The Bulletin - St. Lawrence

The Bulletin
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Employee News
October -November 2015
Message From District Superintendent
Season’s greetings!
Inside This Issue:
Holiday Card Contest................ 2
Holiday Art Display................... 3
Special Education News.......... 4
School Spotlight....................... 5
Regent Dinner....................... ... 6
HR Corner............................. .... 7
Career Fair Recap.................... 8
LGRMIF Grant........................... 9
BOCES All-Stars..................... 10
It’s hard to believe we are almost halfway
through the school year already. It has been a
pleasure to see the many accomplishments of
our staff and students this fall, and I look forward to what the spring semester will bring.
One of my goals for this year is to improve our
internal communications throughout the many
facets of our BOCES so that our news and
achievements are shared universally, not just
within individual schools and departments.
It can be difficult to keep up with goings-on
throughout all of our 50 different programs and
services, especially when our 600 employees are spread out across nearly two-dozen
locations. However, the more we communicate with one another, the better we work
together.
December 7
Principals’ Meeting
We are currently working on implementing a cohesive internal communications
strategy. So far, we have boosted our social media presence by adding a LinkedIn
account and re-launching the BOCES Twitter. We also plan to distribute this newsletter more frequently to share important updates and information. In January, we
will conduct an online survey to ask you how you like to receive information and
what types of updates are important to you. We will also launch a new communications device on our BOCES website called “Let’s Talk,” which will allow you to submit questions or comments in one place to help you reach the right person within
BOCES to get a timely response.
December 9
SLS Day
Professional Development
Thank you for the valuable work that you do each day. I can’t wait to hear about it in
the coming months.
December 23 January 1
Best,
Mark Your Calendars:
December 4
BOCES Holiday Art Exhibit
Holiday Recess
Got a Tip?
Send suggestions, photos, questions or
comments about the employee newsletter
to [email protected].
Thomas R. Burns
District Superintendent/ Executive Officer
Page 1
BOCES Annual Holiday Card Contest
Each year, District Superintendent Thomas Burns sends holiday cards on behalf of the St. Lawrence-Lewis
BOCES. Last year, the district office asked for art submissions from BOCES students. All classrooms were invited
to submit pieces of student artwork, with one student's artwork selected for the cover of the 2014 BOCES holiday
card.
After careful deliberation, Amy Simmons, age 8, from Mrs. Carrie Lake's classroom at Madill Elementary School
in Ogdensburg was the chosen artist.
This year, we again invite all BOCES students to submit artwork for consideration for the BOCES holiday card;
however, the selection of the winner will be based on “people’s choice.” All artwork submitted will be on display
at the Educational Services Center in Canton, with an official opening event kicking off the display on December 3rd at the ESC. Of the submissions, 10 will be selected as finalists and posted on the BOCES Facebook page.
Whichever submission receives the most “likes” will be chosen as the 2015 holiday card cover. The art can be in
any medium and size, and the submissions should have a winter or holiday theme.
We are proud of the creativity of our BOCES students and excited to showcase their talent again this year.
Pictured above: 2014 holiday card contest winning submission.
Page 2
Open to
the public!
December 3rd
5:00 - 7:00PM
BOCES’ Holiday
Art Display
40 West Main Street
Canton, NY
Refreshments
Provided
Holiday Card Contest
Finalists Will Be
Selected
Page 3
Special Education News
Meet Our New Team Members!
Potsdam Region Supervisor
Emilyann McGregor currently lives in Norwood with her husband, Justin, and their two children,
Sophiya and Logan, ages 5 and 2. They recently sold their home and will be moving to Hannawa
Falls in the upcoming weeks. Emily grew up in Norwood and attended SUNY Potsdam where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in
Childhood Education and a Master’s in Special Education. Emily was
then hired at West Side Elementary in the Gouverneur Central School
District as a Special Education teacher. During her five years there she
taught self-contained classes in grades kindergarten through six. When
a special education position opened up closer to home, at Potsdam
Central School, she decided to make the move and she spent three years
as a special education teacher, first at the middle school and then the
elementary where she also was an administrative intern. Each summer
of her career, she worked for SLL BOCES as a teacher for the Extended
School Year Program. In January 2014, Emily enrolled in classes at St.
Lawrence University and went on to complete a yearlong internship
with the Potsdam District administrators. She obtained her certification
as a School Building Leader in May 2015 and was hired at SLL BOCES
as the Potsdam Region Supervisor of Special Education in July 2015. Emily is a passionate and energetic advocate for her students. She believes that all students can succeed; that they deserve every
chance to do so; and that it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they reach their academic
Potsdam Region BCBA Coordinator
Jacqueline Bill is a graduate of Canton High School. She completed her
undergraduate studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON and her
Masters Degree in Childhood Education at SUNY Potsdam. She began
working with St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES as a teaching assistant in the
ABA program in December 2005. In 2006 she completed certification
in Special Education at SUNY Potsdam, and Teacher for the Blind and
Visually Impaired in 2007 through Dominican College. Most recently, she completed her certification in Behaviour Analysis through the
University of North Texas in 2014. She is currently pursuing her School
District Leader certification through Niagara College. Since joining St.
Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, Jacqueline has worked as a Teaching Assistant, Teacher for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Special Education
Teacher, and most recently as BCBA Coordinator in the Potsdam region. Jacqueline lives in Rensselaer Falls with her husband, two dogs, and a cat and enjoys being outdoors as often as possible.
Page 4
School Spotlight
Northwest Technical
Education Center
Staff and students at Northwest Tech
have been busy this fall. The recently revived chapter of Future Farmers
of America has been at work sharing
knowledge of agriculture and its role in
the North Country economy.
Senator Patty Ritchie visited the Natural Resource Program at Northwest
Technical Center in Ogdensburg in
September. Senator Ritchie supported
the funding and purchase of a Bobcat
Skid-Steer, which will be utilized by
students enrolled in the Natural Resource Management class. The Senator spoke with the Future Farmers of
America President, Natalie Chambers,
and Vice-President, Alyssa Gagnon
regarding upcoming community service
events and field trips. The students from
Natural Resource Management extend
many thanks to Senator Ritchie for her
continued support of their education and
the agriculture industry.
Northwest Tech’s Future Farmers of
America (FFA) chapter has recently
opened an account at Perry’s Bottle Redemption Center to help raise funds for
community service and field trips.
On October 23, 2015, Northwest Technical Education Center’s Natural Resource Management Program and Future Farmers of America chapter hosted
an Agriculture Day Fair.
The event was located at Northwest
Tech on the lawn by the greenhouse.
There were several animals present,
including calves, goats, mini donkeys, a
pig and rabbits.
Congratulations to Northwest Tech for
being selected for this month’s School
Spotlight!
Page 5
St. Lawrence-Lewis Counties
School Boards Association
Annual Dinner and Meeting
with Regent Ouderkirk
November 18, 2015
Northwest Technical Education Center
Regent Ouderkirk Delivers Remarks
Regent Ouderkirk and District Superintendent Burns
Discuss Education Policy
Northwest Tech Culinary Arts
Student Prepares Dessert
Northwest Tech Culinary Arts Students Serve Hors D’oeuvres
Page 6
HR Corner
Family and Medical Leave Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take
unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family
and medical reasons.
Only eligible employees are entitled to take
FMLA leave. An eligible employee is one who:
• Works for a covered employer;
• Has worked for the employer for at least 12
months;
• Has at least 1,250 hours of service for the employer during the 12 month period immediately
preceding the leave; and
Eligible employees may take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave (leave can be paid with
available leave balance) during a 12-month
period for one or more of the following reasons:
• The birth of a son or daughter or placement of
a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care;
• To care for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent
who has a serious health condition;
• For a serious health condition that makes the
employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job; or
• For any qualifying exigency arising out of the
fact that a spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a
military member on covered active duty or call
to covered active duty status.
Employees must comply with their employer’s
usual and customary requirements for requesting leave and provide enough information for
their employer to reasonably determine whether
the FMLA may apply to the leave request. Employees generally must request leave 30 days
in advance when the need for leave is foreseeable. When the need for leave is foreseeable
less than 30 days in advance or is unforeseeable, employees must provide notice as soon
as possible and practicable under the circumstances.
When an employee requests FMLA leave due
to his or her own serious health condition or a
covered family member’s serious health condition, a certification in support of the leave from
a health care provider is required. An employer
may also require second or third medical opinions (at the employer’s expense) and periodic
recertification of a serious health condition.
Page 7
Career &
Community Resources Fair
On November 20, 2015 St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES
hosted a Career Fair for community members
interested in employment in the education and
healthcare fields. Attendees had the opportunity
to meet with several local employers, and career
counselors were available to answer questions and
provide free résumé critiques. There were presentations on teaching assistant certifications as well as a
presentation by BOCES Adult Education regarding
its healthcare certificate programs. Additionally,
funding agencies were available to discuss financial
assistance opportunities.
Career Fair Booths:
BOCES Adult Education
BOCES Career Services Center
BOCES Special Education
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Regional Certification & Human Resources Dept.
SUNY Canton
St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services
One Stop Career Center
ACCES-VR
Penski
United Helpers (Maplewood & Riverledge) & (Mosaic Services)
Northern Lights Home Healthcare
Health Services of Northern NY
Canton Potsdam Hospital
St. Joseph’s Home
MILC (Maximizing Independent Living Choices)
Caregivers
Community Health Center of the North Country
Cerebral Palsy of the North Country
St. Lawrence County Community Development Programs
St. Lawrence NYSARC
St. Lawrence Health Alliance
St. Regis Nursing Home
Page 8
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Awarded Grant for
Electronic File Management
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES was recently awarded a Local Government
Records Management Improvement
Fund (LGRMIF) grant from the New
York State Archives, a unit of the
NYS Education Department (SED).
This grant will allow our HR department to scan personnel records and
maintain them electronically.
Begining next week (December 07),
NYSARC will be in the ESC building
to begin scanning materials.
towards making all the HR forms
electronic, thus saving paper as well
as the time needed for filing.”
The grant was applied for in partnership with the Hermon-Dekalb
School District, and BOCES will
look into partnering with other
school districts who can benefit from
the software in the future.
“This will go a long way in improving
our HR record maintenance,” said
Administrative Assisant Lee-Ann
Morgan. “This grant will give the HR
Department the ability to file and
access employee records in seconds
versus searching through numerous
file cabinets, folders and documents.
The HR Department will be working
Page 9
BOCES All-Stars
Melissa Wallace
Melissa Wallace, a 21-year-old woman in Sue
Waters’ Life Skills class in Potsdam has been
working to master a communication device
called Tobii that uses eye gaze technology.
Gaze interaction is a computer access method
that allows her to navigate and control her
device with her eyes. She is able to listen to
music, watch videos, but most importantly
communicate her personal wants and needs.
According to Melissa’s Speech Therapist Teresa Fisher, “In prior years, Melissa’s contribution to the Life Skills class’ craft shows has
been minimal
because of
her physical
challenges.
Her Tobii
has opened
doors for
her that had
been shut for
over 18 years.
She is able to
make choices,
participate in
classroom
discussions,
answer questions, and tell us how she feels.
She has a delightful sense of humor and an
infectious smile. She loves to tease and to be
teased. Her device allows her to be a participating partner which, I think, a lot of people
take for granted.”
Melissa has worked hard to create unique and
one of a kind greeting cards using her device
while activating a switch. The switch is connected to a spin art machine that was created just for her. Each piece was created with
focus and patience. Inscribed on the backside
of each card is this statement: ~Designs by
Melissa~ Individually made with Love, Patience, and Eye Gaze. Melissa’s Teacher Assistant Penny Didas has been an invaluable
support in the completion of this project.
Melissa and her class recently sold her cards
as well as many other handmade items at
the Clarkson Craft Fair located in the Cheel
building. Dave Smith, the Potsdam Workshop
Teacher and Sue Hart, a former teacher of
Melissa’s were also contributors to the craft
fair. Next Friday and Saturday Melissa’s cards
will be on sale at the craft show at the Massena Mall. The cards will be part of the second
sale of the season for the Life Skills class in
Potsdam.
This month, Melissa submitted one of her
special cards for consideration in the BOCES
Annual Holiday Card Contest. You can view
Melissa’s work at the Holiday Art Display at
the ESC building on Thursday, December 3rd
from 5-7PM.
Page 10