March 3 Post

Well it has been a little while since my last blog post due to the February break!  I hope everyone enjoyed the break!  Based upon what I have seen so far this week and in the pictures below, it looks like everyone has come back refreshed and ready to keep on learning - having a good amount of fun while doing it!

Love those pictures!  Now on to the update!

GORHAM PUBLIC PRE K APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE - IF ELIGIBLE - APPLY TODAY!

The Gorham Schools has opened up our initial application process for any Gorham Resident who has a child that will be four years old by Oct. 15, 2023 to apply for our new Public Pre K program that will begin in the fall of 2023.

If this is the first time you are hearing about this program and want to learn more - I'd suggest you click on the link to our Pre K Informational Night Video to get many of your questions answered. If you still have questions and want to reach out, please feel free to email me at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.

The initial applications will be open now through March 20, 2023. From there we will work with interested families to make screening appointments and go from there. The full outline and link to the online application is below in the flyer. You can use the QR code or the link to access. If you have any trouble, feel free to call 222-1295 and we can help!

Bottom line - if you have a young child in Gorham who will be 4 years old by Oct. 15, 2023 -

YOU SHOULD APPLY TODAY!

And just in case the link didn't work on that image, the link for the application is here:

https://forms.gle/pNScGUm5qzGgvv2T8

FY 24 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

Well it seems like mother nature wants to have Maine's "second winter" in the month of March this year doesn't it? Weather has certainly played a role in delaying our budget development processes and throwing off our scheduled meeting timelines. Not to despair however, we've simply shifted things down a week and will still be able to fit it all in as planned!

We've now shifted our budget timeline to start with our first meeting on March 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Municipal Center in Conference Room A (downstairs). This meeting will be recorded and a link shared with the public as soon as is possible. If you are interested, you can also attend the meeting in person. Just remember, budget workshop meetings are meetings for the School Committee to do their work, they are open to the public to attend, but not necessarily to participate. If you have thoughts/ideas we'd still love to hear them though. I will soon be putting out a Thought Exchange to the broader public asking the following question:

"During what looks to be an upcoming difficult budget development process, what 2-3 things do you want our School Committee to prioritize moving forward?"

We will definitely use input from this exchange to contribute to our thinking as we navigate the budget development process.

You can find a link to all budget workshop meeting agendas by going to our website and clicking on "About Us" and then "School Committee" and then "Board minutes and Agendas" and then click on the link at the top of that page for the most recent meeting folders. Once there, know you can see all active folders, but you are looking for Workshop Meetings. Then just follow the appropriate folder for the appropriate date and you are there! If that seems a little hard to follow - I'll "cheat" and give you the direct link to SC meeting packets by CLICKING HERE.

You can also CLICK HERE to directly view the March 7 Budget Workshop agenda with links. This is a "treasure trove" of information that will be presented to the School Committee at that meeting to help provide the full context and background for where we are and where we need to go in this important process.

Finally, to make sure folks know what the full Budget Development process looks like in its revised form, you can view the schedule below.

All budget workshop meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the Gorham Municipal Center. The April 25 workshop meeting with Town Council will start at 6:30 p.m. and the May 16 Town Council vote will also start at 6:30 p.m.

Any questions, at ANY TIME, please reach out to me via email at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.

CURRICULUM CORNER

Here's the last round from our first survey of Curriculum Corner "Q&A". Apologies in advance for formatting...sometimes the copy and paste feature in the google blogs is a little challenging! Feel free to reach out with follow up questions!

Question:  My child has interests in foreign language, I know the K program doesn’t include                     learning foreign language but will there be any classes offered thru the rec program? Does K have             any social clubs for kids like space club or science club?

Answer:  We are not aware of any world language programs that have been offered by Gorham Recreation, but perhaps this is something that could be pursued through Cindy Hazelton.  There are no school sponsored clubs like this.  Gorham Recreation offers an after the bell program.  A community partner offers a “Girls on the Run” program that all K-5 students may participate in and other community organizations use our school facilities to meet such as brownies, girl scouts, cub scouts, etc.

Question:  Do all students learn basic sewing skills, like how to sew on a button, etc.?

Answer:  We do not currently offer a specific course like the old “home economics”. At GHS, we introduced a course called Senior Seminar where students do learn how to sew a button on a shirt, check the oil level in the car, create a budget, menu, and simple day-to-day tasks like this. The purpose of this class is to prepare students to enter the world after graduation.

Question:  How are you grading our children's learning? What is the criteria for how your teachers grade?

Answer:  We use the following grading scales:

• K-8 Grading Scale

• 9-12 Grading Scale

• 2022-23 Grading Guide

At the K-5 level, we use common assessments in all content areas.  We’ve designed these to align with our grade level performance indicators and common scoring criteria. K-12 grade based on grade level performance indicators and scoring criteria. K-12 Graduation Standards, Performance Indicators and Scoring Criteria

Question:  How can parents access their child’s full curriculum so we can see what is being taught as the year goes on?  Now everything is on computers I have no idea what my children are doing in school. Would be nice to see or know what they are learning.

Answer: The best place to access this information as a family would be to ask your child what they are learning in school. Of course, I realize that as students get older, the answers to those questions get a little more broad and unhelpful from your child. That being said, at the grades 6-12 levels much of our daily work is housed in google classrooms. You can ask your child to login and view those materials. Those are just a few quick ways. Another great way to get this information is to reach out and to start a dialogue with your child's teacher, especially if you have any concerns. The relationship between the classroom teacher and parents is something we take very seriously and want to ensure is the first place parents feel comfortable going to for information about their child. Parents can also reach out to our building principals to ask broader questions regarding curriculum if you have any. Parents of students at GHS can go on the GHS website and click on the syllabus for each class as well as the program of studies, which outlines each course offered at the HS.

As part of my listening tour with parents this past fall, one thing we gathered for great feedback and are currently trying to figure out how to do is to perhaps look at some additional information being shared for K-8 classrooms. Of course we can't do full blown syllabus for each of those grade levels because they simply don't work the same ways, however we are looking to create something more than the K-12 standards document linked above that perhaps outlines larger projects by quarter or trimester to help parents gain a broader understanding of what is being learned at these grade levels. We hope to have some of these things in place for Fall of 2024.

In the meantime, my best and always first answer would be to talk to your child, and then talk to your child's teacher.

Question:  How do parents have a voice in what’s being displayed or taught at the school?

Answer:  We would always suggest to any parent that has questions or concerns about 

what is being taught in the classroom to first reach out to your child’s classroom teacher to discuss your concerns and to follow up with the building principal as may be needed.  If there are still concerns, parents may utilize policy IMBB (Accommodation of Sincere Beliefs in Required Instruction) to request that their child not participate in specific learning activities or a parent may utilize policy IJJ-RR and IJJ-E to request that specific curriculum materials be removed.

Question:  What is the handoff of individual student information (academic/social) process from one teacher to the next? For example, from third grade to fourth grade.

Answer: Report cards are filed in the student’s cumulative file, along with any Personal Learning Plans reflecting support/goals received in addition to the classroom.

Question:  How does the district intend to help kids close the learning gap acquired during the pandemic? What can parents do to help overcome this?

Answer:  First, it is important to know that we feel as though we did a great job at mitigating the growth of learning gaps during the pandemic.  That isn’t to say that some gaps were not created, its just to say that we believe we did minimized those gaps greatly due to what we did for instruction and supports during the pandemic.  That being said, we continue to offer a multi-tiered system of supports for all our students based on achievement data.  RTI teams review student data on an every six week cycle to ensure students are not falling between the cracks.  We assess student proficiency each fall and spring (and in the winter as well for our youngest learners).  Data from these assessments is then used by our teachers to target specific instruction and supports for students who need it.  Additionally, we have offered summer programming for those students most in need for the past two summers.  Overall, we will continue to monitor data closely for each child, identify specific support needs, and provide individualized supports for students who need them through RTI, Alternative learning programs, special education, and other support structures.

Question:  What books are they expected to read as part of the curriculum in high school? I'm fascinated that my 10th grader is reading new books(not the same old classics) but would LOVE to be able to share that and maybe learn something new. So would love to know what books they are reading and why so I can help facilitate conversation at home and maybe add to her list.

Answer: In each course, we strive to reach a balance that will engage student interest and expose students to both classics and contemporary perspectives. You can find detailed lists of titles on the course syllabus for each class posted on our Gorham High School website under school info at GHS Course Syllabi.

Question:  What does the social skills curriculum look like?

Answer: At the K-5 level, we are fortunate that our English Language Arts and Math curriculum offer a dual focus of both academic and social emotional learning. In addition, k-2 students receive social emotional learning through our Second Step curriculum taught by our teaching counselors each week. More information about Second Step curriculum: https://www.secondstep.org/social-emotional-learning

Question:  How does the math curriculum carry over from one year to the next? (If you don’t make it through all material, do some students have gaps?)

Answer: Classroom teachers do communicate with next year’s teachers, including 5th to 6th. We have experienced some gaps in learning due to the pandemic. Teachers are differentiating to meet student need, and supplementing with IXL, K-5 and Aleks, 6-8.

Question:  What does Alternative Education curriculum look like at the elementary level?

Answer: Alternative education has the same goal of meeting grade level standards, but work toward achieving those goals through pathways that are different from what is offered in the classroom.  At the elementary levels services for alternative learners are "push in" models and are delivered within the regular classroom environment for the most part while as students get older, these services may be provided in a combination of "push in" and "pull out" models.

Question:  In what ways do teachers diversify curriculum to meet the needs of all learners, ensuring that students get the support or the opportunity to move along at their own pace based on strengths and needs?

Answer: The Gorham School Department provides an array of instructional programs aligned to our mission/vision and geared towards meeting the needs of all students.  These programs include:

In Gorham, we believe that all students can learn and that every student is entitled to outstanding instruction throughout their time in our schools.  We believe that student engagement and achievement improve when the components of our learning system – clear learning targets, aligned instruction and assessment, timely interventions, and grading/reporting that reflect those targets – are fully implemented in all grades and content areas.

Classroom instruction:  Comprehensive grade-level instruction in all content areas 

(ELA, Math, Science & Technology, Social Studies, Visual & Performing Arts, World 

Languages,Career and Technical Education and Health/PE) across all grades, K-12.  

Additionally, we provide a full suite of multi-level courses at the high school level 

(general, honors, advanced placement, dual enrollment, online, and more) as well as 

Career/technical courses at both WRVC and PATHS as well as a comprehensive Adult Education program for our adult Learners.

Targeted Instructional programs:  These programs offer support and/or extension 

opportunities for individual student learning.  These programs include:  Title I Reading 

and Math (K-5), English Language Learner (K-12), Alternative Learning (K-12), Gifted 

and Talented (3-12), Literacy and Math Labs (6-12), Daily intervention/enrichment periods (6-8).

Special Education Programs & 504:  These programs offer support for students who 

have been identified with specific learning disabilities or health related conditions that 

require them to access our educational programming via specific Individual Education 

Plans (IEP’s).  These programs include:  Resource Room, Functional Life Skills 

Program, Behavioral Skills Program, Autism Program, Occupational Therapy, Physical 

Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, and Social Work.

Other Instructional Support Programs:  These programs offer additional academic 

and social/emotional supports to our students in grades K-12.  These programs include 

a comprehensive K-12 Guidance Program, Drug and Alcohol Prevention Programs 

through our School Resource Officers, and our Response to Intervention (RTI) Program.

I would also like to share some of the comments at found at the end of the survey:

Comments:

No concerns with the curriculum - thank you to all teachers, admins and staff!!

None, I think communication is great in the district. I’m committed to the district values around inclusion if that’s what’s implied by this survey.

I think the curriculum is great the way it is!!

None at this time

I just want to write in to support any and all education that you are doing regarding LGBTQ+ and sex education. I know most parents support this, but only unhappy people usually write to you so I wanted to counterbalance that.

ANTI-RACISM & EQUITY COMMITTEE WORK UPDATE

The great work of our district wide and community based Anti-Racism and Equity committee continues to move forward. The committee itself is made up of 30 community members and is lead by a planning group that consists of myself, Assistant Superintendent Brian Porter, School Committee member and chair of the committee Nicole Hudson, and our two facilitators. Our facilitators for this work are Mr. Dustin Ward from "It is Time LLC" and Mr. James Ford, a well known community support person who works in the Lewiston Public Schools, and is also a member of the State Board of Education.

You can view full membership of the Committee by CLICKING HERE.

The large committee meets at least quarterly and you can follow those meetings by CLICKING HERE. In addition to the large group committee meetings, the group is divided into four regular meeting "equity groups" who have more specific focus area for their work and who meet monthly. Those four groups are:

- Professional Development Equity Group

- Public Policy Equity Group

- Community Engagement Equity Group

- Student Experience Equity Group

You can follow the notes from these group meetings by CLICKING HERE.

There is lots of great work going on in these meetings. A quick run down of areas of focus for each is below. Please know this doesn't represent everything each group is working on, but is intended to let folks know the key items these groups are focused on at this time.

Professional Development Equity Group - This group has been meeting and working to identify ways in which we can better support Gorham Schools staff and students in areas of training and professional development that are in alignment with the goals outlined in our Anti-Racism Policy. Recent discussions have focused on trying to work with USM to perhaps create a D.E.I. certificate program or at least a series of professional development opportunities that teachers in Gorham could participate in to earn continuing learning credits that can be used to assist them in requirements for teacher certification. We have brainstormed some ideas and are working to set up meetings with our partners at USM to figure out what is possible.

Public Policy Equity Group - this group has been working from the policy perspective and is currently working to create a draft "policy toolkit" that could be used by the Gorham Schools Policy Committee to review its policies through the lens of equity. The group is also working on making recommendations to the Gorham Policy Committee on how we might be able to strengthen our existing Anti-Racism policy and work to create a larger equity policy that perhaps can then have different components of focus within it such as Anti-Racism, LGBTQ+, Gender and gender identity, religion, socio economic status, disability, etc.

Community Engagement Equity Group - This group has been working diligently to help organize our upcoming "Eat and Learn" event planned for March 14, 2023 at Gorham High School from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. MORE ON THAT BELOW. They are also focused on trying to map out additional ways to engage our community in this important conversation and developing timelines for when these activities can take place, defining their purpose, and identifying target audiences, etc. All to ensure we work to improve community engagement in these important conversations moving forward.

Student Experience Equity Group - This group has been working to develop methods to increase our abilities to hear directly from students when it comes to issues of climate and culture across our K-12 schools. We've always listened to our students, but this group is working to strengthen these opportunities and amplify their voices. Right now members of the group have toured our schools to learn more about our K-12 experience and the group is working to develop a mechanism to conduct focus group meetings with students across all five schools to gather their input on how to structure these ideas in a way that is most meaningful for our students.

All of this work is really beginning to pick up momentum and we are excited by the future potential for our community to continue to learn and grow together in ways that make sure our schools can truly deliver on our promise to "Prepare and Inspire" ALL Gorham students for their future success!

UPCOMING "EAT AND LEARN EVENT

Please see the fliers below for details and make sure you RSVP to attend by using the link below!

Eventbrite Eat and Learn:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/533981281387

Child Care will be provided! Hope to see you all there!

If you have any questions, please reach out via email (heather.perry@gorhamschools.org)!

ONE ACT PLAY TEREZINE PROMISE THIS WEEKEND!

Our GHS thespians are at it again with our one act play entitled "The Terezine Promise".

Shows are TONIGHT at 7:30 p.m., Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Of course, keep your eyes on the weather for tomorrow...not looking good there - but tonight's show and Sunday's show are absolutely open to the public.

Run time is 40 minutes plus a 10 minute tech. demonstration.

Tickets are $5.00 for students and $10.00 for adults.

Seats may sell out, so first come, first serve! Hope to see you there...and just to entice you a little more, click on the link below to watch their trailer! We have such talented students - Break a leg Rams!

Trailer Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pZq4scnpHu0mTdO5ASXiBPjeh6iPLfYu/view?usp=share_link

GORHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL COMING SOON!

Not to be outdone by their high school counterparts with their recent showing of "Mary Poppins"...our Gorham Middle School students are getting ready to perform their own musical classic in their rendition of "Beauty and the Beast".  Shows are planned for March 10 and 11th at 7:00 p.m. at GMS and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday at GMS.  I'm sure our middle school thespians would love to see you at the show!  Break a leg to these awesome Rams as well!  

For more information, feel free to call the school at 222-1220.

GHS UNIFIED B-BALL TEAM VIDEO

I had the distinct pleasure of attending three of their games this year.  What an incredible experience for everyone who is able to make it.  The students have so much fun cheering for and supporting one another.  The athletes enjoy the game and have an opportunity to learn all the important lessons about TEAM that only a participation in said teams can teach you and the adults just get to watch it all unfold and think to themselves - we have AWESOME STUDENTS and be proud for that fact.

At the end of the season Mr. Parvanta and his team always puts together a little video.  If you haven't already seen it - WORTH THE WATCH!  Take two minutes, grab the tissues, and check out the video below.  After watching it, I just have to say how PROUD I AM TO BE A GORHAM RAM and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way! 

Video Link:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CUbZKoRL0YKQC-3y8dkTZYI2Qznco-Nm/view?usp=share_link

CLOSING OUT NATIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

February 27 - March 3, 2023 has been National Public Schools Week across our great country. This was a week to celebrate all the incredible things that occur in our nation's public schools each and every day...and there is A LOT to celebrate.

Public schools take every child, regardless of background and we work to make them feel welcomed in our schools. We work to make sure they can read and write and do arithmetic but we also work to make sure they have full bellies, we make sure they can play, we make sure to support them in learning how to positively interact with others and follow our code of conduct. We work to provide mental health support, nursing support, support for learning how to live healthy lives, and support in learning how to be productive citizens in our democracy. We teach students how to critically think and problem solve in a collaborative world. We provide opportunities for clubs and activities, sports and music, theater and the arts. We expose students to potential careers and help them to develop their future aspirations and connect those aspirations to their learning. We provide co-op programs, CTE programs, internships, apprentice programs, and financial literacy programs. We help students learn how to create resumes and interview for jobs and YES we teach students how to shake hands! We do all of this with the passion, love and care that is second only to you as their parents and family.

As we close this week of celebration. I think about what our world would be like without public schools and I'm not sure I like that picture. Public schools may not always be perfect, but they are one of the bedrocks of our democratic society. They are most definitely worth celebrating. THANK YOU as parents and family who choose to send your children to our public schools. The Gorham School Department remains committed to delivering on the promise of our Mission and Vision and we look forward to continuing to serve this incredible community! GO RAMS!

As I close...

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to all our winter athletes...INCREDIBLE JOB this season! Our girls bball team is still playing, but most have wrapped up. Here's a few pictures to showcase our incredible student athletes and their accomplishments this past winter! See you again on March 17 for my next blog post!

February 10 Blog Post

The school year continues to roll on here in Gorham in a positive way.  There's lots to talk about and share, so let's get right to it.  Of course, before we do that, we have to start with some pictures from our schools!

Love those smiles!  Now on to the information!

GORHAM SCHOOL COMMITTEE BEGINS WORK ON FY 24 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT

On Wednesday, February 8, 2023 The Gorham School Committee was presented with their INITIAL Proposed FY 24 budget booklet.  From this point forward, the Gorham School Committee has 5 intense budget workshop meetings scheduled (see schedule below) to "dig in" to the specifics of the initial proposal created by the administrative team.  During that time the School Committee works to make adjustments as they feel necessary to finalize the School Committee's proposed FY 24 budget that will eventually be voted on by the School Committee in April,.  The budget is then voted on by the Town Council in May, and validated by voters in June, 2023.  More on the specific process shortly.

Each year the Gorham School Committee wants to ensure the most transparent budget development process possible.  As just one means to this end, I wanted to make sure that folks knew that you can view the initial proposed budget by CLICKING HERE, but before you do - I'd ask that you understand a few key aspects of the process at these early stages:

1.  This is just the first step (among many) of the budget process.  The numbers you see on this initial proposed budget WILL NOT be the final numbers voted on by the School Committee in April, and may very well also not be the final numbers voted on by voters via referendum in June.

2.  There are still A LOT of "unknowns" regarding the revenue side of the picture.  This information typically does not become more clear until closer to the end of March as we get a more solid sense of total town value, state subsidy, and other information.  This side of the budget is something I typically direct the School Committee not to focus on until after the 3rd budget meeting or so as the potential for significant movement is so great.

So bottom line, feel free to view the numbers, but know that these will not be the final numbers and that the School Committee will work diligently to do as it annually does - produce a proposed budget that they feel best meets the educational needs of our children while doing our best to balance the ability of our incredible community to support these needs via taxation.

During this process, the School Committee will remain focused on its FY 24 budget priorities which are:

1.  Strengthening and broadening student access to learning experiences that partner academic excellence with real world applications while supporting SEL needs.

2. Ensuring that our learning environments are welcome and accessible for all students in ways that celebrate the diversity of our students, our families, our community, and our world.

3. Ensuring that our facilities provide safe and engaging learning and working environments.

4. Improving workforce development by recruiting and creatively working to retain excellent employees.

5. Working to remain competitive with surrounding schools and changing trends within business/education.

This WILL BE yet another challenging budget year for Gorham. In fact, this is gearing up to be the most challenging budget development season I've ever experienced in my 16 years of being a Superintendent of Schools in Maine. There are several key reasons for this, which include the following:

* State property values in Gorham increased by 8%, resulting in a requirement for the community to pay $1.5 million more to support schools in order to be eligible to receive state funding.

*. GMS school's bond payments ended last year, which results in an almost $700,000.00 loss in state subsidy.

* Just moving forward existing staff 1 year (which we call our "status quo" budget) is a 5.93% increase on its own (over $2.1 million dollars)

* Significantly increased costs for utilities (almost $400,000.00 in electricity alone).

* A significant increase in special education needs, especially in our autism program at the elementary level.

Much more detailed information can be found in the budget booklet - but the bottom line is that costs are increasing significantly just to do the same things we've always done, let alone work to address the new and emerging needs of our students. Add this onto the fact that the community just went through a property re-evaluation last year, and certainly the complexities of the process increase.

Even with these challenges, I have great faith in our budget development processes and in the fact that our processes are transparent and welcome the voices of many stakeholders. At the end of this grueling process, I have always believe that the "right" budget is always passed for our children and for our community. Please know that the Gorham Schools Administrative team, the School Committee, and others are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work so that this year's process will have that same important outcome.

If you want to get involved, we encourage you to view our upcoming budget workshop meetings and to share your thoughts with myself or members of the Gorham School Committee directly. All of our budget workshop meetings this year will EITHER be live streamed or recorded and posted online and shared. The schedule is below. I'll keep you informed along the way!

The first budget workshop meeting on Feb. 28 will be live streamed on GoCat! See you then!

2023-2024 SCHOOL CALENDAR APPROVED

On Feb. 8 the Gorham School Committee approved the 2023-2024 School Calendar.  There was one relatively significant change on this coming year's calendar.  Over the past few years, due to the Pandemic, we had "front loaded" all four of our full day Professional Development days for teachers in the month of August before school began just so we could accomplish all the things that needed to be accomplished to open our schools each year smoothly and effectively for our students.  

For the 2023-2024 year we decided we no longer needed to do that so, we have just 3 workshop days before school begins in August for Teachers and then the fourth professional development day is being used on the November elections day so that our schools can be used as polling locations without the need for students to be present, or the need to add a day to our overall calendar.  

Other than that, the calendar is very similar to this year's calendar.  You can view it by CLICKING HERE.  Please reach out if you have any questions!

UPDATE ON PRE K INFORMATION

Before I go into working to answer 3-4 of the questions from the Q&A document, I wanted to make sure that families knew that we will be having a Pre K "Listen and Learn" event on Monday, Feb. 13 at 6:00 p.m. via zoom.  We would love ANYONE who is interested in learning more about our Pre K program to please attend.  We are especially asking that those families who have current 3 year olds who will be 4 years old by Oct. 15, 2023 to attend.

The agenda for the evening will be to welcome everyone, provide some overview information, and then to simply take open questions from the audience and answer as many as we can!  Check out the flyer below for details.

OK, now to answer a few questions from the Q&A document...

Question:  How do you know if your child is eligible for the Pre K Program and what will be the application process if your child is eligible?

Answer:  First, your child needs to be 4 years old, but not 5 years old by Oct. 15, 2023.  Above and beyond that ALL Gorham 4 year olds would be eligible to attend.  However, we have a limited number of slots so we will have selection criteria for those slots.  A certain number will be set aside for CDS eligible families, a certain number will be set aside for income eligible families and the remaining number will be open slots for all interested families.  I would STRONGLY SUGGEST that if you are even a little interested in the program and you will have a 4 year old that meets the age criteria described above, that you complete the initial interest application and then we can go from there.  We will be launching the initial interest application on Feb. 17, 2023.  Details of this process will be shared at the "Listen and Learn" event.

Question:  Will there be any options or partnerships for aftercare/before care?

Answer:  Yes.  In partnership with some of our local early care providers we have thus far identified 16 slots for interested families and hope to identify additional partnerships before the end of the school year for those families who are interested.  

Question:  Once we have completed the initial application, When will we find out if our child was accepted into the program if they are currently working with CDS?

Answer:  We will notify all families, regardless of CDS eligibility by early May, 2023 whether or not your child was accepted into the program.

Question:  Will the program eventually expand to offer more slots at school?

Answer:  No.  Our schools simply do not have the space to offer universal Pre K to all 4 year olds (typically over 200 students each year).  HOWEVER, we do anticipate significant increases in the number of private partner slots that will allow Pre K eligible children to attend public Pre K over time.

That's it for now...hope to see folks at the "Listen and Learn" event on Monday for more!

REMINDER - SURVEY OPEN TO FAMILIES TO ASK ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM QUESTIONS!

I put this out in my last blog, but thus far have had just 8 parents participate.  I can't imagine there aren't more questions out there that families are curious about regarding what we teach in our schools (i.e. curriculum) across grades K-12!  

So I just wanted to remind families who have questions, to simply complete the anonymous survey below to ask those questions and I'll include them in my upcoming "Curriculum Corner" blog posts each month.  I have enough questions for one more blog post from our first round of questions.  I would love to have enough questions to keep it going at least through the end of the school year - so don't be bashful...ask your questions both big and small and I'll do my best to answer them!  Link is below:

https://forms.gle/g6sRuDd4Cvc4zerPA

EXCITED TO LEARN!  SAN ANTONIO HERE I COME!

As the lead learner in the Gorham Schools, it is important for me to continue to learn and grow as an educational leader.  Goodness knows I can always learn something new, and improve in areas that I need to work on as a leader.  This isn't a sign of challenge as a leader - its a sign of strength to continually be open to new ideas and new ways of thinking.

Next week I will be heading to San Antonio, Texas to attend the National Conference on Education.  This conference is sponsored by AASA the National Superintendent's Association.  It is two days worth of the most intense professional learning possible for those of us in the highest leadership positions in our public schools.  This conference brings in national speakers and experts on the most cutting edge educational approaches from across the country.  We can learn with large numbers of our peers in settings with keynote speakers such as Alex Boyle, a performer and mental health advocate or in smaller settings with break out groups facilitated by Superintendents sharing their skills and expertise with their peers and everything in between!  Last year almost 6,000 educational leaders attended the Conference in Nashville and this year looks to be shaping up to perhaps top that historic number!

Also during the conference there will be great focus on this year's theme of "Live Well, Lead Well".  Encouraging Superintendents to figure out ways to better take care of ourselves so that we are able to take care of others.  The conference offers a Health and Wellness center and may different session break outs to learn more about this important topic for us all.  

Awards are also given out during this conference for the National Superintendent of the Year and each State's Superintendent of the Year is celebrated.  In Maine, that would be Jeremy Ray, Superintendent of Schools in Biddeford, Dayton, and Saco, ME.  Other awards such as our humanitarian award are also presented during this conference so we can be sure to celebrate the great leaders of our public schools from across the country.

Finally, another important aspect of this conference is in working with our Governance Board.  Governing Board members from AASA come to the conference a day early to participate in discussions regarding our legislative agenda and priorities and help to ensure our organization remains focused on its overall beliefs and values as we advocate for the needs of children across this great country.

This will be my second year in attendance at the National Conference and I must say that last year I came back energized and full of new incredible ideas about how we can continue to improve our public schools to better serve our students and families.  The ability to talk with peers and learn with peers from school districts of 100,000+ students to districts with just 200 students is something only a conference of this caliber can provide.  It is also a great time to "brag" a bit about some of the awesome things happening in Maine's public schools and for me, more specifically about the awesome things happening in Gorham.  It is always a rush to go to a conference like this to learn about "cutting edge" educational programs that we have already been doing here in Gorham for several years - like ASPIRE! 

I will be blogging each day from the conference and individuals can follow the events from the conference by CLICKING HERE.  If you want to know what I am learning about - check it out on the site linked - otherwise, just wait a little bit and I'll be sure to bring those incredible ideas back to Gorham and you'll see them soon!

ASPIRE NEWSLETTER READY TO VIEW

Click here to View January's Aspire Gorham Newsletter - you will be surprised at just how much this program is doing in our schools and community!  Check it out!

A FEW SUMMER CAMP OPPORTUNITIES

As the month of February all too quickly begins to come to a close, I know many families begin thinking about summer learning opportunities for their children.  I came across these TWO the other day that I thought were worth sharing for those that might be interested.  Check them out!

USM Music and Theater Camps:

Telling Room Camps:

MARY POPPINS - THERE IS STILL TIME!

There are TWO MORE SHOWS, one tomorrow night (Saturday) and one on Sunday afternoon.  If you haven't seen it - you should - it is an incredible show!  Our GHS musical students outdo themselves this time.  Incredible stunts, incredible set design, great acting, awesome singing and dancing.  Fun for the whole family!  Check out the flyer below and enjoy!

That's it for this Blog!  Next one will be March 3 due to the Feb. date being over the vacation.  Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have in the interim!  

January 27 Post

Well for the longest time we probably thought winter was gonna pass us by here in Maine and then...last week happened! ❆😑❆ Mother Nature sure does have a great way of reminding us who is in charge around here! I have to admit though, that even though I hate the early morning snow calls and the potential for white knuckle driving, when I look around now the white snow makes me feel a lot better than the brown mud did earlier.  Maine sure is a beautiful place even in the winter!  But just to be clear - students - you can STOP doing your snow dances now! 😉

Here's some great pictures from the past few weeks in the Gorham Schools!

OK, now on to the informational part!  

PLANS FOR POSSIBLE REMOTE LEARNING SNOW DAYS

Earlier on in the fall I had talked about snow days and our plans for the use of snow days for the year.  In those earlier communications I had talked about the "what if's" that MAY occur if we use all five of our planned snow days in the calendar.  At the time, it was still beautiful fall weather in Maine so I'm not sure everyone really "picked up what I was putting down" sort to speak.  Recent weather has likely now brought the conversation more fully to the front of our minds!

We've now used 3 of our 5 snow days with just two left and we still have a ways to go this winter before we are out of the woods.  All that being said, I thought it was time to REALLY emphasize what remote learning snow days might look like in Gorham since there is a pretty good chance we might have to use one or two yet this year.

To be clear, we will continue to use traditional snow days for two more days.  We will only use remote learning snow days for any days we may have to cancel school due to snow above and beyond those total five.  In the event that we do have to move to remote learning snow days, here's what you should expect as parents:

First - in order to meet requirements outlined by our state and federal laws, we must offer lunches to students and families on the days we do remote learning snow days.  We will do this by asking families who are interested in having a lunch sent home with their children the day before a snow day to please sign up using the survey that is OUTLINED BELOW.  Yes, this means we are going to have to pay extra special attention to the weather and on days that might look questionable, send meals home the day before so families have them.

Second, our goal would be that remote learning snow days allow us to strengthen and maintain learning for our students.  Unlike the pandemic where we might need to be prepared to have multiple remote learning days in a row, a remote learning snow day is more than likely just one day so the learning materials that will be sent home (K-5) or posted online via google classroom (6-12) will be primarily aimed at making sure learning is strengthened and maintained rather than focusing on new learning.

Our building leaders have worked closely with our talented staff to develop a more detailed overview of what to expect on remote learning snow days by grade level.  I have outlined these below:

Special Education Services Expectations:

Our Special Education staff will also continue to provide remote learning snow day instruction to students.  Their expectations for services are outlined HERE.  

These will be the expectations for our remote learning snow days IF WE NEED TO USE THEM later this winter.  If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or principal to ask and to learn more.  

In the meantime - below is the survey link for families that would like to request that a lunch be provided for remote learning snow days.  I'll also share broadly on social media and on our website.  Please complete the survey as soon as possible as who knows what mother nature has in store for us next week! 😆

Remote Learning Snow Day Survey Link:  

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxeLbTIfP8IrZWNHQ_cKU_GLNgKsMtDQrG2Mq2x0gZIPUFjg/viewform?usp=sf_link

PRE K QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

In my last blog, I sent out a survey asking folks to ask questions they may have regarding our new Pre K program opening in the fall of 2023 at Narragansett Elementary School.  I got some GREAT QUESTIONS.  I haven't had a chance to answer all of them yet, but I thought I'd take the time to highlight a few here on this blog post and then link to a Q&A sheet with all the questions that I'll continue to post answers to over the course of the next few weeks.  So please keep checking the Q&A link below for additional answers!  Here's a few highlighted questions now:

Question:  What are the typical credentials of specialists(OT, PT, S/L) providers for Pre K? Are they the same for Kindergarten or early primary, or are they birth-5? What levels are teachers and ed techs certified for?

Answer:  All specialists that will be utilized in our Pre K program will have full licensure to perform the duties required of them for the age level they will be working with.  Speech, OT's, PT's all will have full approval to work with Pre School Aged children.  Teachers working with Pre K students will have the 081 early childhood certification endorsements required by the state of Maine.  Educational technicians are certified to work with all age levels including early childhood.  The Gorham Schools will be conducting hiring processes for all new staffing positions in April of this year.  If you are interested in applying, or know someone who is, please keep your eye out on our website or servingschools.com for postings then!

Question:  More of a clarification: the Arts Alliance and Seedlings will be providing Pre-K services in addition to the two classrooms at Narragansett AND they will be free of cost too? Will we have to work with those organizations directly to utilize their program or will enrollment all be done through the Gorham school system?

Answer:  Yes, our partnerships with the Gorham Arts Alliance (for 8 student slots) and Seedings to Sunflowers (for 32 student slots) will be funded by the State of Maine as public Pre K slots.  These are in addition to the 64 new slots that will be housed at Narragansett Elementary School.  These are all approved public Pre K programs.  This means families will not be charged for these costs.  Please keep in mind, however that before or after care services may still be charged by our partners, but the Pre K programs themselves will be free to families. Enrollment for the Gorham Arts Alliance programs and the Seedlings to Sunflowers Programs will be conducted directly through those two organizations, although we hope that the Gorham Schools can help families make the necessary connections later this spring if needed.  If you have questions regarding the Gorham Arts Alliance program, you may contact Amy Valentine at gorhamarts@gmail.com. If you have questions regarding the Seedlings to Sunflowers program, you may contact Meghann Carrasco at meghann@seedlingstosunflowers.org.

Question:  Will transportation be provided or will the parent(s) be responsible for the transportation for their child?

Answer:  YES.  Transportation will be provided from home/childcare to school and from school back to home/childcare to any location in the community of Gorham for the classrooms housed at Narragansett Elementary School.  This will be the case for BOTH the a.m. and p.m. sessions.  For students participating in the Gorham Arts Alliance and Seedlings to Sunflowers programs families will have to provide transportation.

Question:  Will there be any options or partnerships for aftercare/before care?

Answer:  The Gorham Schools is working with many of our local child care providers to ensure there are appropriate slots available for before/after care.  We have had several meetings and will continue to meet in order to work on building out these partnerships for families as we realize this is a strong need.  So far we have been able to identify 16 slots with one of our partners and we are looking to continue with the hopes that by the time we get to the April/May time frame we will be able to host an evening event for families and interested providers to do a little "match making".  Ultimately, however it will be the parent's responsibility to work with individual providers to secure these slots - but we will do our best to make sure those slots are available and well communicated later this spring.

That's it for now...I have A LOT more questions to answer from the survey, which I will do via the Pre K Questions and Answers Document.  Please keep your eyes on this and check in over the course of the next few weeks for more information!

P.S. - I did notice folks asking for the video link...CLICK HERE to view!

UPDATE ON SUPERINTENDENT'S GOALS AND 

STRATEGIC PLAN

At the last Regular School Committee meeting held on January 18, I updated the School Committee on my 2022-23 goals and on our work thus far in implementation of our 5 year Strategic Plan.  I thought folks who weren't able to make the meeting might also like to get those updates.  Please click on the links below to view.  I think you will see we continue to be VERY BUSY here in Gorham meeting the needs of our students, staff and families!

*  2022-2023 Superintendent's Goals Update

*. 2022-2027 Strategic Plan Work Update

Please check it out and reach out if you have questions!

NEW CURRICULUM SURVEY - WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT OUR DISTRICT'S CURRICULUM?

If you have been following my blog posts this year you will know that I have created a "Curriculum Corner" spotlight each month in my blogs.  This was done by sending out a survey earlier in September asking families a simple question:  What Do You Want To Know Most About Your Child's Learning In Our Classrooms?  That survey in the fall produced many great questions which I have been answering each month.  I am about out of those original questions, so I thought I'd develop a second survey to hopefully keep it going!  No question is "too big" or "too small"...I want to know - what are you curious about?  I will then take the questions received and use them as the basis for my continued "curriculum corner" articles.

So, please take a moment to complete the survey below.  I'll also share the link on social media.  The more questions you ask - the better my articles will be!  So please TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO COMPLETE TODAY!

Survey Link:

https://forms.gle/Tu8y5222wtsjVR7A7

PROUD OF OUR STUDENTS!  JUST SHARING!

Each month when the Gorham School Committee meets on camera for their regular meetings, we try to have students present to share information about the ongoing work they doing in our schools that they are passionate about.  This past meeting, on Jan. 18, 2023 Narragansett Elementary School's Student Leadership Group presented to the School Committee about their work and how they help to lead their school in living our Code of Conduct.  

Their presentation was awesome!  Rather than ruin it by trying to describe it in my own words, I thought I'd encourage you to watch it yourself.  Click on the link below and look at minute 22:30 to enjoy.  That presentation (and others like it) are WHY we do what we do in our schools!  So very proud of those students, and all our students in the incredible work they do each day in learning and growing to become the strong citizens of tomorrow! PROUD TO BE A RAM!

Video Link:  https://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?&PGD=gorhamme&eID=544

MARY POPPINS IS COMING TO TOWN! 

Our GHS musical theater students will be presenting Mary Poppins coming up soon!  Check out the flyer below to learn more and see you at the show!

WORLD READ ALOUD DAY COMING UP!

Did you know that World Read Aloud Day is coming up next week Wednesday (2/1/23)?  If you didn't - you do now!  I love to read and there is nothing more special than reading aloud to children.  One on one, at home, or in large classroom groups, at the Library, or wherever - children of all ages love to listen to books being read!  

Our schools will definitely be celebrating this day with students - but YOU CAN TOO as parents and community members!  The only action step needed is to pick up a book and read aloud to a child or children.  Grandparents can participate, parents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, ANYONE!  You can learn more about World Read Aloud Day by CLICKING HERE or by simply googling "world read aloud day 2023" for lots more information and resources!

And just in case you might try the excuse of not having any books around the house to read...Great Falls Librarian Jessica Mason has you covered with this link to some great World Read Aloud Day resources!

HAPPY READING!

WEBINAR OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERESTED PARENTS FROM CENTER FOR GRIEVING CHILDREN

The Center for Grieving Children is presenting a webinar open to educators and families entitled:  "Little Folks, Big Feelings:  Understanding and Supporting Early Childhood Grief."

Clearly none of us wants to be in the situation where we are having to support young children in navigating loss, but if you find yourself in this situation, tools such as this webinar might become very helpful.  So I thought I would share.  If you are interested in learning more, information is below:

CLICK HERE to Register if interested.

Well that is it for this blog. As I close this blog, I did want to mention that I am going to have several additional blogs coming up in February that are outside of my "normal" two-week schedule.  My next scheduled blog is for Feb. 10, but you might see additional blog posts either before or just after this date as well.  The reason for this is that I've been asked by AASA to be a "blogger" for them as Superintendents from across the country attend the National Conference on Education coming up Feb. 16 - 18, 2023 in San Antonio.  During the conference I will be sending out daily blogs sharing events and learning from the conference.  I thought this was a pretty cool way to give you all a chance to "peek in" on what Superintendents are talking about and learning about from across the country and its a great way to share learning with my colleagues as well!  Hope you enjoy...and if you don't - well...no worries that's the beauty of blogs!  You only have to read what you WANT to read! 😀Til next time!  GO RAMS!🐏

January 13 Blog Post

Hard to believe we are almost 1/2 way through the 2022-2023 School Year!  This school year sure is going fast, but unlike the previous few years - this year isn't going fast due to the frantic and insane things we were having to navigate together as a community due to the pandemic.  This year is the "good" kind of time passing quickly.  The type of time that passes quickly when folks are engaged, and participating and doing good work together as a community!  I'm sure you all know what I mean and can feel the difference too!  As always, great things are happening in our schools and I'd like to start with sharing some pictures from the past few weeks that demonstrate that...

PRE K VIDEO UPDATE FROM SUPERINTENDENT PERRY

Updated Friday, Jan, 13, 2023 @ 3:00 p.m.

I haven't shared a video in a while, so thought I'd use a video to provide an update to everyone on our ongoing Pre K work.  

Please click on the video link below and once you have viewed, please click on the survey link below to help create a Questions and Answers sheet that I can use to answer YOUR questions in a quick turn-around time!

INSERT VIDEO LINK HERE

After watching the video, Please click on the link below to complete a brief survey! 

https://forms.gle/q6pRXyMxs5SBdx8x8

Also, in the video I referred to the "Bright Futures For Little Rams" Report.  You can CLICK HERE to view the finalized report to learn more about how this Pre K work is just one small part of the incredible things happening in the community of Gorham on the early childhood front!

JANUARY'S CURRICULUM CORNER!

This month I've selected three questions from the parent survey this past fall to answer.  I probably have enough to share the last set of answers in February's blog and then I'll run out.  I'm likely going to share another survey in February for parent/guardians to complete to see what other questions folks may still have - so be thinking of those additional questions!

Question #1:  What topics are covered in health class for 6th, 7th and 8th grade?

Answer:  Please click on the link provided below to view a full list of all units and topics covered in health classes for grades 6-8.  

GMS Health Units

Question #2:  What information are parents able to get about what's being taught in classrooms across all Gorham Schools?

Answer:  The best and most current information would be via the classroom teacher.  Many teachers across all grade levels send home information regarding what is being taught.  At K-5 levels, this is often done through weekly updates.  At 6-12 levels this is done via google classrooms (which parents have access to through their students) and for an additional layer of information at grades 9-12, all course syllabi can be found on the GHS website LINKED HERE (then click on "School Info." and then on "GHS Course Syllabi").  

You can also review a few key documents that outline concepts/content taught by grade level.  Science content is aligned to the NGSS standards, K-8 Social Studies, K-8   Reveal Math, K-8   Being a Writer, K-5   Being a Reader, K-2. And Maine's Learning Results (K-12 Standards)

As a result of my fall listening tour, we are also looking to add more regular communications on specific projects on a quarterly or trimester basis across grades K-8 for the coming school year.

Finally, and as has been clearly demonstrated more recently, if families feel the need to ask for information via Maine's Freedom of Access Act (FOAA), the district also shares information as required by statute in this manner. You need only email your request to me (heather.perry@gorhamschools.org) or Rhonda Warren (rhonda.warren@gorhamschools.org) and we will follow all required processes to respond to your request in as timely a manner as possible.

Ultimately, we believe strongly that the best way to gather information about what your children are learning while at school is by talking with your children and/or by reaching out to your child's teacher. Our incredible professionals understand the importance of home and school connections and would be very willing to share what your children are learning. They like to "brag" (just like parents do) about the awesome stuff happening in our schools! So don't hesitate to ask and give them the chance to "brag"! ☺

Question #3: I would like to know what students are getting K-8 for social/emotional education, tech education, health education (beyond sex ed), and life skills education?

Answer:  SEL:  At the K-5 level, we are fortunate that our English Language Arts and Math curriculum offer a dual focus of both academics and social emotional learning.  In addition, K-2 students receive social emotional learning through our Second Step curriculum taught by our teaching counselors each week.  

At the 6-8 level the school counselors provide 6th grade levels that address anxiety and managing stress, the 7th grade lessons focus on strategies to manage thoughts, feelings and behaviors and the 8th grade theme is mental health and suicide prevention.  They also all pull students together in groups to support students' friendship and social skills.  They are planning to present information to students related to Executive Functioning (i.e. organization, task initiation, goal setting, etc.)with some follow up activities for teachers to use throughout the year.  One other resource that will be used this year is from a company of girls called Empowered Girls Empower Girls and is a tool we hope will encourage self-reflection and inner strength and good conversations.  Our social worker presents to 6th and 8th grade students.  Here are copies of her presentations.  6th Grade Presentation,  8th Grade Presentation.

Technology Education.  Digital Citizenshiop across the K-5 span, including Safety in my Online Neighborhood, Media Balance, Pause and Think Online, Digital Footprint, Privacy and Security, and Bullying.  Some coding, some keyboarding.  All under controlled website access.  At grades 6-8 all students receive digital citizenship presentations their first week of school.  Technology education is then embedded in our daily curriculum by leveraging the power of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) in all grades and curriculum.  We are using Book Creator in 6th and 8th grade english as an example.  This skill teaches our students how to become published digital authors and teach the beginnings of graphic design.  We use 3D printing and design thinking and robots in our science classroom to model simulations of genetic codes and their relationships.  We have multiple subscriptions available to teachers like Brainpop, Flocabulary, Gimkit, and Newsela that enhance current events and other specific learning activities asynchronously.  We also empower our students with creative design tools in all content areas with Cospaces, and Breakoutedu.  Cospace allows students to create a virtual world that students can use in many ways such as virtual museums, storytelling and physics simulation experiments.  Our students can also advance to use coding and make the scene literally interactive.  Utilizing AR and VR with CoSpaces and Quiver, our students develop important design thinking strategies that align with the 4C's (Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Communication).  These important skills benefit our students in many ways as they deepen their approach to learning.  Breakout edu is a game based platform used in all grade levels and is again centered around the 4C's as it allows our students to create content based games for others to play.

Health Education: Grade 4: physical body changes, acne, emotional changes, personal hygiene. Grade 5: Further explain menstrual cycle (with diagram) - egg is the female sex cell. Sperm cell is male sex cell - explain path of sperm (with diagram). Reproduction process - on a basic biology level. Human reproduction occurs when egg and sperm unite. Watch video on reproduction and stages of human development during pregnancy. This is also available online. We base a lot of our curriculum off of "Puberty Happens" curriculum - from Maine Family Planning. We talk about being accepting of everyone going through puberty at their own pace. We also talk about making healthy choices from the 53210 - Eat fruits/veggies, limit recreational screen time, daily physical activity and zero sugary drinks. And, getting adequate sleep.

In 6-8, Here is a copy of the topics in the Health class by grade level (also shared earlier). GMS Health Units

Skills For Life: K-8 are taught and grade throughout the year. Linked Here: K-5 Skills for Life, 6-12 Skills for Life.

DISTRICT LEVEL ANTI-RACISM & EQUITY COMMITTEE WORK UPDATE

The Gorham Schools continues to move forward in this important work at several different levels.  At the student level, we have worked diligently to strengthen Civil Rights Teams and other student leadership teams across all five schools.  At the school level, we have embedded DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) goals within each school's Comprehensive Education Plan and we have created school based Intercultural Leadership Committees at each school.  At the district level, we continue to examine our curriculum with the assistance of Lawrence Alexander as our experienced consultant and we continue our work with the District's Anti-Racism and Equity Committee.  

The focus of this update is on the district level work of the Anti-Racism & Equity Committee.

This committee, comprised of almost 30 school and community members has met as a large group twice now.  We have also been able to organize the group into smaller, more facile working groups that we call our "Equity subcommittees". Those are focused on the following four topics:

-  Policy

-  Student Voice

-  Professional Development

-  Community Outreach

These small equity committees have now met twice and are focusing in on some great ideas and action steps that will be exciting to see move forward.  In policy for example, the group is working to clarify and strengthen existing policies and to create a "toolkit" of sorts that will be intended to help guide a full review of all policies with the important lens of DEI.  The professional development group is looking at focusing in on issues revolving around trauma as a way to move our training forward for staff and students.  The community outreach group is looking to host some evening meetings to get more folks involved and our student voice group is looking to perhaps develop a student led "listening tour" of their own across all schools where students listen to students about their experiences and work together to identify possible ways to strengthen our practices with their important voices at the center.

This is just a small snapshot of the current conversations.  If you want to follow those, you can by going to our website (www.gorhamschools.org) and clicking on "About Us" then on "School Committee" then on "School Board Subcommittees" and then scroll down and click on "Anti-Racism Advisory Committee".  You can also cut to the chase by CLICKING HERE.  

Finally, if you want to see a summary of the historical work done by the Gorham Schools thus far in our journey you can CLICK HERE .  This is kept up to date on a quarterly basis or so.  Lots of great work done...lots more to go ...and we are excited about the continued journey together!

UPCOMING SUMMER COLLABORATION WITH MAINE ASSOCIATION OF GENERAL CONTRACTORS!

Just wanted to share an exciting new partnership that the Gorham Schools now has with the Maine Association of General contractors. We are starting a new summer program together! This program will specifically target recent GHS graduates for a six week immersion experience with the trades! The program pays participating students a substantial stipend to "immerse" themselves in the trades with the help of local business partners!

GHS will have ten available slots and Westbrook HS will have ten slots. Classes will take place at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center. Students will gain experiences in carpentry, electrical, heavy equipment operation, crane operation and more!

This will be the first year of what we hope will be a multi-year program to benefit graduating seniors from GHS who want to get a "leg up" in determining their career pathways in the trades or just a "leg up" in exploring all the possibilities the trades have to offer!

Want to learn a little more, see the flyer below and feel free to reach out to Eliza with questions!

ASPIRE GORHAM JANUARY NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE 

TO VIEW!

January's Aspire Gorham Newsletter is available to view using the link below.  Check it out to learn more about what Aspire has been up to this past month with Adopt-a-classroom and partnerships with Junior Achievement and more!  

Aspire Gorham January Newsletter

NEW "HELP ME GROW" RESOURCE FROM MAINE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

In a recent update from the Maine Department of Education we learned of a new free resource for parents called "Help Me Grow".  This program is a new free, and easy-to-access resource that connects children up to 8 years of age and their families, as well as pregnant people, with information and services related to child development and other family needs in Maine.

Check out the link below to learn more!

https://mainedoenews.net/2023/01/04/help-me-grow-maine-a-free-resource-to-connect-children-and-families-to-services/

DATA FROM GHS 10TH GRADERS REGARDING DEVICE USAGE - PERHAPS WORTH A PAUSE?

Updated Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 @ 3:00 p.m.

Even before the Pandemic there were several large studies being done regarding the impact of excessive "screen time" on children.  If you simply google search this topic you will find a wealth of information.  It is certainly a topic that parents and families in today's world must figure out how to best navigate.  

The purpose of this piece though, isn't to attempt to dictate what families decide is best for monitoring of their children's screen time.  I'm not going to suggest that so many hours of screen time are appropriate or not appropriate for children.  These are individual family discussions that I definitely strongly encourage our families to have with their children, but that isn't what I wanted to share in this piece.

Instead, I thought I would share some data from our very own students at GHS that might provide families a reason to "pause" and think about this important topic and to have conversations with children about what is the "appropriate" amount of time to be spending on devices vs. engaging in other more person to person dialogues and social interactions.  

Below is data that was collected by tenth grade english teachers at GHS as part of a larger learning project.  Sixty-two tenth grade students at GHS participated in the data collection.  Students answered the first two questions, and then added their estimates together for the third.   

1. How much time do you spend on your phone 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.
2. How much time do you spend on OTHER DEVICES on average per day?  DON'T include homework or time just listening to music or even watching TV or movies.
3. See graph below:

So yes, just in case you need help reading that pie chart...based on this data collected from 62 of our 10th grade students (about 1/3 of our 10th grade), when you combine the purple, green and blue components of the graph, 90.3% of students indicated that they were spending more than 4 hours per day either on their phone or on other devices.  

The intent here isn't to make value judgements.  The intent here is to simply ask ourselves as educators and as families - if this data is accurate - is this what we think is an appropriate amount of time to be spent each day?  How can we learn more from our children about the time they are spending on devices during the day?  For what purposes are children using these devices?  What is our own family's threshold for appropriate time spent on devices vs. too much time spent on devices?  Interesting data - and food for thought for sure!

Well, that's enough for this blog post...will post again on January 27!  See you then!