Our work does not end for summer vacation- each of our schools have activities, cleaning and repairs, and jobs that need to be done. At the high school, summer school will be starting on July 5. This is the perfect time for students to catch up on missing credits or receive some small group help in a difficult subject. The cost is $150.00 per class and registration is through the high school office at 895-6616.
The middle school is the location for both middle school and elementary school recreation programs again this year due to work being done at the elementary school. The middle school will also start summer school classes on July 5 and registration is through the middle school office at 895-3394. There is a $150.00 fee for each class taken.
All three schools have an ESY program that will begin on July 12. Your child's case manager should have already made these arrangements with you if your child is attending. If you have any questions, please call your child's school or SAU Student Services at 895-4299 ext. 1107.
Summer office hours for the SAU are 7:00 AM -3:00 PM. I will post updates throughout the summer on projects and other information about our schools. Enjoy this beautiful weather with your families- summer goes by quickly!
Monday, June 20, 2016
Friday, June 17, 2016
Year End Review
This week marks the end of the 2015-2016 school year- another year just flew by! I am very excited about the changes we have made and the direction in which our district is heading.
This year we began using a Universal Screening Tool at the elementary school for reading and, along with a Reading Coach, have determined reading levels for each of our students. With a base score, and a mid-year benchmark, each student at the elementary school has a plan for his/her own level of reading. We continued this focus on reading with a coach for middle school staff in reading strategies. The benefits of putting reading "first" will pay big dividends in all areas. We will also offer full day kindergarten for the 2016-2017 school year. A study from EdCentral (among many studies on kindergarten) "calculates that full-day kindergarten produces greater learning gains per dollar spent than other well known early education intervention". Full day kindergarten is great news for our students and will provide them with a wonderful start to their school career.
This year we had 45 students take Advanced Placement classes at the high school in a variety of academic areas. We had 20 students who earned college credit for classes they took at our high school. We have students who are taking enrichment classes this summer at Brown University, Phillips Exeter Academy and one who will be an intern at the Boston Globe. At graduation, we heard that our seniors received over $700,000 in scholarships- both local and from individual colleges. Our high school teachers were recognized by the NH State Board of Education for their work on performance assessments at their June 16 Board meeting- it was wonderful and well-deserved.
At the middle school, students had an opportunity to take VLACS classes (on-line) to complete a year of Spanish I. We scheduled Title I tutoring during the day for our students. We continue our summer enrichment for 7th and 8th grade students with the Raymond Roundtables- this continues our partnership with Phillips Exeter Academy. The middle school schedule was rearranged to allow all students to take band- growing this program to include a third of our middle school students!. The "End 68 Hours of Hunger" campaign expanded to the middle school. In addition, we are adding Spanish I for 2 classes of 8th grade students at the middle school for the 2016-2017 school year.
Last, but not least, we presented a plan to the voters to eliminate the portables with a 12 class addition to the front of the elementary school. Although this did not pass (by only a slim margin), the LRES Building Committee is back at work.
These are just some of the many, many initiatives and exciting programs in our schools. As always, all of us, from the School Board to the teachers to support staff, continue to work to improve educational experiences for our students. I enjoy working with each and every one of our families. Thank you for a wonderful year!
This year we began using a Universal Screening Tool at the elementary school for reading and, along with a Reading Coach, have determined reading levels for each of our students. With a base score, and a mid-year benchmark, each student at the elementary school has a plan for his/her own level of reading. We continued this focus on reading with a coach for middle school staff in reading strategies. The benefits of putting reading "first" will pay big dividends in all areas. We will also offer full day kindergarten for the 2016-2017 school year. A study from EdCentral (among many studies on kindergarten) "calculates that full-day kindergarten produces greater learning gains per dollar spent than other well known early education intervention". Full day kindergarten is great news for our students and will provide them with a wonderful start to their school career.
This year we had 45 students take Advanced Placement classes at the high school in a variety of academic areas. We had 20 students who earned college credit for classes they took at our high school. We have students who are taking enrichment classes this summer at Brown University, Phillips Exeter Academy and one who will be an intern at the Boston Globe. At graduation, we heard that our seniors received over $700,000 in scholarships- both local and from individual colleges. Our high school teachers were recognized by the NH State Board of Education for their work on performance assessments at their June 16 Board meeting- it was wonderful and well-deserved.
At the middle school, students had an opportunity to take VLACS classes (on-line) to complete a year of Spanish I. We scheduled Title I tutoring during the day for our students. We continue our summer enrichment for 7th and 8th grade students with the Raymond Roundtables- this continues our partnership with Phillips Exeter Academy. The middle school schedule was rearranged to allow all students to take band- growing this program to include a third of our middle school students!. The "End 68 Hours of Hunger" campaign expanded to the middle school. In addition, we are adding Spanish I for 2 classes of 8th grade students at the middle school for the 2016-2017 school year.
Last, but not least, we presented a plan to the voters to eliminate the portables with a 12 class addition to the front of the elementary school. Although this did not pass (by only a slim margin), the LRES Building Committee is back at work.
These are just some of the many, many initiatives and exciting programs in our schools. As always, all of us, from the School Board to the teachers to support staff, continue to work to improve educational experiences for our students. I enjoy working with each and every one of our families. Thank you for a wonderful year!
Thursday, June 9, 2016
The Class of 2016
This week we celebrate the graduation of our Class of 2016. Here is what I know about these students:
They are
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
They are
- Kind and compassionate: whenever a classmate or the family of a classmate had a tragedy of any kind, these students were there with needed funds, emotional support, and the gift of time
- Intelligent: Our students are attending post-secondary schools that include Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Great Bay Community College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Plymouth, Northern Essex, University of Maine, Franklin Pierce, University of Southern Florida, Gordon College, Manchester Community College, Bard College, and have received thousands of dollars in scholarships
- Persistent: semi-finalists at both the NH Financial Literacy Challenge and Life Smarts Challenge two years in a row
- Social: these students came of age with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and many more social sites than I can name. Along the way learning some valuable lessons about social media and the internet
- Courageous: More students than not have proudly said "no" to peer pressure; students who have overcome obstacles of all kinds: language barriers, medical issues and personal challenges
- Athletic: a javelin champion, members of winning soccer teams, softball and baseball teams; initiated new sports at our school: bass fishing, bowling and Unified Basketball; basketball and volleyball players, and club sports are all popular activities
- Hard Working: in addition to school, many of our seniors have part-time jobs earning money but also learning more about responsibility, punctuality, social skills, getting along with others, dependability and accountability
- Volunteers: Penguin Plunge, Thanksgiving food baskets, Raymond Clean-Up, Empty Bowl Project, Rotary Breakfast, canned goods drives and so much more! There is even a NH Volunteer of the Year in this graduating class
- Musical: members of an invitational music festival; band and chorus champions; winners of national awards
- Leaders: members of the Student Council and Site Council
- Artistic: gold and silver key winners in the Scholastic Art Competition, pottery award winners, blue ribbons in multiple kinds of media
- Well rounded: members of the National Honor Society, SST medal and scholarship winners, JAG speaking scholarships, attend summer enrichment programs, work, take part in sports, music and the arts, a published writer, a School Board representative, and participate in the many clubs and activities offered at Raymond High School
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone