I am very thankful for and appreciate the opportunity to work with you as we educate and continue to serve the children of Maine Indian Education. I wanted to welcome back all of you.
I thank you for the many insights you and others have already provided throughout this year. As proud Passamaquoddy and Penobscot communities, as the State of Maine, and as a Country, we continue to navigate through significant and difficult challenges. As individuals, we all have unique perspectives. However, as a tribal school community, we share one thing in common: we are all united and focused on our commitment to serving Maine Indian Education children and families.
Maine Indian Education, as an organization, is genuinely invested in and cares deeply about every student who walks through our doors. School Committee members, parents and guardians, and community members are committed partners in providing for the children. Our main focus has been to establish an efficient and strategically focused organization that can improve student achievement and operations. Maine Indian Education employs extremely hard-working, committed individuals. Developing systems in which all staff members are contributing to articulated and focused goals will lead to improved outcomes for students and the communities. When we couple an effective system with our dedicated team members, we will see that all things are possible.
We have an ethical responsibility to assist all students in realizing their full potential. Educators must manage fundamental changes to the core functions of teaching and learning. Our approach to galvanizing all Maine Indian Education staff around improved student achievement is a systems approach, where every facet of the school is interrelated and functions in unity for a singular purpose. We will have a shared vision, personal commitment to excellence, and dedication to lifelong learning.
We are creating “Communities Committed to Learning, through Rigor, Relevancy, and Relationship” where children and adults, individually and collectively, are continually increasing their capacity to reach shared goals. Some of our key activities and partnerships listed below were focused on our key system-wide goals of Wabanaki Studies, Blended Learning, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Response to Intervention, both under the umbrella of a Multi-tiered System of Supports. We are developing our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) because every child requires a more personalized system of support.
Some of the highlights of our work during the past year are as follows:
- Development of Maine Indian Education's Talented and Gifted Program. (More information will be shared soon.)
- Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV). A one-time funding award of $250,000 from Maine’s Department of Education for our RREV Pilot Project. We’re designing new programming for middle school students for the 2022-23 school year that includes: immersive project-based experiences, daily activities focused on language and culture, and real-world learning. Each hands-on module will be structured into eight-week periods with one full school day every two weeks dedicated to programming. Students will have a voice and choice regarding their learning pathways
- Investing in a long-term relationship with WaYS (Wabanaki Youth in Science) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) to center Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in units of study while also recognizing the contributions of western science.
- The implementation of WeCare (behavioral health services) to provide 24 hours and 365 days of behavioral support to our staff, students, and parents to address the impact of the Pandemic and the rise in cases of depression, substance use disorder, and other behavioral health needs. https://helpwhereyouare.com
- Implementation of new Pre-Kindergarten Class at Sipayik Elementary School. We believe that building on a strong and effective Pre-Kindergarten program will support a seamless transition into our K-8th grade programming and our efforts to address students’ emotional and academic needs.
- Enhanced the Maine Indian Education Communication with upgrades to a Unified Internet, Wi-Fi, and Voice System at the 1GB speed, improving our District Website and offering the Maine Indian Education New APP to Catch up with the latest student stories, events, and news updates. It’s everything Maine Indian Education, in your pocket. Download the app on Android: https://bit.ly/3gN5MSt or iPhone: https://apple.co/3gGLieq . https://www.maineindianeducation.org
- Opening the new and beautiful Sipayik Elementary School in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Maine Department of Education.
- Installation of high-frequency air purification systems in schools that removes more than 99% of viruses and airborne particles such as COVID-19 and Flu.
Most sincerely,
Reza Namin, Ph.D.