OCM BOCES Facilities Referendum - January 23, 2014

The Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES has an opportunity to purchase the former Nationwide
Building in the Town of Salina. This acquisition means no additional cost to our districts.

Currently, OCM BOCES owns two facilities and leases eight more. A building purchase reallocates some of the current rental budget and allows those funds to be used to buy this building.

There is a Referendum Vote on this purchase on January 23, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Voting locations are:

Lee G. Peters Career Training Center (4500 Crown Road) in Liverpool,
Henry Campus Administration Building (6820 Thompson Road) in Syracuse, and
McEvoy Education Campus (1710 NYS Route 13) in Cortland.

Eligible voters must be U.S. citizens, age 18 and older, who have resided within the OCM BOCES region at least 30 days prior to the vote.

Click here to download an application for an absentee ballot.

OCM BOCES is presenting information about the referendum to component district Boards of Education on the following dates:
January 6, 2014 - Baldwinsville Central School District
January 7, 2014 - Homer Central School District
January 8, 2014 - DeRuyter Central School District

Download the OCM BOCES Facilities Referendum fact sheet here for vote and project details.

2012-2013 Annual Report available online

The OCM BOCES 2012-2013 Annual Report is available online. Click here to view/download a PDF version of the publication.

State Education Department looks at OCM BOCES collaboration with Le Moyne College on leadership development

Good schools depend on good teacher leaders and good administrators. Through its Division of Instructional Support Services, OCM BOCES has begun the Central New York Leadership Development Program (CNYLDP), a joint initiative with Le Moyne College, as part of efforts to support existing leaders and encourage and develop future leaders.

On Monday, December 9, 2013, Dr. Stephanie Wood-Garnett, New York State Education Department (SED) Assistant Commissioner for Teacher and Leader Effectiveness and SED Project Coordinator Melissa Greene, will visit the area to learn about OCM BOCES and Le Moyne College’s CNYLDP collaboration.

The CNYLDP provides a combination of instruction and coaching/mentoring for three different audiences: teacher leadership, building leadership, and district leadership. Participants engage in initiatives with colleagues from other school districts, bringing richer ideas that will impact their analysis and problem solving. The format allows weekly feedback from mentors and monthly presentations by adjunct professors who are current practitioners in the field. CNYLDP is designed to complement and integrate ongoing professional development initiatives while providing a sustained focus on leadership development.

OCM BOCES District Superintendent Jody Manning is pleased the SED is looking at the collaboration as a model. He said, “BOCES is about success…not just the success of students, but of teachers and administrators as well. We believe that this collaborative endeavor will strengthen our area’s existing leadership as will nurture future leadership. We are excited to have SED here looking at the program as a model for others.”

Cosmetology students participate in Veteran's Day Expo

OCM BOCES senior cosmetology program students from the Irvin E. Henry campus were recently invited to participate in the November 9 Veteran's Day Expo at the New York State Fairgrounds. A booth was set up for the nine students who attended to do face-painting for the event's attendees. The students were excited to participate and even wrote literacy reflection papers citing some of their thoughts.

One student, Tori, met two young refugee twin brothers who came to America just a year ago and were accompanied to the event by a veteran. After the boys had their faces painted, Tori learned that it was the first time they had ever been able to have it done. Tori said, "They were so excited as [I] finished an American Flag on their faces. It was the most memorable part of the day."

She also said, "I had a great time meeting many veterans, who have done their job to keep our country safe."

Another student named Kayleigh met a six year boy who asked to have an American Flag painted on his face. He told Kayleigh that although his father was on active duty and " I know daddy can't see me, but now I can match him."

Marissa, another student, wrote "When I was at the expo I thought about how my grandpa who was in the coast guard, and how he was on a ship headed to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. When he talks about it he gets teary eyed and chokes up."

The students did a great job face-painting and learned a great deal about American History at the same time. They came away with an appreciation for their country and for those who served.

Many thanks to the students who participated: Micala Wittherbee, Emily Keller, Mckenzie Gransbury, Kayleigh Nett, Talia Iglesias, Tori Galizia, Vi Ngugen ,Marissa Beradi and Vivian Bakowski.

WCNY to host first Common Core program with N.Y. education commissioner Nov. 7

WCNY news
by HALEY DUBNOFF
November 1, 2013

WCNY will host the first of four scheduled televised public forums on new New York Common Core education standards at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7. The forum will be broadcast on WCNY-TV and streamed online at wcny.org as it happens live before a studio audience at WCNY’s Broadcast and Education Center in Syracuse.

New York State Education Commissioner Dr. John B. King Jr. and Anthony Bottar of the New York State Board of Regents will answer questions from parents, teachers, administrators and others who will make up the studio audience. Susan Arbetter, WCNY’s news and public affairs director and host of WCNY’s weekday “Capitol Pressroom” radio program, will moderate the discussion.

The initial hour-long program will be followed by an additional half-hour discussion with King and Bottar that will continue live on www.wcny.org. That half-hour discussion will be televised on WCNY’s “Insight” news and public affairs show at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8.

Individuals interested in attending the forum in the WCNY studio should complete the online form available at www.wcny.org/television/common-core-forum. Seating is limited, and online registration is not a guarantee of a seat.

Common Core standards and the educational reforms that have followed since their implementation in 2012 have divided educators. The standards emphasize critical thinking and so-called deep learning. New York is one of the first states to begin testing on the benchmarks.

When the state education department fielded complaints about poor communication related to Common Core, King scheduled a series of town hall meetings for this school year. When angry parents and professionals disrupted the first event in Poughkeepsie in mid-October, King cancelled the series. The state responded by scheduling four televised public forums on Common Core.

BOCES offering Dignity Act New York State Certification Course

This fall, OCM BOCES is offering Dignity Act New York State Certification courses, which are required for anyone seeking a new NY State Education certificate. The course will consist of two classes: one online and one in person, for a fee of $100.

Anyone interested in taking the course should register on-line, complete the on-line class, and will then be able to register for the in-person class. The $100 course fee can be paid with a credit/debit card at the in-person class. Specific details regarding required documentation necessary at the in person class are available online at http://dignity.ocmboces.org/.

The OCM BOCES Dignity Act Certification course will address the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination, including but not limited to those acts based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex. It will also cover the identification and mitigation of harassment, bullying and discrimination; and strategies for effectively addressing problems of exclusion, bias and aggression in educational settings.

Institutes of Higher Education can host a certification class at their facility, secure at least 20 students and not more than 60 students and OCM BOCES trainers will train their group for $75 per student.

For a listing of course dates in Syracuse and Cortland or to find out more, visit http://dignity.ocmboces.org/.

OCM BOCES embeds two CTE programs in local businesses

Kachelah Flournory is a junior at Cicero-North Syracuse High School in the North Syracuse Central School District. She has been playing softball for eight years and will be trying out for her school’s varsity girls’ softball team this year. Kachelah has learned a lot about her sport over the eight years she’s been playing…and through it, she has also learned about the career that she wants to pursue – physical therapy.

Thanks to the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison (OCM) BOCES and one of two new programs they are offering this year, Kachelah is able to get a head start on the training she needs for the career she wants. She is one of a handful of students enrolled in OCM BOCES new Physical Therapy program embedded in the Strength in Motion training facility in East Syracuse, NY. OCM BOCES also began a second embedded program this year – an Automotive Technology program at Drivers Village in Cicero, NY.

This is the first time ever that OCM BOCES has housed any of its Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs right at a business. Robert Leslie, who is the OCM BOCES Director of Career and Technical Education, is excited about the new offerings and the unique learning opportunities it is now providing to students. “BOCES has been working with local employers for many years and because of the strong relationships we’ve established, our students have been able to do internships and job shadows with them. But this is the first time ever that our students are actually going to class right at the worksite where they are completely immersed in every aspect of the career.”

The OCM BOCES PT course will give students the knowledge and technical skills needed for an entry-level position in the physical therapy field, and it will also offer a path to entering higher education in a PT or physical therapy assistant college program. Through an agreement with Onondaga Community College, students in the class will actually earn 13 college credits; six in English, three in psychology and four in anatomy and physiology.

Carol Gaspo, an adjunct reading professor with Onondaga Community College (OCC,) is teaching the OCM BOCES PT students as part of their high school curriculum. Carol is teaching the students more than just reading, she is teaching them to be prepared for college. Carol says that she would like to see the course material she teaches become a part of every high school curriculum. She said, “These students are learning organization, independence, critical thinking, note-taking and other skills that are critical to their success in college. The fact that they are coming out of high school with these skills puts them steps ahead of other students applying for the same spot in a college program.”

As BOCES began developing the PT program, it worked with Onondaga Community College (OCC) to align its new curriculum with the institution’s Physical Therapy Assistant program. Shannon Patrie, OCC’s Associate Vice President of Enrollment Development, notes that their PTA program is highly competitive. Nearly 300 students applied to the school’s PTA program in 2013 and only 46 of those applicants were offered spots in the program. 

Because OCM BOCES PT students will already have earned college credits through the high school program, Patrie says they will have an advantage over other applicants. “When we look at applications and see that these students have basically already completed their first semester, that definitely gives them an edge.”

As for employers looking to hire new personnel with high-level skills and training on the latest equipment available, students from the OCM BOCES embedded programs also have an edge. Although students learn their coursework in a classroom setting right at the Strength in Motion or Drivers Village facilities, they also have the ability to utilize the company’s equipment and learn proper usage.

Erick Dodge is the OCM BOCES Automotive Technology program instructor at Drivers Village. He has been teaching auto technology at OCM BOCES for 13 years. Until this past September, Erick taught his students in a small classroom and garage at the OCM BOCES Henry Campus in Syracuse.

Erick is glad to be a part of the new BOCES program for a number of reasons but he says that he sees one of the biggest advantages of the new setup as having the students be a part of a real work setting. He said, “Some of the challenges that we’ve faced in the past have included being able to stay current with technology and having enough vehicles and equipment for 20 students to work on at the same time. With the program being here [at Drivers Village,] I believe that I can offer students more of a real world learning environment and they have real potential to land a job.”

The students enrolled in new embedded CTE programs will spend a large portion of their 2013-14 school year in very different settings than their peers. Kachelah, who hopes to eventually go to West Virginia State University for their PT program, talks about the different learning environment by saying, “At first it was a little weird but then I realized that I was able to learn faster because we have a small class. I know that I’m getting ahead [because of this class] and that it will be easier for me to stay ahead in college.”

OCM BOCES is grateful for its new partnerships with Drivers Village and Strength in Motion, and especially for the opportunities its students have with the programs being housed at the facilities. Robert Leslie talked about the importance of providing students with access to equipment that would not be possible if not for the partnership. “These facilities have top notch, state of the art equipment that BOCES could never supply on its own. If our school had to purchase and maintain these machines, it would be financially impossible to run the programs. But because of our new partnerships, students are learning about the latest equipment available while they are completely immersed in what will be their work environment.”

For more information about the OCM BOCES Physical Therapy or Automotive Technology programs, contact OCM BOCES Counselor, Melissa Muller at 315/431-8407.

Top photo: Kachelah Flournory, an OCM BOCES Physical Therapy Professions program student from the North Syracuse Central School District, instructs her classmate, Fay Coffey from the Baldwinsville Central School District, on how to properly use a piece of equipment.















Pictured: OCM BOCES District Superintendent Jody Manning (right) and Drivers Village Owner Roger Burdick cut a ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening of OCM BOCES new Automotive Technology classroom at Drivers Village. OCM BOCES Automotive Technology students and Drivers Village staff watch and help celebrate the partnership between OCM BOCES and Drivers Village.

Pictured: Students in the new OCM BOCES Automotive Technology program class at Drivers Village stand with their instructor, Erick Dodge, in front of one of the company’s maintenance garage car lifts.