WEBINAR: Developing Comprehensive and Equitable School Safety Programs that Consider the Whole Child, Whole School, and Whole Community

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools and its Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center will host a Webinar on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. This Webinar will highlight comprehensive approaches to school safety and emergency operations plan (EOP) development that include physical and psychological safety and well-being that are rooted in equitable approaches.

The objectives of this 60-minute Webinar are to

  • Reinforce the significance of creating plans that consider the needs of the whole school community and that represent an equitable approach to emergency preparedness.
  • Describe the concept of the Whole Child, Whole School, and Whole Community and the role that it can play in enhancing school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness efforts.
  • Share state-based approaches used by education agencies and their community partners to enhance emergency preparedness planning using the Whole Child, Whole School, and Whole Community model.

Register on the REMS TA Center Website to participate in the Webinar

Presenters:

  • Ohio Department of Education, Office of Whole Child Supports
    • Jennifer Vargo, Director of the Office of Integrated Student Supports
  • Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction
    • Bobbie Boyer, Deputy Director for Prevention Services
  • Ohio Department of Public Safety
    • Emily Torok, Executive Director, Ohio School Safety Center
  • Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety
    • Shaun Ali, Senior Justice Technical Assistance Specialist
  • REMS TA Center
    • Janelle Hughes, Project Director

Twitter Chat

You are invited to participate in a Twitter Chat immediately following the Webinar, where presenters will continue to answer your questions. No Twitter account is necessary to view questions, but an account is needed to pose questions and engage in tweets. Follow @remstacenter and tune in at 1:30 p.m. ET on November 16.

Questions

Contact the REMS TA Center Help Desk at 1-855-781-REMS [7367] or info@remstacenter.org from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Can’t make the live event? This Webinar will be archived on the REMS TA Center’s Website within 7 business days.

Nominations Open for ‘Spirit of America Foundation’ School Award

Spirit of America Foundation, an Augusta based public charity established to honor volunteerism, wants to honor people, groups or projects across Maine who are helping our Maine schools. They are seeking nominations for their School Award.

Spirit of America Foundation Tribute is presented in the name of Maine municipalities – and starting in 2022, the Spirit of America Foundation School Award is presented in the name of Maine schools – to local individuals, organizations and projects for commendable community service. Community members can make suggested nominations for this award to their local schools and school principals can make the official nominations here: https://spirame.org/submit-winner/

To see past awardees or learn more about the Spirit of America Foundation, visit spiritofamerica.website.

Let’s Celebrate the School Psychologists that Live and Work in the State of Maine!

This year’s National School Psychology Week theme, “Together We Shine,” honors the hope we feel after several challenging years and emphasizes the power of our collective efforts to overcome difficulties to ensure that all our students can thrive in school, at home, and in life. Throughout the week, schools across the country will be taking part in events and activities designed to highlight how school psychologists, teachers, and other school personnel work with students and families to reestablish their sense of being valued parts of a greater whole.

National School Psychology Week 2022National Association of School Psychology (NASP) President Celeste Malone shared, “I am proud to see how our community of school psychologists have supported their students, families, and fellow educators during difficult times. School psychologists work every day to enhance the connections between students, schools, and the evidence-based practices that help them thrive.”

In Maine, despite there being a shortage of school psychologists, these caring professionals are doing everything that they can to support our students so that they can thrive.  School administrative units (SAUs) across Maine rely on school psychologists to support students who are struggling in a myriad of ways, such as clarifying treatment issues, supporting interventions for academic and functional needs, and collaborating with school staff to promote inclusive educational experiences to name a few.

So especially during the National School Psychology Week please say “thank you” to your school psychologist for all that they do each and every day!

Maine DOE Update – November 4, 2022

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Staff Certification Report Due Soon

The Staff Certification Report is due Tuesday, November 15th in NEO. |  More

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Media Release: Fourth Grade Teacher Sarah Collins Honored With Prestigious Milken Educator Award

A Hermon elementary teacher was surprised today as one of America’s top teachers. In front of a vibrant schoolwide assembly of cheering students, appreciative colleagues, local dignitaries and media, Sarah Collins, a fourth grade science teacher at Patricia A. Duran School, received the $25,000 Milken Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation. Collins is the first teacher to receive the Award in the Hermon Public School District since the initiative began in Maine in 1990. The cash prize is unrestricted. |  More

Report on Bilingual Education in Maine Now Available

Bilingual education, including language immersion programs, offer exciting and impactful interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students. Research shows that developing proficiency in two or more languages has cognitive, educational, economic, and sociocultural benefits. |  More

Public Pre-K and Partnership Open Office Hours Scheduled

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Early Learning Team is pleased to offer Open Office Hours focusing on technical assistance for public pre-k. These office hours will feature Marcy Whitcomb, Public Pre-K Consultant and Sue Gallant, Public Pre-K Expansion Consultant. |  More

The Telling Room Statewide Writing Contest Open for Student Submissions

The Telling Room, a literary arts education organization in Maine has opened submissions for a Statewide writing contest. Youth youth ages 6 – 18 can submit writing samples in all forms of creative and personal writing – the theme is open. |  More

Educational Resources for Native American Heritage Month and Beyond

November is recognized nationally as “National American Indian Heritage Month,” or otherwise known as Native American Heritage Month which celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers, and settlers of the United States. |  More

Educational Resources to Celebrate Veteran’s Day

A Congressional Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U.S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made Nov. 11 of each year a legal holiday—”a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and it has since been known as Veterans Day. |  More

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Cheryl Lang

Maine DOE Team member Cheryl Lang is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Cheryl in the question and answer below.. |  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

 

Educational Resources to Celebrate Veteran’s Day

A Congressional Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U.S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made Nov. 11 of each year a legal holiday—”a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.'” Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and it has since been known as Veterans Day.

Resources for consideration:

Public Pre-K and Partnership Open Office Hours Scheduled

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Early Learning Team is pleased to offer Open Office Hours focusing on technical assistance for public pre-k.  These office hours will feature Marcy Whitcomb, Public Pre-K Consultant and Sue Gallant, Public Pre-K Expansion Consultant.

Sessions are meant to be a time for educators, pre-k coordinators and administrators to come together to ask questions, celebrate successes and/or work through problems of practice in public pre-k that educators, administrators, and partnership programs may be experiencing. Office hours are offered as part of the Maine DOE’s Pre-K Technical Assistance program and are meant for your use and discussion; you can join for the full hour, or just a part; for each session or only when you have a question.

Sessions after the first session will not be predetermined but will be an open conversation driven by the topics brought from the field.  Our first session will focus on celebrations and problems of practice from the first months in the classroom.

Sessions will be held every first and third Thursday of the month, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., on the following schedule:

November 17th
December 1st 15th
January 5th 19th
February 2nd 16th
March 2nd 16th
April 6th 20th
May 4th 18th
June 1st 15th

Please use and save the following Zoom link and password to access each meeting (the meeting link will be the same for each office hour session):

Join Zoom Meeting
https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/82733636260?pwd=VUd5eklsaHRIaEEzeldhazJDSWw2dz09

Meeting ID: 827 3363 6260
Passcode: MePreK22!
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,82733636260# US (Washington DC)
+13092053325,,82733636260# US

To submit a topic or question prior to a session and for more information please email Marcy Whitcomb, Public Pre-K Consultant, at: Marcy.r.whitcomb@maine.gov

 

Educational Resources for Native American Heritage Month and Beyond

November is recognized nationally as “National American Indian Heritage Month,” or otherwise known as Native American Heritage Month which celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers, and settlers of the United States.

The Maine Department of Education website has a listing of curated material which represent a continuing collaborative effort between the four nations of the Wabanaki in Maine, Native and non-Native educators, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, the Maine Department of Education, and the University of Maine System.

This website is designed to support K-12 Maine educators in integrating Maine Native Studies into existing curricula.  While it is most common to find this content taught in a social studies curriculum, it can be easily integrated into content areas and courses across all grade levels.  Resources included here are not comprehensive or definitive but rather represent high-quality materials that are widely available.  They have been reviewed by cultural experts designated by Wabanaki Tribal leaders and by practicing Maine educators.

Maine Native Studies Website

Report on Bilingual Education in Maine Now Available

Bilingual education, including language immersion programs, offer exciting and impactful interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students. Research shows that developing proficiency in two or more languages has cognitive, educational, economic, and sociocultural benefits.

In response to interest in developing bilingual programs from a variety of schools across the state, the Maine Department of Education launched the Multilingual Education Task Force (METF) in May of 2022. Over 100 educators and community members came together to learn about bilingual education and to provide the Department with recommendations to inform its plan for promoting bilingual programs and supporting interested schools. The Department would like to express its sincere appreciation to METF participants for their contributions to this important work.

The Multilingual Education Task Force Report compiles participants’ recommendations and offers a road map of action steps for the Department. Educators and community members who would like to pursue the development of a bilingual program in their school are encouraged to contact April Perkins, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) & Bilingual Programs Specialist, at april.perkins@maine.gov.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Cheryl Lang

Maine DOE team member Cheryl Lang is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Cheryl in the question and answer below.

What is your role or roles with the Maine DOE?

I am the ESEA Federal Programs Director.

What do you like best about your job?

Working as a collaborative team to support educators in the field of public education in their efforts to provide an equitable learning environment for all students.

How or why did you decide on this career?

When my own children were in the early grades of school, I worked in an organization that supported Junior Achievement. I volunteered in schools as both a parent and a business woman, and the more I volunteered, the more I fell in love with it. I then left the business world and went back to school to get another degree…this one in elementary education. From there, I was privileged enough to have the financial backing of the school districts I worked for to support continuing education for myself as a life-long learner and earned my doctorate in educational leadership.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Hanging out with family (grandchildren in particular) and friends, kayaking, bicycling, taking my dog for long walks, antiquing, and traveling.

Staff Certification Report Due Soon

The Staff Certification Report is due Tuesday, November 15th in NEO.

  • Instructions for certifying this report are here.
    • Webinar: Staff Certification Instructions
  • Instructions for accessing, adding, and updating staff in the NEO Staff Module can be found here.
  • For additional NEO Staff information please visit Staff Data Entry Guides on the MEDMS Helpdesk Website.

This data is critical for determining EPS funding.

If you questions please contact the MEDMS Helpdesk at 207.624.6896 or email MEDMS.Helpdesk@maine.gov

For training in NEO Staff please contact Alexandra Cookson – Data Quality Trainer at 207.446.3897 or email Alexandra.Cookson@maine.gov