Maybe They Can...

As the conference season winds down this weekend (for some reason the major organizations in NY like to do their conferences within weeks of each other in September and October every year), I find myself wondering every year why the most used excuse for stalling something new is, "the kids can't do that" or "the kids can't handle that." And it's not teachers that carry the burden of this excuse. It is administrators, parents, vendors, KIDS, and teachers; all together. Through many workshops and discussions at these events, you hear the excuse repeatedly from people questioning presenters on their progressive ideas. But what if we started everything new with "maybe they can." I could argue that most any progressive classroom that I have walked into during my entire educational career, the teacher often says, "I took a chance." I bring this up because how we know education and deliver education is on the cusp of a major overall. Not having enough desks for all of the students in a classroom? WHAT? How can that be?! Well, research shows that some kids prefer to sit on the floor while they read, learn, work. If that's what is best for that child, why are we not providing it. Education in the next 10 years should look very different than it has for the previous 100. But that can't happen if the adults in the world continuously use the phrase, "they can't." Children pick up on that language as well and it becomes something that holds them back and diminishes their self esteem. It's no secret that not every good idea in the history of time has flushed out to be an amazing new invention. Many ideas flop, and there are struggles. However, in life, we have to fail to learn to grow. Struggle leads to perseverance and grit. These are also words that researchers claim our new students do not enough of. Our children are growing up in a world that is so protective of making sure they don't struggle, that we are forgetting to teach them flexibility and adaptation. It is true that you don't have to struggle or fail to learn perseverance and grit. It can be done other ways in life. It could be learned simply if all of us adults would shift our mindset's to think more like a kid. To think like we did when we were 7 and jumping off the roof of the garage just because you wanted to be superman seemed like a good idea. Children think that they can do anything and that world of wonder is what we need to harness. We hold them back by thinking that kids can't do something. It's time to change the mindset and think, "maybe they can!"

Parent Portal - Video Guide

As we come to the end of the first marking period and get ready to release the first report cards for the year, this is a reminder that we will be using Parent Portal to deliver the report cards for 2018-2019. In order to obtain your child's progress reports and report cards this year, you will need an account for parent portal. Once you log in, and a report has been published, you will easily be able to view these reports in your portal. If you do not already have an account, and would like to sign up for an account, please contact your child's school. For more information/assistance on using Parent Portal or the Rome City School District app, please visit the following website for video guides on both: Parent Portal / RCSD App Video Guides

Genesis Award Winners

Each year, the Genesis Group awards local educators and educational programs that are making a difference in the lives of others in the Mohawk Valley. Over the past several years, many educators have been recognized for their contributions to their students. In 2018, the Rome City School District is fortunate to have two staff recipients of the Genesis Award for Education out of the many nominations throughout our region. Amanda Pacicca, from Bellamy and Thomas Gates, from Ridge Mills, have all been named recipients of the 2018 Excellence in EducationGenesis Award. Along with our fine individual recipients, the Rome Alliance for Education and the Rome Community Schools initiative were awarded in the Genesis Award in the group category. Congratulations to all and thank you for working every day to make the lives of our children better!

Ridge Mills Craft Fair

On Saturday, November 10th, from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., the Ridge Mills PTG will be hosting their annual craft fair at Ridge Mills Elementary School. 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.

STEM Career Exploration Events

This is a special opportunity to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)careers in CNY. Did you know that New York companies have more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) jobs than we can fill? And, the demand for new STEM graduates is twice the amount of non-STEM fields! Come join this exciting new program that will offer students the opportunity to explore various careers in STEM. Students, aged 12 and older, from any CNY School District, are invited to register. There is no cost for program – we want as many students as possible to be able to explore all that CNY has to offer in STEM careers! The format will consist of presentations, activities and discussions with STEM professionals. Event information is as follows:

November 1: SRC Inc. @ East Syracuse-Minoa H.S., 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

November 7: Aerospace Alliance @ Solvay H.S., 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

November 15: Marquardt Switches @ Stockbridge Valley H.S., 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact Joe Vargo at 448-1012 or joev@macny.org. To register for any of the events, please visit http://www.cnystem.com/careers/