Spotlight

Nassau BOCES is committed to our partnership with our component districts and to effectively communicating with them. We would like to be more proactive in advancing these commitments and responding to concerns expressed to us. To that end, we are launching a pilot District Communication Program. Pam Christensen, who recently retired after 20 years with Nassau BOCES, has returned to lead this pilot.

The structure of this program includes a face-to-face meeting attended by an administrative team from Nassau BOCES and an administrative team from the school district. The goal of the meeting is to open dialog on the following topics, among others:

• What does the district “look like” today?
• What are the district goals financially, instructionally and administratively?
• How can Nassau BOCES best assist the district in accomplishing those goals?
• What have we done well so far?
• How can we improve our level of support to our districts?

We have reached out to a few districts to participate in the pilot. We will share more information as the pilot advances.

We were pleased to host a Superintendent Orientation for Nassau County’s newest superintendents. During this session, we shared overview information about Nassau BOCES’ programs and services as well as how BOCES aid is calculated and distributed. Pictured are, from left, Dr. Kenneth Bossert, Dr. Paul Lynch, James Widmer, Dr. Kristen Turnow, Unal Karakas, Dr. Ted Fulton, and Dr. Ted Cannone.

• Dr. Anthony Aiello, a former classroom teacher and administrator, has been appointed assistant principal of Nassau BOCES Center for Community Adjustment.
• Omar Brown, a longtime Nassau BOCES educator and Barry Tech alumnus, has been appointed assistant principal of Nassau BOCES Seaman Neck Middle School.
• Victoria Doucet, who has 15 years of experience overseeing special education programming, has been appointed assistant principal of Nassau BOCES Children’s Readiness Center.
• Lisa Silveri has returned to Nassau BOCES after 15 years with Massapequa UFSD to become assistant principal for Specialized Schools.

Additional information on each assistant principal is available at Nassau BOCES / Overview.

Students from Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA) will perform at Radio City Music Hall on December 8. The musical performance will take place before the Rockettes’ 10 a.m. Christmas Spectacular performance.

Dr. Robert Dillon was included in Long Island Family’s Champions of Long Island’s Special Needs Community for his commitment to making Long Island a better place for people with disabilities.

Dr. Dillon, along with other members of the Long Island community who are committed to making our area more inclusive, kind, and fun for children and adults of all abilities, was named one of the Champions of Long Island’s Special Needs Community. New York Family Media asked Dr. Dillon to describe a pivotal moment he experienced while working within the disabled community and also asked him to share any advice for a parent whose child has been recently diagnosed with a disability. His responses, along with those of others who were named Champions of Long Island’s Special Needs Community are included in the listing on the New York Family Media website.

On October 11, over 35 colleges and universities participated in the Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA) Fall 2023 College Fair. LIHSA students and their families were able to meet with admissions representatives regarding the application, audition, and scholarship processes for their schools.

The list of scheduled performers for the Broadway Supports LIHSA fundraiser taking place on Monday, November 6 at the Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts campus includes (in alphabetical order):

• Emily Bautista (Miss Saigon; Les Miserables)
• Stacie Bono (Parade; Sweeney Todd; Avenue Q)
• Jimmy Brewer (Shucked)
• Najah Hetsberger (Little Shop of Horrors)
• Avionce Hoyles (Titanique!; Bat Out of Hell; Memphis the Musical; Jesus Christ Superstar)
• Thayne Jasperson (Hamilton; Matilda The Musical; Newsies)
• Brian O'Brien (Chicago; Beauty and the Beast; Promises, Promises; Annie Get Your Gun; Steel Pier; The Pirate Queen)
• Sarah Parnicky (Desperate Measures)
• Diane Phelan (Into the Woods; The King and I; School of Rock)
• Jelani Remy (Back To the Future-The Musical; Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations; The Lion King)
• Vanessa Sears (New York, New York)
• Vanessa Sierra (A Beautiful Noise-The Neil Diamond Musical; The Gardens of Anuncia)
• Josh Tower (Hamilton; Motown The Musical; The Lion King; School of Rock; Ragtime)

The evening will include songs from Hamilton; Shucked; Les Miserables; Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations; Chicago; Into the Woods; New York, New York; A Chorus Line; Jesus Christ Superstar; South Pacific; Once on This Island and Thoroughly Modern Millie.

The event was featured on News 12 Long Island: Nassau BOCES Broadway Supports LIHSA News 12 Preview 2023 - YouTube.

Tickets can be purchased at www.longislandhighschoolforthearts.org/gettickets.

On Monday, December 11 at 6 p.m., Nassau BOCES will hold an open house at the Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Educational Center in Westbury. PTA members and their children are invited to join us for an evening of appetizers and desserts (prepared and served by Barry Tech culinary students) and learn about the programs and services Nassau BOCES offers to their children. Registration is required. Interested participants should email events@nasboces.org with the number of people attending along with the ages of any children.

Nassau BOCES Special Education's Transition Webinar series addresses topics of importance when students are preparing to leave high school and enter adulthood. Webinars are led by local experts in their respective fields. Registration for these webinars is open, and we welcome all interested families to attend.

2023-24 Schedule

November 16, 2023 - OPWDD Supports & Services

November 30, 2023 - Supporting Your Child's Mental Health

December 12, 2023 - Overview of Legal Issues: Guardianship & Estate Planning

January 17, 2024 - Single Point of Access (SPOA) Connecting to Mental Health Services

January 31, 2024 - College Planning

February 13, 2024 - ACCES-VR

March 14, 2024 - Transitioning to Adulthood with Vision and Other Sensory Needs

April 9, 2024 - Pathways to Graduation

May 14, 2024 - Medicaid, SSI & SSD

For more information see www.nassauboces.org/transitionwebinars.

Fall is a great time to conduct a professional development or teambuilding event, or an Outdoor and Environmental Education (OEE) program within your district. OEE programs can help address several of the scientific practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts included in the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) being implemented within NYS school districts.

For more information, email OEEInfo@nasboces.org

For reservations, email reserveoee@nasboces.org

Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

This strategy-based workshop will provide an understanding of the eight domains of executive functioning and raise awareness of the difficulties students with executive functioning challenges face. Participants will learn how to address challenges such as working memory, initiation, organization, and emotional regulation.

Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

Thursday, December 7, 2023, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

More than ever before, educators must build a curriculum and design high school schedules that address diverse needs of young adults (ages 15 to 18). Schedules must be viewed as the means to fulfill the mission/vision of school/districts.

Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

Friday, December 8, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Assessment thinking has expanded to a System of Assessment. We will review the standard format for performance-based tasks and use assessment screeners to evaluate summative assessment examples. The difference between assessments aligned with the three-dimensional pedagogy of the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) and traditional assessments will be considered. Small teams of participants will have an opportunity to construct 3D classroom performance tasks aligning to the standards.

Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

Nassau County Board of Cooperative Educational Services

Susan Bergtraum, President; Deborah Coates, Vice President

Ronald Ellerbe; Lawrence Greenstein; Martin R. Kaye; Fran N. Langsner

Robert "B.A." Schoen; Eric B. Schultz; Michael Weinick

April E. Poprilo, Interim District Superintendent

James R. Widmer, Deputy Superintendent/Chief Operating Officer

Colleen Lipponer, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services

Thomas McGrath, Assistant to the Superintendent (Human Resources/Regional Schools and Instructional Programs)

Susan McNulty, Assistant to the Superintendent (Special Education/Curriculum and Instruction)