May 10 Blog Post

April is in the rearview and May is quickly passing us by!  Amazing how fast time moves!  

There are just 4 full weeks of school that remain in the 2023-2024 school year and there is so much yet to do!  Making sure students get those last few important lessons, preparing for transitions to new grades and for some even new schools!  Celebrating the accomplishments of the past year, performances, sporting events and more!  Whew - makes me tired just thinking of it all!  But never fear, our incredible staff is on top of it all!  We know exactly what to do to end another school year here in Gorham on a positive and upbeat note.  We understand the importance of sending our students into the summer well prepared for the coming year!

No question it is busy in our schools right now with lots of great learning and activity!  Check out the pictures below to provide just a snapshot into the great work going on across our schools!  We are so busy, I had to do two sets!

Now on to the information!

THANK YOU!

Just a quick and very sincere THANK YOU to all the students, parents and community members out there who helped to make this past week's Teacher Appreciation Week a HUGE success for our staff.  I can't tell you how much they needed that community wide "pat on the back"!  Email messages, cards from families and students, food, food and more food, signs and more!  Our teachers certainly felt the "love" this week and it is so very appreciated!  Gorham is an incredible community!  On behalf of our entire staff - THANK YOU!

HOW IS THE SAUSAGE MADE? CURRICULUM CREATION IN THE GORHAM SCHOOLS

At the last meeting of the Anti-Racism & Equity Committee held on April 24 the committee invited Gorham K-8 instructional leader Kim Fadrigon and GHS Principal Brian Jandreau to speak to the committee about curriculum.  Major topics were:

-  How does the curriculum get built?

-  What is the timeline for Curriculum Review Cycles?

-  What are the core components of the curriculum that educators look at?

-  How does the curriculum change throughout the grades?

-  Where is the line of creative freedom for educators vs. state standards?

-  How does one change the curriculum?

-  What is the profile of a graduate, what do we want our students to walk away with?

I'll take a brief moment to summarize the answers to these questions that were discussed during the meeting and then share the slide presentations and other materials for your viewing pleasure!  It was a wonderfully informative presentation!  THANK YOU Kim and Brian for your willingness to help members of the group better understand these important topics!

Key points from how does the curriculum get built?

-  There is a rotation of looking at specific subject areas every 5 years at a minimum but as issues arise, we can also address these as needed.

-  Start by understanding state standards and making sure our work aligns with what the state requires.

-  Our curriculum is organized by Graduation Standards, then Performance Indicators and then down to the details of specific learning targets for each content area across each grade level.

-  Any changes/revisions are discussed first at the content area committee level across grades PK-8 and/or within specific departments in grades 9-12.

-  If any changes are suggested they are brought to the Teaching & Learning Committee for review and approval before going to District Leadership Team for implementation.

Key points from what the timeline is for curriculum review cycle?

-  5 year cycle by content area.

-  Sometimes this cycle can be delayed due to budget (and perhaps the inability to purchase new curriculum materials), but otherwise we try to stick to this as a min. timeline for review.

-  Other areas are constantly being reviewed by curriculum committees and if a need to make revision comes up outside of the cycle, we address it when we need to as well.

-  We use department time, professional learning teams, early release time, PLC time and any other time we can squeak in to do this important work.

Key points from what the core components are of the curriculum that educators look at?

-  Of course we pay close attention to policy IJJ for selection of materials.  We also look for alignment to our standards, whether or not materials support PK-12 continuity, whether or not information is presented in a factual way, whether or not information is accessible to all learners, whether curriculum includes elements to assist teachers in differentiation, whether materials support curricular "mirrors and windows" and whether or not materials support authentic real life connections for our learners.

Key points for how curriculum changes throughout the grades?

-  Has to be aligned to graduation standards and performance indicators, which are adjusted based upon grade levels.

-  Topics and expectations correspond to the developmental level of each grade.

-  Sophistication and complexity increases throughout the grades.

Key points for where the lines are between creative freedom and Maine standards?

-  We ask that curriculum utilized in our classrooms are anchored to, or align with our Graduation Standards and Performance Indicators.

-  We ask that teachers use these items to then create essential questions, learning targets and learning outcomes for students.

-  Basically, the standards and performance indicators create the boundaries within which teachers must work, but they are free to be creative within those boundaries with their students to make sure that they can differentiate and meet the needs of each unique learner in their classrooms.

Key points for how to change curriculum?

-  Any significant curricular changes must go through the Curriculum Committees or departments and then through the Gorham Teaching and Learning Committee for approval.

-  Minor adjustments by teachers can be made on an ongoing basis in response to meeting the needs of current learners and constantly changing best instructional practices.

Key points for profile of a graduate?

-  The Gorham Schools has a very clear Mission/Vision and set of Core Beliefs About Learners that feeds our Strategic Plan, our Portrait of a Graduate document and our Metrics for Success.  We use all of these "vision" tools to define our success as a school system, only a small portion of which is based on state/national assessment scores.

RESOURCES from the Presentation:

* Copy of Slide Presentation

* PreK-5 Curriculum Guides

* 6-8 Curriculum Guides.

* 9-12 Course Syllabi

* Our Teaching & Learning Handbook

MAY IS NATIONAL BIKE MONTH!

Did you know that the month of May is National Bike Month?  During this month of celebrating our two wheeled friend, it is a great chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling.  It is also a great  opportunity to encourage folks to give biking a try, and a time to communicate and remind folks about the importance of bike safety!

National Bike month was actually created way back in 1956 as a way to share that whether you are riding for the sheer enjoyment, or for exercise, or for time with family, riding a bike can help connect people to one another, promote healthier habits, and create happier people!

If you want to learn more about National Bike Month, a great place to go is the League of American Bicyclists.  

As National Bike Month draws attention to the great benefits that can be associated with biking...it is also a great time to remind EVERYONE of the importance of bike safety.  This is especially important as school gets ready to let out and more of our children are likely going to be out there on the roads!  Here's a few key tips for bike safety EVERYONE should know!

* ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET!  Yes this is for any age!

*  ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS when you are biking - regardless of location (i.e. wooded trails, busy streets, etc.).

*  BE VISIBLE...the point of biking is NOT to blend in!  Wear bright clothing so people can see you!  If riding at night, be sure to have reflectors and lights - again - the point is not to blend in!

*  KNOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD.  Bike with traffic.  Obey all traffic signals.  Bikes are considered motorists - not pedestrians!  Behave accordingly!

*. MAKE SURE YOUR EQUIPMENT FITS.  Children should ride bikes that they "fit".  A good rule of thumb is to make sure your child's feet can touch the ground (flat) when stationary!

For more tips feel free to go to Safe Kids Worldwide to learn more!

Finally, I wanted to share a brief communication from Gorham Town Council member Lou Simms related to Bike Month...

This week, Gorham's Town Council recognized May as "Bike Month" in Gorham, to raise awareness regarding street safety for bikers and walkers in our community - while also promoting the many benefits that biking and walking offer, in terms of improved public health and increased community activity.  

Next week May 13 - May 19 is "Bike to Work Week" and Friday May 17 is "Bike To Work Day" so you may see more bikers out on the roads than usual.  Regardless of your preferred mode of transit, safety is our priority, so please check out Bicycle Coalition of Maine's website for some great information & resources:

https://www.bikemaine.org/education/youth-education/

Now - let's see if Maine's summer weather cooperates with us this year and get out there and have fun biking!

SOCIAL MEDIA EDUCATION NIGHT FOR PARENTS - REMINDER!

I shared this in my blog last month - but it is worth repeating!  If you are a parent of a student in grades PK-5, you are NOT going to want to miss this information night!  Check out the flyer below for more information!

TOWN COUNCIL REPORT FROM MAY 7 SHARED

Again, each month our School Committee chair takes the time to provide a report to the Town Council as one small way to keep communications flowing between the Town Council and the School Committee.  Below is what was shared by School Committee Chair Sarah Perkins at the May 7 Town Council Meeting...

School Committee Report

May 7, 2024

Budget Update: Thank you to members of the Town Council for a very productive joint budget workshop meeting held a few weeks ago. The School Committee came away with a clear sense of direction. A reminder that the budget Q&A document is open until May 10th for additional questions ahead of the May 14th vote.

Fiscal Sustainability Committee: The Joint Fiscal Sustainability Committee has gotten off to a great start and we are very much looking forward to these continued meetings together to help inform the future of our community. The next meeting will be held on May 20 at 6:00 p.m. in the downstairs conference room at the Gorham Municipal Center. The meeting will be open to the public, live streamed and recorded.

MDOE Capital Project Applications: The Gorham Schools has begun its work to complete multiple applications for capital projects through the Maine Department of Education working with LaVallee Brensinger Architects. A small steering committee has been formed to guide this process. Applications are due at the end of August 2024. The state will then spend time reviewing applications and conducting site visits to aid in scoring. We will likely not hear about our placement on the list of projects until late spring or early Fall of 2025. IF we are funded for a project we would form a building committee that would be much broader in nature than the current steering committee.

Legislative Impacts: Two bills have passed that will have future impacts on our schools.
LD 974 - An Act to Establish a Minimum Pay for Educational Technicians and Other School Support Staff. This bill sets a new minimum wage for Ed. Techs at 125% of state minimum wage and for other school support staff at 115% of state minimum wage effective July 1, 2025. We’re working to understand the impacts of these changes on the FY 26 budget. While we likely already meet these requirements, they will complicate our ability to attract and retain employees as other districts come up to these minimums. CDS bill- This bill requires that school districts across the state take on “Free Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) responsibilities for 3 and 4 year olds within the next 4 years (by FY 29). We continue to explore the best timing for taking on this work and will make a final determination by the end of this school year.

Bus Drivers Needed: We’re looking for at least 3 new bus drivers over the course of the next 6-8 months and have a very active "earn while you learn" program that allows individuals to be trained, take their permit, and work to complete the requirements for their CDL Class B license (with passenger endorsement). Reach out to Norm Justice or the central office for more info.

Odyssey of the Mind: Congratulations to our Gorham students who successfully competed in the Odyssey of the Mind regional championships on April 27, 2024. A special thanks to Danielle Quimby for her support and facilitation of our teams. 

FY 25 BUDGET UPDATE - REMEMBER TO VOTE!

I Included updated information on the proposed budget in my last blog so please feel free to click on my previous blog post for detailed information.  All I wanted to share in this piece is just a reminder of the timeline for what remains of the budget approval process.  Here are the important steps that remain:

- Town Council Vote to Approve Proposed School Budget.  This vote takes place on May 14 during the Town Council's meeting scheduled for that night to approve both the School's budget and the municipal budget.  The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in council chambers.  The meeting is open to the public and will be both live streamed and recorded for those that might not be able to make it in person.  Individuals are able to provide public comment at the meeting if you would like.  Individuals may also email Town Council members directly if you would prefer.  You can find Town Council email addresses by CLICKING HERE.  At this meeting the Town Council can approve the proposed budget as is, they could add funding, or they can reduced funding so if you have thoughts about the proposed budget - now would be the time to share them with the Town Council.  

-  Public Budget Validation Referendum.  This vote will be held on June 11 at your local Gorham polling locations.  This is where members of the community are asked to either vote "yes" to approve/validate the budget that was passed by the Town Council on May 14 or to vote "no" to not approve/validate the budget that was passed by the Town Council on May 14.  In order for our budget to be finally approved, it must be approved by the School Committee, by the Town Council and then validated by voters.  IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU GET OUT TO VOTE ON JUNE 11!  If you can't get to the polls, absentee ballots are available at the clerk's office.  You can learn more about absentee voting in Gorham by CLICKING HERE. 

As a reminder if you need to catch up on the proposed FY 25 budget - you can CLICK HERE for LOTS of great information.  

ASPIRE GORHAM MAY NEWSLETTER READY TO VIEW!

May's Aspire Gorham Newsletter is ready to view...some really great pictures and summaries of learning activities as well as student spotlights can be found - definitely worth the read!

CLICK HERE to View.

GHS INTERACT CLUB SEEKS HELP WITH ANIMAL REFUGE LEAGUE FUNDRAISER!

The Gorham High School Interact Club is sponsoring an Animal Refuge League Drive by Donation Drive in the GHS Parking lot on Saturday, May 18th from 10AM until 12PM. Please see the flyer below for more details. We would appreciate your support.

A COUPLE OF COOL MESSAGES TO SHARE - WHAT A GREAT COMMUNITY GORHAM IS!

I'll start with the "adult" message I wanted to share so that you can see just one example (of many) of how the adults in our community model our Code of Conduct for our students. Then I'll share the "student" message so you can see first hand how that adult modeling plays out with our students!

The first message was sent un-solicited to the staff at Great Falls, Narragansett, and Village Elementary Schools by our School Resource Officer Todd Gagnon.

The Gorham Schools has an incredibly strong and positive relationship with our Gorham Police Department and the fact that we have been able to work with our partners to host 3 full time SRO's in our schools is just one shining example of this partnership.

In this message Todd just sends this to our school staff as Todd (not "officer Gagnon"). He sent it as Todd the community member, public servant, father, husband and all around great role model for our students! He sent this message to Assistant Superintendent Brian Porter and asked that it be shared with the staff...here's what he said...

Good afternoon Dr. Porter and thank you for taking the time to read this email. I would first like to express my excitement and eagerness to get to do my job everyday.  I so very much look forward to seeing my students and staff on a daily basis. I don't say I have to go to work, but instead I get to go to work. That brings me to my next point.

The staff at my schools are some of the most professional, and hard working people I have ever had the privilege to work with. This is my fourth year in the schools and since day one, the staff has been so welcoming and treat me like a school staff member. I am confident when I say, the staff truly give 100% to the students. I have seen on numerous occasions staff members work through lunch and don't take breaks to see that students' needs are met. The staff members at my three schools are true professionals in every sense of the word. 

During drop off in the morning, I see at all my schools the staff welcoming the students with smiles and greetings of good morning. At lunch and recess the staff is there helping students open food items and zipping coats and getting mittens on for recess. They provide extra clothing for the students who may not be warm enough out in the cold at recess. There are many other examples I could mention that the staff has gone above and beyond. 

The nursing staff keep track of students' medical needs and make sure students get necessary medications. Education technicians are always very busy and are often pulled to cover various other positions on short notice. The full time teachers are always so caring and compassionate with the kids in the classrooms. The administration and all secretary staff are always on point and know the flow of the building as a whole.  Day Porters are busy especially during the lunches, but are quick to clean messes and spills.  The school counselors and social workers are amazing with the students they spend time with. I hear the kids ask to have lunch with them and make time for them. We have an overall wonderful team in the schools.

I very much appreciate you taking the time to read this email. I can not express my level of appreciation and gratitude I have for all the staff members at my three elementary schools.

Best Regards 

Todd Gagnon 

I share this message for two reasons: number one, I think it is reflective of the hundreds of messages I am seeing come across our teacher's emails this week during National Teacher Appreciation week. I also share this as just a great example of a community member taking the time to show respect and compassion towards our staff and the difficult work that they do each day to support our community's children. It also demonstrates the courage that it took to send a message like this out to a large group and to share gratitude, acknowledge and appreciate the work of others. What a wonderful way to model our Code of Conduct!

The second message I will share to end this blog post is from our children. Once again it is a message created and shared as a result of this week's Teacher Appreciation Week, and it too is just a glowing example of our Code of Conduct in action.

The message from students is a video linked below. I encourage you to watch it (yes even the funny outtakes at the end) so you can get a sense of the genuineness of the message, the responsibility shown by our students to share this important message, and the respect shown by our students towards teachers, towards each other, and themselves as a result of sharing their gratitude in this manner. The video demonstrates such a powerful lesson on the importance of gratitude we can all learn from. Go figure - our students can often be our teachers!☺

CLICK HERE for the video link.

Both messages are just shining examples of our great community at work. Gorham truly is a special place! GO RAMS!

With that - I wish you all a great weekend! ENJOY!