Regional School Success Digest
'All things RSS' in a 'digestible' format: 12.21.2020
Looking at 2021
This is our last newsletter for 2020 - but we will be back on January 11 with more fun and engaging content for 2021!
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TST BOCES WILL BE CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY BREAK
In this edition, you will find:
- Fun reminders to take a break
- Professional Learning events for December 23, 2020 and January 4 - 8, 2021
- News from NYSED
- Instructional Resources for virtual and hybrid learning
Board of Regents Update from NYSED
From Micro:bit Educational Foundation
Micro:bit LIVE 2020 Virtual Conference sessions can all be viewed here and check out what's new with Micro:bit Education Foundation. If you’re inspired by one of these ideas and would like to try it out with your students, we have over 200 Micro:bits available for loan via our Library of Things.
Executive Functioning: How to Support Students
12 Reasons to Teach Executive Functioning Skills Explicitly: Executive functioning skills are some of the most foundational elements for academic and social success, find out how you can support all students with the acquisition of these skills!
Tech-Talk is available!
Tech-Talk is a DIY technology training database that offers new instructional articles and videos each week created by top training experts to meet the specific needs of busy educators and students. To access Tech-Talk, just go to our ClassLink interface. For more information, check out the Tech-Talk Welcome Video and the Tech Talk Welcome Brochure.
Swank K-12 Streaming Service
Swank K-12 Streaming can be accessed via our ClassLink interface. The streaming collection continues to grow at a fast pace! Check out some of the new titles that were added in December:
Anne Frank, Butterfly, The Emperor's Club, Flags of Our Fathers, The Great Gatsby (2013), The Hunger Games, Into the Wild, The Intouchables, The Last Samurai, Mirror Mirror, Osmosis Jones, Philadelphia, Pokemon: The First Movie, Rivers and Tides, Sarafina!, Sherlock Holmes, Steamboy and The Wiz.
For more information on how to request new titles, contact Mary Kay Welgoss (mwelgoss@tstboces.org) or your school librarian.
Quick Teacher Tech Tips for Going Virtual
Thanks to Zach Lind (CIO of ICSD) and partnering teachers for creating this resource featuring our own Matt O'Donnell: Quick Teacher Tech Tips for Going Virtual
From Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Mass Literacy: Skills for Early Reading contains resources that support skills for early reading including word recognition and language comprehension.
A Collection of Resources from NYC Department of Education
This collection contains a set of resources designed and curated to support teachers in engaging in remote instruction in culturally responsive and sustaining ways:
Remote Instruction: Pedagogical Supports for Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Practices
Plan Your Winter Break (Virtual) Museum Trip with Art Class Curator
- Before: Where are we going? Why?
- During: What do we notice? What do we wonder about what we see and do?
- After: What was the best part of our trip?
Enrichment is Vital & Virtual
Enhance and enrich your face-to-face, or remote, lessons with your students. Collaborating partners have adapted their work to make virtual enrichment accessible and meaningful. They are eager to meet you and your students no matter what your teaching space.
Start here to plan your Enrichment Experiences:
- See how to request a service for your school: Enrichment Request Process
- Find a vendor or consultant: TST BOCES Arts & Community Partner Catalog
- Here is a 2 minute tutorial on how to search the TST BOCES Artist & Community Partner Catalog
Regional Professional Development and Learning Opportunities from TST BOCES
30-Minute Mini Session: Station Rotation
Join Teresa Heatherman for Station Rotation on Wednesday, December 23 to discuss how to manage groups that traditionally rotate with new health and safety guidelines. In this mini-session, participants will examine how they can transform what they used to do, into what they need to do now. To register in Frontine click here.
Executive Functioning Mini Sessions in January
Come explore strategies to help students develop the Executive Function skills they need to do more than just survive in a virtual classroom. We will discuss ways to support those students who are struggling to manage their time and materials to reach both long and short term goals.
30-minute Mini Sessions are available on the following dates and times:
January 12, 2021:
8:30am: AM Session: Helping All Students Navigate Virtual Instruction - Session One: Organization
3:00pm: PM Session: Helping All Students Navigate Virtual Instruction - Session One: Organization
January 22, 2021:
8:30am: AM Session: Helping All Students Navigate Virtual Instruction - Session Two: Time Management
3:00pm: PM Session: Helping All Students Navigate Virtual Instruction - Session Two: Time Management
Janaury 26, 2021:
8:30am: AM Session: Helping All Students Navigate Virtual Instruction - Session Three: Goal Setting
3:00pm: PM Session: Helping All Students Navigate Virtual Instruction - Session Three: Goal Setting:
From Mid-State JMT: Science of Reading Resource Fair
Monday - January 25, 2021: 9am - 4pm
Participants will have the opportunity to virtually tour each of these resources in thirty minute sessions throughout the day. There will be morning and afternoon presentations from each of the vendors, to allow more opportunity for you to see as many presentations as possible. You may pick and choose to attend the sessions you wish. Presenter contact information will be shared for any session you cannot attend. A schedule with Zoom links for the day will be sent to all registrants.
Executive Director of RSS
607-257-1551, ext. 1004
neschler@tstboces.org
Coordinator of School Library System
Mary Kay Welgoss
607-257-1555, ext. 1033
mwelgoss@tstboces.org
Coordinator of Cooperative Enrichment
607-257-1555, ext. 7205
Coordinator of Professional Learning
Kira Carinci
607-257-1551, ext. 7202
kcarinci@tstboces.org
Instructional Specialist for Inclusive Learning
Teresa Heatherman
607-257-1551, ext. 7204
theatherman@tstboces.org
Coordinator of Instructional Technology
TST BOCES Regional School Success
Email: rss@tstboces.org
Website: tstboces.org/rss
Location: 555 Warren Rd, Ithaca, NY, USA
Phone: 607-257-1551
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tstboces/
Twitter: @rsststboces