What's the Job...

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SERVICE. That's it, it's that simple. This could be the shortest blog post of all-time if we left it at the plain terms. The reality is that all of us that work in a school setting work to serve children. On a daily basis, you can hear people mentioning that kids need to be at the center of every decision/action or that we want to do what's best for kids. The phrase has certainly become the latest in a long line of buzz phrases that people use because it not only sounds good, but it's actually the truth. We all start in the business to make the lives of children better. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, some of us lose that vision. Our profession is unlike any other in the world in that our purpose is to serve children but the vast majority of our discussions and dealings are with adults. Between the funding stream mainly coming from taxes and the conversations about progress and discipline occurring with parents, it's easy to forget that the kids are what matter. The whole set up is kind of crazy if you sit back and reflect for a moment. Taxpayers want what they want, regardless of how it effects kids; and some staff members and/or parents want what they want regardless of the best interest for ALL kids. The bottom line is that we all live and work in profession of service. Our job is to serve those that stand to benefit from our mission. In this case, our clients are children who are not paying the taxes, are most times not mature enough to help steer the decision making process, and more often than not they aren't interested in being involved or understand the value of their input. As we come to the end of the year, remember that our kids are the reason why we have a paycheck. It's not because of the parent that we try to satisfy. Remember that the 'stuff' you have to work with belongs to kids and that we have it good with resources because of kids. Let's strive to truly make kids the center of our organization by remembering that SERVICE, is our job.

RFA Graduation


 This year's graduation ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Rome Free Academy Stadium. Rehearsal for the event will take place on Friday, June 23 at 9:00 a.m., also at the stadium. Detailed information regarding tickets, rain date, indoor arrangements (if needed), and participation will be available through the students. All questions related to graduation ceremonies and/or participation should be directed to the high school main office. 


13 Reasons Why


Many of you (or your children) may be learning about or engaged in the new Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. The series is based on a book where a student learns about the suicide of a classmate through pre-recorded messages that the student left behind. The story has been opening eyes across our nation and gives us a deeper understanding of the struggles that students face everyday in schools. The story has been a tremendous resource for helping others gain an understanding of the needs of students in our schools. However, some experts are saying that the TV series may be having the opposite effect. With more young people having access to the story, there is concern about the message that the show is sending in some circles. I would encourage parents to either speak with your children about the show, or watch it with them if they are interested in the story. There is much to learn from the story and a lot of positive can come from it; but the message needs to reach our children correctly.

District/Superintendent Evaluation


As mentioned last week, we are seeking input and feedback from families regarding this past school year as we continue preparations for next year. A link to the 2016-2017 feedback survey is below if you are interested in providing feedback to the District. The survey will be completely anonymous and should take roughly 5 minutes to complete. The survey will be open from now until June 23 at 5:00 p.m. Please take the time to provide us with your thoughts so that we can continue to improve our organization for kids.


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