Learning at Home...

One of the most common things I am hearing from people in discussion lately is, "I can't wait for schools to get back in session." At this point, as we enter week three of the closure, school staff are missing the children, parents are running out of ideas/resources for learning, and students are getting frustrated with the loss of school normalcy. One of the most important things that families, teachers, and children need to know about learning at home right now, is that students should not be recreating their regular school day schedule. Yes, a school day may last 6-7 hours in totality, but within that time, students are not faced with 6-7 hours of continuous work. There are teacher led conversations that occur, independent reading, student research of various topics, and much more that occurs that is not explicit work. The reality is that students should be doing roughly 90 minutes of work a day at the elementary level and roughly 120 minutes of work (20-25 minutes per course) at the secondary level. The rest of the day can be filled with artistic type activities, reading, physical activity, research/exploration, and more. Trying to recreate school at home will not work for students and families. It is important to remember that although there are a myriad of amusing memes available right now about "home schooling", this situation is not home schooling. This is a wonderful and brief article about the opportunities of learning at home, that is accessible to all families, students, and teachers: https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-learning-home-should-more-self-directed-and-less-structured . The author suggests that any activity that is self directed and less structured will generally yield more learning. We have heard this in education for decades, that learning needs to be more student centered, and tailor made for the needs of EACH student. We have the opportunity to do that in this current situation. Failure is one of the world's strongest motivators. Trial and error is one of our most powerful learning mechanisms that exists. It's okay to have unstructured learning so children can experiment their way to knowledge acquisition. As we move through the coming weeks together, the district will continue to support our teachers as they learn how to navigate this new world and we will continue to support students and families as they learn how to adjust to the challenges that learning at home can present. Regardless, we are all in this together and it is important to remember that when stress levels reach their maximum. This is not the ideal learning environment for anyone, but together we will make it through this closure and the end result will be a better, more student centered, education system.

Child Care Needs

One of the Governor’s recent orders requires the school district to coordinate with local agencies to provide day care services to essential employees who are required to work during this time. We are continue to canvas the community for need. This is the message that has been sent out regionally, “During this current health crisis you may be considered an essential employee who is still required to work. Child care placement may be available to essential employees who work in health care, are first responders, who work in grocery stores, in transportation, some construction fields, certain non-profit agencies and in food or supply distribution fields.” If you believe that you may qualify, or if you know someone who may qualify and has a need, please call the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison Child Care Resource Center at 315-223-7850 extension 222. They are working to organize this effort on behalf of our entire region.

Technology Support

During this time, we recognize that people need support of all kinds. If your student(s) is still in need of a Chromebook, we ask that you complete our online request form here: Chromebook Sign Up Form . Chromebooks are available for pick-up at the District Office on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday's from 9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. Unfortunately, with minimal staff and the need to address legal requirements related to this closure, we will not be able to assist folks outside of those hours. Also, please note that we can not provide technology support for families or individuals with problems people are experiencing with their personal devices. Finally, username and password info for your student's Chromebook can be obtained by emailing Studentaccounthelp@romecsd.org.  Please include your child's name and the building they attend. If a student has forgotten their username/password for any of the programs the district currently operates, please send an email to the building specific email addresses below and our staff will work together to help that child regain access. Your classroom teacher may also be able to help with some of these barriers.

Ridgemillsstudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org

Bellamystudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org  

Dentistudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org  

Stokesstudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org

Joystudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org

Gansevoortstudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org

Staleystudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org

Stroughstudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org  

RFAstudentaccounthelp@romecsd.org   

NYSED Information for Families

The New York State Education Department has begun to produce some informational items and guidance documents for schools and families. The commissioner has also recently written a letter to families throughout the State. A copy of the commissioner's letter can be found here: Commissioner's Family Letter . 

Mental Health Support Information

Another area of concern for the State Education Department is the mental health of families and students during this time. Feeling anxiety amid a global pandemic is normal and natural for everyone. As the adults, it’s critical that we take care of our own mental and physical health, and that will help us to better support our young people. The following resources offer guidance for self-care as well as strategies for talking about COVID-19 honestly and effectively with young people. This document: Resources for Mental Health has been released by SED to help families with these concerns. Also, the Rome City School District Counseling Team has developed a Facebook group to help students and families address some of these concerns. Their group can be found here: Daily Dose of Learning

Spring Break

There has been a lot of discussion at the State level regarding Spring break and whether or not staff members of school districts throughout the State have actually been working during the initial weeks of this closure. With that concept, school districts have been advised to cancel their breaks and continue with instruction if they want to be eligible for the 180-day waiver. Given the amount of stress that I have seen and heard about with our students, families, and staff; the Rome City School District will be having Spring Break as regularly scheduled for all students and staff. Instruction will occur again beginning on Monday, April 13. While this may cause some turbulence in different arenas and down the road, it is an action that our community needs.

RCSD Coronavirus Reminders

This is just a reminder that the Rome City School District's most comprehensive location for information related to Coronavirus and it's impact on our schools is our website: https://sites.google.com/romecsd.org/rcsdcovid-19updates/home . Things continue to change and be adjusted almost on a daily basis, making it difficult to remain informed. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please email the most appropriate administrator for your question, or your child's teacher.