Southern Westchester BOCES Center for Special Services programs support the needs of students with disabilities by offering specialized instruction tailored to the learning needs, individualized educational plans and life goals of each student. Our six school programs offer environments in which social emotional and academic learning are integrated so that students develop confidence, self-esteem, self-reliance, and resiliency. We believe a growth mindset is the key to progress.
Our classrooms feature small staff-to-student ratios that provide for individualized support and attention. Staff and students develop positive learning communities where students can connect with peers and form friendships.
Our curriculum is aligned with New York State and Next Generation standards which aids in a smooth transition when students may be ready to return to their home districts. Our instructional professionals implement a comprehensive program that accounts for unique student learning styles and needs. Programs are therapeutic in nature and build in positive behavior supports and reinforcement.
Our clinicians and related service providers include psychologists, social workers, school counselors, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, teachers of reading and the deaf and visually impaired and crisis intervention specialists. Transition is a primary focus so school counselors and social workers support students and families in planning and readiness for returning to district or post-secondary experiences, including adult programming, vocational placements and college or career training. Our work with families is paramount to our students’ success. We partner with them in navigating community supports and services.
The Center is comprised of six schools on five campuses. Each program serves a diverse group of students ages 5-21 and offers opportunities in the visual arts, music instruction, technology, and physical education. Students also participate in health and wellness learning, community trips, and activities that build social skills.
Students in Linda Liebman’s class at Tappan Hill School created greenhouses in anticipation of Earth Day, which falls on April 22. The activity was created with Speech teacher Claribel Cruz Cocco in a collaborative lesson. The students and their teachers can’t wait to see what sprouts up!
Therapy dogs from BluePath Service Dogs visited with students at Tappan Hill School this week. Bluepath's dogs are in training to become dedicated autism service dogs and make weekly visits to local schools as part of their 'Paws to Learn' program. The dogs benefit from practicing the skills they are working on in training, and the students they meet benefit from their calming presence as well as the sensory experience of touching, petting, brushing and walking with them. Not only is their presence therapeutic, they can't help but brighten everyone's day!
A sea of blue flooded the Decagon building on the Rye Lake Campus as students, staff and parents celebrated Autism Awareness Month.
The ‘Light It Up Blue’ event provided engaging activities and a unique opportunity for those in the AIIM program to come together in an engaging social event that parents said they appreciated.
“Our parents are so supportive of our program, and our team is dedicated to providing fun and engaging social opportunities like this for their students,” Principal Julia Dolan said. “This is more than a celebration of autism awareness. It’s a celebration of our students and all they are accomplishing throughout the school year.”
This school year, students at Southern Westchester BOCES’ Valhalla Center have had the opportunity to practice real-world skills and work-based activities in a specially designed setting within their instructional program.
The new Living Center classroom provides a wide variety of everyday activities, allowing students to move from station to station as they acquire and practice valuable skills.
A “Spring has Sprung” event provided instructional opportunities disguised as a celebration of the change of seasons at Rye Lake Lower Campus. Students interacted and engaged with their teachers and one another, playing games, hunting eggs and getting their faces painted, among other activities. There was an underpinning of academic substance they might have missed for all the pastel-tinged revelry.
“The purpose is to celebrate spring,” Principal Julia Dolan said, “but it also gives us the opportunity to build social skills while practicing how to maintain conversations, stay on topic, request, respond to ‘WH’ questions, use descriptive language, and take turns.”
A group of sixth-graders was the first class at SWBOCES's Irvington program to follow the lead of their teachers and complete a charter of their own.
The colorful presentation they created together details the various positive behaviors to which they committed themselves – Listen Actively, Be Open-Minded, and Recognize Others When They Are Doing a Good Job.
"As leaders and educators, we were just so impressed with the initiative and thoughtfulness of these students,” Principal Alberta Grant-Johnson said.
Middle School Week, an open house opportunity for younger students to learn about SWBOCES Career and Technical Education programs, was also an opportunity for our own Special Services students see the CTE campus up close.
Students from Rye Lake Campus Middle School joined peers from several component districts to see these programs firsthand. They got to take part in hands-on instructional activities like pizza-making in the Culinary Arts kitchens and working with the mannequins students use to style hair in Cosmetology.
The program has grown from a handful of students attending to more than 200 this year. The idea is to get them thinking about the CTE path earlier so they have more time to consider whether it is the right fit for them. Typically, outreach is to high school students prior to their junior year.
Students from Southern Westchester BOCES’ Tappan Hill School in Tarrytown have been participating in collaborative monthly physical education classes at Edgewood Elementary School in Scarsdale.
The opportunity to engage in P.E. and inclusive classroom activities comes as the result of a partnership between SWBOCES and Scarsdale Schools. The visits began in January with five Tappan Hill Students participating and will continue through June.
“The (Scarsdale) staff not only provided a nurturing environment for our children but also allowed us to connect with many new friends,” Principal Phyllis Rizzi said. “We look forward to continuing to be a part of this fantastic school district in this way over the next few months.”
PASSOVER
NO SCHOOL
NO SCHOOL
PASSOVER
Passover is April 22, 23 - school resumes on April 24th
NO SCHOOL
NO SCHOOL
PLRD Day - dismissal is at 1:15 p .m.
PLRD Day 5/15/24 - Dismissal is at 1:15 p.m.
Memorial Day recess 5/24 - 5/27 - school resumes on 5/28.
NO SCHOOL
NO SCHOOL
