Tiger Tales Parent News Mar. 2015
News For & About Raymore Elementary & Early Childhood!
Amazing moments abound in our school family!
WatchD.O.G.S.!
Spelling Bee!
Tiger Buddy Time!
Grant!
Learning!
Guest Speaker!
Happy Spring!
Spring has sprung! What a wonderful gift it continues to be to work with your children each day as they build positive leadership skills and celebrate progress toward learning goals that our teachers are committed to helping them develop and reach. Thank you for partnering with us in that journey each day!
I have a truly amazing and dedicated staff, and you should see the awesome learning, relationships, and fun they create for our kids each day here! Check out some of the highlights and pictures anytime on our website raymoretigers.weebly.com or by following us on Twitter @raymoretigers!
From our school family to each of yours, I wish you a wonderful spring!
Warmly,
Dr. Michelle Hofmann, Proud Principal!
Mr. Hainey, Mrs. Pope, Mrs. Rains, & Mrs. Olsen
Ms. Mason, 2nd grade teacher!
Teacher = Superhero!
RP names 5 Teacher & Support Staff Employee of the Year Finalists from Our School!
I feel so fortunate to work with here as part of a wonderfully talented, passionate learning community of teachers and staff doing incredible things for our kids! Once a year, we have the opportunity for others in our larger community to catch a glimpse of that greatness I witness daily through RP's Teacher of the Year and Support Staff Employee of the Year program when parents, students, and colleagues submit nomination letters to our district.
Please join me in congratulating from our very own school family:
Our Teacher Of the Year Finalist: Kristin Mason! (See pic below-it is "Flat Kristin" as she was not able to attend the day of the announcement!)
Our Support Staff Employee of the Year Finalists: Rex Hainey, Peggy Olsen, Amy Pope, and Trisha Rains! (See picture below)
These individuals truly reflect and represent examples of the heart and talents that thrive within our school family, and please join me in congratulating them!
The Ray-Pec Public School Foundation plans the awards programs and the banquet. You may attend the banquet to show support for the finalists. The cost is $25. It will be held May 6th, at 6 pm, at the South High School Patio Commons area.
To make a reservation, contact Pam Steele, Executive Assistant for the Superintendent and Board of Education, at 816-892-1311 or pam.steele@raypec.org.
Retired Raymore Teacher Connie Clark wins Partner in Education Award!
Our very own Connie Clark, formerly a teacher here and still a frequent sub, is this year’s recipient of the Partner in Education Award from the Raymore-Peculiar Public School Foundation. Clark retired in 2008 from the Ray-Pec School District after 30 years of teaching, most recently at Raymore Elementary. We couldn't be prouder of her! She has and continues to make an incredible difference!
Clark will be honored at the Foundation’s second annual Gala, scheduled for Saturday, April 11, at Loch Lloyd Country Club. A social hour and silent auction begins at 6 p.m., dinner is at 6:30 p.m., and a live auction will begin at 7:15 p.m.Tickets are $60 per person, and may be ordered online at:
http://www.raypec.k12.mo.us/index.aspx?nid=996
Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, April 7.
Nominate someone for our PTA Volunteer Of The Year!
Read-A-Thon: Supporting PTA supports your child & our school!
Summer School Open to ALL this year!
Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead!
The The District’s 2015 summer school program is titled "Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead!" Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math topics will be integrated into summer school courses in a project-based format.
Summer School will begin June 1 and continue until June 25 (pending no weather-related school cancellations), and is open to all incoming kindergarten through 12th grade students.
- Kindergarten-8th grade summer school will be four days a week (Monday-Thursday)
- Kindergarten-8th grade students may choose to attend one session of two weeks, or two sessions to total four weeks.
- The majority of high school courses for credit will be five days a week (Monday-Friday).
- Some enrichment courses will follow a four-day per week schedule.
- Transportation will be available to students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
- Additional information and enrollment paperwork will be sent home April 2.
- Specific summer school sites will be determined based on enrollment.
- For students in kindergarten through sixth grade, fee-based Panther Pride child care will be offered (before and after school care and/or Friday, as needed)
- To download copies of enrollment forms visit our website http://raymoretigers.weebly.com/summer-school-2015.html
Meeting Parents of our Incoming Kindergartners, Class of 2028!
PTA VIP Pancake Breakfast is a hit!
The Goldsmith's at the PTA VIP Breakfast!
The Tilawan's enjoy breakfast together!
Chris Cakes! Can you see the pancake mid-air?!
Kindness, Character, Leadership & 7 Habits of Happy Kids!
Field Trip Chaperones-New Procedures in our District
We love our parent volunteers! Many of you volunteer to help make our field trips a success for kids each year. As we know, the world has changed greatly, and with that comes new procedures in school districts designed to ensure the safety of our students and parents' peace of mind. One of those new procedures is that our field trip chaperons will now need to complete and pass a background check, free of charge, prior to the trip. We appreciate your support as Ray-Pec and our school take this step. We thank you for donating your time as chaperons to help our teachers make learning come alive through the field trips for our kids! And a HUGE thank you to PTA for donating $7.50 per elementary child toward field trips each year and covering the transportation costs of buses! Your membership helps make possible this and so many other neat things for our students, so please consider joining at http://raymoreelementarypta.weebly.com/index.html
We'd love to have you volunteer!
- PTA event helper
- WatchD.O.G.S. dads*
- Tiger Buddies 1:1 student mentor/tutor*
- Library Shelvers*
- Lamination & Cut/Make Project Assistance
- C.A.N. food pantry donor
- PTA Board Member or Committee chairperson
TeacherEase Parent Portal
We are excited that TeacherEase allows our parents to see their child's learning progression with targets throughout the year. Inside TeacherEase, K-8 parents can now find the updated "Report Card" for their child, but the greatest feature is that Teacher Ease offers on-going access to your child's progress via the "Student Progress Update". For directions, here's a quick how-to video: http://viewpure.com/lLJEx-PHRRE
If you ever have any questions about your child's progress, including what you view in TeacherEase, we encourage you to always reach out to your child's teacher. They are amazing and always helpful in clarifying more about your child's progress and goals to learn and be the best they can be! Our goal as a district is to provide a high quality product that meets the needs of our teachers and parents, and we will continue to evolve this program.
Click here for helpful info about standards-referenced approach to assessment & grading in RP
Friendly School Reminders & Opportunities
- For security of all kids and staff, welcome to our new secured vestibule/entrance! Please be prepared to present your State ID/Driver's License at the front desk. All visitors are also required to sign in and receive a visitor's badge to be worn visibly at all times. Please be sure to sign out before leaving.
- I.D.: Please be prepared to show ID anytime you are visiting our school or picking up a child. If we do not recognize you (and we try hard!), this measure ensures your child's safety and that of our school. Thank you for your support.
- We will continue to practice regular drills/procedures through out the year in classrooms and as a school for a variety of emergencies including fire/evacuation, tornado/shelter, and more. This year our staff was more extensively trained by professionals in what to do in the case of a violent intruder. Thanks to our district's leadership, we are even better equipped with the most effective strategies to protect and prevent our children in the case of a variety of emergencies.
- All cars join our north car rider line. Please remain in vehicles and ensure your child enters on the curbside of the car.
- Early Childhood sessions M, T, W, and Th are 8-11 & 11:45-2:45. Students are not in session Friday.
- Elementary Student arrival & breakfast begins at 8:25 AM. The tardy bell is 8:45 AM. Dismissal begins at 3:45.
- All students who walk/bike to school on their own should wait for Mrs. Wratney our crossing guard for assistance to cross Madison or our parking lot.
- "Grab & Go" Breakfast is available for purchase by ALL kids & they enjoy in class as they begin their day. Hot breakfast can be chosen from 8:25-8:35 and then eaten in the cafe as well.
- Sunday afternoon "SchoolMessenger" voice messages from me should be arriving to update you with highlights for the week. If you are not receiving those, please login to SIS Parent Portal to change your contact settings or simply contact our school office at 892-1925.
- Sign up to receive text messages about exciting or important school events. Simply text "@repar1415" to (816) 398-7201 (standard rates apply.)
Do you have a little one ages 3-5 for whom you are looking for child care? Try Panther Cub Academy!
ATTENTION RAYMORE-PECULIAR FAMILIES:
We still have some openings for our current school year here at PCA, located in the lower level of Raymore Elementary School. If you would like to find out more about our childcare program and preschool services, we would love for you to give us a call at 816-892-1943. We would be happy to answer questions and set up a time for you to take a tour of our childcare center.
Did You know? Panther Cub Academy uses the Emerging Language Literacy Curriculum? This curriculum is one of four Department of Elementary and Secondary Education approved curriculum and the same curriculum used by our Ray-Pec early Childhood classes. We offer smaller class sizes, daily hands-on learning activities and we offer RPSD employee discounts.
For the latest and greatest highlights of PCA, check out their recent newsletters https://www.smore.com/gd4w7 and https://www.smore.com/gd4w7-panther-cub-news
...& a visual of the importance of helping our kids develop a growth mindset...
Dr. Michelle Hofmann, Principal
Email: michelle.hofmann@raypec.org
Website: raymoretigers.weebly.com
Location: 500 North Madison Street, Raymore, MO
Phone: 816-892-1925
Twitter: @raymoretigers