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The City of Portland’s Public Health Division, working with Northern Light, will offer flu and COVID bivalent booster vaccination walk-in clinics at two locations. One is on Oct. 7 at the Portland Public Health Clinic, 39 Forest Avenue. The other is at City Hall on Oct. 12.

Deering High School BIPOC Students are featured in this Sept. 24 National Public Radio story about a new program called "Lift All Boats,” which seeks to help young Mainers of color learn how to lobster.

The Portland Public Schools is proud to announce that Portland High School (PHS) has been named one of the top schools in the state for “College Success,” according to GreatSchools, a nonprofit providing school information to parents and families across the nation. This recognition honors schools that excel at preparing students to enroll and succeed in college, as determined by available data in each state.

Thanks to a new Maine law, school meals are free for all Maine students, but it’s still very important to fill out a free-or-reduced school-meal application. Completing the applications provides the Portland Public Schools with family income data that helps the district receive the federal and state funding we need.

At its Sept. 20 meeting, the Portland Board of Public Education voted unanimously to approve a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Portland Education Association, The new contract shows trust and collaboration on both sides, with educators and the district working towards a common goal of student success. The contract begins this school year and runs through the 2024-2025 school year.

At its Sept. 20 meeting, the Portland Board of Public Education approved changing the district’s high school preference process. The change will begin with this year’s eighth-graders, the Class of 2027. The new high school preference plan will result in most students getting their first choice of school, but some will not because the plan is to limit the difference in enrollment between Deering and Portland high schools to about 30 students and reduce demographic disparity between the schools.

Research shows that making music benefits mental health, helps engage students in school, and builds community. Students need this more than ever. You can help!

At a ceremony in Brunswick Sept. 15, four Portland Public Schools educators were presented with the 2022 Education for the Common Good Award by Bowdoin College. The four recipients of this year’s award are Superintendent Xavier Botana; PPS Director of BIPOC Career Pathways and Leadership Development Julia Hazel; Portland High School Assistant Principal Alberto Morales, and Executive Director of Human Resources Barbara Stoddard. They were recognized for their work to transform conditions for educators of color in the district

To kick off the NEA Big Read: Portland, ME, a city-wide discussion of immigration using the adult novel INFINITE COUNTRY that is taking place this fall, the Portland nonprofit I’m Your Neighbor Books and USM’s Department of Literacy, Language, and Culture delivered 1,200 children’s books to the Portland Public Schools – texts that will extend the conversation from kindergarten to grade 12. I'm Your Neighbor uses children’s books and stories to welcome immigrants, sharing books that help all students to better understand the perspectives of others and learn to value diversity.

Rippleffect, a nonprofit that promotes youth development and leadership through adventure, on Sept. 13 officially announced the Rippleffect Outdoor Center (“ROC”), a central piece in Rippleffect's vision to provide equitable access for all Maine youth, starting in Portland’s backyard. 

The Portland Public Schools has worked with our medical team to develop COVID-19 protocols for the new school year that reflect federal CDC recommendations.

The district has a new assistant director of student support services for secondary schools: Sharlee Mahoney. Shar, who started work on Aug. 22, will be introduced to the Portland Board of Public Education in September. She is joining our district from the Falmouth Public Schools, where she was a special education coordinator and instructional strategist across all grade spans.

The Portland Public Schools mourns the loss of Pedro Matala, a Deering High School rising senior who drowned while swimming in the Presumpscot River July 24. He was a much loved student and athlete, and his parents attend Portland Adult Education, so also are members of the Portland Public Schools community.

Four recent Portland Public Schools graduates have been named 2022 Mitchell Scholars: Rahmat Ali, from Portland High School; Fatimah Lamloom, from Casco Bay High School; and Emmanuelle Lenge and Alia Usanase, both from Deering High School. All four graduated earlier this month.

This Portland Public Schools’ COVID-19 advisory reports numbers from the past six weeks, from mid-April through today, Friday, June 10. These weekly advisories have been an effort throughout the pandemic to keep the broader PPS community informed about the number of positive cases by school.

With the school year ending (June 14 is the last day for students and June 15 for teachers) and with a lower COVID prevalence in our community and schools, this will be our final weekly COVID report. We will not do weekly updates during summer school and, if current conditions hold, will not resume those reports for the 2022-2023 school year. Of course, should conditions change, we will resume appropriate communication to ensure that staff, students, families and the general public have the necessary information.

Deering High School held graduation exercises for the Class of 2022 on Thursday, June 2, at Merrill Auditorium.

The City Council voted on May 16 to approve in full the Portland Board of Public Education’s recommended $133.1 million FY23 school budget, turning down amendments to reduce it. The budget will now go to city voters on June 14.

Portland Public Schools student athletes distinguished themselves during the winter athletics season.

Each year, Maine high school principals nominate one senior from their schools to receive an MPA Principal’s Award. The award, sponsored by the Maine Principals' Association, is given in recognition of a high school senior's academic achievement and good citizenship.

Early in April, Bertha (Brien) Montgomery, a 1940 graduate of Deering High School, turned 100, and Krista Simonis from the DHS guidance office was privileged to attend her birthday party on behalf of the school.

The Portland Board of Public Education on April 5 voted unanimously to approve a $133.1 million school budget proposal for the 2022-2023 school year. The theme of the FY23 budget is “Keeping the focus on teaching and learning.” The Board’s budget goes to the City Council on April 11.

Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deering High School participated in Million Meals Maine (MMM), a fundraiser that supported a charity called Feed My Starving Children.

In addition to the Deering High School Debate Team’s great success at the State Championship Tournament in February, team members have now qualified for nationals.

Superintendent Xavier Botana presented his $132.9 million school budget proposal for the 2022-2023 school year to the Portland Board of Public Education on Tuesday, March 15. The theme of the FY23 budget is “Keeping the focus on teaching and learning.”

Congratulations to the Deering High School Debate Team for their fantastic success at the Feb. 12 State Championship Tournament.