Summer Time

One would think that things slow down here in the summer- this could not be further from the truth!  Everything from new hires, to last year's business to planning for the new school year are being worked on throughout the District.  We are currently finishing up plans for summer school and our Raymond Roundtables programs; ready to open for Extended School Year students; coordinating plans with the Recreation Department, as well as, the 21st Century Program; and beginning the intensive cleaning and maintenance routines.  In addition, we have audits that need to be completed and end of the year budgeting reports.  Whew!

One thing that is very different this year is the location of our summer activities for students.  All of the programs for middle and elementary students (including recreation) are taking place at the middle school.  We have maintenance work (new heat exchangers and new cafeteria flooring, as examples) that would have made it unwise to have students and adults in the building.  Of course, this also means that the middle school is truly "hopping" this summer but, thanks to cooperation from all involved,  we anticipate successful programs throughout.

Another change that parents will notice is that all doors to the schools are locked.  We have been aware that we needed to extend our safety initiatives to the summer programming.  In the past, visitors and parents alike could easily access the doors to the schools during the summer months.  This year, they are all locked to ensure the safety of our students and staff.  Todd Ledoux, our Facilities Director and Chair of the Safety Committee, has successfully put this plan in place.

The SAU offices are open throughout the summer and our summer hours are 7:00 AM-3:00PM if you have any questions or concerns.  You may also call us at 895-4299.  Enjoy this time as a family, I will continue to update everyone as work progresses and as our plans are completed.  I look forward to working with our families, students and staff for the 2015-2016 school year.

End of the Year Reflections

As this is the last week of school, I want everyone to know how much I enjoyed working with the staff and students of the Raymond School District again this year.  What fun it is to go into a class where students are engaged, collaborating, and finding out new things!  I saw students:

• learning to write  
• "publishing" a book of information on animals
• creating vehicles to drop eggs from the balcony
• doing hands- on math to learn about algebra topics
• writing stories in Spanish
• creating beautiful pictures using dots
• building a gorgeous Ram statue
• dissecting squid
• creating geography powerpoints
• making sugar cube houses to learn math concepts
• taking part in career fairs
• using Smartboards
• playing in wonderful, uplifting concerts
• drawing cartoons in art class
• studying, really studying, poetry
• becoming Scholar Athletes
• fundraising for excellent causes
• taking part in a "Poetry Out-loud Competition"
• using algebra tiles
• attending Project Safeguard
• taking part in "Operation Clean-Up"
• learning to sew
• cooking
• making robots
• winning Scholastic Art competitions
• collaborating
• earning awards for academic excellence
• singing
• creating fabulous projects based on stories about war
• building birdhouses
• playing badminton
• winning races
• learning to speak French
• taking on-line courses

The list, of course, could go on for pages.  Just know that we offer our students so much and I am so proud of our students and their many accomplishments.   To all of our Raymond families- have a wonderful summer filled with fun and family. 

Our School Facilities

Everyone should know that the schools in Raymond are some of the town's biggest assets:  millions of dollars have gone into construction, refurbishing and maintaining our schools.  This is a very important endeavor since our buildings are used continually for everything from town meetings to boy scouts to private fund raising events to summer recreation.  Rarely are our school buildings sitting unused!  Of course, this adds to the daunting task of taking care of these facilities to ensure they are safe for our students and community; they are clean and in good repair; and they continue to serve our community.  Who is in charge of all of this?  Todd Ledoux, Facilities Director, is the main reason our buildings continue to be the best they can be.  Recently the state agreed with us as Todd was presented with the NH State School Emergency Preparedness Award.  Todd accepted this award before a crowd of 950 people around the state who had come to

Todd is always on the job when it comes to safety and emergency preparedness:  it doesn’t matter if he receives a call at 2:00 AM concerning a leaking roof or on a Saturday afternoon if a door alarm goes off.  Earlier this past fall, a sprinkler system failed at one of the schools and there was a flood in a 3^rd grade class.  Todd spent the entire weekend- not just delegating the work, but actually cleaning and salvaging books and furniture. 

This winter, Todd truly showed his dedication and his “above and beyond” work ethic.   

He was out during every snow storm, helping the town plow and clean up school parking lots and walkways- sometimes until 3:00 in the morning- and then was there when school started the next day at 7:00 AM.  Every walkway was shoveled and sanded, every parking lot was clear.   

Todd also opened up our Emergency Shelter (and has done so in every instance it was needed by the town) at the Iber Holmes Gove Middle School.  He collected supplies, recruited volunteers, and set up cots, again, all on his own time.  He works very closely with the town and is on the Raymond Town Safety Committee, as well as, being the advisor of the Raymond School District Safety Committee.

Todd was proactive in keeping our school roofs clean this past winter:  he had over twenty people shoveling off the middle school roof prior to the many issues that occurred elsewhere this winter.  Todd was up on the roof himself, shoveling and organizing the workers!  On one day, he spent over 4 hours shoveling and the next day turned his attention to the other two schools. In total, Todd had over 25 hours of shoveling that occurred over a week’s time with another three hours of tractor work to move the piles away from the buildings.  I believe his decision to do this work, saved our town from tremendous property loss.

In addition to this, Todd has been in the forefront of successfully providing our schools with emergency equipment.  Some of these include:  cameras that can be seen from various computers including the Raymond Police Department; Panic buttons, in strategic areas around the schools; a card reader system; an open door warning system that alerts him and office staff; and redesigning entry to our buildings.  Todd also contributed in our grant request for the CopSync system and takes part and helps plan annual Mock Disaster Drills with the town and school officials.  

One issue that has been of concern for a long time in our district was the “approachability” of our portable buildings.  Todd came up with an ingenious plan that not only keeps our students safer as they travel from the portables to the building, but also made it easier for them to access restrooms and unified arts classes.

In his role on the Safety Committee, Todd led the team in updating all of our emergency plans and sets up training to both administrators and staff. This year he also had an evaluation done by Homeland Security to further check our systems and has followed up on this with building administrators.

 

Our School Psychologist

Our School Psychologist, Kate Grieve, will be honored this weekend at the "Edies" as the NH School Psychologist of the Year.  This award ceremony recognizes outstanding members of all those who work with children in NH schools-  Kate is one of the most deserving award recipients with whom I have worked.

Here are some of the many reason that Kate was chosen by her peers for this prestigious award:

Kate has been instrumental in the implementation and continued success of our Anti-Bullying efforts through the Olweus program.  She served as our chairperson of this committee and is committed to helping teachers with training, small group work, and activities for our students.  The students have embraced this program due to her enthusiasm and support.

Kate establishes rapport and understanding very quickly with our staff, students and parents.  She is very knowledgeable in her field and is able to explain things to everyone in an easily understood manner through her incredible insights into the workings of a student’s thought processes and actions.  Kate exceeds at collecting, analyzing and interpreting student data in collaboration with teachers and parents.

Kate is also involved in the Student Intervention Team throughout the district and is an essential member of these teams at all three levels:  elementary, middle and high school.  Kate has been instrumental in bringing the Response to Intervention model to our district and has attended state level training, collaborates with special education, works with our principals and coaches, and is responsible for successful interventions with our Tier 2 and 3 students. For this initiative alone, Kate is worth her weight in gold!

 She is extremely well respected by parents, staff and students for her understanding of issues and her suggestions for a variety of interventions for the classroom.  One of the many reasons that Kate is so respected and well liked is that she follows through with all communications and responsibilities.  While being an advocate for a student, she also addresses both the teacher’s and parent’s concerns.  Her attention to detail truly describes the meaning of exemplary. Kate also developed our district’s protocols for Functional Behavior Assessments, as well as, the protocols to determine specific learning disabilities.  She does all of this and still manages to evaluate students, write excellent reports and meet with parents and staff.  Her energy is both amazing and infectious!

Kate Grieve’s skill and experience contribute to our entire district.  In over thirty years in education, I have never worked with a more skilled or dedicated School Psychologist.   Mere words cannot express how grateful we are to have Kate Grieve at our school:  she is conscientious, well respected, and a pleasure to work with. 

If you see Kate at a meeting or around our schools, please help me congratulate her for her many accomplishments!