Skip to Content
Capital Region BOCES
Archive for 2017
Well, it happened already. My daughter came home from school, handed back her full lunchbox, and with pleading eyes said: “Please, Mom, no more ham and cheese sandwiches. Please.” We are only just beginning the second month of school and I’ve hit a lunch packing dead end. How is that even possible? After chatting with […]
Podcasts have become part of my daily routine. I wake up, brush my teeth, pour myself a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats and download a podcast for my commute to work. It sure beats listening to radio commercials, and – if I can sift through the hundreds of thousands available to find a good one […]
My first open house experience for my daughter was a little awkward. After walking in through the main entrance, we were ushered past several tables of older students and adult volunteers doing fundraisers and into the cafeteria. There, we had an inspirational briefing from the principal, before heading off to the classrooms. At my daughter’s […]
Odd acronym, awesome concept. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. MOOCs are free online courses available for anyone to enroll in. They’re an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, advance a career and partake in quality educational experiences at scale. David Cormier, an educational researcher and MOOC early adopter, defines a MOOC as more […]
It’s a new school year–hooray! A new school year often goes hand-in-hand with brand-new backpacks filled with fresh school supplies, new teachers, and learning new things. But it can also mean making new friends. This is especially true for children who are going to school for the first time, are new to a school district, […]
The start of the new school year can be an anxious time for children, who see their daily routines change overnight. But what is the start of a new school year like for students who might have ADHD, be on the autism spectrum, suffer from anxiety or have other concerns that impact learning? It can […]
They’re in your gas stations. They’ve been in your children’s schools. They’re probably in your homes. Fidget spinners: the triangular device designed to freely rotate between your thumb and pointer finger aimed at helping fidgety kids focus. And even though they come in array of colors and sizes – some even bedazzled or featuring your […]
On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total eclipse of the sun will be visible from coast to coast in the United States for the first time in almost 40 years. The event is being referred to as “The Great American Total Solar Eclipse,” and will start in Salem, Oregon and stretch all the way to […]
This week, my third child and soon-to-be high school senior received his application to the National Honor Society. My first thought? “Cool. It would be great to see him recognized in this way…” immediately followed by, “I hope he has fulfilled the community service requirement!” When this application arrived for my oldest child, I had […]
I quickly learned that little fingers have a tough time manipulating buttons – after I bought several pairs of jeans for my son who was entering kindergarten. Every day that he wore jeans to school, he came home with unbuttoned pants. His teacher sometimes buttoned them for him, but most days he didn’t ask for […]