Welcome Letter from Principal
Welcome to Rather Elementary School’s Webpage! I am sure you will find it very informative as well as incredibly user-friendly! A.A. Rather Elementary School (as it is officially known) is a part of the Ionia Public School District. Built in 1960, a 2,004 square foot media center was constructed on the east end of the original building during the 1988/1989 school year. Four 728 square foot classrooms, two small office spaces/storerooms, a hallway, and an entryway were added at the northeast end of Rather School during the 1998/1999 school year.
Rather Elementary School annually houses over 300 students in two sections each of kindergarten through fifth grade. Rather is also home to a Kinderstart Program which has between 10 and 20 students.
Rather Elementary School offers an education in the core curricular areas of English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Students receive instruction in Art, Music, and Physical Education each week by certified instructors. Students also have access to the Computer Lab/Media Center on a regular basis. Children have a scheduled trip to the Rather library one time a week for a half an hour.
Rather School was mentioned as a Best Practices School Building in both the 1998/1999 and the 1999/2000 Standard & Poor’s Report for outperforming the state average, as measured by the proportion of MEAP scores that meet or exceed state standards, despite having above-average levels of economically-disadvantaged students. In 2001, Rather School received a Michigan Association of School Boards Michigan’s Best Education Excellence Award for the Rather Elementary School Reading Club. During the 2004/2005 school year, Rather Elementary School was one of 32 elementary schools in Michigan to receive recognition as a Michigan Exemplary Blue Ribbon School Award winner.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read about Rather Elementary School and some of what it has to offer our students and community. As our motto states, at Rather we are. . .