• Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams and Mayor Lovely Warren will greet students in front of School No. 17 at 8:45 a.m. as students get off of the school buses. At 9:00 a.m. when classes begin, the Superintendent and Mayor will visit a Kindergarten classroom.

• School No. 45 is launching their 2017-18 school year with the theme “Be a Game Changer” for their students—the atrium has been transformed into a giant monopoly game, complete with sidewalk property cards and life-size game pieces. Each grade level is decorating their hallways to represent a different game, including Scrabble, Pac-Man, Twister and the middle school becoming an arcade of various video games. 

• Opening day will center around a community celebration themed to “We Rock,” with a rock band playing and staff exuberantly welcoming students as they arrive to school. Students will participate in fun, relationship-building activities, including games, an obstacle course and learning stations. Highlights during opening week include learning of “The Parker 23, Rules to Live By” and unveiling of the Parker Houses, which every student and staff member will be a part of this school year.

• Early Childhood School of Rochester No. 57 will host a new fatherhood and community support initiative on the first day of school to welcome back all students. This initiative will support the District’s Million Father March Program, which includes the following focus areas – increase visibility in the school, support school activities, participation in training programs, and provide mentorship to District students. Fathers, grandfathers, and mentors will welcome students as they get off of the buses.

• P-TECH Rochester is a “grade 9-14” academic and career program that brings together the best elements of high school, college, and the professional world. The program prepares students for jobs in computing and informa­tion technology. P-TECH is currently in its fourth year, which was started in fall 2014 with this initial cohort of students attending college classes on the MCC campus on September 5, 2017.

• Rochester Early College International High School serves scholars from grades 9-12. The mission of the school is to provide a college-going high school experience that accelerates students towards post-secondary success, with a vision for each and every scholar to graduate as globally competent, college and career ready, upstanding citizens. The school provides an instructional program in partnership with Monroe Community College that allows students to earn anywhere from 22 to 60 college credits before they graduate from high school, providing many students the opportunity to complete up to a year of college or even complete the requirements to earn an Associate’s Degree from MCC. Students in grades 9 and 10 have an opportunity to take dual enrollment courses through MCC where they can earn both college and high school credit. Students in grades 11 and 12 have a unique opportunity to complete their high school courses and MCC courses at the MCC Downtown Campus, giving them a true Early College experience.