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Capital Region BOCES
Middle Years
Aside from an occasional yoga class, I would have never considered myself the “meditating” type. Type A? Totally. Zen master? Not so much. That was, until I was preparing for the birth of my first child and my doctor suggested mindful meditation as a way to help me be well (see: less of a stressed […]
Enrolling at a new school can be a challenging experience for students at all grade levels, as well as for their parents. There are new faces, hallways and classrooms and often divergent approaches to learning from school district to school district. The organization of the school day and classes themselves, especially for students who are […]
Up until third grade, my son fought reading on his own. I kept buying books that I hoped would light a fire inside him, but failed repeatedly. And then one day, it happened. He discovered a book that made him laugh. Its characters were engaging. The story was entertaining, and luckily, it was the first […]
“Sometimes I wonder what I’m a-gonna do But there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues.” -Eddie Cochran From the time my kids were little, our family took part in a special tradition and implemented it faithfully each May, until the children got to the age when they were working or simply too busy. I […]
Some students need a little something extra to ensure they’re successful at school. Even gifted students need enrichment and accelerated programs to challenge and enable them to make continuous progress. That’s why the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District in Fonda, NY, instituted the Young Scholars program this year in its mission to empower and challenge every […]
Recently I attended a lockdown drill at an elementary school that houses kindergarten and first grade students. While the principal was explaining what a lockdown is to students and the significance of these types of drills, it struck me that our youngest students live in a world that is very different than it was even […]
The start of the presentation was less than an hour away, and my son was feeling stressed. He and his team had spent months preparing their STEM project, and competition day had finally arrived. He paced the hallway as he ran through his lines for what seemed like the 1,000th time, stopping every so often […]
When my brother and sister-in-law learned that their daughter, Amelia, could start pre-kindergarten in September, they were elated. She was only 3 at the time, but very bright. I have the personal bias of a loving aunt, but when I was 3, I couldn’t count to 100, write my name, or tell a hexagon from […]
Does the thought of sitting down with your child’s teacher make you squirm in your seat like a second grader? It shouldn’t, but it is surprising just how many adults find the face-to-face meeting with a teacher an uncomfortable experience. The purpose of parent-teacher conferences is to inform parents about their child’s progress and to […]