Superintendent's Blog
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Board of Education Meeting Superintendent Agenda Highlights
Posted by Dr. Nagy on 5/26/2023At the Board of Education meeting last Night, there were multiple presentations made during the Board meeting. The Burlington County Student Spotlight recipients were recognized by Senator Jean Stanfield who presented a Proclamation from the NJ Senate to BCSSSD student Jaxon Keefer and another on behalf of Assemblyman Michael Torrissi Jr., a Proclamation from the NJ Legislature to BCIT student Audrey Lehman. Congratulations.
The second presentation was from BCIT West Principal Joseph Venuto who presented a certificate of appreciation to the Board which was awarded to Dr. Nagy, Mr. Venuto and the BCIT West Staff and Culinary Students from the Acting Commissioner of Education Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan and State Board of Education President Kathy Goldenberg on May 17, 2023 at an NJDOE awards ceremony hosted at BCIT West. THE NJDOE and all in attendance were so impressed with BCIT, the students, staff and particularly what the culinary students were able to prepare and present.
The third presentation was made by Security Director Veldon Harris to honor the Security Leads of the Year, namely, William Dutch Braun at BCIT West and Quincy Hendryx at BCSSSD West and Officer of the Year Award to Darlene Colquitt at BCIT Medford. The awards recognize the important work of our security team in both districts. Pictured in all three pictures are
Director of Security, Veldon Harris and Assistant Director of Security, Domenick DiLeo presented:
Security Officer of the Year to Darlene Colquitt, BCIT Medford
Co-Security LEAD of the Year William “Dutch” Braun, Security Command Center at BCIT West
Co-Security LEAD of the Year Quincy Hendryx, BCSSSD Westampton
BCIT’s Fashion Design program led by teacher Kyra Baider has been engaged in a project to make Angel Gown pockets at the request of Angel Gown representative Jean Lee to honor the deceased babies at birth or shortly thereafter in the delivery rooms. These pockets the BCIT made will be distributed among the hospitals in New Jersey. It was an incredible presentation.On behalf of the Board, I would like to congratulate and thank our student BoE representatives whose last meeting is tonight and we will have others serve for the next school year. In this the inaugural year of having students on the Board we could have been prouder to have you represent your fellow classmates and to be a voice for them. Our perspectives have been enriched as a result. We wish you Favour Oyelade and Jaxon Keefer the very best.
On behalf of the Board, Dr. Nagy acknowledged all those on the agenda who announced their retirements. We thank each and every one of you and wish you good health and happiness in your next endeavors.
Dr. Nagy referred to the calendar for the next school year. Though approved back in January 2023, a clarification to the calendar was provided regarding the early start for all staff which will take place the last week of August. That Friday, September 1, 2023 will be a day where only 12 month employees on respective campuses report to get ready for the first day of students who arrive the following week.
This year, the reorganization meeting will take place on July 6, 2023 at 9am.
The Board approved the Board and District goals for both Districts. Dr. Nagy thanked the the Board, administration and the staff who provided input.
The Board approved a number of Statements of Assurances as per requirements.
The Board approved the Assistant Superintendent contracts and Business Administrator as well as the Board Self-evaluation and completion of superintendent evaluation.
Among other approvals, the Board approved a job description update for the BCSSSD Assistant Principal position, a shared service agreement between BCIT and BCSSSD as well as resolutions for generation services.
A school-based behavioral threat assessment and management training program has been signed into legislation by Governor Murphy. The purpose of a threat assessment team is to provide school teachers, administrators, and other staff with assistance in identifying students with behaviors of concerns, assessing those students’ risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities, and delivering intervention strategies to manage the risk of harm for students who pose a potential safety risk. Veldon Harris, Director of Safety has put together a Threat Assessment Team on each campus and these individuals will be invited to attend a training course within the next few months. The Board approved the Threat Assessment Team participants and their trainings.
Dr. Nagy thanked all those administrators and staff who made it possible to honor our staff during Teacher Appreciation Week. The various acts of kindness and words of appreciation went a long way to say “Thank you for a job well done.”
This past week, the County Governor’s Educator of the Year Awards program took place at the Westin in Mt. Laurel. Many of our campus staff honorees were present to receive their award at the catered breakfast. This was the first time in three years since the pandemic that this event returned to in-person. Congratulations to all awardees.
As we look to the end of the school year, please find a schedule of the Graduations for BCSSSD and BCIT:
· BCSSSD 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony: Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 10:30 am Burlington County Amphitheater
· BCSSSD Daycare Ceremony: Monday, June 12, 2023 at 10:00 am BCSSSD Media Center
· BCSSSD Preschool Ceremony: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 10:00 am BCSSSD Media Center
· BCSSSD Westampton and Lumberton Graduation: Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 10:00 am at BCIT Westampton campus.
· BCAS Graduation Ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 4:00 pm at BCIT Westampton.
· BCIT Westampton Graduation: Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 5:00 pm
· BCIT Medford Graduation: Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 7:00 pm
In addition to the report by our student representative Jaxon, Dr. Nagy wanted highlight a few additional items for the past month.
He congratulated our Custodial/Maintenance collective bargaining unit which just settled with the Board of Education the agreement of which is on the Board agenda for approval.
We anticipate that the playground construction should be done by sometime in August. We are also looking at the completion of HVAC upgrades during the summer.
The work-based learning program on Transitions now has 22 students who are in paid placements and who have earned $76k so far this year compared to $48k last year. In our community-based Instruction (CBI) program where students are unpaid, we have 43 students involved placed with 14 business partners. This is exceptional news. Congratulations to all involved.
As a follow-up to the AAC presentation to the Board and subsequent proposals to furnish appropriate equipment to support the program, we are proud to announce that 40 Ipads and carrying cases were purchased and the new Eye Gaze system will enhance student engagement and success. We are grateful to the Board for their support.
As we approach the long weekend for Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, Dr. Nagy noted at the Board meeting for all visit this blog which encourages all to pause and think about the impact made by our servicemen and women who have given up their lives to protect our freedoms we enjoy today as well as a shout out to those in the armed services and reserves. As we look back at the year, he encouraged all to take the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge.
Dr. Nagy noted that we have much to be thankful for, but sometimes we do not stop to consider how much we have – it provides a shift in thinking toward a more positive outlook. He wished all a Happy Memorial Day.
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Memorial Day Message and Gratitude Challenge from the Superintendent
Posted by Dr. Nagy on 5/23/2023As we prepare for the approach of the Memorial Day weekend and the last leg of the school year, I am reminded of the words written by author and journalist, Tamra Bolton, "This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s not a celebration, it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom".
I would like to take a moment of our time to reflect on Memorial Day, formerly Decoration Day, which honors the men and women who have died while serving in the military. We thank those on our staff who served or who are serving in the armed forces in the reserve and we remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.
When looking back to the start of the school year, we have much to be grateful for and for how much we have accomplished and grown throughout the year. On behalf of the Board and Administration, I thank our parents, guardians and students for their dedication, support and confidence in us to bring our very best each and every day to lead, guide, nurture and inspire.
As we anticipate the end of the school year, I leave you with a 30 Day Gratitude Challenge to complete one phrase each day. If you have time during the summer, I recommend Shawn Achor’s book, “The Orange Frog”, because an attitude of gratitude creates blessings.
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BCSSSD Staff Honored at 2022-2023 Burlington County Governor's Educator of the Year Awards Ceremony
Posted by Dr. Nagy on 5/22/2023This morning at the Westin in Mt. Laurel staff were honored from each school district across Burlington County. We want to congratulate our BCSSSD educators and educational service professionals (ESP) of the year. Congratulations. We are so proud of the many contributions you have made to support our students and fellow colleagues.Paula Bradley ESP-Occupational Therapist East CampusJack Cottrell Teacher South CampusDeborah Evans Teacher East CampusHenry Gilbert ESP- Social Worker Lumberton CampusKathy O'Malley Teacher Transitions CampusDeanna Scannell ESP- Occupational Therapist South CampusHeather Smith Culinary Arts Teacher Lumberton CampusStephanie Toner ESP-Speech Therapist North CampusSamantha Weight ESP-Social Worker Transition CampusJaqueline Willey Teacher North Campus
Dr. Nagy's Recent Publications
- A Glimpse at the Challenges to Post-Pandemic Educational Environment
- Dynamic NJ School Leader Shares Insights from Education's Frontline Before and During the Pandemic
- Joint Council Leaders Step Into the Spotlight to Support Special Educators in a Time of COVID-19
- Leadership Sparks Series
- Managing Generational Differences: Opportunities or Obstacles?
- How Disruption Leads to Innovation
- What Do the Sneaker Company ASICS, Positive Wellbeing Research, and School Systems Have in Common?
- From Pilot to Longitudinal Study: Positive Psychology's Synergistic Influence on Social and Emotional Development in School Districts
- Convergence of Positive Psychology, Emotional Intelligence, and Coaching to Expand Leadership Capacity and Wellbeing in Districts
- The Alternate Route Teachers' Transition to the Classroom: Preparation, Support, and Retention
Welcome Back 2022!
Dr. Nagy Introduces the BCSSSD Education Foundation
Dr. Nagy's Selected Reading List
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- Ryan Holiday - Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control
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Adam Grant - Think Again
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Sarah Stein Greenberg - Creative Acts for Curious People
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Seth Godin - Linchpin
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Marc Brackett - Permission to Feel
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Roman Krznaric - The Good Ancestor
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Niall Ferguson - The Square and the Tower
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Steven Pinker - Enlightenment Now
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Simon Sinek - Start with Why
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Simon Sinek - The Infinite Game
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Seth Godin - Linchpin
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Malcom Gladwell - Outliers
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Todd Kashdan - Curious?
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Carol Dweck - Mindset
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Chip and Dan Heath - Switch
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Martin Seligman - Flourish
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Marc Brackett - Permission to Feel
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Brene Brown - Atlas of the Heart
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Brene Brown - Daring Greatly
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Jonah Berger - Contagious
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Jonah Berger - The Catalyst
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Jon Gordon and Damon West - The Coffee Bean
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Jon Gordon - The Energy Bus
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Lolly Daskal - The Leadership Gap (Executive Coach)
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Nico Melle - The End of Big
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Hermant Taneja - Unscaled
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Angela Duckworth:Grit
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Tony Wagner -The Global Achievement Gap
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Daniel Pink - Drive
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Daniel Pink - The Power of Regret
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Malcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point
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Malcom Gladwell - Blink
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Malcom Gladwell - Talking to Strangers
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John Maxwell - Talent is Never Enough
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John Maxwell - 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
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John Maxwell - 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player
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Doris Kearns Goodwin - Team of Rivals
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William Poundstone - Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?
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Thomas Friedman - Thank You for Being Late
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Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Stone - The Art of the Possibility
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Fareed Zakaria - Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World
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Ryan Holiday - The Obstacle is the Way
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Don Miguel Ruiz - The Four Agreements
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James Clear - Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
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Steven Levy - In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes our Lives
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James Barrat - Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era
NJASA Frontline Leadership Interview with Dr. Nagy
Communications
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BCSSSD 2017 Westampton HS Graduation Speech
Dr. Nagy BCSSSD 2017 Westampton Campus Grad Speech copy.pdf 110.33 KB (Last Modified on November 22, 2019) -
BCSSSD 2017 Lumberton Graduation Superintendent Speech
Dr. Nagy BCSSSD 2017 Lumberton Campus Grad Speech.pdf 108.79 KB (Last Modified on November 22, 2019)
Special Education Resources
- Today's Hero's - A Father's Love (2008), The Today Show
- New ESSA on Students with Disabilities
- For Transition Age Students, Mock Store Offers Job Training
- Autisim Awareness Month in April
- Applied Behavioral Strategies
- Research Articles, Intensive Behavior Intervention
- Association for Behavior Analysis International
- World Autism Awareness Day
- Philadelphia Phillies Autism Awareness Night
Applied Positive Psychology
- Addressing Fatigue - TedTalk Saundra Dalton-Smith
- Leading From a Full Cup: Self Care for School Leaders
- Working From Home: 7 Tips to Improve Well-being
- Intentional Activities
- The Luck Factor
- The World Happiness Report
- Other People Matter
- Positive Wellbeing Article
- Innovator's Mindset
- Daily Dozen
- Wheel of Life
- Damage of Sleep Deprivation
- 10 Nutrients that can Life Your Spirits