Broome-Tioga BOCES' board President Sandra Ruffo, who is also the President of the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) recently had a conversation with David Guistina from WAMC about school safety, a potential cell phone ban, the need for more people to join school boards, the regionalization of school services mandate, and much more.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, part of the road behind the ISC will be reduced to one lane for a small paving project.

Traffic coming into the education center will be allowed through, but traffic leaving the center will be diverted.

A flagger will be on-site to direct traffic. This will only last for one day. Thank you for your cooperation.

Leading up to the holiday season and the season itself can be a stressful time. Caring for yourself is essential to maintaining well-being and building resilience. Your EAP is here to assist.

We are hosting two 30-minute Self Care Sessions presented by an ESI Account Manager who will highlight strategies you can use during the holiday season, and every day, for psychological, emotional, and physical wellness.

Self-Care Strategies for Psychological and Emotional Wellness: Learn how our thinking, planning, and communicating can help us avoid becoming overwhelmed by holiday stress.

• Thursday, November 7 12:30-1 ET - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SGXxlk7WRsqjMUELUvU0wQ
  
  

Self-Care Strategies for Physical Wellness: Learn how caring for yourself through nutrition, sleep, exercise, and relaxation can help minimize the effects of holiday stress.

• Thursday, November 14 3:30-4 ET - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Qc6ACt_ARTegshrJQnNP0g

Please register in advance for the sessions as space is limited!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us to learn more about how you can lean on your EAP for support.

Greetings from Health and Safety!

The month of October has been a busy one for our department! On Oct. 1 of every year all of our districts emergency response plans must be submitted to the State Education Department. These plans include a district wide emergency response plan and individual building level emergency response plans. These plans are updated annually and approved by the Board of Education before being submitted to the State Education Department as well as all of our local emergency response departments. The district wide safety plan is posted on each district's website.

Another project for October, which is an on-going project throughout the year is making sure all of our AED machines have up-to-date pads and batteries, so they are ready for use in case of an emergency situation.

We are also currently investigating a few indoor air quality (IAQ) complaints associated with mold. Mold is a precarious topic as some amounts of mold are always present in a building as there is always mold outside and every time a door is opened, and people enter mold is allowed inside the building. A concerning issue arises when the amount of mold inside is greater then the amount found outside when tested. This may be due to moisture coming in or building up somewhere in the building or certain items being brought into the building that may have mold on them which then reproduces. A lot of people suffer from mold allergies which can present themselves as symptoms similar to having a cold. Regardless of the severity of each situation we always consult with a professional to come and help resolve the issue at hand.

One last piece of information to share with you is that we’ve created an emergency response protocol to use at the start of any meeting with outside participants. This protocol explains what to do in case of an emergency.

Understanding the emergency response protocol is important for ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone attending a meeting at BOCES facilities. In the event of an emergency, knowing where exits are located and how to safely evacuate the building helps prevent panic and confusion, allowing for a swift and orderly response. Having two identified evacuation routes and access to emergency plans ensures that attendees have clear options for safely exiting.

Additionally, knowing where restrooms are and giving instructions for wi-fi access minimizes distractions and interruptions during meetings, allowing everyone to focus on the task at hand.

The link to this document can be found below.

Team,

We’ve been pretty busy around the entire campus but this week I would like to highlight the renovations to the Barns which will be the future home of animal science.

As you can see a lot has been done, but there is still a lot to go.

We are currently working on:

• Wall layout
• Plumbing
• Electrical
• HVAC
• Paint
  
  

I will keep you all posted as thing progress.

The management team also attended a JMT (Joint Management Team) meeting with BOCES from across the region to discuss a range of topics that affect all BOCES. It is always great to collaborate with peers across the region.

Our budget and financial analyst department is gearing up for budget season and is awaiting news on the Foundation Aid Study. The department is working diligently to get the first round of salary projections to our districts. October is also the month where our monthly fund balance meetings begin; this is a valuable resource for our districts as it gives the first glimpse of the expected financial performance for the year.

Purchasing and accounts payable are in the middle of cooperative bid orders and winding down from back-to-school orders. They are also working on filing transportation contracts and reviewing prior year purchase orders.

Payroll is busy getting new hires in for the start of the school year and working on quarterly tax filings.

Our communications and public relations team was on site at Construction-Technology Career Day, hosted by the Broome County Highway Department and organized by the Broome-Tioga BOCES Career Development Center. Our talented videographer Allen Lown produced a promotional video about the event.

Please take a look at the short video and feel free to share it as widely as possible.

We stopped into our Floral Arts studio recently to check on the progress of these chair covers, being prepped for a haunted house in Little Meadows, Pa.

Our students in Penny Baldwin’s studio having been working tirelessly on the project, which will also provide camouflage for stacked seats, and allow for scary monsters to blend in and maybe jump-startle visitors of the Halloween attraction.

Note: Floral Arts will soon undergo a name change and the program will be known as The BeeHive Gift Shop.

Greetings all…

Our open house and meet-the-teacher events are important pieces of what we do, but I realize they can also fade into everyday activities once we are fully back in session. Your efforts do not go unnoticed.

I want to thank each of you for your efforts making each of these events high points for students and families, as they visit our classrooms, kitchens, workshops and studios by getting an up-close view of what happens in all our Instructional Programs.

We’ve concluded them all, and I’m still hearing positives comments. Again, thank you, and congratulations on this success.

Tom McNair

In partnership with Broome-Tioga BOCES School Nutrition Services and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, The Rural Health Network of South Central New York was awarded $100,000 through the ninth round of Farm to School Funding. The funding will support the 15 component Broome-Tioga BOCES school districts in working with local farms and food business partners to solve sourcing and delivery logistics to provide students with more healthy local foods and opportunities to learn about agriculture. After the press conference, participants toured the school garden to see where students grow kale, beets, carrots, beans, and other garden produce.

Visitors and students also participated in a NY Thursday Taste Test of a NY Apple Crisp Parfait. This recipe highlighted NY Apples from Russell Farms, NY Yogurt from Upstate Farms, and NY Oats from the Catskills Agrarian Alliance. Over 92% of students loved or liked the parfait and many came back for seconds! Following the taste test, visitors enjoyed a delicious local lunch that included NY Chicken Mac & Cheese, Garlic Breadsticks, Steamed Broccoli, Harvest NY Apple Kale Salad with kale from the school garden, Fresh Vegetables, NY Apples, NY Concord Grape Apple Juice, and NY Milk.

A phishing email is a type of scam from a cyber-criminal posing as a reputable entity or person in an email. Typically, they are looking to compromise your account or steal information. Scammers are often after your passwords, identity, and money.

Phishing emails can potentially contain ransomware, which could be detrimental to a district’s data, finances, and reputation.

How to Identify Phishing Emails

· Suspicious Links and Attachments. Be wary of emails prompting you to click on links or download attachments, especially if they seem unsolicited or irrelevant.

· Email Sender. Always check the sender’s name and email! Do you know the domain it is coming from?

· Urgent Language. Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency, asking you to act quickly to avoid negative consequences.

· Personal Information. Be cautious if the email asks you for sensitive information, such as personal details, passwords, or financial information.

· Generic Greetings. Phishing emails may use generic salutations like "Dear Customer" instead of addressing you by name.

· Inconsistent Email Formatting. Look out for inconsistencies in font styles, colors, and logos that do not match the legitimate entity's usual format.

· External Sender Banner. Pay attention to the orange “external source” bar and assume something is unusual.

· Mismatched URLs. Hover over any links in the email to see if the URL matches the legitimate website of the entity the email claims to be from. Discrepancies can be a red flag.

· Free things. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

By keeping these things in mind, you can better protect yourself and our organization from the threats posed by phishing emails.

Jason McCulloch - IT Intern

Kimberly Belnome - Promoted from IT Assistant to Software Support Specialist

Jennifer Weston - Congratulations to Jenn on being selected for the CoSN Member Spotlight for October!

October was a busy and rewarding month for the Communications team at Broome-Tioga BOCES. Here are some key highlights:

- Broome-Tioga Trades Complex Groundbreaking Ceremony: We successfully coordinated the groundbreaking event for the Broome-Tioga Trades Complex, receiving outstanding media coverage. This event was a major milestone in expanding opportunities for students in our region, and we’re proud of the attention it garnered.

- Board of Education Visit: This month, we also had the honor of hosting members of the BOCES Board of Education for a tour of our department. They were able to learn about the critical work our team does, gaining insight into the impact we make on both internal and external communications.

- Farewell to Alex Ladstatter: Lastly, we are bidding farewell to our Public Information Coordinator, Alex Ladstatter, who has covered Chenango Forks and Harpursville. Alex has accepted a new position out of state, and while we will miss his contributions, we wish him all the best in his next adventure.

In October, our team made significant strides toward enhancing our services and strengthening partnerships. Here are some highlights from the month:

- Partnership with Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES: Our Print Shop Team Leads had the opportunity to visit the Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES Print Shop. This partnership opens the door for future collaboration and growth, allowing us to learn new techniques and expand the range of services we can offer to our clients.

Board of Education Visit: We had the pleasure of hosting members of the BOCES Board of Education at our Print Shop. During the tour, we showcased the capabilities of our new wide-format printer and Collex cutter, giving them a firsthand look at how these technologies will enhance our production capacity and quality.

We’re excited about the future as we continue to innovate and improve our services for the districts we serve.

In June 2024, the NYS Education Department (NYSED) presented a proposed vision for implementing the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures. The vision calls for transformative actions in four areas:

1. Adopt the NYS Portrait of a Graduate
2. Redefine Credits
3. Sunset Diploma Assessment Requirements
4. Move to One Diploma
   
   

The NYSED has been working to continuously gather stakeholder feedback on the transformations before proposing the next steps. BT BOCES, in partnership with neighboring BOCES regions (DCMO, GST, and ONC), held a series of public and educator forums to gather feedback from the region. The feedback collected throughout NYS will be reviewed by NYSED to propose a detailed implementation plan to the Board of Regents in November 2024. The plan will include timelines, affected regulations, and other considerations for making changes to the State’s graduation requirements.

During October, the following PLIC team members will be presenting at upcoming conferences.

Jaime Mendelis was selected to present with Tom Curry from Chenango Valley CSD at the upcoming School Administrators Association of NYS (SAANYS). Their presentation, From Manager to Catalyst: Cultivating Self-Directed Teams Through Shared Leadership, will focus on the use of Adaptive Schools practices.

Jaime is in the process of becoming a certified trainer of Adaptive Schools and has been working alongside Chenango Valley CSD in utilizing the strategies to build the capacity of their teams.

Stacy Smith and Erin Wilday were selected to present about their regional support for new teachers at ASCD’s Leadership Summit. Their presentation, Growing New Teachers Together, will describe how BT BOCES partners with participating school districts to structure support for new teachers, ultimately contributing to teacher retention and success.

Every time a web browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, etc.) loads a webpage, every single image and piece of text must be downloaded and displayed. In order to make this process faster, many web browsers store certain aspects of web pages in the memory of the device being used in a process called “caching” (pronounced: CASH-ing)

Loading the stored, or cached, assets allows pages to load faster, but occasionally, these assets can bring with them old, and incorrect information, leading to things not working properly. If you find that a website is “out of sorts”, or if you are unable to log in to a platform, sometimes clearing the cache can resolve the issue. Clearing the cache deletes the older assets, consequently your web browser will pull down newer instances, with the correct information.

Below are the steps for clearing the cache for three of the most popular web browsers in our region, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari for MacOS.

Google Chrome

Open Google Chrome, and click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen. Click on the “Settings” option from the dropdown menu that appears. On the left menu, select the option for “Privacy and security”, and click on the “Delete browsing data” menu near the middle of the screen. Be sure that all 3 boxes are checked, and the time frame is set to “All Time”. Click the blue “Delete data” button at the bottom, and you’re all set

Microsoft Edge

Open Microsoft Edge, and click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen. Click on the “Settings” option from the dropdown menu that appears. On the left menu, select the option for “Privacy, search, and services”, and then look for the “Delete browsing data” menu near the bottom of the screen. Click the button to “Choose what to clear”, and be sure that all 4 boxes are checked, and the time frame is set to “All Time”. Click the blue “Clear now” button at the bottom, and you’re all set

Safari for MacOS

Open the Safari browser and click on the “Develop” menu option at the top of the screen

Select “Empty Cache” from the dropdown list.

The next time you, or your students, notice anything out of the ordinary with your browser, see if clearing the cache resolves the issue.