Raymond

Raymond Superintendent Announces Classroom Relocation Plans for Fall 2020

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Raymond School District
Tina McCoy, Superintendent
43 Harriman Hill Road
Raymond, NH 03077

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Raymond Superintendent Announces Classroom Relocation Plans for Fall 2020

Plans for next school year to move fourth grade students to Iber Holmes Gove Middle School and the preschool program to Raymond High School will allow the district to remove portable classrooms at Lamprey River Elementary School. (Courtesy Photo Raymond School District)

RAYMOND — Superintendent Tina McCoy is announcing plans to relocate fourth grade and preschool classrooms to provide students with larger spaces designed to better support modern curriculum.

Next summer, all fourth grade classrooms will be moved from Lamprey River Elementary School to Iber Holmes Gove Middle School, and the district’s preschool program will be moved out of Lamprey River Elementary School to Raymond High School.

“Right now, we have two school facilities that are underutilized, and one that is crowded and has numerous challenges that need to be addressed,” Superintendent McCoy said. “These transitions will ensure a more distributed and equitable use of classroom space across the entire District, and provide exciting opportunities for students as we examine the elementary school facility and consider whether renovations or a new building is necessary to meet the needs of our student population in the future.”

Built in the 1970s, Lamprey River Elementary School was designed as an “open concept” facility, which has fallen out of common practice in schools today. As the district’s student population has continued to rise, the school has additionally added on three sets of portable classrooms to accommodate.

The transition will allow the district to remove the portable classrooms at Lamprey River, which do not provide students and staff with immediate access to restrooms and generate unnecessary foot traffic through the kindergarten wing. In addition, the changes will provide fourth grade and preschool students with larger classrooms, with more natural light.

Both the middle and high schools have ample space to house the fourth grade and preschool programs, respectively.

“Moving the preschool and fourth grade is a much more efficient use of school district facilities,” said Raymond School District Director of Facilities Todd Ledoux. “Removing the portables also creates a safer, more energy efficient facility at the elementary school. Although this decision does not solve the space needs at the school, it does provide a much better learning environment for our preschoolers and fourth graders, while allowing the entire elementary school to be in one building.”

Fourth and fifth grade students will take classes on a separate floor from sixth, seventh and eighth grade students at the middle school next year, and the district will be working over the coming months to develop a new master schedule for the building. The district’s bus company will also be creating revised routes to better facilitate the transition.

Once the new schedule is finalized, the district will host informational sessions with the parents of fourth and fifth grade students for fall 2020, as well as tours and visits. Tours and informational sessions will also be held for parents of preschool students once renovations are complete.

All district parents will be provided with updates regularly about the transition.

Preschool students will additionally benefit from classrooms at Raymond High School, which will be renovated to offer direct access to preschool appropriate bathrooms, a therapy room and a fenced in playground, which will be installed over the summer.

As a result of the move, Raymond High School students will also have the opportunity to intern at the preschool program and learn more about early childhood development.

A Building Committee comprised of five voting community members, led by Chairman Ken Hajjar, and non-voting school district administrators is meeting monthly to examine the Lamprey River Elementary School facility and working to develop recommendations for the School Board for the future of the building, which may involve renovations or a proposal to build a new facility. The group is anticipated to present their findings to the School Board by October 2020.

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Raymond’s Lamprey River Elementary Students and Families Enjoy Harvest Feast

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Raymond School District
Tina McCoy, Superintendent
43 Harriman Hill Road
Raymond, NH 03077

For Immediate Release

Friday, Nov. 22, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Raymond’s Lamprey River Elementary Students and Families Enjoy Harvest Feast

RAYMOND — Sporting colorful, handmade turkey hats and with parents and guardians in tow, kindergarten students at Lamprey River Elementary School enjoyed a special Harvest Feast Thursday.

The annual Harvest Feast is an opportunity for kindergarten students to invite their parents and guardians to visit the school for a meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, bread, squash, peas, cookies and more. Older students at the school also enjoyed a festive turkey meal for lunch, as did staff at the school.

“The students have been very excited for the feast, and it’s been great to see so many parents and guardians here today to join us for a fun, festive meal,” said Amy McAvoy, team leader of the kindergarten teachers at Lamprey River. “Our cafeteria staff also works so hard to make this a special meal for our students, and they’ve done an amazing job.”

Approximately 75 adults joined kindergartners at Thursday’s feast.

“We’ve both been looking forward to this and I think it’s really nice that the school does this for all the kindergarten kids,” said Darcy Cronan, who joined her daughter, Haley, a kindergarten student, at the feast.

Many students were thrilled to have their parents at the school.

“I’m very excited my mom is here,” said kindergarten student Olivia Lopez.

In addition to crafting festive, turkey themed hats for the feast, some classes of kindergarten students also studied the differences between wild and domestic turkeys, among other facts about the fowls.

“Our kindergarten students hold the Harvest Feast near to their hearts, and it brings them a lot of joy to have a parent, grandparent, caregiver or guardian visit, meet their teacher and classmates, and enjoy a relaxed, fun meal,” said Lamprey River Elementary School Principal Laura Yacek. “Thank you so much to all of the parents and guardians who visited, and to the teachers and cafeteria staff who worked incredibly hard to provide such a wonderful feast.”

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Raymond’s Iber Holmes Gove Middle School Students Study the Lamprey River

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Raymond School District
Tina McCoy, Superintendent
43 Harriman Hill Road
Raymond, NH 03077

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Raymond’s Iber Holmes Gove Middle School Students Study the Lamprey River

RAYMOND — Seventh grade students at Iber Holmes Gove Middle School are gaining a newfound understanding of a local river thanks to a year-long project studying organisms that live there.

Students are studying the Lamprey River through the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Watershed Education Program, which allows students to learn about their local watershed by collecting organisms, and testing and studying them. Watershed Education Specialist Judy Tumosa has also worked with Iber Holmes Gove educators since 2005 to train them to set up and establish tanks in their classrooms to house organisms students collect from the river. Educators also apply for an annual permit from the state to collect species from the river with their classes.

“This program is an essential asset in connecting our own environment to what students are learning in the classroom,” said Mary Colburn, a science teacher at the school. “We are creating lessons that are relevant and meaningful with the hopes the students see a connection to their own backyards while fostering an inquiring mind about science.”

All seventh grade students at the school collected organisms from the river this fall after learning about the history of the Lamprey River, as well as the importance of macroinvertebrates for determining the health of the river and population dynamics. Students went to the river in groups of 20, wearing neoprene waders with buckets and nets.The students sought to collect a variety of specimens in order to create a simulation of the Lamprey River ecosystem back in the classroom to further observe and reflect upon.

“Students are surprised at all that is hidden in the water,” Colburn said. “Most students know that you can find fish and tadpoles, but they found dragonfly larvae, crayfish, mayfly larvae and more. They found it incredibly exciting, and have been fascinated as we continue to study the specimen we collected.”

Seventh grade students will continue to studying the behaviors, interactions and dynamics of the organisms they have collected as part of an ecosystem unit in their science classes. Students will also analyze and interpret data, develop models, construct arguments and hone a deeper understanding of resources, the cycling of matter and the flow of energy in ecosystems.

This year, students will also consider biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem and the effects these factors have on a population, and they will additionally evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

To learn more about the Watershed Education Program, visit www.wildlife.state.nh.us/education/watershed.

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Raymond High School Football Team Thrives Against Division IV Competition

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Raymond School District
Tina McCoy, Superintendent
43 Harriman Hill Road
Raymond, NH 03077

For Immediate Release

Friday, Oct. 25, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Raymond High School Football Team Thrives Against Division IV Competition

RAYMOND — Superintendent Tina McCoy is pleased to share that the Raymond High School varsity football team has thrived this season, and will compete against Mascoma Valley Regional High today.

The Raymond varsity football team has only lost one game this season, and a win Friday would position them compete in the state playoffs for Division IV.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7 p.m. at the Route 107 field on 96 Freemont Road, and all members of the Raymond School District community are invited to attend and cheer on their team. Admission to the game is $4 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens.

“The team is looking really crisp and clean this year; it is easily the best and most skilled team I’ve ever played with, and I really think we have a shot at it all,” said senior captain Gavin Gregoire.

“Team chemistry is off the charts,” added junior captain, Richard Gibby. “Everyone brings something to the table and we work great with our coaching staff.”

New Hampshire’s high school football structure was changed in fall 2018 to include four divisions. The shift placed the Raymond football team in a new Division IV category, which meant that the students would have the opportunity to compete against teams from schools with a similar number of enrolled students. Previously, the team competed in Division III.

“The change in division has allowed us to compete with schools of our size and with similar capabilities, which has made for more competitive games,” said Davinney Brazeau, Raymond Athletic Director . “We’re a relatively new program, and the transition to Division IV has really helped the team flourish.”

The Raymond football program was first launched in 2008.

Tona McCarthy, coach of the varsity football team, praised the team’s determination.

“Perseverance and confidence are delicate things, and it’s certainly something that has to start with your mental approach and the ability to respond, stay focused and not allow negative thoughts,” said McCarthy.

The team will also be accepting donations of canned goods at the entrance of Friday’s game, and all donations will be delivered to an area food pantry. The Raymond football team takes part in the canned goods drive every year in partnership with WMUR and the New Hampshire Food Bank, who organize NH Tackle Hunger Week each fall with teams across the state. Last year, the Raymond football team collected 900 pounds of canned goods donations.

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