New York State Education Commissioner Visits OCM BOCES

On Wednesday, November 14, 2012, New York State Department Commissioner of Education Dr. John B. King, Jr. visited the OCM BOCES Irvin E. Henry Education Campus in Syracuse, NY. Dr. King, who was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Ken Slentz, visited the OCM BOCES campus as part of a series of site visits to schools and other BOCES in Central New York. 

Dr. King and Deputy Commissioner Slentz met with OCM BOCES District Superintendent Mr. J. Francis Manning, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Colleen Viggiano, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Support Services Jeff Craig and Chief Technology Officer Mike Fay, as well as Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES District Superintendent William Speck, and Oswego BOCES District Superintendent Christopher Todd. The Commissioner was interested in learning how the implementation of the Regents Reform Agenda, also know as Race To The Top, was proceeding in our area.

While at OCM BOCES, the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner had the opportunity to hear about various student programs and new projects that are taking place throughout the organization.  At the end the meeting, OCM BOCES Pastry Arts students’ Leah Simon and Alexa Mentel, both second year students with instructor Marilyn Davis, paid a visit to the group to discuss their education with BOCES.

Alexa, who is an OCM BOCES senior from the Liverpool Central School District, told the Commissioner about her “passion for pastry” having been cultivated at OCM BOCES. Alexa plans to attend Johnson and Wales in the future and hopes eventually to open her own bakery.

Leah, who is a student at the OCM BOCES Career Academy in Liverpool, is from the Tully Central School District. Leah told Dr. King that she appreciates the “hands-on” education that she has received at OCM BOCES and that the college visits her class has gone on helped her decide that she also wants to further her education in pastry arts at Johnson and Wales University.

Pictured: New York State Education Department Commissioner John B. King Jr. shakes hands with Leah Simon, a second-year OCM BOCES Pastry Arts student at the Irvin E. Henry. Pictured next to Leah is Alexa Mentel, another second-year Pastry Arts student; behind Commissioner King is Deputy Commissioner Ken Slentz; to Dr. King’s left is Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES District William Speck and seated in front of Dr. King is OCM BOCES District Superintendent J. Francis Manning.

McEvoy Education Campus Announces SkillsUSA Officers

The OCM BOCES McEvoy Education Campus in Cortland recently announced their SkillsUSA officers for the 2012-2013 school year. SkillsUSA is a national organization serving teachers and high school/college students preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations. The organization provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development and builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills.

The OCMBOCES McEvoy Skills USA officers for 2012-2013 are:

Seniors (Pictured in photo below):
President - Anthony Allen (Cincinnatus Central School District)
Vice President - Darien Ostrander (Cortland City School District)
Treasurer - Julie Dellow (Cortland City School District)
Secretary - Bethany Hall (Cortland City School District)
Reporter - Kayla Dingman (Cincinnatus Central School District)
Parliamentarian - Dylan Cochran (Homer Central School District)

Juniors (Pictured in above photo with OCM BOCES District Superintendent Jody Manning):
President - Kennedy Cook (Cortland City School District)
Vice President - Marjorie Torres (Marathon Central School District)
Treasurer - Tyrmaine Dugger (Cortland City School District)
Secretary - Bailey Potter (Cortland City School District)
Reporter - Kasey Price (Cincinnatus Central School District)
Parliamentarian - Irina Khrushch (Cortland City School District)

The first fundraising event of the year will be on October 11, 2012 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the McEvoy Education Center on NYS Rt 13.  Featured will be Submarine Sandwiches with chips and a beverage for $5.00.  Pre orders are welcome by calling 607-758-5270. 

McEvoy Campus Epicurean Club/SkillsUSA Submarine Sandwich Fundraiser on October 11, 2012

OCM BOCES’ SkillsUSA and Epicurean Club students from the McEvoy Education Campus will be holding a submarine sandwich fundraiser on Thursday, October 11, 2012 at their campus (1710 NYS Route 13) in Cortland. The dinner will take place from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM with the money raised used to support the students in their upcoming occupational competitions for ProStart and SkillsUSA.  The cost for dinner is $5.00 and includes a submarine sandwich, chips and a beverage.

For more information, contact Kay Kraatz, OCM BOCES’ McEvoy Campus SkillsUSA Advisor at 607/758-5270.

Don't miss the 15th Annual SLS Fall Conference

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012, the OCM BOCES SLS (School Library System) in cooperation with the Oswego County BOCES SLS and the Syracuse City School District SLS will hold their 15th Annual Fall Conference. The event will take place at the Doubletree Hotel on Carrier Circle in East Syracuse.

The focus of this year's conference is a topic on every educators' mind: Common Core Learning Standards. The conference, entitled "The Common Core: School Librarian/Teacher Partnerships Leading Students to Success," will feature keynote speaker and workshop leader, Dr. Barbara Stripling, Assistant Professor of Practice at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies.

In her keynote address and workshop sessions, Stripling will discuss the role of the school librarian in relation to Common Core, suggest ways to collaborate around Common Core and offer leadership tools to participants. Stripling says, "Now is our time! School librarians can and must step into a leadership role to bring the Common Core to life in our schools. [At this conference, w]e will probe the answers to important questions about school librarian leadership and the Common Core."

For more information about or to register for the School Library Systems' 15th Annual Fall Conference, visit their website at http://www.ocmboces.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=1781.

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.