Thank You Veterans...

-
This upcoming weekend is one of the most under appreciated days of recognition in our country. Next Saturday our nation recognizes Veteran's Day for all of our women and men who have dedicated their service to our country in one way, shape, or form. As we all know, not ever individual is cut out to do everything; and there are certain things that individuals simply cannot do that others can. That is a fact of life. Having the fortitude, mental stamina, and courage to serve in our nation's military is one of life's paths that not everyone can follow. The women and men of our military forces are constantly in harms way to provide security for the rest of us. They perform their duties courageously knowing that the ultimate sacrifice is always a possibility. One of the most inspiring features that I have grown to admire of the veterans that I know is the humbleness with which they live their lives. Walking down the street every day are thousands of veterans who bring the qualities of dedication, perseverance, grit, pride, and service to the rest of us. All of our veterans deserve much more than one day of recognition as the lessons that they bring to the table are significant, if we are willing to listen. While we approach this Veteran's Day, please take time to reflect on the lessons that our military veterans have taught us and make sure you thank our veterans as you see them. Your service has provided the rest of us with freedom, and for that we are eternally grateful. Thank you veterans!! 

United Way Campaign


The United Way of Rome and Western Oneida County is currently running their annual pledge drive. The United Way serves many of our children and families through resources and supports that they otherwise would not have access to. Individuals who chose to support the United Way can designate their gift to be allocated directly to any one of the agencies that the United Way supports, or can make a general donation. Payroll deduction is also a simple option to providing support to our community partners. Last year, Rome employees donated just over $4,000. Let's help make this year's campaign the largest ever for the Rome City School District. If you are interested in supporting the United Way, please contact your union representative or myself. 


Ridge Mills Craft Fair
On Saturday, November 11, from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., the Ridge Mills PTG will be hosting a craft fair at Ridge Mills Elementary. Catch some holiday spirit and do some holiday shopping at the one and only Ridge Mills Craft Fair! There will be over seventy crafters and vendors, plenty of parking and refreshments for sale in the cafeteria! For more information, please contact the school.


Kiwanis Craft Fair


 On Saturday, November 11, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday, November 12, from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., the Lake Delta Kiwanis club will be hosting their annual craft fair at Rome Free Academy. There will be over 85 crafters and vendors present with raffles and a bake sale as well. The Rome Police Department will also be doing child ID's for any family that desires this service. For more information, please contact the Lake Delta Kiwanis club.


Lions Club Craft Fair


 On Saturday, November 18, from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. the Rome Lions Club will be hosting a craft fair at the New York State School for the Deaf, located at 401 Turin Street, Rome, NY 13440. Along with plenty of vendors and crafters, the event will include a chicken barbecue and a chili cook-off. Stop on by to kick off the holiday season! For more information, please contact the Rome Lions Club.

Popular posts from this blog

It Takes A Village...

-
Image
 We all know the old phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child." One can reflect on the phrase and find a few different ways to interpret its meaning, however, it cannot be argued that when groups of people work together to help their children grow, success is more likely. To me, I view this phrase as referencing that there is someone within every community that a child can connect with to help them feel a part of their school and/or community. It may not be their classroom teacher or their principal. It may be a bus driver, a coach, a teaching assistant, secretary, custodian, food service worker, music teacher, art teacher, computer specialist, monitor, etc. The list can go on and on. Why mention this? Well, currently, one of the largest and most important educational research projects in our nation's history is occurring with some of the leading educational experts researching what education needs to be by the year 2025. Education 2025 is producing information that m...
Read more

When One Door Opens, Many More Follow...

-
Image
One of the hardest things to do in life is to deal with change. There is that old saying, "When one door closes, another door opens." I wonder though, why does a door have to close for another to open. Why can't many doors open when someone decides to go through a new door? I am about to embark on a new professional journey in the coming weeks and I refuse to think that the building that I have helped to lead over the past 3 years is going to be a closed door. Instead, I can think of thousands of opportunities that have been opened because of my decision to walk through a new door. I think of all of the people that have touched my life (students, staff, and parents) and I honestly don't see why a door has to close. Instead of that thinking, I choose to think that thousands of doors are opened now with all of the amazing people that I have had the opportunity to lead. The lessons that have been learned, the friendships that have developed, and the opportunities tha...
Read more

I Had A Dream...

-
Image
Once upon a time, when we all began our careers or started a new position/school, we had dreams. Dreams of what we wanted to accomplish, dreams we wanted to see our students accomplish, dreams we wanted to see our school communities achieve. Throughout my travels though, I have seen more adults tell students that should lower their expectations and downsize their dreams. Unfortunately, I would say that the ratio of adults encouraging students and adults discouraging students is close to 1:1 in my career. I ask, would you be where you are today without someone throughout your educational life encouraging you to pursue your dreams? As with many things in our schools, we need to focus on the positives that are happening and capitalize on them. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for our country, and while his dream was related to equal rights and oppression, his intended message of having a dream and working tirelessly to achieve it can be applied universally in society. Recently, ...
Read more