracy in these reports will minimize the amount of manual registrations that need to be done by the district during test administration. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Online Bullying Reporting Program Available to Maine Schools Through Optania

Optania has created an online bullying reporting program that is aligned with Maine DOE’s model bullying policy and procedures.

This online program allows students, parents, and others to report allegations of bullying 24/7, with the allegation report (JICK-E1) being sent to pre-determined school staff (ie. principal, assistant principal, school guidance counselor, social worker, superintendent) who will then initiate the investigation procedure using an electronic form (JICK-E2). | More

Nominations Sought for 2020 Teacher of the Year

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s ongoing efforts to highlight Maine’s outstanding teachers, nominations are now open for the 2019 County Teachers of the Year and 2020 Teacher of the Year. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and nurturing the achievement of all students. | More

Read to ME Challenge Set to Kick-off in February

Year 4 of the Read to ME Challenge is scheduled to begin at the beginning of February. This simple but powerful campaign challenges adults to read to children for 15 minutes, to capture that reading episode via a photo, and then post it on social media to challenge others to do the same. The Read to ME Challenge will run for the month leading up to Read Across America Day on March 2, 2019.| More

Maine DOE Seeks Proposals for 21st Century Community Learning Center Programs

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the release of a request for proposals (RFP) seeking bids from interested parties to implement comprehensive 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs in 2019-2020. It is anticipated that an estimated $1.75M will be available to issue grant awards later this year.. | More

Priority Notice: School Nutrition Benefits for Families Impacted by Federal Shutdown

With the federal shutdown impacting numerous Mainers, the Maine Department of Education wants to remind school districts that applications for free and reduced-price meals may be submitted at any time throughout the school year, even during a federal shutdown. If federal employees impacted by the shutdown would like to apply for school meal benefits for their children, they may so do through their local school district. | More

Priority Notice: Report Card Release to be Delayed

The Maine Department of Education will be delaying the public release of the Report Cards. It was originally anticipated that the Report Cards would be released to the public on January 7, 2019. After receiving feedback following a soft release to superintendents on December 28, 2018, the Department has decided to delay the public release in order to continue working with school and district administrators to ensure the information in the Report Cards is both accurate and clear. | More

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Server Outage Delays 1% Support Webinar

The 1% Support Webinar for Districts over the 1% identification of students participating in alternate assessments was canceled yesterday, January 9, 2019, due to a server outage in the video conferencing tool, Zoom, that is used by the Department. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here

Maine DOE Update – January 3, 2019

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Reminder: Report of Adult Education (EF-M-39B) – opened December 1st, due by January 15, 2019

Starting on December 1, the EF-M-39 Report of Adult Education opened for submissions through the NEO Student Data Module. The report is a resident-based aggregate count of students aged 16 to 20 who live within the boundaries of a school administrative unit (SAU), are no longer enrolled in regular education classes, and are taking academic courses through a Maine Adult Education program, but not necessarily through the SAU in which they reside. | More

MaineCare Seed Adjustments to be Made; Review Q119 Reports by January 18, 2019

The recovery of Q119 MaineCare Seed will occur in the January 2019 subsidy payment and the Maine DOE is asking School Administrative Units (SAUs) to review their reports by January 18, 2019 to ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy. | More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Important Information Regarding Lapsed Certificates

Please note that we have just reached the 6-month threshold for all certificates that expired on July 1, 2018. This means that any educator who has not yet applied for renewal is now considered lapsed and will need to submit an initial paper application. | More

Proposed Rule Chapter 8: Rules Relating to the use of Essential Programs and Services Targeted Funds for Economically Disadvantaged Students

The Maine Department of Education is proposing a new Rule Chapter 8 that outlines the ways in which districts may use the targeted funding allocation, which was enacted by the 128th Legislature, to support economically disadvantaged students. | More

Maine Celebrates School Counselors of the Year with Local and National Ceremonies

The Maine School Counselor Association (MESCA) is pleased to announce that Kelly O’Brien Weaver from Weatherbee Elementary School is the 2018 Maine School Counselor of the Year and will represent Maine at the 2019 School Counselor of the Year celebration at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. in February. | More

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

Maine DOE Offers Two Opportunities to Participate in a 1% Alternate Assessment Support Webinar

Letters were sent out Friday, December 21^st to all districts that have identified more than 1% of their students as alternate assessment students. Three levels of support are offered to all districts. Districts assigned to a level of support in Tier 2 and Tier 3 are required to attend one of the 1% Support Webinars | More

Integrated Pest Management School Workshop

Registration is now open for the Comprehensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Workshop to be held February 20th at Gardiner Area High School. This workshop is offered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |