Technical student organizations offer leadership training

Maine FFA state officers (four on left) and FBLA state officers joined forces to provide leadership training to high school students at the Augusta Armory.
Maine FFA state officers (four on left) and FBLA state officers joined forces to provide leadership training to high school students at the Augusta Armory.

Two of Maine’s technical student organizations, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Future Farmers of America (FFA), joined forces for the first time at the Augusta Armory to provide nearly 100 high school students with fast-paced leadership training on Nov. 1.

Workshop topics included the role of FFA and FBLA in helping their members realize personal growth, become better leaders, and gain skills to help them be successful in their future careers. Students participated in discussions and interactive group activities, having a chance to meet peers from other schools and to learn skills that may help them after graduation.

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Questions & answers posed during Rule Ch. 33 webinar

The Maine DOE presented a Listen & Learn webinar on Chapter 33, ““Rule Governing Physical Restraint and Seclusion,” for special education directors, CDS administrators and others on Oct. 25, as a follow-up to the initial presentation on May 31 (available on the Department’s Chapter 33 web page).

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District obligations under FERPA & PPRA explained

The U.S. Department of Education is required to notify annually each state educational agency (SEA) and each local educational agency (LEA) of their obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). Continue reading “District obligations under FERPA & PPRA explained” →

Schools must report 15 percent absenteeism to Maine CDC

The Maine Center for Disease Control would like to remind schools that clusters and outbreaks of any illness – defined as student absenteeism rates that are equal to or greater than 15 percent – are reportable immediately to the Maine Division of Infectious Disease.  Continue reading “Schools must report 15 percent absenteeism to Maine CDC” →

Gov. LePage declares Nov. 2 “Shannon Shanning Day”

Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen congratulates 2013 Teacher of the Year Shannon Shanning, pictured with a former student, at celebratory banquet.
Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen congratulates 2013 Teacher of the Year Shannon Shanning, pictured with a former student, at celebratory banquet.
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Shannon Shanning, Maine’s 2013 Teacher of the Year, joined other semi-finalists at a banquet marking the end of the latest Teacher of the Year cycle on Nov. 2. During the banquet, Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen presented Shanning with a proclamation from Gov. LePage, making Nov. 2, 2012, “Shannon Shanning Day.”

Shanning, a seventh- and eighth-grade special education teacher at Whittier Middle School in Poland, was named Teacher of the Year during a surprise ceremony at her school in September.

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Clarification and Request for Proposals – 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants

The Maine Department of Education issued a Request for Proposals on Oct. 28, 2012, for 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants. The grant funds are for new and continuing grants to support community learning centers that provide students with academic enrichment opportunities along with activities designed to complement the students’ regular academic program.

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Finalists for U.S. Senate program present on government issues

This year's 10 finalists for the United States Senate Youth Program.
Students from across Maine applied to attend the 2013 United States Senate Youth Program in Washington, D.C. Two candidates from this pool of 10 finalists will be announced the winners in early December.

What do you think is the most important issue facing the U.S. today?

This is the question a panel of five judges posed to 10 Maine high school students vying for a prestigious honor on Thursday. Each student’s four-minute response homed in on one current governmental issue, such as foreign policy, renewable energy, the erosion of civil liberties or the general state of the economy. The most popular response, however, was the lack of bipartisan effort in U.S. Congress.

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Commissioner’s Update – November 1, 2012

Commissioner’s Update – November 1, 2012
Click the image to view the fully formatted Commissioner’s Update.

The Maine Charter School Commission received on Wednesday five more proposals to open charter schools in the fall of 2014.

Public charter schools are an important part of the growing menu of public school choices for Maine students. Our state is on a clear path to providing more options to more kids.

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