MLTI Announces the Student Winner of the 2023 T-Shirt Design Competition

Hope Handley
“Very recently, I started testing out digital art and I find it a new approach to projects I have been doing all my life. It’s very trying at times, but trial and error makes it worth the final product. Overall, I love any form of art and hope you can try it out and be creative!”

Introducing Hope Handley, a 9th grader at Grey-New Gloucester High School, whose design was selected as the winner of this year’s MLTI Student Conference T-Shirt Competition.

Hope’s colorized version of this year’s MLTI Student Conference logo
Hope’s colorized version of this year’s MLTI Student Conference logo

This year’s design focused on the water-focused theme of #DiveRightIn (Dive Right In), so Hope’s lighthouse and sea serpent were particularly eye-catching. This competition was open to all K-12 students in Maine. Hope’s design will be printed on turquoise blue t-shirts for thousands of Maine students and educators participating in the MLTI Student Conference, which will be both virtual (May 18th) and in-person (May 25th).

“Hope viewed photos of people laying out to catch a frisbee and transformed it into our mascot, Pat the Patriot and included ‘Spirit of the Game,’ which is a set of guidelines for Ultimate players.”
“Hope viewed photos of people laying out to catch a frisbee and transformed it into our mascot, Pat the Patriot and included ‘Spirit of the Game,’ which is a set of guidelines for Ultimate players.”

Hope and other MLTI students from RSU15 will be among the hundreds of students from more than thirty Maine schools to attend this year’s Student Conference at UMaine. Instructional Technology Integrator Michael Lamoureux had previously had Hope design a logo for the school’s Ultimate Frisbee team. These experiences with art are valuable ones for students as Hope and Mr. Lamoureux worked with the MLTI Team to adjust the design to meet printing requirements.

The MLTI Team will continue to seek out and utilize student artwork. If you are interested in this opportunity in the future, please look at this year’s call for student submissions for more information on eligibility and guidelines. Information about past winners from South Aroostook Community School, Auburn Middle School and Waterville Junior High School is also available.

 

Teacher Leader Fellows April Professional Development Opportunities

Arts Integration, A Trip to Town Hall, STEAM Powered Makers Learning from Success, and Dig into MOOSE are the professional development topics that our Teacher Leader Fellows will be offering during the week of April 24-27, 2023. These sessions will be delivered live over Zoom and then archived on our website. Please click on the registration links below to join!

Dig into MOOSE: What Impact Do Invasive Species Have on Our Environment?: This session will be an exploration into the MOOSE module while bringing in other resources and materials with connections to the theme of invasive species. As we explore the additional resources, we will be paying specific attention to how this topic can be explored through different lenses of STEAM. Offered April 24, 2023,at 5pm. REGISTER HERE.

A Trip to Town Hall: This session will provide guidance in how to plan a meaningful visit to your local town or city hall for any grade level. Local government sites are an often-overlooked opportunity to get students thinking about themselves as decision-makers. We’ll discuss how to work with students and local officials to plan a fun and educational experience. Offered April 25, 2023 at 6pm. REGISTER HERE.

Arts Integration: In this session we’ll discuss strategies, opportunities, and resources to support arts integration across contents. Offered April 26, 2023. REGISTER HERE.

STEAM Powered Makers Learning from Success: This session will begin our ongoing effort to expand our definition of STEAM. On this trip we will start Learning from Success, understanding how Teamwork (collaboration) and video tools are used to establish roles to use on all STEAM courses. Offered April 27, 2023. REGISTER HERE.

Laura Wittmann Named 2023 ESOL Teacher of the Year

Educators for a Multilingual Maine (EMME) has announced that Laura Wittmann has been named the 2023 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teacher of the Year. The honor was bestowed upon Ms. Wittmann by Stephanie Carbonneau, EMME President, at the organization’s annual conference. This year’s conference was co-hosted by the Department of Linguistics at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

Ms. Wittmann was nominated for this recognition based on her demonstration of best practices in teaching English, her participation in professional growth, and her service to students and the school district. In her role as the ELL District coordinator for Bangor Schools, she advocates for students and their families, by connecting them to social and cultural activities in the community as well as connecting them to social workers and local volunteer groups who facilitate social and medical services.

Ms. Wittmann is also a teacher at William S. Cohen School and Mary Snow School. In the classroom, she works to relate her students’ background knowledge to the curriculum content, in order to ensure that the students can access the material at the same level as their peers, regardless of their level of English proficiency. She feels that “as a Maine ESOL teacher, (she) love(s) to help students find their voices and tell their stories (in English), and create bridges between their respective home languages and cultures, and their new identities as Mainers.”

Educators for a Multilingual Maine (EMME) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote and improve the teaching and study of languages and cultures of the world. EMME also strives to further the common interests of teachers, students and others in the state of Maine, for whom languages play an important role. EMME was formerly known as FLAME, the Foreign Language Association of Maine. Learn more about EMME at http://www.emmaine.org.

Four Maine Educators Named State Finalists in 2023 Presidential Awards for Mathematics and Science Teachers (PAEMST) 

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to announce four Maine educators who have been recommended to national selection committees for the 2023 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) program for grades 7-12. 

PAEMST is the nation’s highest honor for teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM, including computer science). Nominees complete a rigorous application process that allows them to demonstrate deep content knowledge and their ability to adapt to a broad range of learners and teaching environments. Maine applicants were reviewed by mathematics and science selection committees comprised of previous Maine PAEMST awardees and content area experts. Our state-level finalists will be honored at the Educator Summit this summer. 

Up to three state-level finalists for each content area are forwarded to a panel of distinguished mathematicians, scientists, and educators at the national level who will assess the applications before recommending nominees to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Teachers are selected based on their distinction in the classroom and dedication to improving STEM education. The teachers chosen to be Presidential Awardees will be notified by the White House, honored at various ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and will receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation. 

Join us in congratulating the 2023 PAEMST State Finalists and wishing them luck in the national selection process. 

In the mathematics category, one applicant was selected as state finalists: 

Elizabeth Hayden, Bonny Eagle High School
Elizabeth Hayden, Bonny Eagle High School

In the science category, three applicants were selected as state finalists: 

Nominations will open in the fall of 2023 for the 2024 PAEMST Awards. This round of awards will honor mathematics, science, and engineering (STEM, including computer science) teachers working in grades K-6. Consider a great teacher you know for nomination this fall or nominate yourself! Learn more about the award and how to nominate a teacher here. 

 

Maine State Science Fair Celebrates Bright Young Scientists and Engineers

On Saturday, April 1, STEM professionals and educators from around the state came together at The University of Maine to present, discuss, and recognize the work of 200 high school student researchers at the Maine State Science Fair (MSSF). Coordinators of the MSSF, the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) and The Jackson Laboratory announced awards for 92 students representing 20 high schools, including $750,000 in Maine college scholarships.

“Students worked very, very hard on this for weeks, months, or maybe even a progression of a few years to make their projects stronger,” said Ruth Kermish-Allen, Executive Director of MMSA. “It takes a lot of resilience, and I for one was so inspired walking around the exhibit hall today seeing the passion, the excitement, the real joy for what students are learning about research and advancing our understanding for the betterment of society.”

“We’re continually impressed by the students’ ideas,” said Charlie Wray, Vice President for Education, The Jackson Laboratory. “The level of creativity we see in Maine high school students, which they bring to solve some very difficult problems, is truly inspiring.”

The 2023 Grand Award winners of MSSF were:

  • Taking the top prize: Emma Markowitz, a homeschooled student from Trevett. Emma developed a
    biodegradable, antimicrobial wound dressing for the purpose of detecting infection and healing
    wounds. A pH indicator incorporated into the wound dressing presents a color change that can
    indicate if a wound is infected.
  • Placing second were May Shin and Jiwon Choi of Fryeburg Academy. The pair studied the effects of
    arbuscular mycorrhizae and mushroom substrate on plant growth in soils that are contaminated with
    microplastics. They are continuing to study the effects of these materials on a soil’s water-holding
    capacity.
  • In third place was Anh Võ of John Bapst Memorial High School. Anh’s data science with behavioral
    science to study which areas of computer science would have the greatest influence on recruiting young women to pursue careers in STEM.

These four students will travel to Dallas in May to represent Maine at the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair alongside 1,700 students from over 80 countries.

The University of Maine led the scholarship program with 12 UMaine Top Scholar awards, which provide a renewable four-year full-tuition scholarship, pairing with a research mentor, and admission to the UMaine Honors College. The University of Southern Maine awarded seven four-year full-tuition scholarships. The University of New England awarded five $5,000 scholarships, each one renewable for up to four years. St. Joseph’s College, UMaine Augusta, and the UMaine College of
Engineering each awarded additional scholarships.

The full list of awards, including scholarships, is available at the Maine State Science Fair website.

MTSS Office Hours – Wednesday’s at 1:00 PM 

The Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) team at the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to offer Open Office Hours focusing on technical assistance for all educators currently implementing, exploring implementing or looking to make changes to their MTSS implementation. Sessions are meant to be a time for educators and administrators across the learning continuum, from special education to gifted and talented to come together to ask questions, celebrate successes, and/or work through problems of practice in MTSS implementation. These sessions are not content-specific and are offered as a space for educators to bring their voices to the table. 

To register for MTSS office hours, please follow this link, here. 

Office hours are offered as part of the Maine DOE’s MTSS Technical Assistance program and are meant for your use and discussion; you can join for the full hour, r just a part; for each session, or only when you have a question. For more information, contact Andrea Logan, MTSS Specialist, at andrea.logan@maine.gov or by calling (207) 592-2011. 

 

Maine Department of Education Seeks Educators for Science and Social Studies Standards Revision Writing Teams

As a part of the regular review cycle schedule, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is performing a review of the Maine Learning Results for Social Studies and Science and Engineering and is looking for educators to serve as the writing teams for each content area. The purpose of each writing team is to revise the current standards based on guidance from a steering committee. For more information about the standards review process, check the new Maine DOE standards revision website.

The Maine DOE will be convening two writing teams, one for each content area under review. The writing teams will serve as a representative sample of Maine K-12 educators covering K-12 grade levels, geographic locations, and content area strengths. While specific dates are still to be determined, most of the work will take place in late June, July, and early August, and will include at least one face-to-face meeting in Augusta.

All interested educators are encouraged to participate. Participants will receive contact hours for time worked, be reimbursed for travel costs, and be provided lunch at face-to-face meetings.

If you are interested in participating as a member of one of these writing teams, please complete the survey by 8:00am on Monday, May 15th to be considered. We will reach out to interested participants with more information in the coming weeks.

2-Day Workshop: Health Ed. and Physical Ed. Inclusive Teaching Practices and Learning – May 5 & 11

This event is open to all school personnel as it does not just apply to HE & PE.

This is the second offering of the Heath Education (HE) & Physical Education (PE) Inclusive Teaching Practices Professional Learning Opportunity. Here is a little more about the workshop:

  • Have you taken a look at your curriculum and teaching practices with the lens of inclusion?
  • Are your materials representative of all students and their families?
  • Are your practices and the language you use inclusive of all your students and their families?
  • Do you know what to look for?

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Health Education & Physical Education Program is hosting a second training opportunity focused on learning about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and the impact better understanding what it means has on teaching practices within HE & PE…or any discipline! This 2-day interactive training will focus on understanding foundational concepts in DEI then review a tool and process for conducting a deep dive into curriculum, instructional strategies and classroom management practices. Following the 2-days of training, virtual Community of Practice sessions for conversations and technical assistance will be held. Please note, educators outside of the HE & PE disciplines are more than welcome to attend and all will find great benefit!

We are excited to again have the fabulous Dr. Sarah Benes (she, her, hers), as our trainer and consultant on this initiative. Sarah is an assistant professor at Southern Connecticut State University in health education and physical education, co-owner of Lighthouse Wellness and Health Education Consulting, and SHAPE America President. We are pleased to also have Maine HE & PE Teacher Leaders co-training with us this spring.

Event Details: Friday, May 5 and Thursday, May 11 at Thomas College in Waterville from 8:00 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day. The fee for this training is ONLY $45* to assist in covering the cost of food and facility. All other expenses are funded by the Maine DOE.

Register Now – Attendees must commit to both days of this training.

Email susan.berry@maine.gov with questions or before registering if using a PO for the discount code to bypass the credit card payment.

Reports Due 4/15: April 1 Enrollment & Quarter 3 Reports

April 1 Enrollment – Reporting is due on April 15, 2023.

This report collects April student enrollment to calculate tuition rates pursuant to Title 20-A, §5805, Subsection 1.B.

Required to Report: All school administrative units and private schools with publicly funded students should ensure that their enrollment data is current, including Charter Schools and Education in Unorganized Territories.

Reporting Resources:

Quarter 3 Reports: Attendance, Truancy, Behavior, Bullying – Reporting is due by April 15th.

Superintendent certification is required for all quarterly reporting, with the exception of Attendance data, which is only validated for Quarters 1, 2, and 3 then certified for Quarter 4.

Reporting Resources:

For questions about April 1 Enrollment and/or Quarterly reporting please contact MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov or call 207-624-6896

Maine DOE Update – April 7, 2023

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Maine DOE Announces Availability of Maine Learning Through Technology Initiative (MLTI) #TeachWithTech Grants for Schools

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) announced the availability of new Maine Learning Through Technology Initiative (MLTI) #TeachWithTech grants to support school administrative unit (SAU) efforts to meaningfully integrate technology into teaching and learning. The grants provide funding to MLTI educators who want to bring technology into their MLTI schools in a way that is innovative, impactful, and intriguing and will be used to provide supplemental technology to schools. |  More

Grant Will Help Increase the Number of Rural School Psychologists in Maine

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has partnered with the Department of Educational and School Psychology at the University of Southern Maine as they implement a new a 5-year, $1.6 million grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education to help increase the number of school psychologists in rural areas of the state. |  More

MLTI 2.0 Launches ‘Teaching with Tech’ Podcast

The MLTI 2.0 team has a new podcast called Teaching with Tech. Twice a month, the MLTI Ambassadors create episodes around a specific theme impacting education. Current episodes include gamification in the classroom, STEAM-based learning, and digital citizenship. |  More

Announcing: The L.I.F.E. Readiness Program Career Exploration Fair

The Maine Department of Education in collaboration with Maine educators, is excited to announce the L.I.F.E. Readiness Program Career Exploration Fair. This opportunity is for ALL our scholars with I.E.P.s to engage with hands-on career exploration activities designed to help students experience, learn, and develop an interest in their future career choices. |  More

First 10 Community School Informational Session

Has your elementary school and its community partners been interested in collaborating to support children and families in your community? Have you wondered about the positive outcomes such partnerships can afford? If so, the First 10 Community School model may be just such an opportunity to consider. |  More

Seeking Applications for the Innovative Instruction and Tutoring Grant

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking applications to provide funding to local education providers to encourage the facilitation of innovative instruction and tutoring programs that address learning loss or unfinished learning through the use of project-based learning and other interdisciplinary approaches. |  More

The MLTI SLAM Showcase Comes to Two Central Maine Elementary Schools in March

Benton Elementary School’s Lynn Hamlin providing support for students at this year’s third SLAM Showcase. SLAM (Student Leadership Ambassadors of Maine) ran two successful SLAM Showcase events at two schools, Benton Elementary School (MSAD 49) on March 2nd and Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School (MSAD 11) on March 31st.  |  More

Civil Rights Teams Highlighted and New Leader Introduced in Spring Torch Newsletter

Check out the latest issue of The Torch: Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter, which features highlights from civil rights teams at Skowhegan Area High School, Middle School of the Kennebunks, Bowdoinham Community School, Great Falls Elementary School in Gorham, Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Saccarappa School in Westbrook, Winthrop High School, Woodland Jr.-Sr. High School in Baileyville, and Yarmouth High School. |  More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities:

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here