Spotlight

The latest Nassau BOCES Spotlight Webinar focused on reducing injuries in the special education setting. Matthew Zegers, Principal of the Rosemary Kennedy School, talked about how he worked with Angela Nagle, Ph.D., a school risk management specialist from PERMA, to build a comprehensive staff risk mitigation program. You can view the webinar in its entirety here: Spotlight webinars.

Nassau NYSCAME (New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education) held its annual Superintendents Luncheon Meeting on January 19, 2024, at the Hofstra University Club. Each year, superintendents are invited to attend this special event held in their honor at which the importance of music education is shared with them. This year, superintendents had the opportunity to hear a performance by The Louis Armstrong House Museum Jazz Quartet featuring Bruce Harris, Program Director of The Louis Armstrong House Museum, also an accomplished trumpet player who has collaborated with such legends as Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck and Tony Bennett.

Mr. Harris talked about Louis Armstrong’s legacy, his music, home and the museum. He spoke about the influence that music had on him beginning in his early years growing up in the Bronx, and how those early experiences led him to an arts focused career that has enabled him to share his music with children of all ages. Many Nassau County districts have sent students to The Louis Armstrong House Museum and/or have hosted ensembles from The Museum for workshops or residencies through the Arts in Education program which works with over 400 artists and 100+ ticket vendors to provide programs that support and enrich school curriculum and access to many local cultural venues. Arts in Education also provides staff professional development, arts in education curriculum development, and musical instruments through financed lease projects.

Arts in Education / Overview (nassauboces.org)

Dr. Shaundrika Langley-Grey, Nassau BOCES Assistant Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Health and Allied Services, and Gina Faust (pictured right), Nassau BOCES Supervisor, were featured in a Newsday article about NYS educators who are supporting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through professional development and providing consultants who work with the state’s DEI framework.

NYS educators working to bolster DEI amid national controversy - Newsday

More than 100 students from 40+ districts participated in the Long Island Regional Student Forum that was hosted by Eastern Suffolk, Nassau and Western Suffolk BOCES. The students were amazing. They spent the day talking and exploring topics important to them. We will release a video with highlights from the event in the near future. Thank you to ThoughtExchange for working with us on the forum.

Valley Stream North High School held a showcase to introduce their Nassau BOCES automotive, medical assisting and nurse assisting in-district programs to sophomores. Districts can host or replicate a number of Barry Tech programs in their district as long as they share the teacher with another district or Barry Tech. The courses are developed and delivered in the local high school by Nassau BOCES.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jennifer-dimaio-ed-d-b7043572_great-day-at-valley-stream-north-hs-introducing-ugcPost-7150638837008932864-Y9tk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android

About Barry Tech / In-District CTE Programs (nassauboces.org)

Brian Cordes, the new Senior Manager of Nassau BOCES Transportation Services, brings nearly 20 years of field experience in school transportation to his new role. Mr. Cordes has served in many roles in school transportation, from driver to supervisor. Transportation Services is available to any of Nassau BOCES' 1,600 students attending Nassau BOCES programs, including all special education locations and career and technical education high schools.

Nassau BOCES appoints new supervisor of transportation

The 2024-25 Directory of Services features more than 100 programs and services available to Nassau County school districts and can be accessed at: directoryofservices (nassauboces.org). Each district will also receive five copies for their use.

Nassau BOCES celebrated CTE Month with a series of short videos highlighting 21 star students and alumni from our three career and technical education high schools (Barry Tech, GC Tech and Long Island High School for the Arts) and our Adult Education program. The students highlighted represent 13 different Nassau County school districts. The entire collection of videos can be viewed here: www.nassauboces.org/ctemonth.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Elementary Classroom Teachers)

Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Secondary Classroom Teachers)

Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (K-12 Administrators)

New York State is leading the way and supporting educators with research-based literacy practices. Understanding the science of reading and debunking common myths is important when reflecting on our practices and planning for the future. Participants will explore and discuss each of the 7 literacy briefs with an emphasis on the "Big 6" high impact instructional practices, being culturally responsive and cultivating learners' social and emotional learning. The briefs will help us synthesize approaches that provide rigorous and challenging applications for our students.

For March 27 - Elementary Teacher Registration: Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

For April 16 - Secondary Teacher Registration: Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

For June 5 - K-12 Administrator Registration: Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The State Education Department requires all evaluators of teachers and principals to be certified through an appropriate training process. During this in-person and interactive Teacher Evaluation Training workshop, participants will explore the following topics:

1. Recent history of theory and practice relative to teacher evaluation.
2. Understanding the most recent version of NYSED's APPR Regulations.
3. The application of rubrics in evaluating classroom lessons.

Frontline Education (mylearningplan.com)

Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Because both English and Spanish share the common ancestry of Latin, there are thousands of cognates, word roots, word formations and grammatical patterns that will connect your Spanish-speakers to the academic level of English. Other topics include teaching the patterns of English through games and puzzles, using sentence frames to teach writing, teaching with visuals and kinesthetics, collocations ("go togethers”), idioms, and transitioning from informal to formal English. Using the ideas that you learn in this workshop will also help you teach your English-speaking students.

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 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)