Welcome Back!

Monday,  August 29 is the first day of school for the 2016-2017 school year.  The excitement in all the buildings is amazing as staff eagerly await the return of all of our wonderful students!  This is a great time of year with a new start and an opportunity for all of us to grow and learn.  There are a few things that everyone should know:  letters will be mailed home this week with information on the Smarter Balanced tests that were taken in 3rd through 8th grade, along with information and applications for free and reduced lunch.  

I encourage families to go over these test results with your child to see what areas might need to be improved.  Your child's teacher will be your partner in furthering your child's educational needs. When you review the results,

Please take into consideration the following:

• Individual student reports show how well a student is progressing against the standards and how well a student is mastering the necessary skills to be successful in the next grade level.  
• Preliminary data should not be used for group, district, or school comparisons or decisions.  
• Individual results will not change, however the overall results of the school may change as final New Hampshire accountability rules are applied.
  
  
  I would also encourage eligible families to fill out the free and reduced lunch paperwork as soon as possible. By law, this needs to be filled out every year and we do not want any breaks in service to our students. The program is run in a way in which that no one knows who has free or reduced lunch as students type in a pin number when they go though the cafeteria line- the numbers are random and do not signify a family who need this help.
  
  I am so happy to welcome all of you to the Raymond School District for the 2016-2017 school year. If you need any help or answers to questions, I can be reached at 895-4299 ext. 1103.
  
  Welcome!