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There are many ways to volunteer in The Portland Public Schools. Volunteers are always needed for classroom assistance, after-school tutoring, and chaperoning field trips. In addition, there are a wide variety of other volunteer opportunities. Check out the following examples and volunteer to make a difference in the lives of our students:

World-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma is coming to Portland’s Merrill Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 10 – and Portland Public Schools high school orchestra students will have a unique opportunity to attend as Ma rehearses with the Portland Symphony Orchestra that day.

Every year for nearly two decades, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has held oral arguments in appeals of real cases in Maine high schools as a learning exercise for students. This year, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, the state’s highest court will be holding oral arguments at Deering High School, with students from Deering, Portland and Casco Bay high schools invited to attend.

Joshua Chard, East End Community School teacher and 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year, and Melissa Frans, PPS special education multilingual coordinator, have been named as Maine Department of Education 2024/25 Teacher Leader Fellows – a cohort of six extraordinary educators from across the state. The six will share their expertise in civics, personal finance, integrated arts, and multilingual learning, including teaching multilingual learners with disabilities, with other educators across the state.

The Portland Public Schools needs school crossing guards. Be a local hero to help students get to and from school safely! Rewarding work with no nights, weekends or holidays. Earn $20 per hour plus bonus time! For more information, call Area Supervisor Lenore at (207) 680-0180, text “KIDSSAFE” to 22100 or visit: https://acmssafety.com/careers/

The Portland Public Schools will again be partnering with Northern Light to offer flu vaccines in our schools for students and staff. Students and staff must enroll a week prior to the clinic. Unlike previous years, there will not be any same-day enrollments for the flu clinics.

The first PATHS SkillsUSA Car Show on Sept 21 was an overwhelming success, surpassing expectations for the inaugural event, according to Kevin Stilphen, director of PATHS (Portland Arts and Technology High School).

On Saturday, Sept. 21, the Portland Public Schools will hold ribbon cuttings to celebrate the completion of the renovation projects at Presumpscot, Longfellow and Reiche elementary schools! City voters in 2017 approved a $64 million Buildings for Our Future (BFOF) bond for renovations to Lyseth, Presumpscot, Longfellow and Reiche elementary schools. The renovations to Lyseth were finished in 2021, and a community celebration was held then.

Seven Portland Public Schools seniors have been named as Semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program: Violet Blum Levine, Anja Machado and Asa Tussing, all students at Deering High School; and Madeline Butters, Lawrence Foster, Dvora Katz and Alexander Price, all Portland High School students.

The entire PPS employee community gathered together on Wednesday, Aug. 28, in Merrill Auditorium to launch the 2024-2025 school year as one team, generating energy, inspiration, and a shared sense of belonging. The All Staff Welcome event also included a foundational overview of the district’s new strategic plan and priorities for the new school year.

The 2024-2025 school year officially gets underway for students in September, but schools are also holding open houses and other activities in August to welcome back students and families.

At its Aug. 6 meeting, the Board of Public Education approved the appointment of Darralynn Jones as Lyman Moore Middle School Principal and also of three assistant principals: Alberto Morales at Casco Bay High School, Kristin Rogers at Talbot Community School; and Rebecca Schouvieller at Deering High School. The Board also approved the appointment of Spencer Allen as Portland High School’s co-curricular director and was introduced to David Briley as a new teacher leader at Reiche Elementary School, a teacher-led school.

Three Portland Board of Public Education seats are up for election on Nov. 5: an at-large seat and the District 1 and District 2 seats. Only the at-large seat is contested on the ballot.

That seat is currently held by Board member Nyalat Billiew, who is not seeing re-election. Two candidates are vying for that at-large seat: Maya Lena and John Rousseau, both newcomers to Portland politics. Lena is a substitute teacher and artist in Portland and a PPS parent.

Families, students, staff and members of the community are invited to apply for the district’s newly created Community Advisory Committee on Attendance Boundaries for PreK-8 Schools.

The new committee will be evaluating whether, and how, the district should redraw the enrollment boundaries for some or all of its elementary and middle schools to achieve more equitable enrollment and demographic balance. Also, the committee will consider whether changes should be made to the district’s current middle school model to better reflect current and future enrollment and better promote equity and achievement.

The Portland Public schools will be operating various summer meal sites at 11 locations across the city of Portland this summer. All children and teens 18 years and younger can receive a nutritious meal free of charge to be enjoyed on site. Most sites will begin serving on Monday, June 24.

The Board of Public Education is expected to vote on June 18, to establish a new Community Advisory Committee on Attendance Boundaries for PreK-8 Schools. Community members will be invited to apply for the new committee, which will evaluate whether the district should redraw the enrollment boundaries for some or all of its elementary and middle schools to achieve more equitable enrollment and demographic balance. Also, the committee will consider whether changes should be made to the district’s current middle school model to better reflect current and future enrollment and better promote equity and achievement.

The Portland Public Schools family mourns the loss of a sixth-grade student in about a tragic incident that occurred June 16. Rachsombath “Rex” Rasmey, a beloved member of the King Middle School family, passed away in a drowning accident at the Presumpscot River. Rex’s smile, sense of humor and positive energy will be deeply missed.

The Pride Portland! Parade is on Saturday, June 15, starting at 1 p.m. from Monument Square in Portland. Come out and celebrate with the Portland Public Schools as our community joins the parade to march for acceptance, equality, and inclusivity.

Portland voters on June 11 resoundingly approved the Portland Public Schools’ $161.4 million budget for fiscal year 2025. The vote was more than 70 percent in favor of ratifying the FY25 budget.

“We are deeply grateful to Portland voters for approving our school budget for the 2024-2025 school year,” Superintendent Ryan Scallon and Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz said in a joint statement. “In the face of daunting fiscal challenges, this budget is as responsive as possible to the needs of our students, staff and families, while also keeping in mind the concerns of taxpayers. The budget is grounded in equity, centers students, supports staff, provides additional resources to schools and is aligned to our emerging strategic plan. Thank you to Portland voters for demonstrating once again at the polls the value you place on a quality public education for our City’s children.”

Two Portland High School juniors, Harriet Mishkin and William Guerin, are already contributing to real-world scientific data. Under Dr. José Fernandez Robledo of Bigelow Labs, the students participated this school year in an experiment to test for the presence of transmissible neoplasia (cancer) in Mya arenaria, soft-shell clams from the Scarborough marshes. So far, they have found polluted water as a potential catalyst.

For the first time, multilingual Portland students are able to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) through an after-school class, thanks to a partnership between Portland High School Extended Learning Opportunities, Saint Joseph’s Rehabilitation and Residence, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Portland High School, one of the oldest operating public high schools in the United States, held its 203rd graduation exercises on Wednesday, June 5, at Merrill Auditorium. The late morning ceremony included remarks by Portland Superintendent Ryan Scallon and Portland High Principal Sheila Jepson, speeches and musical performances by students and the presentation of awards and diplomas.

The last day of school for students this year will be Friday, June 14, 2024, and the last day for teachers will be Monday, June 17, 2024. 

Those end dates reflect an extension of the school year by two days due to the inclement weather "snow days" that the Portland Public Schools called on Monday, March 25, and Thursday, April 4, following storms and power outages.

More than 40 Portland Public Schools employees have retired or will soon retire this school year. The retirees were honored by the Portland Board of Public Education and the district in a ceremony on Tuesday, June 4. Those recognized have served throughout the district and held a wide variety of roles in service of students and families. 

The school budget for the next school year goes to Portland city voters on Tuesday, June 11. Please make sure to make your voice heard by casting your vote. Everyone’s participation is crucial in ensuring the best for our schools and students. Every vote counts to get our budget for the 2024-2025 school year approved! Go to the City of Portland’s Elections & Voting page to learn more and find your polling place.