A Day for a King...

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 This week marks the annual anniversary of honoring and remembering one of our nation's greatest leaders and role models, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the most impressive things about Dr. King's leadership is that he was not an individual appointed to a leadership position, or elected, or managing a company like a CEO. He was an ordinary man who firmly believed that good could triumph over hate. He believed those words in our Declaration of Independence when our nation's creators wrote, "All men are created equal." He believed that no matter what walk of life you came from, you were worthy of greatness, liberties, freedoms, and happiness. It was Dr. King's ideals, passion for advocating for others, and positivity that built his legion of followers. That's what made him a leader. It was his vision and undying desire to make the world around him a better place. Fast forward all these years and our nation is still clouded in a veil of inequality and more importantly, ignorance to the inequality. Despite all of the growth that our society has experienced, largely as a result of Dr. King's vision, we are still working to establish a place where all people understand each other and recognize that one size does not fit all. The civil rights movement may not be as strong and visible as it once was, but it still exists. Every day people from all walks of life are struggling and fighting for equal rights. Beyond just the ability to have equal rights, the ability to be treated the same in our communities is still ongoing. So, on this day of remembrance for Dr. King, let us work to improve our actions and views of others. Being positive toward each other is not a difficult thing to do. Sure, it's tougher to be positive than it is to vent or complain. And generally, others like to listen to people vent and complain than be positive. But, what good comes from the ill will? What society has ever advanced due to ill will and suppression of others? There have been some golden eras that held these ideas, but ultimately those civilizations have fallen due to the citizens understanding that there was a better way. While our lives are certainly better than those times, we all have room for improvement with how we treat each other and the attitude we carry each and every day. On this day of honoring a King, I ask you to find more positivity, optimism, and hope in your daily life and in the society that we live in. Our children walk around with uncorrupted smiles and pure joy on their faces. If you don't believe me, simply find a child in a moment of fun and you will see the pure happiness in their eyes. We owe it to our children to strive to be a more positive, accepting, and helpful community. There is no better tribute that we all can give to the Reverend Dr. King, than to attempt to embody the ideals that he promoted all those decades ago.  

ThoughtExchange - Peer Interactions

We are currently running a ThoughtExchange to gather feedback in relation to peer experiences and student-to-student interactions. We could use your input on "As you reflect on the current environment and situations our students experience, what concerns do you have or what positive activity/activities could be done to support student-to-student and peer relationships?". All of our voices matter, so your participation is crucial and valued. Click here to participate: https://tejoin.com/scroll/312191725. The exchange will be open until Wednesday, January 26 at 4:00 p.m.


FirstView - Transportation App

In conjunction with First Student, we are making final preparations to launch their tracking app which will allow families to better prepare for bus arrival times. In order to use the app, families will need their students' bus ID number (which will be provided to students by First Student) and their SchoolTool ID number (which can be found in Parent Portal or on an old report card). Information can also be obtained in each school's main office. We anticipate this will be available beginning the week of Monday, January 24. 

NAACP Dr. King Event

The Rome chapter of the NAACP is happy to inform our community that their annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service will be held on January 17, 2022, via Zoom from Zion Episcopal Church, Rome New York. The program will start at 9:00am. Please join them as they celebrate with our special guest speaker, Rev Sharon Baugh, Hope Chapel AME Zion Church, Utica N.Y. We look forward to celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If you would prefer to join virtually the link is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88005725155 . 

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