The following is a news release from the Maine Charter School Commission.
AUGUSTA—The Maine Charter School Commission will hold public hearings on June 15 and 18 regarding three applications it received from groups seeking to open charter schools. Members of the public are invited to attend and encouraged to offer testimony in favor or opposition, as well as to submit written comments.
Continue reading “Charter School Commission to hold first public hearings”
The following is a news release from the Office of Gov. Paul LePage.
HERMON – Governor Paul LePage helped kick-off a new program Monday evening that will allow students to attain both their high school diploma and an associate’s degree in five years.
Continue reading “Bridge Year education program highlighted in Hermon”
Administrators and teachers at Farwell Elementary School in Lewiston are using iPads to develop new educator evaluation rubrics, the first Teacher Incentive Fund school in Maine to do so. I had the chance to use the app to evaluate fifth grade teacher Danielle Bilodeau when I visited Farwell last week, and I can assure you that teachers have never had any feedback system like this before.
Continue reading “New teacher eval system means better educator training”
Four eighth graders at Sanford Junior High School in Sanford were selected as national finalists in the Siemen’s We Can Change the World Challenge for their campaign to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags.
The students – Brianna Doyal, Alexandra Kruscek, Mariah Anderson and Seth Sprague – call themselves the “Plastiks.” Their service learning project took off last year in seventh and eighth grade teacher Barbara Perry’s social studies class. These four students were chosen to continue their work with Perry and Deb Rosa, Sanford technology integrator, this year. The Plastiks were named state champions for Maine.
Continue reading “Sanford students nationally recognized for plastic bag recycling project”
AUGUSTA – Governor LePage recognized students from Bangor Elementary and Middle Schools for their artwork during the Celebration of Arts Education at the Blaine House on June 6. Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen, Maine’s First Lady Ann LePage and Chair of the State Board of Education James Banks joined the ceremony.
Three kindergarten students from the Fruit Street School – Callie Tennett, Alexander Montano-Smith and Oscar Croce – performed a song they created with the guidance of their music teacher, Anne Chamberlain-Small, at the ceremony.
Thirty-nine pieces of student artwork from Bangor have been on public display since April. The student artwork is viewable online or can be seen in person during office hours at the Maine Department of Education, fifth floor of the Cross Building, in Augusta.
The Department has translated the Maine Unified Special Education Regulations Procedural Safeguards into seven languages: Arabic, French, Khmer, Mandarin Chinese, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. The translations are available at www.maine.gov/doe/specialed/laws/proceduralsafeguards/.
Continue reading “MUSER procedural safeguards now in translation”
ADMINISTRATIVE LETTER NO: 85
POLICY CODE: IHBA
Continue reading “Clarification of SAU’s obligation to refer students to special education”
Before the Maine Board of Pesticides Control initiates formal rulemaking and the public hearing process on the rules listed below, it plans to hold two public information gathering workshops, where the public is invited to offer informal comment on the proposed changes. Several of the changes affect the use of pesticides at schools. The workshops will be held during the Board’s June 15 meeting in Augusta and its July 27 meeting in Presque Isle.
Continue reading “Pesticide Board seeks public input on rulemaking initiatives”
Administrative Letter : 84
Policy Code: GB
Continue reading “Certification/credentialing violations and other issues”
As part of my tour of schools to see how students are taking charge of their learning – putting the Maine Department of Education’s strategic plan into action – I visited three places Friday where all the students I met were eager to take control of their learning. Below you can read more about each.
In Auburn, I found kindergarteners learning letters and reading with iPads, enabling teachers to give more personal attention to students. At Gray-New Gloucester Middle School, I spoke with a panel of students who like the freedom they have to move at their own pace.
Maine DOE Newsroom 