Thank You Vets...

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As we honor our military veterans today, this time of year has become a symbol to our country of the many women and men that we need to remember, recognize, and embody on a daily basis. Each year, the number of Veteran's Day celebrations throughout our country/region grow; as does the length of time that the recognitions occur for. Without a doubt, organizations throughout our nation are recognizing our veterans beyond the designated day; and the reality is that we should all be honoring veterans each and every day. Beyond the sacrifice that they have made to serve our country throughout their lives, our military veterans and members bring with them an approach to society and life that we should try to emulate. Being in the military is not something that is for everyone. That generally is because the military requires sacrifice, discipline, service above self, teamwork, and trust in others. Ironically, these very qualities are many of the same issues we see with society today. If our entire community simply found a veteran that they could emulate, the world would be a different place. Having many veterans in my own family and many friends that have served in our military, I see first hand every day the type of person that our military veterans bring to our society. They are giving, caring, supporting, and kind. At any moment, a veteran would give something of their own so that a perfect stranger could benefit. Beyond the call of duty, our veterans are displaying personal traits that can improve all of our qualities of life as civilians, right in front of our eyes. The problem is, not enough of us are noticing. While serving our nation, they put their lives on the line to protect our way of life; and when they come home, they work to lead by example to improve our way of life. Emulating the lifestyle of service before self, caring, teamwork, trust, and the many other attributes that our military members possess will no doubt improve everyone's life. So, while we take a moment in time to say, "Thank You", to our veterans this week; let's also take a moment to be more like them each and every day. There is no better way to say thank you to an individual than to express gratitude through modeling. We know the answers. We have the leaders in our community. It's time to follow our veterans to a better life. Thank you all for all you have done and will continue to do in the future. Your approach to the world is an inspiration to us all. 

JROTC Basket Raffle

The Rome Free Academy Air Force JROTC will be holding their annual Basket Raffle on Sunday, November 18, in the RFA cafeteria. The JROTC Basket Raffle is one of their largest fundraisers for the year. The doors will open at 12:00 p.m. with bidding occurring from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. There are many door prizes and special drawings that also occur at the event. Complimentary appetizers and beverages will be served throughout the afternoon. Admission to the event is $5.

Coffee and Carols

On Wednesday, November 14, the RFA Chamber Orchestra and Select Choir will be presenting the first Coffee and Carols event in conjunction with Spressos. The event will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Spressos Coffeehouse and proceeds benefit both groups.Tickets are $8.00 (pre-sale) or $10.00 at the door. The menu for the event will be your choice of two homemade desserts, coffee or tea. What a great way to kick start the holiday season with some great music from our RFA musicians!!

RFA Open Mic Night 

On Tuesday, November 20, the RFA junior class will be holding the annual Open Mic Night at the RFA auditorium. This annual fundraiser has become a November tradition at RFA and an evening to enjoy some of our best talent throughout the school. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the fee for entrance is $8.00 or $7.00 with a canned good donation. Start the holiday season right with some enjoyment at the Open Mic Night!!

RFA Class Holiday Window Competition

In conjunction with our local JCP, who is a tremendous supporter of our local education, families, and students; each of the individual RFA cohorts has decorated a holiday window display at the local JCP as a fundraising event. The window paintings will be on display throughout the holiday season and you can vote for your favorite window in the store. The winning class will receive a $200 donation from JCP. Thank you to JCP for sponsoring such a fun event which brings the school and community together during the holiday season.  Students from each class volunteered their time and creative ability to design the best windows for Rome, so make sure to get out and vote for your favorite!


Parent Portal Information

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


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/  

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