Super Sunday...

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Super Sunday is traditionally a day where most Americans huddle around television screens, take part in some good food, laughs, and football! While today may be no exception for many, it is also a super day for our students, staff, and families at Rome Free Academy. On this Super Sunday, I would like to acknowledge the amazing work of our dedicated faculty, support staff, administrators, and families in the Rome community. This week, the State Education Department (SED) formally released the 2018 four-year graduation statistics, and RFA posted a rate of 82%. While this may not seem like something to rejoice over to some, it is the highest four-year graduation rate for RFA since 2001-2002. It has once again improved over the year before which makes the fourth consecutive year that the graduation rate has risen. A short five years ago, the graduation rate was an all-time low at 70%. The work that the staff at the high school has been doing in these five years to increase that percentage to 82% deserves a ton of praise. As does the work of all of our educators in Rome. We all know that education starts at home and in the elementary buildings. The work of your team members in the elementary schools is also to be recognized, as they are the ones instilling the love and desire for learning that is being carried through middle school and through high school. Finally, beyond the staff of the school district that are working each and every day to prove to the world that Rome is a community worth raising your child in, our families at home have been instrumental in helping to achieve this graduation rate. We are fortunate to have a community that cares about education and wants the best for the children. Whether it be the conversations that our students are having in passing with our custodians, clerical staff, or SSO's, or the direct instruction in the content areas that is provided by our teachers; the team that exists within our schools is providing a high quality education to our children and the data shows it. Congratulations Rome Free Academy and I am honored to say that I work for each and every one of you! I can't wait for the day when we are touting the 90% mark and then the first large school to reach the 100% mark. I appreciate the hard work from each and every team member and thank you all for the continued work to making the Rome City School District the best school district in the State of New York!!


American Heart Association Run/Walk

On Saturday, February 9th, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, the American Heart Association will be hosting their 17th annual walk/run event at Rome Free Academy. The indoor walk also includes an outdoor run! Besides the walk/run, they will be holding a Heath Expo and several “Sydney’s Circle” events taking place in the gym. The American Heart Association has been very active in the Mohawk Valley and in Rome, providing support for many many people over the years. Let's get behind this fantastic cause and show our support. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. For more information or to register your team for the walk/run, please visit www.uticaheartrunwalk.org.  

Pre-K Registration

Registration for the 3-year-old and 4-year-old 2019-2020 pre-K programs will be held from March 4 through March 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. An evening registration event is also available on Wednesday, March 6, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information, including required documentation for registration please follow this link:                  PRE-K REGISTRATION INFORMATION


BOCES Family Welcome Center 

The BOCES Consortium of Continuing Education (BCCE) has received a federal grant to create a Literacy Zone in the City of Rome and operate a Family Welcome Center at its Rome ACCESS Site. It is the third Literacy Zone that BCCE operates. Literacy Zones are reform initiative intended to help close the achievement gap in communities with high rates of poverty and low levels of literacy. Literacy Zone providers offer or coordinate services to help address literacy deficits in their designated community, including high school equivalency preparation, family literacy support, English as a Second Language programs, workforce development program, interagency connections, transition support for veterans, out-of-school youth and adults leaving incarceration settings, and support for senior citizens, individuals with disabilities and families living in poverty. A calendar with a schedule of community presentations is on the wall at RAS and most students have been attending most of the events, Sebastian said. Topics have included smoke detectors in the home, parenting support groups, healthy relationships, flu shots, properly using car seats, nutrition, transportation, financial literacy and a variety of other issues. For more information, please follow this link: BOCES FAMILY WELCOME CENTER



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