Let It Fun...

-
As I attempt to watch the Bills game today with all their snow and have listened to the Christmas classic, 'Let It Snow' recently; I reflect on some professional development from the past two weeks that reminded us all to find ways to provide more fun in both our jobs and in life. I have not done research on this, nor have I gone looking for it; but I would venture a bet that anecdotally most children that are disengaged with school would tell you that it is because they are not having fun. Likewise, I would imagine that most people that are not happy with their place of employment would say it's because their job is not fun. If you know me at all, you know that my next question is \, "Why?" Why can't we have more fun in school? Why can't we make our jobs more fun? Is there a rule against having fun? Perhaps the problem is who defines what fun is? In schools, it's most often defined by the adults, but students are our clients/consumers (to take lingo from the corporate world). Education historically is the only industry that refuses to produce/evolve based on the demand of it's consumers. In schools, we love to follow the, "It worked for me 20 years ago, so it should work for you model." Have you looked at your phone lately? When was the last time you heard some looking for a rotary style phone (that isn't an app) or for a land line even. Everything around us has evolved, but schooling wants to resist society. We don't have to. Let's listen to our students, our consumers, our clients. Education is not meant to serve the adults who have already completed it. It's meant to serve the children who NEED it to ensure that our society prospers when we are retired. So when it come time to make that New Year's resolution, I say, "Let It Fun!!"

Military Service Data Collection


Each year, the United States Department of Education provides roughly $40 million in Impact Aid to school districts which serve the children of military and civilian employees. In order to receive this aid, school districts must gather registration data regarding the students enrolled in their district. This funding enables us to provide programs and services that may not otherwise be available to students. The information gathered to determine eligibility for Impact Aid pertains to any student whose mother, father, or legal guardian is active military, OR a civilian working on a military post. If you are a parent/guardian that meets this requirement, please take a moment to complete the survey HERE so that our student may have the opportunity to benefit from this Federal Aid.


Socks for Teens


 The Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency (MVCAA) is collecting new socks to support teen students throughout the Mohawk Valley as part of National Runaway Prevention Month. As the weather becomes more challenging, socks are an essential requirement for students who are on the streets. All schools are collecting donations of new socks of all kinds, preferably sizes 4-9. If you would like to help the MVCAA in this effort, please send in socks to your school's main office labeled "MVCAA Sock Donation" on or before December 21. 

Block R Club Cereal Drive


Once again this year the Block R Club, made up of varsity athletes, will be collecting cereal donations at all home athletic events. This year they are also accepting donations of granola bars and pop tarts. The donated items will be distributed to students for the holiday break who depend on the District for breakfast and/or lunch, since students do not have access to those resources during that time. You may also participate by simply dropping off cereal, granola bars, or pop tarts to the RFA main office at any point before December 21. Thank you to all who have supported thus far and to our student athletes for sponsoring this wonderful drive!


RCSD Apparel Sale


 The Rome City School District is holding an online apparel sale from now through December 22, 2017. Items for sale can be found by following this link: https://form.jotform.com/73234073037955. All apparel comes in varying sizes, men's/women's, and colors. The logo on each item varies, so please read the item description carefully. We expect product delivery to be roughly one month from the close of the sale. All payments are made online and go directly to the vendor. 


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