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Capital Region BOCES
Elementary
Vacations can be hard work. It seems like you spend days making lists; packing the car; rounding up kids; battening down your home; and inevitably forgetting something. Last year, we went to Cape Cod with another couple and their grandchildren. We had a lot of fun. But it wasn’t always relaxing. Kids get cranky whether […]
“No Jane….don’t do cartwheels on the field during the game!” “Timmy…don’t climb the soccer goal, it’s not a cargo net!” “Great pass Charlie!” “We are going the other direction Sam!” This was pretty much what my first experience coaching a youth soccer game was like. My children have been playing soccer as long as they […]
Have you heard about “summer slide”? Psst, it’s not nearly as fun as it sounds because it has nothing to do with water parks or playgrounds. And it’s not something any parent wants their children to ride. The first time I heard the term “summer slide” was in an end-of-year conference with my son’s second-grade […]
For some of the nation’s students, when school is in session, it not only means getting an education, but a nutritious meal. In 1946, President Truman signed the National School Lunch Act, which funded states to provide school lunches to children in need, and today, over 30 million children still benefit, as a part of the […]
Homework is almost always a struggle at my house, especially when it’s math. I try to help my fifth-grade son but am thrown back into a time warp to my own elementary and middle school mathematics challenges. With both of us floundering, homework time is less than pleasant. I recently learned that some sixth-grade teachers […]
At the beginning of the school year, my fifth-grade son’s teacher asked parents to donate spare stools or chairs to her classroom so she could offer some nontraditional seating options for her students. This was something my son, and I, were very excited about. My son has ADHD, so spending the bulk of his day […]
Mastery-based education. Competency-based learning. Personalized learning. Project-based learning. Differentiated instruction. These are some of the terms used to describe different education practices. Maybe you’ve read about them. Maybe you’ve heard them used in reference to your child’s school. The commonality amongst them is a shift away from the traditional classroom model of students seated at […]
Will your little one be five years old on or before Dec. 5, 2018? If you answered yes, then chances are pretty good that you have already begun the process with your school district to get him or her signed up for kindergarten next year. Congratulations! That’s exciting for both of you…and, yes, it can […]
Sometimes, for fun, I ask my kids what they want to be when they grow up. Kids, as we know, say the darndest things. Some of their answers include: Power Ranger, fast food worker, motorcycle mechanic, famous soccer player, singer, lawyer (okay, I made them say that last one.) Although my children are 7 and […]
When my mother was a little girl, she lived a poor, challenging life in Puerto Rico. But when she turned 7, my grandmother – who I call Ita – packed up their few belongings, and moved my mother and her sister to New York. They had no money and they didn’t speak English. Children of […]