Student Artwork Featured at Portland Museum of Art for Youth Art Month

Creative works from art students from around Maine are on display online at the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) in celebration of Youth Art Month.

For almost 30 years, PMA and the Maine Art Education Association (MAEA) have collaborated to bring National Youth Art Month to Maine. The exhibition is designed to underscore the value of art education for all children and encourages support for quality art programs in Maine schools.

“This annual exhibition showcases the incredible work produced by K-12 students throughout the state, representing a wide variety of youth perspectives and artistic practices in Maine,” said PMA in a statement about the exhibit.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Youth Art Month has gone digital for the first time. PMA said the online exhibition “brings exciting opportunities to share the artwork of Maine’s youth with a wider audience. We hope that the artworks in this exhibition inspire more creativity, spark more conversations, and garner support for more arts education in our schools and in our communities.”

The attached artwork is a portrait by Portland High School sophomore Venice Melcher, titled “Amy.” Here is the artist’s statement:

“I created this portrait of my mom because she creates a lot of change in my life and the lives of others. She volunteers weekly at a local hospice and animal shelter, and has a business where she sells reusable products made from organic cotton, along with being a great mom! I used mixed media, including watercolor and acrylic paints. I used the neurographic technique for my mom’s face, and cut out and glued down little pieces of paper to create the objects surrounding her.”

Digital receptions were held on Saturday, March 13, for the young artists and their families.

To view the artwork, see a listing of student artists, and where they go to school in Maine visit the PMA’s exhibit website: https://www.portlandmuseum.org/yam-2021.

Information for this article was provided by Portland Public Schools as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea, email it to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

MaineCare Seed adjustments to be made, review Q2’21 reports by April 15, 2021

The recovery of Q2 ’21 MaineCare Seed will occur in the April 2021 subsidy payment. The Maine Department of Education is asking Student Administrative Units(SAUs) to review their reports by April 15, 2021 to ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy. SAU staff must review, submit disputes, and student by student claims on both the public and private MaineCare reports for Q2’21 by April 15, 2021.

To access the MaineCare Seed reports, please follow the instructions below.

Log into NEO using this: https://neo.maine.gov/DOE/neo/Dashboard
Click on the Student Data tab
Click on the Student Report tab
Select MaineCare in the Reporting Area drop-down
Report Button

Choose the quarterly Seed report and the report type (private/public)
Click view report button
Once the report appears on the screen, choose the export button.

You may export the reports to Excel but, please be aware that there may be multiple worksheet tabs within the workbook. Save the file to your computer.

To dispute a claim:

If you disagree that a particular student or time period should be on the report, please provide the reason that you disagree along with the following to stephanie.clark@maine.gov.

Identify the type of report (public or private) and the quarter in which the claims are located.
State Student ID
Service provided dates (From and To)
Total amount of Seed being disputed

Summer services:

Students must be enrolled for the time period they are receiving educational services. This means that students that are receiving extended school year services in district or extended school year services in an out of district placement must have a primary enrollment for that time period in order for the MDOE to have the most accurate enrollment data to determine SAU responsibility for MaineCare Seed.

If you have difficulty logging into NEO:

Anyone who currently has Special Education Director permissions to the Special Education module, will automatically have permissions to access MaineCare reports.

As in the past, if a new staff member needs permission to access this module, a request from the Superintendent to the Maine DOE helpdesk will be necessary. The helpdesk contact information is medms.helpdesk@maine.gov or 207-624-6896.

Please contact stephanie.clark@maine.gov

for more information or technical assistance related to MaineCare Seed.

SAVE THE DATE: 18th Annual MLTI Student Conference

SAVE THE DATE for the 18th Annual Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Student Conference on May 20th, 2021! This year’s conference will be held virtually and free of charge to all 4th through 12th grade students.

Registration opens on April 5th.

For more information please check out our website: https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/ltt/conference.

Designed in collaboration with the students and educators of the MLTI Student Conference Advisory Board.

Get to Know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Nicole Madore

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

What are your roles with DOE?

As the Early Childhood Specialist, I assist districts in the operation of their high-quality early child programs in Pre-K-grade 3. I work to offer professional learning opportunities, resources and technical assistance to the field. I am also a part of the Early Learning Team at the department where I work with my team to continue our own professional education and offer expertise to the field.

What do you like best about your job?

The best part of my job is interacting with teachers! I love being a thought partner with them as well as their “go-to” for anything and everything early childhood. They’re walking the walk and I love hearing directly from them about their experiences…good and bad! We all learn from listening to those in the field doing the work every day and applying to the experience of others.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I wanted to work with young children from an early age. I thought I wanted to be a 3^rd grade classroom teacher after having a wonderful experience in my own life, but after a few years of that I decided to move to a different role, one where I could interact with more teachers, students and their families. I never stop learning about child development and best practices in the classroom setting, so getting to learn and share that with others is very rewarding.

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

I’m not going to lie, I love a random lazy weekend! Otherwise, my husband and I stay busy with our two children. If we’re not driving to dance rehearsal or basket/base/football practice, then we’re probably at home planning our next getaway to the lakes in Western Maine. We live for Maine spring and summer and enjoy boating, fishing and more recently have begun hiking up mountains with our dog, Echo. Really any excuse to unplug and reset.

Maine Association of School Libraries’ Spring Symposium to be Held Virtually April 6-15

The Maine Association of School Libraries’ Spring Symposium, “Reaching All Learners” will be held virtually April 6th – 15th with sessions designed to engage and reach all educators, whether you’re an administrator, a teacher, or school library staff member.

Visit the event’s website for the detailed schedule, which includes keynote sessions on April 6, with Ellen Oh, and April 15, with Pender Makin, as well as a special author event on April 7 at noon, featuring Maria Padian, Josephine Cameron, and Samara Cole Doyon. For more information about the author event and to order books at a 20% discount, please visit our partner, Print: A Bookstore HERE.

Additional sessions include a “Native American-Wabanaki Roundtable” with Joe Schmidt, Social Studies Content Specialist at Maine DOE and friends, and “Building Cultural Competency and Allyship in Maine Students” with Deqa Dhalac, Kirsten Cappy, and Krista Aronson.

With 6 other sessions to engage you in the work of “Reaching All Learners,” and at only $25 for members, $35 for non members, the MASL Spring Symposium is the best bargain for professional development you will find all year! All sessions will be recorded and available to registrants, so regardless of your schedule you will have access to all of them.

Register HERE today and don’t miss this opportunity to connect with school librarians and educators from around the state. Please note that beginning March 22, all payments must be made online at the time of registration.

For further information contact the Maine Association of School Libraries at maslibraries@gmail.com.

Maine DOE Update – March 12, 2021

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

| Visit the DC&R Reporting Calendar |

News & Updates

Mills Administration Updates COVID-19 School Health Advisory System

The Mills Administration today released an update to its color-coded Health Advisory System that classifies counties’ relative risk of COVID-19 transmission to assist schools as they continue with their plans to deliver instruction and support to students safely. All counties remain green; Piscataquis County closely monitored. | More

One More Week to Sign up for a FREE School Fitness Center

The National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) 2021 DON’T QUIT! Campaign will end on Friday March 19, 2021 leaving one more week for schools to sign up or be nominated. DON’T QUIT!® Campaign Will Deliver $100,000 Fitness Centers to Three Maine Schools. | More

USDA Extends Flexibilities to Provide FREE Meals to Children Through Summer Months

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released a continuation of needed flexibilities for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) through Summer 2021. | More

Maine Students Help DOE with Special Message to Schools

Maine school personnel have been leading the country in their offering of in-person instruction since September. They have been teaching and reinforcing the safety requirements for keeping schools open and have demonstrated amazing flexibility, adaptability, and ongoing quick thinking, ensuring that schools can continue serving students through the many vital services that schools provide to our communities. As we continue to make progress in this ongoing battle against the pandemic, Maine schools and the staff who make them run continue to serve students. | More

Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ Student Appointed to State Board of Education as Student Member

Greyson Orne, a junior at Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM), the state’s first tuition-free, public, residential high school, has been selected as one of two student members on the Maine State Board of Education. The board advises the Commissioner of Education in Maine’s education laws and policies. Orne will also co-chair the Maine Department of Education’s Student Cabinet along with the other State Board Student Member Casey Maddock. | More

School Registration Now Open: ME Virtual Career Fair for High School Students

The Maine Community Coordinators Collaborative (Maine C3) in partnership with ACTEM and Educate Maine are excited to offer all Maine students in grades 9-12, a statewide virtual career fair from May 17-21, 2021.The primary focus of the virtual career fair is to introduce students in grades 9-12 to Maine businesses and organizations from a variety of industry clusters across Maine. The intent of the virtual career fair is to expand access to more students and to continue the tradition of in person career fairs that have become signature events for many Maine high schools. | More

Job Corps Virtual Information Sessions Available on 3/11 and 3/25

Job Corps is a free Career Technical Training program that is federally funded through the Department of Labor for 16-24 year-olds (the upper age limit may be waived for a student with a verifiable disability). Some of the Career Technical Trainings available are welding, carpentry, culinary arts, CNA, and many more. Students can also earn their HS diploma and stay on center, free of charge, while they work towards completion of their trade. The two centers in Maine are in Bangor (Penobscot Job Corps) and Limestone (Loring Job Corps). | More

Get to know the Maine DOE Team: Meet Robin Kerber

Maine DOE team member Robin Kerber is being highlighted as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Robin | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

| Submit your Maine School Success Story |

Professional Development & Training Opportunities

(Reminder): Moving Toward Understanding: Fostering an Intercultural Learning Environment

A workshop series by Maine Intercultural Communication Consultants (MICC).

“MICC is a women-owned business based in Portland, Maine, with years of experience helping schools, organizations, and individuals develop interculturally and navigate differences effectively. Passionate and engaging facilitators, we ground our interactive and experiential trainings in best practices of adult learning, and build on the strengths you already have. We have lived across the globe, and our work reflects that dexterity, curiosity, and humility.” | More

Virtual Learning Sessions 3/18 & 3/31: Adaptive and Innovative use of Technology in Arts and Theater

Join Maine Department of Education (DOE) specialists and a panel of Maine educators in two professional learning sessions that focus on the adaptive and innovative use of technology in arts and theater. These sessions are designed to be conversational, with educators from across the state sharing their challenges, successes, and takeaways. The first session focuses on theater and tech; the second session focuses on makerspaces and the arts. These sessions are being held in recognition of “Arts Education in Our Schools Month,” celebrated statewide and recognized by Governor Janet T. Mills. | More

SAVE THE DATE: Free Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum for School Communities

The focus of this forum is to acknowledge the struggles of this past year, celebrate our successes and build resources to support mental health for our school communities. We hope to bring a greater awareness to the importance of mental health, destigmatize mental illness, increase mental health literacy for staff, administrators and community-based agencies, as well as provide practical supports to bolster the mental wellness of students and staff.  | More

| Visit the Professional Development Calendar |

Latest DOE Career/Project Opportunities

View current Maine Department of Education employment opportunities here

School Registration Now Open: ME Virtual Career Fair for High School Students

During the ME Virtual Career Fair,numerous thirty-minute sessions will be offered on the secure, online conference platform Hopin. Each session will be moderated by a school-based education professional and feature a live speaker followed by a question and answer period. Students will not be on video during the sessions and can ask questions via a monitored live chat. Sessions will run during the school day and into the evening.

The registration deadline is April 30, 2021. Schools are encouraged to register early and registration codes for accessing the ME Virtual Career Fair will be sent to the school contact once payment is received. Purchase orders will be accepted as confirmations and payments can be made by check or credit card. School staff can decide how they would like their students to participate (e.g., whole student body, select grade levels, select classes, or individual students). Tickets are $1 per registrant/student and are only available in bundles of 50. One registration gives access to any and all sessions held throughout the event. Interested schools that provide instruction to Maine students in grades 9-12, will need to complete the school interest form. Upon receipt of a completed registration, an invoice requesting payment will be emailed to the school contact. If a school requires financial assistance to participate, please indicate when registering and fill out the Financial Assistance Form for scholarship options through event partners.

For more information about the virtual career fair or to contact a Maine C3 Planning Team member, go to the ME Virtual Career Fair website.

Career exploration and fostering student aspirations are key cornerstones in the Maine Learning Results Life and Career Ready standards.

For more information about the Life and Career Ready standards, contact Diana Doiron, Maine Department of Education, Life and Career Ready Content Specialist at diana.doiron@maine.gov or 207-592-2128.

Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ Student Appointed to State Board of Education as Student Member

Orne, from Camden, said, “I’m honored to have been selected by Governor Mills for this position, and I’m excited to represent the students of Maine’s second district.”

The Maine Department of Education website explains the Maine State Board of Education has had two student members in non voting positions since 2008. The application process includes a short essay, letters of recommendation from teachers, and a balance of extracurricular activities. Apart from voting, student members have full privileges of the 9 other adult board members. Student members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. In February of 2021, Orne testified in front of the Joint Standing Committee on Education before his final confirmation.

Orne believes in student involvement in the education system of Maine and plans to advocate for “advanced education in public schools, especially rural areas with little access to other schooling options.” After high school, Orne plans to apply to the three major U.S. Service Academies to become a commissioned officer in the United States Military. Orne said, “This leadership on the board will allow me to better understand how to lead, work collaboratively with others, and use my presence and voice to advocate for others.”

Although this is the first student from MSSM to be appointed to the board, David Pearson, Executive Director of MSSM, noted “in Greyson’s appointment to the Maine State Board of Education, we see not only a successful individual accomplishment, but a reflection of our wider student population who universally are imbued with a driving desire to make a positive difference in the lives and experiences of those around them.”

PRIORITY NOTICE: One More Week to Sign up for a FREE School Fitness Center

DON’T QUIT!® Campaign Will Deliver $100,000 Fitness Centers to Three Maine Schools

The National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) 2021 DON’T QUIT! Campaign will end on Friday March 19, 2021 leaving one more week for schools to sign up or be nominated.

A nomination puts schools in the running for a $100,000 Fitness Center that will be awarded to three Maine schools that use new and unique methods to promote student physical activity and wellness to help them construct fitness centers.All public and public charter elementary and middle schools in Maine who have a majority of students between the ages of 8 to 14 years old and an available room ready for equipment installation by June 2021 within their existing infrastructure are eligible to apply.

Three schools in each state, prioritized based on need, will be chosen from applicants by NFGFC to receive a brand new, state-of-the-art DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center.

The school nomination form and more information about the program can be found here: https://natgovfit.org/nominate-your-school/

Each fitness center is financed through public/private partnerships with companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, Wheels Up and Nike, and does not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding. Fitness in Motion provides all the fitness equipment, which is manufactured in the United States.

Physical activity and exercise are shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases, enhance individual health and quality of life, and reduce health care costs. In schools, studies show that physical activity improves academic achievement, increases confidence and self-esteem, reduces discipline problems, cuts absenteeism, and fosters better interpersonal relationships.

School nominations will be accepted until Friday, March 19, 2021. Maine people interested in nominating their school can visit https://natgovfit.org/nominate-your-school/ and click on the Maine state seal to download and submit the short application.

MEDIA RELEASE: Mills Administration Updates COVID-19 School Health Advisory System

All counties remain green; Piscataquis County closely monitored

AUGUSTA — The Mills Administration today released an update to its color-coded Health Advisory System that classifies counties’ relative risk of COVID-19 transmission to assist schools as they continue with their plans to deliver instruction and support to students safely.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) continue to review evidence that indicates lower transmission of COVID-19 in schools compared to the general population. Over the last 30 days, the rate of new cases for school staff or students is 22 per 10,000, 35 percent lower than a new case rate of 34 per 10,000 for the general population. This continues to demonstrate that in-person learning in schools that follow public health precautions can be conducted safely, without increased transmission of COVID-19, and supports schools’ adherence to the six requirements for returning to in-person instruction, regardless of their county’s designation.

DHHS and Maine CDC assessed COVID-19 data and trends by county and all counties remain green, however trends in Piscataquis County will be closely monitored. The positivity rate in Piscataquis County has been above 5% each of the past two weeks, and the new case rate is two times higher than the next highest county.

These designations are provided for the consideration of school administrative units in their decisions to deliver instruction.

The county-level assessments are based on both quantitative and qualitative data, including but not limited to recent case rates, positivity rates, and syndromic data (e.g., symptoms of influenza or COVID-19). Those data are publicly posted every week on the Maine CDC website. DHHS and Maine CDC also consider qualitative factors, such as the presence of outbreaks that may potentially affect school-age children. The qualitative and quantitative considerations and data used by the CDC in determining community transmission risk levels for schools can be located here: How County Risk Levels for Maine Schools are Determined

The Health Advisory System categorizations are defined as follows:

GREEN: Categorization as “green” suggests that the county has a relatively low risk of COVID-19 spread and that schools may consider in-person instruction, as long as they are able to implement the required health and safety measures. Schools in a “green” county may need to use hybrid instruction models if there is insufficient capacity or other factors (facilities, staffing, geography/transportation, etc.) that may prevent full implementation of the health and safety requirements.
YELLOW: Categorization as “yellow” suggests that that the county has an elevated risk of COVID-19 spread and that schools may consider additional precautions and/or hybrid instructional models to reduce the number of people in schools and classrooms at any one time.
RED: Categorization as “red” suggests that the county has a high risk of COVID-19 spread and that in-person instruction is not advisable.

The next update will be provided on March 26, 2021. Updating this advisory on a two-week basis aligns with the incubation period for COVID-19 and allows for greater stability in the trend data for small counties.

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