Community Schools
About the Programs:
Community Schools resources will provide for students’ social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs and partner with districts and community organizations to remove barriers to learning and support the whole child.
Programs:
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International Institute |
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The International Institute of Buffalo is a not-for-profit organization with 35 years of experience in translation and interpretation services and is linked with Deaf Access Services. Title III funds cannot be used to pay for this service. |
| Language Line |
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Language Line Solutions has 36 years of experience in translation and interpretation services. Title III funds cannot be used to pay for this service |
| Journey's End |
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Journey's End is a not-for-profit organization in translation and interpretation services. Title III funds cannot be used to pay for this service.
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Medical Directors provide oversight, consultation, and support in implementation of all aspects of school health services including, but not limited to: medical examinations, dental inspection and/or screening, scoliosis screening, vision screening and audiometer tests, designed to determine the health status of the child. The Medical Director also instructs school personnel in procedures in case of accident or illness, and survey and make necessary recommendations concerning the health and safety aspects of school facilities and the provision of health information
| Compeer Mental Health Mentoring Program |
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Compeer will deploy bachelor and/or master level student interns from higher education health and human service programs and Compeer employees to be mentors for students living with, or at risk of developing a mental health disorder. They will provide 1:1 mentoring and small group mentoring for students, as well as offer self-care classroom presentations school-wide and Mental Health First Aid training for the school community.
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Mental Health Advocates |
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BEST is an evidence-based classroom program designed to assist students in Pre-K through Second Grade in building the essential social and emotional skills crucial for both academic success and personal development. This component features engaging classroom lessons delivered in a six-week format, each lesson lasting 30 minutes. |
| CITRS |
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The mission is to improve civility through character education and ethical leadership. CITRS provides research based strategies, workshops, assessments, and resources for practices good character. |
| Leader In Me |
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A whole-school transformation model and process developed in partnership with educators that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. |
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General Character Education |
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This houses all approved Character Education programs outside of CITRS and Leader In Me. Current programs in this code include:
Sources of Strength A best practice youth mental health promotion and suicide prevention program designed to harness the power of peer social networks to create healthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, violence, bullying, and substance misuse. The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent adverse outcomes by increasing wellbeing, help-seeking, resiliency, healthy coping, and belonging. Sources of Strength moves beyond a singular focus on risk factors by utilizing an upstream approach for youth suicide prevention. This upstream model strengthens multiple sources of support, or protective factors, for young people so that when times get hard, they have strengths to rely on. Duncan Kirkwood Empowering motivational speaker with student-focused topics including building resilience, student leadership, redefining failure as part of growth, managing the impacts of social media on self-esteem, and finding joy and purpose. |
| Big Brother Big Sister |
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Create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The High School Bigs Mentoring Program provides a unique opportunity to build strong relationships and SEL skills between different generations of students. |
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EveryDay Labs |
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EveryDay Labs partners with districts to improve attendance and provide support for families with no additional work from district or school personnel, allowing educators to focus on the important work of teaching and learning. |
| Cross Training Athletics |
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Cross Training Athletics provides a comprehensive plan and supportive materials (such as workbooks, posters, awards, and video lessons) to highlight character as fundamental for success. |
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Healthy Connections |
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Healthy Connections provides comprehensive workshops for students and parents focusing on sexual health, safer sex practices, abstinence, mental health and fostering healthy relationships. |
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D&G Wellness Consulting |
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D&G Wellness Consulting’s curriculum for athletes is designed as an early intervention and prevention program. To support athletes, the program uses firsthand stories and experiences from former college athletes in addition to a thorough curriculum backed by higher education and licensing. D&G Wellness’s programs for athletes want to arm student- athletes, coaches and parents with the knowledge, power, and resources to support themselves in the classroom and on the field. |
| School Mental Health Support Staff Consortium |
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Intended for school social workers, counselors, and psychologists to network, discuss and learn best practices and supports for students. |
| Youth Mental Health First Aid Courses |
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The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. |
| Community Schools Advisory Committee |
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To continue to enhance the goal of the Community Schools COSER successfully we must focus on collaborative leadership and practices. To do this, we put together an Advisory Committee that meets quarterly. The goals of this committee are as follows and integrate the pillars of successful community schools:
Members of the Community Schools COSER are asked to provide two participants to this advisory committee to represent their district. This committee would help to add needed services to address the social emotional needs of students such as Committee and Family Liaison, Restorative Practices, or supporting the Family Resource center. |
| Suicide Safety for Teachers |
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Join us to increase your awareness about suicide prevention in schools, to feel empowered to understand your role in identification and prevention, and to develop a plan to support your school’s efforts in preventing suicidal behaviors among students. Register for the Train the Trainer course on Monday, September 30th, 2024. |
| SMART |
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The Erie County SMART Collaborative is a professional learning community established to prioritize P-12 student mental health and social emotional learning. Comprised of Erie County School Districts, educators, community agencies and representatives from Erie County, SMART serves as a vital link between available mental health resources and students. |
Contact Us
| Kailin Kucewicz, Project Coordinator |
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Kailin Kucewicz serves as the Program Coordinator for the Community Schools CoSER at Erie 1 BOCES. Through her role, Kailin works to connect resources to schools, students, and families. Kailin has her Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Widener University, a Master’s degree in Engineering from Lehigh University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Wells College. Before joining BOCES, Kailin worked as a freelance consultant for a health education start-up company out of Germany and served as a Health Educator, Peer Mentor, and later, Supervisor with a local non-profit organization. Kailin volunteered with her community as a board member with B Team, a local organization that works to connect interested volunteers to volunteer opportunities. She has experience in program development and implementation, youth mentorship, educator supervision, and business development through strategic community partnerships. Outside of work, Kailin enjoys playing pickle ball, playing fetch with her Bengal cat, Lasertron, and is learning to play roller derby through Queens Court with Queen City Roller Derby league. |
| Jessie Karches, Associate Director |
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Jessica Karches supervises a team of professional development and administrative staff at Erie 1 BOCES, while also leading strategic planning and leadership support. She designs and delivers professional development curriculum to school administrators across Western New York. Jessica oversees the Community Schools Coser which aims to connect resources to schools, students, and families. Previously, Jessica was the Coordinator of Staff and Curriculum Development, Differentiated Instruction, and Data Analysis for several years. Jessica organized workshops on leadership, Special Education, Social Studies, engagement, and technology to address the needs of participants throughout the Erie 1 BOCES region. As a staff developer, she provided teacher-leader evaluations, curriculum assessment planning and development, data driven instruction, and coaching and modeling of best practices in the classroom. Jessica has a Master's degree in Education, Special Education, from St. Bonaventure University and a Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Secondary Education from St. Bonaventure. She holds Advanced Certificates in School Building Leader and School District Leader from Canisius College, and permanent certifications in Special Education K – 12 and Secondary Social Studies Education. Jessica extends her knowledge to the community by serving as Vice President for The Academy for Human Rights, a non-profit providing human rights education for teachers, students and community. |
| Hannah Balfour, Senior Account Clerk Typist |
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Hannah Balfour, she/her/hers, in her role as Senior Account Clerk Typist handles all of the billing for the Community School Coser. Additionally, she utilizes her grant writing skills from her non-profit background to expand the Community School's capabilities. Hannah has her Bachelor's degree in Recreation Management and Policy from the University of New Hampshire. Prior to joining the team at BOCES, Hannah lived in New Hampshire for over twenty years. During her time there, she attended the University of New Hampshire and served in many roles such as Environmental Science Teacher, Volleyball Coach, and Peer Mentor. Outside of work, she is an avid fan of learning and listening to music, being physically active, and working with youth. |
| Nicole Kerner, Coordinator |
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Nicole has specialized training in Restorative Practices, Trauma Informed Care, Positive Behavior Intervention Support, Crises Prevention Intervention, Social Emotional Learning, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). She is also a Certified Trainer in Suicide Safety for Teachers and a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader. Nicole has been a licensed master social worker for over 19 years. Over these years she has had the opportunity to work in diverse school settings and in different capacities, which has allowed her to gain invaluable experience. Some of her previous unique positions included being a Districtwide School Social Worker and Positive Behavior Intervention Support Coordinator for Cheektowaga Central School District, charged with leading the districtwide implementation of PBIS. Nicole was also a Family Support Specialist for Say Yes Buffalo, and a Social Worker in the North Tonawanda City Schools. Nicole earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Buffalo State College and a Master of Social Work from the State University of New York at Buffalo. |
Nicole Kerner is a Licensed Master Social Worker and Behavior Consultant for Erie 1 BOCES. She provides school districts with strategies and behavioral interventions to better support students, teachers and caregivers. Thereby, helping to create and cultivate a positive learning environment that champions all students. Nicole is also the co-facilitator of Erie 1 BOCES Inclusion-Diversity-Equity-Advocacy (IDEA) Committee.