This week on Thursday, May 25, our staff will sponsor the "Empty Bowl" Project. This event is organized and supported by Kathy Mutch, High School Art Teacher. Students and staff under Kathy's guidance have made beautiful ceramic bowls while others have made some delicious soups. On Thursday, from 5:00-6:30, the doors will be open for a supper of homemade soups and bread in a gorgeous, hand-made bowl. The soup offerings are for every taste: Polish sausage and potato soup, cheese and broccoli, and grandma's chicken noodle are just some off what you can choose.
This dinner (that you don't have to prepare or cook) will be in the high school FCS room (Room 109). The price is $12 for the soup and bread and you get to keep the bowl! Each bowl is unique and hand-made so it's always difficult to choose. A family soup bowl to keep plus child or student is $12.00 & $3.00.
The Empty Bowl project is an international attempt to fight hunger and all proceeds (100%!) from this event will go to the Raymond Food Pantry. We are so grateful to Kathy and all of the staff and students who are helping to bring the issue of hunger in our community, in our state, and world-wide to our consciousness. Be a part of something big.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Thursday, May 11, 2017
For those who love to....
READ! I love to read. I'm a very eclectic reader and read everything from history to adventure to mysteries to science to Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Reading allows me to meet so many people involved in so many situations and with so very many problems to solve. I've been introduced to kings and queens, writers, soldiers, poets, scientists, detectives, a few ghosts, talking animals, farmers, doctors, sailors, lawyers, Olympians, as well as, people from every continent. Books help me to be more empathetic, patient, and tolerant; allow me the freedom to travel; and provide hours of free entertainment.
When I was a young student, the city library wasn't accessible to me. I wasn't allowed to walk downtown by myself and, with only one car, my dad took it to work. But, we did have a school library- and I soon went through everything I was interested in. I remember reading all of Edgar Allen Poe as a 7th grader. I also read our encyclopedias. We had two sets at home and I started from A and went all the way to Z- of course, this wasn't a full 26 books for each set, as some of the letters had to share a book (think Q, Z, or X).
I always try to squeeze in a little reading every day. Sometimes I have one book upstairs and another one down! Then if the television is on and I'm not interested in the show, I read. If I'm having a hard time falling asleep, I read. If I'm going to the beach, relaxing on the porch, or traveling, I read. I'm not sure what made me love reading so much (although I remember my dad reading a lot, too), but I am so grateful for this appreciation of books. I know that many of my successes in school and later in life have come from the knowledge I received, the vocabulary I acquired and the understandings I have of our place in history. I'm so grateful to have this gift of loving to read.
When I was a young student, the city library wasn't accessible to me. I wasn't allowed to walk downtown by myself and, with only one car, my dad took it to work. But, we did have a school library- and I soon went through everything I was interested in. I remember reading all of Edgar Allen Poe as a 7th grader. I also read our encyclopedias. We had two sets at home and I started from A and went all the way to Z- of course, this wasn't a full 26 books for each set, as some of the letters had to share a book (think Q, Z, or X).
I always try to squeeze in a little reading every day. Sometimes I have one book upstairs and another one down! Then if the television is on and I'm not interested in the show, I read. If I'm having a hard time falling asleep, I read. If I'm going to the beach, relaxing on the porch, or traveling, I read. I'm not sure what made me love reading so much (although I remember my dad reading a lot, too), but I am so grateful for this appreciation of books. I know that many of my successes in school and later in life have come from the knowledge I received, the vocabulary I acquired and the understandings I have of our place in history. I'm so grateful to have this gift of loving to read.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
SAT's and the Rite of Passage
There are many "Rites of Passage" that our students and parents anticipate and celebrate: going to school for the first time; transitioning from elementary to middle and then high school; first dances; getting a driver's license; graduation and more.
It used to be that SAT's were "reserved" for those students who were already prepared to go on to college after high school. This is no longer the case. I am proud to say that our state, our high school has made this a "rite of passage" for all students. Junior year, our students all take this test together and they take it seriously. Students and parents want to know "what they know" and this exam can be a part of that. I quietly "peeked" as our students recently took the SAT. I was so proud that every student was attentive and appeared to be working hard on this exam.
All of our students should have a goal of continued education after high school: trade school; community college; a 4 year college; on-line education; work-study; there are many more options now than ever before for us all to be life-long learners. Our schools provide opportunities for our students to take interest surveys to see what possible jobs would be a good match for their interests and the skills they would like to develop. Students can use this to find information on how to obtain that position, and the next steps needed in their education. Careers and continued education are explored at all three of our schools.
The SAT, in my mind, is just one of the steps our students can use to begin making those all-important decisions on the future they want for themselves. This is a great new "rite of passage" that every student can take advantage of.
It used to be that SAT's were "reserved" for those students who were already prepared to go on to college after high school. This is no longer the case. I am proud to say that our state, our high school has made this a "rite of passage" for all students. Junior year, our students all take this test together and they take it seriously. Students and parents want to know "what they know" and this exam can be a part of that. I quietly "peeked" as our students recently took the SAT. I was so proud that every student was attentive and appeared to be working hard on this exam.
All of our students should have a goal of continued education after high school: trade school; community college; a 4 year college; on-line education; work-study; there are many more options now than ever before for us all to be life-long learners. Our schools provide opportunities for our students to take interest surveys to see what possible jobs would be a good match for their interests and the skills they would like to develop. Students can use this to find information on how to obtain that position, and the next steps needed in their education. Careers and continued education are explored at all three of our schools.
The SAT, in my mind, is just one of the steps our students can use to begin making those all-important decisions on the future they want for themselves. This is a great new "rite of passage" that every student can take advantage of.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Mock Drill
Last week we had a mock drill that involved the middle school. The purpose of all of our drills is to practice and, also, to find out where we might have gaps in our training: students, staff and police. The scenario went like this: an "intruder" entered the building and refused to stop at the office; the office staff called a 'lock-down' and also called the police. They then called the SAU office to notify us of the situation.
Until we knew what was happening, a lock-down was called for both the high school and elementary school. The police came and "captured" the suspect, and the students and staff were evacuated to the high school. In the meantime, it was determined safe to call off the lock-down at the other two schools.
I am so proud of our students. I entered the high school gym and they were quiet and orderly while they waited for further instructions. Many had to use the restrooms and did so by quietly waiting in line. We had parents who volunteered to be a part of this so that we could practice reuniting them with their children (thank you to the parents!). We had observers in all areas to note what was happening so that we could review this information following the drill.
We found out some areas where we need to our continue training, but we also had a chance to work on our plan for reuniting students safely with their parents, practiced an evacuation, and the police were able to check their responses and training, too This entire process took just a little over two hours to complete- including evacuating the students to the high school, returning them to the middle school and accounting for every student and staff member!
We will continue to have drills in our schools for the safety of everyone and will continue our cooperation with the Raymond Police Department. Thank you to everyone who helped out or took part in our safety drill.
Until we knew what was happening, a lock-down was called for both the high school and elementary school. The police came and "captured" the suspect, and the students and staff were evacuated to the high school. In the meantime, it was determined safe to call off the lock-down at the other two schools.
I am so proud of our students. I entered the high school gym and they were quiet and orderly while they waited for further instructions. Many had to use the restrooms and did so by quietly waiting in line. We had parents who volunteered to be a part of this so that we could practice reuniting them with their children (thank you to the parents!). We had observers in all areas to note what was happening so that we could review this information following the drill.
We found out some areas where we need to our continue training, but we also had a chance to work on our plan for reuniting students safely with their parents, practiced an evacuation, and the police were able to check their responses and training, too This entire process took just a little over two hours to complete- including evacuating the students to the high school, returning them to the middle school and accounting for every student and staff member!
We will continue to have drills in our schools for the safety of everyone and will continue our cooperation with the Raymond Police Department. Thank you to everyone who helped out or took part in our safety drill.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Sharing Resources Between the Raymond School District and Town of Raymond
Recently, the School Board and the Board of Selectmen held a joint meeting to discuss how to set priorities for the needs of our schools and our town. It was decided to put together a committee made up of Board members from each Board plus citizens and parents to discuss options and come up with a viable plan for all the townspeople. I hope some of you will consider joining this important committee. If you would like to be considered for this committee, please read the following notice:
School Board Invites Letters of Interest for the Shared Resources Committee
School Board Invites Letters of Interest for the Shared Resources Committee
The Raymond School Board and the Raymond Board of Selectmen are joining to form a Shared Resources Committee. This committee will be reviewing expenditures and possible options for combining resources of the Town and the District. It will be comprised of representatives from the School Board, the Board of Selectmen, the Town, the District, parents, and community members. The first meeting of this committee will be Thursday, April 20th at 7:00 PM.
Both the School Board and the Board of Selectmen will each be appointing two members of the public to serve on this committee. As such, the School Board invites you to submit a letter of interest to be one of their appointed members. They will be appointing one parent and one community member at their April 19th School Board meeting.
Please submit letters of interest by 12:00 PM on Wednesday, April 19th, via email, mail, or fax, to:
Raymond School Board
Jennifer Heywood
Raymond School District
43 Harriman Hill Road
Raymond, NH 03077
Fax 603-895-0147
Monday, April 3, 2017
Observations......
It occurs to me, every now and then, that, at various times, the same rules of behavior don't apply to everyone. There's the speeder who justifies this with being late for work, school, grocery shopping, whatever. There's the person who lets their dog out late at night so they won't have to pick up after their pet (but the neighbors do). There's the late-comer who comes to every meeting, dinner date, party, late (and "just can't help it"). There are those who postpone doing almost everything: calling an elderly relative, painting the living room (me), handing in work assignments, cutting out junk food, stacking wood, and so on (naturally, with good reasons). How about the person who brings 30 items to the '14 or fewer' line at the grocery store? I guess the top of the heap is the person who wriggles out of every situation with an excuse or denies responsibility: "I was sick", "my dog threw up on the carpet", "someone else lost it", "no one told me how to do it", and, of course, "it wasn't me". This person will continue their fiction even when proven wrong and will rarely admit they did something wrong. Sometimes, all of these can be one person.
The other day, my husband mispronounced a name he saw in the paper. He was telling me about an issue and showed me a picture of a politician. He drew out the name in a cartoon-like voice. Our 4 year old granddaughter immediately imitated him and kept going around the house saying the name over and over- in the same cartoonish voice. I think she thought we were making fun of the name, the person, or the situation and I had to tell her this wasn't so. (I had images of her doing this using the names of her friends at school.) Of course, she was confused.
Unconsciously, we confuse young people all the time - we tell them one thing (follow the rules, respect others, don't get in trouble, do your homework, be on time for school, be nice to others) but our actions say something entirely different.
The other day, my husband mispronounced a name he saw in the paper. He was telling me about an issue and showed me a picture of a politician. He drew out the name in a cartoon-like voice. Our 4 year old granddaughter immediately imitated him and kept going around the house saying the name over and over- in the same cartoonish voice. I think she thought we were making fun of the name, the person, or the situation and I had to tell her this wasn't so. (I had images of her doing this using the names of her friends at school.) Of course, she was confused.
Unconsciously, we confuse young people all the time - we tell them one thing (follow the rules, respect others, don't get in trouble, do your homework, be on time for school, be nice to others) but our actions say something entirely different.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Spring Resolutions
Unlike many people, I make my resolutions in the spring instead of at New Year's. I used to do them in January, but it's such a busy month (keeping the wood stove going, making big pots of soup, visiting people I didn't see over the holidays) so I always forgot. I am just as bad at keeping them as those who make their resolutions in January, but I try. This year's resolutions are for such things as: cleaning out the "junk" closet, strip the wallpaper and paint the living room (this has been on my list for 3 years), ride my bicycle more, read for fun, garden, and make 5 quilts for Christmas gifts.
Spring to me is more about renewal than January and I have a lot of fun figuring out how I will get everything done because I am a list-maker. Many, many to-do lists are made before my "final" one. My lists are arranged by priority with a number assigned to each resolution or task and the numbers (and, sometimes, lists) change regularly! If it's sunny out, I won't be cleaning a closet, if the temperature is hovering around 90, I won't be riding my bike or painting. And then there are the days when the beach is the best place to be with some of the kids, or my granddaughter wants me to help her make a skirt, or there's an impromptu barbecue at my son's house, or my grandson's baseball team is playing. Yes, spring is busy, too!
The key to making resolutions is the ability to make plans (or lists) but also to be flexible. To be organized, but also realistic (it's raining or too hot). And to always put family first.
Spring to me is more about renewal than January and I have a lot of fun figuring out how I will get everything done because I am a list-maker. Many, many to-do lists are made before my "final" one. My lists are arranged by priority with a number assigned to each resolution or task and the numbers (and, sometimes, lists) change regularly! If it's sunny out, I won't be cleaning a closet, if the temperature is hovering around 90, I won't be riding my bike or painting. And then there are the days when the beach is the best place to be with some of the kids, or my granddaughter wants me to help her make a skirt, or there's an impromptu barbecue at my son's house, or my grandson's baseball team is playing. Yes, spring is busy, too!
The key to making resolutions is the ability to make plans (or lists) but also to be flexible. To be organized, but also realistic (it's raining or too hot). And to always put family first.