Thrive And Grow...

When you think back to being a student (either k-12 or college), how often can you recall an adult telling you that something can't be done? Many times, when an adult tells a child that something can't be done it crushes their imagination and spirit. Yes, there are occasions when being told we can't accomplish a goal or a task creates additional desire to achieve. However, most people tend to lose self esteem in the face of being told they aren't good enough. Or maybe the commentary doesn't even have to be that harsh. Sometimes simply telling someone that they can't succeed because someone else has already tried and failed can produce detrimental results. In that scenario, we are just trying to provide some adult guidance based on our experiences and knowledge. But, what most adults fail to realize is that our experiences and knowledge do not have the direct impact on the ability of a child to achieve their dreams that we generally hope they do. If you take a moment to look around the room you are in right now, regardless of where you are, you will find a room filled with inventions that have become mainstream for us because somewhere in history an individual was allowed to let their thoughts and visions thrive. Today's generation of youth have a much deeper understanding of the world around them than any other in history. Due to technology, we are able to keep on almost instantaneous pulse on the entire globe. This exposure to life leads children to have a much more inquisitive brain. We are no longer relying on the teachings of our parents and schools to shape our minds. We have access to ideas, problems, and successes from all over the world. Our students are smarter than we realize, despite what some silly standardized test that was created by adults 40 years older than the students they are creating the tests for. I would love to see what a standardized test created by a child might look like? I imagine that the creativity and relevance to their actual worlds would be significantly increased compared to a traditional test. Further, I would imagine most adults would laugh at such a test simply because we couldn't see the forest through the trees. Our children have the ability to do amazing things, see amazing things, and create amazing things. It's our responsibility as adults to let them thrive. Let our children use their imaginations to create the next world changing invention. Most importantly, let our children thrive so that we can learn from them. When our children thrive, they grow. And when they grow, we all grow as a result.

Foundation Aid ThoughtExchange

As part of the State's budget requirements, school districts that received an increase in State Foundation Aid of more than $10 million or received a 10% increase in State Aid from the prior year must complete a plan for the expenditure of the funds, allow public input into the plan, and post the plan on their website while submitting to the State Education Department. In an effort to complete this task, the district is currently running a ThoughtExchange to gain feedback from the public on the topic. Our exchange will be open until Wednesday, April 9. To participate in the exchange, please visit our website here: https://tejoin.com/scroll/646341588.

Souper Bowl Event

On Wednesday, March 29, the RFA Art Club will be hosting a combination craft fair and art show, all with food, called the Souper Bowl. The event will run from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the RFA cafeteria. There are small fees associated to different activities and you have the opportunity to take home a handmade ceramic soup bowl made by a local artisan. For more information, please visit our website at: https://www.romecsd.org/article/1039196.

Women in Manufacturing

In collaboration with MACNY and Working Solutions, MVCC is offering a training program for women to introduce them to manufacturing.  The course will begin May 1 and is 12 weeks long.  It is offered 2 nights per week and upon completion, participants will receive $1,000!  One of the nights is online and the other night is in person on the Utica Campus.  The course will provide information on manufacturing and help students to obtain a job at the end.  It will also help with support services if  anything like transportation, day care or work clothes is needed. For more information, please visit their website at: 

https://www.macny.org/women-in-the-workforce/. 

Board of Education - Petitions Available

This year, there are four (4) open seats on the Board of Education. All four of these seats will be available on July 1, 2023. The term limit for three of the open seats is three years, expiring on June 30, 2023 and the fourth seat is to complete the remainder of a term, which is one year expiring on June 30, 2024. Completed petitions must include one hundred (100) qualified signatures and must be returned to the business office of the district at 409 Bell Road, and are due back before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Petitions are available for pick up at the business office of the Rome City School District. Any questions regarding open seats for the Board of Education can be directed to the business office or the Board of Education President, Mr. Joe Mellace.

Go Home Early Drill

Each year, schools in New York State are required to conduct what is called a "go home early" drill. In our region, schools attempt to have this event occur on the same day to minimize disruptions for our local BOCES. This year, the go-home early drill will be occurring on Thursday, April 6. For this drill, students will be dismissed from school 15 minutes earlier than regularly scheduled. Please make sure that necessary arrangements are made for students to arrive home from school earlier on that day.