February 26, 2021

Just like all organizations in today’s climate, at CA BOCES we continue to focus on maintaining a safe environment for students and staff members. While this is surely our priority, I am pleased to still see true progress and innovation occurring in all departments throughout the CA BOCES organization.

For example:

– The CA BOCES Instructional Support Services (ISS) team has been presenting Parent University courses throughout our region in component districts. Parent University was designed by our team to provide education and support for parents and caregivers in key areas like managing home behavior, learning in a virtual environment, understanding social emotional connections, managing anxiety, and embracing self-care routines as a parent. The sessions have received great feedback so far and we are pleased to be able to provide this essential support to parents throughout this challenging time.

– February was National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month sponsored by the Association for Career & Technical Education. It has been inspiring to see program highlights from our own CTE Centers and from those throughout New York State that demonstrate the power of technical education in carving out career pathways for high school students and adult learners alike. I continue to be proud of our students and our instructors for the work they do in this important area!

– RISE Academy, our new location for Exceptional Education in Olean, is up and running successfully and providing comprehensive services for students in our region. This has been a large undertaking over the last several months and staff members have worked tirelessly to make sure this location best serves the needs of our students and community. Great work!

– Earlier this week, students from several school districts in the region, led by CA BOCES ISS staff, participated in a Virtual VEX Robotics Challenge. In this competition, teams design, build, and program robots to compete in various challenges and courses. What an awesome opportunity for the students in our component districts!

These are just a handful of examples, of many, that illustrate the creativity and focus of our team at CA BOCES and the energy that they put toward serving our students and communities.

As always, please know that you can call me at any time should you have questions or concerns at 716-376-8254.

Peace,