Thank you to our custodians for working behind the scenes to keep Rochester Public Schools safe and clean!
This past weekend, our John Marshall High School students celebrated Homecoming 2023! Enjoy some photos of our vibrant Rockets at the Homecoming Parade.
October is Learning Disabilities / Dyslexia / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Awareness Month. 24% of RPS students have a learning disability. Learning disabilities can look different from student to student, but what remains true for all students is their potential to be successful adults despite any setbacks.
Rochester Public Schools 2023 Capital Projects Technology Levy referendum funding will be used to harness the power of technology to accelerate learning, support teaching, and increase school safety in eight key areas.
KEEP STUDENTS SAFE — Provide software and hardware to enhance school safety inside and outside schools, such as cameras and emerging technologies to monitor schools for weapons.
PREVENT FUTURE CYBER ATTACKS — Purchase computer hardware to maintain and improve the district’s technology infrastructure and strengthen cyber security. Fund critical staff who maintain the district’s technology infrastructure.
PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY TO ALL STUDENTS — Purchase computers and tablets for students that will enable RPS to continue the 1:1 device ratio, and purchase assistive technology for students with disabilities.
SUPPORT TEACHERS WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGY — Purchase computers for teachers, eliminating the practice of teachers using hand-me-down student devices.
UPDATE CURRICULUM — Purchase instructional software and print materials in core academic areas.
PROPEL STUDENTS TO FUTURE SUCCESS IN CAREERS AND COLLEGE — Purchase software that accelerates student learning in reading and math and programs that help students develop and implement plans for postsecondary education and career success.
USE DATA TO SUPPORT STUDENTS — Use technology to help teachers identify and support students who are struggling and to provide accelerated learning opportunities for students who are thriving.
ALLOCATE FUNDING EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY — Fund finance software so district leaders and school principals can allocate resources to meet educational and organizational objectives and monitor the use and impact of those resources.
Find out more about what this means at https://rochesterschools.org/referendum.
Make sure to vote on or before November 7. Early voting is happening now! Find your polling place here: https://pollfinder.sos.mn.gov/
We want to wish a happy Sukkot to those who celebrate!
We had a blast celebrating last night at Mayo High School's Hispanic Heritage Event! From the food to the music, dancing, and activities, there was something for everyone to enjoy. Thank you to everyone who joined in and made this event possible.
Rochester Public Schools has so many remarkable students who will make a huge difference in the future! Check out this Student Spotlight, where Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel interviews Mayo Senior Nandini Iyer on her mental health advocacy and entrepreneurship endeavors with creating her award-winning app, SafeSphere.
Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/GMioMQjh8iM
RPS is seeking approval of a capital projects technology levy to generate $10,150,000 annually for a period of 10 years.
What will the referendum fund for Rochester students?
These funds will be used to harness the power of technology to accelerate learning, support teaching, and increase school safety.
What happens if the referendum is not approved?
If the referendum fails, the school district will be forced to cut up to $10 million, leading to larger classes starting in fall 2024.
These are just a couple questions that are answered in the FAQ guide for the Rochester Public Schools 2023 Capital Projects Technology Levy Referendum.
Find out more online at https://rochesterschools.org/referendum.
Make sure to vote on or before November 7. Early voting is happening now! Find your polling place here: https://pollfinder.sos.mn.gov/
As we conclude Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we want to highlight one of the resources we offer to our high school students year-long.
Our Student Resiliency Specialists serve as the first point of contact for students in the high school setting. They provide individual and group support to students and facilitate connections with the other providers. Depending on the situation or school, resiliency specialists also work with families and communities. At several schools, they also give oversight to peer support programs.
If you want to learn more about your high school’s Student Resiliency Specialist(s), please contact your building principal for further information.
RPS is seeking approval of a capital projects technology levy to generate $10,150,000 annually for a period of 10 years.
When compared to other school districts, Rochester is well behind when it comes to local tax support. Currently, $7 million dollars from our general fund is allocated for technology. This levy would allow us to reallocate those funds to keep class sizes at their current levels.
The levy would also provide an additional $3 million per year to transform how we use technology and support our strategic plan.
This investment would bring transformative technology that accelerates learning, supports teaching, and enhances school safety for the next decade.
Find out more about the referendum at https://rochesterschools.org/referendum.
Make sure to vote on or before November 7. Early voting is happening now! Find your polling place here: https://pollfinder.sos.mn.gov/
Qualifying breakfast and lunch meals for students are now free! Thanks to the Minnesota Free Meals Program, students attending RPS in person can receive one qualifying breakfast and one qualifying lunch at no cost, each school day.
To learn more about this program, visit our page at www.rochesterschools.org/mnfreemeals
Happy Yom Kippur to those who celebrate!
Early voting in Minnesota begins today! For more information on how to vote early in-person or by mail, visit https://referendum.rochesterschools.org/voting-information.
On Wednesday, RPS Indigenous families gathered at Dakota Middle School to plant medicinal botanicals. These plants are beneficial to the Indigenous communities that inhabit Minnesota. The Medicine Garden at Dakota is being built with the support of The Native American Employee Resource group from the Mayo Clinic and Rochester's Master Gardeners. We can't wait to continue to watch this garden grow and develop over the years!
School Board clerk, Karen MacLaughlin, gives a short summary of some of the highlights from the September 19th school board meeting.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/mrcNhqu4S_o.
What better way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month as our students learn about the History of Mexico and the independence days of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Chile, and Belize. Gloria Torres-Herbeck, John Marshall Spanish teacher, brings culture to the forefront of her Spanish lessons, especially during Hispanic and Latin Heritage Month.
Gloria is a teacher at Rochester John Marshall High School and, in her spare time, serves on ACHLA, The Alliance of Chicanos, Hispanics, and Latin Americans. ACHLA is a long-standing nonprofit that has served Rochester Since 2004. She is passionate about educating the community and her students in her Spanish classes.
As we listen to her lesson on the History of Mexico, she tracks back to the Aztec homeland of Aztlan and then forward through history, utilizing the murals of Diego Riveria to help students identify key turning points in the History of Mexico. The artwork sparks conversations among students on their own culture, heritage, and understanding of history as they use their native language to connect with one another.
With Hispanic Heritage Month kicking off around the start of the school year, these foundational lessons bring together students' curriculum and cultural heritage in her Native Spanish speakers course.
RPS has seven embedded community schools at Gage, Franklin, and Riverside Elementary Schools, Phoenix Academy, John Adams Middle School, John Marshall High School, and Rochester Alternative Learning Center. Every Community School Site Facilitator deserves a high-five and a gold star for everything they do for their school communities!
September 17-23, 2023 is Community School Site Facilitator Appreciation Week! We appreciate our Community School facilitators who diligently serve our students and families. So what is a community school?
Meet Sweta Patel! Before becoming a Community School Site Facilitator, she served as an English teacher at the Rochester ALC for 15 years. She’s passionate about finding ways to re-engage youth in school. When she’s not teaching, she’s running from dance practice to soccer practice and watching her kids grow in what they love doing. Sweta is always on the lookout for opportunities that can spark that same kind of joy for something in our ALC students too.
Meet Eric McRae, Community School Site Facilitator at John Adams Middle School! This year is his 12th year at John Adams and second year as Community Schools Site Facilitator. Eric enjoys being active year-round and spending time in the sunshine on a lake in the summers. Eric fully believes in the mission of building relationships and investing in the students and families of the JA community.
