Happy Holidays to You and Your Family

No matter what you may celebrate during this holiday, the most important thing to me about this season is family.  I hope that everyone has an opportunity to be with those they care about over the coming days.  While many of us have family members who live far away, are in the military, or can't be with us, this season helps us to focus on what is truly important and to make connections.  Have a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, happy new year in 2015.

Our School Nurses

I just received the 2014 School Nurse Survey done each year by the Department of Health and Human Services.  The information that I am sharing with you comes from this department's "Special Medical Services School Nurse Survey 2014".  Their response rate for this survey was 97.2% and provides us with accurate information.  I want to share with you some of the facts from this report so that you can see what school nursing has become over the years.  Just as we know academic skills help our students attain success, we also know that a student's mental and physical health are factors.  As stated in this report, "school nurses become an essential component of a comprehensive health system". 

I'll start with the overwhelming number of medical procedures provided by the school nurses- it appears they often do more business than a health clinic.  90.8% of the school nurses in New Hampshire provide oral medications; 61.2% provide blood glucose testing; 56% give nebulizer treatments; and 48.9% handle personal toileting/diapers.  This is not like when many of us were in school. The report goes on to say that nurses in our region are also dealing with medications that are considered "rescue medications"- these include students who need asthma medications or use epi-pens.  Along with all of these services, comes the paperwork and charting, not to mention, getting the timing correct for all the students who are taking medications.

In our area of the state (southeastern), the ratio of nurses to students is 1:414.  Our nurses, Joanne Morrison, Monique Gauthier, and Victoria Doremus, have somewhat higher ratios than this: At Raymond High School the ratio is 1:453; at the Iber Holmes Gove Middle School, 1:424; and at the Lamprey River Elementary School, 1:557.   This is a lot of patients (patience).  The report included some open-ended responses and states that "three main themes ...emerged from the open-ended responses".  These three are:  "School nurses have a large array of responsibilities and and duties they must conduct each day; school nurses work extensively with Children with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN); and there are growing mental health concerns in the student population."

I want to call attention to the many other "large array of responsibilities and duties" our nurses have.  You've noticed by now that no where does this report mention administering band-aids; fixing playground injuries; calling parents; finding food for a hungry student; eye exams; checking for lice; running a staff flu shot clinic; conducting hearing exams; monitoring immunizations; 504 meetings; school safety; finding clean clothes for a student; medicaid reporting; drug assessments; changing bandages; keeping up with the latest medical care; writing information sheets for parents; ministering to sick children; finding sneakers, warm coats, and hats for students in need; budget issues; serving on committees; staff education; height and weight monitoring; preparing medications for field trips; and arranging for dental screenings.  Even all of these things make up a partial list of the many varied issues our school nurses handle!

Just so you can get a better perspective on the services and duties for which our nurses are responsible, I have the number of office visits from the 2013-2014 school year.  At the high school, there were 7,626 visits; at the middle school, 9,969 visits; and at the elementary school, 10,080 visits!  You can see why our nurses are an essential part of our entire health system.  It is these unsung champions who support our students' (and staff) health and safety needs.  If you happen to see one of our school nurses, give them a big "thank you" and "job well done" from all of us!

Beauty in a Wintry Mess!

The week ahead looked like it would be a weather mess as I listened to the forecasts over the weekend.  So, on Monday, I began checking all the usual weather sites to see what was ahead for Tuesday. I found out that this crazy, messy system could be here on Wednesday and Thursday, too!  While watching the weather channel forecast, I saw a link for some beautiful images of snowflakes. (Go to the bottom of the page of this link:   http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/northeast-storm-snow-rain-forecast-dec-2014 .)  I felt compelled to click through the pictures and see all the many shapes that a snowflake can take.

These pictures brought me back to third grade-probably the reason I just had to click on each one to see the next!  Third grade was the first time I remember being interested in science.  It made me start to wonder about how things are made and I truly looked at things around me in a different way.  Here's what happened.  My class was studying multiplication- or the "times table" as we students called it.  I was so bored- I already knew all the tables and had passed every test the teacher had given.  What a remarkable teacher I must have had, as she did something not heard of in those days- I was given something different to do!

She must have seen how restless I was and she asked me if I would like to go outside with a small magnifier to look at snowflakes.  I wasn't excited about leaving, but I did want to get away from those times tables- and at least I could go outside. So, I semi-reluctantly took the magnifier and went into the school yard.  It had been spitting snow and the flakes were swirling around in slow, lazy circles.  It was easy to get a snowflake to land on my sleeve and then use the magnifier to observe it up close.  I couldn't get enough!  I continued to "catch" snowflake after snowflake and look at them in amazement!  How could something so white and plain look so beautiful?  And how were they formed?  And where did they come from? And was each one really different? (Remember, this was third grade.)  The teacher finally had to send someone outside to get me.  It is an experience I will remember forever. 

My hope is that all of our children have a moment like this- have many moments like this.  Something or someone who will catch their attention, instill curiosity, spark an interest, and create awareness of the world around them.  I also hope that for every child that proclaims boredom, someone will say, "Let's go out and catch snowflakes!"

Medium-size snowflake, around 4 mm, taken in January 2013, Moscow. (Alexey Kljatov) 

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New Math Requirement

This week's blog is to inform everyone about a change to the minimum standards for high schools in New Hampshire. Minimum standards are those standards that a school district must adhere to in order to have approval from the Department of Education (these include everything from class size to course offerings).  Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, Ed 306.27 states that all students will be required to "engage with and apply English and mathematics graduation competencies every year they are enrolled in high school even if graduation competencies for English and mathematics have been demonstrated".  Our high school students are currently required to have four years of English and three years of math.  For our students, this new requirement means they must take an actual math class or must take a class in which knowledge of math is a requirement (more on this later) for each year they are enrolled in high school. 

The Department of Education has told districts that we need to have a plan in place for 2015-2016 and then begin requiring this math standard of all students as we go forward.  Our plan will be to apply this requirement to our current Junior Class as a pilot program to see what our needs will be for new course offerings and to make sure math competencies are clearly part of classes that might fit the criteria. This is important for students and their families to understand as they begin the process of choosing classes each year.

Many students might think they are "all done" with math by their junior year. If you read this standard carefully, the intention is that students must take a course in which math is a necessary component; it is not stating that they need four credits in math. Rather, students must be enrolled in a course that applies math competencies.  For example, a Personal Finance class would count to satisfy this requirement, as would a class in Woodworking: both of these heavily rely on mathematical applications for success.  A Physics course would also satisfy the requirement, as would Economics.  Of course, any of our math offerings would also count!  As we put together the Program of Studies for next year, we will indicate those classes that satisfy the requirement in hopes this will make it easier for families.

We are also working closely with the Seacoast School of Technology to determine which of the classes at the SST cover this requirement.  Other students might choose to take an on-line course to meet the requirement or take advantage of an Extended Learning Opportunity.

At first, I was very upset with yet another "unfunded mandate" and thought we might need to hire extra staff without the funds to make this possible.  It is not, however, a requirement for another credit in math, but rather, another year of using and applying math, either through a specific math class or a class that applies math.  I realized how valuable this could be- not just the extra math that I think all students should have, but as a way to increase student awareness of the ways in which math is used everyday.  I see this as an opportunity for our students to keep their math skills sharp as they go on to the workplace or college.   (I still think the state should supply some funds for this!)

Right now we are working with our juniors to help them sign up for a math class or a class in which math is applied. As a pilot, we need to assess our needs and this next school year will help us sort this out.  As always, if you have any questions, please call the SAU at 895-4299 ext. 1103 or the high school at 895-6616.

Thanksgiving Wish

This week starts the season of big family dinners, gifts, visits to relatives, days off from school, and the arrival of winter.  It is a mad rush from now until January!  I love it all and look forward to seeing friends and relatives that I have not seen for a while.  I love seeing children who are excited about the first snow, Santa, festive lights, fancy desserts or playing with their cousins.

Most of all, I enjoy taking the time to reflect on how lucky I am.  Whatever issues or problems I might have faced over the year, I know I always have something for which to be thankful.  It might have been the time my son made it home from Iraq, or my niece buying her first home, or my grandson getting a clean bill of health, or any of the many experiences and events that make up our lives.

My wish is for all of you to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with many good times over the coming days. And I hope that you have many, many wonderful reasons for which to be thankful.

Snow Days......

I thought this would be a good time of year to explain what goes into cancelling (or delaying) school for weather related reasons.  It's not always snow- if you remember last year, we had a hurricane day!  Usually, it is the superintendent watching the weather reports and hoping that the weather doesn't interfere with school.  Sometimes, it is a state-wide event and we all receive some direction from the NH Department of Safety. The hurricane last year was one of these, and all of the superintendents took part in a conference call advising us to call off school the next day.

But when it comes to snow or ice, superintendents are pretty much on their own with the decision.  I watch the weather every night and check for any storms that are forecast for the school week.  If a forecast calls for snow or ice, I watch even more carefully!  On the night before a predicted storm, I stay up until around 11:30 PM watching the weather channel and the local reports.  I am then up the next morning at 4:30 AM to look out the windows and check the television weather reports again.  If there is already snow on the ground,  by 5:00 AM, I call our town road agent to see if the roads are clear. Our town road workers are a good judge of what it is like out on the roads and whether the roads will be ready. I also call our police department to see what the officers are saying about the state roads, such as Route 101. Finally, I need to make a decision to call off school before 6:00 AM as our bus drivers need to get the buses ready and out by 6:00 for our high school students.  This is so early that the decision is almost always a tricky one. (This week I had to make a decision for a two hour delay due to unexpected icy roads that caught everyone by surprise!)

Once I make the decision to cancel or delay school, it is a race to notify everyone.  I call each of the administrative team and then, Jennifer, our Administrative Assistant, makes a call and creates a message to families and staff members.  I also call the television and radio stations, the town road agent, the police, and the town manager.  This all takes about 45 minutes to an hour.  Although students are not in school, our administrators all come in, and the school and SAU offices are open for the day.

The most difficult decisions are when a storm is predicted for later in the morning- after school has already begun.  If the weather reports say that the storm will be here at 10:00, it is a tough call.  Should I take a chance and get everyone to school and hope that the roads will be clear at dismissal? Or should I cancel school and take a chance that the storm will be so bad, that people will forget it was clear in the morning?

And what if a storm sneaks in unexpectedly during the day?  Should I dismiss school and get the buses out as quickly as possible? Or wait and hope that the roads will be better prepared later in the day?

With every decision, I am aware that families may have day care or baby sitting issues that need to be resolved and that, they too, spend time watching the weather to try and predict whether there will be school or not. Every decision I make is made for the safety of our children.  I do not want students at bus stops or walking on roads that have not been plowed or out walking where drivers may be sliding on our roads.  We live in a rural area with very few sidewalks; winding, hilly roads; and narrow walkways.  When you add a snowstorm or ice to this, it can be a dangerous situation for our students.

Cancelling school is not something I like to do, but I do it for the safety of our students.  We've had two rough winters in a row, let's hope this year, we only have snow on the weekends!

Seacoast School of Technology

Our high school students are so fortunate to have access to the the Seacoast School of Technology (SST) right in Exeter.  The SST currently has 66 students from Raymond taking such classes as: Automotive Technologies; Plant and Animal Science; Careers in Education; Culinary Arts; Building Construction; Digital Media Arts; Welding and so much more!  The teachers at the SST are all masters in their field and highly qualified.  In addition to the courses offered during the year, there are monthly technology nights for middle school students and summer camps.  Some of our students have been part of the SST programs since 5th or 6th grade!

One class that is under utilized by our students is Pre-Engineering.  Students may take this class beginning in their freshman year of high school- unlike the other courses that begin when a student is a junior.  This provides our students a head start when they take advanced math and science courses and continue on to college or a technical field.  One of our students became interested as a 6th grader when she attended a summer camp called "Baking a Raspberry Pi" where the students programed and built their own computer.

None of our students are currently in the Biotechnology program.  According to the description put out by SST, students take this program who have "aspirations of doing lab research to cure cancer, or using DNA testing to help catch criminals, or learning the techniques of exploring the human genome".  Perhaps our students don't realize the breadth and depth of this program and the many avenues that a student can follow after taking such courses.  This is such a needed area that many companies will hire students right out of high school to work in their facilities. We need to do a better job of introducing and educating students about this program.

The Seacoast School of Technology is a "hidden gem" where students have an opportunity to try out a career in which they are interested and can do it through hands-on experiences.  The possibilities for success make the SST a wonderful choice for many of our students! 

Students come to SST's Biotechnology program with aspirations of doing lab research to cure cancer, or using DNA testing to help catch criminals, or learning the techniques of exploring the human genome.  Using the same technology and lab procedures employed in commercial research facilities, SST students equip themselves with the skills to make major scientific discoveries.

Units studied in Biotechnology include scientific methodologies, environmental biotechnology, cellular and microbiology, immunology, forensics, genetics, DNA sequencing, organism modeling and much more.

​Biotechnology stu

Fruits and Vegetable Program

Beginning this month, we are reaping the benefits of a grant that our Food Service Director, Judy DiNatale, applied for and received for the Lamprey River Elementary School and the Iber Holmes Gove Middle School. The "Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program"grant comes from the US Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service.  This program is "an effort to help children learn more healthful eating habits and to introduce a variety of produce" that children might not have had an opportunity to taste.

The goals of this program are simple:  to create healthier school environments; increase children's consumption of fruits and vegetables; and expand the variety of fruits and vegetables that our children eat. Of course, the over arching goal is to encourage students to have healthy diets for overall good health.

This is a government program so there are as many "don'ts" as "do's"  Some of the things that cannot be offered are:  processed fruits and vegetables; dips; juices; fruit snacks, such as 'leathers'; or smoothies.  The things that must happen include: providing these during the school day (but not during breakfast or lunch); providing these to as many students and as equally as possible; and, of course, the offerings must be fresh.

So, if your child comes home over the next few months and announces that he/she has had a dragon fruit or a kiwi or strawberries, you will know where these came from.  Mrs. DiNatale is ready to begin this around November 18 when supplies come in and our students will soon be trying some unusual and fun fruits and vegetables three days a week.  I'm excited we are able to offer our students some new things and get them interested, not just in different foods, but different cultures and countries where these come from!

Please contact your child's school if there are any allergies to fruits or vegetables of which we might not be aware.

Stand Up to Bullying Month

This past week we sent students from our middle school to the University of New Hampshire's "Stand Up to Bullying Training and Action Summit".  This is the second year we have sent students from our schools and is part of October's "Stand-Up to Bullying Month".  According to UNH's website on this conference, students will be "trained as peer leaders in bullying prevention".  The students this year came back full of wonderful ideas to try at the middle school to stop bullying.

In the Raymond schools we have implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.  This organization has just released a report on bullying in American schools that has some surprising information. (read more here).  According to this report, bullying is most prevalent in 3rd grade- something we all need to be aware of and acknowledge as a place to start our prevention.  It tapers off as students go through high school and, yet, over this last year we have heard reports of bullying on high school football teams and even in the NFL!

We also have to be careful that everything kids do isn't labeled "bullying".  According to Rosalind Wiseman, author of books on bullying, "Every conflict is not bullying and if we call it that, then it loses the power of the word.  Not all conflict amounts to bullying and by overusing the word, we risk reducing the power of the word to describe real bullying".

Wiseman "believes that, to a certain extent, allowing boys and girls to work out their own problems is useful training for resolving conflicts at every stage of life. The challenge is to stay on top of what's really happening in your child's life, particularly when kids routinely answer with an "I'm fine" -- even if they're not."

Incidents of bullying do happen and, all of us, teachers, administrators, parents, need to be vigilant about our children and be aware of changes in behavior that may signify a problem.  At all our schools, it is imperative that we monitor student behavior and report any cases of bullying.  With incidents on the rise due to social media, all of us need to take a part in reporting suspected instances of bullying. We also need to allow our children the opportunity to solve problems and work out conflicts on their own.  This is a fine line we all walk together to help our children navigate their way safely and responsibly to adulthood. 

PowerSchool Sign-Up

We are rapidly coming to the end of the 1st quarter.  I am always amazed at how quickly the time passes from one season to the next.  This year, with our paperless initiative, we are doing our best to make sure everyone has access to see their child's progress through school.  We use PowerSchool for our data system where everything is stored from parent contact information to student grades.  We sent out two letters to families: one this summer and another as school got under way about how to sign up to our on-line system. Once you have signed up, you are able to update registration information, contact teachers, and see your student's assignments and grades.

If you had a sign-in name and password for the last school year, it will no longer work.  If you are unsure about signing up or have had any difficulties with this, please contact the school your child attends.  We want all of our families to be able to monitor their child's progress. This is what we all can do to celebrate our students' successes, as well as, get them back on track when needed. Working together, we can assure that all of our students have meaningful learning experiences. 

Please do not hesitate to call if you need help.  The phone numbers for each of the schools are:  Lamprey River Elementary School- 895-3117; Iber Holmes Gove Middle School- 895-3394; Raymond High School-895-6616.  You can also follow the link on our web site to sign up for PowerSchool at www.sau33.com.  As always, thank you for all you do to help us.

Little Steps

Today I saw a wonderful Physics class.  Students had been assigned to make mousetrap cars (ouch!) that would travel 4 meters down a racetrack (the hallway).  It was so much fun!  The students were so creative and every car looked different and worked in a slightly different way.  The best thing about being there (other than wishing I had my own car) was the enjoyment I received from watching students cooperate and collaborate with each other.

Even though every student had to make their own car and even though there were varying levels of success, in my book they were all winners.  It's what I enjoy most about teaching:  that time when you see your students take their learning into their own hands to discover how to do things differently or (in this case) apply the rules of science to achieve success.  The students cheered each other on, helped with ideas, groaned when a car failed and generally worked together.  There was a little friendly competition, but all the students wanted all of their classmates to do well.

Parents get to see this:  a toddler takes their first independent steps; their child learns to ride a bike; one of their children does well in science; or is a great soccer player.  For all their successes, there are times when our children went through some failures.  These failures teach our children resilience, determination and courage.  Seeing all these little steps towards great accomplishments is the best thing about teaching.

What's Happening in School This Week

It is October and school is no longer referred to as the "new" year.  This week, as I try to do every week, I visited all three schools.  Here is some of what I saw and experienced:

• A high school biology class that included a skunk, a prairie dog and a duck
• 3rd graders learning how to do sit-ups
• 8th graders interacting with a new math concept on the smartboard
• High school students learning and playing volleyball
• 1st graders learning to identify words that began with the letter "u"
• Painting
• Second graders reading books on their own ( and 2 students read their books to me!)
• Speaking Spanish
• Letter writing
• 4th grade students learning about fire safety from the Raymond Fire Department
• Writing persuasive essays
• French vocabulary
• 6th graders learning math through math games
• 5th grade students collaborating on a literature story
• Hot lunch
• Breakfast
• A health class making posters
• Anti-bullying activities (it was superhero day at the middle school!)

I am amazed every week by what we offer in our schools and am proud of the education we provide each and every student.  Jamie Vollmer spoke to our staff at the beginning of the school year and pointed out all the requirements that are now a school district's responsibility.  The list is long, can be overwhelming and needs to be accomplished in partnership with a community.  Last week, the FEAT Committee earned an award from the Parent Involvement Center for our work with the community- an example of how we all can and do work together to educate the students of Raymond.  My list is short compared to all the things I didn't have a chance to see but is also indicative of the variety of experiences we offer our students. I look forward every week to visiting classrooms and being amazed!

Raymond Pride

Over the week of September 14, the town of Raymond came together for a fabulous celebration of 250 years of Raymond history.  If you took part in even one of the events of that week, it was very easy for you to see and experience Raymond Pride!  I was present at the parade and met so many people who had returned to their hometown for this wonderful event.  The drizzle and chill did not discourage anyone.  The parade was fabulous with marchers from every group in town and many bands and participants from around the state.  I met people from both New Hampshire and out of state (Massachusetts and Florida seemed to have the most) who had wonderful memories of growing up in Raymond. I also attended the Book Bash put on by the District FEAT (Family Engagement Action Team) at the elementary school.  What an outstanding event- there were over 200 elementary students with their parents, a number of middle school students, and people from the community who all enjoyed some amazing literacy activities.

What I really noticed throughout the week was the pride that comes from being a "Raymondite".  There are many towns throughout the state who have bragging rights for being in existence for 250 years.  I have seen signs attesting to this in many communities, but no where have I seen a town that came together to celebrate together in such a wonderful round of events.  I was truly amazed by the collaboration and planning that it took to pull off a week's worth of events and family fun.  Well done, Raymond!

Opening Day Remarks

Opening Day Welcome Remarks

August 21, 2014

            I thought it would be appropriate to share (with anyone who would like to read it) my remarks to the entire staff of the Raymond School District on their Opening Day.  These remarks are directed to everyone who works in our schools and includes secretaries, teachers, food service personnel, custodians, administrators, special education personnel, specialists, and more!  We have a fabulous group of people who take care of and educate the students of Raymond in so many ways.  This is how I welcomed the staff on their Opening Day:

            Hello Everyone and welcome to the 2014-2015 school year!  I hope you all had a restful, wonderful summer and had a chance to make great memories with your families and friends.  I want to welcome our new staff members and I look forward to meeting you and visiting your classrooms.

            Every year I start with a little story and I wanted to do that again today.  I want to explain to you how a baseball, a bicycle and a kitten all have something in common.  Many years ago when my oldest son was 11 or so, he had two loves:  baseball and the New England Patriots.  We would go to baseball games in the area and even took in a few games on vacations to other states.  One night, we went up to watch a game at the Old Orchard Beach stadium.  Chris brought his glove along so that he could catch any balls that came his way.  He’d never caught a ball at all the games we attended- but he had a feeling that this would be the night.  This particular game, my Dad came with us.  We enjoyed a fun game with the usual hot dogs, sodas and popcorn, but no baseballs came anywhere near us and Chris was a little disappointed.  Since we had a long trip home and it was getting late, we left during the last inning.  As we walked through the dusty parking lot, out of nowhere, over the bleachers, came a baseball and it landed right in front of Chris!  He was so excited and happy- it just made his whole night.  And of course, as a parent, it made my night too, to see him so excited and happy.

            More recently, this summer, my husband and I have been taking six of our grandchildren on a bicycle rides.  The kids range in age from 3 years old to 13.  The youngest one has her own seat on her big sister’s bike and has her own helmet.  Laura loves riding along with us and we are quite the sight as we travel down a road- you know us, we’re that group of bike riders that you hate to see when you are driving in your car behind us!  Anyway, the last time she had been on a bike at home, Laura had fallen off.  Now, here we are, away from home and she is refusing to get on the bike.  If she doesn’t get on the bike, none of us will go- it all hinges on Laura, who an hour before, was all excited about riding with us.

            A couple of weeks ago, my little kitty disappeared.  She is full grown but is very tiny and anyone would mistake her for a kitten.  She had disappeared before and we found out that it wasn’t just her growth that was stunted:  she couldn’t find her way home!  When it was time to for her to eat, I would click the top of the cat food can and she would come running- from her favorite chair or the windowsill or under the back porch.  The first time, she went missing, I called her and searched all around the yard- this is a cat that the expression “scaredy cat” comes from! Everyday she would travel between the house, the porch and the barn and never anywhere else.  I walked around the yard as she had been missing for 6 days and out she came from under our old camper!  She apparently was afraid to walk back across the yard- or was lost- we don’t know which.  This last time she had been missing for several days and none of my clicking or calling was working.  Then I realized, we always found her at night, as she was afraid to come out in the day time.  So one night, I decided I would look after dark. I was already all set for the night when I decided this.  Down the street I went, calling and clicking (did I mention I was in my pajamas?)  When I got to my son’s house, a couple of doors doors down from ours, he came out and asked, “What are you doing?”  I explained I was looking for kitty.  He said, “Go back home before someone calls the police.”  I ignored him and continued calling and clicking while I searched the bushes.  Nick came out again a little while later and said, “Mom, go home before I call the police”. 

            I'm sure you are wondering how all these little family stories are related and what they could possibly have to do with you?  Remember Chris and the baseball? Remember that I also told you my dad came with us to that game?  Years later we figured out that Dad had thrown the ball that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere.  It hadn’t come over the bleachers- only over our heads. He never admitted it, but the physics just didn’t make sense to me.  Think about that, he had to plan ahead to bring that ball with him, just in case, Chris never got a ball on his own.  Chris treasures that ball to this day especially now that he now knows where that game ball really came from.

           And Laura, my little granddaughter who was so afraid to get on the bike?  Her big sister Annie, was so kind and gentle with her saying things like, "just let me just roll you a few feet," then, "let’s just try going to the end of the driveway", and "how about if you tell me which direction to go," and so on and so on.  Until soon, Laura was having the time of her life on her little seat and forgot her fears.  Everyone could have been upset with Laura, (after all, Annie is 13), but that never happened. 

           And how about my little Kitty?  What you don’t know, is that my husband Jim got up from sleeping and he came with me around the neighborhood while I looked for kitty- knowing how much my little cat means to me. (And he didn’t even care how I looked.) She was under a neighbor’s bushes.

            By now you’ve probably figured out what a baseball, a bicycle and a kitten all have in common. It’s not the things, it’s the people.  It’s the relationships and the little ways in which we show our families, our friends, our colleagues and our students that we care.  We all remember the great teachers we’ve have had over the years and they are not necessarily the ones who taught your favorite subject or who had a reputation for handing out the easiest grades. They are the ones who cared about you as a student and who encouraged and believed in you.  What matters are people and relationships, and in Raymond, we really truly believe we are here for the kids and show it every day in so many ways. I have seen dozens, no make that hundreds, of so many instances of kindness, caring and compassion in our schools- people who care about each other and their students.  One of the most important things you all do is to make it “cool to care”.  So, today, I wanted to start the year and end my storytelling by thanking all of you for all the kindnesses you show each other and our students- every day in so many little ways. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for making Raymond a place where it is “cool to care”.

Summer

Summer

I have such great summer memories:  swimming; going for bike rides with my friends; visiting relatives (the ones you only see once a year); camping; riding the ferry; cook-outs; some-mores by a campfire; ice cream; Old Orchard Beach, and so much more!  But I also remember summer as a time when I could walk to the library and take out books that were not school assignments.  I would leave the library with an armful of books to read while sitting on the front steps when it was too hot to be indoors or to read while all the grown up relatives talked about "how time flies".  I could choose any book or author that I wanted and had such fun learning about the Hardy Boys, the March sisters, Agatha Christie's English mysteries, and Edgar Allen Poe's dark stories.  I imagined myself as a cast-away and being alone from all the commotion of living in a household of 5 children when I read Robinson Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson, or Gulliver's Travels.  And then there the books that changed the way I looked at things:  To Kill a Mockingbird, David Copperfield and A Tale of Two Cities.  

Once I found a story I really liked, I would look for more books by the same author which is why I read all I could find by Jules Verne after reading A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Ray Bradbury after reading All Summer in a Day.  (I credit for my interest in teaching science to my love of science fiction stories and still like to see "new" inventions that were actually written about in these books many years ago.)  Other favorites included Mark Twain of Tom Sawyer fame and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories and I read these over and over!  I remember the adventures I lived while reading The Three Musketeers and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that kept me up until way past lights out- reading under the covers with a flashlight. 

To me, summer is still about family fun and being able to relax but also about having the freedom to enjoy as many books as possible.  I hope this summer brings all of my "Raymond Family" time to enjoy each others' company, some time to relax, and lots of time to read for the fun of it.

Help!

This is one of my favorite Beatles songs and is actually the ring tone for my cell phone.  Most of the time it is very appropriate- people call with a question or a need (often one of my sons or grandchildren).  At one time or another, we all need help and one of the things we need help with is our children's school work.  We all want our children to become independent learners, but we also know that they need help getting there.  I used to worry about this- am I helping too much, not enough, or is my help confusing my sons even more? 

One solution I have found (now that I am sometimes helping one or more of my grandchildren) is Khan Academy.  This is a free web site with help for students in just about every area. I discovered this a few years ago and am more impressed every time I use it to help a student.  It's free and can be used by teachers, parents, students and anyone else who wants to learn and/or sharpen new skills. Once you register (all free), you are able to search the site for help in many topics or use it to practice skills.  Does your student have trouble converting fractions to decimals?  There is a quick video to demonstrate this skill.  Still don't get it?  There are more videos and a question/answer section.  If you want some practice using the skill, there are practice sets for everything from addition to calculus. 

Math isn't the only topic covered:  There are help topics on history, art, computer programming, physics, chemistry and more.  All with easy to understand videos or demonstrations.  Some teachers even use it as a homework site.  Khan Academy won't answer all your questions (why did two of my sons do homework without me asking, while the third was a struggle), but it will make those explanations for everyday academic problems a little easier.  Did I mention this is free?  If you are interested, check out www.khanacademy.org       You can even sign in with a Facebook account!

A Hot Item

This is my first "blog" and I've decided to tackle what has been a hot topic this year- Standards Based Grading.  Four years ago, the administrators in the Raymond School District were given the task of changing our grading system from the traditional one to a more individual system.  The first year our committee consisted of parents, students, teachers, administrators with our Curriculum Coordinator, Jon Hall, leading our group.  We spent this first year researching, reading, and discussing with staff what this change would look like.  We found examples of Standards Based Report Cards from around the country and shared them with our teachers.  Everyone had a say in how we would proceed. Many questions were asked and research was done to answer them.

The second year, our group began the job of putting together a report card that would embody all of the beliefs we hold as teachers:  our students want to learn, the need to fill in gaps in a student's learning, and the opportunity to make mistakes and then correct them.  We asked ourselves and the school community how we could ensure that we had differentiated instruction, a process to fill in gaps, and a better way to communicate with parents about their student's learning achievements.  We began lining up the important standards that need to be met at each grade level in each course.  Teachers needed to collaborate on this and took a good, hard look at our curriculum.  Of all the things that happened over this time, the attention to our curriculum benefited the most.

The third year, 2012-2013, was a year of developing a report card for each school, writing rubrics, piloting Power School Standards Based Grading Reports, and presenting the new report cards to parents.  The Technology Department spent considerable time programing for the new report cards and putting standards into Power School.  They were also responsible for setting up a test server for teachers to try out the new reporting method. 

At the beginning of this school year, all teachers had training on using Power School to report grades.  We knew that this first year of using the new grades could be difficult for everyone:  change can be hard.  We also knew we would need to "tweak" our work to make it better for everyone.  Now we have completed a survey of both parents and teachers and will be addressing the concerns.  If you would like to take part in our Public Forum, it will be held on April 30, 2014 in the Raymond High School Cafeteria at 7:00.  As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Ellen Small
Administrator in Charge of Superintendent Services