Hello Mustang Families,

I hope you were able to enjoy some time with your loved ones over Holiday Break.  This past week we welcomed students and staff back for Spring Semester and our building has been filled with positive energy! 

Although it is nice to be back, our thoughts are with the people of Boulder County.  Over the last few days, many students have approached their teachers, sponsors, coaches, and administrators to see how they can help support those affected by the fires. Ralston Valley’s National Honor Society and Student Government have mobilized efforts and are asking for donations of gift cards. These gift cards will then be given directly to Boulder area schools to support families in need. Our music program is also collecting gently used instruments to support Monarch High School students who lost everything in the fire. If you are interested in supporting either of these efforts, please see Activities below. 

Unfortunately, as a state, district, and community we are also struggling with a surge in cases of COVID. COVID has affected many students and staff and as you know, RVHS went to Outbreak Status earlier this school year. RVHS is committed to adhering to the safety protocols and guidelines outlined by county and district health officials. RV is prepared as an organization to navigate the challenging weeks ahead, but we also need your help. Please keep students home if they’re not feeling well or are waiting for COVID test results. Please send your student to school with an effective mask and encourage your student to wear their mask properly while at school.  

Our resolve to provide thoughtful and engaging learning remains strong as we begin a new semester.  Together, we will work to keep our students and staff healthy, keep everyone in school, and keep creating the best possible experience for our students!

Thank you!   

Mica Buenning, Principal 

We are excited to announce that the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2022 will be held at the North Area Athletic Complex (NAAC) at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 20, 2022. Although we were hopeful of resuming the tradition of holding the ceremony at the CU Events center, recent developments regarding COVID and the possibility of vaccine mandates for guests and students required us to explore other options. Fortunately, hosting the ceremony at NAAC has allowed us to maintain the original date and increases the possibility of resuming our tradition of including our award-winning Music Department in celebrating the Class of 2022. 

Ralston Valley Student Government and National Honor Society are teaming up to host a Gift Card Drive for our neighbors in Boulder Valley who were impacted by the recent fires. We will be taking these gift cards to specific schools within the Boulder Valley School District so that they can directly distribute the cards to families within their community. Please consider donating a gift card of any monetary value next week, Monday, January 10th - Friday, January 14th. Please bring these gift cards to the main office. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Student Government ​Sponsor:

Jenny Braketa:   jenny.braketa@jeffco.k12.co.us

Suggested Gift Cards:  Target, Walmart, Restaurants, Kings Soopers, Whole Foods, Clothing Stores, Gas Cards, etc. (Please no Amazon Gift Cards)

Starting February 7th, 2022, Ralston Valley will be hosting our 11th annual Make-A-Wish week. Throughout this series of fundraisers, we set out to create a sense of unification in our community and to raise money for this worthy cause. Ralston Valley has established a proud legacy of raising enough funds to grant multiple wishes each year.  Over our ten years supporting this charity, we have raised $247,506.94 and hope to continue to grow that number with this year’s contributions.

Last year we had a record-breaking effort where we raised over $54,878.00 for Make-A-Wish-Colorado. Part of our success was a result of our Make-A-Wish Silent Auction. At this time, we are beginning to seek out donations for our Make-A-Wish Silent Auction 2022. If you or your company would like to donate a gift certificate or other product/service to our fundraising efforts to be used on our Silent Auction platform, please reach out by Friday, January 21st, 2022. To find out more about our donation opportunities and sponsorship program, please contact xanderweiser14@gmail.com (303-505-6836).

When we return to school in January 2022, you will be receiving more details about all of the fundraising efforts for Make-A-Wish Colorado and our honorary Wish Kid. We hope you have a restful Winter Break.

Ralston Valley Student Government

All 9th-grade Advisement classes began anew on Wednesday, Jan 5, 2022. Semester 2 Advisement lessons will be based on themes around character development. The theme for January is Starting Off Strong for Academic Success, with a special focus on Executive Functioning Skills.  

This week’s lesson focused on understanding Executive Functioning Skills, why they are important, and the role they play in academic success. To better understand that, students completed a questionnaire to determine their strengths and obstacles when it comes to Executive Functioning Skills. Some of those skills include paying attention, organizing, planning, starting tasks and staying focused on them, managing emotions, and being self- aware.

In next week’s lesson, students will learn more about the specific attributes concerning their individual strengths and obstacles around Executive Functioning Skills. To do that, they will identify and implement strategies that will positively impact their academic success this semester.

Jeffco Connect is Retired! 

You will now solely be using your Parent Portal account to update all of your and your student’s information. Your user name and password will remain the same. Basically, all of the information on Jeffco Connect is now housed in the Parent Portal through Infinite Campus.  Please see our website for more detailed information.

You MUST log into the Parent Portal to:

·  update contact information

·  set communication preferences

·  view your student's grades and attendance info

·  pay your fees.

Accessing PSAT scores

As of December 7, students who took the PSAT/NMSQT in mid-October now have access to their scores. Students can log in to their College Board accounts to view their scores. If they have trouble logging in, they will need to call College Board as we do not have the ability to reset their accounts. While on the College Board website, they will have the opportunity to link their account with Khan Academy for personalized study recommendations for the PSAT and SAT in the Spring. Please read this guide to understand your student's PSAT/NMSQT scores. As we get closer to Spring testing, please view the SAT, PSAT & ACT page of the Counseling website for links and resources that students can utilize to prepare. 

Universal Screening for 9th Graders

In January freshman advisement teachers will complete the second window of universal screening, which is a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) tool supporting our multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) process.  The screening is conducted via a strength-based tool for screening and progress monitoring social and emotional competence. Teachers will be asked to score each of their students in the six following areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making, and motivation to learn.  If you would like to opt-out your freshman student from screening or have questions, please contact Mr. Merkel in Counseling by January 20th.  

Free Webinar on Executive Functioning

Learn and apply strategies that encourage students to decrease stress and retain more of what they are learning.  This parent-focused webinar is designed to help parents gain a comprehensive understanding of the executive functioning skills that serve to empower the inspire their child to study effectively.

Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2022 

Time: 5:00pm MST

Register here

Coolidge Scholarship for Current Juniors

The Coolidge Scholarship is a full-ride, four-year, merit scholarship that may be used by recipients for undergraduate study at any accredited college or university in the United States. Any high school junior who plans to enroll in college in the fall of 2023 and is an American citizen or legal permanent resident is eligible to apply (current high school seniors are not eligible to apply). Winners may use the scholarship to pursue any academic major.  The competition for the Coolidge Scholarship is significant -- only a few new Coolidge Scholarships are awarded each year from a pool of candidates that spans the entire country.  The deadline to apply is January 26.  Click here for more information. 

COVID Testing 

Ralston Valley will continue to be a host site for Mobile Health testing through at least January 14th. This site is open to any current Jeffco student or staff member to receive rapid antigen tests. The District is currently developing a plan for testing after the 14th. More information will be available once it has been released to the schools.

Testing at Ralston Valley:

M, W, F: 9:00 A.M. -12:30 P.M. located in the Mezzanine* 

T, Th: 2:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M. located in room R2204*

*For anyone that is not a student at RVHS or is coming to get tested after 3:30 p.m. entrances to both locations are open and marked on the north end of the building.

Mask Up! 

Please help us by reminding your student(s) to bring and wear their mask correctly while at school. Completely covering their nose and mouth will help us foster a positive culture, keep all students in school, avoid quarantines, and keep our students and staff healthy! Thank you! #BetterTogether