Maine to Join National #LoveTeaching Campaign February 14 – 21

The Maine Department of Education (DOE), along with the Maine Teacher of the Year (TOY) Program, and Maine State Teacher of the Year Association (MSTOYA), are joining the national #LoveTeaching campaign, a grassroots effort started by teachers in 2015 as an opportunity to celebrate teaching, leading, and learning in a way that unites and invigorates educators and those they inspire all around the world.

Every year, Valentine’s Day marks the beginning of a week-long conversation that aims to illuminate why teachers enter and remain in the field of education, offering a mindset shift from the seemingly singular focus on the challenges of the profession.

Starting on Friday, February 14 and continuing through February 21, 2020 educators across Maine are encouraged to participate by using the #LoveTeaching hashtag on social media to share why they love teaching, either through a story, a moment, a memory, a picture, a quote, or simply explaining why they love teaching in a sentence or phrase. Tag the Maine DOE at @mdoenews on Twitter and at @MaineDepartmentofEducation1 on Facebook so that we can share your teaching inspiration around our state!

As we transition from January into February, we would also like to support MSTOYA in their efforts to keep the momentum of January’s “Invite your Legislator to School” month going, by encouraging teachers who have not done so already, to invite their local legislator to their school.

The goal of “Invite Your Legislator to School Month” is to engage, enlighten, and inform policy makers from our local or state government by providing them with a better understanding of how their decisions affect learners and educators across the state of Maine. It is also a great opportunity to invigorate and inspire them by showing them the wonderful things that are happening in classrooms in Maine.

We know that everyone’s schedules are busy, so please consider scheduling a visit sometime in the near future, or anytime throughout the year that works best for your school and your guest(s). In the words of MSTOYA, “It’s more than a month; it’s a movement.”

Please visit the Maine State Teacher of the Year Association Website to get further guidance and resources that can support you in inviting and scheduling a visit with your local and state legislators.

For further information about the #LoveTeaching campaign, please visit weloveteaching.org and be on the lookout for another announcement from the Maine DOE to kick off the week.

 

Application Process Open for Student Position on Maine State Board of Education

Student voice is critically important to the Maine State Board of Education, and they are seeking applications for the newest student member to join the Board. Applications are being accepted February 3 – 24, 2020.

The Maine State Board of Education has two nonvoting student members who join the Board as high school juniors and serve for two years, one enrolled in a school in Maine’s First Congressional District; the other enrolled in a school in the Second Congressional District. At all times, the State Board has one high school junior and one senior as members, with staggered appointment.

Applications are currently being accepted from students who attend school in the Second Congressional District (including Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, and Washington counties, and part of Kennebec County) and are currently a high school sophomore.  Application materials are available on the State Board of Education web page. The Board has also mailed application materials to all second congressional district high school principals and guidance counselors. Completed applications should be mailed to:

Mary Becker, Maine State Board of Education
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0023

After applications close on February 24, 2020, they will be reviewed according to the process described in Maine Education and School Statutes, Title 20-A, Chapter 5, State Board of Education. Semifinalists will be interviewed in March 2020, after which three finalists will be chosen. The names and application materials of the finalists will be sent to the Governor’s office for final selection. The selected student will be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine State Senate.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for Maine students to practice civic engagement while serving as both a representative of Maine students and an active education leader in our state.

For further information please visit the Maine State Board of Education web page or contact Mary Becker, Board Assistant at 624-6616 or email at Mary.Becker@maine.gov.

Aquaculture me! Hosts Conference to Connect Research, Education, and Industry

Aquaculture me!, an initiative created by Yarmouth educator, 2016 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year, and Miliken recipient Morgan Cuthbert, to get classroom teachers connected to the science and industry of aquaculture, held a professional development conference at the University of Maine’s Darling Center near Damariscotta last week.

Maine Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta attended the event on behalf of the Department to give brief remarks and to extend a heartfelt appreciation to Aquaculture me! and educators throughout Maine who work hard to provide Maine students with meaningful educational lessons that incorporate scientific practice about the complex systems that affect our communities and environment through aquaculture education.

The workshop gave participants the opportunity to hear from Maine aquaculture researchers, learn about connecting with the community and the industry, in addition to hearing from Maine educators from Cape Elizabeth, Brunswick, and Yarmouth Schools about successful ways to connect Aquaculture to the classroom.

The conference also gave participants the chance to network with one another and have a round-table discussion about Aquaculture education in Maine.

For more information about Aquaculture me! visit their website.

The conference also gave participants the chance to network with one another and have a round-table discussion about Aquaculture education in Maine.

For more information about Aquaculture me! visit their website.

Medomak Valley High School Begins #WhyYouMatter Public Art Campaign

Having attended Alabama’s Chelsea High School’s presentation on their community art project #whyyoumatter at the National Art Education Association Conference in Boston last spring, Medomak Valley High School’s advanced photography teacher, Brooke Holland, and her class have taken on the challenge here in Maine.

The mission of the campaign states, “ #whyyoumatter is a public art campaign that focuses on empowering students while fostering a positive school climate where all people feel supported and valued.”

Holland, with the help of volunteer photography specialist Kyle Santheson, has instructed her advanced photography students in taking black and white photographs of everyone in the school along with their personally written messages of why they matter.

To prepare, staff were given a script with resources to use with their home bases. After viewing inspirational videos about making a difference, students were given time to think about why they matter.

Holland reports, “Within the photo studio, you can hear students and staff helping each other write their statements; whether that is simply articulating their message or giving them the pep talk they need on why they matter.”

These 11X18 posters will affirm and empower our daily interactions and efforts and will, in total, be an impressive display for our district art show this spring. We matter!

This article was submitted by Linda Dolloff Pease, Principal at Medomak Valley High School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. If you would like to submit a story or share an idea for the campaign email Rachel Paling at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Manchester Elementary School Holds National Geographic GeoBee

Manchester Elementary School held a final round of its School GeoBee this week. Sponsored by National Geographic, the GeoBee is a geography competition that challenges students in grades 4th through 8th grade to answer questions about geography around the world, everything from culture geography, to economy, science, and physical geography.

The Manchester Elementary School GeoBee was moderated by Maranacook Elementary Gifted and Talented Coordinator Victoria Scott and hosted by Manchester Elementary 4th grade teacher Jenniger Galletta. Parents, teachers, community members, and classmates were all in attendance at the momentous event during which strict rules were outlined for audience members ensuring contestants could concentrate and participate according to national GeoBee standards.

Nine students from 4th and 5th grade participated in the school’s final GeoBee by answering a series of questions provided by National Geographic. Providing their answers both verbally and in some cases in writing, or by circling a location on a map, the competition featured three rounds that eliminated students at the end of each round until one remained.

The schools top three winners were:

  • 1st place: Lydia Garofalo, 4th grade
  • 2nd place: Joshua Herzing, 4th grade
  • 3rd Place: Brennan Boyd, 5th grade

Lydia will go on to take the state qualifying test provided online by National Geographic. If she qualifies, she will go on to the State GeoBee set to be held on March 27th this year. A national championship will be held in May.

Schools across Maine and the United States are also in the midst of participating in this exciting competition by wrapping up their final school GeoBee events this month. Maine Department of Education’s Social Studies Specialist Joe Schmidt is scheduled to moderate at the state competition this spring.

For more information about GeoBee, visit the National Geographic website.

This article was written by Maine DOE staff Rachel Paling in collaboration with Manchester Elementary School as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success campaign. If you have a story to share or an idea for the campaign, email Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov.

Camden-Rockport Middle School 7th Grade Project Selected as Model of Excellence

The Camden-Rockport Middle School 7th grade Interdisciplinary fall project, “Learning How to See” was selected as a “Model of Excellence” and is featured in the National Model of Excellence database.

Created in collaboration with Harvard Graduate School of Education, Models of Excellence is a open resource featuring exemplary pre-K to 12th-grade student work. Works chosen for this database are recognized for their high level of integrated curriculum development, instruction, assessment and students final product work.

In a press release issued by Five Town CSD / MSAD #28, special congratulations were given to John Dietter, Hilary Flagg, Sam Zwecker, Sarah Whittam, Beth York and Kristen Andersen for their hard work on this project.

The release also said, “Camden-Rockport Middle School is so proud to have their hard work recognized. The school is on a journey to implement meaningful project based learning experiences for students and this is strong affirmation at the national level!”

Camden-Rockport Middle School 7th grade Interdisciplinary fall project, “Learning How to See” can be viewed here.

Information for this article was provided in a press release from Five Town CSD / MSAD #28 Executive Assistant to the Superintendent & Communications Director Trina Schroeder.

Get to know the DOE Team: Meet Dede Gilbert

Maine DOE team member Dede Gilbert is being highlighted this week as the part of a Get to know the DOE Team campaign. Learn a little more about Dede in the brief question and answer below.

What are your roles with DOE?

I am responsible for many things at the Department including coordinating constituent correspondence, cell and desk phones, travel, building maintenance, access badges, photocopiers, ordering supplies, procurement cards, and providing HR assistance.

What do you like best about your job?

The best thing about my job is that I get to interact with all of the employees of the Department on a pretty regular basis. I enjoy helping them problem solve issues and providing guidance on policy and procedures.  My days are never the same and I appreciate that.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I took business courses in school and a friend (way back in the day) encouraged me to apply to work for the state in a clerical role.  Thirty plus years later I’m still doing the same type of work but at a level with a lot more responsibility and diversity.

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

Anyone who knows even the slightest bit about me knows I am a crazy cat lady (we currently have 2 kitties at home, Willie and Izzy).  I can be found most days in the breakroom reading a book during lunch and I love to bake.  I recently started crocheting again and just finished a sweater for my cat. Family Sundays are usually spent sharing meals or taking a drive north – (I’d love to retire in Greenville!!)

Model Concussion Policy Revision

Pursuant to Title 20-A MRSA§254(17) , all public schools, and private schools enrolling more than 60% of its students at public expense, are required to adopt and implement a policy on the management of concussive and other head injuries in school activities and athletics that is consistent with the model policy developed by the commissioner.

Since the creation of the mandate for the model concussion policy in 2012, schools across Maine have been instrumental in increasing concussion awareness among students, parents, and staff. The concussion policy is in place for more than just awareness; it should improve the management and care a student receives following an injury. Additionally, injuries can happen during any activity during the school day or outside of school. The location of the injury should not affect the attention and accommodation a student receives. The Department and its partners have revised the model policy to reflect current best practices in concussion management in schools. Over the years there has been a shift in the focus of how a concussion affects a student, specifically with the recognition that children are students first. Therefore, the model policy outlines a graduated school re-entry plan that is individualized and flexible, with input from medical providers, parents, and the school multidisciplinary team.

In order to fully comply with the requirements of the chaptered law, Title 20-A MRSA§254(17) as a result of L.D. 1873, An Act to Direct  the Commissioner of Education to Adopt a Model Policy Regarding Management of Head Injuries in School Activities and Athletics, in the 125th Maine Legislature,  all  additional resources have also been updated. Components that are required by this law are:  model policy, training, student and parental acknowledgment, protocols and forms, immediate removal and evaluation, and medical clearance. The additional requirements,  not part of the model policy, can be accessed through the Department of Education website. Here is a sample of some of the materials:

For more information about this model policy or the additional resources, please contact the School Nurse Consultant Emily Poland at Emily.Poland@maine.gov or (207) 592-0387.

Professional Development Opportunity: Maine Learning Results for Social Studies – Emphasis on Maine Native Americans

On April 3, 2020, Maine educators are invited to join the Western Maine Education Collaborative and the Department of Education at Winthrop High School for another session of the Social Studies standards roll out and training related to teaching about Maine Native Americans. This full day workshop will feature a variety of state leaders with expertise in teaching about Maine Native Americans, as well as resources that support the implementation of the revised standards with a focus on Maine Native Americans.

Joe Schmidt, DOE Social Studies Specialist, will discuss the revised standards, and time will be provided for participants to work with presenters, explore resources, and plan for classroom and district implementation. Check out their informational flyer for more information or click here to register. The training costs $30 for non-WMEC members, and includes lunch.

Clarification on Proposal of MaineCare Benefits Manual Section 106, School-Based Services 

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, MaineCare filed the proposed Section 106, School-Based Services rule (Chapters II and III) with the Secretary of State’s office. At that time, a version of the proposed rule was shared publicly, although the rulemaking documents will not be available online until January 29, 2020, as per the standard Administrative Procedure Act (APA) process. 

Since that time, the public hearing has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at the Augusta Civic Center. This change, and other formatting changes to the proposed rule, will be posted online on January 29, 2020. At that time, MaineCare Services will send out a e-message notice and email to its Interested Parties, with a link to the proposed rule. 

In the meantime, MaineCare requests that any interested parties who would like to submit public comments, please wait until the public comment period has opened on February 18, 2020.  We apologize for any confusion this has caused.  If you have any questions about this notice, please contact Trista Collins, State Medicaid Educational Liaison.