College Fair showcases education opportunities for 'next step' after high school

Students and parents can gather information to help with a major decision

Though the 2008-09 school year has just begun, planning ahead is an important quality for students to develop. On Thursday, Oct. 9, a College Fair will give high school students and their parents a free opportunity to speak with representatives from more than 60 public and private colleges and universities about their schools' programs and campus life. 

The College Fair, which will be held from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Fulton-Montgomery Community College gymnasium, is sponsored by the Tri-County Counselors’ Association. [more]

For second year in a row, HFM team wins statewide construction contest

In a half hour, four students frame two wall sections

As the minutes ticked by, a team of four HFM BOCES construction trades students worked together methodically and carefully, as they measured, cut, laid out and assembled two adjoining four-foot-by-eight-foot wall sections.

They encountered a few minor difficulties along the way, but in the end, it was their teamwork, attention to detail, technical skills and safety consciousness that helped them edge out teams from five other BOCES to win the New York State Builders Association Student Competition held Friday, Sept. 12, in Albany.

Their prize: A $5,000 check that will fund their trip to the national competition during the International Homebuilders Show in Las Vegas in January. [more]

Parents and educators are urged to pay attention to dropout risk factors

Eight key triggers have been linked to greater risks of dropping out

The numbers are staggering: One in five children locally is at risk of dropping out before ever completing a high school degree.

Nationally, the numbers are even worse, with almost one in three students joining the nation's dropout ranks.

"We cannot afford to ignore the trends," says HFM BOCES Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Hohenforst. "Behind every one of those numbers is a real student whose opportunities will be severely diminished for a lifetime because he or she did not complete high school. And the collective price we pay as a society when this many students drop out is also high."

The key to solving this problem, Dr. Hohenforst said, is to first understand the "triggers" that lead students to dropping out. While ultimately the decision to drop out of school is a personal decision, Cornell University Professor Paul R. Eberts has identified eight key risk factors that dropouts often have in common. [more]

HFM Adult Home Study Program sets orientation dates

GRASP helps adults get a grip on GED preparation.

Adult learners have an available option to help them prepare for the GED exam without attending regularly scheduled classes. HFM BOCES will host a two-night orientation and screening session for GRASP (Giving Ready Adults a Study Program) on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 7th and 8th. [more]

HFM BOCES Opening Day provides challenges and glimpse of the future

When HFM BOCES Board President Robert Townsend kicked off the 2008-09 Opening Day program, he told the nearly 400 employees in attendance that he is looking to the future with great expectations.

Mr. Townsend spoke of the privilege of welcoming the BOCES “family” back to a new school year, and said he looks ahead to a challenging and rewarding year, outlining three key goals set by the board for the organization.

“We need to be fiscally responsible, provide progressive growth, and,” he emphasized, “deliver the best possible education to our students.” [more]

Student-powered technology integration enhances 21st Century learning skills

TechYES emphasizes technology as a key learning tool

Today's students — a digital generation raised with computers and technology pervading their lives — will play an important role in the use of technology in the classroom. Beginning in September, students in grades 6-8 from 30 public and private middle schools will participate in TechYES, a program that utilizes technology and student mentors as essential learning tools.

TechYES is an innovative way for schools to offer a technology certification program for students in grades 6-9. All students will complete two original technology projects of their own design that will help them demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity, while honing the technology, thinking and planning skills they will need to be successful in the 21st Century. [more]

HFM students are on the road to new career thanks to CDL training program

Almost every item you see at your local store arrived there by truck. Trucks deliver everything from automobiles to canned food. According to the American Trucking Association, 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the U.S. is moved by truck. This huge industry supports more than nine million jobs, including nearly three and a half million truck drivers.

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a truck driver, consider the HFM BOCES CDL course, which offers 35 hours of comprehensive hands-on training.

Click here to read more about the CDL program.

Area BOCES work together to help prepare students for 21st Century learning

HFM BOCES has partnered with three other BOCES to develop resources and programs that will help area students prepare for the educational and employment demands of the 21st century.

Known collectively as the Joint Management Team (JMT), the four BOCES and their 93 component school districts fall within the geographic area known as “New York’s Tech Valley.”

New York’s Tech Valley may seem synonymous with Advanced Micro Devices' chip fabrication plant that has been proposed for the Luther Forest Technology Park near Saratoga Springs. However, Tech Valley also includes the Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, IBM, Sematech, Map Info, and more.

Tech Valley also refers to the accompanying development of support and related businesses. [more]

Schools can now access TeachingBooks.net

Online service is designed to boost interest in reading

Every student, teacher, parent and school library media specialist in the HFM BOCES service area now has free online access to see and hear the best creators of books for children and teens - thanks to the HFM BOCES School Library System providing TeachingBooks.net for the entire school community.

TeachingBooks.net is an online service designed to generate enthusiasm for books and reading by compiling original content and the best of the Web's book and author resources all in one place. Original author programs from TeachingBooks.net bring award-winning authors and illustrators directly into libraries and classrooms, allowing students to learn first hand how ideas, art and text come together to create a book. [more]

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