Course Selection for 2023-2024 (cont.)

Whew! For the past three weeks, counselors have conducted individual meetings with every 9th, 10th, and 11thgrade student during their English class to discuss students' course selections for the 2023-2024 school year.     

The deadline for returning completed course selection forms for current 11th Graders is Friday, March 10

Please check out the Course Selection website for additional information regarding timelines, course descriptions, enrollment policies, etc.

Dress Code 

As the warmer weather approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to remind our community of our school dress code.  Ralston Valley places a tremendous emphasis on academics, and we feel it is critical to keep a learning environment that promotes safety and professionalism.  We feel that dress is a form of self-expression, and know that different environments are appropriate for different types of dress.  Please remind your student to keep their attire professional while at school by following our school dress code.  For specific details or questions, you can visit our school handbook, contact the Dean, or speak to your student's grade-level Administrator.

Support the Rare Sisters, a local Arvada Family, at Slick City on March 16th. 

Batten Disease is a RARE, fatal, inherited disorder that affects the Fries Sisters.  The Rare Sisters Batten Foundation aims to help further the development of medical research for treatments and cures for CLN3 Batten Disease, and provide monetary assistance to families with children diagnosed with Batten Disease.  Slide in for fun and support a great cause.  Get your tickets here: https://slickcity.active8pos.com/public/jump-time?date=3%2F16%2F2023&loc=DEN&area=18

Technology Student Association (TSA)

Congrats to RV’s Technology Student Association Club, last weekend they competed at the TSA State Championships! We had seven RV students go toe to toe against 1000+ students from across the state in various engineering and design challenges.

*Special shout out to Kira Coverdale (pictured below) for taking home 2nd place in the Music Production category.

*Riley Olson and Connor Lockridge both gave valiant efforts in a grueling four hour CAD engineering semi-final.

*Noah Alvarez finished in 5th place in the Cybersecurity competition.

*Also, we had top 20 finishes by Lili Neisser in Comic Book Design as well as Alicia Waldrep and Eloise Bucholtz Truong in Fashion Design. 

Way to go Mustangs!

NHS Trivia Night

Students had a great time at the Trivia Night in the library hosted by National Honor Society. 

Due to the nature of our campus, we do not allow students to walk off campus during the school day.  

9th-grade students are not allowed off campus at any point during the school day unless they leave with their parent/guardians. 

If your 10th-grade student is driving, they may leave campus with parental permission.  They are expected to follow local and state driving laws.  Please click on this FORM to give your sophomore child the ability to leave campus with your permission.  

Our campus is not closed to our 11th and 12th-grade students and they may leave campus. 

Ninth Grade Advisement

On March 6th, Advisement classes will begin a new unit,  Understanding Self. Mentor students, 9th grade students, and teachers will engage in conversations around:

What is self? 

Self is you and what you are that makes you different than others.

Why is knowing yourself important?

Students will reflect on this individually, and begin to discuss with peers.

How knowing our self can help with: improving self-esteem, self-image, and self-efficiency?

Students will use this information for future Advisement lessons and reflection on Understanding Self. 

Upcoming College Visits

Representatives from the following colleges will be in the RVHS Counseling Office on these dates and times:

Kansas State University - Tuesday, Mar 7, 9:30 a.m.

University of St. Thomas (MN) - Thursday, Mar 9, 11:30 a.m.

University of Colorado Denver - Thursday, Mar 16, 9:30 a.m.

Scholarships for Seniors

For our most up-to-date scholarship list, please visit the Upcoming Private Scholarships page.  Here are a few highlighted, local scholarships: 

Rooney Ranch Elementary PTA Scholarship due March 17, 2023

Jeffco PTA Scholarship due March 31, 2023

Celebration of Teaching Scholarship due April 7, 2023

Manning Middle School PTA Scholarship due April 14, 2023

Colorado Boys State

For Parents of Junior Boys: Is your student interested in becoming a leader in our community and/or participating in government? If so, they should consider applying for this year's Colorado Boys State which will be held at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO from June 4-10, 2023. At Boys State, young men learn about city, county, and state government through a non-partisan objective education approach during a six-day hands-on experience. Boys State is among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for high school students in the nation. The program cost is paid for by The American Legion. Students can learn more and apply at COLegionBoysState.org. All junior boys received an email this week inviting them to apply. Applications are due by May 1, 2023.

Resource: 988 Mental Health Emergency Number

Each month, a group of students from RV's Student Government will be highlighting a resource for students and their caregivers:

As of July 16, 2022, people in all states will be able to dial 988 for confidential mental health assistance. This new shortened hotline will replace the 1-800-273-8255 number that is currently used.  The shift from the 1-800 number to the shortened number serves several purposes. First, the new number is easy to remember in times of crisis. When there is an emergency, individuals know to dial 911. Unfortunately, 911 centers aren’t often equipped to handle mental health crises and might be forced to redirect calls or respond inappropriately. An uninformed response to a mental health crisis can sometimes worsen the situation and traumatize the individual. Calling 988 ensures you will be met with the resources you need. Doing away with the 1-800 number in favor of the new hotline also serves to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by normalizing getting help. The hotline's very existence recognizes the public's needs and reminds us that it is okay to not be okay. The 988 number fills a long overdue gap in the mental health care system. In addition to destigmatizing mental health, a fully-functioning hotline will increase the accessibility and efficiency of care for those in crisis. Instead of overwhelming 911 centers and triggering unproductive responses, callers will have a direct line to crisis centers, cutting out the middleman and expediting the process.