It Was Simpler...

 At least once a week, something happens in a school that makes me reflect back to the 1980s when I was a student and wonder what has changed so much (besides technology) in 40 years to create a work environment that is beyond challenging for school employees. It's not just teachers, but unfortunately, school administrators and teachers have taken the brunt of it. Think about your childhood. Did you ever see the principal randomly walking the hallways and visiting classrooms? It didn't happen. That wasn't the job. Today, if it doesn't happen people are up in arms because they aren't visible, they aren't supporting. You know what else didn't exist, state-mandated reporting, an over-abundance of teacher evaluations, and an expected level of communication that would rival what a whole department would be doing in a private enterprise. Then there are the teachers. If you spent a week in a classroom as a fly on the wall you would see that the vast majority of their job has become parenting more than educating. And they still find ways to fit education into their day. Once again, think about your childhood. How much time in your classrooms was distracted by a teacher having to tend to something other than teaching and learning? How often did your parents expect to hear from their teacher? How often was your teacher required to "progress monitor" to help determine your learning status? These things didn't happen. Finally, let's not forget about our clerical staff who are verbally abused on the phone daily by people who feel that they have the right to speak to people however they want. Wrong, you don't. Many people right now may be reading this thinking, "there he goes complaining about the job." Actually, that's not it. Ironically, people have absorbed all of these responsibilities that have changed the profession and continue to come to work every day to help kids. The point is that when it was simpler, adults in schools had more time and the ability to build positive relationships with students to support them because their day was not filled with mandated tasks. The level at which teachers/administrators are required to communicate with families, whether it's mandated or perceived, it's almost as if they need a communications degree simply to help people feel like they know what is going on. There is no other profession in the world that demands such a high level of communication from the consumer and even when families receive communication that is at a level above and beyond, it's often not enough or met with conspiracy theories. We have some of the most talented and supportive staff in Rome, however, we need to take a step back and recognize and honor the challenges that this profession now brings with it. It's not the same system of teaching and learning that we (the adults) experienced growing up. Our personal experiences cannot be used to draw a correlation to the current times and we all need to remember that (yes, that means school staff too). There was a time when education was much simpler. However, our society has changed and things are different. We can simplify the system once again if we all take time to understand the new system and appreciate the daily challenges that school staff experience that did not once exist. It was simpler but is no longer. 

ParentSquare Security Enhancement

ParentSquare is releasing a new security feature called Password Monitor to protect you and our community from hacking attempts by enforcing safe and secure passwords wherever possible. When signing in to ParentSquare or changing your password in a browser or mobile app, some of you may receive a version of the following alert: "Password Reset Required- We detected that your password was exposed in a breach at another company. As a precaution, we do not allow this password to be used to sign in to your account." Please follow the instructions on the screen to set a more secure password for your account. We appreciate your understanding in supporting these added safety measures.

School Closing/Delay Information

Poor weather and/or other conditions occasionally necessitate the closing of schools. In the event of an emergency closing, parents/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.  

School Concert Season

It's that time of year when school concerts will be in full swing. If you are looking to enjoy an evening of live music, please come out and support our students at all levels at one of the many performances that will be held in the coming months. For a complete view of our school district concert calendar, please visit our website at: https://romecitysdny.sites.thrillshare.com/o/ma/page/music-programs-calendar.

SELSI Survey 22-23

We are currently conducting our first round of the Social-Emotional Learning Skills Inventory survey for our students PreK-12 for the 2022-2023 school year. Last year we had tremendous success with this survey in learning where our students stand related to social/emotional needs. The goal is to learn more about adult perceptions as they relate to a student's resiliency and ensure that we as adults are not missing cues from students that are in need of social/emotional support. In the end, we as a community will be better equipped to support our students as we will have a better understanding of their needs. Parents are encouraged to take the survey as well to provide input on their own perceptions/beliefs of their students. To complete the survey, please use this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RZ5H6TL (in Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RZ5H6TL?lang=es). You will need your student's ID number to participate which can be found in your parent portal account. The survey will be available until November 18.