Santa's Workshop

Santa's Workshop will be held here at the school Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  Santa's Workshop is an opportunity for students to purchase inexpensive gifts for family and friends.  Gifts will range in price from one to three dollars.  Purchases will be put into gift bags.  Students will have to opportunity to visit Santa's Workshop during morning and lunch recesses tomorrow and Wednesday.  This program is run by volunteers to help students experience the joy of giving during this season.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call the school office.

Winter Program Returns

Raymond-Knowles Elementary will again hold a Winter Program this year.  The event will be held on Friday, December 14th at 6:00 P.M. in the cafeteria.  There will be holiday music, poetry recitations, a short dramatic presentation, and technology presentations.  We hope you will make plans to attend with your family and friends.

Proposition 30 and Budget Update

At the RKUESD December Board of Trustees meeting, the district’s first interim budget will be shared.  This is the second of four annual budget documents that is approved by the school board.  All four of these budget documents include a multi-year projection for the current budget year and two subsequent fiscal years.  Each school district must show that they will be able to maintain a positive fund balance for each of those years. 

The 1st interim that will be reported to the board at the December meeting demonstrates the required fund balance for this year and the two subsequent years.  This budget is based on our current enrollment remaining steady, however.  It is extremely important that your student(s) maintain good attendance habits.  Schools are given money based on actual attendance in school, not on the number of students enrolled. 

As you are aware, California voters passed Proposition 30, which will help all districts maintain their solvency for the next few years.  Many people believe that this will solve the school’s budget crisis, but this proposition only made it possible  to maintain funding at last year’s levels.  There is not any new funding as a result of the proposition. 

For RKUESD, the passage of proposition 30 will result in the reduction of our deficit spending by about $30,000 for this fiscal year. 

Another Board Vacancy

The Raymond-Knowles Union Elementary School District has another vacancy on its Board of Trustees.  After many years of dedicated service, Susan Patterson has resigned from her seat on the board. 

Since we recently accepted applications and conducted interviews for an open seat, we know of several candidates who are interested.  If you or someone you know might be interested in this important position in school governance, please contact Mr. Johnson or Mrs. Hutchings by Friday, December 7th.  The Board will consider candidates at their meeting on December 11th. 

Volunteer Program Begins

Coinciding with the beginning of the second quarter, we are now tracking volunteer hours in our new program designed to recognize your participation. We are looking forward to seeing as many volunteers as possible receive recognition.  Bronze level volunteers have contributed at least one hour.  Silver level volunteers have contributed at least 15 hours.  Gold level volunteers have contributed 30 hours. 

As of 10/29, we already have five volunteers at bronze level: Maryanna Bryson, Caroline Heather, Eileen Isaac, Maureen Otterson, and Dawn Terrell.  Thank you to these volunteers. 

If you would like to find a way to volunteer, we’d love to have you.  Please contact the school office for more information

Cross Country Meet Coming Soon: Volunteers Needed

Our annual cross country meet is scheduled for November 16th.  We expect to have more than 100 runners from local schools competing.  We need volunteers to help run the meet.  If you might be available to help out that morning, please let us know.  Spectators, participants, and volunteers should arrive between 9:30 and 9:45.  The first race is scheduled to begin at 10:00.

Pump It Up! Field Trip

Thirty-eight students purchased the field trip to Pump It Up! on October 31st.  Those students will be bringing home permission slips today.  Please remember to complete both the permission slip and the waiver that is attached to the permission slip.  Students must wear socks while using the Pump It Up! facility.

If you have any questions about the trip, please contact the office.

Laptop Computers Arrive

The school has just recently received a shipment of forty refurbished Dell Latitude D630's.  I am excited about this technology upgrade for our older students.  It is hoped that we will ultimately be able to send these machines home with 7th and 8th grade students, thereby greatly enriching our one-to-one program.  Additional computers will now be available for classroom use by Mrs. Townsend's 5th and 6th grade students.

New Board Member Appointed

At the Raymond-Knowles U.E.S.D. Board of Trustees meeting on October 11th, the Board appointed Mr. Luke Bryson to fill the vacant seat.  Mr. Bryson is a local business owner with a child enrolled here at Raymond-Knowles.  He is excited to join the group, and I am confident he will be a great addition to our governance team.

Board Vacancy Update

Applications for the open seat on the Raymond-Knowles Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees closed at 4:00 P.M. today.  The board will consider the following candidates at their next regularly scheduled meeting on October 9th at 5:00 in the school library:

• Alex Marineau
• Luke Bryson
• Teri Miller-Young
• Danette Nichelmann

Each of these candidates will be interviewed during the meeting in open session and the public will have the opportunity to speak.  For more information or to ask a question, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

Vacancy on RKUESD Board of Trustees

The purpose of this post is to let everyone know that we presently have an open seat on the Raymond-Knowles Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees.  There were two seats that were available for the upcoming election in November.  Only one of those board seats will continue to be filled by an incumbent, Heather Abrahams.  For the other seat, there weren’t any submissions completed with the Madera County Clerk’s office.  In accordance with Education Code Section 5091, the Raymond-Knowles U.E.S.D. will appoint a representative to fill the vacancy.  In order to be considered for appointment to the board, a candidate must: 1) Submit a letter of intent; 2) Submit proof of residence in the district; and 3) Be a registered voter at least 18 years of age.  Applications must be submitted to the district office by 3:00 P.M. on October 2^nd. 

The board will interview and appoint the new member at their October board meeting, which will be held on October 9^th.  The community will have several opportunities to speak at this meeting.  Your input is highly encouraged throughout this process. 

If you or someone you know is interested in taking this position of great responsibility, please feel free to contact me in the office for additional information or to answer any questions you might have. 

Parent Communication Survey Results

As of the date of this post, only 11 families representing 25 student has completed the parent communication survey available at: https://sites.google.com/a/rkusd.org/parent-communication-survey/.  In order to get more feedback, the survey site will remain open for another week, and I will recalculate the results at that time.  Based on the surveys received thus far, the two best methods for the school to communicate information to families is via email and notes/newsletters sent home.  Please encourage your friends and neighbors to complete this survey to help the school more effectively reach our families. 

Back to School Night

Many thanks to all of the families who came to back to school night last night.  As of the time of this posting, only six families completed the parent communication survey.  If you haven't gotten a chance, please complete this short survey located at: https://sites.google.com/a/rkusd.org/parent-communication-survey/.  If you missed the event and would like to view my presentation, it can be found at: http://prezi.com/esqdtizke9kr/back-to-school-night/.

Bell Schedules for 2012-2013

We are implementing new bell schedules this year.  School will begin each day ten minutes earlier than in the past (8:15 rather than 8:25).  These additional minutes will allow us to shorten the school day each Monday.  On Mondays, school will dismiss at 2:00.  Tuesdays through Fridays school will dismiss at 2:45.  The early release on Mondays will allow the staff more time to collaborate and plan as a team. 

MONDAY BELL SCHEDULE (Early Dismissal)

8:00 – 8:12 A.M.                   Breakfast

8:12 A.M.                               Warning Bell

8:15 A.M.                               School Begins

10:15-10:30 A.M.                  Recess          

11:50 A.M                  Lunch Break K-3

12:00 P.M.                             Lunch Break 4-8

12:35 P.M.                             End of Lunch Break

12:38 P.M.                             Class Resumes

1:58 P.M.                               Warning Bell

2:00 P.M.                              Dismissal              

REGULAR BELL SCHEDULE (Tuesday through Friday)

8:00 – 8:12 A.M.                   Breakfast

8:12 A.M.                               Warning Bell

8:15 A.M.                               School Begins

10:15-10:30 A.M.                  Recess          

11:50 A.M                  Lunch Break K-3

12:00 P.M.                             Lunch Break 4-8

12:35 P.M.                             End of Lunch Break

12:38 P.M.                             Class Resumes

2:43 P.M.                               Warning Bell

2:45 P.M.                              Dismissal             

MINIMUM DAY BELL SCHEDULE (Parent Conferences)

8:00 – 8:12 A.M.                   Breakfast

8:12 A.M.                               Warning Bell

8:15 A.M.                               School Begins

10:15-10:30 A.M.                  Recess          

11:50 A.M                  Lunch Break K-3

12:00 P.M.                             Lunch Break 4-8

12:35 P.M.                             End of Lunch Break

12:38 P.M.                             Class Resumes

1:13 P.M.                               Warning Bell

1:15 P.M.                              Dismissal               

New Additions to the Raymond-Knowles Family

I am very pleased to announce the two new members of the Raymond-Knowles family.

Mr. Chester Goodale will be teaching our 7th and 8th grade class.  Chester has many, many years of experience teaching a variety of grade levels in a variety of settings.  The entire interview panel was impressed with his obvious passion for making positive connections with students and with his experience providing real-world learning opportunities.

Kerrie Kochackis has accepted our food services worker assignment for 2012-2013.  Ms. Kochackis is a local resident who is excited about the opportunity to work with our students every day and to help out wherever she can.

Class Configurations for 2012-2013 Set

We have determined class arrangements and teaching assignments for next school year.  Mrs. Tune will again be teaching kindergarten and first grade, while Ms. Edwards will be teaching a second grade class (more on that to follow).  Mrs. Ehli will be teaching third and fourth grade, and Mrs. Townsend will be teaching fifth and sixth grade.  We will be hiring a teacher to teach seventh and eighth grades.

Since we don't have any students slated to begin the year at the Community Day School (CDS), we will be able to have an extra teacher here on the main campus until such time as we need to reopen the CDS.  If we need to reopen the CDS, Ms. Edwards will assume that position.  Unfortunately, that will mean that  the 2nd grade students in her class will need to join other classrooms.  It is our expectation that these students would be divided between Mrs. Tune's class and Mrs. Ehli's class.  Should this eventually occur, we will likely use each student's reading proficiency as the primary criteria for determining which class a student will join.  This will be explained at Back to School Night.  

The application window for the 7th-8th grade teacher position will close today.  We will be conducting interviews of candidates for the position on August 1st.  If you are interested in being part of the interview panel, please contact me at the school.