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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:

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.

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.

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, who are super. We celebrate and appreciate them not only this month but always! To showcase them, we have asked our principals 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 Boyd Marley of East End Community School.

Joshua Chard, a veteran teacher at East End Community School, has been selected as the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year. The announcement took place at a ceremony at the school on Oct. 11, where Chard was honored by state education officials, fellow educators and students.

How can we support and guide our kids safely through the challenges of the “digital wilderness”? During a Portland Public Schools Parent University session titled “Left to Their Own Devices,” and scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, we’ll look at some reasons behind this difficult-to-navigate journey for parents and how to support media balance and well-being.

On Sept. 28, the district sent a letter to families and staff about plans for managing a potential shortage of bus drivers due to illness this school year, as COVID, the flu and RSV circulate in our community. If you missed the communication, it is shared here.

Three Portland Board of Public Education seats are up for election Nov. 7: an at-large seat and the District 4 and District 5 seats. Only the at-large seat is contested on the ballot.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has begun mailing out Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) cards to Maine families, and some parents are understandably reaching out with questions. Here are some answers.

The Portland Public Schools’ Multilingual and Multicultural Center will host Beyond Borders: A Conference on Migration and Integration on Sept. 27 at the University of Southern Maine.

The Portland Public Schools is participating in Special Provision II and Community Eligible Provision for the 2023-2024 school year. This alternative is referred to as Provision II and CEP.  All students enrolled in all of Portland’s public schools except the Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) may participate in the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program at no charge. Household applications are not required to receive free meals this school year but forms similar to applications may be distributed by the school and the district to collect household income data for other programs that require this information, such as Federal Title programs.

On Sept. 12, students from Casco Bay High School and East End Community School and supporters celebrated the completion of the new SolaRISE Lean-To on the East End campus. The solar lean-to, which will not only help EECS save on electricity costs but will serve to help educate students about solar energy, is a project spearheaded by SolaRISE Portland, a collaboration of students, teachers, and residents advocating for solar energy to power Portland’s schools.

Portland Public Schools Custodial Supervisor Steve Reed has written a poem to send a welcome back message from custodians for the 2023-2024 school year. “I thought that it might give teachers and other staff some insight into how we feel about them and our students,” Reed said.

All City Management Services is looking for “local superheroes” to become crossing guards serving Portland Public Schools students.

First, Joshua Chard, a veteran teacher at East End Community School, became the 2023 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year in May. Next, in July, Chard was named one of eight semifinalists for the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year honor. Now Chard has been selected as one of four finalists for 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year!

Julia Hazel, the district’s director of BIPOC career pathways and leadership development, is a recipient of the 2023 Maine Black Excellence Awards, presented by The Third Place on Aug. 13. Hazel received the Compass Career Award, which recognizes individuals who accomplish a standout achievement in their workplace or sector. 

The first day of school for students in grades 1-12 is Wednesday, Sept. 6. That day will be a full day of school, not an early release day. Thursday, Sept. 7, is the start date for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students.

At its Aug. 1 meeting, the Board of Public Education approved the appointments of Halima Noor as assistant principal of Deering High School and Scott Walker as assistant principal at Portland High School. The Board was also introduced to two newly hired Central Office administrators: Dr. Angela Atkinson Duina, executive director of elementary schools and Matthew Powers, director of data and analytics.

Joshua Chard, a veteran teacher at East End Community School and the 2023 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year is among eight County Teachers of the Year named as semifinalists for the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year honor.