Here's this week's update on the Spring Reopening for our elementary, middle, and high schools. Read more.
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Please join us at the June 1 Board meeting when we will be recognizing more than 35 Portland Public Schools employees who are retiring from the district this year. We will be celebrating the achievements of these amazing people, who represent every employee group across the district and who have dedicated more than 1,000 years of service to our community. Please click here for the Zoom link. We hope to see you there!
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NEWS FROM HUMAN RESOURCES
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UPDATE to the PPS Staff Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccination Survey
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Please watch your email inbox for a new link to a COVID-19 vaccination survey. As we near the end of the year and are planning for our return to school in the fall, the district would like to gather updated information about the status of staff COVID-19 vaccinations. A new link will be shared with all staff next Tuesday, June 1. We thank you, in advance, for your support and participation.
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EDUCATORS OF COLOR REFLECTION SESSIONS & STAFF SUPPORT SESSIONS
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As a reminder, the district is offering a series of support and healing sessions for BIPOC staff that are being hosted by Blanca Santiago, LCSW. There are sessions scheduled for both May and June. These sessions are intended to provide our BIPOC staff a safe space for connection and support. Use this link to register for the BIPOC staff support sessions.
We are also continuing to offer staff reflection sessions for the Educators of Color Report. All staff are encouraged to participate in these sessions, organized by the research team to talk about the contents of the report. Please use this link to register for the Educators of Color Report reflection sessions. Additional sessions will be added by the team if there is an ongoing demand.
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The Portland Public Schools puts out a weekly COVID advisory each Friday. It includes the number of positive cases associated with our schools during the past week and any outbreak declarations or building closures as a result. Staff, families and staff at impacted schools are immediately notified of positive cases and closings, but the weekly advisory is an effort to keep the broader PPS community informed. The advisory is posted at the end of the day on Fridays in the District Spotlight section of the district's homepage. Here’s the link to the May 21st update. |
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Graduation Update
Portland, Deering and Casco Bay high school will hold in-person commencement ceremonies on June 2 and 3 for the approximately 500 graduating seniors in the Class of 2021. However, now that the capacity limits at Merrill Auditorium have been increased, Portland High School has moved its graduation ceremony to that indoor venue. Deering and Casco Bay high schools’ plans remain unchanged. The graduation ceremony schedule is as follows:
- 147th Deering High School Graduation: Wednesday, June 2, 11 a.m., Memorial Field (Rain date, Friday, June 4, 11 a.m., Memorial Field)
- 200th Portland High School Graduation: Thursday, June 3, 11 a.m., Merrill Auditorium
- 13th Casco Bay High School Graduation: Thursday, June 3, 6 p.m., Merrill Auditorium
In addition, Portland Adult Education (PAE) will hold its graduation ceremony on June 24 at 6 p.m. at Merrill Auditorium for PAE graduates who have attained a high school diploma or passed the HiSET test (formerly GED). Learn more about PPS graduations this year here.
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VOTING INFORMATION AND RESOURCES FOR JUNE 8th SPECIAL ELECTION
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The City of Portland is holding a special municipal election on Tuesday, June 8th for Portland voters to vote on our equity-based FY22 school budget and on City Charter Commissioners. Get voting information here. Learn details about the school budget here. There are additional resources and a social media tool kit to spread the word here.
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We are looking for more teachers for our High School Credit Recovery Program. The program runs from July 6-July 28, Monday through Friday, from 9am to 1pm. You will be paid $40/hour for the program and additional pay for planning. If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply here. If you have questions about this program, please reach out to Farausi Cherry at cherrf@portlandschools.org. We hope you will join us this summer!
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SUMMER SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELLNESS AND SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS
In the wake of this challenging year, a group of PPS school counselors and social workers have compiled resources, tips, and tricks into a document to support high school students with social emotional health as they leave for the summer. The document can be found here. Please share with your students.
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JOIN A WELLNESS GROUP!
Add some socializing, learning, and fun to your day by joining a free Portland Public Schools wellness group:
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Friday Pickleball with Bob Carroll: CLICK HERE
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Friday Walking Group with Melissa Blanchard: CLICK HERE
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Monday Walking Group with Mary Khula: CLICK HERE
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Monday/Thursday Book Group with Isabelle Weyl: CLICK HERE
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Tuesday/Thursday Mindfulness/Meditation with Jake Kulaw: CLICK HERE
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Mindfulness Yoga with Kay Kerina: CLICK HERE
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Cardio HIIT Yoga sessions Kay Kerina: CLICK HERE
Read more about each of these activities below.
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Pickleball with Bob
Come join the fun of pickleball! Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and has become very popular in Portland. A cross between tennis, badminton, and ping pong, pickleball is a blast, and once you play, you’ll be hooked.
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Come join the fun on Fridays at 4:00 at the Lyman Moore Middle School courts. Nets and paddles will be available.
Contact group leader Bob Carroll with any questions at: carrob@portlandschools.org
⇒ Sign up for Pickleball with Bob: CLICK HERE
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Friday Walking Group with Melissa
Welcome to the district’s Friday walking group! I’m Melissa Blanchard, and I’m excited to be leading this group. I’ve been working for Portland Public Schools for 28 years and am looking forward to meeting all of you.
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We will meet every Friday at 6:00 PM at the Back Bay (a.k.a. Back Cove) in the parking lot across Preble Street from the big Hannaford Supermarket. Look for my Hyundai Tucson mid-size SUV, silver/grey color with animal adopt license plates.
I’ve created signup slots for 100 people, but if we need more, I can add more. Wishful thinking! Looking forward to walking with you after work, starting on Friday, May 14.
⇒ Sign up for Friday Walking Group with Melissa: CLICK HERE
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Monday Walking Group with Mary
Do you need to get healthier, but don’t like to exercise? Are you looking for a gradual start that builds to greater physical strength, stamina, and a healthy habit? This group may be right for you. I started exercising recently after a (20 year!) break (from anything consistent) and used the Mayo Clinic 12-week walking program as my guide.
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To investigate, please go to this link: Mayo Clinic 12-Week Walking Program. At last, an exercise plan has worked and has helped me to make very necessary changes. It has inspired me to offer this option to others. I will be walking about 40 minutes on Mondays from about 3:30 to 4:30, but you can set your own time. Please meet me in front of Deering High School at 3:30, starting on Monday, May 17. Any questions or concerns, please call or text me at 207-321-1355. Let's support each other!
⇒ Sign up for Monday Walking Group with Mary: CLICK HERE
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Book Group with Isabelle
The book I have selected to share is Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. It’s an Oprah's Book Selection, the Penn Faulkner Award Winner, and a New York Times notable book of the year.
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A compulsively listenable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American dream - the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy. Named one of BuzzFeed's "Incredible New Books You Need to Read This Summer."
Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty - and Jende is eager to please. Clark's wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses' summer home in the Hamptons. With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future.
However, the world of great power and privilege conceals troubling secrets, and soon Jende and Neni notice cracks in their employers' façades. When the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Jongas are desperate to keep Jende's job - even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. As all four lives are dramatically upended, Jende and Neni are forced to make an impossible choice.
⇒ Sign up for Book Group with Isabelle: CLICK HERE
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Mindfulness and Meditation with Jake
Join Jake Kulaw to learn about how you can incorporate mindfulness / meditation into your classroom or use for yourself. We will meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:00.
⇒ Sign up for Mindfulness / Meditation sessions: CLICK HERE
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Yoga with Kay
Who wouldn’t want to make new connections with colleagues across the school district while starting to feel better and healthier at the same time?
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Meet your yoga instructor, Kaylin Kerina, coming to us from Deering High School!
⇒ Sign up for Mindfulness Yoga sessions: CLICK HERE
⇒ Sign up for Cardio HIIT Yoga sessions: CLICK HERE
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Thank You, Teachers, for Sharing in Skill Share!
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This week marks the LAST Skill Share of the year. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers that shared something this year. We really appreciate that you put yourself out there and shared your practice and expertise with the rest of us. We all learned so much!
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Thank you to…
Kristen Tedesco, Sarah Griffin, Bobby Shaddox, Annie Dalphin, Sara Gimeno, Michiko McIntyre, Sarah Norsworthy, Maria Eugenia Fernandez Iglesias, Taryn Southard, Elizabeth Hampton, Chris Pirkl, Rosalee Lamm, Cindy Soule, Kathy Feenstra, Lynn Provencher, Dee Tutino, Drew Pasani, and Muktar Abdullahi (Student).
For past Skill Shares, please see the Skill Share Archives.
And for the last Skill Shares, thank you, Michiko!
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REMINDER: Please fill out your Illustrative Mathematics Teacher Survey by May 28th!
Did you teach the IM Math curriculum this year? If so, thank you for all your hard work! And we want to hear about your experience. Please look for an email from your math coach with a link to the survey. The survey should only take 10 minutes. Deadline is May 28th. We really appreciate your time in advance to give us your authentic feedback so that we can better support you in the future. Thanks!
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REOPENING WORKSHOPS - Final Session Update
Per our district-wide PD and Collaboration calendar, we had scheduled our final Reopening Work Group sessions for this Thursday afternoon. As a reminder, we held a few reflection sessions throughout the year for the teams who convened last spring and over the summer to reconnect around the implementation of our plans from this fall. We need to move the date for this final reflection session from this week to a new date/time: Thursday, June 10th, from 3:30-5:00pm.
This is an optional session for members of the reopening work groups and calendar invites will be sent out to you. We plan to convene in person outdoors at one of our school sites (details forthcoming in the calendar invites). The purpose of this final meeting of the year is to reflect on lessons learned and to celebrate all that was accomplished by these teams. We hope to see members of these teams on the 10th! Please reach out to Melea Nalli with questions: nallim@portlandschools.org.
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SEAL OF BILITERACY CEREMONY
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Last week, PPS celebrated recipients of the Seal of Biliteracy. Above you will find a video recording of the ceremony, also found here.
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UNIVERSITY OF MAINE WAIVING GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION FEE
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University of Maine is waiving the graduate school application fee for degree and certificate applications submitted now through June 15. With most programs still accepting students for fall 2021, now is the perfect time to continue your education and apply today!
If you have any questions about the application process or a program, please contact Amanda Cupps, Graduate Enrollment Services, at amanda.cupps@maine.edu.
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INVEST IN ME KINDERGARTEN TOOLKIT #3
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 Thank you for your commitment in the Invest in ME Kindergarten initiative!
We hope you and your students found the "Save, Share, Spend Activity" toolkit we shared in February to be helpful and fun!
Toolkit #3 that includes the following tools and resources is now ready for you to share with your students and families:
Invest in ME has designed these toolkits in consultation with the Maine Department of Education, ensuring that they align with the Maine Learning Results content standards. These standards guide the development of learning experiences and ensure equitable opportunity for each and every student in Maine. Learn more here.
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Osher Map Library Fellowships for TEACHING WITH MAPS
The Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine is pleased to announce the availability of ten $500 “Teaching with Maps” Grade 6-12 Educator Fellowships for summer 2021. This opportunity is open to all Maine educators working with students in grades 6-12, from any subject area! Teachers selected for a fellowship will need to complete the following: Identify a course (existing or new) that you will teach between Fall 2021 and Spring 2022; Create at least one lesson, activity, or unit within your course that requires students to engage with OML collections (maps, atlases, rare books, board games, prints, etc.) to be shared with the OML; Attend (3) Zoom sessions with your teacher Cohort of ten educators (includes an optional in-person tour). Note: These 90-minute sessions will take place late-June, mid-July, and early-August. Complete one in-person research visit anytime during summer 2021 at the OML (can be more!). Note: Research appointments are available Tuesday through Saturday, and we are located on USM's Portland Campus. Schedule one visit (remote or in-person) for 2021-2022 with the class of your choice OR invite our K-12 Educator, Renee Keul, to “sit” in and observe the lesson/activity/unit you developed with our materials; Fill out a Brief online survey and reflection.
To apply, please fill out this brief online application form by JUNE 7, 2021, which includes a 250–500 word proposal describing your class, its current learning outcomes, and how you are thinking about incorporating Osher Map Library collections into your course. Renee Keul, OML's K-12 Outreach Coordinator is happy to answer any questions from teachers interested in applying for a fellowship. She can be reached at: renee.keul@maine.edu Applicants will be informed of the fellowship awards by June 14, 2021. The 2021 Teaching with Maps Fellowships are generously sponsored by the Friends of the Osher Map Library.
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2021 VIRTUAL SUMMER TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE AT UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
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Join University of Maine for this dynamic community event on August 3-5, 2021.
There will be workshops, hands-on activities, networking, reflection and so much more. More information and registration here.
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Please share this flyer and this document containing more information and the application to your networks!
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Send us your feedback, suggestions, questions, and contributions to the PPS Staff Resources page. Contact us at communications@portlandschools.org.
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