From Polliwogs to Frogs- Our Lamprey River Elementary School

We all know that our elementary school has serious issues:  portable classrooms,overcrowding, not enough room for special education needs, too small a library, portables, no walls in the media center, portables, lack of a gym for physical education and on and on.  Yes, I mentioned the portables several times- our students should not have to be in these "temporary" rooms.  Some of these rooms have actually been added on to the building (they are "attached") while others are out in the parking lot- obvious in their existence.  These temporary rooms have been at LRES for over 29 years (the attached ones that we own) and 13 years for the detached portables ($36,000 in rent each year for the opportunity to use these buildings)!  I don't, however, want to dwell on what needs to be fixed at the elementary school, but want instead to tell you about all the wonderful things that happen every day at this school in spite of any shortcomings.  So here are some of the many fabulous sights at LRES:

• Caring, compassionate, dedicated teachers who work with their students as though they are in a palace!
• Happy students
• Snowshoeing
• Fruits and vegetable program- a chance to try new foods
• Administrators who keep our students first
• A great playground
• A well maintained building- in spite of all its flaws
• A robust 21st Century After School Program
•  Small class sizes
• Mentors for new staff
• 2 computer labs, Smartboards in the classrooms, computers on carts to sign out for a class
• Literacy Committee
• Opportunities for students to help younger peers
• End 68 Hours of Hunger Program
• School Resource Officer
• Title 1
• Wonderful displays of student work
• Dedicated times for math and reading
• Pre-school and Kindergarten offerings
• Lego teams
• Lessons and units relevant to our culture and history
• Many opportunities to take part in music
• Keyboarding lessons
• On-line programs for students to use at home
• "Bring Your Own Device" for 4th grade students

I think you get the picture- our "setting" for this story is not ideal, but the "main idea" and "content" are first rate!  I so enjoy visiting classrooms and watching our littlest ones work and learn.  Our elementary staff have made learning an exciting and fun experience.  How much better all of this will be when the physical surroundings do not take away from all the terrific education and the many accomplishments our students experience at Lamprey River Elementary School.