RVHS NEWSLETTER - Aug. 30, 2024

August 30, 2024 EDition

Dear Mustang Families,

I am absolutely thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our math students! It is with immense pride that I share the remarkable news of Ralston Valley's exceptional performance on the 2024 SAT math assessment. Our students' scores not only surpassed the district, state, and national averages, but they also showcased the incredible dedication and talent of our school community.

While these high scores are certainly cause for excitement, what truly fills us with pride is the extraordinary growth our students have demonstrated through the state assessment. The median growth at the 50th percentile typically reflects average progress across all schools, but Ralston Valley scored beyond expectations with a median growth at the 69th percentile. This is nothing short of amazing!

Please join me in celebrating our students' phenomenal success and the unwavering dedication of our teachers. Together, we are achieving greatness!

Well done Mustangs!

Warm regards,

Mica Buenning

Principal, Ralston Valley High School

*You may review these results and other information on our School Insights webpage.

Student Insights Tool Available

Student Insights is a resourceful tool for K-12 families and students in grades 6-12 to view current and historical assessment data and plans that are applicable to your student.

2023-24 CMAS student score reports are now available electronically in Student Insights. Our school will also be sharing paper reports with families on August 21st at Back to School Night and September 25th at Parent Teacher Conferences. If you would like your paper reports sooner, please request this with Stacy Young, School Assessment Coordinator at stacy.young@jeffco.k12.co.us

Log in to Student Insights here using your Infinite Campus parent portal login credentials to view the following applicable* information:

Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) - 2023-24 results now available!
ACCESS for ELLs results - 2023-24 results now available!
MAP Growth results
READ Plan goals and supports
Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) goals and programming supports
Graduation requirements progress report
High School Transcript Grades

Click here to learn more about Student Insights and here to learn more about our state and district assessments.

*Available data listed above is based on student grade levels and programming

Hazel Health

Mental, social, and emotional wellness of students is a priority that we share with our community and one that we are addressing with layers of support including school counselors, social emotional learning specialists, school psychologists, social workers along with partnerships with outside agencies like Hazel Health.

This year, we continue our partnership with Hazel Health’s Telehealth services to provide a free telehealth extension of mental and physical health support for Jeffco students enrolled at district-managed schools accessed at home with a parent/guardian.

Parents/guardians may access these services on behalf of your student by visiting this webpage and following the instructions for – Steps to Access Care.

Panorama SEL Student Survey

RVHS will be giving students the Panorama Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Student Survey. This is replacing the Universal Screener that has been in use for the past couple of years. The survey will be administered in the fall and winter. If you would like to learn more about the survey or opt your student out of taking it, please click here for more information.

Parking Information

Any student who wishes to park their vehicle in the RVHS student parking lots, must have a parking tag. All school registration requirements must be met before obtaining a parking tag, including any fees and fines paid. Due to the limited number of parking spaces available, there will be a limited number of tags available to purchase.

Seniors and juniors will be allowed to park in the west and southwest parking lot, as long as there are available tags. The north parking lot (off of Alkire) will be available for sophomores and overflow for juniors and seniors.

To obtain a parking tag, seniors and juniors should fill out this parking registration form. The $125 district parking fee will be placed on all senior and junior accounts. If you DO NOT want to purchase a parking tag to park on school property, DO NOT pay the fee. Any unpaid parking fees will be taken off accounts starting Tuesday, September 3. Students who have filled out the registration form online and paid the parking fee in Campus, can pick up their parking tag in the cafeteria during I.C.E on August 20 and 22 for seniors, and during I.C.E. on August 27 and August 29 for juniors.

Sophomores who would like to park on campus should fill out this parking registration form. Once the form is filled out, the registration fee in campus labeled, "24-25 Gr 10 Lot Fee", will be placed on your account within 1-2 days. Once the fee has been paid, students can pick up their parking tag during I.C.E. on August 27 and August 29 in the cafeteria.

All concerns regarding parking passes should be addressed with campus supervisors.

Parking will be enforced and tickets issued for vehicles not properly tagged beginning on Tuesday, September 3.

Drop Off and Pick Up

It is a great time to remind everyone to be thoughtful of our neighbors and student body during drop off and pick up. We must keep the right of way clear for emergency vehicles and through traffic. With only one road to enter and exit a building this size, with this many people, the roads at the school will always be congested. There are a few things we can do as a Ralston Valley community to help make these busy times of day run as smoothly as possible.

Main Entrance - Dismissal is at 3:30 p.m. and we ask that you do not arrive to pick up your student and park in the loop before 3:00 p.m. Please be sure to pull as far forward as you can in the loop at the front of the school when dropping off or picking up your student. This helps to alleviate backups in the roundabout and get as many cars off of 80th Ave. as quickly as possible. Also, please pick up your student on the outside of the loop, not the inside. We do not want students passing in between cars as this is not safe.

Student Parking Lot - In order to keep our students safe, please do not park in our student parking lot while you wait to pick up your student(s) after school.

Roundabout - The roundabout is part of the road. Please do not park in the roundabout while waiting for dismissal time. This blocks the flow of eastbound traffic and prevents traffic exiting to the east from leaving campus as well. Please do not stop and pick up your student in the roundabout or on 80th Ave.

Fire Station - As traffic backs up on southbound Alkire, please be sure to leave room for our first responders to exit the firehouse safely and without obstruction. Do not block the exit of their garage.

82nd Ave. - Please pay attention to posted road signs along 82nd Ave. There are multiple speedbumps on 82nd Ave., making it necessary to go the speed limit or slower to ensure safe driving and prevent damage to your vehicle. There are also multiple No Parking signs along 82nd Ave. next to the school's property. Please do not park there to pick up your student. Finally, and most importantly, please do not park across the street and ask for your student to run across 80th Ave. to be picked up. This is highly dangerous!

Thank you for your continued diligence when driving in and around Ralston Valley.

FROM THE CAFETERIA

All students in Jeffco Public Schools will have access to free, healthy and nutritious school meals in the 2024-25 school year thanks to the Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA) program approved by Colorado voters.

Meal Service for the 2024-25 School Year

Students must present their school issued ID to receive their free, healthy and nutritious school meals.
Menus will be posted on School Café, as well as in the schools.
On School Café, you may also place restrictions on your student's account regarding what and/or how frequently they may purchase a la carte items.
Contact Erika Edwards, Director of Operations, Food and Nutrition Services at 303-982-6678 with questions about meal service.

We encourage all families to complete the HSMA Combination Form. To access this form, you must log in to School Café or set up a new School Café account (you will need an account and may not complete a form as a guest). Completion of this form will help with additional education funding for schools and may allow for waivers of school-related fees such as:

· AP Fees

· Athletic Fees

· Band/Vocal Fees

· Field Trip Fees

· Graduation Fee

· Parking Pass Fee

· Technology Use Fee

· Testing Fees

· Transportation Fees

All household income information provided through the HSMA Combination Form is strictly confidential and protected by law. Please note: Only one form is required for all students in the household. Contact Lorena Gomez-Vazquez, Free & Reduced Specialist, Food and Nutrition Services, with questions about applications at FreeandReduced@jeffco.k12.co.us
While online forms are preferred, paper forms will be available at the Food & Nutrition Services office located at 809 Quail St., Building 1, Lakewood, Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and also at your student’s school.
Additional meals or a la carte items may be purchased by a student using cash or their School Café account.
Contact Katie Jeter, Director of Resources, Food & Nutrition Services at 303-982-6879 with questions about applications.

activities

Ralston Valley Club Fair

Today, students had the opportunity to learn about and sign up for the 35+ clubs that are offered at Ralston Valley. Please check out our WEBSITE to see all of the opportunities that students had last year to get involved outside of the classroom. The website will be updated following the Club Fair.

Ralston Valley PTSA

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year. The Ralston Valley PTSA is looking forward to another great school year supporting the students and staff at Ralston Valley. Please take a moment and register for the PTSA by going to the PTSA website (rvptsa.digitalpto.com) and using the link on the right side. By registering we will be able to contact you to let you know what is happening with the PTSA.

In addition to registering for the PTSA we are looking for volunteers to serve this year and hopefully beyond. We have positions that may be ideal for parents of freshman students as they can serve for the entire time their student is at the school. Please reach out to the PTSA at rvptsa@gmail.com and we can discuss what options we have go from there.

Our meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the school. We will do our best to update the website with any changes to either the meeting date, time, and/or location should we need to make changes. By registering we will have your email address and we will contact you through email with the same information should things change. Additionally, if you are on Facebook please head over to our Facebook page Ralston Valley High School PTSA and give it a follow as updates get posted there as well.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the PTSA at rvptsa@gmail.com

I look forward to seeing and/or meeting you throughout the school year.

Scott Cochran

PTSA President

RV Mountain Bike Team

The Ralston Valley Mountain Bike Team kicked off the 2024 season with a hard fought 3rd place finish in their new division. The JV Boys took an early start and Colin McVey led the squad home with a 25th place finish. Our significantly expanded Varsity squad, consisting of Clara Appel, co-captains Jack Kardys & Jackson Martin, Jacob Behrends, and Cavin Dougherty had excellent luck in their first Varsity races with Clara landing on the podium in 4th place. The Freshman riders, led by Noah Snelling and Amelia Imker, performed admirably in their first races. The Team finished only 240 points out of second place and is looking forward to challenging for that position in Steamboat Springs in two weeks!

Homecoming 2024

RV's 25th Homecoming Tour is quickly approaching: Monday, September 9th - Saturday, September 14th. Check out the RV Homecoming Website to learn what Student Government has planned, including Spirit Days, lunch activities, after school fun, and of course the traditional Homecoming Dance!

RV Homecoming Website

Lisa Nelson 5k Memorial Run/Walk

To wrap up Homecoming Week 2024, we invite you to participate in the Lisa Nelson 5k on Saturday, September 21st. The Lisa Nelson 5k is a community event where we walk, jog, and run in loving memory of a former Ralston Valley volleyball coach, Lisa Nelson. There will be a pancake breakfast and fun activities after the race and during the awards ceremony. We encourage all members of the community to participate in this fun event and help us celebrate such an amazing woman’s life.

Registration Forms

athletics

Welcome to the 2024-25 Sports Season

All Fall Sports will officially have begun following tonight's football game at the NAAC. A great chance to catch two games for the price of one. Flag Football will play Cherry Creek in a rematch of last year's semifinal game at 5:30 followed by tackle football's opener against the defending 4A State Champions from Erie at 7:00 p.m.

Flag Football - Opening weekend for CHSAA's newest sport was very lucrative for the Mustangs. Ralston Valley beat Northfield on Friday night and followed that win up with two more wins on Saturday against Horizon and Cherokee Trail. Ralston Valley is 3-0 and has won their first three contests by a combined score of 144-0.

Volleyball - had a great week to move to 2-1 on the season. They went up to Fort Collins on Tuesday to play the Lambkins in a rematch of last season's Regional final. After the dust had settled on this five set thriller, the Mustangs walked away on top 3-2. They followed up that performance with a sweep of Erie last night at the Mustang Range. They are at the Chaparral Showcase this weekend in a great early season tournament.

Soccer - is in the middle of a great tournament at Arapahoe this week. Following a tie against Regis to open up the tournament, they dropped a heartbreaker last night to Arapahoe 5-4. They will look to bounce back against a tough Lutheran team tomorrow at Littleton Public Schools Stadium.

Cross Country - had their first meet of the season last week at the Gator Invite. A lot of great performances led to the boys finishing 3rd and the girls finishing 4th. Keaton Westly finished 11th overall to pace the boys and Eliana DiManna finished 10th to lead the girls. Good luck at today's D'Evelyn Dash.

Golf - The boys have hit the halfway mark of the league schedule. They are currently 4th in the team standings. Congratulations to today's top performing Mustang at Indian Tree, Dylan Brackle. He shot a very impressive 71 to lead the team. Good luck next week at Hyland Hills.

Softball - is at the Broomfield Tournament this weekend. Tuesday saw an offensive explosion where the Mustangs put up 17 runs against Green Mountain. Good luck this weekend to them as the take on Broomfield, Horizon, Mountain Vista, and Highlands Ranch.

Tennis - opened last night in Fort Collins with Fossil Ridge. A hard fought match by both sides saw the Mustangs come up short losing 5-2. Wednesday will be their chance to bounce back in the open league play at Golden.

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 parents/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.

Schedule for The week

Monday, Sept. 2 - Labor Day Holiday, NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, Sept. 3 - White Day
Wednesday, Sept. 4 - Blue Day
Thursday, Sept. 5 - White Day
Friday, Sept. 6 - Blue Day

Counseling Department

Upcoming College Visits

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

Colorado School of Mines - Tuesday, Sept. 3 - 8:15 a.m.

Colorado College - Wednesday, Sept. 4 - 11:45 a.m.

California College of the Arts - Tuesday, Sept. 10 - 9:00 a.m.

University of Colorado Boulder - Tuesday, Sept. 10 - 1:30 p.m.

CDHE's FAFSA/CAFSA Fun Day

The Colorado Department of Higher Education is hosting an on-line event with engaging FAFSA/CAFSA trivia and an open forum where students and families can get answers to lingering questions or concerns about the FAFSA/CAFSA. Every participant who answers a trivia question correctly will receive a gift!

Date: Thursday, September 12, 2024

Time: 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Registration: Required - click here

Transportation & Construction Girl Day

Girls who are interested in pursuing a career in transportation and/or construction are invited to attend an event to learn more through exhibits such as heavy & survey equipment, drones, welding & soldering, computer traffic program, VR design, electrical escape room, pipe bending, and paint & excavator simulators.

Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Place: Jefferson County Fairground

**A bus will be provided for students to/from RV and the Fairgrounds**

Jeffco Performing Arts College Night

Has your student considered pursing music, theatre, or dance in college? Representatives from the top performing arts programs in Colorado are coming together for an evening to answer your questions and give away some swag!

Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Place: Jeffco Ed Center, 1829 Denver West Dr, Building 27, Golden

Colleges Attending: CU Boulder, UNC, CSU, DU, UCD, MSU

Denver National College Fair

The National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) is hosting a college fair this fall with over 200 colleges. This is a great way for juniors to start building their college list and for seniors to meet with representatives of colleges to which they may/will be applying. Click here to register.

Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024

Time: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Place: Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver

"Cal State Apply" Info Sessions

If your senior is interested in applying to a Cal State school ("the other CSU"), it might be beneficial to attend one of their application sessions listed below. Reps from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Diego State University will share information about applying to any Cal State school.

Session 1: Thursday, September 5 @ 6:30 p.m.

Koelbel Library (Forum Theater), 5955 S. Holly St, Centennial

Session 2: Tuesday, September 10 @ 6:30 p.m.

Broomfield Library (Eisenhower Meeting Room A), 3 Community Park Rd, Broomfield

Advisement Corner

Advisement

This week, 9th grade students explored the concept of time management, and how to intentionally build time into their daily schedule for their homework. The strategies of using off blocks and time during I.C.E. were covered. They also participated in the Hearing and Vision Screening from Health Services.

In 10th grade, graduation requirements were discussed, using the ICAP tool with counselors. Students also learned about what post-secondary workforce readiness looks like.

There will be no advisement classes on Monday, Sept. 2nd due to the Labor Day holiday.

Please click HERE to access the course syllabus for Advisement which explains the purpose, key components, and the expectations, including grading and attendance.

Reminder - If your student has Advisement on Thursday mornings, it will be from 8:15 to 9:00 a.m. before the start of I.C.E.

ralston valley HAPPENINGS

German Honor Society Officers

The Deutsche Ehrenverbindung (German National Honor Society) has new officers for the 2024-25 school year. Graham Dickson - President, Jackie Woycheese - Vice President, Brooke Rumley - Secretary, Abbie Drye - Treasurer, and Codi Bueter and Lily Grau - Website. Congratulations!

Last year's level 3/4/AP German class came first in the Goethe Institut's Bundesliga Total competition. Each month, the class had to answer questions about German soccer games and predict the scores of some of the games. The class received a soccer jersey signed by the members of the VfL Wolfsburg soccer team. They also received a selection of soccer jerseys, scarves, a soccer ball and lots of little soccer-themed stress balls.