From the Superintendent
This is the seventh segment in a multi-part series taking a deeper dive into the 2024-25 district strategic priorities. The Strategic Plan identifies Wellness as one of the four core components of a student's experience in MSAD #51, with safety a critical area of focus. This year's district priorities center on physical safety with respect to emergency planning and cybersecurity.
Though we have always invested in safeguarding our technology systems and devices, cybersecurity has become an area of intense focus over the last year or so, given the rise in cyber attacks in school districts both here in Maine and across the nation. Our strategic priority is to develop a best-practice cyber plan that ensures we are using the most current tools available to secure our infrastructure in order to protect student and staff privacy. The first layer of protection comes from risk management and mitigation protocols, including identifying vulnerabilities and taking corrective action to minimize them. Fortunately, over the past five years, the district has invested in a new network (paid out of pandemic-era federal funds), cybersecurity controls, and other network integrity processes and redundancies. Though we cannot prevent all attacks, having a variety of detection, response, and prevention strategies in place will help keep attempts at bay. Over the last year, we have introduced our school community to standard practices aimed at preventive maintenance, such as multi-factor authentication, password management, and third-party data sharing restrictions.
In addition to having contingency plans in place to prevent cybersecurity attacks from infiltrating our systems, the other layer of prevention is education. Our district has a K-8 Digital Citizenship Scope & Sequence based on resources provided by Common Sense Media. One example of this curriculum is from a grade 7 lesson called "Don't Feed the Phish" with the following objectives:
- Compare and contrast identity theft with other kinds of theft.
- Describe different ways that identity theft can occur online.
- Use message clues to identify examples of phishing.
Helping students understand that they play an important role in responsible digital citizenship is key. At the end of the day, cybersecurity is a fact of life in the digital age. It is part of living in the 21st Century and preparing our students for their future in a globally interconnected world.
Regards,
Jeff Porter
Another great “Grand Event”! One grandmother drove all the way up from Vermont for it and look at that adorable shirt! 
GHS staff had a great time participating in trivia during their recent professional development day.
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MSAD #51 Board of Directors Information
All meetings will take place at 6:00 pm in the Gyger Room at Greely High School. For those of you unfamiliar with that room, the Gyger Room can be accessed from the GHS parking lot (the side without the electronic sign).
November 7 - Regular Meeting
Remember you can watch our meetings on YouTube LIVE (http://bit.ly/msad51livevideo
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Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes
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Community Partners
Our Community Partners are strong supporters of various areas of the school. Without them, our students would not have many of the wonderful opportunities and experiences that they receive.
Parent Power Appeal Fundraiser
Our largest fundraiser of the year! Please help us reach our goal of $20,000 by November 8. Donate today at https://account.venmo.com/
Parent U Presents: Project iGuardian
Homeland Security Special Agent Chris Fitzpatrick will educate and inform parents on how to protect their children from the risks they face in the online environment. Presentation for adults only. Register today, as space is limited!
Maine Mariners Takeover Day Fundraiser
Come out with family and friends to support our schools at the Greely PTO's Takeover Day at the Maine Mariners! Tickets are $20/each and game time is 3:00 PM on Sunday, November 17.
Greely PTO Holiday Variety Show
Can you sing, dance, act, juggle, tell jokes or more? Show us your talent! Grades 4-8 only, auditions due by November 10. Performance will be on Saturday, December 14 at the GCA. Questions? Email [email protected]
Useful Links
Greely Center for the Arts Events
If you would like something included in our weekly newsletter, please send a brief write up with title along with a JPEG or PNG image of your flyer (if applicable) to Melissa Porter for approval. The deadline each week is Wednesday. Any requests received after Wednesday will be reviewed for possible submission in the following week's newsletter. All approved submissions will be posted on the district's website.
Not all items in this email are MSAD #51 sponsored programs. If you need more information, please contact the group or organization that is sponsoring the event.
357 Tuttle Road, PO Box 6A, Cumberland, ME 04021
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