Biddeford Center of Technology

October has been a busy month for students and staff at COT!

Field Trips & Guest Speakers:

Our students have had multiple opportunities to meet representatives from various businesses who shared information with students about their industries. There was a high focus on the need to develop ‘soft skills. These skills include communication, work ethic, adaptability, leadership, problem solving and teamwork.

On October 6th students from plumbing, welding, electrical and construction participated in Maine Construction Day in Bath. Students across the region participated. Students returned with new knowledge, skills and even got some new PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) including hardhats and safety glasses.

If you saw young adults at the Saco Police Department on October 12th it was likely students from our Legal Studies class. They were there learning about the booking process and techniques to collect evidence. These students also had some former COT students return to speak with them about what is is like to be correctional officers at Cumberland County Jail.

Program Highlights:

Our Entrepreneur and Intro to Business class have teamed up to run "V. Inc. Vending," a vending cart/vending machine company. Our entrepreneur students are the CEOs of the company learning Quickbooks by entering all sales and expense data. the students in our Intro to Business program are the employees of the company. They have been busy stocking the vending machines, running the cart, and coming up with marketing promotions. In addition, this class is working with the Heart of Biddeford to study the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Soon they will go into the community to work on projects with local businesses.

Our Introduction to Education has finished their first aid training. The students have been studying about infant and toddler development and are able to start working with children at a local child care program. Some of the students are doing dual enrollment with SMCC. Seniors are also able to work independently on BHP training offered through through Woodfords Family Services and will be able to apply for their certification once all the requirements have been met.

In Teaching and Early Childhood students have been learning about the development of young children and what activities are best for 3-5 year olds to enhance their development. They are excited to welcome 19 children into Mother Goose Nursery School on Oct. 18. A couple students have also taken advantage of dual enrollment with UMF offered through this course.

Professional Development at COT:

October has included professional development training for our staff. On October 5th Titus O’Rourke and Danielle Despins from the Maine Department of Education provided updated information and guidance about Individual Education and 504 plans specific to Career Technical Education.

On October 7th the entire COT staff headed to the Lewiston Regional Technical Center for the annual MACTE (Maine Career Technical Education) conference. Our instructors met with other instructors from across the state for tech updates and attended various workshops. (Tech updates involve instructors meeting by programs, discussing instructional materials, program needs, industry updates and more.)

Schoolwide Events/Opportunities:

On October 27th many of our students will take the ASVAB, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. This aptitude inventory is beneficial to students who plan on entering the military and is also good for students who are unsure what they want their next steps to be. This inventory details areas of strengths and which careers are in alignment with those skills.

We want to thank the Finance Authority of Maine for helping us host the FAFSA Help Night. Several families were in attendance. If you have questions about FAFSA please contact Ms. Scribner here at COT or reach out to your guidance counselor at your sending school.

College visits have started! College representatives come to COT to share information with our students about their programs. Keep an eye out for upcoming visits!

Upcoming Dates:

10/20 5:30 - 7:00 PAC (Program Advisory Committee) meetings

10/27 ASVAB Testing

10/28 Quarter 1 Ends

10/31 Quarter 2 Begins

11/2 Early Release

11/2 Parent Teacher Conferences