PROMOTING EDUCATION & CAREER READINESS FOR ALL
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We at Educate Maine are deeply concerned by the racial injustice and systematic racism we have once again witnessed in recent weeks across the United States. As an organization, we are committed to being part of the solution here in Maine. We are committed to listening, learning, and taking bold action to address racism and racial inequality. We have not done enough to address racial disparities in Maine. It is a moral imperative that we do better.
We have identified important next steps as an organization. As we listen, learn, and move forward, we commit to taking concrete steps on firm timelines to advance the work we are doing in this area. Our initial work includes:
- Self-reflection and education as a staff
- Facilitated trainings on racism and bias with our board that will be linked to actions we all can take to be stronger allies in the movement
- New and strengthened partnerships with advocacy groups and educational institutions to better understand and take action around supporting students and adults of color in Maine
- Ensuring that we are investigating and publishing data on how particular racial groups are persisting through educational programs in Maine
- Expanding racial diversity on our board and in our programs
We encourage everyone to join us in taking an active role in this important work.
Jason Judd
Executive Director
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FMIE Nominated To Top 100 Internship List
FocusMaine Intern Experience has been nominated to the Top 100 Internship Program list hosted by
WayUp, an online company created to support employers and early career talent connect and encourage diversity across recruiting.
V
oting is now open and counts for 30% of the evaluation criteria.
You can vote once every 24 hours until July 31st so vote early and often!
What are you waiting for? Click and search FocusMaine.
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Help Us Get to 2,000!
2,000 is the magic number! At 2,000 likes we can add a donate button to our page and be included in donation campaigns.
As a nonprofit we rely on contributions to ensure all Maine people have access to a quality education that provides them with the knowledge and skills required for a career and economic success. Help us make that mission easier - like us on
Facebook!
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Jumpstart College with University of Maine at Augusta
UMA is offering a free one credit course, Managing Early Success in College, beginning July 13 for any adult or post-traditional student exploring a return to college. Students who complete the class will receive academic coaching, and a $200 voucher for textbooks if they enroll at UMA in the fall semester.
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This summer the Island Institute is hosting a series of virtual events to engage and inform island community residents and their supporters.
Throughout the series, there will be various panels from Maine's islands and coastal communities discussing current challenges and emerging solutions for Maine's lobster fishery, climate change, broadband, and the creative economy.
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Maine Dept. of Ed Begins Work on New Learning Platform
The DOE is developing a platform created by Maine educators for Maine educators and students that will include a resource bank of robust learning opportunities.
These modules could be utilized for enhancing lessons, remediation, enrichment, credit recovery, or for use during remote learning.
The new
platform is scheduled to launch in September.
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Working Remotely From Maine?
Have you been working remotely in Maine (maybe the last few months or forever)? Do you know someone who has? Please fill out and share Live + Work in Maine's survey! They are gathering data and stories about what it's like to love and work remotely in Maine.
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Author Robin D'Angelo
Today at 4:15 pm
Robin D'Angelo is the author of the NY Times bestselling book
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.
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Maine's primary and special referendum election are scheduled for July 14th.
An important bond question is included in this referendum election and we strongly encourage all our supporters to request an absentee ballot to ensure your voice is heard.
We urge you to learn more about broadband and vote "Yes" on Question 1:
Do you favor a $15,000,000 bond issue to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved and underserved areas, to be used to match up to $30,000,000 in federal, private, local or other funds?
Kate Meyer, Teacher at Mt Desert Island High School; AOS 91 and 2020 Hancock County Teacher of the Year commented on the broadband issue and its impact on Maine students, "Broadband is an equalizer and in this age is just as important as having electricity and water. EVERYONE should have access to reliable broadband internet... In order to do remote learning in a way that's equitable, something has to change in our state around what's considered a public utility. Getting broadband internet to all students in Maine needs to be our number one priority before we even think about going remote in the fall as ALL students (and their teachers) must have access."
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Maine App Challenge Winners Announced
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The 2020 Maine App Challenge winners were celebrated virtually on June 23rd. Congratulations to our top three finishers, all female, a first for the Maine App Challenge! Casco Bay High School received a $500 award for having the most submissions. The Maine App Challenge is sponsored by Tyler Technologies.
Parker Harnett - Junior, Yarmouth HS
Find ways to donate time, money, and stuff. Organizations can register so people can find them.
Sarah Hagan - Sophomore, Cape Elizabeth HS
An educational tool to help students with physics. The core is a calculator to allow students to fill in known values for the kinematic equations and includes a mascot and jokes shown when correct answers are given.
Elena Miller - Sophomore Yarmouth HS
Scoregenix will keep a scorebook for a softball or baseball game. The user enters the result of each pitch and the app keeps track of everything that happens during the game. After the game is finished, the user can export the scoresheet to Excel.
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CONNECT WITH US:
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Joe Hennessey Receives National Award
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One teacher from each state is given the award which comes with a $10,000 prize. Joe is a teacher at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford and serves on the Educate Maine Board of Directors.
The award was established and named after philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, who supports inspiring teaching in K-12 schools across the nation.
Each winner is also eligible for a national award and a $50,000 prize, to be announced later.
The award winners are selected for demonstrating high levels of inspirational teaching practices by engaging students, building student confidence, motivating students to succeed, giving students a voice and creating an inclusive environment.
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Summer Learning Starts With Lunch
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Over 350 college students are enrolled in this summer's FocusMaine Intern Experience. Many are interning with business partners around the state but with internships limited by the pandemic some students are joining to build networks and develop their career outside of traditional internships. Participants are engaging in webinars and panel discussions at lunch time for 10 weeks this summer.
The first event was held the week of June 15th and featured Leadership Lessons from Lisa DeSisto, CEO of
Masthead Maine, publisher of the Portland Press Herald. Students had an opportunity to hear how her conversations through her series,
Like A Boss, has shaped her own career and vision of leadership. Lisa also spent time answering students questions to help them navigate their own careers, interterviewing, and working in the age of COVID. The discussion was moderated by Katie Shorey of
Live + Work in Maine.
A full
calendar of events is available for any college student living or working in Maine this summer. Registration is free.
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As of June 27, we've raised $14,195
for local bookstores - nearly doubling the total in the last month alone!
The Law Offices of Joe Bornstein stepped up in April to provide a $5,000 matching grant to the Challenge. There is still $540 on the table! Please help us maximize every dollar by sharing this email or making a donation.
In the past month, the 2020 Books Challenge used a portion of funds donated directly to support Maine teachers who want to diversify their school libraries. These teachers made purchases that reflect racially relevant characters, honor the experiences of their diverse student bodies, and bring greater historical and cultural awareness to their classrooms. We will share stories from these classrooms on our website along with more information about our partnership with Reading Refuges, which is doing amazing work to provide travelling home libraries to students in need across Southern Maine.
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