Stronger Together
As we continue moving forward into the new year, it's important to remember that progress is not always linear. There will be challenges, unexpected turns, steps back and maybe even moments that test our patience. But through it all, what matters most is that we work together to get through it.
Growth isn’t a straight path—it’s full of learning, adjustments, and a few do-overs.
Supporting one another, celebrating the wins (big and small), and staying focused on our shared goals will help us navigate any obstacle. We are always stronger together.
Best,
Lisa, Tyler, Shannon and Kas
Student Spotlight from PTECH
WFL BOCES PTECH student, Olivia Colvin from the Wayne CSD student attended The SciTech Forum conference hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in
AIAA advertises the conference as “the premier aerospace R&D event of the year exploring the science, technologies, and capabilities that are transforming aerospace.”
Todd Colvin, Olivia’s father traveled with Olivia to the AIAA conference. Todd shared that his reasons for encouraging her to attend this conference were numerous. Todd stated he recognized the importance of broadening her exposure to the many facets of the space industry. Todd felt this opportunity to hear from some of the leading females in the industry, the ability to participate in her first professional conference, and participation in presentations and discussions that may allow her to narrow her interest in this industry might enable her to focus on academic and specific career pathways.
PTECH Student Olivia Colvin wrote the following brief reflection:
The AIAA conference is a weeklong research and development opportunity for all members of the community. This year’s theme was “Energize the future” and we did just that. I attended technical paper presentations, technical panels, and lectures on diverse topics. The topics range from hyper sonics, jet propulsion, artificial intelligence, etc. The ability to attend all these sessions gave me, a young scholar, the opportunity to see what interested me. My favorite presentation looked towards the future and the possibility of exploring Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, a mission that is borderline unimaginable. This presentation dissolved my fear of not fitting into the industry because the reality is that aerospace is always changing and there will always be new problems to solve. I bring back with me reassurance for my future and potential inspiration for other students. Every day of the conference I attended a “rising leaders in aerospace” session which not only gave me access to be mentored by actual astronauts but also provided resources to two incredible space programs. SEDS and Higher Orbits are two exceptional organizations that I had not heard of before attending the conference. Both focus on getting students excited about space and STEM. By mentioning them I hope to spread awareness of these opportunities to students interested in aerospace. To conclude, this was a worthwhile experience for a multitude of reasons, and I would absolutely go again.
Ideas from our TCI-S Trainer, Lisa Brockhuizen
February brings a wealth of teaching topics, naturally guiding the TCIS adult thinking brain into the TCIS Cultural Space of our classrooms. Zaretta Hammond, a pioneer in the field of Culturally Responsive Teaching, shares three powerful tips to make any lesson more culturally responsive. Here are Zaretta Hammond’s three key tips to make any lesson culturally responsive and how they connect to the TCIS Cultural Space of our classrooms:
1. Make Learning More Brain-Friendly
Use culturally familiar stories, metaphors, and real-world connections to help students process new content.
Incorporate movement, discussion, and collaboration to activate student engagement.
Connect learning to students' lived experiences to reduce cognitive load and make learning more meaningful.
2. Use the "Cognitive Lift" Approach
Encourage productive struggle by scaffolding learning instead of over-helping.
Move from dependent learners to independent thinkers by building critical thinking skills.
Incorporate think-aloud and questioning strategies to help students process and own their learning.
3. Build Learning Partnerships
Develop strong teacher-student relationships built on trust and respect.
Recognize and affirm students' cultural backgrounds within the classroom space.
Engage in cooperative learning that values diverse perspectives and student voice.
Items You Might Need
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!
Annual Review/Re-eval CSE Meeting Checklist
Re-evaluation/Evaluation Request form (for districts)
District Safety Plan - from John Kelly
Get to Know the Teacher Resource Center
"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/.
