Thank You Veterans...

This Monday, our nation recognizes Veteran's Day for all of our women and men who have served our country in one way, shape, or form. Having the fortitude, mental stamina, and courage to serve in our nation's military is one of life's paths that not everyone can follow. The women and men of our military forces are constantly in harms way to provide security for the rest of us. They perform their duties courageously knowing that the ultimate sacrifice is always a possibility. One of the most inspiring features that I have grown to admire of the veterans that I know is the humbleness with which they live their lives. Walking down the street every day are thousands of veterans who bring the qualities of dedication, perseverance, grit, pride, and service to the rest of us. All of our veterans deserve much more than one day of recognition as the lessons that they bring to the table are significant, if we are willing to listen. It would be hard to believe that in today's not day in age, every family couldn't be impacted by having a military service member in their lives. Our veterans walk amongst us in the civilian world, leading by example, and epitomizing the sense of pride in our country that we all felt when we were children. When I reflect on my friends and family who are veterans (and those family friends who lost someone in action), I can not think of a negative word to say about any of them. They are true role models who know what the meaning of the word 'sacrifice' is really all about. While we approach this Veteran's Day, please take time to reflect on the lessons that our military veterans have taught us and make sure you thank our veterans as you see them. Your service has provided the rest of us with freedom, and for that we are eternally grateful. Thank you veterans!! 

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

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

RFA Class Holiday Window Competition

Once again, 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!

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.