DECEMBER 6, 2024 EDition
DECEMBER 6, 2024 EDition
Embedded Files
Make - A- Wish 2025 Silent Auction
Student Government is beginning to seek out donations for our 2025 Make-A-Wish Silent Auction. 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 Monday, January 13th, 2025. To find out more about our donation opportunities and sponsorship program, please contact Bridget Stelzner (student) at 2174241@jeffcoschools.us.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Jenny Braketa (Student Government Sponsor): jenny.braketa@jeffco.k12.co.us
RV Teacher in the Spotlight
Ralston Valley's own Chelle Hambleton, Math teacher specializing in pre-calculus and trigonometry, was spotlighted in the November issue of the Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics newsletter! CCTM is a non-profit organization that supports educators, in Colorado and also across the nation, in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Great job, Chelle!
Second Semester Schedule Release
Second Semester Schedule Release
Given the dynamic nature of schedules and our commitment to providing the best possible learning environment — including the opportunity to prepare for first-semester finals — student schedules for the second semester are still under review and finalization.
Parents will be notified through School Messenger on December 19 that second-semester schedules are available for viewing in Infinite Campus. The notification will also outline the process for paying fees and provide details about the dates and times for the placement review process.
Please consult the Course Selection Guide for additional information related to schedule changes/adjustments.
Sponsor Partnerships
Sponsor Partnerships
Advertise your business with us! We have digital and static signage options available within a variety of sponsorship packages on our new video board in the gym. Your business logo will be displayed digitally during our home athletic contests and other events in the gym for the community and guests to see. Please reach out to Mike Ackerman or Tony Pergola for more information.
Pre-Arranged Absences
Pre-Arranged Absences
In accordance with district policy, absences of one or more days require a Pre-Arranged Absence Form . Criteria for approved absences are listed on the form, and printed copies are available in the attendance office.
Parking 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.
All 11th and 12th graders who have already purchased a parking tag for the main student lot can pick it up in the Finance Office. Tickets will be issued for those who do not have the appropriate parking tag. If there are no parking spaces available when they arrive, they should park in the overflow lot off of Alkire St. They cannot park illegally.
Sophomores with a parking tag, please be reminded that you cannot park in the senior/junior lot, you must only park in the North Lot off of Alkire St.
All students who park illegally or in the incorrect lot will be ticketed. Tickets must be paid in a timely manner so students can retain their parking tag.
At this time, we are sold out of parking tags for all student lots. If we are able to offer more tags, we will include that information in a future newsletter.
All concerns regarding parking passes should be addressed with campus supervisors.
Drop Off and Pick Up
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 - 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.
activities
activities
Ralston Valley PTSA - Gift Cards for Teachers and Staff
This holiday season we would like to gift our teachers and staff with gift cards. Gift cards will be delivered to teachers and staff on 12/20. Gift cards can be donated to the office letting them know that it is for the holiday distribution. Monetary donations can also be made to Venmo @marcia-guadagni. Please have all donations in by 12/18. RVPTSA thanks you for all of your generosity.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054BA4AA2BA20-53772816-gift
Support Ralston Valley Music for Colorado Gives Day
Cameron Holland Toy Drive
Thank you to the RV community for another successful Cameron Holland Toy Drive. We were able to collect over 175 toys!
Speech and Debate Team
The Speech & Debate team has been busy! Many of our students competed on November 22-23 at the Denver East Mile High Tournament and received top recognition against tough competition!
The success continued on Tuesday, December 3 at the December Cherry Creek Congress Tournament with Holden Hanou and Joelle Blatt receiving top speaker awards in their chambers!
Next up, Chatfield Tournament and Overland High School tournament on 12/7!
Peer Tutoring Available
NHS Peer tutoring will run on Wednesdays in the library after school from 3:30 - 4:40 p.m. No appointment is needed, just come as you are! National Honor Society students are excited to work with you! All grades, all classes, and all levels are welcome. Let's learn together!
athletics
athletics
Wrestling - The wrestling season officially opened last night at the Mustang Range. Ralston Valley played host to Littleton and Centaurus in a triangular to get it started in style. Both Varsity and JV teams wrestled concurrently in the gym, making the energy sky-high. Both teams came out of the night 2-0 with dominating victories over both opponents. Good luck to the team this weekend as they head to Fairview for their first tournament of the year.
Girls Basketball - Playing at Horizon's Best in the Next Tournament this week, Ralston Valley opened their 2024-25 campaign in style. In their first game of the season, the girls battled hard and the Mustangs were able to take down last year's 5A state runner-up, Northfield, with a score of 48-44. In the second round, they fell just short over preseason #7 Pine Creek. They will play Fort Collins tomorrow in the third place game.
Boys Basketball - The preseason #1 Mustangs started their 2024-25 season at the Fossil Ridge Tournament with a dominating 81-64 victory over Castle View. They take on the host team, Fossil Ridge, tonight in the second round of the tournament. This is a great early-season road test for Ralston Valley.
Girls Swim and Dive - Congratulations to our Swim and Dive Team. They won their first meet of the year over the weekend against Conifer. They also competed at the Lightning Invite and performed very well. State qualifying marks form Sophia Hineline in Diving, Kierra Daly in the 500 freestyle on her way to a second place finish. Kierra also finished top ten in the 200 IM. Addie Allen 1st in the 50 breast stroke and Emma Logan top ten in the 50 fly. Great weekend ladies.
Hockey - The boys scored a big 6-5 overtime win over #10 Chaparral last weekend. Great game to get the Mustangs their first victory of the season. Huge game tonight for #7 Ralston Valley against the current #1 Valor Eagles. The puck drops at 8:00 at APEX. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Ticketing has moved to GoFan for all Jeffco hosted events. - Ticket sales to all Jeffco events are now are available through GoFan. Cash is no longer accepted at the gates for admittance. You are encouraged to download the GoFan App to help you purchase tickets ahead of time for all home events. This will save you a ton of time at the gate. You can also purchase multiple tickets that are good for the rest of the school year by purchasing a punch pass. Punch passes are good for all Jeffco events, and will save you some money.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the new online ticketing system.
off campus policy
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
Schedule for The week
Monday, Dec. 9 - Silver Day
Tuesday, Dec. 10 - White Day
Wednesday, Dec. 11 - Blue Day
Thursday, Dec. 12 - White Day
Friday, Dec. 13 - Blue Day
Counseling Department
Counseling Department
FAFSA is Now Open!
FAFSA is Now Open!
The 2025-2026 FAFSA form is now available for all students and contributors to complete. The form can be completed by current seniors to apply for financial aid for post-secondary education. Click here for the FAFSA website and a link to create a log in to start a new form.
The 2025-2026 FAFSA form is now available for all students and contributors to complete. The form can be completed by current seniors to apply for financial aid for post-secondary education. Click here for the FAFSA website and a link to create a log in to start a new form.
Apex Youth Advisory Board
Apex Youth Advisory Board
Apex Parks and Recreation District is launching a Youth Advisory Board for 6th-12th grade students in the Arvada articulation area. This board aims to amplify youth voices, foster community engagement, and build partnerships. Click here for an application and/or contact Monica Bowser at Apex with questions.
Apex Parks and Recreation District is launching a Youth Advisory Board for 6th-12th grade students in the Arvada articulation area. This board aims to amplify youth voices, foster community engagement, and build partnerships. Click here for an application and/or contact Monica Bowser at Apex with questions.
Hazel Health
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.
Parents/guardians may access these services on behalf of your student by visiting this webpage and following the instructions under "Steps to Access Care"
Advisement Corner
Advisement Corner
Advisement
Next week is the last Advisement class for the first semester. Both 9th and 10th grade students will celebrate with a Hot Chocolate Party and decorate cookies and gingerbread houses. They will also complete an Advisement survey. Their feedback helps guide the content. There will be no Advisement classes during finals week.
Please click HERE to access the course syllabus for Advisement which explains the purpose, key components, and 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
ralston valley happenings
Statistics Students Use Skills in a Game Show
Ms. Smith's Statistics students used probability and expected value to make decisions to participate in the game show Deal or No Deal.
Molecular Study in Chemistry
Ms. Geinitz's students in Chemistry created molecular models in class. These models give them insight to the three dimensional structure of molecules.
German Class Commemorates the Fall of the Berlin Wall
For the anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, German students listened to the German National Anthem, chose one of the three main objectives that Germans strive for (Einigkeit-unity, Recht- Justice, Freiheit- freedom), wrote a poem about it, and then painted a brick to go with the poem. The students reflected that unity, justice and freedom are also valued in the US, both in history and the present.
French Opera in Denver Field Trip
Madame Leslie's French students attended the dress rehearsal of La Fille du Régiment, a fun, comic opera sung in French, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in downtown Denver.
Art Students in Work Based Learning
As a component of a high-quality Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, student artists in Beginning 2D Arts participated in Work Based Learning. Students artists met with Rachel Bayse, Executive Director of the Art Students League of Denver, an art non-profit organization. Student artists learned about work as they understood Rachel's role as an Executive Director, the nonprofit’s mission, and how the organization impacts the Denver metro community.
Significant Special Needs students came to the Ceramics room to make and paint clay holiday tree ornaments. Their ornaments will be for sale at their upcoming craft fair next Thursday, December 12.
Administration
Administration
Principal - Ms. Buenning, (303) 982-5600
9th Asst Principal - Ms. Young, (303) 982-5713
10th Asst Principal - Ms. Abrams, (303) 982-9463
11th Asst Principal - Mr. Ackerman (303) 982-5595
12th Asst Principal - Mr. Litzau, (303) 982-5611
Athletics Director - Mr. Pergola, (303) 982-5604
Dean - Mr. Duplice, (303) 982-8274
Important Links
Important Links
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