Just Two Words...

As we are set to enter into the traditional American holiday season, it seems that it is a prudent time to mention the two words that when used, can have a dramatic impact on another person's day, "thank you." Unfortunately, the pandemic has brought out the worst in a lot of things in our society, but perhaps the most concerning development of the last 18 months has been the deterioration of human interaction, kindness, and respect. Throughout this time people from all walks of life have justifiably developed strong opinions, ideas, and concerns. However, in the midst of developing these feelings, some have lost the ability to acknowledge that there can be an opposing viewpoint that may be valid and that we can coexist in a world of differing thoughts and respect each other despite a difference. A part of this diminishment is the reduction of helping others and the utilization of the words "thank you", for even the most minor forms of assistance. As we enter the time of year where many people spend more time thinking about others and assisting others, I am hopeful that we will get back to a point in society where differences of opinion or merely that, a difference of opinion. I also hope that we can find the place and time to share a simple two words with those that have provided assistance, support, hope, comfort, and many more feelings over the months. There is no doubt that everything right now is challenging on almost everyone. Losing sight of how difficult school in 2021 is for a student, or the challenges that have been placed on families to ensure that their kids can continue to engage in school, or everything that goes into teaching or operating a school is a real thing for all of us. While it's not brand new, schooling in 2021 is still new and we continue to work through things together as at any given time something new can happen. It's important to simply remind people with those two simple words that you recognize that despite challenges, people are trying to be helpful. Of course, praise can come in phrases of many words, two, three, four words or more; but it only takes those two simple ones that can change a person's day. With that, I say THANK YOU to our entire school community for everything they do on a daily basis to continue navigating through these challenging times. Without all of our collective desire to move forward, I can't imagine where we would be.  

Congratulations Athletes

Congratulations to all of our Fall sport scholar-athletes and teams! The NYSPHSAA has released the list of scholar-athletes and teams for the Fall 2021 season. Our Scholar Teams for the Fall 2021 season include: Girls Varsity Field Hockey coached by Mackenzie Welker, Girls Varsity Cross Country coached by Ty Knamm, Boys Varsity Cross Country coached by Nicholas Jeror, Girls Varsity Soccer coached by Melissa Downs, Boys Soccer coached by Chad Reese, Girls Swimming and Diving coached by Michelle Browne, Girls Varsity Tennis coached by Nick Natishak, and Girls Varsity Gymnastics coached by Kevin Perrone. In total, across all sports, we had 126 students achieve the Scholar-Athlete distinction. Individual awards are given to any student who has a cumulative GPA of 90% or higher; while team awards are given to teams that have 75% of the roster achieving a GPA of 90% or better. 

School Closing/Delay Information

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, Parent Square, 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. Announcements of school closings/delays are generally made beginning at 5:45 a.m. In some instances, it may be necessary to make announcements as late as 6:30 a.m.  

Redistricting Presentation/Conversation

On Monday, November 29 at 6:00 p.m., our current redistricting/restructuring consultants will be engaging the community in conversations regarding their thoughts and concerns related to the way that schools are structured. The event will be held at Strough Middle School and will involve all members of the community that wishes to attend. It will be a combination of presentations about future enrollment projections/needs of the district, some preliminary information about what the consultant is feeling could be a recommendation to the district for restructuring, and an opportunity for round table brainstorming for the community to provide feedback and ideas. We will continue to share information regarding the event as the date nears.

BOE Meeting Change

This week, due to the Thanksgiving Recess, the regularly scheduled Thursday Board of Education meeting has been moved to Tuesday, November 23 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the District Office and can be viewed via Zoom, a link will be available on the District's website.