Raymond - Home of the Turtledoves

When children have holidays or school break they get bored. They do not have any productive means of spending their time. Children go swimming and exploring and at times these activities can prove to be dangerous if safety precautions are not taken. To keep children occupied with productive activities you can give your kids a gift basket filled with books, games, crafts or other such activity which will be interesting as well as make them pursue something truly productive.

Children can also be given this type of gifts for good behavior or for working hard and achieving their goals. The gifts will surely serve as a good incentive so that they work seriously and put in their best efforts in all their jobs. It is not necessary to go for very expensive items as children are pleased with simple things like toys, games, food items, puzzle sets, board games or even sports kits. All these items will occupy your children in fruitful activities from which they will learn some new crafts.

Raymond’s School bought these to serve for dessert at our teacher appreciation banquet last year. We put them on a clean white dish and they looked amazing. Everyone raved over them and you know what…they were the first dessert to go! It was such a simple yet satisfying treat! We would recommend these for appreciation occasion that deserves a little effortless decadence! Treat all of your teachers today by going to TheBasketSpot.com and looking for the Oreo Lover Berries Gift Box. You won’t regret it and neither will those you share it with…if you can let go long enough to share!

All we can say is…your school is missing out if you haven’t tried these! Imagine putting a fresh strawberry between two double stuffed Oreo cookies and biting in. Got it? Now, multiply that by three, throw in a hint of mint and butterscotch and you’ve got the unforgettable Oreo Lover Berries! Not only are these chocolate covered strawberries delicious beyond comparison, but as soon as you open up that box and catch your first glimpse of the bright green strawberry stems sticking out of the dark chocolate cookie crumbs you won’t be able to keep your hands off ‘em!

Giving your teacher a typical present such as an apple, stationary pad, or other school related item can get boring. Have your teacher remember you and give them chocolate covered strawberries as a gift. Teachers are used to the traditional give an apple to the teacher gift. Make sure your gift is special, fun, and delicious by giving you teacher something different. It doesn’t matter if you or your parents pay for it, just as long as it is good and the teacher likes it.

Chocolate covered strawberries are great because it is a combination of a juicy fruit strawberry topped with delicious chocolate coating. You can purchase them signally or you can purchase them in packs of six, twelve, or more. Get them dipped in any kind of chocolate you think your teacher would enjoy. You can even get them drizzled with extra chocolate. Some chocolate covered strawberries can be placed in containers that make a design such as a flower. Any teacher will enjoy eating chocolate covered strawberries over the apple any day.

One of the prevalent customs towards the end of school term has always been the giving of gifts to one’s favorite (or maybe even not so favorite) teacher. These range from the traditional apple to quite expensive stationary or pens. Although sometimes chosen and paid for by the pupil, the majority of these are financed by the parents. Even though many parents do not wish to deprive their children of partaking in this tradition, they may be at a loss as to what to get.  One solution would be a gift basket. These come in a wide range of prices with an equally extensive range of contents and the market is catered for by many companies. An alternative to commercial products could be tom turn the process into a project in which the children first research what the teacher has an interest in or likes and then to make up their own basket, filling it with goods to which they have contributed or even made themselves. Such a personal touch often makes the whole process more meaningful both to giver and receiver.

Many school kids prefer to pack their own lunch to take to school. Perhaps they are fussy, have food allergies, or just have certain food preferences that can’t be accommodated by the school cafeteria. You don’t have to worry about food spoiling, as there are many types of insulated lunch containers, that will keep most baskets of food safe and properly cooled. Standard deli meat, peanut butter and jelly, and soup in a thermos can get old after a while. Even the tasty ranch dip and fresh vegetables, looses its appeal after a while.

Students start classes early in the morning, and need to eat nourishing foods for lunch to get through the rest of the day. After a busy morning learning, studying and paying attention to teachers, lunchtime should be an enjoyable time to recharge and enjoy healthy and tasty foods. Unique food items from gourmet food baskets can add punch to a school lunch. Consider, salted nuts, dried fruit, sharp cheddar cheese and savory crackers for a change of pace. Even a bit of chocolate can bring a smile to a student’s face making lunchtime an event to look forward to.

Thank heavens for our teenage babysitter. This summer we hired a neighbor, a young teenager, to spend time with the kids. We thought this would be a big advantage for the kids. We figure with instructions from us, this teenager can keep the kids off line and away from the TV all summer. And guess what? It’s working!

Our wonderful teenager is allowed to walk with the kids to the park, go to the swimming pool and escort the kids on play dates. We have given the teenager an allowance each week for supplies to keep the kids busy. She has purchased paints, books and an old fashioned board game to share with the kids.

The cost of having this teenager spend time with the kids is well worth it, I don’t have to give up my part time job for the summer, the kids don’t have to go off to camp, and I can still monitor what they are doing and best of all- what they are doing is not computer or TV related. The kids are using their brains and getting exercise too!

It’s time to schedule those school physicals! Some of your kids may already have them for fall sports. If not you need to start scheduling. Dr.s offices become very crowded and backed up this time of year due to the high back to school demand.  It can take up to a month or longer to get an appointment.

Don’t hesitate, do it now. Remember to ask the doctor if there are any special considerations with your child’s health and sports. Be sure to write all medications and allergies on the physical form. The nurse and/or ER will need to have that information. Getting the physical completed now will be one less thing to worry about when school starts.

Summer is in full swing. The sun is blazing and the kids are playing. Have you ever wondered as they are out overheating their bodies, how much knowledge their baking minds are retaining from the previous school year? How do you help them minimize their educational losses?

One way you can assist them in keeping their hard earned knowledge is to set aside 2 hours of learning each week. 30 minutes four times a week is not much. Designate each 30 minutes for a particular subject then have them do worksheets or read. Reward them for a job well done. For example in math you can have them do a times table worksheet and give gifts for meeting time limit goals.

Teenagers are notorious for sleeping until noon, laying around until 5pm, eating supper, then heading back to bed just to do it all over the next day. Summer seems to be slept away by most kids. Experts used to discredit any thinking that condoned such behavior, but now have changed their tune and decided that the growing teen body needs the extra sleep. They have actually gone as far to say that the school day starts too early and goes too long.

I won’t ask the kids what they think of that, but I would like to know your thoughts on it. In the meantime, grab a cup of gourmet coffee and wake up!

Water play has always been a fun, cool outdoor activity during the steamy summer months. Playing with water is refreshing and takes the unbearableness out of hot, humid miserable days. Water is cheap and most of the time readily available. Sometimes too available. Kids will swim and play in almost any large gathering of water. They do not care if it is clean or dirty. Before they end up sick or injured, set boundaries and rules for water fun. Explain that some water is unsafe and why it is bad. Give them a basket of gifts like games, puzzles or activity books to help them pass the time in a positive way.  Birthday baskets don’t have to be just for birthdays!

With spring and summer come fuzzy and slimy little critters. Children of all ages are drawn to these miniature versions of adult wild animals. Not only are these wild babies fragile, some of these babies can be extremely dangerous or carry diseases. Certain species can even kill. Look don’t touch needs to be taught to our young.

Take a few minutes to teach your child to enjoy, yet respect, nature and all of it’s inhabitants, especially the youngest wildlife. The gift of nature should be cherished and treated with love and gentleness. Admired from afar, but not touched.

Parents these days don’t like kids to have low confidence, lack of loyalty, or disrespect for their elders. Some cartoons foster bad attitudes and disrespect, but the Japanese anime called “Naruto” created by Masashi Kishimoto is a great way to build you child’s confidence! Giving the gift of morals and values in cartoon form is more effective than always nagging your child.

The main character, Naruto, teaches confidence while Naruto’s friend, Rock Lee, shows kids they need to respect and trust their teachers. Finally, Sakura instills in kids to always try to be stronger. I didn’t like this cartoon at first until I began watching it and realized it portrays positive values. I have also noticed a difference in my child’s attitude towards me. She has matured tremendously and i am lucky to have such a well rounded, respectful 14 year old.

Just monitor how much time is spent in front of the television. TV should be limited to an hour at most each day.

I have an 8th grade daughter. That grade is the upper classmen of the middle school. My daughter loves “ruling the school”, but I have a problem with the freedom the kids are given as far as dress code and that sort of thing. I’ve seen girls walking after school with skirts that are way too high, or shirts that are cut way too low. Most of the girls wear too much makeup, also. It’s not an appropriate way to dress.

We have to remember that theses are our children, and when we send them to school, we want to think that they are being taken care of basically the same way we would at home. Some of my daughter’s friends will kiss their boyfriends in the hall between classes or touch inappropriately. Schools around the nation are beginning to make public displays of affection rules and dress code rules. Hopefully this will crack down on behavior from our young people that most adults wouldn’t even display.

For those students who follow directions and honor the rules and regulations of RaymondsSchools, will receive baskets of food, as a token of appreciation.

Braces are a popular treatment among tweens and teens to correct bite abnormalities. Orthodontics are expensive and require a several year commitment. Unfortunately, children don’t like them and sometimes don’t comply with treatment plans.

Elastics are often used to realign the teeth. Kids tend to forget to wear or replace them. Keep elastics in a noticeable place in the bathroom so they are reminded to apply them each time they brush their teeth. Send a pack of elastics to school in their backpack so they will have extras to put in if one breaks.

Encourage compliance by reminding your child that the more they wear the elastics, the quicker the braces will come off. Let them know that after the braces are gone, their gourmet gift will be a meal of their choice that includes all the foods they like and haven’t been able to eat due to the braces.

Going from Middle school/Junior High to High school is a scary transition. Every 8th grader has heard horror stories about seniors stuffing freshmen in lockers and work loads keep teens up until midnight doing homework. No matter how brave your child is on the outside, they are apprehensive on the inside.

Help your teen through this transition by offering support and little gourmet gift baskets showing how much you care. Let them know you are there for them if they want to talk, but don’t pry. Let them begin the conversation. Another way to get them to open up is you and your spouse can begin talking positive about when you went from 8th grade to 9th and allow your child to join in the conversation.

Administrative Professional’s Day, formerly known as Secretary’s Day, is today, April 23, 2008.  This day is to honor all the administrative professionals and all the hard work they do to keep offices running smoothly.

School secretaries have one of the hardest administrative jobs.  Not only do they schedule meetings, and ensure that all the necessary paperwork is in order, they also know exactly where each child is at any given moment during the day. Our secretaries are some of the best in the business. Show how much you appreciate them by giving them a thoughtful little gourmet gift. They deserve it.

With the coming of warmer weather also comes small dangers, literally. Ticks are not only a nuisance, but can cause health problems also. Two of the most common ticks are the dog tick and the deer tick. Dog ticks are the huge ugly ones that look like a tumor when hanging onto the dog. They become this big size by engorging themselves with blood. These ticks also will be found crawling on us, but rarely attach. The deer tick, on the other hand, thinks we are tasty and are one of the primary sources of Lyme disease.  These ticks can easily be missed when they are young because they are so tiny.

The bacteria from the bite causes an infection. This infection is one of the first signs of Lyme disease and manifests as a bullseye rash that appears around the bite site approximately 1 to 2 weeks after the initial bite. Make sure your child wears light colored clothing while playing outside. Spray their clothing, particularly their lower legs, with a bug spray containing deet. Deet sprays should be used very sparingly on exposed skin. Check your child over when they come in for the evening.

Remove any attached  ticks by grasping it’s head as close to the skin as possible with tweezers, then quickly plucking it out. If your child does come down with Lyme disease, keep them well hydrated and well fed and  make sure they take all their medication.  You can also throw in a Get Well Gift Basket to help them feel much better.

Reading through summer will enhance your child’s skills. Have you thought of how you will implement your child’s summer reading? A good program will incorporate not just reading, but library usage and literacy skills. Start off by going on a trip to the library. This is often overlooked by parents today because of the Internet. Sign your child up for some reading programs. Older kids can even apply for a job at the public library.

Allow your child to set their own reading time and let them pick where. Last year my teenage daughter read for hours after lunch under the tree in our yard. After the book has been completed, listen to them as they talk about the story and ask questions. Have them write their thoughts in a journal or book diary. Give them incentive gifts - food gift baskets -  for a preset amount of books read.

Promote reading with your child. It is an important part of his/her future.  

Developing a strong parent/teacher relationship is paramount to getting the most out of your child’s educational experience. A reliable means of communication should be established and utilized each week, more if needed. E-mail is the easiest and quickest form of communication. Teachers can check their email account on their breaks and between classes. Parents can write and reply at work during lunch and/or in between job tasks.

Three or four times a month just jot out a quick note letting the teachers know everything is going well or ask question about how your child is doing. Remember that emails are notoriously bad about not portraying meaning behind the words so be clear and precise. If you are joking about something you can put (grin) or (hahaha) after the facetious sentence. Stay polite and non-blaming and be sure to thank them for a job well done.

When I was growing up, cursive handwriting was a required skill. Cursive was called writing and non cursive was called printing. Much emphasis was put on learning how to write our letters. Handwriting counted for a lot of our grade. Recently I have realized that my 14 year old struggles with reading cursive. How did this happen? Looking back, it dawned on me that she hadn’t had a lot of “writing” homework in the past 9 years. Yes, there was some, but not near the volume I had as a child. I asked a teacher why this is. I was told that now-a-days it is considered more important to learn programs such as power point and word. I can understand. There are only so many hours in a day and the children need to keep up with technology. To my delight, my daughter has decided to take it upon herself to learn cursive. This excites me to no end. Cursive is a skill I think all children should learn. Who knows when they will have to include a pretty handwritten note with a gift.  If you have time, promote penmanship within your family too.  Later in life, your children will thank you.

What are you doing for spring break? A successful adventure doesn’t have to involve a lot of pre-planning or a lot of money. 

Plan a family outing based on the age of your children. An outdoor Jimmy Buffet concert would not be a good choice.  Parks are always a winner, pack a  with lots of food and snacks! 

Consider science museums during increment weather. They are roomy and allow kids to run free and explore. Adults even enjoy the displays.
Remember the first aid kit. Nothing ruins a fun time quicker than not having the proper supplies for bee stings and scrapes.
Have fun, loosen up, don’t sweat the small stuff. A flat tire can be a great adventure and a learning experience at the same time.

Two or three days before spring break ends, get your children back on their normal sleep schedule in order to make returning to school a little less painful.

The weather is improving each day, but the nice temperatures bring the risk of broken arms, head injuries, and dehydration. Each spring, the incidences of injuries and sports related illnesses rise because children run wild outside after a long winter of being cooped up. We here at Raymond Schools care about your child’s well being.

Now is the time to remind your child to wear his/her helmet while skateboarding and riding his/her bike. Also reiterate the rules of the road. No one wants to spend their spring and part of their summer in a cast. If your little Rascal Randy or Rowdy Rhonda does end up with a broken bone, how about cheering them up with Warm Hugs & Kisses.  Children love these gift baskets because of the wide variety of items packed in them. They also find many uses for the backpack. One popular use is storing small toy parts. Please share some of your humorous stories of how your kids get creative with different boxes, containers, or baskets.

Raymondschools is now in the process of creating a healthier eating environment for our students.  Our goals are to invest in our kids future by providing them the best of foods and services through our schools.

In the calender year of 2009, our lunch menus will drastically change.  Our foods will consist of allot less processed foods and we will slowly incorporate more natural foods into our kids diets.  Their diets are extremely important to us and we will do whatever is needed to make a change.

We will provide allot more vegetables, fruits, wheats, and lean chicken.  We will work to eliminate greasy foods, fattening foods and high cholesterol foods.

We will also began to reward our students who participate in our upcoming “Eat to be Healthy” contest.  The details of this contest are coming soon.  The 1st place winner will receive one of our “A Cut Above” gift baskets that can be eaten anytime during school hours.

The Raymond’s School district will be increasing security throughout all premises. It is important to all of our faculty and staff that each and every student is safe and secure. School security is one of our top priorities.

On each High School and Middle School campus, there will be at least 2 security officers on campus during open campus hours. There responsibility is to handle monitor the outside and inside of the school and handle any escalated issues. There main goal is the make sure students are abiding by the law.

Students are expected to maintain cooperative behavior at all times. We strive on academic excellence and providing a secure environment for everyone.

One of the main things that Raymonds Schools are focusing on is increasing early childhood development.

Childhood development is one of the single most important catalyst to a child being successful later on in life.

If each child has the opportunity to receive exemplary education, in elementary school, then secondary school will be allot easier.

Raymonds schools are now putting together a proactive plan that will bring change to early childhood curriculum and education to a higher level.

We are looking for parental involvement and feedback.  Please get involved and help us make change a priority.