RSU 14 school district Pre-K program expanding

By Dina Mendros

Maine’s too-short summer is quickly coming to an end and before we know it, the new school year will begin. This year Raymond schools will welcome some new teachers, in particular a new music teacher at Raymond Elementary School after the retirement of Patti Gordon who taught in the district for 41 years. Another change for the 2025-2026 school year is the expansion of the school district’s Pre-Kindergarten program.

Raymond Elementary School, which educates students from
Pre-K through fourth grade, has 258 students registered for
the fall. Some 44 students are also registered in the three
Pre-K classes at the school.  FILE PHOTO 

Raymond Elementary, which houses students from Pre-K through fourth grade, has 258 students registered for the fall. Forty-four students are registered in the three classes of Pre-K at RES.

“Our Pre-K program has expanded across the district. With new community partners and the addition of a class at WPS, all families who registered for the Pre-K lottery have been offered a spot,” said RES Principal Beth Peavey. “For the first time, all Raymond resident Pre-K students selected through the lottery will attend RES.”

Pre-K is associated with many benefits to students. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, “early childhood education interventions like pre-K are associated with increased kindergarten readiness as well as improved long-term academic performance.” In addition, the website said, “the benefits of these programs and policies may also have implications beyond educational benefits. Universal pre-K fits into the growing conversation around the social determinants of health: improving outcomes for children and families by focusing on the places in which they live, work, learn, and play. Studies find that pre-K with parental support and engagement is associated with a higher rate of high school completion, more years of completed education, and higher rates of attendance in four-year colleges.”

In line with the school’s Pre-K expansion, Julie Raymond has been hired as the district’s early childhood coordinator and will be based at RES. She previously worked at the Maine Department of Education where she was the Pre-K expansion consultant as part of its Early Learning Team.

With the retirement of Gordon, Marie Jacques is the school’s new music teacher. She formerly taught at Monmouth Memorial School. Other new teachers include Susan Ray who will replace Kirsten Chansky as the standards-based teacher; Kirsten Chansky will be the district math coach; and Susan Ray is joining RES from RSU 57 with experience as a literacy/numeracy specialist as well as in previous positions as a Title 1 coordinator/RTI (Response to Intervention) teacher.

Some RES teachers, while not new, will be moving into new positions. Sara Childs is moving from Grade 2 to be a Grade 3 teacher and Joy Goddard is moving from Grade 3 to be a Grade 4 teacher. There will also be one less regular education classroom teacher.

Peavey said that another change at RES is that “this fall, we’ll be introducing new schoolwide expectations focused on: Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be Kind.” This is a shift from the previous I-CARE rules she said and align with the overall RSU 14 district framework. “Since many RES students eventually attend Windham schools, having consistent messaging and expectations across schools is essential to support smooth transitions and a shared understanding of behavior expectations.”

The school mascot will also change, Peavey said, from the Raymond Ravens to the Eagles “to align with the rest of the district.”

Facility changes at RES include major HVAC construction. "Once completed, classrooms will have air conditioning, making hot fall and spring days much more comfortable for students and staff,” she said.

Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond will also have a few changes this school year. The school which provides education for Raymond students in Grade 5 through Grade 8 will have some new teachers for its 180 registered students. Ben Ferguson will teach eighth grade English and Language Arts and seventh grade Social Studies; Shannon Lennon is an academic interventionist Ed Tech III; Marshall Maxsimic is a school social worker; and Andrew Wing is the Wellness teacher and JSMS athletic director, according to JSMS Principal Michelle Brann.

Rich Drummond also will teach Wellness along with Wing. The course will combine Health and Physical Education.

JSMS will also offer outdoor education for seventh and eighth graders this year as one of the school’s Academic Enrichment courses.

RSU 14 school start dates are Wednesday, Aug. 27 for Grades 1 through 9, Thursday, Aug. 28 for students in Grades 10 through 12. Half of the RSU 14 Pre-K and kindergarten classes start on Tuesday, Sept. 2 with the other half starting on Wednesday, Sept. 3. <