March 18, 2022 EDition
Arvada #Better Together
What started as a casual conversation between School Resource Officers turned into a movement in Arvada this week. Officer Deering, SRO at Ralston Valley was made aware that the food pantry at Arvada High School was running empty. Ahead of Spring Break and with two months of school left, this was leaving the program in big trouble for providing their students many of the services they need. Officer Deering joined forces with Officer Gagon, SRO at Arvada West and decided to do something about it. They both brought a request to their respective principals to hold a flash food drive. With a week to plan and collect food, detergent, and toiletries for the pantry, Ralston Valley and Arvada West joined efforts to fill the shelves back up. After sending a simple request out to our staff and coaches we were hoping to fill Officer Deering's patrol car. However, the Ralston Valley Community came through bigger than anyone could imagine. Nearly every club at Ralston Valley had students contribute. Our Spirit squads and athletic teams also contributed in a big way. We also had contributions from individual classrooms, families, and student-run foundations. There are too many to list. All we can say is thank you, thank you, thank you!
When all was said and done, we filled a full-sized Tundra, a 4-Runner, a Rav 4, and Officer Deering's patrol car to the brim. With a push at their team dinner on Thursday night, our girl's and boy's lacrosse teams filled a fifth car. Arvada High School was moved to tears by the abundance of generosity shown by all of you. Again....thank you!
Save the Date: Graduation Meeting for Parents and Senior Scholarship Ceremony
Parents of students in the Class of 2022 should plan on attending a meeting in the auditorium on April 6th at 6:30 p.m.
NEW: Senior Academic Scholarship and Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. at RVHS. Seniors who would like to be recognized for their academic achievements may RSVP and provide scholarship information beginning April 1 via Google form submissions. Please keep an eye out in this newsletter for more information.
51st Annual Jeffco Art Exhibition
Congratulations to the following students who had artwork accepted into the 51st Annual Jeffco HS Art Exhibition. As always, it was a highly competitive year and we are pleased to announce that Ralston Valley will proudly display 43 works from April 8th – May 8th at the Arvada Center.
Senior Signs - Deadline March 28th
Attention Parents and Families of Seniors Class of 2022!!! It Is time to order a Senior Yard Sign to demonstrate your pride in your Graduating Senior to your friends, family, and neighbors! We are so proud of the Class of 2022 for all of their accomplishments!!! Let’s give them a big shout-out!!!!
This is also a fundraiser to help support Ralston Valley PTSA After-Prom, so be sure to get several so that extended family such as grandparents can join in the fun!
Please visit this link to make your purchase https://rvsenioryardsign.itemorder.com/
Signs will be available for pickup the week of April 11, 2022. We will send out an email regarding the times and location to pick up your order. Please note we will not have any extra signs on hand to purchase, all sign sales will need to be preordered using the online store, so don’t wait!!!!
Congratulations Students and Families of our Graduating Seniors CLASS OF 2022!
Student Government
Student Government wants to extend a HUGE Thank You to our community. We were able to donate a total of $73,698.96 in the name of Samuil to Make-A-Wish Colorado!
We are busy in the planning stages of Day Without Hate 2022, where our purpose is to help cultivate a school culture of positivity throughout the week (April 25th -April 29th). Building on the theme of Lifting Others Up we will be sponsoring three school-wide service projects that students can engage in during lunches that week:
Making Bracelets to send to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Project Angel Heart where we will decorate paper Bags for Food donations
Operation Gratitude: Letter Writing to Military and First Responder Heroes
We are also planning on sponsoring a Chalk Drawing Contest and A Student/Staff Talent Show. Submit your video auditions for the Talent Show by March 28th: RV’s Got Talent Show
To Members of the Class of 2022 That Attended West Woods Elementary
If you attended West Woods Elementary and are a graduating senior, you are invited to attend a reception in your honor in the West Woods Elementary Library on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022.
The West Woods teachers and staff are excited to see you and hear all about your future plans. Light snacks will be served.
Please RSVP to Mrs. Kemper (bkemper@jeffco.k12.co.us) by April 29th, 2022.
Baccalaureate Committee Seeking Chairperson
Baccalaureate is a school-supported, but parent-led ceremony to honor seniors. The ceremony is a non-denominational ceremony held during the week of graduation.
Anyone interested in leading a group of highly energetic volunteers should contact Mark Litzau (mlitzau@jeffco.k12.co.us).
athletics
After some warm weather, the girls soccer and lacrosse teams finally got to kick their season off this week. Soccer faced Heritage on Tuesday opening with a 2-0 win by the varsity team. Girls JV lacrosse got a 7-4 win on Tuesday. Unfortunately, lacrosse missed another game due to the snow Thursday. Varsity lacrosse is still waiting on their first game of the year which will now come after spring break.
The boys lacrosse team has gotten two games in, stepping up in the season opener against the #2 team in the state, but falling short against Cherry Creek. They rebounded Wednesday, against Boulder, and saw a 12-3 victory behind some solid defensive play. Lacrosse will play over spring break here at RV on Tuesday at 4:00pm. So if your family is not traveling for the week, come out at home for a great opportunity to see our student-athletes complete.
The girls tennis team placed 2nd at Western Slope Invite this past weekend. The number four doubles team of Drew Felderman and Alex Mabie won the title with 6-2, 6-1 sets in the championship. Additionally, our #1 doubles teams of Adia Farling & Sara Scherff and #3 doubles; Zoey Prokopychn & Parker Lucas placed 2nd. A great start to the season.
Congrats to the RVs boys swim and dive team for a great meet at Carmody on Saturday vs. D’Evelyn. The day saw two state qualifying times for Austin Metzler in the 200 & the 500-yard freestyle. The boys are back in the pool at Meyers today.
Behind some great hitting, baseball is now 2-0. The Mustangs have 30 hits in two games so far this season including four home runs in their season opener against Northfield on Monday. The boys followed up the next day against Boulder with a 16-10 victory on Tuesday. The team will travel to Arizona over spring break for four games.
Both the boys and girls track & field teams won the RV invite at Jeffco Stadium with a number of PR’s to begin the season. Even more impressive was how Ralston Valley students represented our school volunteering and supporting events throughout the day…..and night. A huge shoutout to the Loyd family who ran another great meet to start the spring track season.
Baseball will be back at it today against Boulder with the JV at home and varsity on the road.
Join Us!
RVHS girls and boys soccer programs are joining forces with the “GOAL” of installing a digital scoreboard on our soccer field. Please see the link below to purchase golf balls and join us on April 9th for the girls soccer games and Golf Ball Drop event. Golf Ball Droppers
Advisement Corner
On Monday, students were given time to develop a plan to manage their time more effectively and efficiently during ICE and during their Off Blocks. The goal was to send our students off to Spring Break with no missing assignments. We want them to enjoy this much deserved break. As we look ahead, there is no school for students on Monday, March 28; it is a teacher workday. Students will return to Advisement on Apr 4, 2022. The theme for April will be Healthy Habits. We look forward to sharing important information about quality sleep, trusting relationships, being outside, and taking time for oneself.
Calendar Update
Please note that March 28th and April 22nd are now non-student contact days. The schedule below reflects the changes for the week. There Accountability meeting on March 28th has been canceled.
Week of March 21st - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
Week of March 28th - April 1st
Monday 28th - No School for Students/Accountability Meeting Canceled
Tuesday 29th - White Day
Wednesday 30th - Blue Day
Thursday 31st - White Day
Friday 1st - Blue Day
Week of April 18th - 22nd
Monday 18th - White Day
Tuesday 19th - Blue Day
Wednesday 20th - White Day
Thursday 21st - Blue Day
Friday 22nd - No School for Students
Counseling Department
Colorado Mountain College Info Night
Enjoy an evening with staff from Colorado Mountain College who will answer questions about admissions, financial aid, real world learning, and a low debt college education. There will be presentations, giveaways, and time to have a one-on-one meeting. Register here.
Date: Tuesday, April 5
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Place: Arvada Center for the Arts
Upcoming College Visits
Tuesday, March 29
1:00 p.m. University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus
Wednesday, March 30
11:30 a.m. Willamette University
Jeffco is Hiring Summer SAE Counselors!
Jeffco's School Age Enrichment (SAE) programs are a great fit for high school students looking for their first summer job or upcoming graduates looking for some experience before they move on. Applicants must be at least 16 years old and must enjoy working with children. See this flyer for application information.
RVHS PTSA Scholarship
RVHS PTSA is offering a scholarship opportunity for deserving Ralston Valley seniors who are planning to continue their education at a post-secondary institution. Applications are due by April 15, 2022. Click here for more information and the application.
West Woods Elementary Scholarship
Students who attended West Woods Elementary School for two or more years are eligible to apply for a $500 scholarship offered by the West Woods PTSA. Applicants must have an intent to attend college or a trade school next year and all applications must be received by April 16, 2022 to be considered. To learn more about the application process, please see this flyer.
Cameron Holland Scholarship
The Cameron Holland Memorial Scholarship was established to remember Cameron and recognize a Ralston Valley senior who has established academic, athletic, and character traits that are complementary to Cameron’s memory. To be eligible, students need to have had a 3.0 GPA or higher at the start of their senior year, have participated in a minimum of 2 CHSAA sanctioned sports, participated at least 3 years in one of those sports, and earned a Varsity letter in one of those sports. Letters of recommendation will also need to be submitted.
City of Arvada Golf Scholarship
Arvada Golf is offering two $1,000 scholarships to students who have participated in high school golf and are graduating from an Arvada-area high school this spring. Application requirements include an essay and letter of recommendation and is due May 6. Please see this document for more information and how to apply.
"I Matter" Free Counseling Sessions
The Colorado Department of Human Services has established a temporary behavioral health services program to provide access to mental health services. I Matter can provide at least three free therapy sessions to youth 18 years of age and younger. The program expires 6-30-22. For more information and to schedule a session, click here.
health
RVHS COVID Testing Center
During spring break, March 21-25, the testing center housed at RV will be closed. Students wanting to continue their weekly testing will need to visit the Education Center site (1829 Denver West Dr., Golden). The Education Center site will only be open on Friday, March 25 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Our site will reopen for testing hours on Monday, March 28. The hours will be from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and again 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
School Hubs: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Transportation Hubs: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Education Center Hub: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (Fridays only)RVHS COVID Testing Center
Medication and Self Screening
A few reminders, please screen or have your students self-screen for any COVID symptoms before sending students to school. Please contact me (Kristie.Charron@jeffco.k12.co.us) for any student with a positive COVID test. If your student will be taking any medication at school, please complete the medication agreement form, have your doctor sign, and return to the nurse (this is also for any over-the-counter medications).
Please also continue to send state allergy, asthma, and seizure plans to myself or our health aide (michelle.hanson@jeffco.k12.co.us) in the main office. If your student has any new or existing health concerns that require a health plan, please contact the nurse so that we can get a health plan in place for your student at school.
I have included the link for the Jeffco Health Services Website which has the necessary forms to complete for medications at school.
https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/services/health_services/medications
RVHS Happenings
Spanish 1 classes played a March Madness game to practice current sport and invitation concepts. Each winner had to compete against their classmates to earn their trophy. Here are some of our winners from Señora Hayes' and Señorita Romero's classes. Congratulations to Callie Schlatter, Anderson Card, Grayson Clark, and Isabella Martinez!
In honor of St Patrick's Day, Jazz band, Concert, and Chamber orchestra took their knowledge learned in the Academy of the Science of Sound, and made homemade bagpipes. Students and staff had fun as they performed for the main office!
Quick Reference
Administration
Principal - Ms. Buenning, (303) 982-5600
12th Asst Principal - Mr. Litzau, (303) 982-5611
9th Asst Principal - Mr. Ackerman, (303) 982-5595
11th Asst Principal - Mr. Pergola, (303) 982-5604
10th Asst Principal - Ms. Kline, (303) 982-9378
Athletics Director - Mr. Stadler, (303) 982-3563
Dean - Mrs. Nigut, (303) 982-5101
