As we near the end of the school year, read a year in review memo from Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel. He writes about:
➡️ The Academic Agenda
➡️ Supports for Learning
➡️ Family Engagement
➡️ Improving the Organization
➡️ School Start Times and Transportation
➡️ Referendums and Reductions
➡️ What’s Ahead
Read the full memo at: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1624433
A huge thank you to Autumn Ridge Church for filling 45 summer food boxes for our ALC families. Appreciate the efforts to coordinate this massive undertaking and to deliver the boxes.
The RPS School Board voted unanimously to put forward an investment plan to Ignite Student Learning through a referendum. Voters will decide on November 5. View this Q&A to learn more about the Referendum: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1621656
We love celebrating our students and staff! Our STRIVE mentorship students had a successful year with their volunteer Rotary Club mentors. Each received a scholarship and $150 cash! Schuyler was this year's recipient of the Exchange Club scholarship and received $1000! Congratulations, Schuyler! We also celebrated our 4th Quarter Students of the Month and our ALC staff, too. It's been a great year! (Special shoutout to Caribou for donating coffee mugs to giveaway to our staff, and to Firehouse Subs for donating free sub cards.)
On Memorial Day, we celebrate, honor, and remember those who gave their lives for our country. Thank you for your service!
Reminder: There is no school on Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day. Enjoy your three-day weekend!
All District buildings will be closed on Monday, May 27, and will reopen under normal operating hours on Tuesday, May 28!
Graduation is an accomplishment for all of our seniors, but for our Indigenous students, their celebration began at our annual American Indian Education Powwow on May 4th, 2024. At the powwow, seniors received an eagle feather to recognize their education milestone and to reflect the honor the graduate brings to their family, community, and tribal nations.
Learn more about the eagle feather ceremony: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1614534
The Night School staff put on an AMAZING end-of-year family celebration for all of their students. A HUGE thank you to all of the businesses and organizations that donated fun prizes - over 140 prizes were given away!
Our students have been busy! Check them out in action here! Students visited Sekapp Orchard and Sheehan Sheeknoll Farms, fished at Chester Woods, rode horses with RideAbility, learned about beekeeping, planted berries and marigolds in our community garden, took bikes out on trails, and worked with preschoolers at Hoover and Mighty Oaks! Phew! Lots of new experiences and opportunities. We love our community partners!
Happy Vesak Day to those who celebrate.
A HUGE shoutout to Pinnacle Catering (Joe & Nick Powers) for generously donating lunch for our Day School/APEX/Success Lab graduating seniors and families yesterday. It was a wonderful gathering, and in ALC style, we held a circle (led by our counselor, Marshall Kading) to help close out the students' years at the ALC. (We're looking forward to the Night School family celebration later this week!)
At last night's School Board meeting, the Board voted to place a referendum on the November 5 ballot seeking $19.4 million annually to protect and enhance educational programs and student services. The referendum would support the district’s new investment plan to “Ignite Student Learning.” Guided by feedback from residents, this plan was developed to stabilize our operating budget, strengthen our curriculum, and support the programs that will ensure our students are ready for life after graduation. Read more: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1611885
Due to predicted severe weather, RPS is canceling all after-school practices and games.
Here's what this means:
- All sporting events and practices are canceled.
- All activity buses are canceled.
- All Middle School After School classes and clubs offered through Community Education are canceled. All other Community Education programs are on as scheduled unless you receive a direct message from Community Education to the contrary.
Please check with your schools about their plans for PTSA meetings, concerts, and other events. The School Board meeting will still occur at the Edison Building starting at 5:30 p.m. If you cannot attend in person, you can livestream the board meeting at https://www.youtube.com/@ISD535.
Thank you, everyone, for all your support for our students. Between our fall (Chipotle South) and spring (Noodles & Company South) restaurant fundraisers, we raised over $800 to help fund student-centered learning experiences next school year. Also, in a previous post, we mentioned students/staff across all ALC programs were collaboratively painting a paint-by-number image of our school (drawn out by Alina Bachman, our clinic coordinator). It's looking good!
Our students volunteered to help run stations at the annual Track & Field day for all 5th graders throughout the district! Special thank you to Toppers Pizza (Marion Rd.) for donating pizza for lunch! Appreciate their generosity and support of our students.
With the end of the year around the corner, you might be looking for a creative way to thank an RPS Staff member for the impact they've made on your family. Consider honoring a staff member by donating to the Rochester Public School Foundation: http://www.rpsf.org/HonorStaff.
Learn more about honoring a staff member: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1597578
Our Spring equine therapy partnership with RideAbility is up and running! Thank you, Amy Petersilie, for coordinating. Students had an opportunity to groom and lead the horses. They'll slowly build up to riding the horses!
Students and staff were able to sign up for library cards and browse free books over the lunch and dinner hour! We appreciate this partnership with the Rochester Public Library. Thank you, Sarah Joynt (librarian), for your time and supporting the ALC.
Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing, loving, strong, happy, selfless and graceful mothers, stepmothers, grandmas, foster moms, late mothers, future moms, bereaved mothers, hopeful moms, those with estranged relationships with their moms, and motherly figures. Thank you for your contributions to our students, families, and communities.
We wrapped up our last monthly wellness activity - flower planting! It was wonderful to see our students excited about choosing just the right flower to gift to a loved one.
