Thank You Community...

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As you know, the Rome community successfully passed the 2017-2018 school budget this past week with a 78% approval rate. On behalf of all of our students and staff at the Rome City School District, I want to thank you all for your support. We are very appreciative to have a community that values education and wants the best for their children. The district is dedicated to ensuring that our students are receiving the very best instruction possible with the most appropriate resources available for learning. Our high school already carries a course load that provides students the opportunity to graduate with a year of college under the belt and we continue to develop programs and outlets to provide an equivalent experience for those that want to enter the work force following high school. Our middle school continuously evaluates their programming to ensure that we are providing the absolute best opportunity for student success as the prepare to enter high school. And the elementary program has experienced quickly improving math scores while they have turned their attention this year (and into the future) on early literacy efforts to ensure that students can read on grade level. All of these efforts are made possible because of the support of our community. When you work in a community and environment that is support of children and growth, it makes the entire system better. We appreciate our community and once again, on behalf of our children and staff, THANK YOU for your support!!

Internet Safety Panel Discussion


 In partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Rome Police, the New York State Police, Bryant & Stratton College, and the City of Rome; the Rome City School District is proud to host: Internet Safety and Social Media: What All Parents Should Know. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 23 at 6:00 p.m. in the Rome Free Academy cafeteria. We expect the event to last roughly 45 minutes to an hour and it will address the following topics:
  • What are the most common websites, apps, or social media platforms that students are using? What is the general purpose of each app?
  • What are some of the issues students are experiencing when using and communicating through these technologies?
  • What are some of the misconceptions of communicating through these websites or apps.
  • Why should parents and students be concerned with their digital footprint?
  • What are some guidelines to keeping students safe online?
 Protect Your Child’s Digital Footprint for the Present and Their Future!

 Video Highlight of the Internet Safety Discussion


ESSA Public Meeting


The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by President Obama and is a reauthorization of the nation's national educational law. ESSA retains many of the core provisions of No Child Left Behind (the previous reauthorization of ESEA) related to standards, assessments, accountability, and use of Federal funds. However, ESSA does provide states with much greater flexibility in many areas, including the methodologies for differentiating the performance of schools and the supports and interventions to provide when schools are in need of improvement. To meet the requirements of ESSA, New York will also be required to submit a new state plan to USDE for the use of a wide array of Federal grant programs, including Title IA (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies, Title IB (State Assessment Grants, Title IC (Education of Migratory Children), Title ID (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent or At-Risk), Title IIA (Supporting Effective Instruction), Title III (Supporting Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students), Title IVA (Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants), Title VB (Rural Education Initiative), and Title VI (Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education).

 There will be a public meeting on ESSA this Wednesday, May 24, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at Henninger High School in Syracuse. The commissioner and our local Regent will be in attendance at this public hearing. It is expected that New York State will adopt the draft ESSA plan later this summer. For more information about ESSA, please click on the link below:


Restructuring Update


 This past week, the District was able to determine 130 of the 139 general education staff assignments needed for the restructuring. This is the first step in the process of setting each building staff. This week, we hope to have a clear picture on teaching assistants, special education staff, and special areas teachers (art, music, PE). Also, we have been working on the master schedule to ensure that buildings have the necessary staff. Principals have been busy reviewing their buildings and the space available as they will begin the process of assigning classrooms. Teachers have begun the conversations related to sharing materials with their colleagues that they no longer will need and some newly developed grade level teams have already begun meeting together to discuss the curriculum and plan for next year. Our next steps for the week include developing an electronic form for special permissions and communicating to each student where their assigned school is for next year.  





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