We Are Here...

-


 With each passing week, it is easy to feel as if life is returning to more of a "normal" feeling post-COVID. I mean, we are 3 full years removed from that extraordinarily disruptive and divisive period in our history. But, it doesn't feel like 3 years, does it? Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, that period in our history has caused a lot to change, regardless of how much we think it feels like "normal" to those of us that knew a world pre-COVID. What am I getting at, you may ask? I'm getting at the fact that many of our youth were not old enough to have a "normal" perspective on life and the world pre-COVID so all they know is their current life. "Normal" for them is their current world that is filled with everything that has been a personal experience for them. As a school system, we are often asked about what support we have for staff, students, and families in relation to almost anything you can think of. Believe it or not, if there is a need, we probably have a connection of some kind that we can help you make. More than ever before, schools are equipped with both internal staff and community partners to assist students, staff, and families that are in need. You may think that I'm simply referring to mental health services, but I'm not. We have partners in the financial sector, legal sector, medical field, dental field, and so many more. The concept of the school being the community hub is once again becoming a reality. In Rome, we are fortunate to host one of the nation's most robust Community Schools programs who over the years, have built one of the strongest and most accessible community/school resources in the country.  We have all heard it time and time again since schools have reopened for full-time instruction, "Students and families have needs. They are struggling." We are here to help. We have teams of people wanting to share their expertise and resources with anyone that has a need of any kind. If you have a concern about a friend, family member, colleague, or even yourself; do not hesitate to reach out to someone at your school. There was a point in societal history where asking for help was seen as a weakness and looked down upon, in today's world it's considered collaboration. Collaboration has always been and will continue to be one of life's greatest skills. Just remember, when in doubt, ask. We are here for you, whoever you are, and whatever you need. All you have to do is ask.

Administrative Professionals Day 

This coming Wednesday, April 26, is recognized as Administrative Professionals Day throughout our country. In Rome, we are fortunate to have some amazing people working on the front lines of our buildings to support our students, staff, and families. By and large, the individuals that are answering phones, doors, etc. are always faced with challenging situations, upset people, or working on a high-pressure topic. There is no doubt that being an administrative professional in today's world is a challenging task. On behalf of our entire school district, please join me in saying, "thank you" to the amazing women and men who serve our students, staff, and families in Rome schools. We couldn't do it without you!!

Best Community for Music Education

The Rome City School District has once again been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Rome joins 830 districts across the country in receiving the prestigious award in 2023. It is the 8th year in a row that we have received this distinction. The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Rome's music department was assessed on several factors such as funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. These factors evolve over time, so this recognition also honors the work of music educators and administrators from years past. Congratulations Rome!!

RFA Musical - Sweeney Todd 

This coming week, Thursday through Saturday, Rome Free Academy will be presenting their 2023 Musical, Sweeney Todd. All three shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the RFA Auditorium. For more information on the show, including ticket information, please visit this page: https://www.romecsd.org/article/1072175.

NYS Youth Council

The New York State Governor's Youth Council is a fantastic opportunity for Oneida County youth, ages 13-18, to represent our County on a statewide level. The Oneida County Youth Bureau is searching for youth candidates to apply using the link below. Applications need to be submitted no later than Wednesday, May 3rd. This is a competitive opportunity for youth applicants and County judging will begin shortly after the application deadline. For more information, including the application, please visit: https://files.constantcontact.com/9e0f57ab801/bc2d35eb-61d1-4319-b8a9-967a61b0ae33.pdf. 

Paper Tigers Screening

You are invited to attend a screening of the 2015 documentary, Paper Tigers at MVCC - Utica Campus in Schafer Theater on April 26th, 2023 at 5:30PM. The screening will be hosted by the Building Self-Healing Communities Coalition. The film explores themes that were subject to discussion at the last Youth Services Council meeting. These themes include Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma-informed care, and the impact that teachers, counselors, and youth advocates can have on youth who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. For more information, please visit: 

Popular posts from this blog

It Takes A Village...

-
Image
 We all know the old phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child." One can reflect on the phrase and find a few different ways to interpret its meaning, however, it cannot be argued that when groups of people work together to help their children grow, success is more likely. To me, I view this phrase as referencing that there is someone within every community that a child can connect with to help them feel a part of their school and/or community. It may not be their classroom teacher or their principal. It may be a bus driver, a coach, a teaching assistant, secretary, custodian, food service worker, music teacher, art teacher, computer specialist, monitor, etc. The list can go on and on. Why mention this? Well, currently, one of the largest and most important educational research projects in our nation's history is occurring with some of the leading educational experts researching what education needs to be by the year 2025. Education 2025 is producing information that m...
Read more

When One Door Opens, Many More Follow...

-
Image
One of the hardest things to do in life is to deal with change. There is that old saying, "When one door closes, another door opens." I wonder though, why does a door have to close for another to open. Why can't many doors open when someone decides to go through a new door? I am about to embark on a new professional journey in the coming weeks and I refuse to think that the building that I have helped to lead over the past 3 years is going to be a closed door. Instead, I can think of thousands of opportunities that have been opened because of my decision to walk through a new door. I think of all of the people that have touched my life (students, staff, and parents) and I honestly don't see why a door has to close. Instead of that thinking, I choose to think that thousands of doors are opened now with all of the amazing people that I have had the opportunity to lead. The lessons that have been learned, the friendships that have developed, and the opportunities tha...
Read more

I Had A Dream...

-
Image
Once upon a time, when we all began our careers or started a new position/school, we had dreams. Dreams of what we wanted to accomplish, dreams we wanted to see our students accomplish, dreams we wanted to see our school communities achieve. Throughout my travels though, I have seen more adults tell students that should lower their expectations and downsize their dreams. Unfortunately, I would say that the ratio of adults encouraging students and adults discouraging students is close to 1:1 in my career. I ask, would you be where you are today without someone throughout your educational life encouraging you to pursue your dreams? As with many things in our schools, we need to focus on the positives that are happening and capitalize on them. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for our country, and while his dream was related to equal rights and oppression, his intended message of having a dream and working tirelessly to achieve it can be applied universally in society. Recently, ...
Read more