September 30, 2022 EDition

What a great homecoming week!  From our various Spirit Days to our assembly, fun was had by all! A huge thank you to our Student Government at Ralston Valley. They are amazing! They put in hundreds of hours to ensure that all of our events were safe, inclusive, and fun. The display of school spirit was a site to behold. 


I would also like to thank our faculty and staff who volunteered their time coaching and officiating powder puff, supervising events, participating in dress-up days, and best of all the staff dance. Many of our staff members arrived before school started to rehearse the long-held and favorite tradition of the staff dance at the Homecoming Assembly.  Click on the picture below to view the video. 

It's official – October Count Day this year is Monday, October 3. The most important action you can take to support school funding is to ensure your student attends school on that day. Much of public education funding from the State of Colorado is based on student count, so we encourage you to be sure your student engages in school that day.

Please help us ensure an accurate count by having your student participate in learning that day.  If your student will be absent on Monday, October 3 due to illness, call our attendance line, 303-982-5550 to report the absence. Attendance during the “count window” will help counteract an absence on Monday, October 3.

Thank you for your support of Ralston Valley High School. Every student counts!

Picture Retake Day is October 5!  

Lifetouch will be at RVHS during lunches on October 5 for picture retakes.  Click here for additional details, including ordering information.


For students in Grades 9-11, the picture taken by Lifetouch will be included in the yearbook.  Seniors should submit a senior picture to be included in the yearbook.  The deadline for all senior photos is October 21. Visit the RVHS Yearbook website for more information. 

PSAT National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test


Students in Grades 9-11 will be taking the PSAT NMSQT on Wednesday, October 12 from 7:25- approximately 11:00. Busses will run on this day and lunch will be served.  Any students who remain on campus after they have completed testing will be supervised in the gymnasium until dismissal at 3:00.  Seniors will not be attending school on this day, but it would be a great day for them to go on a local college visit and earn hours towards Senior Seminar.

Strides for  Sierra 5k Race Sunday, October 16th

This year's event will be a 5k run/walk starting at 9:00 a.m., and a 1k fun run starting at 10:00 a.m. at Sierra Elementary, 7771 Oak St., Arvada.  There will be a race village, prizes for each age division, and more. Register at this link,  come join us!  

athletics 

Good luck to golfers Jordan McCaslin, Deacon Colwell, and Makian Maydew at the CHSAA State Golf Tournament on October 3rd and 4th.  City Park Golf Course is the host site for the two days of action. 


Softball earned victories over Legacy and Lakewood this week.  They take on Fredrick this Saturday (10:00 a.m.) and then finish up the regular season next week with Chatfield (home) and Arvada West (away).  First pitch is at 4:00 p.m. for both games


Volleyball swept Bear Creek 3-0 on Thursday night during their homecoming game.  They are on the road for two league games next week.  Tuesday at Dakota Ridge and Thursday at Arvada West.  Both Varsity games are set for a 6:30 p.m. start time.


Football lost a heartbreaker in the final minute last Friday at Valor 27-23.  They will look to rebound Friday night against Lakewood at our Homecoming game.  Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at the NAAC.


Boy's soccer has kept a clean sheet for three consecutive games. Thursday night they shut out Lakewood 4-0 at home.  They will live at NAAC for 5 out of their next 6 games.  Monday at 7:30 p.m. vs Bear Creek and Thursday at 5:00 p.m. against Pomona.


Tennis is looking to finish the season strong.  They beat #11 Mountain Vista 6-1 on Wednesday in the first round of the CHSAA Team Championships.  The #6 Mustangs will be at #3 Regis this Saturday.  Ralston Valley will also be a host site for Regionals the following weekend at the APEX Tennis Center.

RVHS Homecoming Happenings

Lisa Nelson Memorial 5K

RV Pep Rally at Three Creeks K-8

Movie on the Field

Wall and Chalk Art

Powder Puff Game 

Dress Up Week ~ Frumpy Grumpy, Generation Day, Class Colors, Super-fan & Wild Wild West

Foam Dance & Pickleball Tournament  

Homecoming Assembly & Lunch Games

off campus policy

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/guardian. 


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. 

Schedule for week of 10/3

Monday, Oct. 3rd - Silver Day - One Day Count day

Tuesday, Oct. 4th - White Day

Wednesday, Oct. 5th - Blue Day

Thursday, Oct. 6th - White Day 

Friday, Oct. 7th - Blue Day

Advisement Corner

Ninth Grade Advisement

Our freshmen had a blast this past week for Homecoming! As a class, they did a great job with school spirit during the assembly and we had tons of participation throughout the week. Awesome job Class of 2026!

Next week, we look forward to our counselors providing guidance around Signs of Suicide (SOS), parents received communication regarding this through school messenger. 

Counseling Department

GT Parent/Family Learning

Jeffco's Gifted & Talented Program is hosting a virtual family learning night with Seth Perler.  He will discuss tips and strategies for helping your student with executive function skills. 


Date: Tuesday, October 4th

Time: 6:15-8:00 p.m.

Register: Click here  

"The College Funding Coach" Parent Workshop

Parents of any grade-level student are invited to attend a presentation on the "Little Known Secrets of Paying for College" by the College Funding Coach.  This event is specifically for parents of students at Ralston Valley, Standley Lake, and Pomona.  You can choose to attend in person or watch via a live stream. 


Date: Wednesday, October 12th

Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Place: Standley Lake High School, Westminster

Register: Click here  

The Princeton Review "PSAT Week"

With the PSAT/NMSQT coming up on October 12, The Princeton Review is offering two free virtual Strategy Sessions next week to help you prepare.


Dates: Monday, October 3rd & Thursday, October 6th

Time: 8:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m.

Register: Click here  

Upcoming College Rep Visits

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

Merrimack College - Monday, Oct 3rd 9:30 a.m.

University of Utah - Monday, Oct 3rd 2:00 p.m.

Regis University - Tuesday, Oct 4th 9:30 a.m.

Missouri U of Science and Tech - Tuesday, Oct 4th 2:00 p.m.

University of Denver - Wednesday, Oct 5th 9:30 a.m.

Western Colorado University - Wednesday, Oct 5th 11:30 a.m.

Grand Canyon University - Wednesday, Oct 5th 1:00 p.m.

Chapman University - Friday, Oct 7th 1:00 p.m.

Binghamton University - Friday, Oct 7th 2:00 p.m.

Upcoming College Fairs & Events


College Fairs of Greater Denver

Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022 (In- and Out-of-State Colleges)

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Place: Mountain Vista High School, Highlands Ranch

Register: www.StriveFair.com


CSU Engineering Exploration Day

Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Place: Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Register: https://www.engr.colostate.edu/future-students/engineering-exploration/

RVHS Advanced Placement Exam Information


The $96 exam fee for AP testing has been posted to student fee accounts on Jeffco Connect.  The AP exam fees will be due on Friday, October 14th.  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 instituted a few years ago.  Please direct any questions or concerns about AP exam fees or deadlines to Mr. Merkel (Counselor) at  scott.merkel@jeffco.k12.co.us. 

ralston valley happenings

Students in Mrs. Martin's Anatomy and Physiology class dissect a sheep brain during the Nervous System unit.

Spanish 3 students are studying famous pieces of art and artists from all around the Spanish speaking world. This week they created their own "obra maestra" in class, painting landscapes, self-portraits, portraits and still-lifes. Students are exploring their own styles with the artists and genres we studied. We have some surrealist, cubist, abstract, and realistic artists among us! We will use these masterpieces in many of our daily writing, speaking and listening activities to make connections between what we learned about Spanish and Latin American artists. We are connecting Spanish and Latin American art to what we know about history, culture, identity and community to better understand ourselves and others around the world. This unit is always a kid favorite, and we love to see their original creations 

Socratic Seminar discussion in Mrs. Vette's AP Literature class, Socrates would be so proud!

AP Art History students finished their Ancient Greece Unit by participating in the annual "Greek Olympics." In teams, students competed by answering Ancient Mediterranean art history trivia, were judged on designing culturally appropriate clothing for Greek marble statues and ended with a paper plate discus throw. 

(action photo creds to Mr. Scot Gause!)

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