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One returning Board member, two new members and six student representatives were sworn in at the Portland Board of Public Education’s Dec. 5 Inauguration ceremony. The Board also voted for Sarah Lentz to serve for the second time in a row be the Board’s new chair for the coming year and for Abusana “Micky” Bondo to again be vice chair for a second year.

On Friday, Dec. 15, Casco Bay High School seniors will participate in the school’s 11^th annual “College March” – a public affirmation of students’ higher education goals. Seniors will march down Congress Street to the post office to either mail a college application or a letter to a significant adult in their life who has supported their achieving this milestone.

The Rising Tide Leadership program, which provides pre-college summer program experiences for Portland Public Schools students from immigrant families, is now in its sixth year and final year. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the program recently awarded five $5,000 scholarships to PPS high school students from immigrant families.

It's the time of year in Maine to expect snow storms and other types of inclement weather events. In advance of the changes in the weather, Superintendent Ryan Scallon presented the Portland Public Schools' snow day plans for the 2023-2024 school year to the Board of Public Education meeting at its Nov. 14 meeting. Here are the details:

On Nov. 28, more than 80 students at King Middle School gathered outside the school carrying signs advocating for gun control. The student-led rally followed the Oct. 25 mass shooting in Lewiston. In a report by NewsCenter Channel 6, students said they felt that the shooting could have been prevented and they want to stop such a tragedy from happening again.

An increasing number of Portland High School students are participating in the school’s internship program and additional businesses are partnering with PHS to offer internships. Nearly 50 students are participating in internships in many different fields this school year.

Portland Police are warning citizens of a male approaching young women in the Stevens Avenue area on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. The first incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. near Evergreen Cemetery on Stevens Avenue and the second at approximately 6:30 p.m. near Deering High School. In both incidents, a male in his 20s approached female students and made inappropriate statements towards them. This is a good opportunity to remind students and families to use caution and always be aware of their surroundings. Report any instances to authorities. Investigators are urging anyone who has any information that might assist in this or any other case to call them at (207) 874-8575.

The Deering High School Players are set to stage an enthralling rendition of Reginald Rose's classic drama, "12 Angry Jurors." Under the guidance of Mr. Joshua Chard, 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year and Deering drama director, the Deering Players promise a compelling performance on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7 PM, and Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3 PM and 7. Suggested donation is $5+, Free for Deering students.

At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Portland Board of Public Education held a caucus to take an informal vote to select new leaders for the coming year. The Board unanimously chose current Board Chair Sarah Lentz to lead the Board again and also unanimously endorsed current Vice Chair Micky Bondo to continue in that role for the next year.

The Portland Public Schools mourns the loss of Joshua Seal, a beloved member of the Portland Public Schools community, who died Oct. 25 as a result of the shootings in Lewiston. Joshua, 36, who was deaf and the father of four children also part of the PPS community, was director of interpreting services for the Pine Tree Society and a former educational technician at East End Community School. “Josh was a wonderful colleague and parent, but an even better person – smart, funny and kind,” East End Community School Principal Boyd Marley said. “He did work as an ed tech with the MECDHH [Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf] program at East End for a number of years and continues to have many friends here."

The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) announced Oct. 31 that it is awarding $64,299 to Portland Public Schools staff members through the FPPS Equity and Innovation Grant program. Seventy-three teachers, ed techs, librarians, and other staff members will receive up to $1,250 each for classroom resources and experiences such as robotics clubs, purchasing math manipulatives, attending concerts, or bringing in guest lecturers. These grants will benefit thousands of students from preK through Portland Adult Education in 16 schools across the district. This year is the 15th year of the Equity and Innovation Grants Program.

October is National Principals Month and the Portland Public Schools is taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our principals, who are super. We celebrate and appreciate them not only this month but always! To showcase them, we have asked our principals and lead teachers to answer five questions about themselves and their leadership role. We also asked what superpower they'd like to have to aid in their jobs. We're featuring each participating principal individually during this month. Read on to learn more about Super Principal Nicole Bradeen of Longfellow Elementary School.

October is National Principals Month and the Portland Public Schools is taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our principals, who are super. We celebrate and appreciate them not only this month but always! To showcase them, we have asked our principals and lead teachers to answer five questions about themselves and their leadership role. We also asked what superpower they'd like to have to aid in their jobs. We're featuring each principal individually during this month. Read on to learn more about Super Principal Beverly Stevens of Ocean Avenue Elementary School.

October is National Principals Month and the Portland Public Schools is taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our principals, who are super. We celebrate and appreciate them not only this month but always! To showcase them, we have asked our principals and lead teachers to answer five questions about themselves and their leadership role. We also asked what superpower they'd like to have to aid in their jobs.

We're featuring each participating principal individually during this month. Read on to learn more about Super Principal Terry Young of Gerald E. Talbot Community School.

All six candidates for mayor of Portland are expected to attend the student-run forum in Lyman Moore Middle School’s cafeteria on Friday, Nov. 3. Mayoral forums have become a Moore tradition. Candidates should expect challenging questions from the kids.

Superintendent Ryan Scallon has issued a letter to the PPS community regarding the tragic shootings in Lewiston on Oct. 25. 

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has launched a new podcast hosted by Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin featuring conversations with educators, school staff, and students. The podcast launched Oct. 19 with a conversation between Makin and two Portland Public Schools teachers who are Maine Teachers of the Year: Casco Bay High School social studies teacher Matt Bernstein, the 2023 Maine Teacher of the Year, and the newly named 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year Joshua Chard, a second- and third-grade looping teacher at East End Community School and Deering High School’s drama director.

October is National Principals Month and the Portland Public Schools is taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our principals, who are super. We celebrate and appreciate them not only this month but always! To showcase them, we have asked our principals and lead teachers to answer five questions about themselves and their leadership role. We also asked what superpower they'd like to have to aid in their jobs. We're featuring each principal individually during this month. Read on to learn more about Super Principal Angie Taylor of Presumpscot Elementary School.

An update on the progress that the Portland Public Schools is making on developing and implementing a Wabanaki Studies curriculum and a Local Black History curriculum was presented at the Board of Public Education's Sept. 19 meeting. Both curricula are essential to help students gain an accurate, full and inclusive history of their state and nation. Both curricula also offer opportunities for interdisciplinary learning across all content areas, not just social studies.

October is National Principals Month and the Portland Public Schools is taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our principals and also on our lead teachers at Reiche Elementary School, a teacher-led school. All of them are super. We celebrate and appreciate them not only this month but always! To showcase them, we have asked our principals and lead teachers to answer some questions about themselves and their leadership role. 
We're featuring each principal and lead teacher individually during this month. Read on to learn more about Super Lead Teacher Anne Dalphin.

October is National Principals Month and the Portland Public Schools is taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our principals and also on our lead teachers at Reiche Elementary School, a teacher-led school. All of them are super. We celebrate and appreciate them not only this month but always! To showcase them, we have asked our principals and lead teachers to answer five questions about themselves and their leadership role. We also asked what superpower they'd like to have to aid in their jobs.
We're featuring each principal and lead teacher individually during this month. Read on to learn more about Super Lead Teacher Charlie Marenghi of Reiche Elementary School.