TC Update
April 2017
In This Issue:
- Workshops
- Tips for Teachers
- Opportunities
- EdCamp 2017
- Tech Savvy
- Earth Fest 2017 T-shirt Design Contest
- EdCamp STNY
- Chemists Celebrate Earth Day 2017
- WSKG Youth Writers Contest
- Music Teachers!! You Can Uke!
- Nature's Best at Roberson
- Freshman Research Immersion Program at BU
- PBS Learning Media
- Kopernik Korner
- Teacher Center Information
Link to workshops
Workshops at BU
We are also advertising Seven Valleys Writing Project's Day of Writing on March 4.
All can be found on our webpage
These workshops will be held at Binghamton University.
Tips for Teachers
An Easy Way to Color Code and Organize Ideas in a Google Doc
If you want to color code ideas or themes in Google Docs, the highlighter tool is useful. But at the end of the day, you’re either left with a messy rainbow-colored document, or you have to do a lot of copying and pasting to organize all your ideas. Luckily, there’s a great way to highlight and color code specific ideas and then export them to another document, so that your ideas are all instantly and neatly organized for you.
Barnes and Noble Educator Program
With the Barnes & Noble Educator Program, pre-K through Grade 12 teachers are entitled to a year-round discount of 20% off the publisher’s list price for any items used in the classroom. You can apply in our store by showing a paystub.
April 1-9th, Barnes & Noble celebrates Educator Appreciation Days by extending a 25% discount for classroom and personal purchases to teachers with the discount card.
Opportunities
Tech Savvy
Dear School Staff Member,
Accompanying this letter and press release are bookmarks and posters for Tech Savvy, an exciting, one-day event designed to show sixth through ninth grade girls firsthand how studying STEM and pursuing STEM activities can lead to exciting careers. This year’s program will be held Saturday, April 1, 2017, at Tompkins Cortland Community College.
A $10 registration fee includes a light breakfast and lunch, a savvy girl t-shirt and bag for each student, and a full day of activities and hands-on workshops for both the girls and the adults accompanying them. Scholarships are available. For information about fee waivers, please contact Sarah Johnson at sjtechsavvy@gmail.com, 607.272.3336.
Check-in will begin at 8:45 am; the program will conclude by 3:30 pm. During that period the girls will have the opportunity to attend such workshops as: 3-D software and printers and pens! Oh My!; Googling with Paper Airplanes; and Spinning a Web Page.
Girls will also have a choice of such “savvy skills” workshops as Practicing the Four Cs of STEM (Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking) and Power Pose: Building Confident Strategies for Life. Adult sessions focus on preparing and encouraging girls on paths to STEM careers.
Adults and girls will visit the STEM Fair and Resource Fair. The program features a keynote address by Adriane Wolfe of Quinn Energy.
Tech Savvy organizers are pleased to offer transportation assistance on a “first-come, first-served” basis to those for whom transportation costs would be a barrier to attendance. To qualify for 54 cents per mile reimbursement, applicants must travel more than 30 miles round trip to and from Tompkins Cortland Community College. Vehicles must carry 3 girls + 1 adult in a car, or 5 girls +1 adult in van, or
10 girls + 2 adults in a bus. For transportation and registration assistance, Tompkins area contact is Sarah Johnson and for other counties is Sheila Cohen.
Help us make our local Tech Savvy a great experience for girls in your school and neighborhood! Registration closes on March 26, but space is limited so “first-come, first-served”. Please distribute these materials as soon as possible. Let us know what else we can do to spread the word.
With sincere thanks for your support,
Sheila Cohen, Tech Savvy Chair
Scohen3@twcny.rr.com 607.756.8191
These materials are neither sponsored or endorsed by the Board of Education, superintendent, or school.
Earth Fest 2017 T-shirt Design Contest
Design a T-shirt for Earth Fest 2017
Winning design will be printed using a single-colored ink on unbleached cotton T-shirts. Designs need to fit on a standard 8.5- by 11-inch page, landscape or portrait. The winner will receive $100 and a free T-shirt. Winners and honorable mentions will appear on Earth Day Southern Tier’s website www.myedst.org. Last year there were more than 150 entries.
Entry Guidelines
Designs must:
- Include the phrase “Earth Fest 2017”
- Be original work, hand-drawn or computer generated.
- No clip art
- Fit within a 12-inch by 12-inch square (8.5- x 11-inch paper is fine).
- Be of a single-colored ink submitted on white, unlined paper.
- Include artist’s name, age and school district on the back of the design.
- Be submitted by Monday, April 3, to The Teacher Center of Broome County, 601 Gates Road, Suite 6, Vestal NY 13850 or Mail Code 22 for interschool mailings.
All entries for the T-shirt logo will be on display at the Earth Fest on Sunday, April 30 in the Student Center gym at SUNY Broome. All submitted designs will become the property of Earth Day Southern Tier, which will have all rights to the winning design. By submitting an entry, you agree that your design can be used by Earth Day Southern Tier on T-shirts and other promotional items.
EdCamp STYN
Chemists Celebrate Earth Day 2017
The Binghamton Local Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is sponsoring an illustrated poem contest for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Contest Deadline: Must be submitted by Friday, April 14th
Prizes: 1st and 2nd place winners will be selected in each of the following categories:
Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
1st Place - $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card
2nd Place - $15 Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Contact: Stephen Ambrozik or Hannah Cronk at Binghamton University,
Science 2 PO Box 6000, Binghamton NY 13902,
or via e-mail at sambroz1@binghamton.edu, hcronk1@binghamton.edu
Winners of the Binghamton Local Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the ACS National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes!
For more information click here.
WSKG Youth Writers Contest
This contest is designed to promote the advancement of children’s reading skills through hands-on, active learning. It encourages children in grades K-3 in communities across the country to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original pieces. The contest extends the powerful tradition and annual success of the national “Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest.” In 2014, the WSKG Youth Writers Contest launched in an effort to offer older students a unique writing opportunity, too! This local contest is open to students in grades 4, 5, and 6.
PBS KIDS Writers Contest (K-3) Entry Form
PBS KIDS Writers Contest (K-3) Rules
WSKG Youth Writers Contest Entry Form & Rules
Submissions must be postmarked by April 28, 2017 and mailed to:
PBS Kids Writers Contest
c/o WSKG Public Media
Attn: J. Stapleton
601 Gates Road
Vestal, New York 13850
Questions ? Contact jstapleton@wskg.org
Music Teachers!! You Can Uke!
No previous experience needed.
If you own a ukulele, bring it, a limited number are available to borrow.
Please visit our website for information regarding workshops fees.
When: Sat, April 29, 2017 9-1pm
Where: Room 163, Butler Music Center, Mansfield University
Register: Call 607-739-3581 or email Jdean@gstboces.org
Nature's Best at Roberson
Be awed, inspired and informed by our newest exhibit featuring award winning images from Nature's Best Photography. Students will gain an appreciation for the beauty and diversity of nature through the art of photography, acknowledge the efforts of photographers worldwide and further their understanding of conservation awareness. Select competition winners' photographs are exhibited annually at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Visit Roberson Museum and Science Center's website for more information, including how to schedule for your class trip. https://www.roberson.org/education/
Freshman Research Immersion Program at BU
The Freshman Research Immersion (FRI) program at Binghamton University is offering a one-day workshop in summer 2017 for high school students and teachers in the Southern Tier area. The workshop will focus on the study of watersheds and wetlands in this region. Specifically it will include a trip to our Nature Preserve to learn about the natural history of wetlands, as well as hands-on research activities in both the field and laboratory in the Fuller Hollow Creek Watershed. Featured in the workshop is the kind of research that our freshmen do in areas of Biogeochemistry and Geospatial Remote Sensing. We will also provide instructional resources for teachers that we have tested and that they can use in their classes.
The goal of the workshop is to enhance the professional development of both students and teachers. Students will establish connections with BU faculty and students, experience personal and professional growth through engaging in the scientific process of discovery, and learn of the various career opportunities in STEM disciplines currently in high demand (e.g., environmental protection, surveying/mapping, and planning for sustainability). During our workshop, we will provide breakfast, lunch, and snack breaks, as well as materials necessary for completing workshop activities.
Furthermore, we want to develop long-term partnerships with high school science educators interested in introducing their students to biogeochemistry and/or geospatial remote sensing. We have funding from the National Science Foundation that will allow us to accommodate 8 high school educators and 8 high school students each summer for the next three years, for a total of 24 teachers and 24 students. The high school educators will be compensated for their participation in the form of a stipend ($30/hour for one 8-hour day) to attend the workshop.
This summer workshop is sponsored by Binghamton University’s FRI and Summer Research Immersion (SRI) programs. FRI is a three-semester research experience that begins in the fall freshman semester; SRI is the parallel program for sophomores and juniors that runs for 10 weeks in the summer. Both programs provide a stepped introduction of how to conduct research to address important problems. They are conducted with a multi-mentored supportive environment in state-of-the-art laboratories. And these programs emphasize students’ professionalization (i.e. development of workplace communication, teamwork, project management, and technical skills).
We are currently recruiting teachers in the Southern Tier area to participate in our workshop. Would you be able to distribute the attached flier to teachers within your network? If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me by phone (607-777-6793) or email (gmeindl@binghamton.edu).
PBS
DASA Training
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Dignity for All Students Act requires that all students applying for certification after Dec. 31, 2013, complete six hours of training regarding the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination. Binghamton's DASA training will consist of six hours of face-to face instruction.
Under DASA, this training is required so professionals meet the Commissioner's Regulations for anyone applying for an administrative or supervisory service, classroom teaching service or school service certificate or license on or after Jan. 1, 2014. Successful completion of this course will meet the certification requirements in §14(5) of Chapter 102 of the Laws of 2012. More information about the Dignity for All Students Legislation may be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/.
DASA Training will take place on a regular basis over the course of the year. The cost is $65 (cash, check, or money order are acceptable forms of payment).
Spring 2017 DASA Training Sessions (ALL spring sessions are 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., and will be held in FA-258)
Saturday, April 29
Saturday, May 13
Saturday, June 17
Kopernik Korner
Kopernik
Teacher Center Info
Teacher Center and Safety
Teacher Center Hours
Teacher Center of Broome County
Email: bctc@btboces.org
Website: bit.ly/broometc
Location: 601 Gates Road, Vestal, NY, United States
Phone: 607-763-3282
Twitter: @broometc