Sebago Elementary Creates Virtual Arts Festival

Sebago Elementary has approximately 100 students and a community that is hugely supportive and proud of their school. Brenda McGuinness is an Art Teacher at Sebago Elementary School one day per week along with music teacher Jennifer Null and instrumental music teacher Lindsay Waller. In March they were making final plans for the second annual Arts Festival to be held on April 14th. Unfortunately, like events all over the world, the school Arts Festival was canceled.

With a strong desire to showcase the talents and efforts of their students, they worked hard to bring the first Virtual Arts Festival into the homes of students, their families and the community in an alternative way.

Using photographs of the art projects from each grade throughout the year as well as the various events students were involved in throughout the state, along with emailed photos of student art work during remote learning, they made a memorable slideshow of art adventures for the 2019/2020 school year.

“The reaction from our students and families to our Virtual Arts Festival has been wonderful and I feel delighted to have been able to present them with this event,” said Brenda in an email to the DOE.

This story was submitted by Brenda McGuinness, Art Teacher, Sebago Elementary School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. to submit a story email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

 

Vinalhaven School Goes Virtual for 2019/2020 K-12 Art Show

Vinalhaven’s K-12 Visual Arts Teacher Heather White just couldn’t end the year without an Art Show.

“Students created so many cool ‘things’ in the art room this year, and it’s important, now more than ever, to share that work,” said Heather in an email to the Maine DOE.

Instead of having an in-person event this year, Heather got busy creating a website that showcases the work of students at Vinalhaven School so that it can be seen and appreciated by students, their families, the community, and beyond.

“It’s fun to think that instead of just sharing this year’s art work with our island community, we are able to share it with anyone in the world,” added Heather.

Check out the Vinalhaven School K-12 19/20 Virtual Art Show here!

This story was shared by Heather White, K-12 Visual Arts Teacher, Vinalhaven School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story, email it to Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

 

 

Combating Child Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Trafficking: June Zoom Meeting Series Schedule

Maine Department of Education’s team of safety specialists continue to offer ongoing training opportunities for those who work with Maine children and their families.
Our Maine School Safety Center (MSSC) will be hosting an important series with community experts on addressing sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking. The virtual series will run through the month of June, each Thursday at 10:00. Please register for the zoom events in advance, here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

June 4: Personal Trafficking Survivor Story to Educate and Mobilize the People of Maine to Stop the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (Catherine Wilson, Founder Stop Trafficking US and local survivor leader)

June 11: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: Dynamics and Approach (Jess Bedard and Caitlyn Kelty-Huber, Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault)

June 18: Children’s Advocacy Center Response to Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (Jennifer Shumway and Kathy Harvey-Brown, Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center)

June 25: Investigation and Evidence Collection in Minor Victims of Trafficking (Christine Thibeault, Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, ME Computer Crimes Task Force team members)

For further information, please contact Coordinator of School Safety and Security, Robert Susi at robert.w.susi@maine.gov or our Maine School Safety Center at https://www.maine.gov/doe/safety

Maine AmeriCorps Virtual Recruitment Fair – June 4, 2020

Give a year; be part of the solution in Maine

Are you someone who takes the lead? Runs to take on a challenge while others wait for a solution? Do you want to help Maine communities get back up and running after the pandemic? AmeriCorps programs in Maine are looking for the next class of individuals to get things done! Are you ready to accept the challenge?

Hear all about the benefits of serving in AmeriCorps directly from Maine program representatives and alumni during our virtual recruitment fair on Thursday, June 4! It’s your chance to ask questions and learn how each program serves its respective community.

Date: Thursday, June 4, 2020

Time: 2 p.m. (Fair will conclude no later than 3:15 p.m. but may end earlier depending on participation)

Register now: Access Zoom meeting registration page 

(Please note: Closed captioning during live broadcast may not be 100% accurate. A replay version of the info session will correct any errors.)

Questions/clarification: Please email bryan.roche@maine.gov. For more information visit: http://www.maineservicecommission.gov/maine-americorps-virtual-recruitment-fair-2020/

 

Professional Learning Opportunity: Identifying Where Your Students are, in Order to Adjust Instruction

COVID-19 has created unique challenges in education as students finish the year with distance learning. The Maine Department of Education, in collaboration of guest presenter Beth Ratway, is pleased to offer two sessions to examine how to look at this “gap”. How do teachers figure out where their students are at and plan for next year?

Minding the Gap: This session will focus on sharing strategies to make the transition to next year manageable and meaningful.  Educators will learn how to clearly identify the non-negotiables for their grade/course, how to build pre-assessments to determine where each student is coming in at connected to the non-negotiables and how to adjust learning plans to ensure all students are engaged in meaningful learning experiences around the non-negotiables.

Session host Beth Ratway is the former Social Studies Specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and is an associate member of the national Council of State Social Studies Specialist group.

  • Minding the Gaps (Elementary Teachers): Identifying Where Your Students are at in Order to Adjust Instruction (Led by Beth Ratway/Senior Consultant at the American Institutes for Research – June 4 (Thurs) at 11:00am ET – Register for this session here
  • Minding the Gaps (Secondary Teachers): Identifying Where Your Students are at in Order to Adjust Instruction (Led by Beth Ratway/Senior Consultant at the American Institutes for Research – June 4 (Thurs) at 1:00pm ET – Register for this session here

For more information contact Joe Schmidt, Maine DOE Social Studies Specialist at Joe.Schmidt@maine.gov.

Department of Education Update Meeting

Commissioner of Education Pender Makin will be hosting a Zoom update on education in Maine during the current pandemic on Tuesday, June 2, from 4:00-5:00.

Please register in advance for this meeting, as there is a 500-person maximum. You can register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Questions or topics of interest may be submitted in advance by emailing Chief-of -Staff Jessica Nixon at Jessica.nixon@maine.gov by Tuesday at 8:00 am.

The meeting will be recorded and posted on our website.

New Webinar: 2020-2021 NEO Maine Schools and School Approval Process

To assist those who are responsible for the important task of reporting district and school organizational data as well as school approval information to the Maine Department of Education, the DOE Data Team will be holding a topical webinar about the Maine Schools and School Approval (Public and Private) process on Tuesday June 2nd, from 11 am to 12 pm.

Registration URL can be found here, and the Maine Schools NEO Module Instructions can be found here.

New Webinar: 2020-2021 Special Education Exit Report

To assist those who are responsible for the important task of reporting Special Education Exits to the Maine Department of Education, the DOE Data Team will be holding a topical webinar about the Special Education Exit Report on Wednesday June 3rd, from 2 pm to 3 pm. We will be covering how to validate the report and will be fielding any questions in regards to the report.

The registration URL found here, and Special Education Exit Report Instructions can be found here.

Innovative Educators Sought for Maine Learning Modules!

The Maine Department of Education invites all interested educators, curriculum leaders, and Maine educational community organizations to join us in designing an a-synchronous library of learning modules in a Maine Learning Results-aligned scope and sequence. These project-based modules will be integrated to ensure that learning is synthesized across traditional subject areas and learning experiences are designed to be mutually reinforcing.

Work will take place beginning June 15th and run throughout the summer with a launch of the website on September 7th. Each participant will be trained in a-synchronous instructional design by Maine DOE digital learning specialists, as well as supported in their content by Maine DOE content specialists. Participants will be expected to produce at least one learning module, but more may be accepted. Stipends will be provided for modules used in the Maine DOE library.

Participants must be Maine educators, including curriculum leaders and Maine educational community organizations.

To register click here.

For more information please contact Beth Lambert, beth.lambert@maine.gov or Page Nichols, page.nichols@maine.gov.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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