Submitted by Ashlee Savage, Administrative Assistant for Cornville Regional Charter School

The Cornville Regional Charter School is doing some amazing things district wide. As a district, we are community-center and uncompromisingly learner-centered. We have 3 schools that serve a variety of age ranges from Prek to Grade 10.

Our Early Childhood Campus serves learners ages 4-6 and are working very hard to pull in community members and businesses into the classrooms. This happens in a variety of ways from having those people come directly into the classrooms to run learning opportunities to setting up different centers in the room to represent different businesses. This campus also does a great job with scheduling and hosting parent involvement nights.

Our Cornville Campus offers a variety of opportunities for learners, facilitators, and families. Each learner participates in special interest groups 3 days a week. These special, unique offerings include, but are not limited, to knitting, rhythmic gymnastics, snowshoeing, robotics, gym games, felt art, painting, etc. Our schedule also allows learners to move from room to room as needed throughout the day to ensure that everyone’s education is customized to their needs. For facilitators, they receive a numerous amount of professional development. Every Friday our district has an early release day which allows staff to partake in meaningful PD for the last 3 hours of each week. Lastly, the Cornville Campus has great parent involvement. We offer multiple celebration of learning nights, book fairs, grandparents luncheon, and numerous PTF events.

Our Downtown Campus has 1/3 of the sophomore class currently enrolled in a college course, 2 of the learners are part of the Maine Meals (a local business) team participating in the Maine Center for Entrepreneurship Top Gun program at Thomas College, 1 of the learners is a member of the Somerset Public Health’s board, several of the learners are involved in building a wooden boat with a local community member, and several of the learners have volunteered at a local retirement home and at the local humane society. As a school, they are also putting together a full fabrication lab that is accessible to not only all of the learners but also to community partners. Community involvement is super important and with the downtown campus being right in the heart of Skowhegan, it is the perfect opportunity to get our learners working and learning beside community members.

Submitted by Debbie Jamieson, Principal of Pembroke Elementary and Darlene Bassett, Literacy Coach and Maine DOE, School Turnaround.

On February 6, 2019, Linda Fuller, Ed.D., Associate Director of Educational Studies at the College of the Atlantic, made a long awaited visit to Pembroke Elementary School in Pembroke, Maine.  Linda had contacted the school last year in response to a post on the Commissioner’s blog highlighting the student success with Richardson’s Guided Reading Model. She coordinated the visit with Chelsey Fortin-Tremble, Maine DOE Director of the ESEA Federal Programs and the School Turnaround Team, and Deborah Jamieson, Principal of the Pembroke Elementary School. Plans were made for her students – teachers in training – to visit two teachers, Rosie Griffith – Grades 7/8 ELA Teacher and Beckery Renaud – Grades 5/6 ELA Teacher and Lead Teacher for Pembroke. Both teachers have combined grade levels in their classrooms.

The visit began with a debriefing between the teachers and their visitors.  Beckery and Rosie shared the profiles of their groups (anonymously) based on assessments and teacher observations.  Then they provided a framework for the instruction the guests were about to observe.  This session was interactive, allowing the visitors to pose questions and share opinions.

Visitors then observed Beckery Renaud in the 5/6 ELA Lesson teaching using Reading Street’s readers.  As always, Beckery’s focus was comprehension.

She prompted students to make connections between themselves and the texts, reviewed the nonfiction format, and supported them while they learned strategies on how to access information using this text structure. Meanwhile, the rest of the class worked independently on their own learning for the day.

Next, the guests observed in Rosie Griffith’s room.  Rosie’s classroom was organized in the same manner.  Students were focused and engaged at their desks, working on individual learning, while Rosie introduced a new book, A Day No Pigs Would Die. Rosie scaffolded students as they made predictions after previewing the book.  She put a heavy emphasis on each student’s metacognitive process and we observed as students made links and explained their thinking.

After the observations were completed, we re-grouped for the final debriefing.

Deb Jamieson was able to join us.  We discussed many issues drawing on the insights of both teachers and administrators alike.  The student visitors were well informed and eager to learn and teach!  Everyone had a delightful day and learned a great deal from one another.

We would like to thank Linda Fuller and her team for taking the time to visit Pembroke.  Great things are happening in Maine Schools.  Many, like this implementation, require a huge commitment of time and energy to the students we serve.  Young educators need to know they have the opportunity to join a dedicated cadre of teachers and administrators in the field who are looking forward to growing with you and making Maine kids’ lives as good as they can be.  We welcome you on board.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Submitted by Janet Delmar, Principal of Mount Vernon & Wayne Elementary Schools in RSU #38.

On Monday, December 10th, the families of students who work with Deb Hatt, Mt. Vernon’s K-5 Math Interventionist, were invited to Family Math Night! We had a great turnout, with over 50 people including students, siblings, parents, and grandparents. Our special guest was Christopher Danielson, author of the math picture books, Which One Doesn’t Belong and How Many? and creator of amazing math manipulatives like 21st Century Pattern Blocks and Tiling Turtles, who joined us via video chat from Minnesota!

Students interviewed Mr. Danielson about his inventions and books, and he then led the entire group in a Which One Doesn’t Belong routine. Mrs. Hatt talked to families about ways that they can incorporate conversations about math with their children into everyday life. Each family left with a set of 21st Century Pattern Blocks and a coupon for the family-friendly version of the book Which One Doesn’t Belong? that will be released next month.

Wayne was scheduled to have their Family Math Night on February 27th.

Submitted by Jennifer McKay, Principal Dike-Newell School in RSU 1

Dike-Newell School is a Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade elementary school of 250 students, located in Bath, Maine.  Part of RSU 1, Dike-Newell School embraces the philosophy of being a community of engaged learners where everyone matters.  The staff at the school are involved in committee work, and explore ways to enrich the student experience.  One recent initiative supports literacy as well as connecting students through building community – Classroom Buddy Reading.

While not a novel concept, it can be challenging logistically at times to set up buddy classroom projects.  The Dike-Newell Whole-School Activities Committee put together a once-a-month, whole school system pairing up classrooms for 30-45 minutes on a Tuesday morning.  Non-classroom staff were assigned to help facilitate and work with students with support needs, and the efforts kicked off in February.

What staff and students have found is that the children really enjoyed being partnered with non-age group peers, and it has spurred a sense of community that was, at times, lacking.  Second graders really enjoy being role models and literacy leaders with younger students, and younger students really enjoy having time to connect with older peers.  For staff, as well, it has been a way to connect with previous and future students, build relationships with students not in their class, and allows everyone to have more familiar faces and names throughout the building.

Another benefit of the program is support for literacy and the love of books.  In the first buddy read session, students brought book boxes filled with favorite texts to share with their buddies.  Students were able to talk about why they enjoyed certain books or authors, and encouraged each other to try new books.  In April, for Poetry Month and part of the school’s “Poem in My Pocket” event, students will be sharing poems during their buddy reading session, and in future sessions the committee is discussing having author studies, genre studies, and other focused literacy topics for students to buddy read.

Dike-Newell School is always working to bring students together in a meaningful way, and to build our community of engaged learners.  The Buddy Reading program is one example of the work that is being done to support this vision.

Kathy Harris-Smedberg, Assistant Superintendent of Schools at Bangor School Department

Downeast School, Grades PreK-3, Bangor, Maine

William S. Cohen School, Grades 6-8, Bangor, ME