This week, the Rome City School District had several distinguished guests visit our schools. Thanks to the hard work of our educators and staff, Rome is being recognized both nationally and state-wide for the growth that is occurring. In conjunction with the Rome Alliance for Education and Connected Community Schools initiative, the Rome Community Schools model has quickly become a model program for communities throughout the region/country to follow. Due to the efforts of many individuals in several of our schools (and throughout our community), we were fortunate enough to welcome the President of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, to Rome this week. While in Rome, she was able to visit with community leaders, programs, and schools to see first hand the impact that can be made for students and families when we all work together. Due to these efforts, the Community Schools Initiative was awarded $350,000 for continued work to strengthen to the model that is already established. Our community schools program can assist families with almost any need that may arise from medical support, to clothing, to food, to technology access. When communities work together to find the good in each other and support each other, amazing things can happen. The funding from the AFT amounts to 35% of the grant funding provided to all schools in the United States in a given year. Our school district and community would never have had this opportunity if it weren't for the efforts of all of us working together to improve our community for our kids. We were also privileged to have a visit from the Chair of the State Assembly Education Committee (Assemblymen Benedetto) and our local Assemblywoman Buttenschon this week, as they toured our schools to learn about things that our legislature can do to assist schools in removing barriers to improve the experiences that our students have in schools. The two visits combined marked a milestone for the Rome City School District as we move from a location where people gloss over, to a location where prestigious organizations and individuals are taking note of our potential and growth. It is due to the efforts and hard work of our dedicated staff and devoted parents that is making this a possibility. They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but they never said we can't try. Congratulations Rome on the progress made, let's keep the train rolling!!
School Closings/Delays
Poor weather and/or other conditions occasionally necessitate the closing of schools. In the event of an emergency closing, parent/guardians and students are notified by means of announcements on local radio, television stations, automated phone calling system, social media (Facebook and Twitter) and the District website. The decision to close is based upon several criteria – wind speed in combination with temperature, present and predicted precipitation, and overall road conditions. Also keep in mind that Rome is a school district of roughly 72 square miles and overall road conditions might not be the same in one part of the district as in other areas. Announcement of school/closings are made through the news media and automated phone calling system, generally beginning at 5:45 a.m. In some instances, it may be necessary to make announcements as late as 6:30 a.m. We will be conducting a test call to verify that we have accurate phone numbers and emails in the coming week, so please stay tuned for that.
Parent Portal Reminder
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. In order to obtain your child's progress reports and report cards again 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
Bellamy PBIS Fundraiser
On Wednesday, November 6, the Bellamy PBIS team will be hosting a fundraiser in conjunction with the McDonald's on Black River Boulevard. A portion of ALL proceeds collected between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. that evening will be donated back to the school and their PBIS initiative. PBIS is a school based strategy to promote and recognize positive things within a school. Please take a moment on Wednesday night to support our Bellamy PBIS crew!!
Law Enforcement Career Night
OHM BOCES is partnering with law enforcement in the Mohawk Valley to offer a one-night event for students interested in pursuing a career as an officer. Representatives from the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, Utica, Rome, and New Hartford police departments, and the New York State Police will offer presentations and be available to answer questions. The event will be held at the Howard D. Mettleman Learning Center, at OHM BOCES, on Tuesday, November 19 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Any student in grades 9-12 with an interest in learning more about law enforcement is encouraged to attend. To register for the event, please contact Joanna Demma at jdemma@oneida-boces.org
