Here we are, already almost halfway through November! November is always a busy and exciting month in our schools! As fall gives way to winter and the holiday season approaches, our classrooms are filled with learning and opportunity for connection. It is also a season of gratitude. It is a time to celebrate our Veterans and all that we are grateful for, while recognizing the incredible support of our families, local businesses, and community partners. Here in Gorham, we know that strong schools are built through strong community connections. November reminds us just how fortunate we are to live and learn in this incredible community!
A few pictures from the past few weeks, and then on to the information!
THIS BLOG'S TOPICS LIST (These are in order below, so just scroll to see the articles)...
1. EDUCATIONAL TECHNICIANS: THE HEART OF OUR SCHOOLS - AND WE NEED MORE OF THEM!
2. BULLYING IN OUR SCHOOLS: WORKING TOGETHER TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE.
3. RENEWED GORHAM SCHOOLS TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE FORMED TO TACKLE NEXT STEPS IN THE WORK - WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!
4. SNEAK PEAK - STUDENT VOICE SURVEY RESULTS
5. UPCOMING EVENTS & CALENDAR REMINDERS
6. IN CLOSING
EDUCATIONAL TECHNICIANS: THE HEART OF OUR SCHOOLS — AND WE NEED MORE OF THEM!
Behind every successful school is a team of dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to ensure students feel supported and capable of success. Among these essential team members are our Educational Technicians (Ed. Techs). These individuals' daily contributions often happen quietly, but their impact on students is anything but small! The Gorham Schools employs approximately 70 Educational Technicians across our five schools. Unfortunately, we currently have five vacant positions, despite repeated recruitment efforts. These positions are incredibly important, so I wanted to take a moment to highlight the amazing work our Ed. Techs do and encourage others to consider joining our team!
What exactly do Educational Technicians do? The short answer is: everything necessary to help students learn and succeed! Ed. Techs support classroom teachers with small-group instruction, provide individualized assistance to students with special education needs, and work alongside students requiring more intensive academic, behavioral, or physical support. On any given day, they might help a child learn to read, encourage a struggling student, assist with specialized medical needs, or help a student navigate challenging emotions. They also supervise lunches and recesses, provide classroom coverage, and help keep our schools running smoothly. Their responsibilities are as diverse as the students they serve, and no two days on the job are alike!
But perhaps their greatest contribution isn't found in a job description. It's found in the relationships they build with students. Our Ed. Techs are often the trusted adults students turn to for encouragement and support. They celebrate small victories, they offer patience when learning gets difficult, and they provide a steady presence when a student's day isn't going as planned. Their work isn't always easy. An Ed. Tech's job requires compassion, flexibility, patience, and an unwavering belief in the potential of every single student that they work with. For some of our most vulnerable learners, these relationships can make all the difference between simply getting through the school day and truly thriving. Our Educational Technicians help students believe in themselves!
So, what does it take to become an Educational Technician? We primarily seek Ed. Tech. IIIs, which require 120 college credits, but NOT necessarily a completed degree! Applicants must also pass a background check and obtain certification through the Maine Department of Education, and we can help navigate that process. Hourly wages range from $23.55 to $29.77, depending on experience. Benefits include health insurance (with 83% of premium costs paid by the district), dental insurance, sick and personal leave, and opportunities for tuition assistance and continued professional growth. Whether you're considering a career in education, returning to the workforce, or simply seeking meaningful work, this could be an incredible opportunity!
We're looking for five more people who want to make a lasting difference in children's lives! Perhaps one of those people is YOU! If you've ever considered working in education, I encourage you to apply. If not, perhaps you know a friend, neighbor, or family member who would be a perfect fit. Please help us spread the word, share this opportunity, and encourage others to join our Gorham Schools family! Every student deserves caring adults who believe in their potential, and sometimes the greatest difference in a child's life begins with just one person who believes in them. Could that person be you?
The link to apply is HERE.
BULLYING IN OUR SCHOOLS: WORKING TOGETHER TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE
One of our most important responsibilities in the Gorham Schools is ensuring that every student feels safe, respected, welcomed, and a strong sense of belonging while within our schools. We are fortunate to have schools where positive relationships, kindness, and respect are central to our culture as outlined in our Code of Conduct. While bullying is certainly not a widespread issue in our schools, we recognize that, like every school district, we are not immune to these behaviors. As the cold winter months begin creeping in, we know these kinds of behaviors can increase. When bullying concerns do arise, we want to address them. We take them seriously and work closely with students, staff, and families to address them appropriately. Just as importantly, we want to ensure families understand how to communicate concerns, what to expect from our schools when a concern is reported, and how we can work together to maintain welcoming learning environments for ALL students.
FIRST - WHAT IS BULLYING? Under School Committee Policy JICK, bullying includes physical, verbal, written, or electronic behaviors that cause or threaten harm, create an intimidating or hostile learning environment, or interfere with a student's ability to participate fully in school. This includes cyberbullying through social media, text messages, or other electronic communications. Not every disagreement, unkind comment, or conflict between students meets the formal definition of bullying. However, that does NOT mean these behaviors are acceptable or that we won't address them! All concerns about student behavior deserve our attention and should be communicated to our staff so that we can address them.
HOW SHOULD FAMILIES REPORT CONCERNS? If your child shares concerns about bullying, please contact your child's teacher, building principal, or school guidance counselor directly. Share as much information as possible, including what happened, when and where it occurred, and who may have witnessed it. You can report by phone, email, or in person, and families may also use our formal Bullying Report Form (JICK-E1). Anonymous reports are permitted, although identifying yourself helps us investigate and communicate more effectively. You do NOT need to determine whether something officially qualifies as bullying before contacting us. That is our job. The best practice is if you become aware of concerning behavior, communicate it. We can then work with you to put it in the appropriate "bucket" and address it from there.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A REPORT OF BULLYING IS MADE? Our school administrators promptly investigate reported bullying concerns, gather relevant information, and determine appropriate next steps. When necessary, we may put supports in place immediately to help ensure student safety. If bullying is substantiated, consequences and interventions may include disciplinary action, counseling, skill-building, or other measures to prevent future incidents. We will notify families as outlined in our policies, although student privacy laws may limit what we can share about another student's consequences. Our priority throughout this process is ensuring students feel safe and supported.
WORKING TOGETHER MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! Preventing bullying requires strong partnerships between all stakeholders. This includes Families, School Staff, Students, and Community. We encourage families to talk regularly with their children about kindness, respect, empathy, and the importance of speaking up when someone is being mistreated. Most importantly, if you have a concern, please reach out early! We would much rather work together to address a concern before it grows than have a student struggle in silence. We all believe every child deserves to feel safe, valued, welcomed, and included in our schools so they can learn and grow into the best possible versions of themselves as they leave our schools and enter the next exciting phases of their lives. Together, we can help make that happen!
For additional information, please review our district policies and reporting resources:
RENEWED GORHAM SCHOOLS TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE FORMED TO TACKLE NEXT STEPS IN THE WORK - WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!
Over the past year, the Gorham Schools have made significant progress in addressing the rapidly changing role of technology in education. We've developed our Student/Family and Staff AI Handbooks, begun building staff AI literacy through MagicSchool AI, adopted our Educational Technology Use Triangle to guide purposeful classroom technology use, and implemented Maine's new bell-to-bell cell phone restrictions. All of this work reflects our commitment to ensuring technology supports meaningful learning while keeping our schools human-centered, relationship-based, and focused on preparing students for their successful futures.
Now it's time to take the next important step! We have re-established our Gorham Schools Technology Committee, bringing together teachers, support staff, administrators, and technology professionals to ensure that our purposeful technology vision is carried out in action across our schools. Our goal is simple: ensure technology enhances learning, strengthens relationships, and helps students develop the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
But we can't do this important work without YOUR voice! Before the committee begins meeting in mid-to-late December, we want to hear directly from our families and staff. What does purposeful technology use look like in our classrooms? When does technology meaningfully enhance student learning, and when might it get in the way? Your perspectives will help us better understand what is working, what needs improvement, and what our priorities should be in a constantly shifting landscape. We also encourage you to talk with your children or students before responding so their voices can help inform this work!
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS (10 min. max)! We've created a Thought Exchange for staff, parents/families and community members to allow you to share your ideas AND consider and rate the perspectives of others. Please participate by December 7 so your feedback can help shape our committee's initial conversations. This is a classic exchange, so please share your responses to the question and then be sure to go back into the exchange to rate the thoughts of others over the next few weeks!
Survey Link: https://tejoin.com/scroll/999720413
Know that this is just the beginning of our engagement, and there will be additional opportunities to participate as our work progresses. Thank you for helping us shape that future together!
As we move closer to Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to our incredible students, dedicated staff, supportive families, and community partners who make the Gorham Schools such a special place to learn and grow. We have incredible people...and as a way to showcase that - I thought I'd share our OCTOBER GORHAM SCHOOL SHOUT-OUTS with you below! Congratulations to all those who received "Shout Outs" (34) and to those three who won the drawing for GHOP Pizza!
REMEMBER - WE DO THIS EACH MONTH AND ANYONE CAN SHARE A SHOUT OUT! Click here For information on how to do that! And Click here for the link to complete.
October Shout Outs:
Cecely Conrad — Elementary Multi-Lingual Teacher
Cecely was recognized for the compassion, dignity, and respect she brings to students and families. Her nomination highlighted the lasting impact she has had helping families feel welcomed, understood, and supported in our schools.
Donna Landry — 1st Grade Teacher Village Elementary School
Donna was recognized for the extraordinary care she showed a student who became ill at school. She devoted extra time to comfort and reassure the student until she felt safe and settled.
Jessica Hunnewell — Longterm Substitute Gorham Middle School
Jessica was recognized for her flexibility and commitment to students. She has stepped into several substitute and long-term substitute roles and consistently brings care, enthusiasm, and a strong commitment to the Gorham School Department.
Congratulations to Cecely, Donna, and Jessica! Each received a $25 Gorham House of Pizza gift card as part of this month’s recognition.
Everyone who received an October Shout-Out will also receive an email with a copy of their recognition.
November Shout-Outs are now open! Please keep recognizing the people across Gorham Schools who are making a difference. We will share the November Shout-Outs and select our next three recipients at the end of the month.
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