RPS offices will be closed from Monday, December 23, through Wednesday, December 25, in observance of the Christmas holiday. We will resume normal business hours on Thursday, December 26.
Winter break is here! There is no school from December 23 through January 3 (Longfellow students, your break is through January 10). We hope you have a great winter break and we will see you students in the New Year!
KIMT3 News awarded our very own Karen Colbenson at Gage Elementary, the Teacher of the Month Award! Ms. Colbenson was nominated for her kindness and hard work. Yesterday she received a pizza party for her students and school supplies for her classroom. Join us in congratulating Karen!
RPS is beyond fortunate to have outstanding staff, faculty, and students throughout the district. Some members of RPS are so remarkable that they were awarded with recognition from outside organizations. Here are just some of the extraordinary awards that RPS community members were bestowed:
School Board Chair, Cathy Nathan - Minnesota School Board's Association All State School Board https://www.facebook.com/ISD535/posts/pfbid02s11D8YdLZ6M7111WbR9nXM4FEDjGpMytw6cxModQ52fV5S6KwTescbpg8PABqufUl
Superindendent, Dr. Kent Pekel - Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development https://www.facebook.com/ISD535/posts/pfbid02x1HTC15CKXu664vC8Utv4yJ7U93VZZMfyPRMTuHtisKLAdyxWwMyruMnzjFAePRql
Rochester Mayoral Medal of Honor Awards to Deb Las and Madison T. https://www.facebook.com/ISD535/posts/pfbid0BV1gF9GJTB5R3hJTnTL93WXXCvikXgtizvbGLEuMxRAzaHzyyRLDv5r2rj82JvMBl
Thank you to Joe Ahlquist with the Post Bulletin for the photos!
Support from the community of Rochester is what makes this city so remarkable. With your support, the Ignite Student Learning Referendum passed on Nov. 5. With its approval, RPS can provide quality and sustainable education.
At last night's School Board meeting, Superintendent Pekel awarded two amazing people our inaugural "RPS G.O.A.T Awards." Dr. Jess Garcia has served as a school board member for the last few years and last night was her final meeting before her term ends. Lori has served as the assistant School Board clerk and executive assistant for Superintendent Pekel and will be shifting roles in the district. We are grateful for the work Jess and Lori have done for the district and wish them the best in their next endeavors.
Keep an eye out for more RPS G.O.A.T Awards in the new year!
(These goats were 3D printed by RPS parent Justin Ross.)
RPS hosted and was part of some amazing events from 2024. Thank you to the entire Rochester community for supporting public education! Here are some of our favorites:
Celebrating 50 years of ECFE and PAIIR: https://www.facebook.com/ISD535/posts/pfbid0QonNyDmZbZg4fqM91zXX5kGyFefUjj7n2oBKtobC5dDJmUQdEqTwvo9AvguMhCCtl
RPS high school homecoming parades:
John Marshall High School: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1045089017321724&set=a.492650492565582
Century High School: https://www.facebook.com/ISD535/posts/pfbid02uZkUFX8nMD3jJcdHwehRwogL1M6PR67wLiJKSfXwBtR1HbguGurnT2C4tB24Umcnl
Mayo High School: https://www.facebook.com/ISD535/posts/pfbid02ZXyPyYGJMVPEuLyifnXpaP5SMeqDJLQwe5ooUURUfWgBPXeWgqj8taGPzvdFywCnl
RPS had an amazing 2024! Thank you to all who were a part of this transformative year for our school district. We'll be highlighting some of our favorite moments from 2024 over this entire week, so follow our social media accounts to see the highlights!
Sarah Taraba is a kindergarten teacher at Sunset Terrace Elementary. Sarah is a former RPS student who attended Sunset Terrace Elementary, John Adams Middle School, and John Marshall High School. Read her story here: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1904309
Today, Jeff Kappers officially retires from RPS after 33 and 1/2 years of working in the transportation department. Jeff has been integral to how the transportation department functioned, planning bus routes, helping families determine if they were eligible for bussing, communicating between the district and First Student buses and vans, and on days when we are trying to determine if we would call a snow day, Jeff was out driving the roads at 4 a.m. to make sure busses could safely transport our students to and from school. Thank you, Jeff, for your many years of service to RPS, and we wish you the best in your retirement!
Chilly temps are here to stay. We're sharing four quick tips to help keep students who walk to school in winter weather safe!
Oh, what fun! Our preschoolers are feeling festive! From a sensory table made from candy cane lane to gingerbread-scented play-doh, our students had a blast learning today!
Erin Vasquez is the Community School Coordinator at John Marshall High School. Erin is a former RPS student who attended Lincoln, Lincoln at Mann, Willow Creek Middle School, and Mayo High School. Read her story here: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1904267
Bishop Elementary students participated in an experiential learning opportunity using the artwork of Minnesota Indigenous People as inspiration. This project started with a grant from The Minneapolis Foundation to use different texts to discuss the importance of Ojiwbe culture and art. Bishop then expanded students' learning experience to learn about the Ojibwe Shoulder Bag from the Minnesota Historical Society, which gave students an experience relating to the Ojibwe people by creating our very own bag in media class. Bishop celebrated the project with an all-school parade where the Ojibwe-inspired bags were hung on the lockers for all to enjoy!
Congratulations also to one of our students, Madison, for receiving the Mayor's Medal of Honor for the Youth Serving Community Award! We've shared before about Madison's participation in the Adopt-a-Drain program and her desire to improve her neighborhood and the environment. Thanks for what you're doing to improve our community, Madison. Congrats!
Ending this week on a fantastic note: We want to congratulate one of our dedicated staff members, Deb Las, on receiving the Mayor's Medal of Honor for Educational Excellence! Deb has been teaching for 33 years and currently teaches science at John Adams Middle School.
"Deb has been the backbone of the STEM Mentoring Labs at John Adams, an after-school STEM research program for middle school students underrepresented in STEM run by local non-profit Oraculi. Due to her efforts, Las was recently awarded a STEM Research Grant from the Society for Science as one of 41 educators throughout the United States."
Congratulations, Deb! We are so proud to have you as one of our educators.
Future RPS kindergarten students and families, are you ready? Enrollment for kindergarten at Rochester Public Schools for the 2025-2026 school year is open! Learn about your neighborhood school, DWO school/program option, and how to enroll: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1910873
Kelly Kranz is the Office Manager at Franklin Elementary. Kelly is a former RPS student who attended Franklin Elementary, Willow Creek Middle School, and Mayo High School. Read her story here: https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1903296
It's not too late! Ski Club registration will close soon and you still have time to register. Students in Grades 5-12 can hit the slopes with our upcoming Ski trips. Register today: https://rochester.ce.eleyo.com/course/24226/2025-winter-spring-youth/2025-welch-ski-club-coach-bus-optional-rental-gr-5-12#5600-century
Brandon Macrafic is the Principal of Student Centered Learning Models at CTECH, MNSync Online, and P-TECH. Brandon is a former RPS student who attended Lincoln Elementary, Kellogg Middle School, and John Marshall High School. Read his story at https://www.rochesterschools.org/article/1900996
