Ray Kramer

Dear Families,  

My Background

I grew up in Forked River, New Jersey which is on the Jersey Shore.  I went to college at Richard Stockton College and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Literary Studies and another in Elementary Education.  Upon student teaching in 7th and 8th grade Language Arts, I was hired at the same school from which I student taught, Lacey Township Middle School.  Fun fact, I was among the first graduating class from this same school when it opened in 1998!  While teaching, I received my Master’s Degree as a Reading Specialist.  I have worked closely with the Arts in Middle School; I was an assistant director for the Drama Club and Chorus, and I even co-DJed school dances. In school sports, I was a scorekeeper and chaperone of basketball, volleyball, and track and field. I acted in and helped create an award winning town-wide PSA for an anti-drug campaign, received an award for WJRZ’s Teacher Who Rocks, received staff member of the month amongst all colleagues in my district, and received nominations for Teacher of the Year.  

Prior to moving to Vermont, I taught in 5th, 7th, and 8th grade throughout thirteen years of my career.  My wife and I fell in love with Vermont and decided it was time to move toward the mountains where we love to spend our time.  Our current home is in Barre Town, where I taught 3rd grade for three years.  I am excited to embrace my first year at Stowe Elementary School!

Classroom Community

Being part of a class is largely about building a positive community.  I have a passionate drive to consistently create an engaging, welcoming, and successful differentiated environment for students of all walks of life.  While adding humor to the classroom, I believe in harmonious relationships and building upon that throughout the year. I am known to have a unique classroom management style that promotes engagement with one another, problem solving, and fun while doing it. 

Snacks and Water Bottles

I feel that it is important for students to take snack and water breaks throughout the day. Therefore, I ask that you send your child to school with a healthy snack and a water bottle to fill (no glass, please). They can keep these water bottles at their desks and hydrate on a regular basis.

Planner

Weekly/Daily Assignments - All assigned work will be recorded in the student planner by the student and will vary from week to week. As a Fifth grade team, our goal is that you are discussing the planner with your child on a daily basis so there are no surprises. I will be checking for nightly reading progress at the start of each day. Your child is expected to read 5 nights a week for a minimum of 45 minutes each of those nights. 

Communication

If you need to contact me, please email me at: raymond.kramer@lamoillesouth.org. I typically check email first thing in the morning, during unified arts, and at the end of the school day. You can also send a note in with your child or write to me in the daily planner. I am happy to schedule a time to meet with you about any issues or concerns as needed. If you need to reach your child before the end of the school day I recommend calling the office to deliver a message to me; this will ensure that your child and I receive the message by the end of the school day.

I seriously am elated to be working with your children this upcoming school year!

All the Best, 

Ray Kramer