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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.

On Oct. 4, students will participate in planting apple trees provided by nonprofit ReTreeUS to create an educational orchard that will provide learning opportunities for years to come.

Deering High School turns 150 this school year and is extending a warm invitation to all “Ramilies” (current students and families), Deering alumni and Deering neighbors to celebrate with special 150th Homecoming events in October.

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.

Three Portland Public Schools students have been named as Semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program: Adrian Darlington, Caden Hemond and Matan Schoenfeld, all seniors at Portland High School.

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.

The Portland Public Schools announces its continued participation in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program. The program offers students, as part of an afterschool program in qualifying schools, an afterschool snack that we call SuperSnack. SuperSnack is available at no separate charge to all children. The district’s Food Service Department is working with the city of Portland’s Recreation Division’s Afterschool Program and the Learning Works programs. The 2023-2024 school year marks the sixth year that the district has participated in the program.

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

This summer, approximately 100 Portland Public Schools students were busy with internships that helped them explore a variety of potential careers that ranged from lobstering to engineering.

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!

Helene DiBartolomeo is the Portland Public Schools’ new executive director of finance and Dr. Sarah Warren is the district’s new executive director of operations. Three schools also have new assistant principals: Darralynn Jones at Lyman Moore Middle School; Hermenegildo Paulo at Talbot Community School; and Melissa Richard at Rowe Elementary School.

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.

Shoshana Hoose, an ESOL teacher at Portland Adult Education, recently received the Maine Adult Education Association’s Outstanding Teacher Award.

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.

Deering High School student Sherlindary Berrios, who immigrated to Maine 10 months ago from Venezuela, was featured in the Press Herald for her upcoming role in "CarmXn," a reinterpretation of the classic opera by Cape Elizabeth-based arts residency Hogfish. Read more.

Summer learning at the Portland Public Schools is underway. Here are some highlights.

The Portland Public Schools accepts funding through the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) of 1965. As part of ESEA, the district is required to provide reasonable opportunity for public comment on the consolidated application and consider such comment prior to the submission of the application. Portland is accepting public comment on the ESEA application through July 25, 2023. Click here for a description of proposed programming. Click here to share your thoughts about the application’s goals and priorities.

Portland Adult Education (PAE) hosted its 175^th graduation ceremony on June 22 at Merrill Auditorium. There were 65 graduates in the Class of 2023. PAE has been educating Portland adults since 1848.

Ashley Anderson, a special education educator at Presumpscot Elementary School, has been appointed as the school’s new assistant principal as of July 1. The appointment, which was approved by the Portland Board of Public Education at its June 20 meeting, is a half-time position. Anderson also will continue half-time in her role as a special education case manager at Presumpscot.

At its June 20 meeting, the Board of Public Education approved an adjustment to the 2023-2024 school year calendar that makes Tuesday, Sept. 5, a day for staff training and moves the first day of school for students in grades 1-12 to Wednesday, Sept. 6. That day will be a full day of school, not an early release day.