Category: Uncategorized

Steve Connolly, Executive Director, shares further updates on new and existing host sites for 2025-2026, and announces an upcoming tour of Lewiston Middle School on May 27: Letter available HERE. The letter in ASL is available HERE.

If you live within 50 miles of York, Portland, Lewiston, or Brewer and are interested in sending your student to one of our host sites in those school districts next school year, please complete this survey and indicate your preference:

MECDHH/GBSD FAMILY SURVEY.

[If you would like assistance with completing the survey, please contact Kim Spencer: 207-781-6284 or kim.spencer@mecdhh.org.]

April 5, 2025

Please follow links below to read/watch updates concerning the transition of our regional programs from Portland Public Schools to Lewiston Public Schools (and possibly York) in school year 2025-2026.

Letter from our executive director

ASL interpretation of letter

Parent information sessions

• East End Community School & Lyman Moore Middle School – April 29, 1:00-1:45 PM
• Mackworth Island Preschool – May 1, 2:15-3:00 PM
  
  **These sessions will be held in the MECDHH/GBSD cafeteria, as well as over Zoom:**
  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5985709311?pwd=Cuqxx7jbcZdFg4zA6facbmaCJdeecB.1&omn=83096246456
  Meeting ID: 598 570 9311
  Passcode: 12345

Steve Connolly, Executive Director, shares information about school site collaborations for the 2025-2026 school year.

Letter available HERE

Video with ASL interpretation available HERE

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) had their board retreat in Maine earlier in October and visited MECDHH/GBSD! For more pictures, see NAD’s Facebook post

Steve has written a letter to staff and community.

To read the letter, click HERE

To view a video of the letter shared in ASL, click HERE

To view a video of the letter read aloud by Steve, click HERE

Read this article about Joshua Seal’s camp for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children continuing this summer in his memory.
Or download the pdf of the article HERE.

Boston Globe article, published November 5, 2023

CNN This Morning interview, aired October 30, 2023

Portland Press Herald, October 29, 2023

itvNEWS interview, October 27, 2023

AP US News, October 27, 2023

Daily Moth, October 27, 2023

CBSNews, October 27, 2023

Portland Press Herald, October 27, 2023

Well-regarded leader in Maine’s Deaf community leaving Baxter post

MECDHH/GBSD’s Executive Director Karen Hopkins, Preschool Coordinator, Cathy Lushman, and Early Intervention Coordinator, Amy Spencer joined over 150 early childhood providers on April 5 to celebrate the Week of the Young Child and support legislation to increase funding and benefits for early childhood programs.  This event created many connections to other early childhood programs and legislators.  We also did some recruitment and shared about our services and programs with many! It was a great PR day!

Full article HERE.

Departmental Reports January 2022

Read the interview in the December 21, 2020 Falmouth Forecaster.