Exceptional Education

Exceptional
Education
Programs and Services
List of Events:
5/19 -Spring Fling Dance
6/07 -Hearing Awards Banquet
6/13 -Special Education Graduation
6/13 -Last full-day
6/14 -6/17 - Half-day
6/14 -6/22 - New York State Regents exams
6/22 -Alternative education graduation
7/05 -First day of extended school year program
8/12 -Last day of extended school year program
See Erie 1 BOCES Special Education and Alternative
Education web pages for more calendar details.
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1. Andrew Boehnlein, 16, uses
technology to help him participate in
class, see pg. 3.
2. Leonardo Almonte, left, practices
Spanish vocabulary with Elizabeth
Briceno, right, teacher, see pg. 2.
3. Victoria Walczak, from Tonawanda
City School District, is awarded for
her success in the special education
division, see pg. 4.
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4. Myla Sanchez-Hill, from KenmoreTonawanda UFSD Middle School,
works on math problems in the
classroom, see pg. 2.
Spring | Summer 2016
Alternative Education
Middle school
program provides
positive support
Elizabeth Briceno, left, helps students Leonardo Almonte and
Jett Keegan follow along with the textbook during Spanish
class.
Students
explore Spanish
culture in the
classroom
Elizabeth Briceno, an Erie 1 BOCES teacher,
meets with students in grades seven
through 12 to provide exposure to the
Spanish language and culture.
“My goal is to expose the students to the
many facets of different cultures including
cuisine, traditions, and other aspects of
the culture of various Spanish-speaking
countries,” said Briceno. “By the time they
[students] leave my class in June, I want
them to have the ability to carry on basic
conversations about a variety of topics.”
In addition to learning the Spanish
language, Briceno’s goals are to provide
students with as much exposure to the
culture as possible. Students learned the
meaning behind the Mexican holiday “Cinco
de Mayo” and tried traditional Mexican food
in the classroom.
By the end of the year, Briceno
says students will have been
taught about sports in the
Spanish language in time for
the summer Olympics. Briceno’s
ultimate goal is to foster an
appreciation for other cultures
and increase her students’
employability.
Briceno instructs Exceptional
Education students at
Northtowns Academy and at
the Maryvale Work Readiness
Center.
2 www.e1b.org
Fazon Ford McIntosh,
eighth grade student,
points to the mission
statement he created
to remember to employ
positive behavior.
Erie 1 BOCES Center-Based Middle School
program uniquely focuses on each
student, providing them with a small
classroom environment and a positive
support network. Teachers Jeanette
Braun and Kira Cochran, both based at
Northtowns Academy, agree that the goal
of the program is to promote positive
behavior through increasing individual
self-esteem.
“Students use mission statements
developed in the beginning of the year as
a foundation and guideline to ‘polish-up’
behaviors,” said Braun. “The program
enables students to establish positive
relationships, build trust and increase
self-esteem.”
Positive reinforcement in the classroom
is key to student success in the Middle
School program. Students in the program
are granted “earned activity time,” through
which their positive behaviors earn them
points toward free time to engage in
activities, such as board games or sports.
According to Cochran, “Our students face
so many challenges that the average adult
would be overwhelmed. Before real change
can happen they need to feel success.”
The alternative learning environment
allows for an enriched experience for
students struggling behaviorally or socially
at their
home-school.
“The majority of kids want to do well in
school but have roadblocks,” mentioned
Cochran. “We strive to provide a new start
for kids and a whole new school experience
that focuses on what they are doing right
instead of what they are doing wrong.”
The small, 6:1:1 classroom provides an
opportunity for students to explore their
strengths and offers a support network
to better cope with defeat. “Students are
provided with opportunities to think and
present work in nontraditional forms ,”
said Braun.
The combination of a small, engaging
classroom and a focus on student success
helps to provide genuine change in
student behavior.
Northtowns goes red for women
Northtowns Academy participated in the “National
Go Red for Women” campaign throughout the month
of February. The Go Red campaign helps to educate
people on health, specifically heart and stroke
awareness. Students and staff received a red heart to
display and a bracelet for their donation.
This year, a total of $170 was raised, Northtowns’
highest mark thus far. Thank you to all who donated.
Special thanks to Travis Hale and Nancy Prichard’s classes for making banners, posters and hearts.
Exceptional Education Programs & Services
Special Education
Parent follows path to
Exceptional Education
Renee Filip’s son, Marshall, benefits from the Exceptional Education program at
Erie 1 BOCES. Since kindergarten, Marshall has been a part of the Erie 1 BOCES Special
Education programs and Renee has actively sought BOCES for Marshall’s education
needs.
“I feel that BOCES takes the time to educate
me on my options, what my options are
for Marshall, what their suggestions
are,” said Renee. “I feel that BOCES is
invested in every aspect of Marshall’s
development.”
Erie 1 BOCES’ Special Education
programs are designed to fit the
needs of each student on an
individual level. For Marshall, the
12:1:1 class – with a maximum of
12 students, one special education
teacher and one teaching assistant
– provided the right focus for his
goals. Each teacher Marshall has had
in the Erie 1 BOCES system has provided
him with different benefits, focusing on his
capabilities, not his disabilities.
“It’s just that sense of being much more than a
Marshall Filip, left, with his mom, Renee.
teacher,” mentioned Renee. “You know how you
hear those great stories about a specific teacher who made a difference in a child’s
life? I kind of think it’s like that on steroids with BOCES.”
More than simply having a curriculum to match students’ needs, the Erie 1 BOCES
Exceptional Education division treats its youth with a singular focus, from the top
down. Teachers and administrators alike take a vested interested in the success of
each student in the program, as Renee has experienced.
“It’s an open, healthy dialogue we have,” she said. “I’m comfortable going to them and
saying, you know what, can we tweak this a bit? I have never felt like I haven’t been
heard. Ever. Spend an hour in the classroom, you’ll see the energy.”
Meet Melissa Metz, TOSA
Melissa Metz, 10-year veteran of the Erie 1 BOCES Exceptional
Education division, is the current teacher on special assignment
(TOSA). In addition to providing external support and resources,
a TOSA showcases successful teaching models to be used in the
classroom.
As a teacher on special assignment she is able to support students
indirectly through helping teachers to come up with creative means to
deal with each individual student’s needs. This individualized attention to
student needs has, according to Metz, proven to be a tremendous success in
student improvement.
Exceptional Education Programs & Services
Teacher Melissa DiGuiseppe, left, helps with classwork as
student Josalyn Rivera, right, focuses on her assistive device.
Assistive devices
foster student
participation
Students in Melissa DiGuiseppe’s special
education classroom are thriving with the
help of assistive devices.
Assistive devices in the classroom include
iPads, DynaVox’s and Nova Chats. These
various tools help DiGuiseppe’s students
communicate in ways they would not have
been able to prior to the introduction of
technology into the classroom. “It gives
my students a voice,” said DiGuiseppe. “It
helps them tell me their needs and wants,
and helps them do their classwork.”
Marcia Partacz also utilizes assistive
devices in her classroom to help facilitate
communication and has had great success.
“For those individuals with disabilities,
technology allows them the ability to just
do it,” Partacz mentioned. “By using certain
technologies, the student is given the tools
to help compensate for their disability,
therefore putting them on a level
playing field with their peers.”
Assistive devices have meant
more to students than simply
completing tasks set in the
classroom. According to both
DiGuiseppe and Partacz, these
devices provide an opportunity
for independence. Though some
students are unable to actively use
motor functions needed to hold a
pencil, the iPad and DynaVox allow
each student to become a part of the
community.
www.e1b.org 3
Exceptional Education
Celebration of
STARS recipients
On May 9, the annual Steps to Achieving Real Success
(STARS) celebration recognized students in classes
throughout Erie 1 BOCES Special
Education division. Thirteen
students, representing nine
school districts, were honored.
Invitations were created
by students attending the
Maryvale Work Readiness
program, and refreshments
were provided by Erie 1
BOCES classes. STARS is an
annual awards program where
teachers, classroom staff and
therapists nominate one student from
their classroom to receive this recognition.
The 2016 STARS recipients: Juliet Benz, Bryce Brewer
and Yinping McAlpine, Hamburg; Angela Carter, Josalyn
Rivera, Melissa Rivera, Depew; Justin Englert, North
Tonwanda; Nicholas Jarzyniecki, Amherst; Patrick
MacRae, Lockport; David Marcello, Lackawanna;
Alexander Parlato, Williamsville; Victoria Walczak,
Tonawanda; Nicholas Walker, Cheektowaga-Sloan.
John Pope, Supervisor McKinley Transition Center
(716) 821-7017; jpope@e1b.org Gina Dailey, Principal Maryvale Work Readiness (716) 821-7026; gdailey@e1b.org
Theresa Brummett, Assistant Supervisor
Related Services
(716) 821-7067; tbrummett@e1b.org
C. Katie Storey, Principal Special Education / Twilight
(716) 821-7349; cstorey@e1b.org
Lorenda Chisolm, Principal Northtowns Academy
(716) 961-4041; lchisolm@e1b.org
Michael Hiller, Assistant Principal Northtowns Academy
(716) 961-4051; mhiller@e1b.org
4 www.e1b.org
Kathleen Pollack,
American sign
language
interpreter,
translates the
lecture for a
student.
Kathleen Pollack, an American sign language
(ASL) interpreter for deaf and hearing
impaired students, helps to facilitate
communication in the classroom
between the deaf student, his or
her peers and the instructor.
“The student also has the right to
hear extraneous conversations
as well as have environmental
sounds interpreted,” said Pollack.
“For example, a loud boom
outside, a fire truck, anything
making noises that draws other
student’s attention.”
Pollack hosts an in-service for staff that will
have a deaf student in the classroom, explaining
where a student should be seated and the need for closed captioning.
In addition to sharing tips with staff, Pollack helps hearing students learn
about deaf culture on a regular basis.
“Sometimes, students will come up to me and say, ‘Can you tell them this,’ and
I’ll say, ‘No, I can’t, but you can! I’m just the telephone cord,’” Pollack stated.
Administration
Justin DeMartin , Associate Director
Exceptional Education Programs & Services
(716) 821-7096; jdemartin@e1b.org
Breaking down
communication
barriers
More than simply providing a service, interpreters often act as secondary
instructors.
Joel Buncy,
student at Erie 1
BOCES Learning
Center, exhibits
his artwork.
“Often the interpreter becomes the tutor to assist with content that is
difficult or confusing for the student, explaining things in a way that can be
easily understood,” stated Pollack.
Festival of the Arts
Special Education students from the Erie 1 BOCES
Learning Center, Hamburg, Frontier, and West Seneca
school districts participated in the 12th annual
Festival of the Arts. The event was Saturday, April
2, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the HUB Youth
Center in Hamburg. It was a great success, and
featured student artwork, performances and hands-on
workshops.
Erie 1 BOCES provides equal opportunity for students and does not discriminate against any
student enrolled in (or any candidate for admission to)
its programs and activities on the basis of actual or
perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability,
or age. A notice of nondiscrimination is posted on:
www.e1b.org.
Exceptional Education Programs & Services