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!