December 15 Blog Post

'Twas the week before vacation and all through the schools, every child was stirring and so were the adults!☺  But don't worry, plenty of great learning is still going on across each and every school in the district!  Don't take my word for it - check out the pictures below that show it! 

MID YEAR UPDATE ON SUPERINTENDENT'S 

2023-2024 GOALS

As you know, each year I work closely with the Gorham School Committee to develop annual goals.  These goals are developed each summer and then approved each fall by the Gorham School Committee.  It is these goals that drive the priorities for our work each year.  

Every year in December I also provide an update to the Gorham School Committee on the work associated with these goals so that they can see the progress that is made, or in some cases not being made.  That update was provided to the Gorham School Committee this past Wednesday night at their most recent committee meeting.  I thought it would be helpful to share the update with all of you as well.  Below are the overview slides for each goal.  You can also view the full document update by CLICKING HERE.  

Overall, things look like they are on track and moving forward as hoped!  I will provide a final update to the School Committee in June as part of my annual evaluation process.  I'll be sure to share then as well!

As I hope you can see, we are making good progress on each of these goal areas and we look forward to continued work in these areas for the 2nd half of the school year!

GORHAM SCHOOLS MID-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE

Similarly to the Superintendent's goals, we also work to provide an update to the Gorham School Committee each December (mid year point) and each June (end of year) regarding the ongoing priorities and work outlined in our district's strategic plan.  Our current strategic plan is a multi-year plan that has been in place since last year (Fall, 2022) and extends through Fall of 2027.  You can view the full plan by CLICKING HERE.

Our Strategic Plan has four major sections:  

1.  Our Students

2.  Our Learning

3.  Our Culture

4.  Our Human and Capital Resources

For each section, we have identified goals and for each goal there are several action steps that are outlined for completion along with listed resources, measurements for success and suggested timelines.

In the Strategic Plan Update shared with the School Committee on Wednesday night, a column has been added to the far right of each table that contains a written assessment of where the work stands and provides some additional narrative context for the ongoing work. 

Overall, when we review all action steps listed between 2022-2024, there are a total of 59 action steps.  Of those, 39 have been completed and/or are ongoing and another 16 are in process.  This means that 93% of action steps towards our goals for the time frame between 2022-2024 are either completed and ongoing or in process.  Considering that any strategic plan or vision documents are aspirational in nature, that bodes well for our continued work moving forward!

SAVE THE DATE - FREE FAMILY EVENT TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS!

As we continue our focus to support the mental health of our students, I wanted to make sure to remind interested families to save the date for a FREE webinar that will be offered to Gorham families on January 22 at 6:00 p.m. via zoom on the topic of "Social Media - Protecting Your Child."  More detailed information will come out after the holiday break.

Given the world we currently live in, if you are a parent/guardian of a school aged child this webinar is for you!  This webinar is being provided in collaboration with the Cook Center for Human Connection and parentguidance.org.  

While I'm reminding you to save the date - I also wanted to remind you that the parentguidance.org site has free videos created by professional therapists for families on a variety of important topics.  Its a great resource!  Check it out!

SO WHAT IS THIS A.I. STUFF AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR MY CHILD'S EDUCATION?

- Image created by MDOE using Canva.                                                                         

Ok, so I'll admit...that title may be a little misleading because I'm not sure I'm going to be able to answer all that in this one piece.  I'm not even sure I could answer all that in multiple pieces at this time because so much is changing and evolving in the world of A.I. each and every day.  But I thought that as the conversation about A.I. becomes more popular that many of you may be interested to know more and to begin to understand what are we doing here in the Gorham Schools to best utilize these new technologies to "Prepare and Inspire" our graduates for their future success.

So let's start with the basics...What is A.I.?

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines.  It is a machine's ability to perform the cognitive functions we associate with humans such as:  perceiving, reasoning, learning and interacting.  Typically A.I. is broken into two categories:  "predictive A.I." and "generative A.I."

Now, predictive A.I. has been around for a long time.  Things like robotics, or chat bots are examples of predictive A.I.

What has caused the recent "boom" in the field of A.I. is not predictive A.I. but generative A.I.  See predictive A.I. relies on historical data as input to make predictions while generative A.I. uses just an initial input of data to plant a seed in the creative process which it then uses to generate and create.  In short, predictive A.I. makes predictions while generative A.I. can actually create deeper learning.

The world of generative A.I. is literally exploding with tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, or Google Bard just to name a few.  It is expanding so fast that many predict that in just a year we'll all look back at tools like ChatGPT mentioned above and think fondly of its quaintness similar to how our teenagers may now think of facebook (if they think of it at all).  Bottom line, it is moving fast!

Like anything in today's world, the use of A.I. can have negatives and positives.  It is a technology tool, so how it is used will depend a lot upon the humans that using it!  Some can think of A.I. and think of the negatives such as:  deepfakes, increased hacking, privacy violations, cheating/plagarism and the loss of current jobs that may go away because of A.I.  Others can think of A.I. and think of the positives such as:  its ability to automate repetitive tasks saving time for more important creative human interactions, or its ability to mine vast amounts of information for productivity increases, or its ability to personalize experiences to individual consumers even in education, or perhaps its ability to improve access to healthcare and much more.

Bottom line, A.I. is booming and it is up to us as humans to decide how best to use it.

So What Are Schools Thinking About A.I. and Its Future Uses in Classrooms?

Well I can tell you that the Maine Department of Education is taking a forward focused approach.  The MDOE states that...

  "It has consistently approached technology as an asset to education and serves to support school districts,     administrators, educators, and students in developing a healthy relationship with technology and using it     as a tool to enhance and transform teaching and learning experiences.  A.I. is being approached the            same way, we are working to inform our stakeholders of the value, importance and potential                      implications of this new technology and help them to integrate it into their learning experiences            similarly to all other technology.  In addition to this, we have ramped up our commitment to helping

    educators and students to be good stewards of technology and center their use of A.I. in digital                   citizenship best practices."

In Gorham we are currently focused on learning about A.I. and seeking to better understand its potential to support our overall mission to "Prepare and Inspire" our students for their future success.  We are encouraging our staff to attend workshops and conferences on the topic to learn more.  We are encouraging staff to attend webinars or to download ChatGPT (and other A.I. tools) for themselves and begin to "play" with these tools to better understand their implications to our overall mission/vision.

Later this winter/spring we will begin to work on the development of some initial draft guidelines for the use of A.I. in our schools that we know will continue to grow and change as the technology does over time. 

Similarly to the MDOE, we do not see A.I. as "something more" or "another thing" or something that is "good" or something that is "bad".  We see A.I. as a technology tool that will have vast implications to our children's futures.  We know that our role is to make sure that our students are prepared for their future success and there is no doubt that A.I. will be a part of that future whether we like it or not.  We understand that we must make sure our students are prepared for success in a not too distant world where the use of A.I. will become as "game changing" in their lives as the introduction of the automobile was in the early 1900's, or the use of household TV's were in the 50's or the Internet in the 90's or cell phones in the 2000's.

What Can Parents/Guardians Do To Learn More?

I think the biggest thing anyone can do right now to prepare for further conversations about A.I. and its place in our schools and in our communities is to LEARN.  There is lots of information out there right now about A.I. but one resource I'd point folks to to start would be a trusted friend in "Common Sense Media".  They have started their own A.I. initiative that provides a great place to start for parents seeking to understand A.I.  I'd encourage any parent to check out the link below to get started...and then go from there!

Common Sense Media:  A.I. Initiative - Understanding the Impact of A.I. On Our Kids

Stay tuned...most definitely more to come!

P.S. - I thought I'd share this cool clip from "The Today Show" back in 1994 on "What is the Internet Anyway" just to provide some laughs and perspective on the changing world of technology and how we can perceive it in the moment.  Check it out by CLICKING HERE...like I said, a great way to get a good laugh in - especially if you were old enough to remember these conversations! 

MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS IN GORHAM

On Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 the Gorham School Committee was treated to an excellent presentation of updated information and data on our district's Multi Language Learners program in Gorham.  If you want to watch the full presentation, you can CLICK HERE and go to the recording of the meeting to view.  

I thought others might be interested in just checking our some of the "high points" of the presentation and the data though...so that is what I've shared below...

This chart shows historical data from 2017 - 2023 regarding overall ML students in our schools.  In that time frame the total population has grown from 78 to 102 ML students requiring language services.  What is more important isn't just the overall number but the very different TYPES of services that are required in our classrooms today as well.  What we are seeing today is more students coming into our schools needing levels 1,2,3 supports (which means they come in knowing very little english) vs. in the past we often had more students coming in at levels 3,4, and 5 (which means they could speak english, but mostly just needed content learning supports).  As you might imagine, services change significantly based on the level of english language students may or may not have coming into our schools.

This chart takes the same data as above but breaks it out by school so you can see the differences across our five schools.

This slide lists the different language that are CURRENTLY spoken across our schools.  There are 25 different languages.

This chart demonstrates that we are currently not fully meeting the needs of our ML families in the district due to the changing demographic of ML learners entering our schools with less knowledge of english.  Because of this, our ML staff are spending far more time accommodating for basic needs of families such as clothing, food, or just help in navigating our various community systems and less on direct instruction for students.  The blue lines are the recommended service times we should be providing based on language levels for students.  The green lines are what we are actually able to provide with our current 3 full time staff.

As one of our long time ML staff members (who is also a life long resident of Gorham) put it - "Our community is change and changing for the better, but our services have not yet changed to meet these needs".  Because of this, the school is placed in the position of being the primary service provider for these families.  Needs in this area will likely become a significant talking point as we work to develop our FY 25 proposed budget.  

TOWN COUNCIL MONTHLY REPORT - SHARED!

Each month the Gorham School Committee chair, Sarah Perkins shares a report with the Town Council.  Below is what was shared at their most recent meeting held on December 5, 2023.

1. Thank you!

Thank you for the opportunity to meet together earlier this evening in a joint workshop meeting to discuss our FY 25 budget development process.  We truly appreciate the feedback and open dialogue that was created via this meeting.  We will work to ensure your thoughts and ideas are addressed in the upcoming FY 25 budget development work. 

2. Dessert and Discuss

Thank you to Counselors Lavoie, Gagnon, Simms and Siegel who were able to attend the recent Dessert & Discuss meeting between the School Committee and District Leadership Team.  We very much appreciated having our “counselors’ corner” present to listen and ask questions.  For those of you that were unable to attend, a video recording was shared and is available online to view.  

3. Budget

The proposed FY 25 budget will be presented to the School Committee in early February.  The School Committee will then meet several times to review the proposed budget in depth. Those meetings are scheduled as follows for those that would like to follow along.  The meetings will be recorded and/or live streamed and linked to our website as well.

• 3/4/24 at 7:00 p.m. - Budget Workshop #1

• 3/11/24 at 7:00 p.m. - Budget Workshop #2

• 3/18/24 at 7:00 p.m. - Budget Workshop #3 (if needed)

• 3/25/24 at 7:00 p.m. - Budget Workshop #4 (if needed)

• 4/1/24 at 7:00 p.m. - Budget Workshop #5 (if needed)

The School Committee will VOTE on a proposed FY 25 budget at its April 10, 2024 

regular meeting.  We will keep you informed as we go and welcome questions along the way. 

4. Bond Payment

A reminder that in November 2022 the voters of Gorham voted to support the completion of our third phase of modular expansion at Narragansett Elementary School as well as to support much needed HVAC repairs and upgrades at GHS.  As a result, the first principal payment will come due for this bond in FY 25.  We estimate that payment to be just over $842,367.00.  Last year’s FY 24 budget only included the interest payment of $289,330.00 so this is an increase of $553,036.00 in FY 25’s proposed budget.

5. Elementary School Attendance Zones

The Gorham School Committee is preparing to make decisions regarding our upcoming PK-5 Attendance zone shift. This is anticipated to be the last attendance zone shift for several years. A decision making and communication time line is available via the Superintendent’s blog and will be updated as the process moves ahead.

6. Winter Athletics

Our winter athletic events are in full swing.  Please check out our website for full details on all of our winter sporting events for both GMS and GHS. 

7. Concerts Coming Up

Our music students are gearing up for some great concerts.  Here’s the schedule:

• Dec. 7 at 6:00 GMS Choral Concert

• Dec. 14 at 6:00 GMS Band Concert

• Jan. 9 at 7:00 GHS Winter Concert

• Jan. 10 at 6:00 Elementary Winter Concert

Any questions, please feel free to reach out:  Sarah.Perkins@gorhamschools.org. 

SOME INTERESTING DATA TO SHARE REGARDING PHONES AT GHS

Last year a GHS teacher shared the results of a survey her 10th graders took regarding their device usage.  

A few weeks ago she gave her students the same survey.  The results were noticeable different.  Now it is hard to say that this has anything to do with our new cell phone policy at GHS, but it is interesting to see the difference in the responses.   

The question:

The Teacher asked students the following, first regarding their phone use, then regarding their use of other devices.  

How much time do you spend on your (phone, question 1)/(other devices, question 2) on average per day?  Include all social media apps (TikTok, Instagram,  snapchat, etc) and games.  DON'T include time just listening to music or even watching TV or movies.

LAST YEAR's Results: Jan 3/4 2023: (64 current juniors, took survey as sophomores)

THIS YEAR's Results: Dec 5/6 2023: (60 current sophomores)

INTERESTING!  THANK YOU Mrs. Tierney-Fife for sharing!

ASPIRE GORHAM DECEMBER NEWSLETTER 

READY TO VIEW!

The December, 2023 Aspire Gorham Newsletter is ready to view!  Please click on the link below and check out all the incredible work going on to engage our students in exploring their aspirations across grades Pre K - 12 and beyond!

December Aspire Newsletter

SHARING MORE STUDENT VOICE!

One of the programs under our Aspire Gorham initiative is our Extended Learning Opportunities program (ELO's for short).  I thought it might be fun to share a recent piece of feedback from a student in our ELO program.  I think it speaks volumes towards the importance of ELO's and our overall Aspire Gorham initiative.  In our student's own words...

"The Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) program at Gorham High School is an extremely valuable and life changing program. It truly has given me the opportunity to get a glimpse into my potential career and future. Focusing juniors and seniors towards a career path and helping them choose their career should be an extreme focus. I had the opportunity to do this program out of needing another credit and not wanting to take another class. I started off not caring that much about it but as it went on I began to really develop strong relationships with the students and teacher. I began to realize and truly value spending time with the children, and helping them work through problems and challenges.

I was able to work with the students on many different things: math centers, reading and writing journals, working through tests, playing games and many other things. I was given the opportunity to help lead a class along with teaching a small lesson. It was extremely valuable and gave me an immense amount of knowledge on my career. I think that this opportunity needs to be more widespread and I would love to help make this process easier for the students. Because, I genuinely think that this has been one of the most important and life changing things I have done in my life.

This process gave me a huge opportunity to look at a career and experiment and see what works for me. I now know what to do with my career and it has given me an incredible look on teaching and my distant future. I would tell other students to just give it a try even if they are nervous or don’t want to do it. They truly don’t know what they are missing as this is a huge opportunity."

Well that's enough for this post for sure!  Have a great weekend everyone and I'll see you back at the blog posting after the Holiday break!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!  Enjoy the extra time with family and friends!  

My next blog post will be on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.