Dear Raymond Central Community,

As we welcome November, we have much to be grateful for. Our students are excelling both

academically and in extracurricular activities, and we have enjoyed numerous opportunities to

engage with our communities. I take great pleasure in my daily interactions with our dedicated

staff and remarkable students.

This week marks Red Ribbon Week, culminating in Halloween. It has been a delight to witness

our students, particularly at the elementary level, fully embrace the themed activities.

Academically, we have completed our first round of testing, and we are now utilizing this data

to make informed decisions that will support continued growth. Our teaching staff has been

diligently working to understand the educational frameworks informed by brain science and its

implications for learning. They will resume their professional development on November 1st as

we strive to enhance our practices.

As fall sports conclude, I am incredibly proud of how our student-athletes have represented the

Raymond Central School District. We have a variety of activities scheduled throughout the year,

and I encourage you to visit our website at https://www.rcentral.org/events to catch our

students in action. Your ongoing support is invaluable to them.

At the Raymond Central School District, we are committed to continuous improvement for our

students. One of my primary objectives is to address the large class sizes at the elementary

level. Research indicates that smaller class sizes positively impact student learning and enhance

teacher job satisfaction. I will present options for reducing class sizes at the upcoming Board of

Education meeting on Wednesday, November 13th, at 6:00 PM in the Mustang Room at the

Raymond Central Jr/Sr High School Campus. Following this, we will hold feedback sessions in

Ceresco and Valparaiso: Ceresco Elementary School on Monday, November 18th, at 7:00 PM,

and Valparaiso Elementary School on Tuesday, November 19th, at 7:00 PM. I hope to see strong

participation at these sessions, and I look forward to hearing your insights.

Thank you for your continued support of the Raymond Central School District, our staff, and our

students. We eagerly anticipate partnering with parents and community members to ensure we

provide the best possible education for all our students.

Bryon Hanson

Superintendent

Raymond Central Public Schools

The Journalism Staff has some unclaimed yearbooks from past years! They are first come, first served.

Here is what is available and prices:

5 from 2018-2019---$40 each

1 from 2019-2020---$40 each

5 from 2020-2021---$40 each

9 from 2021-2022---$40 each

8 from 2022-2023---$40 each

10 from 2023-2024---$60 each

Please email Mrs. Enevoldsen at cenevold@rcentral.org to reserve yours. Reservations are for 48 hours. If payment is not received/book is not picked up within that 48 hours, the reservation will be void.

The Caring Shelves committee is ready to share the Thanksgiving boxes for our Mustang Families - PreK-12. We are asking that if you are in need of one of our boxes, please complete this form Thanksgiving form or contact Ms. Osten at 402-785-2685 or by email tosten@rcentral.org please respond by Monday, November 11th, 2024 so we have time to collect supplies.

If you want to contribute to our caring shelves through monetary or food donations for us to be able to put together these boxes, please complete this Thanksgiving donation form. We will be putting lists of needed items together soon and let you know what can be donated.

We appreciate your ongoing support. Please know that we understand these are very stressful times and we are here to support you so if there is anything we can do, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Raymond Central Caring Shelves Workers

The State of Nebraska requires certain vaccines and physicals for students to attend school.

Any student who does not comply with the State requirements shall not be permitted to continue

in school until he or she so complies. For additional questions please contact the District Nurse

at your child’s school building. Waivers are available upon request from the School Nurse.

The links below give the details about what your child needs at entry level for school in

Kindergarten and 7th Grade. There is also a link for community resources and available clinics

for these visits.

All students in Grades 9-12 who are going out for an athletic activity will needs a sports physical.

The preschool classes had a blast at Martins Hillside Orchard on their 1st ever field trips!

Raymond Central Elementary students from both sites went on an exciting field trip to the Valparaiso Rural Fire Department on Thursday, October 10, for a hands-on learning experience about fire safety. The event, hosted by fire personnel from Valparaiso, Ceresco, and Raymond, allowed students to use a fire hose, try on gear, and learn safety procedures in case of a fire. A coin drive was done at both elementary schools with a bit of a competition through some “penny wars” The combined schools were able to raise over $2200 to donate to the fire department.

Red Ribbon Week highlights the importance of living a drug-free life. It presents an opportunity for parents, educators, and communities to reinforce the drug-free messages they share with their children throughout the year. During Red Ribbon Week, youth and adults around the nation pledge to increase their knowledge by learning more about the destructive effects of drug abuse, including prescription drug misuse, and renew their commitment to live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. Raymond Central Elementary celebrated Red Ribbon Week with Nurse Amanda visiting each classroom to help students learn about healthy life choices. Classrooms could decorate doors, participate in various dress-up days, and focus on healthy habits like reading and exercise!

Dual Credit/ Advanced Biology used their knowledge of macromolecules (specifically lipids) to make their own butter last week.

For the first time since 2016, Raymond Central fielded a Girls team at the District Cross Country Meet. The meet took place on October 17th @ Branched Oak. It was a goal all season for the girls to run a team at Districts and though it wasn't always easy, our girls here rose up to the challenge. Congrats to Olivia Svoboda, Jasmine Wells, Khloe Cuttlers, Marissa Tvrdy, and Jasmine Siverina for a great season and their history making achievement. These girls represent Raymond Central at the highest level.

Additionally, Senior Cole Dubas qualified to the NSAA State Championships in Kearney after his 10th place showing at the District meet. The Championship Race took place on October 25th. Cole finished the 3.1 miles in 17 minutes and 46 seconds. His time was high enough for the best finish for a Raymond Central runner since 2013. Congrats to Cole and the whole Cross Country team for a successful season.

The Quiz Bowl team has had a successful start to the season.

The Girls Team earned a 4th place finish in Seward on October 1st. This team consisted of Sarah Lange, Sophia Burt, Marissa Jensen, and Grace Schulte

The team also earned another 4th place finish at the History Bowl in Seward on October 16th. This team consisted of Sarah Lange, James Liu, Drew Tice, Sophia Burt, and Connor Tice

Quiz Bowl shirts are available for purchase on the school's rivalry page.

https://stores.inksoft.com/raymond_central_mustangs/shop/page/quizbowl

• Land judging team placed 4th at Districts in the beginning of October, earning the right to compete at the State Contest in Norfolk. Congratulations to the following individuals and team
• Isaac Zobel 20th out of 273 individuals
• Grace Reed 29th
• Amirah Potter 30th
• Makenna Hellerich 32nd
• Marissa Tvrdy 47th
• 4th Place Team conceited of Isaac Zobel, Grace Reed, Amirah Potter, and Makenna Hellerich

• Our livestock Judging Team had their first contest out at the beginning of October at the Leigh FFA Livestock Invite Congratulations to the following teams and individuals

• Our senior team placed 1st overall

• Bailey Grant-- 2nd place individual
• Elizabeth Funk -- 5th place individual
• Khloe Cuttlers-- 6th place individual
• Addison Grant -- 15th place individual
• Erika Donahue-- 19th place individual
• Carlee Wolfe -- 22nd place individual
• Our junior team walked away with a 4th place finish!
• Morgan Kliment-- 4th place individual
• Lydia Donahue-- 21st place individual
• Julia Wolfe -- 22nd place individual
• Jolee Kliment-- 27th place individual

• The State Land Judging team placed 26th out of 47 Teams. Congratulations to the following individuals
• Makenna Hellerichs 47th out of 148 individuals --White Ribbon
• Isac Zobel 61st out of 148 individuals -- Pink Ribbon
  
  
• Central FFA hosted 2 different Feed-A-Farmer events this year. One at Frontier Cooperative in Ceresco and one at Farmers Cooperative in Raymond. We want to say thank you to all our local producers for all they do to support our chapter, schools, and communities!

• On October 14th the Agribusiness class spent the morning helping with harvest at the RC Alumni Test Plot. Special thanks to Alumni members Jacob Huck and Jeff Schellpepper for hosting a great and educational event for the class! Students learned about the whole process from start to finish including analyzing soil tests, reading land maps, how the combine works, marketing, and even got to go for a spin in the combine!

• National FFA Convention was held from October 23-26 in Indianapolis, Indiana. We had 14 FFA members attend this year. We spent time exploring different agribusinesses from Traders Point Creamery, a family owned all organic dairy operation and manufacturer, getting in on the racing action at Churchill Downs, to exploring and learning about the history at Squire Boone's Cavern. We also got to hear from great Keynote speakers at the General Sessions, including Dr. Temple Grandin. We cannot forget the time we had to network with industry professionals and colleges at the Expo! We ended the week with watching FFA Alumni, Aleyna Cuttlers, earn her American Degree. Which is the highest degree that an FFA Member can earn!

• We ended October with our annual Halloween Party where members painted pumpkins!

• Thank you to all who have supported our Fruit Sales this year! There is still time to order. Orders are due by 4pm on Monday, November 4th. Contact Mrs. Donahue (kathryn.donahue@rcentral.org), Mrs. Newman (cnewman@rcentral.org) or an FFA member to get your orders in! Products will be in the first week of December

• Next FFA meeting is Thursday, November, 14th at 6:30pm in the Ag Room. It's our Chapter Potluck!

High School Band

It has been a FANTASTIC month for the HS Band! Students have been working hard performing at the final VB and FB pep bands, as well as two marching band competitions. It did not come easy and this small group truly gave it their all to have outstanding performances. I'm very proud of their growth not only as musicians, but in their attitudes and efforts to truly create a band family. Please give a big congratulations to them for the following accomplishments:

• Bennington Marching Band Competition (Saturday, October 5th) - Division II Excellent
• Ashland Marching Band Competition (Saturday, October 19th) - Division I Superior [hasn't happened since 2019]
• Marissa Tvrdy (sophomore, trombone) was selected as an Alternate for Nebraska's All State Band. Students from across the state auditioned for this band, so this is a huge honor! If asked to play due to an absence, she will rehearse and perform during Nebraska's Music Education Association conference on November 20-22nd.

Pep Band

Our last set of pep bands for the year will be for Varsity Girls/Boys Basketball. Again, all are welcome to join us at any game! Call time is always 5:20pm for the two 6:00 & 7:30 games. Let Mrs. Nierman know if you have any questions or concerns!

• Tuesday, December 17th
• Tuesday, January 7th
• Thursday, January 23rd
• Tuesday, February 4th
• Friday, February 14th

Jazz Band

Jazz band is having a new format this year with two groups. Group Jazz Band starts November 6th and will occur on Wednesdays from 7:15am-7:55am. This is a group open to all 7-12 band students and 7-12 students who play other jazz instruments who want to learn this new style of music. Please register with Mrs. Nierman if you are interested and have not already!

The HS band will also start rehearsing an optional Advance Jazz Combo starting in November 4th. I'm excited to see the growth in jazz band with this new format. Stay tuned for concerts from both ensembles in the spring!

Middle School Band

Congratulations to the following students going above and beyond with extra band challenges!

6th Grade Karate Belts:

• Lita R. - Orange Belt
• Dawson W. - White, Yellow, Orange, and Green Belt

• Kate F. - Soul Stone
• Daniel N. - Power Stone

8th Grade Lettering Points: These students are working hard making their ways towards lettering in 8th grade. Keep it up!

• Madi A., Ray D., Lucy E., Cooper H., Wesley P., Sofia R., Matthew S., Karissa S.

Upcoming Performances:

• Veteran's Day - November 11th (8-12 bands)
• 6-7 Band/Choir Winter Concert - December 5th @ 6:00pm
• 8-12 Band/Choir Winter Concert - December 5th @ 7:30pm
• 3-5 Band/Choir Winter Concert - December 10th @ 7:00pm
• K-2 Winter Concert - December 10th @ 6:00pm

UNK Choral Day

On September 30th, the high school choir attended UNK’s Choral Day in Kearney. They rehearsed all day with four other schools from around the state. They were also taken on a campus tour and had a Q & A with some of the college choir members. The day ended with a concert that combined the 75 high school singers and the UNK Choraleers.

Our next event is Conference Choir on November 12th at Logan View High School.

5th Grade Field Trip

On October 28th, the 5th graders had the opportunity to attend the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert. They spent the first quarter learning the music, talking about orchestras, and what it’s like to attend a symphony concert. The music for the concert spanned from the opening of Beethoven’s fifth symphony to the unofficial anthem of Rio de Janeiro, “Cidade Maravilhosa.” There was dancing, singing, and fun had by all!

After lunch we spent an hour at Constellation Studios in downtown Lincoln where the owner, Karen Kunc, walked the students through the paper-making process and how to use the printing press and the wooden printing blocks. Each student was able to create their own artwork to take home.

The 2023-2024 Yearbooks will be here SOON! Once they are in, the Journalism team will start to distribute and will notify the district that the books have arrived.

The yearbook showcases EVERY student from Preschool to graduating seniors. This is our third year adding the whole district into our book and we are perfecting it every year.

Ordering for the 2024-2025 yearbook is now available! Forms are available below!

Order yours today!! Prices are:

$60 per yearbook until December 31, 2024

$70 per yearbook from January 1, 2025 to May 2, 2025

If you would like to order more than one yearbook, use the following discount pricing:

$110 for two yearbooks until December 31, 2024

$160 for three yearbooks until December 31, 2024

If buying FOUR or more yearbooks, price per book is $45.

NO DISCOUNTS GIVEN STARTING January 1, 2025

Business and Senior Ads are available for the following sizes/prices:

¼ page for $50

½ page for $65

Full page for $115