March 25th through March 29th this year marks the second annual Public Schools Week throughout our nation. While all schools make a difference in the future of our children and our communities, public schools comprise the vast majority of educational opportunities for our children and families. With all of the turmoil surrounding public school funding at both the state and federal level, there couldn't be a better time to shed some light on the positive impacts that our public schools have on our children. Public schools are the centerpiece of the hopes and dreams of our families, and the growth and wellbeing for our communities. Nine out of every ten students attend a public school throughout our country. Public schools welcome every child, regardless of ability, race, wealth, language, country of origin, or needs. Supporting public schools today will build a stronger workforce of tomorrow. On an increasing basis, a system that was meant to be built as a state education system, is under fire in New York as local communities are asked to pick up the slack of flat funding from the state government. For years, governments have attempted to move people away from public educational systems, claiming that other options may provide better opportunities for students and families. The reality is that public schools are providing a wider variety of opportunities that lead more students to success in
postsecondary educations, careers, and in life than ever before. Public schools help more students become contributing citizens of their communities and communities are stronger when we all work together to support public
education. As our public schools succeed, so too will our communities. The success of the future
leaders of this great country critically depends on the support given to public education. We are very fortunate in Rome to have a community that is passionate and dedicated to their children, future, and schools. Through our continued collaboration and support of each other, we all can make a positive difference in the education of our children. It won't be long before Rome is recognized as one of the leading public schools in our state, thanks to the fine work of our professionals and community members alike. On behalf of our entire staff, the Rome City School District thanks our entire community for your past, present, and continued support of public education!!
Chicken Riggie Dinner
The Rome Free Academy will be hosting the annual Chicken Riggie dinner fundraiser on the Friday night of the RFA musical. The date this year is Friday, April 5th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be held in the RFA cafeteria and the cost is $10 per meal. Each meal comes with riggies, bread, salad, drink, and dessert. Take out meals are also available for anyone that would prefer to support the fundraiser, but may not be able to stay at the school. Following your meal, you can take the short walk to the auditorium and enjoy the RFA musical that evening. What better way to make a complete evening of RFA entertainment! Come on out and support our junior class as well as our talented artists on the stage!
NYSED Parent Dashboard
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is developing a Parent Dashboard to increase transparency and make information about school performance and other school-level data easier for parents and the public to access. This is part of our state's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan. NYSED is gathering feedback from parents and stakeholders to guide the work of developing the Parent Dashboard. Please consider completing their five-minute survey and tell NYSED how the Parent Dashboard can be as useful as possible. NYSED will use feedback from the survey to identify the data that is most useful to parents and the public. Informational resources in English and Spanish are available on our Parent Dashboard web page. If you have any questions, please feel free to email NYSED at ParentDashboard@nysed.gov.
Dialogue Event
On Monday, March 25, 2018, we will be hosting our annual Dialogue with the Superintendent event at Strough Middle School from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium. The event is intended to provide families an opportunity to ask questions through the submission of a question card and elicit an on the spot response. All questions are anonymous. This event is open to ALL parents and community members in the District and is not specific to any one given building. For more information or if you have questions, please contact the District office.
