Raymond Central Public Schools
December 2022
From the Desk of the Superintendent...
I hope that your Thanksgiving break provided you with the chance to feast as well as a time to experience thankfulness for the things that bring you happiness. It is only fitting that we reflect on what we are thankful for during the holidays. I am thankful….
for students who come to school eager to learn and ready to share a smile,
for parents/guardians who support the teachers and administrators in their efforts to serve your child,
to our Board of Education for giving of their time and energy,
for our teachers and staff who give of their time, talents, and loving guidance to the kids every day,
to all of the patrons, community members and supporters who serve as mentors, support the teams and the fundraisers, and provide the financial backing that allows us to offer a quality education to our students.
Thank you for trusting us with your children and know that we will continue to strive to give you our best every day. Together we create the dynamic entity that is Raymond Central Public Schools.
We have seen our first snow and the farmers almanac predicts that “this winter will have plenty of snow, rain, and slush - as well as some record-breaking cold temperatures.” It is possible that there may be a need to make decisions to delay, cancel or dismiss school early. These are never easy decisions but I remain committed to the safety of our students, staff and families as they travel to and from school and events. The rapid notification system will serve as our primary means of communicating weather related decisions to parents. It is critically important that you have updated phone numbers and email addresses on file with the school office. We are in the process of moving over to a new notification system that will include a phone app for messaging. Stay tuned for additional information on this in the near future. We try to make weather related decisions as quickly and efficiently as possible to allow families time to plan accordingly. There may be instances where the decision will be made in the morning. In those cases I will try to have the automated message out to parents by 6:00 a.m. Situations that result in a late start, early dismissal or school cancellation will be by a pre-recorded phone call, text message, email from the district office, and a post to the school website.
WINTER BREAK
Parents/guardians are reminded that our final day for the first semester is scheduled for Wednesday, December 21st. There will be a regular dismissal time on this day. Students will return to school on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
THANK YOU DR. HARRIET GOULD
School board members work diligently behind the scenes to ensure that our schools are a source of pride for the communities it serves. As with many public servants, the board members of Raymond Central Public Schools are selfless in giving of their time and energy. Boards of Education play a critical role in ensuring that the framework, facilities, and organizational structure exists for students to be successful. Not only do their decisions impact the schools, but these decisions also impact the growth and future of our communities. Raymond Central Public Schools has been served faithfully by a board member who will be performing her final ‘official’ board duty this month.
Dr. Harriet Gould has a passion for public education and for meeting the needs of all learners. Prior to serving on the Board of Education, Dr. Gould served our school district as an elementary school physical education teacher and an elementary school principal. Dr. Gould is a visionary leader and a lifelong learner. She is continuously researching and exploring ways to enhance the opportunities for students and staff at Raymond Central Public Schools. Dr. Harriet Gould has served on the Raymond Central Board of Education since January 2015. Dr. Gould has been the president of the school board since being elected and serves on the negotiations, policy, and curriculum committees. Through her leadership, the board of education has implemented practices to promote transparency in governance. The development of a superintendent evaluation tool that included feedback from all stakeholders, community involvement in the creation of Vision 2025 and the utilization of a community group to inform the facility master planning process are just a few examples of these practices. As a new superintendent to the district Dr. Gould has been invaluable in helping me to find my roots and to better understand the history of the Raymond Central Way. We will miss her greatly but she has said that she will remain just ‘a call away.’
Health Update and Recent Illness
RSV ( Respiratory Syncytial Virus ) is currently circulating through the
community and nationally. It is a fairly common virus that presents with
cold-like symptoms.
Symptoms: People infected with RSV usually show symptoms within 4 to 6
days after getting infected. Symptoms of RSV infection usually include
● Runny nose
● Decrease in appetite
● Coughing
● Sneezing
● Fever
● Wheezing
These symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once. In very young
infants with RSV, the only symptoms may be irritability, decreased activity, and
breathing difficulties.
Sometimes you can develop a bacterial infection after having the virus. This
could be an ear or eye infection or sinus and lung infections. This would
require a doctor’s visit.
Almost all children will have had an RSV infection by their second birthday.
Call your healthcare professional if you or your child is having difficulty
breathing, not drinking enough fluids, or experiencing worsening symptoms. Most
RSV infections go away on their own in a week or two.
Other Respiratory Illness: Along with RSV, influenza and parainfluenza viruses,
adenovirus and SARS Co V2 are all co-cirriculating.
Prevention is Key!
See the below steps to help prevent getting a viral respiratory infection.
There are steps you can take to help prevent the spread of RSV and other
respiratory illnesses. Specifically, if you have cold-like symptoms you should
● Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve,
not your hands. Then wash or sanitize your hands.
● Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds-
especially before eating and after school or public outings.
● Avoid close contact, such as kissing, shaking hands, and sharing cups
and eating utensils, with others.
● Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and
mobile devices.
● Get your flu shot and other available vaccines.
Staying home while sick is also a great preventive measure from spreading
viral illness!
The above information was gathered from the Nov. 4th Health Alert from
Nebraska’s department of health and human services and the CDC’s health
alert and this season’s respiratory recommendations from the American
Academy of Pediatrics.
Here are the links for more information:
https://healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages
/RSV-When-Its-More-Than-Just-a-Cold.aspx
https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html
If you have any questions, concerns or need assistance please do not hesitate
to contact me. amanda.ehlers@rcentral.org
Elementary Music Concert!
Don't miss out! It's going to be a great performance!
Band Concerts/Performances!
5th Grade Band Concert (Their first!!) on Tuesday, December 6th @ 6:30pm.
Jazz Band performance at Ceresco Community Center on Saturday, December 10th at 5:00pm.
All Bands perform on the Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 13th.
High School Concert Band performs the Star Spangled Banner for the Lincoln Stars Hockey Game on Friday, December 16th at 7:00pm.
Come check them out!! You don't want to miss these amazing performances!
Little Diamonds Dance Camp
Registration Form - https://forms.gle/8ZDXMh5NhAFM3ydu5
Dance Camp will be Saturday, December 10th from 9-11 AM at the highschool. Dancers will learn the routine and receive their shirts and poms.
The performance will be Friday, December 16th during the High School Boys Basketball game, scheduled to start at 7:30.
The Camp is $25 per dancer.
Parent's Night Out
Registration Form - https://forms.gle/ndGpLeCU3fonNrio8
Parent's Night Out is an evening for the RCHS Dance Team to provide child care services for parents near the holidays!
The event is Friday December 2nd, from 3:30 - 8pm. Students will participate in winter-themed crafts, activities/games in the gym, pizza dinner, and a movie!
Elementary (K-5th Grade) students will be offered transportation from the elementary schools to the high school using school vans, driven by RCHS staff members. (Parents do have the option to pick up their child from the elementary and bring them off at the high school building)
Pricing is Described Below:
1 Child - $25
2 Children $45
3+ Children $60 (Family Maximum)
Staff members are CPR and First Aid Certified. Space for the event is limited to 40 children.
Gotcha Good!
Gotcha Good is a program designed to recognize 6-12 graders who have been "caught" doing something extra good to help the school community, a classmate, or a staff member.
Gotcha Good Student Winners:FBLA at People City Mission and Highway Cleanup
Need some projects done?
You will be responsible for paying for materials.
Got a challenge? A project that you've been putting off? Contact Mr. Hackbart today!
Teammates/Amazon Smile Donation
Donating without spending any extra money may sound too good to be true but if you’re already an Amazon shopper, then welcome to AmazonSmile. Anyone with an Amazon account can shop through smile.amazon.com and donate 0.5% of their Amazon purchases to Raymond Central Teammates. The great thing about this is, that you do not donate your own money, the donation comes from Amazon!
“AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service,” according to the AmazonSmile website. The AmazonSmile website looks identical to the regular Amazon website, the only difference is that you’re making a difference with your purchases.
The donations raised through AmazonSmile will support student scholarships and background checks for mentors. Through your Amazon account, it is possible to track not only how much money you have personally donated to the cause but you can also see how much the organization as a whole has acquired through the program.
If you already shop at Amazon, please consider going through AmazonSmile. Very few items on the website are not AmazonSmile eligible.
To set up your donation, visit https://smile.amazon.com and search Teammates Mentoring Program Valparaiso, NE. If you are already supporting a program and would like to switch to TeamMates Mentoring Program, look for the yellow writing under the search box that says “supporting;” and selecting that will bring up an option to change.
Sign-up today at smile.amazon.com!
Order Your Yearbook NOW!
We had so much fun including everyone in the district last year that we are doing it again! All staff and students from Preschool to the Graduating Class of 2023 will be included in one beautiful book. If you have students in more than one building, you can buy one book and have everyone's photo included!
(Elementary yearbooks will still be available for families with only elementary students! Please contact the Elementary office if you would only like an elementary yearbook!)
The Journalism Team has already been working hard on a theme that we think you will love this year! Soooo...Don't delay!! Order your Yearbook TODAY!!!
Yearbook Order Forms for the 2022-2023 Yearbook are available in the office or in Mrs. E's room. There will be NO extra books ordered, so please make sure you get yours ordered now!
Pricing is as follows:
$50 per yearbook from August 17, 2022 to December 31, 2022
$60 per yearbook from January 1, 2022 to May 20, 2022
If you have multiple children and would like more than one yearbook:
$95 for two yearbooks until December 31, 2022
$140 for three yearbooks until December 31, 2022
NO discounts starting January 1, 2023
Senior/Business Ad space is also available! Please email:
rcentraljournalism@gmail.com for more information or with any questions!
SENIOR PARENTS--If you have not already done so, please email a senior photo and a baby photo of your graduating senior to: rcentraljournalism@gmail.com