BOCES, Stanford Gibson and special ed the focus at last night’s BOE meeting
NORWICH – The Norwich City School District’s Board of Education received a visit from a small group of BOCES students at its regular meeting Monday night, as well as reports from Stanford Gibson Principal Dara Lewis and Deputy Superintendent Rob Wightman.
All three presentations are part of the board’s continued focus on student life, academics and finances as the 2011-2012 school year nears its midway point.
The group of Norwich High School juniors and seniors – all members of BOCES’ New Visions and Career and Technical Education programs – shared their thoughts on the vital role both programs play in their individual educational experiences.
New Visions students Laura Bell Zagada and Natasha Brower, both seniors at NHS, are currently enrolled in BOCES’ Allied Health program. The ten-week program, said Zagada, offers them an opportunity to “get a feel for how to present ourselves when shadowing at Chenango Memorial Hospital” and both have “learned a lot about interacting with patients in a respectful, professional manner.”
According to Brower, participating in actual rotations at the hospital has helped her to gain experience she couldn’t get in the classroom alone. The four day per week rotations, she added, include stints in the hospital’s emergency room, oncology, pediatric, respiratory and occupational therapy, orthopedic, physical therapy and cardiology units, as well as others.
Both called the hands-on experience an extraordinary opportunity to mix with patients and work with actual hospital staff.
Anthony Vitiello, a student with BOCES’ Automotive Technology program, has learned to safely use a wide variety of tools and techniques, working on tire, brake and suspension systems, hydraulics, as well as electrical and lighting systems and automotive welding.
The combined classroom and shop experience has been “really cool,” he added, and it’s a “really good program.”
NHS senior Kyler Moore said that – growing up – he’d always been interested in computers. Thanks to BOCES’ Computer Networking program, he now plans to attend an IT college, where he hopes to expand his knowledge in the field of computer programming. According to Moore, Culinary Arts student Chandler Wehrli, Education Professions student Sara Philips and Law and Government students Jamie Zieno and Stephanie Todd, the BOCES New Visions and CTE programs have been instrumental in preparing for college as they look to further their respective educations.
On the academic side, Stanford Gibson Principal Lewis said the elementary school is poised for success, thanks to an “incredible staff” and its “outstanding” work ethic. As with Perry Browne and the middle and high schools, the focus this year is on non-fiction writing, which she called critical to students’ education. This, in addition to “eyes on the page” reading skills, applying those skills to the Common Core standards, high level thinking and staff collaboration, will all improve instruction on every level.
“We need to be able to sustain their focus,” stated Lewis. “We need students that think differently, more deeply and at a higher level. If we take the opportunity to talk to each other and learn from each other ... we can improve instruction.
Assessment scores, added Lewis, have been increasing steadily. Those scores, 12 percent in 2001-2002, are now above 85 percent.
“It’s taken a lot of time and energy to get there,” said the elementary principal.
Deputy Superintendent Wightman’s presentation on finances focused this month on a rundown of the district’s special education costs. With an annual budget of $3.6 million, special education – whether it be in-house, in-district or out-of-district – represents roughly nine percent of the district’s overall $37 million budget, numbers that have seen some growth over the years.
According to Wightman, the district serves approximately 400 students as part of its special education, with 44 staff members involved in those programs.
The NCSD Board of Education will meet next at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 in the district office, 89 Midland Drive. For more information call 334-1600 or visit norwichcsd.org.
All three presentations are part of the board’s continued focus on student life, academics and finances as the 2011-2012 school year nears its midway point.
The group of Norwich High School juniors and seniors – all members of BOCES’ New Visions and Career and Technical Education programs – shared their thoughts on the vital role both programs play in their individual educational experiences.
New Visions students Laura Bell Zagada and Natasha Brower, both seniors at NHS, are currently enrolled in BOCES’ Allied Health program. The ten-week program, said Zagada, offers them an opportunity to “get a feel for how to present ourselves when shadowing at Chenango Memorial Hospital” and both have “learned a lot about interacting with patients in a respectful, professional manner.”
According to Brower, participating in actual rotations at the hospital has helped her to gain experience she couldn’t get in the classroom alone. The four day per week rotations, she added, include stints in the hospital’s emergency room, oncology, pediatric, respiratory and occupational therapy, orthopedic, physical therapy and cardiology units, as well as others.
Both called the hands-on experience an extraordinary opportunity to mix with patients and work with actual hospital staff.
Anthony Vitiello, a student with BOCES’ Automotive Technology program, has learned to safely use a wide variety of tools and techniques, working on tire, brake and suspension systems, hydraulics, as well as electrical and lighting systems and automotive welding.
The combined classroom and shop experience has been “really cool,” he added, and it’s a “really good program.”
NHS senior Kyler Moore said that – growing up – he’d always been interested in computers. Thanks to BOCES’ Computer Networking program, he now plans to attend an IT college, where he hopes to expand his knowledge in the field of computer programming. According to Moore, Culinary Arts student Chandler Wehrli, Education Professions student Sara Philips and Law and Government students Jamie Zieno and Stephanie Todd, the BOCES New Visions and CTE programs have been instrumental in preparing for college as they look to further their respective educations.
On the academic side, Stanford Gibson Principal Lewis said the elementary school is poised for success, thanks to an “incredible staff” and its “outstanding” work ethic. As with Perry Browne and the middle and high schools, the focus this year is on non-fiction writing, which she called critical to students’ education. This, in addition to “eyes on the page” reading skills, applying those skills to the Common Core standards, high level thinking and staff collaboration, will all improve instruction on every level.
“We need to be able to sustain their focus,” stated Lewis. “We need students that think differently, more deeply and at a higher level. If we take the opportunity to talk to each other and learn from each other ... we can improve instruction.
Assessment scores, added Lewis, have been increasing steadily. Those scores, 12 percent in 2001-2002, are now above 85 percent.
“It’s taken a lot of time and energy to get there,” said the elementary principal.
Deputy Superintendent Wightman’s presentation on finances focused this month on a rundown of the district’s special education costs. With an annual budget of $3.6 million, special education – whether it be in-house, in-district or out-of-district – represents roughly nine percent of the district’s overall $37 million budget, numbers that have seen some growth over the years.
According to Wightman, the district serves approximately 400 students as part of its special education, with 44 staff members involved in those programs.
The NCSD Board of Education will meet next at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 in the district office, 89 Midland Drive. For more information call 334-1600 or visit norwichcsd.org.
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