The celebrations have begun! We officially kicked off our graduation week yesterday with a fantastic Launching Emerging Adults Program (LEAP) ceremony. A huge congratulations to all our LEAP graduates – we're incredibly proud of you! Get ready for a fantastic week celebrating all our amazing students.
The RPS class of 2025 graduates tell RPS Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel where they're going after RPS and their greatest fears about the future in the latest episode of Supt in the Halls: 2025 Graduation Edition.
Watch the episode in the link below: https://youtu.be/ZOWcjJQ_9TI
Get Ready, because free summer meals are back! Starting June 9, summer meals will be offered at Elton Hills, Gage, Franklin, Longfellow, Overland, Riverside, Washington, Willow Creek, and John Marshall High School.
Breakfast and lunch served daily. All meals for children 18 years of age or younger are FREE. Adult meals can also be purchased for $3.10 for breakfast and $5.50 for lunch.
See the flyer for a full list, dates, and times, or visit www.rochesterschools.org/summermeals for more information.
🍏 June Menu: https://5il.co/3gpjn
🍏 Flyers: https://www.rochesterschools.org/documents/school-meals-and-menus/summer-meals/805175
The Lincoln 50th celebration was amazing! Thank you to everyone who submitted photos, volunteered, and came out to celebrate 50 years of Lincoln K-8 education!
Friendly reminder: No school on Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day)! RPS offices will also be closed. We'll resume regular hours on Tuesday, May 27.
Future RPS kindergarten students and families, are you ready? Enrollment for kindergarten at Rochester Public Schools for the 2025-2026 school year is open!
We had a fantastic time at our spring Kick-Off to Kindergarten at Century High School, where families from across Rochester connected with our amazing teams in Transportation, Student Nutrition, SACC, and more. Plus, our incredible community partners were there, and who could forget seeing Strawberry and Pineapple spreading smiles!
Feeling inspired? Learn more about Kindergarten at RPS: https://www.rochesterschools.org/page/incoming-kindergarten-students
We are thrilled to invite you to honor our incredible graduating seniors next week as they embark on their next exciting chapter. Mark your calendars for a week filled with joy, pride, and memorable moments as we celebrate their outstanding achievements and check out this article for all of the details: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/2225943
The RPS School Board will meet tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in the Edison Board Room (615 7th St SW). On the agenda for tomorrow’s regular meeting is: The Deeper Learning Pilot Project Wrap-Up and The Mayo Clinic Project SEARCH program.
If you cannot attend in person, you can livestream the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/isd535.
You can view all full meeting agendas at https://rochesterschools.org/simbli.
The rain didn't stop these students! Our 5th-grade students from all over the district came together to show their track and field skills and cheer each other on every step of the way. What happens when you bring together 18 schools and hundreds of students? One amazing day!
Don't forget, School Year SACC Registration opens at 6 a.m. this morning! Get logged in to register: https://rochester.ce.eleyo.com/child-care/3/school-age-child-care
After growing their own plants by the window for the past few months, the work program students at Edison got to move their sprouts outside! The work program provides students with disabilities the opportunity to work in an office setting at the Edison administration building. Heather and MinhLein do an awesome job helping students learn employability skills that they'll carry through to their next opportunity.
Our Rochester Academy for Independent Living (RAIL) students had their sports day last Friday. Wow! There were so many activities for students to participate in. What a great way to build teamwork and enjoy the sunshine. Thanks for the amazing day, RAIL staff!
The RPS School Board will meet tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in the Edison Board Room (615 7th St SW). On the agenda for tomorrow’s study session is: Enrollment Projection and Student Demographics Summary
If you cannot attend in person, you can livestream the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/isd535.
You can view all full meeting agendas at https://rochesterschools.org/simbli.
Last week, we celebrated our high school seniors who will be pursuing a teaching license in the fall with a Future Teacher Signing Day. All these students have completed the Intro to Teaching course taught by Anne Eldredge at CTECH. By completing both Intro to Teaching 1 & 2, students can earn up to five college credits from the University of Minnesota. In addition, they far exceed their required observation hours by participating in this course, as they spend time in classrooms twice a week to "student teach" and observe. The students' college choices include RCTC, Winona, Saint Mary’s, Augsburg, Gustavus Adolphus, and the College of Saint Benedict.
This event is meant to celebrate these students' decision to pursue a career in education and their dedication to improving the lives of future generations. Congratulations, students and all the best as you graduate!
We're halfway through Teacher Appreciation Week, and it's been full of joy! We have loved seeing all the celebrations, from a giant chicken outside a building to chalk art, treats, high fives, and hugs! RPS schools are showing huge love for our teachers! Thank you for everything you do for our students! We appreciate you!
Rochester Public Schools (RPS) today announced that the four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2024 reached 86%, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). This marks a 2.0 percentage point increase from the Class of 2023 (84%) and represents the highest graduation rate the district has achieved in the past six years. Read more: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/2196956
Heads up, students! There will be no school on Wednesday, May 7. Staff will be engaged in a Curriculum Adjustment Day. See you back on Thursday, May 8.
We're excited to see you all in TWO days! Join us for Kick Off 2 Kindergarten, a fun and informative fair designed just for incoming kindergarteners and their families. It's the perfect way to explore all that RPS has to offer and get excited for the school journey ahead!
🎒 When: Thursday, May 8, 4–7 p.m.
🎒 Where: Century High School, 2525 Viola Rd NE, Rochester, MN 55906
🎒 Admission: Free and open to the public!
At the fair, families can:
🎒 Meet the friendly faces from Transportation, Student Nutrition, SACC, and more.
🎒 Connect with community partners to learn more about their services.
🎒 Ask questions, gather info, and feel ready for Day One.
🎒 Capture the moment in our super-fun photo booth.
We will also have multilingual interpreters ready to help! Discover what makes RPS a great place to learn and grow, because every big dream starts with a strong foundation. Play, learn, and get inspired with us!
And so begins our graduation celebrations! This past Saturday, we celebrated our American Indian seniors at the annual Celebration Powwow! 🎓🎉 It was genuinely moving to witness their journey and celebrate this significant milestone with them, their families, and the entire community. We're incredibly proud and excited to see all the wonderful things they will achieve. Congratulations, graduates!
Lincoln K-8 Elementary will be celebrating 50 years of education! If you're a Lynx alumni, you are welcome to join the festivities at Lincoln K-8 Elementary School on May 22 at 5:00.
Additionally, if you have any photos, articles, stories, and anything that we could include in our photo archive display, please submit material to Amy Krahn at amkrahn@rochesterschools.org.
