Staff & Community Newsletter - May 2, 2024
DISTRICT NEWS
At its meeting on April 25, the City Council's Finance Committee voted to recommend to the full City Council the FY25 school budget that the Board of Public Education approved on April 9.
Due to the inclement weather "snow days" that the Portland Public Schools called on Monday, March 25, and Thursday, April 4, following storms and power outages, the last day of school in June has been extended by two days.
Portland has an amazing opportunity in 2024 to apply for funds through the Maine Department of Education to reimagine and consolidate our high schools, our career and technical high school (PATHS), Portland Adult Education, and post-secondary partnerships into a cutting edge, 9-16 learning environment on one campus. Imagine a unified high school campus that incorporates the best of our high schools and more. We are in the process of building a shared understanding as we apply for these state funds. The community is invited to a virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 8, from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. to learn more about the High School of the Future proposal, via Zoom at tinyurl.com/hs-redesign Please join us! Learn more about our High School of the Future vision.
On Tuesday, April 23, the Portland Board of Public Education held a workshop on the Portland Public Schools' emerging Strategic Plan. WATCH on the district's YouTube page.
High School commencement ceremonies for the Portland Public Schools Class of 2024 will all take place at Merrill Auditorium on June 5 and 6.
Fledgling Odyssey of the Mind teams at Rowe and Lyseth elementary schools distinguished themselves at the Northeast tournament in Biddeford April 27.
Last year, Rowe Elementary School started a parent-led Odyssey of the Mind (OM) club. The club sent three teams to the Northeast tournament and two teams placed first and second. This year, Rowe was able to send four teams of seven students each to the tournament and two teams placed in the top three.
The Classics team placed second in their problem and division, and the Rowe Technical team placed first, with the special achievement of a perfect score. In addition, Lyseth Elementary School has a newly formed parent-led OM club at Lyseth elementary. That club fielded two teams at the tournament, with their Vehicle team placing third, and their Technical team placing second.
Presumpscot Elementary School students are gearing up for Better World Day, which will take place on May 3 from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. This annual event is celebrated by schools in the EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) network across the globe. The students will work with community partners to create a learning walk and restore the Presumpscot trail, making a positive impact on their community.
The Portland Public Schools’ first Rock Around the World celebration since the pandemic, hosted by the district’s Multilingual and Multicultural Center at Ocean Gateway on April 26, was an unqualified success. The sold-out night of international food, dance and music was attended by 250 members of the community and raised funds to support Make It Happen, the award-winning college-readiness program for PPS multilingual middle and high school students.
Sixth- and seventh-grade students at King Middle School tried their hand at floral design on April 9 in a collaboration between the Make It Happen (MIH) Program and King’s after-school Craft Club. The students were inspired by the Art in Bloom exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art.
The Portland Public Schools is pleased to welcome our new Director of Transportation Benjamin Lesavoy and new Director of Information Technology Ted Howe. Learn more about the skills and experiences of these two key members of the PPS leadership team/
Two students in the Culinary Arts program at Portland Arts & Technology High School (PATHS), participated in the Maine Innovative Local Foods Cooking Challenge at the University of Maine in Orono on April 25.
Friends of Portland Adult Education, the nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for PAE, just released its 2023 Annual Report! Printed copies are available at the school, but you can view a digital version HERE.
Four Portland Public Schools educators presented at the Maine Science Teachers Association conference on April 27: District Literacy Coordinator Cindy Soule; District Science Coordinator Brooke Teller; Mobile Makerspace Teacher Karen Shibles; and Talbot ES Teacher Paige Fors.
PPS IN THE PRESS
ReVision Energy, partnering with Portland Adult Education, the Maine Department of Labor and the Governor's Office, has an exciting new pre-apprenticeship program to prepare multilingual individuals for renewable energy jobs.
Lyman Moore Middle School students deepened their understanding of what it means to be an American when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalized more than 50 candidates for citizenship during a ceremony at the school on April 5. Hosting naturalization ceremonies is a decades-long tradition at Moore. In the nearby cafeteria, seventh-graders handed out American flags, bottled water, hot coffee and cake, welcoming the new citizens to what students were once taught to call the “American melting pot” but are now learning to think of as the “American salad bowl.”
RECOGNITIONS
Deering High School 11th-grader Violet Blum Levine took first place in Tyler Technologies’ 2024 Maine App Challenge for creating a system for easily scheduling parent-teacher conferences. Casco Bay High School also won an award for submitting the most eligible entries in the contest.
The East End Community School library has received an incredibly generous donation from a Peaks Island resident—a beautiful new monitor that will allow EECS teacher/librarian Shana Genre to teach more dynamic lessons to her students!
French students at Portland High School participated this spring in the 89th annual National French Contest (Le Grand Concours), a competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. The test evaluates written, oral and listening comprehension skills in French. Please extend congratulations to these students who have ranked nationally: Theodora Dugas, Nell Fernald, Andrea Lancia, Miradie Nguala, Ella Vinkemulder, Emma Walsh, Wyatt Wander and Riley Wildes, with the distinction of mention honorable awarded to Nell Fernald, Ella Vinkemulder and Emma Walsh.
Students To Be Recognized for Earning Seal of Biliteracy
The annual Seal of Biliteracy Recognition Ceremony will take place on Monday, May 20, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Casco Bay High School. This is the seventh year this event is being held.
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
The public is invited to the opening reception of the annual Portland Public Schools Student Art Show at City Hall on Friday, May 3 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and also to view artwork from the middle school Make It Happen Art Competition, on display at Central Office during the first Friday Art Walk May 3, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Casco Bay High School is holding its 2024 Arts & Music Festival on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the CBHS/PATHS campus, located at 196 Allen Avenue. There will be performances, exhibitions, vendors, experiences (face painting, crafts, puppet shows, etc.) and food for all ages at this event, for which there is no charge for attendance.
Money from this “Tread for Water Ed” fundraiser will go to support swim lessons for PPS students. The first one in the series is May 12, then also on May 19 and 26.
Deering High School is excited to announce its 150th Open House celebration, set to take place on Saturday, May 11 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. As part of Deering’s ongoing commitment to our community and alumni, the school invites everyone to an unforgettable journey through the halls of history.
The Foundation for Portland Public Schools is excited to announce the first Portland Public Schools Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, who will be recognized at Spring for Teachers, the annual event of the Foundation for Portland Public Schools.
The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) is helping to organize Portland Picks Up, a citywide cleanup and celebration on Saturday, May 18. FPPS invite Portland residents to join friends and neighbors to pick up litter in their neighborhoods from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The Portland Public Schools is hiring dedicated substitute teachers for our specialized programs! There are six positions available. Please activate your networks and share widely!
LearningWorks, the Portland Public Schools’ community partner for 21st century extended-day programming, is providing a summer program for 270 PPS elementary students this summer.
Upcoming Events
Opening May 3rd at 3:30PM
Runs all through May
May 8, 2024
Meeting link: https://tinyurl.com/HS-Redesign
Seal of Biliteracy
May 20, 2024
4-5PM
Make It Happen Senior Celebration
May 21, 2024
4-7:30PM