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General Support Services

classroom panorama

HFM BOCES provides a variety of general education and instructional support services designed to further improve the learning environment for students.

Dr. Aaron Bochniak
Assistant Superintendent for BOCES Operations and Component District Services
Phone: (518) 736-4305
FAX: (518) 736-4301
Email: abochniak@hfmboces.org

Distance Learning – COSER 405

TBA, Director of School Information Technology
Phone: (518) 736-4396

Distance Learning uses a state-of-the-art interactive telecommunications system to teach courses simultaneously in several school districts. Students can enroll in regular school and summer school courses offered by districts in HFM BOCES, Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES and Capital Region BOCES plus other BOCES throughout the state.

Video conferencing capabilities are included in the network. Those participating in this fully aidable service get help with technical planning, bidding, purchasing, installation and training. A steering committee oversees the total project under BOCES direction, while the day-to-day operations are managed by BOCES staff.

More about Distance Learning from The Northeastern Regional Information Center (NERIC)

Instructional Resource Center – COSER 505

Kristi J. Beedon, Administrative Coordinator
Phone: (518) 736-4370, FAX: (518) 736-4371

The Instructional Resource Center includes a multimedia library of over 212,000 items available to teachers and administrators to supplement and enhance classroom activities with students including:

  • Online streaming
  • Digitized images
  • Video, DVD
  • Audio Books
  • Class sets of books
  • Big Books
  • Games
  • Kits for hands on learning experiences
  • Graphic Novels
  • Spanish and Chinese titles
  • Novel Units
  • Holiday collections

The IRC also includes:

  • Soundzabound – copyright free access to music to be used in presentations/projects by students and teachers
  • Teaching Books – literacy based database for PreK-12
  • SWANK: Movie Licensing – Show feature length movies without worrying about copyright. The IRC purchases licensing from most major movie producers so districts can use film in the classroom, afterschool, evenings and more.
  • Digital Audio – Listen to over 300 books from any digital device
  • Professional Development Collection: Over 450 full text professional journals plus ERIC documents with unlimited simultaneous use.

Available through cross-contract with other BOCES:

  • Sheet music library – over 6,000 titles of music for band, orchestra and chorus
  • Audio-visual and computer repair

The HFM BOCES interschool courier service is provided by the IRC.

Library Automation – COSER 504

Kristi J. Beedon, Administrative Coordinator
Phone: (518) 736-4370, FAX: (518) 736-4371

The School Library System provides school districts with a digital cataloging and circulation system that research shows will:

  • Enhance students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills;
  • Increase student access to resources via electronic networks; and
  • Develop students’ abilities to probe more deeply for information, by allowing them to go beyond traditional author-title-subject searches to more complex and complete keyword searches.

The service includes:

  • Consulting services
  • Preparation of price quotes
  • Conversion of library holdings to digitized records
  • Equipment and software purchasing
  • Installation and training

Funded through the State Legislature, the system provides component districts with the following services:

  • Coordination of Regional Interlibrary Loan
  • Staff development for library personnel
  • Mentoring and job shadowing
  • Coordinated cooperative collection development
  • Consultation on library issues
  • Onsite visits and professional development

Itinerant Services

Jay A. DeTraglia, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services
Phone: (518) 736-4305, FAX: (518) 736-4301

Component districts may share instructional, administrative and operational personnel connected with their regular education programs.

Following is a list of itinerant services offered by the HFM BOCES:

  • ENL (COSER 328)
  • Family and Consumer Science (COSER 330)
  • Music Teacher (COSER 307)
  • Pathways/PTECH Liaison (COSER 345)
  • Records Management (COSER 638)
  • School Counselor (COSER 308)
  • School Psychologist (COSER 310)
  • School Psychologist-Handicapped (COSER 311)
  • Spanish (COSER 317)
  • Speech Handicapped (COSER 304)
  • Speech Improvement (COSER 301)

Other itinerant services can be developed or cross-contracted as needed. These might include Agriculture, Art, Attendance officer, Business Education,  Business manager and Human Resource manager, Library Media specialist, Physical Education

Regional Principals Leadership Teams

Tara Caraco, Administrative Coordinator
Phone: (518) 736-4360, FAX: 736-4361

Elementary and secondary principals meet throughout the year to:

  • Share best practices;
  • Stay current with BOCES;
  • New York State Education Department and federal initiatives;
  • Discuss certification and staff development issues; and
  • Collaborate in the recruitment of professional staff.

The meetings are open to all component district principals.

Pathways Liaison – COSER 345

Tara Caraco, Administrative Coordinator
(518) 736-4360 FAX: 736-4361
Michael Porter, Pathways Liaison
518-736-4360, mporter@hfmboces.org

HFM BOCES will provide support to component districts to design, implement and operate a Career Pathway at the high school level.

As part of this service, the Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce connects Pathways programs with local businesses to arrange mentorships, guest speakers, internship opportunities and more.

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