HV RBERN Update

Dear Hudson Valley Partners,

In our role as educators of ELLs, we invite our partners to reach out to us, think with us, and teach with us, as we advance the work of anti-racism and social-justice informed pedagogy.

We believe that racism and injustice have no place in our community and society. The Hudson Valley RBERN is committed to the values of trust, accountability, transparency, equity, and inclusivity, as seen through the lens of social justice and anti-racism.

Information and Professional Development

BREAKING NEWS!
NYSED released the memo Providing Over-Age Students the Opportunity to Return to School in the 2020-21 School Year Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Since 2017, the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) has collaborated with world language educators across New York State (NYS) to review and revise the K-12 Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Standards. Details of these processes and the proposed standards can be found on the OBEWL webpage: LOTE Standards Review.

The proposed revision to the standards will be presented to the NYS Board of Regents for review and subsequent approval. In anticipation of that approval, the OBEWL is asking for participation in a brief survey that will provide them with information they need to best introduce you to the revised standards and to support you in transitioning to these standards over time.

There are still spots available for the Instituto Cervantes of New York XXIX Symposium on Children and Young Adult Literature on June 27, 2020. View the flyer here.

NYS TESOL will be holding their 50th anniversary virtual conference on November 13-14, 2020. Be part of the learning and energy of New York Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages! For more information and to register click here.

HV RBERN Update

Though many of you work with the NYS Hudson Valley Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (HV RBERN) on a regular basis, we are asking for all of our regional colleagues to formally provide us with feedback on our current services. We welcome you to forward this survey to other educators in your district. 

We are also interested in knowing which technologies educators have found work best, and not so well, with students while remotely learning from home. The Hudson Valley RBERN is interested in creating a database of ELL-focused, distance learning tech tools for educators to share with the region. Please view the survey here.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Please share the surveys with others as well.

Resources and Information

From NYSED:
Please read the following letter from Associate Commissioner Elisa Alvarez: "We will continue to strengthen opportunities and equity for all students and recognize we must understand our history to move forward together into our shared future."

The Office of Bilingual Education & World Languages (OBEWL) released this infographic about the 2020 recipients (thus far) of the NYS Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) (Interim Report 6/10/20).

Financial Aid Sessions (several in Spanish). Please share with families of high school students.
Prospective students and families are invited to join the State University of New York (SUNY) for online financial aid sessions which will provide detailed information about the financial aid application and award process. Note that several of the sessions are in Spanish! Session topics include cost and financial aid opportunities, including the Excelsior Scholarship. During the session, you will be able to send questions via live chat.

Reminder: If you want to continue to receive the email news we send out after July 1st, you need to sign up for our new list serve - be sure to click on the link above and sign up. This current email account will be ending at the end of the month. 

Best of luck as you wrap up this school year!

HV RBERN Update

As a reminder, the Hudson Valley Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (HV RBERN) is gathering information about how we can support schools and educators on behalf of ELLs as we transition to summer and fall. Please complete this HV RBERN Regional Ongoing Support survey to inform our work. Please forward this survey to other educators in your district as well.

Professional Development and Resources

The Mid-State RBERN presents Blossoming Bilinguals Virtual Symposium: ELLs with Disabilities, June 1-5, 2020. Registration is now open. This is a free event. To view more details and to register click here. Please contact rbern@ocmboces.org with any questions.

Adelphi University is proud to introduce their fully ONLINE Clinically Rich Intensive Teacher Institute in BE/TESOL Certification starting this fall. This is a grant-based opportunity for teachers who hold an initial NYS teaching license to earn an advanced certification in TESOL or Bilingual Education. View flyer with details here.

The Westchester Children's Association (WCA) is a children's advocacy organization located in White Plains, New York. WCA is seeking information from Westchester County families about how they are doing during this remote/distance learning environment in order to help address and remedy the academic and technological gap. Input and support from families will guide their work. Please complete this survey by Friday, May 29, 2020: Survey in English/Encuesta en Espanol. To learn more about their organization, visit their website at https://wca4kids.org.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns.