As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each of you. Already this year, you have shown incredible flexibility, resilience, and grace in navigating change, while continually adapting to meet the diverse needs of our students.

Your ability to stay focused on what truly matters—helping students grow, thrive, and succeed—has been inspiring. This hard work, especially during times of transition, does not go unnoticed, and we are deeply grateful for all that you do.

We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Sincerely,

Lisa, Tyler, Shannon and Kas

At the October Board of Education meeting, Jon Giglio was approved as the next Assistant Principal at FLTCC, replacing Brittany Atkinson who now serves as Principal in the building. Jon brings over 15 years of experience in Career and Technical education with him to FLTCC. Formally, he was a technology teacher and Department Chair at Penn Yan Academy and most recently served in the role of Assistant Principal. Welcome to W-FL BOCES Jon, we are excited to have you on the team!

Gayle Samolis, a teacher at Newark Education Center - Career Creations program, has been training educators in our region for the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) for 10 years. Her dedication and hard work for our region continues to grow.

For the past six years she has been tapped by the University of Kansas ATLAS program (accessible teaching, learning, and assessment systems) to develop, peer-review alternate assessment science standards, which are derived from Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). During this process, Gayle, takes part in reviewing the alignment and language of new test nodes that are added to existing test maps across the Earth and Space Science domain. She also gets to review and revise content guidance documents, and create new science testlets across all domains, grade bands, and levels of complexity. Thank you to Gayle’s dedication and leadership with New York State Alternate Assessment. We are grateful for your support of teachers and students in our region.

Have you heard of the Smart Start Grant?

Our P-16 teams have been invited by Mr. Gordy Baxter, Director of Staff Development, to join! This is for certified teachers and teaching assistants for grades K-8. They can get paid for 30 hours of work (20 hours of learning/meeting time, and 10 hours for planning). The hope is to have the kick off event (2-hour initial session) in mid to late November. Click the link below for more information! Sign up HERE if you might be interested.

Wakelet

Wakelet rostering has been completed! ALL teachers should check their emails for invitations to participate in self-paced PD.

Please note, the self-paced PD is not mandatory, instead, it is an opportunity for teachers to learn more about Wakelet as an instructional tool for students.

Wakelet is a content curation platform that allows users to transform their content into engaging collections that can be shared and collaborated on with others. Last school year, the CTE sites piloted Wakelet as a tool for students to store work (including videos, photos, PDF’s, research papers, resumes and much more) and create a portfolio that would be accessible to them, even after graduation. Students utilized this portfolio on job and college or military interviews.

This school year, we were able to obtain a site license for the W-FL BOCES. Our hope is that students will utilize it in a way that helps support their educational programing. For example, it would be the perfect place to store students completed work and employability skills assessments related to earning the CDOS credential. Staff are also able to utilize the Wakelet platform to create lessons, newsletters and collaborate with both colleagues and students.

Hello, my name is Dr. Amy Wenner. I am the new Educational Audiologist at WFL BOCES. I am excited about the opportunity to start a new audiology program and am looking forward to using my experience and training here at Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES. In addition to my work with students and adults, I spent time raising a family and living abroad in Germany and most recently England. I am glad to be back working in the schools and look forward to meeting everyone.

The P-16 initiative continues to streamline the centralized hiring process. When HR identifies a candidate, they are promptly scheduled for an interview by the Director. Once references are checked and cleared, the candidate is introduced to the relevant program. The goal is to complete the entire hiring process—interviewing, reference checks, completing the appointment form, and starting the onboarding process—within five days. This efficient approach ensures timely staffing to meet program needs and enhances the overall hiring experience.

Consultant Committee Dinner

Did you know that NYSED approved CTE programs have Consultant Committees? These committees are made up of established large employees in industry related to our CTE programs, small businesses within our region, representatives from trade and professional unions, and representatives from applicable post-secondary programs. They are charged with advising teachers and leaders on matters related to programing or a pathway including curriculum resources and work-based learning.

On Thursday, October 10, over 150 members of our consultant committees, our program teachers, Business Community Liaisons and administration engaged in thoughtful conversations at WTCC. The evening consisted of hour-long meetings and a delicious dinner prepared by the Culinary Arts students and staff from WTCC. We are grateful for the participation of our community partners and look forward to our second Consultant Committee dinner in the Spring at FLTCC.

In celebration of Careers in Construction Month, Students from WTCC and FLTCC enrolled in Carpentry, Electrical Trades and Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation were invited to share their experiences at the October BOE meeting. Students spoke about the impact their CTE program has had on their education, the opportunities they have been presented with spoke to one of the five W-FL BOCES Commitments and how they feel their participation in a CTE program exemplifies the commitment.

We've heard you loud and clear and have worked with Bob Corey, Director of Transportation to lease an additional full size bus for our programs. This should help immensely in balancing needs for trips and internships.

Thank you to our volunteers that were able to attend our first SDM Meeting. Mr. John Kelly took the lead to help us review all of the safety measures already in place. Check out the slide below to see the topics that were covered.

In TCIS, understanding the Stress Model of Crisis as a Source of Strength is critical to how we approach students in moments of crisis. The idea is that the stress model doesn't just help us manage crises—it actually becomes a tool for growth and learning, both for the student and the community. Here's how this concept supports development:

1. Crisis as a Moment of Opportunity

The Stress Model of Crisis highlights that every crisis has the potential for recovery and growth. As students go through the stages of stress (baseline, triggering event, escalation, outburst, recovery), the goal is not just to manage behavior but to help them come out stronger. When adults see crisis through this lens, they can guide students to use their strengths during difficult moments, transforming the experience into an opportunity for personal development.

2. The Role of Recovery

Recovery is a key part of the model. Everyone—students and staff alike—comes out of a crisis at some point. The crucial element here is how we support students in their recovery. We aim for them to emerge at a higher level of functioning than when they entered the crisis. This is where the role of the developed adult is vital. By providing empathetic, trauma-informed support during and after the crisis, we guide students not only toward healing but also toward a deeper understanding of themselves and their coping mechanisms.

3. Supporting Growth in Ourselves and the Community

When we help students come out of a crisis at a higher level of functioning, we also contribute to the overall well-being of the community. This ripple effect extends beyond the individual to the school environment. As adults, if we model recovery and growth through reflective practice and emotional regulation, we encourage a culture where everyone—students and staff—strives to come out of crises stronger.

4. The Higher End of Learning

Ultimately, the goal is for both students and adults to experience a "higher end of learning" through crises. This means not just resolving the immediate issue but integrating lessons learned into future interactions, improving emotional competence, problem-solving skills, and relationships. The more we understand how to help students leverage their strengths during stressful times, the more we help ourselves and the larger school community to grow.

In this framework, the Stress Model of Crisis isn't just about managing behavior—it’s about fostering resilience and developmental growth, helping everyone involved to reach a more adaptive, self-aware, and empowered state.

Check out the trailer for our CTE podcast. Dan Ammon, Business and Community Liaison at FLTCC has been working hard to bring to life a passion project that Lisa Meade had when coming to W-FL BOCES. We are excited to launch and feature the amazing opportunities students have in CTE everyday! The podcast is slated to release on a monthly basis and will include various guests such as our very own District Superintendent, Lynne Rutnik, CTE Principals and members of their leadership teams, current CTE students, alumni of CTE centers, business partners and more!

We have partnered with Staff Development to arrange for an after school series of (paid) professional development for aides and TAs. The first session will be virtual and our pilot. Please sign up and join us. You can find the sign up LINKS here or in the PDF link listed below.

• Expanding collaborations with ARC Ontario
• Parent Square
• Updating our Field Trip Request process
• MTSS articulation across all Special Education sites
• Erin's Law Programming across all Special Education sites
• Iready Reset Planning
• Day Treatment 2.0 program planning
• Big Picture Learning
• March Superintendent's Conference Day
• Observations/Evaluations
• December BOE meeting with spotlight on P16!

We've been working hard to complete some needed projects and bring coherence to the work across all sites. Here are some links you may find helpful!

Related Services Form

1:1 Aide Form

Annual Review/Re-eval CSE Meeting Checklist

Re-evaluation/Evaluation Request form (for districts)

PD Plan Link

Casemanager Link

Second Step Pacing Guide – This is a good printable for you! Thank you Chris Singer and Tamara Jones for their leadership on this.

Timeout Tip Sheet

Code of Conduct

District Safety Plan - from John Kelly

Certification – We are now also cross contracting with Cap Region BOCES for an EXCELLENT resource to assist with all certification questions. Reach out if you need assistance.

Regional Certification Office

900 Watervliet Shaker Road, Suite 102

Albany, NY 12205

certification@neric.org

518-862-4918 phone

518-862-4903 fax

"The Wayne-Finger Lakes Teacher Center in Newark was established in 1985 to train teachers and support staff to build capacity, instructional skills and assist in setting high standards that help lead students to greater achievement.

The Center is an approved provide of CTLE credit hours for required state teacher professional licensing renewals. All offerings are free of charge.

The Center, along with 20 facilitators, serve approximately 3,500 educators from nearly 30 different educational institutions (public and nonpublic schools, higher education, and more) in Ontario and Wayne counties."

Find out more at https://www.trc.org/.

We have been meeting with the incredible Communications team to expand public relations opportunities for P16. We will be intentional about celebrating all of the amazing work occurring in your buildings. Please use only this form moving forward to request support. https://forms.office.com/r/5x1kHxmYL4

P-16 will align systems, resources and practices to ensure at least a 50% reduction of students, from our component districts, on waiting lists no later than January 2025.

P-16 will hire a CTE Director to create alignment and equitable systems, processes and resources as well as program offerings for the two CTE Campuses as evidenced by a BOE and CSO presentation no later than March 2025.

P-16 will audit, review and update all special education programs, descriptions and ratios. We will reimagine what our classrooms look like by piloting a new ratio (8:1:3) beginning in October 2024. (This new ratio will only apply to NEWLY created classrooms, opening for the first time this year. In addition, this ratio does not apply to NEC at this time as well.)

P-16 will work collaboratively with building leaders and associations to create three new programs to serve the needs of the WFL Region in the area of autism, secondary alternative education and an additional CTE option for students with disabilities, no later than June 2025; as evidenced by the creation of FLES, Big Picture Learning Program and a redesigned "Career Academy" Program for secondary students.

P-16 will increase professional development available to all BOCES Special Education and CTE programs; this will include an emphasis on understanding the why around Restorative Practices, no later than June 2025.

P-16 will increase communication to all stakeholders by launching Parent Square across all sites, publishing a monthly newsletter and curating a semi-regular podcast to increase communication, celebrate highlights and provide transparency with P-16 stakeholders and component district representatives beginning no later than October 2023 and occurring every month (newsletter and Parent Square) or every other month (podcast) of the school year.