LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

As we enter our final week of school before the holiday recess, I would like to take a moment to wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season. In a community full of diversity and difference, one constant amongst the differences is the need for family and support of each other. Regardless of which holidays you celebrate and how you choose to enjoy the season, this is the season to be thinking of others and helping those that may need a little pick me up. We are fortunate to be in an environment where a community is committed to improving and focused on our children. As we enter this holiday season, on behalf of the Rome City School District team, we wish you and yours a very warm and enjoyable holiday. Thank you for everything that you do to support learning, our schools, and our community. Happy Holidays!! Referendum Reminder As you may be aware, there will be a referendum vote to be held on Wednesday, December 18 for the purposes of completing signi

During this holiday season, it’s easy for people to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of constant events, running from place to place, in preparation of the holidays. Without blinking, you can feel like you are living in a tornado and the whole season can be over before you know it. This kind of atmosphere can make it difficult to slow down enough to see all of the amazing things that are happening around us. During this season, and every holiday season, we are all fortunate enough to be in a community that cares deeply about helping each other. There are more programs and events that occur in Rome each year to help those that may be in need, than any other place I have witnessed in my career. From our civic groups, to places of worship, to our teacher’s union, and many more, Rome has no shortage of caring organizations and people that do what they can to help others. Yes the decorations, lights, music, and events can help bring some happiness and spirit to the season,

Polyanna is a 1960's Disney film that is based on the concept that life's most difficult challenges can be overcome by having a positive attitude and being pragmatic. We all know that life is constantly throwing challenges at us and that nothing seems to be easy, or come easily. However, what's to say that being positive in the face of adversity is not the answer? In our world of education, the mandates that school systems and teachers continue to face are increasing, making the actual job of teaching nearly impossible. If you were to ask a teacher in today's world of education how much of their day that they actually have the control over deciding what to do and how to do it, you would find that the answer is staggeringly low. Teachers have almost zero control anymore about doing what they feel is best for their students. And those that do dare to step out of the box tend to be in violation of some mandate that came from somewhere. We hear it all the time from many