Time for Kids...

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The time has finally arrived, it's time for our kids to return to school and begin moving toward experiences that we are all more familiar with. Our staff has been working tirelessly over the last severely weeks to prepare for students and we have all been anticipating this moment for weeks. While there is no doubt that getting schools open this Fall has been met with its fair share of speed bumps, we have overcome the challenges and are ready to get down to business. None of us knows what the future will hold, but we do expect that this year will bring adjustments and changes throughout the course of the year, similar to what we have grown accustomed to in the last two years. Keeping in touch with your child's teacher(s) and education, in general, will be a tremendous benefit to all parents in the event that we experience situations where things have to change quickly. As we welcome the students back to school this week, I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities that we will have throughout the year to see our students at all levels perform, compete, and present their learning/skills to our community. One of the greatest returns to education this year is the addition of many more opportunities for students to showcase their abilities for our community. Our student-athletes have already been on the competition field this Fall, our marching band is back in action, and performing ensembles will once again be filling our venues with sounds of music. Clubs and activities will also be a mechanism for our students to demonstrate the wonderful things that they discover, each and every day. I know that there has been a lot to be stressed about or to worry about over the last few weeks and years, but this is our time to begin the journey back to a world that provides more opportunities for our students. As they prepare to walk through those doors tomorrow, we prepare to welcome them with energy and excitement, ready to watch them grow into the amazing young scholars and future world leaders that they will become! Welcome back everyone, it's now time for our kids!!

Transportation Information

At this point, all routing for the year has been completed and communicated. There will continue to be adjustments through the coming weeks as we learn of more students that do not plan to ride a bus, which will allow us to consolidate and adjust routes accordingly. Please be patient with the process as it is normal for a lot of individuals to forget or provide information late causing a backlog to start the year. For example, on Friday of this week, we had 500 parent change requests of some sort to our transportation department. If your student does not plan on riding a bus this year, please contact our transportation office so that we can make adjustments to our routes. This information can help to reduce rider time on the busses to and from school. For more details on the transportation department, including all routing information, please visit our website at https://www.romecsd.org/news_page/bus_transportation_information.

Parent Portal

As a reminder, Parent Portal is the quickest and easiest way to gain access to your child's school information. Parent Portal is an online method for families to access our student management system, SchoolTool. We will once again be utilizing Parent Portal this year for the communication of student progress reports, ongoing grade reporting, and attendance. 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.

Student Immunizations (non-COVID)

As a reminder, New York State has passed a law that no longer allows for the religious exemption for school vaccinations. Also, all laws that are applicable to school-related required vaccines are back in effect for the 2021-2022 school year. The link below will take you to the State Education Department website that outlines the required vaccinations. Please speak to your school nurse or family physician if you have any questions regarding any requirements. 

School Immunization Requirements

NYS School COVID Report Card

As a reminder, the Governor's office and the Department of Health released the New York State School COVID Report Card. The information found on the website is a collaboration of data that is received by the State from the school district and the Oneida County Department of Health. This link will take you to the website with the information for the Rome City School District: https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/districtData;bedsCodeId=411800

Rite Aid COVID Testing Program

Rite Aid has announced a "Back to School COVID Testing Program" for students and families desiring to get a COVID test during the coming weeks. The location at 405 Erie Blvd. in Rome is one of the locations offering free service. Families are required to pre-register for a time and appointment. Registration for a COVID test can be done at bioreferencelabs.bioreference.com/nyschooltesting.  For more information, please contact your local Rite Aid.

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