Feel vs. Real

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The other week, a colleague sent me an amazing article from a current researcher, Tim Elmore, who specializes in raising our next generation of children. The article is about parenting and being adults relative to today's society and what is real vs. what we feel. In a complete sense of irony, the research he has conducted demonstrates that the world is safer than ever for our children, yet our parenting style has become increasingly protective. The research show that child mortality is down nearly 50% and missing children are down 40% since the 1980's, however adults worry more than ever about their children. This concept of feel vs. real is the reason. Negative news spreads much faster today than positive news, and often times we are so flooded with all the bad that is happening, it makes us feel like our environment is unsafe. As parents, we spend more time than ever doing things for our children, making decisions for them, that the research is starting to show that we may be the problem relative to childhood anxiety and other issues. We spend so much time worried about what WE feel that we are ignoring what our children want and need (reality). In the article, Mr. Elmore recommends some of the same things that we have heard before, but many do not heed the notice. He recommends making more connections with our kids by giving them choices about what they want to do, get the viewpoint of the child or the involve them in the decision making process. This advice is not earth shattering as we've heard it before, but it seems more important than ever in today's society. Our over-exaggerated need for safety is leading to a generation of people who don't know how to communicate in person with each other, want to lead sheltered lives in their homes, less attention span, and many other negatives. We need stop saying the phrase, "back in the day, ..." and start living the phrase, "back in the day, ...". If we truly want what's best for our children, we need to be more cognizant of what is real rather than what we feel. To read the entire article and to learn more about Tim Elmore's research, please follow this link: https://growingleaders.com/blog

Dialogue Event


On Monday, November 27, we will be hosting our first Dialogue with the Superintendent event at RFA from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Library. Following last year's tour through the District to provide families an opportunity to chat informally and get questions answered, we will be continuing the practice this year, however in fewer locations. The event is intended to provide families an opportunity to ask questions through the submission of a question card and elicit an on the spot response. All questions are anonymous. For more information or if you have questions, please contact the District office.

Breakfast with Santa


 On Sunday, December 3, the RFA Travel Club will be hosting a Breakfast with Santa fundraiser from 8:00 am to 11:00 am at the RFA cafeteria. Tickets for the event are $6.00 and can be purchased in advance or at the door. Children ages 5 and under eat free and all proceeds benefit the Travel Club and their upcoming trip this Spring. We look forward to seeing you for a great pancake breakfast on December 3!


Closing/Delay Reminders


Poor weather and/or other conditions occasionally necessitate the closing of schools. In the event of an emergency closing, parent/guardians and students are notified by means of announcements on local radio, television stations, automated phone calling system, social media (Facebook and Twitter) and the District website. The decision to close is based upon several criteria – wind speed in combination with temperature, present and predicted precipitation, and overall road conditions. Also keep in mind that Rome is a city of 72 square miles and overall road conditions might not be the same in one part of the city as in other areas. Announcement of school/closings are made through the news media and automated phone calling system, generally beginning at 5:45 a.m. In some instances, it may be necessary to make announcements as late as 6:30 a.m. Since decisions on closing have to be made very early in the morning and weather conditions sometimes change drastically before students actually begin traveling to school, the ultimate decision on safety of travel conditions for students rests with the parents/guardian. For more information, please visit our website  at http://romecsd.org

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