Co-Ser 402.000

These program offerings are designed to offer specialized educational opportunities for students whose learning interests and unique learning styles differ from those typically found in a traditional school setting and who might also be at risk of not participating fully in their home schools. The program is located at the Ulster BOCES Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Port Ewen. Characteristics of these programs include a smaller group setting, individualized learning plans, and digital/virtual access to coursework through a blended delivery model. Instructional delivery will be rigorous, standards-based, and have the potential to be self-paced as well as affinity-based. Access to a professional school counseling program grounded in researched best practices will also be offered. The Phoenix Academy plans to provide transformative restorative justice conferencing, mentoring, and community-based mental health for program participants through the support of the County of Ulster.

Co-Ser 407

Global Competence through Signature Experience provides opportunities beyond the traditional classroom to enhance the total learning experience for students in Grades K-12. The program is highly flexible and responsive to individual districts’ requests for significant learning opportunities both in the classroom and through place-based signature travel experiences.

Options include:

• While a class is studying the goals of United Nations Sustainable Development, students may have the opportunity to participate in a summit in Berlin hosted by Education First entitled “Creating a Sustainable Future.”
• To enhance learning in science and engineering, trips to the Smithsonian Institution Nation Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia are possible through the Girls Computing League to learn about the impacts of artificial intelligence.
• To support career and vocational experiences, a summit hosted by Boeing in Denver to experience the United Airlines AOPA High School STEM Symposium could be an option.
• To support students in Biology, participation in the Global Marine Science Summit at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington campus, is an option.
• Excursions may also include local and regional cultural events and areas of local interest where students are introduced to a variety of art forms, including theater and nationally renowned museums.
• To supplement classroom-based curricula, Ulster BOCES will arrange for various programs to visit classrooms to facilitate presentations on a wide variety of science topics.

District requests can include a specific field trip destination or in-class program. BOCES can also research and make recommendations for topic-related destinations and programs. Coordination of the enrichment experience from start to finish is included, including itinerary development, pre-travel planning, chaperone training, and planning experiences around the NYS Learning Standards.