LEAD Center

📣 Schedule Reminder!
Students will have an early release on Thursday, October 30th, and there will be no school on Friday, October 31st, for Parent-Teacher Conferences and Staff Collaboration. We appreciate our families’ partnership and our staff’s hard work! 🍎💬

Just a reminder: Friday, October 10, is a non-school day for students due to staff collaboration.

We hope to see our community later that evening at the High School Homecoming tailgate and football game! 🏈🎉

🚜💻 Big moves at the LEAD Center! Our students got hands-on experience with a CAT simulator, learning what it takes to operate heavy machinery — no hard hat required (this time 😉).

At Ray-Pec, we have real opportunities to explore, engage, and build the future you want. 👷‍♂️👩‍💻

#ChoiceHappensHere

📣 Online registration for the 2025–2026 school year is now OPEN! 📝
All families must complete residency verification as part of the process.

🔗 Visit Ray‑Pec’s Back‑to‑School Overview to get started and submit your proof of residency: www.raypec.k12.mo.us/page/back-to-school-overview

Secure your student’s spot today—let’s make 2025–2026 a great year! 🎒✨

More than 100 Ray-Pec staff members recently completed CPR/AED training! The training was sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and was provided free to employees by the Raymore-Peculiar Wellness Team. After completing online training modules, staff gathered on May 5 at the LEAD Center to complete the assessment.

Tarion Shelby, at right, was hired this semester to work in our Child Nutrition Department at Shull Early Learning Center with Tracy Hoover. Tarion was a Transition Skills student at the LEAD Center. The partnership resulted in a positive experience for Tarion and for Shull.

Kelly Brucher and Jeremy Baum from JE Dunn toured the Integrated Learning House in late April! JE Dunn has been a major supporter of the ILH, and we’re grateful for their generous contributions. The tour, led by Student Mylee Schroeder, also included Scott Dobson and Joe Ketchum — a great day with great partners!

This past Friday, Students from the Enterprise and Design Program visited the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. They heard from museum employees such as Conservators, and Community Outreach Specialists about what their job is, and why it’s important to the museum. They also received a tour of multiple galleries, discovering why art is impactful and necessary to our society.

Ray-Pec plans to have in-person school tomorrow. We don’t usually send a message when schools are going to be OPEN, but after last week, it seems like a good idea! If there is a change to our plans for tomorrow, we will communicate by 5:30 a.m. Please remember to use caution while driving, especially in the southern parts of the district; be patient about possible bus delays, and make sure that students dress warmly. Monday morning temperatures are predicted to be cold!

Due to the severe winter weather conditions, there will be no school on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. This will be a traditional inclement weather day and no virtual learning classes will be held. This is a significant storm that will take time to clear and make roadways and walkways passable. Our goal is to have students back in our buildings as soon as we can, but we realize that the timing and severity of this storm presents us with challenges. Our Ray-Pec building and grounds crews will continue to work with our cities’ and county public works departments and our bus transportation provider to bring us back to workable conditions as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding. A decision as to how to make up today’s inclement weather day will be made later in the school year. Activities All elementary school, middle school, and high school after-school activities and evening events will be canceled and/or rescheduled. Child Care BOOST (Best Out of School Time) is the program that provides before- and after-school care. BOOST will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6.

Katie Huff and three LEAD Center students appeared on SONIC Locker Room Radio yesterday to explain what the Enterprise & Design program is and showcase how Special Education is integrated as well. Give it a listen! ⤵️ https://slr.news/schools/raymore-peculiar/11-13-24

Ray-Pec Learning Lens is back with another episode! 🎥 https://youtu.be/z10buXhRSNs Today the Electrical Studies program at the LEAD Center spent time working on the new Heavy Equipment Operating facility on the East campus! What a fantastic Real World Learning experience! 💡🤩 To learn more about the Electrical Studies and HEO program visit our website: raypec.org/o/lead/

Last night the Board of Education recognized Kaitlyn Doss and Jennifer Johnson for their National Board Certification. Last spring, both of them took steps to obtain accreditation through the National Board Certification of School Nurses. Jennifer Johnson is the district’s nurse supervisor. Kaitlyn Doss is a nurse at the high school. This board certification is a formal recognition of advanced knowledge, competence, and a personal commitment to excellence in the specialty of school nursing. The mission of the national board is to advance the health and learning of students, and wellness of the school community, through a rigorous national certification process. Their certification is good for 5 years.

Today the LEAD Center hosted educators from around the country as part of the Kauffman Foundation's New Pathways to Real World Learning conference. Visitors were able to speak to a student panel about their experience in Client Connected Projects, get a tour of the LEAD Center and the programs housed there, and take part in a Client Connected Project workshop led by Ray-Pec staff members. 👏

Don’t forget! All schools will be closed on Monday, 9/2, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Schools will also be closed on Tuesday, 9/3, to allow for staff collaboration and planning activities.

Don’t forget! All schools will be closed on Monday, 9/2, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Schools will also be closed on Tuesday, 9/3, to allow for staff collaboration and planning activities.

The Ray-Pec High School Boys' Soccer Team invites you to eat at Culver’s in Raymore from 5 to 9 p.m. tonight, Aug. 26. Ten percent of sales, plus tips, will be donated to the team. Team members will deliver food to patrons eating inside.

The annual sales tax holiday begins tomorrow! Certain back-to-school purchases such as clothing, school supplies, computers, and other items are exempt from state sales tax and local tax. The perfect time to load up on school supplies! raypec.org/page/back-to-school-overview

🚨 REMINDER 🚨 To assure that your student is assigned to a bus route for the first day of school, please complete registration by Aug. 2. Students who are registered after Aug. 2 can still receive bus transportation, but it might not be routed for the first day of school. Begin the registration process using the new Focus student information system: https://www.raypec.org/page/focus-for-parents

The grades of students involved in a sport or activity continue to be higher than the grades of students who do not participate in an activity. In her annual program update, Activities & Athletic Director Dr. Kristina Martin shared yearly GPA averages for the 2023-24 school year: Athletics: 3.42 Band/Choir/Orchestra: 3.5 Drama: 3.695 Scholar Bowl: 4.31 No Sport or Activity: 2.86 1,051 students at Ray-Pec High School were involved in one or more sports or activities last year, including the newly added esports program and Girls Flag Football who was one of 32 teams to compete for a national championship, representing the Kansas City Chiefs. An additional, 1,416 students participated in an activity at the middle school level. See the entire presentation here: raypec.org/page/2024-2025-board-meetings