Click the link below to see the April BOCES Now! This month we are featuring the Professional Learning and Innovation Center.

Join us for an exciting employee recognition ceremony on May 8 at 3 p.m. in the Ed Center Cafeteria, or tune in virtually if you can't make it in person! We've got fun raffles for everyone with items made by our students. We hope you can attend, either in-person or virtually. Please use the link below to sign up if you’re interested in winning one of these items. The sign-up will close on May 7 at 11:45 pm.

Dear All BOCES Employees,

Starting this week we have Four Wednesdays of Fitness this Spring in our Ed Center Gymnasium!

4/17/24

4/24/24

5/8/24

5/15/24

Our very own Rick Gridley will be offering a Workout Warmup from 3:15-3:45 p.m. followed by open pickleball play until the last person leaves the gym.

Both activities are open to anyone but please register below for adequate planning of activities and space. More details at the link below.

Special thanks to the PE Teachers and O&M Staff who have shared and prepared the space for these staff wellness activities. You’re the best!

Hope to see you there.

This month the DEI committee met virtually to discuss ways to improve the employee experience by celebrating diversity, promoting equity and inclusion, and creating a sense of belonging for all employees. In particular, the committee is coming up with ideas about how to institute training across the organization. The committee has been learning about implicit bias and how identity shapes a person’s sense of self. The committee will be working with the Communications and Public Relations video team to create a custom training video that will be shown to all employees at the start of the school year. We’re excited about this project and will be looking for employees to participate in the filming of this video in the coming months.

It's tax time! Did you know the IRS has a tool to help you estimate the federal income tax you want your employer to withhold from your paycheck? Click below on the tax estimator. Employees can change their tax withholdings by completing the appropriate tax form on the BOCES website. Completed tax forms can emailed to payroll1@btboces.org.

We are working on wrapping up the 2024-25 school budgets.

As part of our CBO Staff Appreciation and Recognition (STAR) program, we recently recognized employees for their performance, creativity, organizational abilities, work successes, principals of community, and teamwork. Please join us in congratulating the employees who received:

Sherry Darling, Broome-Tioga BOCES classroom monitor for W.A. Olmstead Elementary School in the Harpursville district, was recognized by Visions Federal Credit Union as their Educator of the Year.

Darling was nominated by co-workers in the BOCES Crossroads program at Harpursville. BOCES and Harpursville administrators, faculty, staff and family last week joined representatives from Visions to present the award, which included lunch, a cake and a certificate, but was also punctuated by a $2,000 gift from Visions.

True to humble form, Darling said she called Visions recently when she realized her account was up a couple thousand dollars. “I knew they’d made a mistake, so I had to tell them,” she said, laughing. “Then they told me, no, it wasn’t a mistake at all.”

Please join us in congratulating Sherry on this well deserved honor.

Recently in our Culinary Arts program, five of our seniors completed a practical assessment for the SUNY Broome Culinary Arts program to earn college credits and test out of their professional cooking class.

They had to fabricate a chicken, show knife cuts, make a chicken stock and make a chicken dish with a vegetable and starch component. Happy to report all of our students passed the test with excellent scores and earned the college credits for their first semester.

Thanks to our articulation agreement with SUNY Broome, these five students will have a total of seven credits before they graduate high school. The students are: Summer Champion (CV), Yasr Ismail (JC), Holden Isaac (JC), Lana Tanco (OFA), Anna Howell (Vestal).

The New Visions Business Academy recently welcomed back alum Jacob Kumpon, who is co-founder of KLAW Industries. The students learned about pitch competitions in preparation for their upcoming business plan pitch competition. We love bringing back our graduates to share their experiences and encouragement.

With the SkillsUSA state-level competition/convention coming up later this month, our dynamic team of advisers/coaches held a parent meeting earlier in April to get everyone on the same page for all the event’s logistics. We had a terrific turnout, as our Broome-Tioga BOCES students and their families look forward to the April 24 - 26 state-level competition in Syracuse, NY.

Congratulations to all the winners and competitors at this week’s annual Southern Tier Robotics Challenge. A big congrats and thank you, as well, to these folks on our Broome-Tioga BOCES team, who plan and execute the event: Melinda Russell, Brian Tolan, Matt Hamilton-Jones, Eric Seager and Tiffny Dumian. Well done!

STEM Hub funded the event. SUNY Broome hosted.

Students headed out a bit early on April 8, the highly anticipated date of the most recently solar eclipse. Many of our faculty and staff were on our main campus at Glenwood Road to tried to witness the thing … but sadly, an overcast Binghamton sky didn’t allow us to view much. We sure did have fun trying, though!

The last week of March, we held our PALS/MOVE/Oak Tree Talent Show, where there were smiles all around. From the participants, to the coordinators, to our enthusiastic audience, it was a terrific event here at Broome-Tioga BOCES.

Chris Mack is a senior in our Broome-Toga BOCES IT Specialist program. He is working at TechMD in Endicott in a co-op (internship) coordinated by our BOCES Career Development Center. This is just one of the numerous student placements the CDAC coordinates.

He is enjoying his time at TechMD, putting his tech skills to use while gaining hands-on training. He’s received rave reviews from his TechMD supervisor. Well done, Chris … and well done, CDAC team.

In so many of our programs here, instructors invite former students to come back to the classroom and share their real-life experiences in their given field(s) of expertise. That was the case in late March when Don Entwistle called upon his former student Sony Jean Philippe to visit and bring a lesson called “Stop The Bleed” to our current Criminal Justice students. Philippe works UHS Emergency Medical Services.

Whether using a tourniquet, quick clot, or stuffing the wound with various materials, the students gained useful training in more life-saving techniques to prepare them in the event of an emergency.

We unveiled a new clothing program in which students can pick out professional attire for fancy events like school dances/prom or job interviews.

Dave Cottrell had a huge impact on this effort. He said the Helping Hand 607 Studio presents a situation where students in need will be able to come in multiple times a year to get any (type) of clothing that they are in need of. If you have a safe and dignified place, we’re helping them build their confidence. Whether it’s now or five years down the road, they know how to wear a suit for a certain interview.

“This site has been beyond a home run," said Steve Moschak of the Career Development Center. " It makes the kids feel so special. It’s been really gratifying to see some of the students come through already.”

In March, nine of the 15-component school district school nutrition programs were audited by the New York State Education Department. All districts received stellar audits with the success of directors, supervisors/managers, and staff. Meal compliance and procurement were all reviewed to ensure programs are following all federal and state regulations. Moving forward, school nutrition state audits will be every five years versus three years.

While the NY Thursday Farm to School Taste Tests in all 15 school districts are ongoing, the farm to school team (Food and Health Network and Broome-Tioga School Nutrition Services) has recently been active in testing recipes for a New York State Farm to School Cookbook, which is a collaboration between Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest New York, and Brigaid, a school nutrition consultant. Working with schools across New York State, recipes are being tested to ensure they are accurate and applicable to schools. The team has tested 6 cookbook recipes to date including Ziti and Meatballs, Marinara, Kale Caesar Salad, Caesar Dressing, Kale Chips, and a Chopped Cheese (& Beef) Sandwich. Thank you to the Deposit Central School District, Susquehanna Vallely Central School District, Tioga Central School Districts, Harpursville Central School District, Whitney Point Central School District, and the Union-Endicott Central School District for being integral in testing these recipes and having students provide feedback. The Ziti and Meatballs, Marinara, Kale Caesar Salad, and Caesar Dressing were all tested as a meal at the Deposit Central School District. This was a huge success with many students asking for multiple servings of the Kale Caesar Salad! The Kale Caesar Salad was also tested in other school districts and received a 91% approval from students. The Kale Chips, a 76% approval and the Chopped Cheese (& Beef) Sandwich, a 93% approval from students. The taste tests were a success in introducing students to new foods as they develop lifelong taste buds!

Congratulations to staff Jake Resnick and Joshua Hough, who were chosen to present their CTO Academy Capstone Projects at this year’s National Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Conference. Their work on creating sustainable device replacement plans while simultaneously prepping for device collection, device distribution, and cybersecurity education planning will be used to help other technology leaders nationwide.

In late March, members of the CPR team attended the New York School Association of Public Relations Conference in Syracuse. The team took part in professional development and learned more about ways to communicate effectively, how to supercharge websites, and how to serve our school communities better. This was a great experience for the team to refresh their skills and even pick up some new tricks from colleagues across the state. During the conference, Jimmie Buyck, Allen Lown, and Linda Myers were presented with awards for their video submissions.

The graphic designers of the Communications and Public Relations Office have also been busy. Paul Marinaro and Amy Tillotson have been working on creating graphics for the SCRIC and CDC. You can see their work on the walls of the ISC SCRIC office and the Career Development Center.

This month Document Services is looking forward to receiving a brand new piece of equipment that will allow us to cut various materials. This machine, paired with a new wide-format printer, will open up our printing options and create new opportunities for services. One of the items we will be able to make will be yard signs, which is very exciting. In the past, we were only able to create straight cuts, so this will allow us to create custom stickers, magnets, and signs in special shapes.

The PLIC facilitated numerous professional learning opportunities across the BT BOCES region on March 13 and 14 to support teachers in multiple content areas. A huge thank you goes out to participating districts who volunteered to host these events- Chenango Valley CSD and Whitney Point CSD. We appreciate your support and partnership, as events such as these could not happen without you!

Highlights from professional learning include…

Southern Tier Science and Math Conference

The Southern Tier Science and Math Conference returned with great success for the first time since 2020, taking place on Wednesday, March 13, at the Chenango Valley Central School District. The STEM event, a new combination of the previous separate science and math conferences, attracted over 200 educators from across the region, providing them with a valuable opportunity for professional development on a larger scale. STSM was generously sponsored by local organizations such as the Southern Tier Master Teacher Program, FOSS Science, Delta Engineering, the Teacher Center of Broome County, and Visions Federal Credit Union.

The conference had over 30 presentations delivered by some of the most talented and knowledgeable educators in our region, covering a wide-range of topics in STEM education. Participants also had opportunities for engaging discussions, hands-on activities, and valuable networking sessions.

The conference also offered 50+ raffle giveaways from various educational companies, allowing teachers to walk away with prizes that can be used to directly impact their classrooms. Participants also gave back by donating non-perishable items to local food banks.

This collective effort and participation highlighted the Southern Tier community's commitment to advancing STEM education and showcased the amazing work that is taking place throughout the region.

Save the date for next year's conference on Thursday, March 13, 2025!

Physical Education teachers from across the region came together at Chenango Valley MS/HS to learn more about specific activities aligned with the NYS Physical Education Learning Standards, how to use Artificial Intelligence to support them in planning for PE lessons, and the fundamentals of Pickleball. Melinda Ligeikis, Marianne Hertzog, Gabby Amelio, and Keri Stenta, physical education teachers from Binghamton City School District, shared lesson ideas and instructional strategies used to support students in achieving the NYS PE Learning Standards. Elyse Loughlin, associate in physical education at NYSED also led a session to unpack the NYS PE standards and make connections to other NYSED initiatives. Coach “Z”orano Tubo and his dynamic team from the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association led teachers through active learning opportunities to better understand the fundamentals of teaching pickleball. It was a great day of learning, all focused on motivational strategies to engage students in developing physical literacy skills.

Kesha James and Shane Weigand of Coordinated Care Services, Inc. facilitated a local history curriculum clinic at the Johnson City Learning Center for regional social studies teachers, administrators, students and community members. Teaching and learning teams “lived” parts of local history curriculum modules for grades 4, 8 and 11. Participants considered how the local Broome and Tioga County history of enslavement, resistance and civil rights allows students to build their skill with the NYS Social Studies Practices and learn about people and places of significance in their communities and New York State in a culturally responsive way.

One Hundred and Seventy regional Music and Art teachers came together at Whitney Point High School to learn about and participate in conversation around content and best practices in K-12 Music and Art. The day began with a Keynote speech by Dr. David Brown Director of Graduate Education for Le Moyne College. He spoke about the importance of Fine Arts education in creating graduates who will be productive and successful members of society. Following the keynote, there were thirty three different sessions presented by thirty six different educators that teachers could select from throughout the day. Some of the topics included building cohesive K-12 programs, preparing students for NYSSMA, the IAAP and portfolios, teaching musicality, and hands-on sessions such as Watercolor techniques, Zentangle, and Illustration Transfers. Throughout this day teachers were able to think and learn together, as well as, building connections and community

School librarians from around the region met at Chenango Bridge Elementary School for a session on Media Literacy in the School Library. Nicole Laura, Director of Professional Learning and Innovation at Broome-Tioga BOCES started the day with a session on tech ethics and how they connect to the various standards used to create school library lessons. After lunch, we were joined by Sharon Fox, a school librarian for the Newburgh Enlarged City District, who taught us how we can use items around our libraries, such as book covers and signage, to engage our students in meaningful conversations around the media they encounter in their everyday lives. The day ended with time for district level teams to collaborate and brainstorm next steps. It was a great day and allowed all of us to look at media literacy, and how it impacts our library programs, in a new way!

The PLIC is excited to introduce Jessica Edwards, who joins our team in the role of Instructional Technology Support Specialist. Jessica will be working with the Binghamton City School District across multiple sites including Franklin, Roosevelt, Mann, and McArthur.

We are also pleased to welcome Kara Talbut and Toni Walker to our team as Instructional Support Specialists focusing on ELA/Literacy for the RISE grant.

Furthermore, we extend a warm welcome to Amy Fisk-Inguagiato, who joins us as a special education teacher for the Virtual Learning Academy. In this role, Amy will offer tailored instruction to students and provide support for credit recovery and reading initiatives.

In today's interconnected world, where digital information flows freely, ensuring the security of our work environments has become paramount. One simple yet often overlooked practice is locking your computer when stepping away. This small action holds significant implications for safeguarding not only your data but also your professional integrity.

Imagine leaving your front door wide open while you're away from home. Anyone passing by could easily wander in and access your belongings. Leaving your computer unlocked poses a similar risk in the digital realm. Unauthorized access to your computer opens the door to potential data breaches, identity theft, and compromised systems.

Locking your computer with a simple keystroke - Windows Key + L - serves as a digital lock, effectively preventing unauthorized access. It acts as the first line of defense against prying eyes and people who may seek to exploit this vulnerability.

Your computer is not merely a tool for productivity; it's a repository of sensitive information. From confidential documents to personal emails, your screen often displays a wealth of private data. Failing to lock your computer before stepping away exposes this information to anyone passing by, compromising your privacy and potentially the privacy of others.

Locking your computer before stepping away demonstrates your conscientiousness and respect for both your own work and that of everyone in your district. It sends a clear message that you take security seriously and adhere to professional standards in safeguarding sensitive information.

*This article was written with the help of ChatGPT