Teams have been hard at work since the school year began to prepare for the Southern Tier Lego League Tournament on Saturday, November 19, 2016 at Houghton College.  It's exciting to see the program continue to grow in our region.  CABOCES is ready to host the largest Southern Tier Lego League Tournament ever!

First Lego League, a world-wide robotics program, was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in Science and Technology.  Each year a new program is designed to motivate kids to get excited about research, engineering, math and problem solving, while building self confidence, knowledge and life skills.

The Campus Center at Houghton College is the place to be this Saturday to see almost two hundred 9-14 year old students, their coaches and families, and over 3 dozen volunteers discover innovative ways to explore robotics while having fun!  Please consider attending and help us celebrate all the teams who accepted this challenge.  We will announce, at the Closing Ceremony, the five teams who will be advancing to the Championship Tournament at the University of Rochester on December 11.

Call or email BOCES Student Programs at 716-376-8323 if you'd like more information.  Also, to learn more about this year's Challenge, check out the link:firstinspires.org/robotics/fll/challenge-and-season-info
We're looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, November 19!  Thanks for supporting our Southern Tier Lego League teams! 

Transportation details:
For GPS purposes, use Houghton College, 1 Willard Avenue, Houghton College, Houghton, New York 14744.

Watch for Lego League signs, once on campus.

The tournament will be held in the Reinhold Campus Center Lounge, the Student Union at Houghton College.

Parking is available in the Gillette and Gym parking lots.

Tournament details:
There are 18 teams competing this year.  This is our largest Southern Tier Tournament!
The Tournament Tables will be in the Campus Center Lounge.
The Matches will be projected onto a big screen for viewing.
The Pit Area will be in the Campus Center downstairs Rec & Cafe Area.

*Southern Tier FLL Qualifying Tournament 2016*
(times are approximate and subject to change)
12:00 Opening Ceremony
12:20 Competition Rounds begin
3:00 Alliance Round & Dance Party
3:45 Awards Presentations & Closing Ceremony

This Just In:
It's official!  CABOCES will be hosting the largest Southern Tier Lego League Tournament ever on Saturday, November 19 at Houghton College.  See flyer for details.

First Lego League, a world-wide robotics program, was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in Science and Technology.

​Each year a new program is designed to motivate kids to get excited about research, engineering, math and problem solving, while building self confidence, knowledge and life skills.
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Exposing children to music and art leads to a deeper understanding of content.  It’s a natural connection for teachers to offer their students.
 
CABOCES hosted the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and an audience of more than 1500 elementary students and teachers for 2 unique concerts at the Olean High School on September 27.   The BPO kicks off their Student Concert Series each year by transporting a 60 piece orchestra to the Southern Tier.
 
This was a wonderful opportunity to inspire Kindergarten through Fifth grade students and enhance the ELA, Literacy, Social Studies and Art Standards that are being taught in the classroom.  The BPO Education department masterfully linked their performances to the Common Core Standards. Both concerts combined not only a variety of musical selections, but also story-telling and active audience participation.  It was more than just a concert, it was an educational show that tied in elementary curriculum with music. 
 
Mr. Stefan Sanders, conductor for the BPO, embraced the idea that musical story telling is a valuable tool that fosters greater understanding of student learning objectives. To ensure a strong foundation for Feel the Music! (grades K-2) and Selfies: Musical Portraits (grades 3-5), the BPO Education Department supplied teachers with curriculum lessons for use in the classroom. 
 
Thank you to Wellsville, Hinsdale, Franklinville and Olean school districts for allowing their students to attend and promoting the arts in their education.  CABOCES Arts in Education helps schools enrich the lives of their students by providing opportunities to experience the performing arts.  If the concept of music as education piques your interest, please call Student Programs at CABOCES 716-376-8284 to find out more about Arts In Education, CoSer 403.  

By:  Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programming

C-A BOCES welcomed new teachers from around the region to the ’16-‘17 New Teacher Academy.  The first of four sessions was held on September 21st, 2016.  There were 24 teachers in attendance for this full day workshop.  The day was filled with meaningful activities to help teachers build a better understanding of what it means to be a new teacher, as well as helpful resources and ways to make connections with fellow colleagues.  Collaboration, engagement, reflection on teaching standards, and goal setting were a huge part of the day. Teachers also learned about available digital resources through our Learning Resources SNAP system.  Teachers were able to have great conversations with their colleagues as well as with the entire group throughout the day.  We look forward to continuing to teach and learn from each other over this school year. 
 
New Teacher Academy will have three more days of learning, sprinkled throughout the rest of the academic year.  The upcoming dates are December 1st, February 16, and the last on May 25, 2017. 

By:  Kathleen Agnello, CA BOCES

On October 19, 2016 approximately 200 area educators gathered at the Premier Banquet Center for an energizing and inspiring day of learning with Eric Jensen. The focus for the day centered around educating students of poverty.  Eric’s work is based on years of brain based development research, as well as the socio-emotional aspect of students of poverty.  Eric provided staggering statistics on poverty in the United States, and in particular, poverty data on children.  “51% of all students in U.S. Public Schools are poor. With New York State having an average of 48%.” (Suitts, S. (2015). “A New Majority.” Research by Southern Education Foundation). While the numbers are daunting, there is hope. 

The first step in making changes to education is to raise awareness of the needs of children in poverty.  Eric’s presentation helped to shed light on the reality of poverty in our country.  The 21 area schools, 2 local universities and CA BOCES Staff realize the local impact of poverty on our students.  The next step is implementing small changes in schools and classrooms to meet the needs of children of poverty.  Eric provided suggestions for schools and classrooms to help students graduate: 

• develop and maintain quality relationships with students
• give students more control in their learning environment
• teach stronger coping skills
• learn stress management skills
• develop effective professional learning communities
• boost reading and vocabulary
• build thinking and memory
• teach emotional responses
• foster positive emotions daily
• build hope and optimism
• provide better feedback
• teach growth mindest

What is your district, school or classroom already doing to meet the needs of your students of poverty?  Where does your district, school or classroom need additional resources and support?
CA BOCES Instructional Support Staff is providing workshop offerings for districts, schools or classrooms to foster changes in instruction to meet the needs of students of poverty.  We are offering a Poverty CLC that will meet 3 times throughout the year:  December 8th, February 5th and May 18th.  We are also offering a Poverty Simulation Training for districts.  Dates are to be determined based on district needs and availability.   In addition, Eric has several books and other resources on his website:  jensenlearning.com.  

By:  Karen Insley, CABOCES

Quiz answers 1) T, 2) F, 3) F, 4) T/F, 5) F

Are you looking for resources and don’t know where to turn? Maybe you have some idea of what you are looking for and don’t have the time to cull through the myriad options available. At the CABOCES Learning Resources center in Allegany, we will have a training in January for the teachers in our two county area, highlighting all that our Staff Specialists here can do for you and your students.
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Learning Resources has recently had an increase in the amount of resources being used by our component schools, but there are still so many things being underutilized. So as part of this training, the Staff Specialists went through each branch of Learning Resources and how they can assist with curriculum and content, utilization of online and digital support, as well as providing tangible resources to use in the physical classroom. The teachers who have gone through the training before have been amazed at the hundreds of thousands of resources available and how each department can either assist with or provide instruction on the various aspects of digital resources and technology, STEM, Library services, and distance learning. 

​Both STEM and the Digital Media program provide kits that can be used in the classroom to aid instruction and provide hands-on activities. Online resources accompany those kits, as well as accessing the SNAP system to find additional support. The Distance Learning branch has many components, including Moodle and Mahara, credit recovery, virtual field trips, collaborative classrooms, online learning, and Adobe Connect. Additionally, our Library Resources offers support to all 22 school libraries in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, implementation of the inter-library loan system, and provides online usage of Britannica and World Book.
 
If you are not utilizing any of these resources, only using some of them, or need to know more, come join us on January 12 at our Learning Resources center in Allegany, NY.
 
By: Alexandra L. Freer, CA BOCES

Betsy Hardy, Distance Learning Coordinator for CA BOCES, was invited to present on a panel at a national conference last week alongside renowned author, Michael B. Horn.  Michael B. Horn is the Co-Founder of Clayton Christensen Institute and author of Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. Betsy was asked to attend 2016 iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium as an expert on implementing blended learning programs. During the panel, Betsy was asked a number of questions on strategies for introducing online and credit recovery programs, utilizing online portfolios in the classroom, and cited many real life examples of ways that districts have been successful in the Cattaraugus-Allegany region, as well as how program implementation has to be based on district individuality and specific needs. Some of the recommendations she gave included having a team set up the program, having a specific teacher or aide with students at all times while students work on their classes, and setting up multiple in-depth professional development opportunities for teachers.

One of the many remarkable insights that Betsy brought to the panel discussion, was her unique understanding of how rural districts utilize online and distance learning programs to help broaden the scope of student transcripts and give students unique opportunities to experience courses that otherwise would not be offered, as well as how online programs broaden student skillsets and exposure to a plethora of ideas and prospects.  Betsy also noted the important role that credit recovery has played in the region, sometimes increasing graduation rates by as much as 10% in well-established programs with a dedicated aide for students working on their classes.

Betsy, alongside a renowned author, shared the noteworthy achievements and best practices that districts in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties have made as they move toward a blended environment, helping students obtain important 21st century skills. School districts should be proud that their implementation of blended practices has garnered national attention.
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If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about blended learning opportunities and professional development, please reach out to Betsy Hardy, Justine Lombardi, or Christina McGee at (716) 376-8281.
 
By: Christina McGee, CA BOCES