Ulster BOCES

Ulster BOCES welcomed its newest staff members for the 2026-2027 school year on September 1 with a day of learning, connection, and collaboration at the annual New Staff Academy.

Designed to help new employees become familiar with Ulster BOCES and feel supported as they begin their roles, the New Staff Academy provided participants with an opportunity to meet colleagues, learn about important resources, and get to know the people and departments that help keep the organization running.

The day began with an opening circle, giving new staff members an opportunity to introduce themselves and start building connections with their colleagues. From there, participants learned about the many websites, systems, resources, and—of course—acronyms they may encounter as members of the Ulster BOCES community.

Learning was made a little more competitive with a lively game of Jeopardy, where participants put their new knowledge to the test. All of the answers could be found using the HR Toolkit, giving staff a fun and interactive way to become more familiar with an important resource they can reference throughout the school year.

Starting a new position and navigating unfamiliar systems can sometimes feel overwhelming, but Ulster BOCES administrators and staff were on hand throughout the day to answer questions, share helpful information, and make sure new employees knew where to turn when they needed assistance.

More importantly, the New Staff Academy gave participants an opportunity to put faces to names and begin developing relationships with colleagues from across the organization. By the end of the day, attendees left with more than information and resources—they left with new connections and a network of friendly faces they can turn to throughout the school year.