Raymond Central Public Schools
February 2020
From the Desk of the Superintendent...
It’s hard to believe that the school year is more than half over, but with all that we have going on in our schools, time flies… The 1:1 Chromebook initiative is going well at the Jr/Sr High School which now allows students grades 7-12 to take their device home. Students are using their Chromebooks to create and collaborate throughout the school day and at home. As a district we will continue to expand our digital curriculum as we update current resources.
Raymond Central is excited to announce a new partnership with Civic Nebraska and the RC Foundation. Over the course of two years, RC and the RC Foundation researched how to create and implement a before and after school program for our district. At first the idea was to try and create a program on our own, until we met Civic Nebraska. Civic Nebraska has a large footprint in providing before and after school programs in Lincoln and Omaha. Raymond Central will be the first rural model for the organization with the hope to expand into more communities. The program will be an extension of the school day with a focus on academic support, student enrichment, physical activity, and more! To learn more about our awesome partnership, checkout the website - https://www.civicnebraska.org/raymond/
It is also exciting to announce the planning and preparation for the EIR Grant (Education Innovation and Research) money that Raymond Central was selected for. In our partnership with Schuyler Public Schools, both districts will split $800,000 per year for five years. The first phase of the grant will be to provide up to 20 teachers, a technology instructional coach and training through DiscoveryEd’s Digital Leadership Corp. It will also provide access to DiscoveryEd’s Math and Science Interactive TechBooks that will pair well with our Chromebooks. This grant will also provide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) focused summer camps for students, Project Lead the Way curriculum grades K-12 with courses being added to the high school programming, and other STEM related resources. We were one of a few school districts awarded this grant throughout the United States!
Through the strategic planning process and the hard work of many community members, parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and Board members, new district goals were developed for 2019-2025. In the next several newsletters, I will be highlighting one goal area and including district activities/initiatives that came out of the input from the Vision 2025 roundtable discussions (last year), the RC 360 Superintendent Evaluation, culture and climate survey data, teacher exit surveys, and daily conversations around our fantastic school district. For strategic goal number six, staff professional development, the following performance indicators have been created-
Performance Indicator (1): Provide meaningful and relevant staff development training to improve instruction. Professional Learning Communities will be the major vehicle for accomplishing this task by using teacher collaboration.
Professional learning opportunities will focus on increasing knowledge and use of differentiation strategies within all classrooms.
Increasing student engagement is also critical. PLCs will play a vital role in implementing these strategies.
Performance Indicator (2): Develop a data collection process to ensure high yield instructional strategies are implemented with fidelity to the GANAG lesson design.
Raymond Central Public Schools believe that a Professional Learning Community (PLC) can be defined as a group of educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for our students (Learning By Doing/DuFour, DuFour, Eaker). In doing so, Raymond Central has committed to three fundamental assumptions:
We can make a difference - our schools can be more effective.
Improving our people is the key to improving our schools.
Significant school improvement will positively impact teaching and learning.
Raymond Central is committed to working together to achieve our collective purpose of learning for all students. Staff will cultivate a collaborative culture through the continued development of high performing teams, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
To achieve this, teams will meet on a regular basis clarifying what students must learn, gathering evidence of student learning, analyzing evidence, identifying the most effective instructional strategies and practices, increasing the instructional capacity of all team members while working to achieve their SMART goals.
Thanks to the support of our Board of Education and community, teachers have the opportunity to collaborate one time per month during the scheduled late starts. Over the course of the 2019-20 school year, teachers have engaged in learning around building a strong MTSS (Multi Tiered System of Supports) to support ALL students.
For March, I will share and discuss the work the district is doing in regard to increasing student enrollment for 2019-2025. Do not forget to say THANK YOU to our amazing Board of Education Members as we celebrate their commitment to public education February 9-15, 2020!
Go Mustangs!
Dr. Joel
Principal's Perspective
Second semester is in full force. We continue to seek out ways we can continue to move the needle here at RC. There have been some small changes as we started 2nd semester, but we believe these small changes will lead to positive results. We know we still have a lot of work to do but we continue to be committed to ensuring success at Raymond Central. Not everything is a quick fix, but we truly believe we are headed in the right direction.
We now have tutoring opportunities for students available on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 407. National Honor Society students will be available for students in grades 7-12. Please encourage your student to attend if they need a little extra help! Our NHS students are a great group of kids and eager to assist our students.
In January, we started allowing students in grade 7 and 8 the opportunity to take home their Chromebook. A Google Form was sent home to parents/guardians to obtain permission for your student to take them home. If you have not yet filled out the Google Form, please fill it out. You do have the option to require your students to leave their Chromebooks at school. There is also the option to purchase a Chromebook sleeve for $15.00 if you wish.
We have recently started a Raymond Central Jr/Sr High Caring Shelves program.
Our goal with this program is to show students that their are people that care about their overall well being and lessen the stressors that may be added to their family. We are in the beginning stages of this program but we have a lot of goals and plans for this program that will have an overall positive impact on students here at RC. If your family is in need or you wish to donate to this program, please contact Allison Stansberry or Tasha Osten.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Allison Stansberry
Jr/Sr High Principal
402-785-2685
#RCJourney
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS...
CALLING ALL ALUMNI!!
https://forms.gle/FgJEffKNgKTACakaA
AND...If you have a photo you can send to us, please email it to: rcentraljournalism@gmail.com
Meet the Math Department!
What do you teach?
Wilmes--Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus
Newman--Geometry, Advanced Algebra (Alg 2), Geometry Support
Kenning--6th grade math, science, and reading
What is your teaching experience? Years? Schools? Subjects?
Wilmes--7 years of experience, 6 years at RC, Lincoln Public Schools and RC, Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus, General Math
Newman--Spring 2008 - Omaha Northwest (taught Alg 1, Alg 2, math skills, coached discus)
2008-2014 Papillion La Vista South (taught Alg 1, Alg 2, Alg 1B, Geometry, geometry support, coached football and baseball), 2014 - 2015 Creighton HS 4-12 principal, 2015-2020 Raymond Central (4 years AD, 2 years AP, taught Math 7, math 8, now Geometry, Advanced Algebra, Geometry support, coaching JH FB and JH BBB)Kenning--This is my 5th year teaching. All of them have been in this position.
What are your hobbies?
Wilmes--Hunting (waterfowl, upland, deer, trap), staying active (working out, running), Husker athletics (football, basketball, baseball)
Newman--Read, play basketball
Kenning--Coaching, Golf, Slow-pitch softball
Who or what influenced you to become a teacher?
Wilmes--I had good teachers growing up who had a positive influence and I enjoyed being a part of their classes. My coaches were also positive role models who worked hard to motivate and push us to be the best we could. I enjoy working with math concepts and helping people out and seeing the light bulb click when they understand something new. Being around sports and having the opportunity to coach and influence students on the athletic fields is also something that was of interest to me and I have enjoyed that tremendously.
Newman--My high school math teacher
Kenning--I felt it was something I would enjoy and it fit my skill set.
How do you spend your summer vacation?
Wilmes--Usually it's a mix of different things. I help with summer lifting for the JH group, umpire legion baseball games, and work on projects around the house. This last summer I had our boy at home so I was daddy day care for the summer. We typically have our weekends almost always booked with visits to family, tanking trips, maybe a vacation, sometimes weddings, and other activities.
Newman--Hanging with my sisters, spending time with my daughter, sometimes graduate classes
Kenning--Hanging out with my kids, going to wrestling camps, going to the lake, playing golf and softball.
What's the most rewarding part of being an educator?
Wilmes--I enjoy seeing students be successful in the classroom and on the athletic fields. When they get a good grade or do something well and feel good about themselves, it lets me know that I"ve made a positive difference in their lives.
Newman--Seeing the growth in each of my students over the years (not just in my classroom)
Kenning--Making school tolerable for kids, building relationships, and bettering our community.
If I weren't a teacher, I would be...
Wilmes--either a computer programmer or a pilot.
Newman--either an accountant or an actuary
Kenning--doing something with stats and sports.
YEARBOOKS!!
To order a yearbook for grades 6-12 for this school year, please complete the following form for your child or children. This form must be submitted with the appropriate payment in order to be added to the list OR you may order online at www.walsworthyearbooks.com, selecting Buy A Yearbook or Ad and then searching for Raymond Central.
Pricing is as follows:
$60 per yearbook
YEARBOOK ORDER FORM:
NAME:
Number of Yearbooks:
Price:
Total:
Send Order Form and Payment to RC High School in care of Journalism Department. You can mail in the form and payment or can drop it off at the High School office.
SENIOR ADS/BUSINESS ADS
Have a child graduating in May 2020? Or do you own/manage a business that should be advertised in the yearbook? Pricing for both as follows:
¼ page for $30
½ page for $60
Full page for $100
Both ads should be ordered and sent to Mrs. Enevoldsen by April 20, 2020 to ensure there is adequate space.
Cash and check payments (payable to Raymond Central) can be given to Mrs. Enevoldsen or the office.
Contact Mrs. Enevoldsen at cenevold@rcentral or 402-785-2685 Ext. 305 with any yearbook or advertisement questions or concerns.