Deaf Program Lemonade Stand Has Sweet Success for a Great Cause!

For the fourth year in a row, students in Lisa Austin’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing class at North Syracuse Junior High School, a part of OCM BOCES Special Education Summer School, created a lemonade stand to raise money for a great cause. During the summer program four years ago,  Ms. Austin was teaching her students about money and the importance of giving back and thought a lemonade stand would be a great way to teach students about both concepts.  After researching and finding several books on the topic, Austin came across the book Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand.

The book about giving back and helping others, tells about Alex Scott, a little girl with cancer who set up a lemonade stand to help doctors find a cure for the disease. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, now a national organization, has raised more than $30 million dollars in the fight against childhood cancer...part of that money coming from right here in Central New York.

Over the past four years, Austin’s OCM BOCES students have raised hundreds of dollars through their efforts, thanks to the generous support of the stand’s patrons. Austin is proud of the hard work her students did to promote and staff the stand, including making flyers and announcements and working various jobs and shifts at the stand. This year, the students and their lemonade stand were also featured on "Bridge Street," a local television show. Click here to view the video from the program.

Marilyn Burns Addresses Math Institute

Math Solutions founder, Marilyn Burns, made a special appearance at the OCM BOCES Network Team Math Solutions Institute. Marilyn has authored dozens of books, countless articles, and many resources for the teaching of mathematics. She addressed the Institute participants and other special guests on Friday, August 10th, on the OCM BOCES campus. Marilyn treated attendees to a close look at the Math Reasoning Inventory which is a free assessment tool that offers understanding about students’ reasoning abilities. The combination of her keen insight and experience, with a touch of humor, made for a special event and a great finale to the Institute.

The OCM BOCES Network Team Math Solutions Institute was three-day gathering of teachers of math from all of our districts. Focusing on the eight mathematical practices of the Common Core, participants learned how students best learn math and, therefore, how to best teach math. In the future, the OCM BOCES Network Team will provide support to districts as they change their teaching of math to be more aligned to best practices and the Common Core.

Pre-Kindergarten Students Participate in Their Own Olympic Games

Students in the OCM BOCES pre-kindergarten program at Children's Village (which is located at Parkhill Elementary School in the East Syracuse Minoa Central School District) celebrated an Olympic day on Friday, August 3rd. The students spent the week prior at school learning about the Olympic events and the history of the games. Emily Hunter, the classroom teacher, helped bring the lessons to life for the children by having them participate in a variety of Olympic events such as track and field (running, a torch relay, shot put and discus), gymnastics (balance beam, tumbling , and rings), bicycle races and soccer.  The Olympic fun day ended with a medal ceremony where each child was given a medal and a certificate for participating in the school's Olympics.

Jody F. Manning is new OCM BOCES District Superintendent

The Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services is very pleased to welcome Mr. Jody F. Manning as the new District Superintendent of Schools as of Wednesday, August 1st, 2012.

Mr. Manning formerly served as the Superintendent of Schools at the Solvay Union Free School District. He has served as a business administrator and district clerk, a grade level administrator, assistant principal and teacher.  He has also had experience as a summer school principal, adult education instructor and chaired a Superintendent’s Issue & Analysis Team.

Mr. Manning has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work and is a member of several professional educational organizations.  He has also participated in multiple professional development opportunities over the years.

Board President Ann Wright stated, “The OCM BOCES Board of Education enthusiastically welcomes Mr. Manning.  We look forward to working with him to continue to provide quality services for students, school districts and the CNY communities that OCM BOCES serves.”

Terri Wood of OCM BOCES McEvoy Educational Campus is Cortland Rotary Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Terri Wood, an OCM BOCES classroom teacher at the McEvoy Educational Campus in Cortland, for being named the 2012 Cortland Rotary Teacher of the Year.  Terri, who has been teaching for nearly 30 years, works with students that have multiple disabilities.

Terri has been commended for serving every student as an individual with her coworkers noting, “Whether the struggle is with paralysis, blindness, deafness, seizures, autism, or other significant cognitive deficits, Terri’s innovative, organized and supportive teaching has helped her students become successful adults in supported environments.”

Terri is dedicated to enhancing educational experiences for students at the McEvoy Educational Campus. She chairs the building committee to organize enrichment programs, coordinates the school’s annual spring show and year-end awards ceremony and oversees publication of the school yearbook. Terri also rallies staff to provide service-oriented, interactive community visits for students.
Terri is referred to as an educational leader who puts service above self.

Terri is pictured with former OCM BOCES District Superintendent Jessica F. Cohen.

Westhill Assistant Superintendent is OCM BOCES School Library System 2012 Administrator of the Year

Dr. Carol Ilacqua, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the Westhill Central School District, has been honored by the OCM BOCES School Library System as their 2012 Administrator/Advocate of the Year.  Dr. Ilacqua was nominated by several of her district’s librarians: Karin Backus, Beth Doolittle, Karen Fenner and Aneisa Linton. She was recognized at a reception held in the OCM BOCES Rodax 8 Conference Room.

The intention of the award is to honor an educational administrator or library advocate in the OCM region who has made significant contributions to school librarianship.

Dr. Ilacqua was chosen to receive the award for her professionalism and support of school library programs and services.  She is a former member of the SLS Council, a supporter of the PALS initiative, and encourages Project Based Learning by providing extensive training.

Carol’s coworkers value the support she provides to them, saying, “Carol is an active listener and when she hears a concern being voiced, works to find a solution. She is approachable and accessible to everyone in the district. Our staff regards her highly because she exhibits fair judgment and reason in any situation.”

She is also recognized for her ability to utilize technology to teach her peers.  Cited in her nomination, “Carol embraces technology, using her Blackboard site to post agendas and meeting minutes. By using this medium exclusively, she leads by example and creates a successful opportunity to use technology for those teachers that might otherwise be hesitant.”

For more information about the OCM BOCES School Library System or their Administrator/Advocate of the Year Award, visit their website at http://sls.ocmboces.org/.