Orange-Ulster BOCES Holds Conference Highlighting “Equity and Care for All"

Nov 2 2021 12:00 AM

Melanie Lofaro observing live webinars and assisting with participant access.

On November 2nd, Orange-Ulster BOCES held its annual Conference Day. This year’s theme was “Equity and Care for All,” which emphasized the importance of both staff and students feeling welcome, safe, and having fair and inclusive access to academic resources.

During this day of professional learning participants had the option of choosing from three keynote sessions, 17 live webinars, and 32 self-paced, asynchronous courses.

Keynote speaker Roseann Bayne, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction of CiTi BOCES, spoke on the topic of “What Makes Our Brains Happy?,” while keynote speaker Natalie Walrond, Director of the Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities at WestEd, discussed “Integrated Approaches to Social and Emotional Well-being and Equity.” The third keynote session was delivered by Susan Villani, Senior Program Associate for the Center for Education Equity, on the topic of “Restorative Practices and a Culture of Caring.”

Live webinar and asynchronous session topics included, “Lenses of Instructional Equity,” “Culturally Responsive Teaching: Practices to Help Our Students Feel Seen, Heard, and Valued,” “Calm Mind, Centered Soul: The School Staff Member's Guide to Wellness,” “Strengthening Classroom Communities in an Online and Traditional Setting,” “The OU BOCES Media Library: Locating and Choosing Resources for Student and Personal Success,” and “Technology, Equity, and Frameworks to Support All Learners.”

Mrs. Melanie Lofaro, Coordinator of Professional Learning, enthusiastically stated, “Conference Day provided a tremendous opportunity for professional learning. This year’s theme of ‘Equity and Care for All’ was particularly important given the challenges that school districts, administrators, teachers, parents and students have faced over the past year and a half due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Dr. Diane E. Lang, Director of Instructional Support Services at Orange-Ulster BOCES added, “I would like to thank all of the educators and staff who worked tirelessly to make Conference Day 2021 possible and engaging. It was an amazing day of learning.”