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Capital Region BOCES
Elementary
“Can you kill Momo?” Those were probably not the first words a rookie school resource officer in Upstate New York expected to hear the first time he visited a classroom of third graders in late February. But it’s 2019, and the “Momo Challenge” had just gone viral. At the time of the encounter, that particular […]
I want my children to take more risks. I don’t mean I want my daughter to steal a car or my son to run away and join a carnival. I am talking about the healthy risks that will allow them to grow into well-adjusted, successful adults. Homo sapiens, like other primates, has an extraordinarily long […]
It’s a moment no parent wants to experience: In my daughter’s folder was a sealed letter from the principal. The words “tragedy” and “loss of life” jumped out at me, and I felt a knot build in my throat as my daughter watched me read. As I read more carefully, I felt at first relieved, […]
It is flu season! Influenza (also known as flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. Flu and the common cold share many symptoms – however, they are vastly different. Signs of the cold arise gradually and are milder whereas flu symptoms come suddenly, are intense, […]
My love of reading was instilled in me by my mother, who is an avid reader, but my elementary school librarian was the person who opened my eyes to the wide world that was within my grasp through the library. I still remember the first time I read Shel Silverstein’s collection of fanciful children’s poems, […]
The excitement of the holidays and first snowfall has passed leaving us with the reality of less daylight, cold temperatures, and, in some areas, snow and ice on the ground. Brrrr. Like much of nature, I just want to hibernate. If this happens to you, you can bet the next sunny winter day that it’s […]
My memories of physical education class consist of my classmates whacking me in the ankles with floor hockey sticks, my (poor) attempts to perform on the uneven bars and hitting tennis balls well beyond the top of the enclosure surrounding the high school tennis courts. Yours may be similar. But Abram Lansing Elementary School students […]
One of the earliest videos I took of my daughter shows her as a toddler, playing with wooden blocks and haltingly counting to 20. I was bursting with pride, both at her ability to stack the blocks so carefully and precisely, and at how she had finally mastered her numbers. In that moment, I felt, […]
Sometimes, the best gifts are the ones that are unexpected, come from the heart and are homemade. This holiday season, instead of buying a gift from an overheated crowded store, consider these inexpensive, non-material gifts instead. Time Time is the one thing we all wish we could have more of. We are all busy, and […]
With the holidays fast approaching, your child might be perfecting their gift lists, and giving might not be a thought in their head. Perhaps they weren’t exposed to it, or they don’t understand the concept of it, but the holiday season is a perfect time to teach your children the power of giving. To help […]