If you have e-mailed Maine ASCD in the past 24 hours, and not gotten a response, it is because my laptop hard drive crashed and is currently out of commission. A new drive has been secured and is being installed as I write this, but it will likely be another 24 hours before everything is back up to speed.
We apologize for the inconvenience. In the meantime, the phone still works!
~John Brandt
Maine ASCD News
April 2008
Exciting New Professional Development Opportunities
Maine ASCD has two new professional development activities coming this spring. Beginning in a few weeks, a new on-line Moodle course is being offered. "What the Heck is a Professional Learning Community (PLC) Anyway?" will be taught by Acton Elementary School's principal, Kyle Rhoads. The on-line course which will mix readings, on-line discussion groups and listserv activities all provided through the Maine ASCD Moodle board, will begin on or about April 21st and run until late August. Several “breaks” will be built into the course. A complete program description and registration materials may be found on our website:
http://www.maineascd.org/moodle-plc
Coming back to Maine in early May, Pam Robbins will be presenting, "Promoting School and Student Success: Promising Practices" at the Elks Conference Center in Waterville. Pam has many fans here in Maine and is always a great presenter. This event - on May 8th - will provide practical strategies to promote staff and student learning, healthy, collaborative learning cultures and school success. Designed for both teachers and administrators, this program will include techniques to re-energize faculties and add vitality to school improvement efforts. Participants will leave the session having experienced the strategies and equipped with tools that can be implemented immediately in their contexts. A complete program description and registration materials may be found on our website:
http://www.maineascd.org/05022008
Journal of Maine Education Published
The 24th annual issue of the Jounal of Maine Education (JME) has been published and mailed to current members. The theme of this issue, Challenges and Opportunities of Technology's Role in Schools, is both timely and informative. To get the whole issue one needs to be a current Maine ASCD member, however we have provided a bit of a teaser and have published one of the great articles online. "Racing to Catch Up: Preparing School Staff for Teaching in Today’s Learning Environment" by Dave Fournier is available on our website: http://www.maineascd.org/node/40
A complete description of the 2008 JME may be found here: http://www.maineascd.org/jme
Jim Burke's "Tools of Thought" Well Received
Despite the less than spring-like weather, the audience of 60+ educators raved about Jim Burke's presentation last week in Portland. Being a classroom teacher, Jim's presentation provided highly valuable and pertinet advice and methods for engaging students and increasing thinking skills and literacy. He detailed methods for the teaching of literature and writing using constructive and instructive approaches that the participants found highly valuable. Many have asked for Jim to come back - something Maine ASCD is considering.
Maine ASCD Voucher Accounts
With budgets - and budget cuts - on everyone's mind, one of the best way to stretch your professional development dollars is with a Maine ASCD Voucher account. Working just like your bank debit card you may deposit any sum (minimum $100) in the Voucher Account today and use the account to pay for activities over the next 12 months. The next time you want to attend a conference or workshop, simply check off "Voucher Account" and you're done. No purchase orders to fill-out, checks to write, envelopes to stamp. In fact, you can register over the phone or via e-mail using your account number. Maine ASCD Voucher accounts opened between now and June 30th will enjoy a 10% discount. Complete details on our website: http://www.maineascd.org/voucher
Maine ASCD is very excited about bringing Jim Burke to Maine this month to talk about "Tools for Thought: Strategies for Reading, Writing, and Thinking." The workshop will be presented at the Holiday Inn West in Portland on March 28, 2008. Member's price is just $135.
For those not familiar with Jim's work, we have posted three video clips on our website, graciously provided by Jim's publisher, Heinemann.
Read more about the workshop "Tools for Thought: Strategies for Reading, Writing, and Thinking"
I had a little bit of a technical problem so I was not able to bring you more from the Samoset over the weekend. But here is what you missed...
Thoroughout Sunday's presentation artist Michelle Boos-Stone provided a graphic representation of what was being discussed in the What Works in Schools presentation offered by Mary McDonough. To the right is an image of one of Michelle's panels - click for an enlargement.
Many teams of teachers and administrators attended the conference together 
and used the valuable time to discuss the real issues they faced in their schools and classrooms.
But it wasn't all work. The presentations ended a 4:00 pm in plenty of time for the BIG Super Bowl Party at 5:45. 
~John Brandt
The Maine ASCD A-Team is here in beautiful Rockport for the first day of the What Works in Schools - Winter Retreat co-sponsored by the Maine Support Network. Kicking off the game, John Brandt and Carlene Iverson entertained the crowd from the press box and introduced Head Coach Mary McDonough who will serve as the major presenter today and tomorrow. Also introduced was Special Teams Coach Michelle Boos-Stone a "graphic recorder" who will also be hosting a session tomorrow.
The MSN Winter Retreat is an annual event held here at the Samoset and historically attracted primarily an audience of special educators. This year the event was redesigned and Maine ASCD was asked to collaborate. "We felt the two organizations and their constituents were a good match," said John Brandt, Maine ASCD's executive director. "Our goal was to try and bridge the various groups and help to bring people together."
Being that this is Super Bowl Sunday - Go Pats - we have incorporated football into the theme of the event.
We'll report more later today!
As you know, Maine ASCD and the Maine Support Network are jointly sponsoring a two-day retreat entitled Huddling with your Professional Learning Community to Explore the Art & Science of What Works in Schools.
For those seeking more background information about the topic, I invite them to listen to a podcast interview with Bob Marzano where he discusses What Works in Schools and, in particular, his newest book The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction.
Listen to the podcast - and register today for this exciting program!
~John Brandt
The New Year brings more exciting opportunities for high quality professional development including a special partnership with the Maine Support Network, Literacy Study Groups and our traditional day-long conferences.
Check out the list of exciting professional development activities
In a special partnership with the Maine Support Network, Maine ASCD is co-sponsoring a two-day retreat featuring Mary McDonough on February 3-4, 2008. Entitled Huddling with your Professional Learning Community to Explore the Art & Science of What Works in Schools, the program will provide educators with specific, research-based strategies grounded in the extensive work of Robert J. Marzano. What Works in Schools is designed to offer participants research-based strategies to improve district, school and classroom practices. Strategies to support team learning during the conference will include the infusion of technology, visual learning cues, and cooperative and collaborative learning opportunities.
Mary McDonough is an educational consultant and ASCD faculty member who has worked with Robert J Marzano and Associates in a number of states. With more than a decade of educational experience in inner-city Mary is also a former president of Maine ASCD and curriculum director from the mid-coast region. Her sense of respect, awe, humor, and efficacy, regarding the challenges and opportunities facing educators today, is evident in her engaging presentation style.
The Retreat, taking place at the historic and picturesque Samoset Resort in Rockport, also features many unique learning and sharing opportunities including poster sessions where participants can showcase their own examples of "What Works in Maine Schools." Please visit the Maine Support Network website for complete details.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff, we wish you
Happy Holidays from Maine ASCD
~John Brandt
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Staff of Maine ASCD, we wish you a Happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving.
~John Brandt
