We are continually blown away by our community's kindness! @WeBikeRochester donated 15 refurbished bikes for our students/families! @PataDePerro helps teach youth and adults how to maintain and repair bikes as lifelong skills.
We are SO grateful for our partnership with The Reading Center. They led intensive small group reading instruction multiple times a week. These students averaged two years of reading growth! Thank you to our instructional coach, Julie Doschadis, for leading ALC staff in strengthening our reading/writing foundation for all of our students this year.
Let's take a moment to congratulate these scholarship recipients!
Addison Cassidy and Kai’Rena Harper-Hairiston were awarded a $500 scholarship to further their education from the American Business Women’s Association. Addison will be attending Winona State University to become come a social worker and Kai’Rena will be attending MN State College Southeast in Winona working toward her cosmetology degree.
This spring, Mia was selected to be part of the DREAM internship program at Mayo Clinic! She's pictured below with her cohort.
11 students graduated from the STRIVE program - 7 students with perfect attendance awards! This program connects students with community mentors to support and guide them through their senior year. Students connect with another adult to learn different perspectives, learn valuable adulting skills, connect as a group, and have opportunities to receive scholarships to support their furthering education goals.
As the 2024–2025 school year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights from the past ten months. This list doesn’t capture everything great that happened in our schools, but I hope it gives you a sense of the extraordinary work we’ve done together. Everyone connected to Rochester Public Schools (RPS) should feel proud of what we’ve accomplished—and even more excited about what lies ahead. Read Superintendent Pekel's End Of Year Review: https://bit.ly/end-of-year-review-2025
ALC Staff Celebration 2025! Thank you to every member of the ALC team for the part you play in our students' well-being. When our students are asked what they appreciate the most about the ALC, the answer is usually "the teachers." Special shout out to Isabell's family for providing fresh egg rolls and sushi for the occasion! (You can look for their stall at the local Farmer's Market this summer - the food was DELICIOUS!)
We enjoyed celebrating our final mentoring session with Ben Franklin students! Thank you, Flapdoodles, for donating ice cream treats!
Congratulations to the Class of 2025! Our social worker, Jasmine, says it best: "With each name called, there is an unspoken story. All the tattered ribbons come together in the end to make a perfect bow to tie up all their stories into one big happy ending. Yet at the same time, their stories are just beginning, full of excitement, hope, and potential as they enter adulthood!" ALC students - you did it!
Thank you to the University of Minnesota-Extension for making a 9th grade overnight camping trip happen (3 nights!). Students have been learning about nature/conservation all year and had a chance to apply their learning in Chippewa Falls. A big shoutout to Mrs. Pencille and Mrs. Rojas (and Nicole with UMN) for guiding the students.
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
Congratulations to our Students of the Month from Spring Semester! We were able to individually recognize each student's strengths, and award them with a certificate and a 3D printed medal! We SEE you and we're so proud of your growth.
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.
ALC students mentor Ben Franklin Elementary students each week. It's a time for conversation and engaging in learning and fun. Here, mentors helped their mentees create a wooden toolbox! A big shout out to Home Depot for donating the kits and to Nothing Bundt Cakes for donating sweet treats!
Night School Family Dinner 2025! So many local businesses generously donated giveaways for the event - we're so appreciative. (See the full list of donors below.) A special congratulations to all of our graduating night school seniors!
Our staff hosted a taco potluck lunch for our graduating seniors and their families! Students worked hard to reach this milestone and we're glad we could celebrate it. Special shoutout to Canadian Honker for donating their amazing coconut cake for the occasion. Looking forward to the night school student/family celebration tonight!
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
Our first-ever ALC student/family art class was a hit! Special thank you to @ArtOnTheGo for the step-by-step painting instruction. It was pretty special to see all of the positive energy, smiles, and family time engaged in art.
The revamping of the ALC School Garden is underway! HUGE thank you to our student and community volunteers for their hard work. Special shout out to the CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) team and United Way for their help.
Every year, 5th graders across Rochester Public Schools participate in a Track & Field event. Volunteers help to make it happen, including ALC students who helped to run the stations! Special shoutout to Toppers Pizza for donating a pizza lunch for our student volunteers!
Our May Monthly Wellness Activity involved fresh flower planting! So many beautiful colors... Happy Spring!
Oxbow 2025! Students played volleyball, hiked, tossed a football, learned about deer and elk, walked through the zoo, and socialized over a grilled lunch in nature. We especially loved hearing all of the laughter on the nature playscape!
