Mustang News
october 9, 2020 edition
School-Based Mental Health Clinician - Remote Learning Support and Suicide Prevention
Kelsey Shelander comes to us from Jefferson Center for Mental Health as the School-Based Clinician at Ralston Valley this school year. Kelsey is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 3+ years of experience in working with teens and adolescents. Jefferson Center partners with schools in the county to provide therapeutic interventions including individual, family and group therapy along with clinical case management for school-based clients. Kelsey is solely located at Ralston Valley to offer these aforementioned direct services as well as offering support to the staff with crisis intervention as needed. If you think your student may benefit from ongoing mental health intervention, diagnosis, and treatment, please reach out to your student’s school counselor! The counselor will be the first point of contact in the process, and once a referral for services has been submitted, Kelsey will follow up with you and/or your student for next steps! Kelsey is excited to be here and grateful for the opportunity to support the students, staff, and families of RV!
Super Test Day - October 14 Schedule
Special Schedule for Oct 12 - 16
Mon., Oct 12 - Remote White day for ALL students
Tues., Oct 13 - Remote Blue Day for ALL students
Wed., Oct 14 - Junior and Seniors in-school PSAT and SAT testing.
Seniors report to school between 7:15 - 7:30
Juniors report to school between 7:45 - 8:00
Approximate end testing time is noon
Wed., Oct 14 - Freshmen and Sophomores asynchronous day (Silver Day/All classes) - Attendance will be taken.
Tuesday, Oct 13 Blue Day remote for all students Wednesday, Oct 14Silver Day - Asynchronous for 9th and 10th grade students
Wednesday, Oct 1411th/12th students testing at RVHS
Th Oct 15/Fri Oct 16 NO School or classes for students
All current Freshmen and Sophomores students will engage asynchronously on October 14th (Silver Day). They will not be participating in testing on this day. Attendance is required.
All current Juniors will have the opportunity to take the PSAT - NMSQT. This test is excellent practice for Juniors prior to taking the SAT in April. Top performers are eligible for scholarship opportunities.
All current Seniors will have the opportunity to take the SAT at RV. This is the State provided SAT make-up date from last April.
If your Junior or Senior will not be participating in testing on October 14th, please send an email to their counselor letting us know. This is extremely helpful for attendance and creating room assignments.
This opportunity is available to both 100% Remote and Hybrid learners.
2020-2021 Student Fees are now Due!
Please go on-line to Jeffco Connect to pay your student's fees for the 2020-2021 school year.
A minus sign (-) in front of a fee indicates a refund. Move over to your basket to apply funds towards an amount owed and your balance will be reduced by that amount.
2nd semester electives will be available to pay in January, 2021.
Fees for bus passes, parking passes and activity passes are not being issued at this time.
Athletic Fees/Season A - If your student participated in a fall sport, please pay the Jeffco sport fee through Jeffco Connect .
Graduation fees (seniors only) will not be charged until second semester.
Senior Interviews
Every year our seniors have the opportunity to run through mock interviews with members of the community, the culmination of a unit that focuses on college and job applications, resume building, and interviewing skills. We are in need of more volunteers to help interview over 400 seniors!
Because of the pandemic, we will be conducting interviews virtually. If you are comfortable handling this level of technology, we would love to have you join us/our students via Zoom the week of October 19. Interviewers will be asked to provide a Zoom link for students to join for their scheduled interviews.
We are still looking for volunteers in these categories:
Education
Engineering
Health Sciences
Bio Sciences
Architecture / Environmental Studies
Law
Military
Public Safety
Skilled Trades
Please contact Erica Fulton at efulton@jeffcoschools.us if you are interested, or have any questions.
Mustang Mentor Program (MMP)
Freshmen Students/Parents and Students who are new to RV this year
A reminder that MMP is required of all Freshman students and attendance is taken! We believe that MMP is an essential component of your student's transition into high school. In a school of this size, making relationships and getting involved helps student's overall emotional well-being and improves our sense of community as a school. Please encourage your student to attend the remaining MMP dates, and to PARTICIPATE! MMP is held virtually on select Fridays from 2:00-2:30. Students join their School Orientation Schoology course and participate in a lesson with their teacher, classmates, and mentors. The remaining dates are as follows: Oct. 23, Nov. 13 and Dec. 4.
Hybrid and Remote Learning Attendance
A friendly reminder that class sizes have been set to adhere to safety and social distancing guidelines. Students are not allowed to move from remote learning to in-person learning until the end of first semester. If your student is a Hybrid student, they are expected to attend in-person learning on the assigned days. If your student is sick and unable to attend in-person, please ensure you call the attendance line to excuse their absence. Students are encouraged to still attend remotely, even if at home ill, but a phone call to excuse the student not being present in the classroom is still required for security reasons.
Athletics Update
Congratulations to the boys’ golf team for a fourth place finish at the CHSAA 5A State Golf Tournament! To put some perspective on that accomplishment, there are sixty-one schools in Colorado with 5A boys’ golf programs! On Thursday, our boys’ cross-country team qualified for STATE with a third place finish in the Region 3 Championships at Monarch High School, and the softball girls made it to the state playoffs before falling to Fossil Ridge.
The football season was supposed to begin tonight with a game vs. Pine Creek, but the Eagles have gone into quarantine. RV has been able to find a last minute opponent and will head up to the mountains to play the Battle Mountain Huskies on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 at Battle Mountain High School. Speaking of football, don’t forget to enter the lottery every week for tickets to our games out at the NAAC. With a limited number of tickets available, students must go to the school website to find the link to register for a chance to win vouchers that will allow the purchase of tickets out at the stadium on game nights. Unfortunately, attendance at lower level football games at the school sites is limited to immediate family members ONLY of the players in the game. No other students will be allowed to attend these games this year.
Remote-only Students Lunch Option
Students who are entirely remote learners may pick up a free lunch on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 1:45 and 2:15. Students should come to the main front doors of the school where they will be temperature-screened, and then proceed to the cafeteria for a free grab-and-go lunch.
Senior Pictures & Baby Ads
The deadline to submit Senior photos for the yearbook is Friday, October 23, 2020.
Senior Baby Ads - Early Bird Deadline is October 20th, and the final deadline is November 17, 2020.
Click here for more information and to submit senior photos. Contact Erica Fulton, Yearbook sponsor, at efulton@jeffcoschools.us
Counseling Department
Advanced Placement Exam
The $95 exam fee for AP testing has been posted to student fee accounts on Jeffco Connect. AP exam fees are due on Friday, October 9th. This is a one-week extension from the previously published date of October 2nd to accommodate the brief delay in fee availability. After October 9th, a $25 late fee will be applied.
These fee deadlines are set to ensure adherence to the College Board's practice of handling AP registration and exam logistics in the Fall rather than the Spring - which had been common practice until changes were made to the program last year.
Please direct any questions or concerns about AP exam fees or deadlines to Mr. Merkel at scott.merkel@jeffco.k12.co.us.
October 13 is Colorado FREE Application Day
Last year, Colorado institutions received nearly 44,500 admissions applications on Colorado Free Application Day. Thanks to your support, we hope to go even higher this year! Here’s what students need to know to participate:
When is Colorado Free Application Day?
Colorado Free Application Day takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020 only. All public, and some private institutions, will waive application fees from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on that day. Watch these videos from Executive Director, Dr. Angie Paccione by clicking here and from Governor Polis by clicking here.
How does it work?
Students must submit a completed admissions application on Oct. 13, 2020. Any admissions applications that have been started but not submitted may not be granted a waiver. Any other admission documents that are not part of the actual admission application that institutions may require (for example, high school transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.) can be submitted before or after Oct. 13.
Each institution will have a unique process to waive the admissions application submission fee. Visit the Colorado Free Application Day webpage to find specific information by institution. Use this weekend to get your applications so you are ready when Tuesday rolls around.
Who should I contact if I have questions or technical difficulties?
If you encounter any technical problems when submitting your admissions application, please contact the Admissions Office of your school of choice. Their contact information will be listed on their website, which you can find on our Colorado Free Application Day webpage.
Federal Student Aid
In lieu of an in-person Financial Aid Night, our usual presenter from Colorado School of Mines has created an on-line presentation. Please watch it with your students!
NACAC Virtual College Fairs
Don't miss it! More than 600 colleges and universities will be online to talk with high school juniors and seniors on each of these dates this fall: Oct 12, Oct 18, and Nov 8. Sign up now at virtualcollegefairs.org. Also available are NACAC Meet-Ups to find the best college fit for you, paying for college, and more.
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 14,000 counseling and admission professionals worldwide since 1937. NACAC and its members are dedicated to ethical and inclusive service to students as they make choices about their higher education future. With promotional support from: Common App.
Senior Seminar
Seniors! Check you Counseling Google Classroom for Session 2 of Senior Seminar. There is information on Financial Aid, Scholarship, Virtual College Visits, and NCAA/NAIA.
Technology resources & Help
Tech Tip - Stay Organized with Google Calendar
Students can use GCal & GTasks to keep track of activities and homework - video instructions
SecurlyHome App for Parents
The SecurlyHome app offers parents the ability to both monitor and control students’ internet activity on district devices at home using the free SecurlyHome app. Once you create a parent account, you will have a real-time view of your child's activity on their school device. You will also get a weekly email from Securly with a snapshot report of that activity
Need Tech Assistance?
Visit our Remote Learning Tech Help Page to view the status of our core tools, access how-to and troubleshooting information, and find out how to get in touch with someone ASAP for tech help.
Please encourage your students to reach out to us for tech help right away so we can get them connected ASAP.
Quick Reference
Administration
Principal - Ms. Buenning, (303) 982-5600
12th Asst Principal - Mr. Litzau, (303) 982-5611
11th Asst Principal - Mr. Ackerman, (303) 982-5595
10th Asst Principal - Mr. Pergola, (303) 982-5604
9th Asst Principal - Ms. Kline, (303) 982-9378
Athletics Director - Mr. Hynes, (303) 982-3563
Counselors
A - Da: Ms. Siegert, (303) 982-5639
Db - Je: Mr. Merkel, (303) 982-5602
Jf - Mi: Ms. Belmear, (303) 982-5680
Mj - Se: Ms. Weber, (303) 982- 5597
Sf - Z: Mr. Giese, (303) 982-8110