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For Educators of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties
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Get Involved:  VEX Robotics 2022-2023

10/2/2022

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Excitement is building in the CABOCES region as teams are forming and starting to prepare for the 2022-2023 CABOCES Student Competitions, sponsored through CoSer 506.  Specifically, thirteen districts will participate in the 2022-2023 CABOCES VEX Robotics Qualifying Tournament Series.  For the first time, teams will have 2 local qualifying tournament experiences.  Twenty-six VEX Robotics teams from across Cattaraugus and Allegany counties will be attending the CABOCES VEX Robotics Qualifying Tournament at Belfast Central School on Wednesday, December 21st, 2022, and Cuba-Rushford Middle/High School on Wednesday, February 1st, 2023. Students will compete with and against teams from Belfast, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Cuba-Rushford, Fillmore, Franklinville, Genesee Valley, Hinsdale, Pioneer, Portville, Randolph Academy, Salamanca, Wellsville, and Whitesville.

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Each year, an exciting engineering challenge is presented to middle and high school students in the form of a game.  The object of this year’s game, Spin Up (https://www.roboticseducation.org/teams/vex-robotics-competition/), is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by scoring discs in goals, owning rollers, and covering field tiles at the end of a two-minute match. 

All teams can compete in both qualifying tournaments as well as Skills Challenges.  Teams also have an opportunity to participate in a Team Interview and be judged on their Engineering Notebook.  Teams who earn advancement will qualify to attend the Northern New York State Championship in Syracuse in March 2023. 
To prepare for these tournaments, students work together to design, build and program a semiautonomous robot that can quickly and efficiently solve the specific challenges of the Spin Up game.  Teams study electronics, programming, mechanical systems, animation, 3D CAD, computer-aided machining, web design, and materials fabrication.  An equally important set of skills is learned through competition: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, project management, time management, and teamwork. 

The CABOCES Qualifying Tournaments are two of a series of VEX Robotics Competitions taking place internationally throughout the year. VEX Competitions are the largest and fastest-growing competitive robotics program for middle and high schools globally.  VEX Competitions represent over 24,000 teams from 61 countries that participate in more than 1,650 VEX Competition events worldwide. The competition season culminates each spring, with the VEX Robotics World Championship, an event for top qualifying teams from local, state, regional, and international VEX Robotics Competitions. More information about VEX Robotics is available at RoboticsEducation.org and RobotEvents.com.
 
About the REC Foundation 
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation manages the VEX Robotics Competition, which thousands of schools participate in around the world each year.  REC states that one million students are reached worldwide through all the VEX robotics programs, classrooms, and competitions. 
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable, and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the United States and internationally. Its goal is to provide these programs with services, solutions, and a community that allows them to flourish in a way that fosters the technical and interpersonal skills necessary for students to succeed in the 21st Century. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work so that one day these programs will become accessible to all students and all schools in all communities.
 
To find out more about VEX Robotics in the CABOCES region, email jean_oliverio@caboces.org or call 716-376-8323.                                                                                                             
 
Jean Oliverio, ISS Student Programs

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Twelve Local Districts Participate in the 2021-2022 CABOCES VEX Robotics Qualifying Tournament

1/31/2022

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Cuba, New York – Wednesday, February 16, 2022 – Twenty-two VEX Robotics teams from across Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties will be attending the annual CABOCES VEX Robotics Qualifying Tournament at Cuba-Rushford Middle/High School on Wednesday, February 16. Students will compete with and against teams from Belfast, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Cuba-Rushford, Ellicottville, Fillmore, Franklinville, Genesee Valley, Hinsdale, Pioneer, Portville, Wellsville, and Whitesville. The middle and high school students will execute the 2021-2022 VEX Robotics Competition game, Tipping Point. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing Alliance by scoring rings, moving mobile goals to Alliance zones, and by elevating on platforms at the end of a two- minute match.
All teams can take part in the full qualifying tournament and a Skills Challenge. Teams also have an opportunity to participate in a Team Interview as well as be judged on their Engineering Notebook. Teams who earn advancement will qualify to attend the Northern New York State Championship in Syracuse on March 12, 2022.
To prepare for the tournament, students worked together to design, build and program a semiautonomous robot that could quickly and efficiently solve the specific challenges of the Tipping Point game. Teams studied electronics, programming, mechanical systems, animation, 3D CAD, computer-aided machining, web design, and materials fabrication. An equally important set of skills is learned through competition: communication, negotiation, project management, time management, and teamwork.
The tournament is possible because of a collaborative effort between Cuba-Rushford school and CABOCES. CABOCES ISS (Professional Development, Learning Resources, and Student Programs), along with the CABOCES Tech Support team and iDesign Solutions worked together to plan a successful tournament. Additional support and guidance, which was invaluable, came from Ben Mitchell from the REC Foundation. All details about the upcoming tournament are available at https://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/vex-robotics-competition/RE-VRC-21-6698.html#general-info
The CABOCES Qualifying Tournament is one of a series of VEX Robotics Competitions taking place internationally throughout the year. VEX Competitions are the largest and fastest-growing competitive robotics program for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and college-aged students around the world. VEX Competitions represent over 24,000 teams from 61 countries that participate in more than 1,650 VEX Competition events worldwide. The competition season culminates each spring, with VEX Robotics World Championship, a highly anticipated event that unites top qualifying teams from local, state, regional, and international VEX Robotics Competitions to crown World Champions. More information about the VEX Robotics Competition is available at RoboticsEducation.org, RobotEvents.com, and VEXRobotics.com. To find out how to become involved in VEX Robotics in the CABOCES region, email jean_oliverio@caboces.org or call 716-376-8323.
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About the REC Foundation
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation manages the VEX Robotics Competition, which thousands of schools participate in around the world each year. REC states that one million students are reached worldwide through all the VEX robotics programs, classrooms, and competitions.
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable, and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. Its goal is to provide these programs with services, solutions, and a community that allows them to flourish in a way that fosters the technical and interpersonal skills necessary for students to succeed in the 21st Century. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work so that one day these programs will become accessible to all students and all schools in all communities. For more information on REC Foundation, visit www.RoboticsEducation.org. 

By: Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programs


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Lab Aids, Microscope Adventures

1/24/2022

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6th-grade science teacher, Mrs. Cole, and 7th-grade science teacher, Mr. Pleakis, recently paired up for an exciting microscope experiment. As part of the 6th-grade, Lab Aids “Ecology Unit,” students had the opportunity to learn about the microorganism Paramecium and observe its feeding and searching behaviors. First, students watched the Paramecia on the large monitors in the new science lab. After that, students prepared slides with a drop of the solution that contained the Paramecia along with some food particles, and then they observed their behavior; students loved the up-close view. At the end, the students recorded their observations in their science notebooks. The investigation was a huge success.
By: Anne Mitchell, CA BOCES Professional Development
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Ancient History, “CAN YOU DIG IT?”

11/30/2021

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Ninth-grade students at Portville High School were learning about Ancient River Valley Civilizations, and they were using the G.R.A.P.E.S. organizer as a tool to categorize the information for each civilization:
G: Geography
R: Religion
A: Achievements 
P: Political
E: Economy
S: Society

An essential part of studying ancient history is for students to learn that a great deal of what’s known of these civilizations comes from archeological evidence. This is especially true for the Indus River Valley Civilization because their writing has never been successfully translated; everything known is from the work of archeologists. Because of this, an idea was born. Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Carey’s students became archeologists. Mr. Carey spent time highlighting critical aspects of the Indus River Valley so that during “the big dig,” students could infer connections from the artifacts that they discovered.

“The Big Dig”: Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Carey found artifacts that represented each section of the G.R.A.P.E.S.organizer. Next, they put the items in Ziploc bags and buried them in the school’s long-jump pit.
This active exploration proved to be a great simulation for the work of archeologists; students were able to infer what the artifacts represented and demonstrate a better understanding of the civilization. An example of an artifact used was a die and a game token. These items illustrated true archeological findings in the Indus River Valley as numerous game pieces were found but very few weapons, suggesting it was a peaceful and prosperous society. 
The students rotated through six stations (G.R.A.P.E.S.) and really enjoyed digging, finding, and making inferences and connections about each item’s importance. Active student engagement increased their interest and understanding. As learners and educators, “WE DIG IT!”
By: Anne Mitchell, CA BOCES Professional Development
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Online arts in education experiences for your k-8 students

1/29/2021

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​Student Programs inspires creative problem-solving, teamwork, deep thinking, and resilience.  More than ever before, students, teachers, and the ISS team are being challenged to apply these traits to achieve the impossible, virtually. 
NEW from CoSer403!
12 months of unlimited use of Dave Ruch’s Engagement Library for your school district
https://daveruch.com/the-engagement-library/
​The Engagement Library is a Netflix-like service featuring 49 pre-recorded assembly programs, plus the following:
  • Shorter “snackable” arts-in-education videos for grades preK-8 on a variety of searchable curriculum topics
  • Monthly updates with suggestions for using the library to its fullest
  • Students can ask unlimited questions by email throughout the year
  • A private online concert by Dave Ruch for your school, scheduled at your convenience
Logging into the Engagement Library is simple, using the details below.
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Portville 4th graders experienced Dave Ruch’s virtual Native Americans program earlier this year.   According to Mrs. Threehouse, “The Dave Ruch program was very insightful, especially in the hearing and seeing of the cultural significance of music in the Native American culture.  The students enjoyed the musical instruments. He made it fun and had the kids laughing at times.”  A 4th grade student added, “I thought it was cool to see a different culture’s music and how they create it is similar to other music performers. They chant about things that are important to them.”

​ArtsPower Theatre on Demand (CoSer 403) is also available now through June 30, 2021.  APTOD virtually brings core curriculum-based, multiple-lesson courses built around musical theatre productions.  Designed to promote learning in the performing arts, language arts, and character education, these courses feature full-length (55 minute) musicals based on popular children’s books, plus the following:
  • Fun, grade-specific Study Buddy’s
  • Song and dance instructional videos
  • Interviews with the book’s authors, actors, and set designers
  • Animated book read-along videos
  • Student Gallery pages to post your students’ artwork and videos
 
Whether districts intend to incorporate them into their lesson plans and curriculum or use them as virtual ‘end of the year’ field trips, Dave Ruch’s Engagement Library and Arts Power TOD are both ideal resources for classroom teachers, librarians, art, music, and physical education teachers.
In addition, educators can contact Cece Fuoco (Cecelia_Fuoco@caboces.org) or Cathy Dunkleman (Catherine_Dunkleman@caboces.org) at Learning Resources to check out supplemental books from the professional library or Interlibrary loan.
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By: Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programs
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Teaching Physical Education Without the Gym. . . A Reflection from Portville Elementary School’s PE Teacher, Christina Matz

6/12/2020

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​Field Day at Portville, like many schools, is a fun, engaging day not only to help close out the year but to give students ideas to stay active in the summer with their families. Obviously, due to the school shutdown, I had to modify Field Day, but I was not going to cancel it.
Throughout the shutdown, I was able to collaborate and share ideas with physical education teachers with whom I networked from around the country and around the world. I took advantage of the many CABOCES PE webinars and forums afforded to us, especially with learning the use of technology, which is a smooth segue to our Portville Virtual Field Day.
Before the shutdown, I had limited knowledge of Google slides, publishing to YouTube, or Facebook Live. But, I learned these skills to combine with my prior knowledge of physical education to create a Google slide with 23 Field Day events as well as 36 clickable images. The links led the students to YouTube videos of me and my family doing the various Field Day activities. I was also able to attach a scoresheet and a certificate to the Field Day slide post. Some of the activities were my own, while some were shared with me with other PE teachers from as far away as California and Australia.
One of the many challenges was how to come up with physical education activities to do without the aid of traditional equipment. To overcome this, I looked around our home for common household items present in most homes. For example, I used rolled-up socks and pillowcases, ladders, and spatulas. To help hype it up, I asked for elementary teachers and staff to send pictures of themselves with an encouraging sign for our students. Using a video editor, I put together a collage set to music for the students to enjoy.
The community response was overwhelming. On my PE Rockstar Facebook page, I asked for families to share pictures and/or videos of their children doing the activities. I had so many responses, it was hard to keep up with them all! 
​During the shutdown, community support and involvement is even more important than normal times and this was a great way to inspire passion and excitement for physical education.
So why did I do this? I did it to continue to interact with students but also to bring families together with physical activities designed for students, which the whole family could engage in. The passion I have for physical education is something I will always have but staying positive and learning new skills during our time at home will only enrich my teaching in the future.
I would not have been able to do this without the support of our Portville school and community, especially our elementary principal Lynn Corder, who is always supportive of my ideas for our Portville elementary PE program. 
By: Christina Matz, Portville Elementary
Coordinated by: Anne Mitchell, CA BOCES Professional Development
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Virtual Scholastic Challenge 2020

5/6/2020

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Q: What do you get when you connect over 80 students, 23 teachers and administrators, 24 CABOCES ISS staff members, who are miles apart, each safely in their own homes, across 2 counties?
A: The first ever regional Virtual Scholastic Challenge
 
On May 1st, twenty teams from twelve area school districts got together, virtually, using Zoom.
42 matches took place over the course of the day, with nearly 1000 questions read aloud.  Teams, made up of 3-4 students each, mastered using an online buzzer system that created fast paced and exciting matches.  The students combined an impressive display of intelligence and good sportsmanship as the match facilitators measured their ability to recall facts from a wide variety of topics. There was an exciting energy throughout the day, as summed up by ISS Digital Resources & Technology Coordinator, Alex Freer, one of the match readers, who said, “What a joy to be a part of today!” 
 
Shannon Wood, Franklinville Central School’s coach added, “Please extend our thanks to all of the BOCES staff that participated in pulling off the VSC! It was really a great change of pace for the kids!  They look forward to this and you accomplished the new format very smoothly! Thank you for all of your hard work!”
 
Scholastic Challenge is an annual event hosted by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES.   The regional competition that tests students’ knowledge of academic trivia and current events is typically held as a face-to-face tournament.
 
Thank you to the 12 school districts that participated:
  • Belfast Central School, coached by Aran Heaney
  • Cuba-Rushford Central School, coached by Tom Kenyon
  • Ellicottville Central School, coached by Ann Chamberlain and Blair Wood
  • Fillmore Central School, coached by Bill Kelley
  • Franklinville Central School, coached by Shannon Wood
  • Genesee Valley Central School, coached by Sarah Horne, Kim Douglas, Cynthia Emrich
  • Hinsdale Central School, coached by Sara Centanni
  • Olean City Schools, coached by Mike Martel and Cait Butler
  • Portville Central School, coached by Gene Rogers
  • Scio Central School, coached by Tammy Straight
  • Wellsville Central School, coached by Diane Willard and Hope Gilfert
  • Whitesville Central School, coached by Alex Lipnicki
Congratulations to the 4 teams that scored the highest number of points at the end of 4 matches:
  • Junior (grades 6-9) Finals match: Whitesville (1st place) and Wellsville (2nd place)
  • Senior (grades 9-12) Finals match: Ellicottville (1st place) and Fillmore (2nd place)
 
CABOCES applauds all the students and coaches who were willing and enthusiastic to try something unknown.  Everyone learned together, overcame challenges, enjoyed the camaraderie, while having fun.  Students, coaches, and match facilitators practiced and prepared for the new format and rules by participating in virtual scrimmages for 3 weeks prior to the May 1st competition. 
As Tim Cox, Assistant Superintendent for ISS said, “It’s events like this that really bring our region together…especially now.”
 
Jean Oliverio, ISS Student Programs
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Four Local Teams Advance to the VEX Robotics Northern New York Championship

1/24/2020

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Cuba, New York – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 – Twenty-seven VEX Robotics teams from across Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties attended the 2nd annual VEX Robotics Qualifying Tournament at Cuba-Rushford Middle/High School on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Students competed with and against teams from Belfast, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Cuba-Rushford, Fillmore, Franklinville, Genesee Valley, Hinsdale, Pioneer, Portville, Salamanca, Scio, Wellsville, and Whitesville.  The middle and high school students executed the 2019-2020 VEX Robotics Competition game, Tower Takeover, which is played by placing different colored cubes in towers and goal zones during a 2-minute match.
Congratulations go out to 4 teams from Cuba-Rushford and Franklinville.  Specifically, 2 Cuba-Rushford teams (Rebel Robotics and Yellow Team), who formed an alliance and went on to become Tournament Champions.  The Franklinville (Wasted Potential) team earned the Excellence Award and the Franklinville (The Ratz) team earned the Design Award.  These four teams qualify to attend the Northern New York State Championship to be held in Syracuse on February 29.
Additionally, the Judges Award was presented to the Wellsville team (Big Cat Robotics) to acknowledge their outstanding Engineering Notebook. 
The Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Alex Palowitch from iDesign Solutions.
To prepare for the tournament, students worked together to design, build and program a semiautonomous robot that could quickly and efficiently solve the specific challenges of the 2019-2020 VEX Robotics Competition game, Tower Takeover.  Teams studied electronics, programming, mechanical systems, animation, 3D CAD, computer aided machining, web design, and materials fabrication.  An equally important set of skills is learned through competition: communication, negotiation, project management, time management and teamwork.
The tournament was possible because of a tremendous collaborative effort between Cuba-Rushford school and CABOCES.  The CABOCES Tech Support team, along with ISS (Professional Development, Learning Resources, and Student Programs) worked together to make the tournament a success.  Additional support and guidance, which was invaluable, came from Alex Palowitch from iDESIGN Solutions. 
The Cuba-Rushford Qualifying Tournament is one of a series of VEX Robotics Competitions taking place internationally throughout the year. VEX Competitions are the largest and fastest growing competitive robotics programs for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and college aged students around the world. VEX Competitions represent over 24,000 teams from 61 countries that participate in more than 1,650 VEX Competition events worldwide. The competition season culminates each spring, with VEX Robotics World Championship, a highly anticipated event that unites top qualifying teams from local, state, regional and international VEX Robotics Competitions to crown World Champions. More information about the VEX Robotics Competition is available at RoboticsEducation.org, RobotEvents.com and VEXRobotics.com. To find out how to become involved in VEX Robotics in the CABOCES region, email jean_oliverio@caboces.org or call 716-376-8323.
About the REC Foundation
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation manages the VEX Robotics Competition, which thousands of schools participate in around the world each year.  REC states that one million students are reached worldwide through all the VEX robotics programs, classrooms, and competitions.
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. Its goal is to provide these programs with services, solutions, and a community that allows them to flourish in a way that fosters the technical and interpersonal skills necessary for students to succeed in the 21st Century. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work so that one day these programs will become accessible to all students and all schools in all communities. For more information on REC Foundation, visit www.RoboticsEducation.org.
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Jean Oliverio, Student Programs, ISS, CABOCES
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The Art of Storytelling

5/31/2019

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Pixar in a Box Meets Khan Academy

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We are storytellers. Notice that I used “we.” Some people prefer sharing stories through writing, others through video, and others through song. Regardless of the medium, we are all storytellers--every one of us.

The question then becomes, “How do we go about telling our stories?” To find the answer, look no further than Pixar’s collaboration with Khan Academy, Pixar in a Box. While the curriculum contains 15 units, The Art of Storytelling is central to story creation and development and is bolstered with six modules to help anyone guide their storytelling much like Pixar has done for over three decades.

The Art of Storytelling

Model Schools Coordinator, Rob Miller, and I first explored The Art of Storytelling curriculum this past March at the South by Southwest EDU (SXSW EDU) conference with Elyse Klaidman, co-leader of the team at Pixar that created, developed, and promoted Pixar in a Box. In her two-hour, hands-on session, Elyse shared her recommendations for utilizing the curriculum on Khan Academy in the middle-high school classroom (disclaimer - I must have been so engrossed in learning that I excluded a piece of the puzzle and numbered incorrectly):
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  1. We Are Storytellers: Introduction to Storytelling
  2. ​Character Development
  3. Story Structure
  4. Story Development
  5. Storyboarding
  6. Feedback
​In small groups, participants worked through the six-step process creating stories of their own. If we worked at Pixar and our story seemed like it had potential, then we would repeat the process, refining and improving our work for another four years before hitting the big screen.

English Language Arts Collaborative Learning Community

After returning from SXSW EDU, Rob and I shared our learning with the Professional Development team at CA BOCES. Seeing our enthusiasm and a clear connection to the NYSED ELA learning standards, Sarah Wittmeyer and Brendan Keiser collaborated with us to include The Art of Storytelling in the next Middle School/High School English Language Arts Collaborative Learning Community (MS/HS ELA CLC).
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Educators from Allegany-Limestone, Bolivar-Richburg, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Friendship, Portville, Salamanca, Scio, West Valley, and Whitesville school districts followed a process similar to the one I experienced with Elyse by working through the Getting Started with Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling document in conjunction with the available video lessons over the course of approximately two hours. However, The Art of Storytelling could be easily extended to one week, one month, or one marking period (or longer) if desired. This process could even be developed into a course to include not only storytelling, but also design, effects, simulation, animation, character modeling, and more.

Maybe you aren’t convinced that you are a storyteller; perhaps you feel like you don’t have what it takes to write, produce, or create something valuable. If that really is you, I think the Introduction to Storytelling with Pixar in a Box can help. If that isn’t you and you are interested learning more about Pixar, or if you are looking to expand your storytelling strategies, you can start there, too.

By: Mark Beckwith, CA BOCES Professional Development

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Portville Educators, along with CA BOCES’ Anne Mitchell,  Present at New York State Professional Conferences

1/31/2019

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“I enjoyed the experience of presenting at the NYSSCA conference because I was able to share with fellow counselors and educators what I do to promote social and emotional learning and development in our students at PCS. My hope is that I was able to inspire those in attendance with ideas and information that they could take back to their schools,” (A. Luther).
In our region, it’s no secret that Portville Central School is doing amazing things for kids—now the state is starting to take notice, too. This fall Portville educators took the stage at two different state-level conferences. In October, Molly Scott and Theresa Lyons presented at the annual New York State English Council Conference in Albany. They presented the tremendously successful, elementary-level & community-wide One Book One Community Project: Palacio’s Wonder: the idea, the timeline; the events; the teachers; the students; the families, and the community—start to finish—and the lasting impact it’s had. Participants left understanding the value of the project and the process to implement One Book One Community at their own districts.
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“I enjoyed attending and presenting at the New York State English Conference. Not only did I have the opportunity to help present about the Wonder project, but I was also able to learn about various literacy topics and strategies to bring back to PCS students,” (T. Lyons).
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“The opportunity to represent Portville was an honor. I am so grateful to have had a role in the project and the opportunity to boast about Portville’s accomplishments. The feedback we received was all so positive. To hear our work described as inspiring validates what we did and ignites a fire for more projects for our district,” (M. Scott).
In November, Amanda Luther presented “Educating the Whole Child: Social Emotional Development and the Comprehensive School Counseling Model” at the annual New York State School Counselors Association Conference in Lake George. This year’s conference topic was RESILIENCY. The role of the school counselor has been transforming: Amanda shared evidence-based resources, authentic practices, and creative programming that are unique to Portville and highlight what the comprehensive school counseling regulations outline as best practice. The participants were extremely engaged and wanted to learn more about the meaningful and relevant social emotional learning opportunities and experiences happening at Portville.

Both building principals, Lynn Corder and Larry Welty, contributed to the presentations as well—via video. A special thanks to Portville’s student technology support on these projects: Chris Stebbins, Emma Mikolajczyk, and Devon Hall (graduated, attending Alfred State College).

We’re looking forward to having more Portville educators share their expertise and successes with state-wide colleagues and are grateful for the support of Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES: Student and Teacher Programs.

By:  Anne Mitchell, CA BOCES Professional Development
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pete the cat entertains new friends

5/30/2018

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Young students from nineteen area schools experienced live theatre this month.  Almost 2500 preK through first graders from Cattaraugus and Allegany counties attended the TheatreWorks USA performances of Pete the Cat.  A cool cat named Pete, along with Jimmy and the Biddle family, went on a lively and colorful adventure filled with songs, dance and an insightful message about friendship.

The show at Olean High School on May 10 held added excitement for two local classes, who, thanks to their teachers, learned first-hand about forming new friendships.  First grade teachers, Stacey Clayson of Prospect Elementary and Kristin Yehl of Portville Central, and their students were both traveling to Olean High School to watch the TheatreWorks performance.  Their students had been communicating as pen-pals, but hadn’t actually met in person.  The 35 eager students were able to meet their long-distance friends before the show started. Front row seating was reserved for the special guests. It was exciting to witness the kids’ enthusiasm as they met face-to-face for the first time.  Both teachers were equally as enthusiastic and allowed the pen-pals to sit together to watch the show.

Kristin Yehl, from Portville, explained, “It was such a special treat meeting our pen-pals at the play. My kids were over-the-moon excited to meet up, and extremely happy to have seats reserved up front. We really enjoyed the play. They always do a great job keeping the audience entertained and engaged. We’re busy now writing back to our pen-pals because they delivered letters to us at the play.”

TheatreWorks USA is a professional acting company based out of New York City.  It is America’s largest and most prolific professional theatre for young audiences.

BOCES Arts In Education, CoSer 403, helps schools enrich the lives of their students by providing opportunities to experience the performing arts.  Fillmore Central, Olean High and Arcade Elementary opened their auditoriums to host these performances.  For more information about bringing TheatreWorks shows to your area, contact Student Programs at 716-376-8284. 

By:  Jean Oliverio, CABOCES Student Programming
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Scholastic Challenge 2018 Results

3/1/2018

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The largest ever Scholastic Challenge Competition was held on Saturday, February 3 at Portville Central School.  This annual event hosted a record breaking 44 teams who competed in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.

Scholastic Challenge is a fast-paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia and current events.  Teams of four students measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics.

Congratulations to all the teams and to the first and second place teams in each division.  Thank you to 50+ volunteers that made the event possible.
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Senior Division Champions - Fillmore Central coached by Bill Kelley & Mary Kay Kelley (pictured L-R: Josh Buck, coach, Rory Kelley, Michael McDonald, Evan Nugent)
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Senior Division 2nd Place - West Valley Central coached by Bryan Hansen (pictured L-R: coach, Cody Keller, E.J Thiel, Nathan Dash, Sarah Sheffield)
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Junior Division Champions - Scio Central coached by Mary Zdrojewski (pictured L-R: Jackson Broach, Will Broach, Max Morris, Jordan White, coach)
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Junior Division 2nd Place - Hinsdale Central coached by Sara Centanni (pictured L-R: Matthew Beeman, Sara Beeman, coach, Christy Childs, Fransisca Childs)
By:  Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programming
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One book One community:  Portville Elementary School

12/28/2017

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A shared reading experience has blanketed Portville, NY, like an early morning fall frost. Portville Elementary School, families, and the entire community have embraced R. J. Palacio's book Wonder and the exciting project: One Book One Community.

One Book One Community is an initiative where the people in a school and the members of its community read the same book. The premise of this program is to promote literacy and engage students and community members in thoughtful reflections around a common text.

From September to November, the teachers and students at Portville Elementary School have been reading, listening to, and talking about Wonder. The enthusiasm for the book has transcended the school walls to reach local businesses, organizations, and families. It’s not uncommon for students and their families to walk into their favorite local restaurant or dentist’s office and hear the employees and customers talking about Wonder.

The power of One Book One Community comes from the reading connection formed between the students and the community and the book’s extraordinary theme: kindness.  Wonder was selected for the project for that very reason: in a world that seems to have more animosity than compassion, Wonder has the power to inspire people to “Choose Kind.”
Portville Elementary School and its community are not just reading and talking, they’re showing their support for the project on Face Book, Instagram, and Twitter. Lawns and business windows reinforce the project with signs:

“We’re Reading Wonder; Are You?”

Wonder, the movie, made its debut before Thanksgiving. With support from CA BOCES Student Programs, Portville sent 3rd-6th-grade students and their teachers to see the movie and is planning a culminating event in January-a great way to start the new year. Although the project will end soon, the conversations will continue for weeks to come.

One Book One Community has been met with such enthusiasm that it’s anticipated to become an annual event.

Social Media Links:
Facebook: Portville Wonders
Instagram: @PortvilleWONDERS
Twitter: @PortvilleWONDERS

By: Anne Mitchell, CA BOCES Professional Development
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​2017 Outdoor Adventure Camp

7/5/2017

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Students from Portville, Olean, and Hinsdale Central School Districts embarked on a great adventure this week: Outdoor Adventure Camp 2017.
Portville, Olean, and Hinsdale School Districts have collaborated for the past three years to provide up to a total of fifty students who are entering grades 4-12 an outdoor learning adventure that promotes friendship, fun, team building, growth mindset, and confidence. Because each of the three districts has been awarded The Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant, the Adventure Camp is free for students.
The 4-day outdoor adventure includes kayaking on the Allegany River and Quaker Lake, archery, tennis, swimming, and Portville’s Ropes Course & Climbing Wall. The opportunity takes learning outdoors and kids are raving about it: “I loved all of it”; “It’s so much fun trying new things and going to new places”; “I like making new friends”; “I love kayaking and the ropes course”; “I conquered my fear of heights”; “I want to come back every summer”; “I’d recommend this camp to all of my friends!”
 
The cheers of encouragement from the belay team to a fellow climber speak volumes: Outdoor Adventure Camp is an experience the kids will carry with them for a lifetime.
 
By: Anne Mitchell, CA BOCES Professional Development & Portville Central School Curriculum Coordinator
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What Does Blended Learning Look Like in your School?

4/3/2017

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What is blended learning? Are we truly blending learning in our region? Yes we are! Below are examples of Michael B. Horn - The Christensen Institute’s blended learning models that are taking place across our region, and quite successfully! 
Models of Blended Learning
Model Schools in C-A Region
Rotation Model
Classrooms that rotate among learning modalities, with at least one of which is online learning.
 
Example: Click here for Randolph CSD’s recognized Blended Learning Mode
Many Cattaraugus & Allegany County elementary classroom stations
Flex Model
Schools utilizing online Unit & Credit Recovery or digital content for AIS / RtI in computer labs
 
Click here to see the full list of Credit Recovery course opportunities.
Allegany-Limestone
Hinsdale
Cattaraugus Little Valley
Olean
Cuba Rushford
Pioneer
​Genesee Valley 
A la Carte Model
Students take an entire course online while attending school.  These courses may be taught by a teacher online, and the course is monitored by an in-district Teacher of Record or CABOCES Online DL Teachers: Justine Lombardi and Christina McGee.
Click here to see the full list of online course opportunities.
Andover
Hinsdale
Bolivar Richburg
Olean
Cattaraugus Little Valley
Pioneer
Ellicottville
Portville
Fillmore
Randolph
Franklinville
Salamanca
Friendship
Scio
Genesee Valley
​West Valley
Enriched Virtual Model
Students are required to take a course face-to-face two days a week, but are allowed to do the rest of the work online from wherever they prefer.
 
Example:  DL VideoConference Courses
​Genesee Community College Sociology/Psychology T/Th face-to-face through videoconference & one hour online
 
Andover, Belfast, Fillmore, Friendship,  Hinsdale and Scio
While blended learning began in simple applications to serve students in situations where there was no other alternative, it has grown exponentially over the past ten years in the Cattaraugus Allegany region, where our region is recognized as the leader in online learning in New York State BOCES regions!  

Michael B Horn’s and Heather Staker’s book, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools
, lays out the process in a useful level of detail making it a must read for educators that want to take full advantage of tech-enabled learning. Staker shared, "I feel deeply sad when I see how many children do not have equal opportunities to high-quality schools. It's wrong that in a rich country with universal public education, zip code determines quality." But she feels fortunate to be living through the learning revolution where internet connectivity and personalized learning is “decimating old constructs about who gets what and introducing a new paradigm of shared access to the best learning experiences, regardless of geography.” (Education Week article - http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2014/09/blended_a_conversation_with_michael _horn_heather_staker.html)
What educational “trend” do you think is helping students? Is there a trend that is getting in the way of learning? Michael B. Horn adds, “Online learning, particularly in blended learning schools, gives students more and more ownership of their learning, this is a big deal as it can allow schools to individualize for each student’s unique learning needs.” (http://dailyedventures.com/index.php/2012/11/08/michael-horn/)
How do these online learning opportunities benefit students? Danielle, from Allegany- Limestone, replied, “I wish that I could have studied this way from the beginning of the year. When I’m in a classroom with people, I get distracted, but using APEX is great. The program is really straightforward. It tells me exactly what I need to know. Some days I let it read to me and sometimes I read myself. I came from Pennsylvania and the work was harder and my Biology class was in a different place and the online class is helping me.”
To learn more about successful blended learning models in schools, join CA BOCES in an Online/Digital Learning Showcase, where you can ask questions and view demos of 7 different online solutions for:
  • Credit Recovery (Apex Learning) - for improved graduation rates / PE medical leaves
  • Credit Accrual / Electives (Edgenuity) - for student interest pathways to deepen student transcripts
  • Middle School online content (Spider Learning) - for AIS / RtI
  • Elementary online content (OHM Learning Network) - for blended learning centers / station rotation
  • College and Career Readiness (Edmentum/EdOptions/Plato) - offering a wide range of Career & Tech courses
  • Online Tutoring (iTutor) - for homebound students

​For more information about Digital Learning Day on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, from 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at CABOCES Olean Center Conference Rooms, go to: http://dev.caboces.org/iss/calendar/2017-04. 

By:  Betsy Hardy, CA BOCES Distance Learning


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 Scholastic Challenge 2017 Saturday, February 4 Portville Central School

2/3/2017

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The Scholastic Challenge Competition will be held on Saturday, February 4 at Portville Central School.  This annual event, sponsored by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES (Student Programs CoSer #506) will host 36 teams who will compete in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.
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Scholastic Challenge is a fast paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia and current events.  Teams of four students measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics.

Fourteen school districts will be participating in the double-elimination contest this year.  This translates to about 200 students and coaches.  Throughout the day, several thousand questions will be read aloud to these ambitious teams.  Spectators are encouraged to watch the competitions. It’s exciting to see the students combine an impressive display of intelligence with camaraderie, graciousness and good sportsmanship.
 
The final matches will be held on stage in the Portville auditorium around 1:15-2:15. The first and second place teams in each division will be presented with plaques to recognize their achievements, as well as an invitation to attend the 2017 National Academic Championship.

This event requires about 40 volunteers to make the day run smoothly.  CABOCES  Student Programs is grateful to everyone who donates their time and experience to provide a fun and educational day for the students in our area.  Scholastic Challenge could not happen without their help!

Congratulations to all the teams participating this year.  Thank you to all coaches for mentoring and encouraging your students.  The following school districts will be attending on Saturday, February 4:
  •       Cuba-Rushford – 4 teams coached by John Butler
  •       Ellicottville Central- 3 teams coached by Ann Chamberlain
  •       Fillmore Central – 3 teams coached by Bill Kelley & Mary Kay Kelley
  •       Franklinville Central – 3 teams coached by Shannon Wood
  •       Friendship Central – 1 team coached by Wade Pearsall
  •       Genesee Valley – 4 teams coached by Sara Donlon & Kim Douglas
  •       Hinsdale Central – 1 team coached by Sara Centanni & Charanna Swartwout
  •       Pioneer Central – 3 teams coached by Sarah Wood
  •       Portville Central – 7 teams coached by Margaret Seib & Gene Rogers
  •       Randolph Central – 1 team coached by Jennifer Bieniek
  •       Scio Central – 2 teams coached by Mary Zdrojewski
  •       Wellsville Central – 2 teams coached by Diane Willard & Hope Gilfert
  •       West Valley Central – 1 team coached by Bryan Hansen
  •       Whitesville Central – 1 team coached by Laurie Sanders & Renee McNeely
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College and Career Day at Alfred State College

4/5/2016

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Tenth graders from Andover, Belfast, Bolivar-Richburg, Cuba-Rushford, Fillmore, Portville, Scio, and Wellsville explored careers at Alfred State College.  Over 40 businesses shared about careers in Allegany County.  Student spent the day answering the question, "What's my next step?"
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Scholastic Challenge:  This Saturday!!!

2/4/2016

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​The Scholastic Challenge Competition will be held this Saturday, February 6 at Portville Central School.  This annual event, sponsored by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES, will host a total of 41 teams who will compete in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.
Scholastic Challenge is a fast paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia.  Teams of four students will measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics.  
Fourteen school districts will be participating in the double-elimination contest this year.  This translates to about 250 students and coaches.  Throughout the day, several thousand questions will be read aloud to these ambitious teams.  Spectators are encouraged to watch the competitions. It’s exciting to see the students combine an impressive display of intelligence with camaraderie, graciousness and good sportsmanship.

The final matches will be held on stage in the Portville auditorium around 2:15-3:15 (these are approximate times). The first and second place teams in each division will be presented with plaques to recognize their achievements.  
​
This event requires about 40 volunteers to make the day run smoothly.  CABOCES  Student Programs is grateful to everyone who donates their time and experience to provide a fun and educational day for the students in our area.  Scholastic Challenge could not happen without their help! 

The following school districts will be attending:
    Hinsdale Central-2 teams coached by Kate Jedrosko 
    Cuba-Rushford - 4 teams coached by John Butler 
    Ellicottville Central - 3 teams coached by Ann Chamberlain
    Fillmore Central – 2 teams coached by Deb Woltag & Bill Kelley
    Franklinville Central - 3 teams coached by Shannon Wood
    Friendship Central - 1 team coached by Wade Pearsall 
    Genesee Valley - 4 teams coached by Rollie Duttweiler & Sara Donlon
    Olean High- 1 teams coached by Carolyn Shields
    Pioneer Central -4 teams coached by Sarah Wood
    Portville Central - 8 teams coached by Margaret Seib & Gene Rogers 
    Randolph Central-1 team coached by Jennifer Bieniek
    Scio Central - 3 teams coached by Mary Zdrojewski
    Wellsville Central - 2 teams coached by Diane Willard
    West Valley Central - 3 teams coached by Ryan Keem
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Portville High-School Students Rock the 2015 Science Fair Circuit

8/3/2015

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PCS science students’ success began in February at the PCS Science Fair Exhibition: Best in Show was awarded to Zach Carlson’s project titled “The Material that Built America.” Mariah Bloise’s “From the Fryer to your Fuel Tank” won 1st place; Darienne Slocum’s “Polymers and Drug Delivery System” won 2nd place; and Grant Milne’s “We need Mortar Power” won 3rd place. Top honorable mentions were awarded to the following students: Colin Kloc, Lydia Lukomski, Ryan Kent, Ronnie Lott, Matt Weimer, and Anna Wray.

Next stop: Onondaga College, Syracuse. Winning students participated in the state-level Ying Tri-Region Science and Engineering Fair. Awards included: Zach Carlson “Honors Award”; Matt Weimer “Applied Chemistry Award”; Ryan Kent “Highest Honors, 6th Place Overall”; Darienne Slocum “US Navy Award”; “Runner up for $20,000 Scholarship to Onondaga College”; and “High Honors of Science Award”; Ronnie Lott “Highest Score in Cattaraugus Award”; “Science Award”; “Highest Honors of Science Award”; Mariah Bloise “$20,000 Scholarship for STEM Excellence to Onondaga College”;  “High Honors of Science Award”; and Grant Milne “High Honor Army Award”; “Excellence in Use of Metric System”; “International Professional Engineers Award.”

Maryann Page, Associate Professor of Biology at Onondaga College, complimented PCS students: “I want to congratulate PCS students on the strong showing at the Ying Science Fair.”

Next stop: St. Bonaventure University. SBU hosted its first Regional Science Fair. Three-dozen students from five area high schools competed. PCS’s Darienne Slocum’s “Polymers and Drug Delivery System” took 1st place. Slocum tested the capability of gel beads to absorb and retain common medicines, which could be beneficial in developing delivery systems for medicines based on their ability to slowly release drugs into the body.

Next stop: Alfred State College Regional Science and Technology Fair. Nine local school districts participated: a total of fifty-nine science and technology projects were on display for judging. Winners in the senior division:  Ronnie Lott’s “Blue Blood” won 1st place; Ryan Kent’s “Redox Raft” won 2nd place; Darienne Slocum’s “Polymers and Drug Delivery” won 3rd place, and Zach Carlson’s “The Material That Built America” won the Grand Prize!

Last stop: Jamestown Community College: Cattaraugus Campus. PCS science fair students were honored for their participation in the Ying Tri-Region Science and Engineering Fair. US Rep. Tom Reed attended the reception to present Congressional Commendation certificates. The following students received certificates: Mariah Bloise, Zach Carlson, Ryan Kent, Ronnie Lott, Grant Milne, Darienne Slocum, and Matt Weimer.

Congratulations to all of the young PCS scientists and engineers; job well done.

In addition to Science Fair success at PCS, the high-school science department faculty has earned some high accolades from Business First, 2014 WNY Science Department Ranking: PCS placed 31st out of 136 high schools in WNY. Robert Stives, chemistry, physics, and SUPA Forsensics teacher, was awarded a Business First Teacher of Merit Award.

 

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin

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Sixth-Grade Students are Popping with Success at PCS

8/3/2015

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PCS 6th-grade students entered this year’s national 2014 Popcorn Pep Club Contest and WON FIRST PLACE; the GRAND PRIZE is $2,500!

PCS entered a video showcasing the 6th grade popcorn project. Teachers, students, and administrators alike appeared in the video with scripted scenes and a carefully timed lip-sync at the end.  The school used popcorn across disciplines including: Home and Careers: recipe research, creation, and taste test; Art: drawings of mascot “Poppy” and popcorn short story books; ELA: poetry, poems, short skits, alliteration, jokes; Science: conduction experiment, convection explanation, example of transference, radiation; Social Studies: research popcorn history, classification, cultivated corn in history, popularity of popcorn in the past and present using fun facts. The students finished with lip-sync music video and anti-bullying message. 

Some of the 6th-grade students stated the following about their success: “I love how the projected connected to all the subjects”; “I really liked making the Panthers Popping for Popcorn books-artistic and fun”; “I enjoyed helping each other out when we were filming the video”;  “I (we) loved gathering around the PCS Panther outside because it showed our school spirit.”

Congratulations 6th grade. What an amazing accomplishment! “Pop on!”

Check out the video on Portville Central School’s website!

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Scholastic Challenge Keeps Growing

2/20/2015

 

Saturday, February 7, 2015 @ Portville Central School

The largest Scholastic Challenge Competition was held on Saturday, February 7 at Portville Central School.  This annual event, sponsored by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES, hosted a record total of 49 teams who competed in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.

Scholastic Challenge is a fast-paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia.  Teams of three students measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics. 

Thirteen school districts participated in the double-elimination contest this year.  This translates to more than 200 students and coaches.  Throughout the day, several thousand questions were read aloud to these ambitious teams.  All the teams represented their schools well, combining an impressive display of intelligence with camaraderie, graciousness and good sportsmanship that was admirable.

Competitors and coaches represented the following school districts:
      Allegany-Limestone-1 team coached by Kathy Schaeper
      Hinsdale Central-4 teams coached by Kate Jedrosko
      Cuba-Rushford - 6 teams coached by John Butler
      Ellicottville Central - 4 teams coached by Ann Chamberlain
      Fillmore Central – 2 teams coached by Deb Woltag & Bill Kelley
      Friendship Central - 1 team coached by Wade Pearsall
      Genesee Valley - 6 teams coached by Rollie Duttweiler & Sara Donlon
      Olean High- 2 teams coached by Carolyn Shields
      Pioneer Central -5 teams coached by Sarah Wood & Jimmy Wood
      Portville Central - 9 teams coached by Margaret Seib & Gene Rogers
      Randolph Central- 1 team coached by Jennifer Bieniek
      Wellsville Central - 3 teams coached by Diane Willard & Hope Gilfert
      West Valley Central - 5 teams coached by Ryan Keem

There were two impressive teams who were undefeated going into the Finals in the auditorium.  Congratulations to the Fillmore Green Junior team and the Pioneer Starfleet Academy Senior team!           

The final matches were held on stage in the Portville auditorium.  As usual, the finalists were challenged to answer questions on current events and local facts.  The first and second place teams in each division were presented with plaques to recognize their achievements.  All four of the Finalist teams have earned the honor of being invited to the 2015 National Academic Championship.
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1st place Junior Division: Fillmore Green Team, 200 points (Colton Rosier, Aaron Buck, Josh Buck, Kieran Kelley & Coach Deb Woltag)
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2nd place Junior Division: Portville Descendants of Nixon, 140 points (Ryan Bokman, Brenton Cousins, Ethan Dean & Coach Margaret Seib)
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1st place Senior Division: Wellsville Goblins, 1st match=260 points, 2nd match=120 points (Jason Greene, Alex Burns, Bryce Davis, Gary Havens & Coach Diane Willard)
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2nd place Senior Division: Pioneer Starfleet Academy, 1st match=250 points, 2nd match=110 points (Rion Drzewiecki, Trevor Fisher, Austin Morgan & Coach Sarah Farr)
This event requires about 50 volunteers to make the day run smoothly.  CABOCES Student Programs is grateful to everyone who donated their time and experience to provide a fun and educational day for the students in our area.  Scholastic Challenge could not happen without their help! 

Congratulations to all the teams and their proud coaches on a job well done.  We look forward to seeing everyone back next year!


By: Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES

Region’s Schools Recognized for STEM Initiatives

9/12/2014

 
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Six local schools were recognized for their role as Emerging STEM School Systems on Thursday, September 11th at a ceremony at the NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences on the University at Buffalo Campus.

Twenty-nine districts from WNY were included in the inaugural class, and representing Cattaraugus and Allegany counties were Cuba-Rushford Central School, Fillmore Central School, Hinsdale Central School, Pioneer Central School, Portville Central School, and Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES. 

Dr. Michelle Kavanaugh, facilitator of the WNY STEM Hub, recognized these districts for their sparks of STEM growth, and urged them to find ways to make that growth systemic.  She encouraged enlightened teacher leaders to collaborate with enlightened leaders to allocate resources to teach our students today for their world tomorrow.

Dr. Kavanaugh acknowledged that each district represented had its own story about integrating and growing STEM, and explained that those stories would be featured on the WNY STEM Hub website, wnystem.org, so other districts looking for inspiration around STEM implementation could read about their peers’ successes.  Dr. Kavanaugh was joined by Bob Grant, Account Executive for Siemens, in congratulating the districts and their representatives for their current work, and hoped that today would mark an “important turning point for our region” in the area of STEM education.  


Physical Educators Form Collaborative Learning Community

4/4/2014

 
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Through the generosity of a PEP Grant awarded to the Portville and Cattaraugus-Little Valley Central School Districts, physical educators from across the region have been gathering over the last year as a Collaborative Learning Community.

With meetings alternating between Houghton College and the Olean Main Center, teachers have had time to explore best practices and strategies both inside and outside of the physical education classroom setting.  PE teachers have heard presentations on DASA/bullying, law issues in sports and athletics, SLO’s and APPR, and the academic benefits of physical education.  In the gym, they’ve shared lesson and warmup ideas, including ways to integrate technology in education, and have headed outside to explore Houghton’s Ropes Course.  

Together, they have established a Weebly to share information online and have been given access to a Physical Educators email list-serve.  Our hope is that they are able to establish collegial relationships that extend outside of our workshops and improve their practice on a regular basis.

The next Active PE Forum is scheduled for Friday, May 30th at Houghton College.  To register, please contact Laurie Sledge at 376-8357 or laurie_sledge@caboces.org.

CA BOCES Digital Kids - 24/7 Student and Teacher Access

3/6/2014

 
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Students and teachers (of COSER 501 member districts) can access hundreds of thousands of digital resources using CABOCES Digital Kids.  

www.cabocesdigitalkids.org

Users may login to CABOCES DIGITAL KIDS to search clips and images or pass through to:
Brain Pop (Jr., ESL, Espanol),Discovery, Learn 360, Sylvan Dell eBooks, Teaching Books, Tumblebooks, Soundszabound, Gale Cengage, Regents Review

It's a Small World After All - Portville Central School

11/20/2013

 
The school year is off to a great start at Portville Central School. Within this contemporary learning system, is the 2013-14 fifth-grade class and their social studies teacher, Mrs. Kloc; together, they are experiencing first hand that they are part of a larger community: a global community.
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