RVHS NEWSLETTER - Feb. 7, 2025

February 7, 2025 EDition

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences will be Thursday, February 20th from 4:00-7:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet and check in with your student's teachers. All teachers will be in the main gym and the small gym. Please make every effort to keep your conferences to five minutes. If you have topics that you would like to discuss that will need more time, feel free to set a follow-up appointment or phone call.

Course Registration for the 2025-26 School Year

Students in grades 9-11 have officially begun the course registration process for the 2025-26 school year. Thoughtful and informed decisions about course selections are essential in supporting students on their path toward graduation and preparing for their future goals.

To assist with this important process, we encourage families to consult the Course Registration Website, which offers comprehensive resources, including:

Step-by-step guidance for the selection process
Course descriptions
Registration due dates
Enrollment policies

Please take some time to review these materials together and discuss options that align with your student's academic and post-secondary goals.

Thank you for your support in helping students plan a sucessful year ahead!

VanArsdale Elementary Thirty Year Celebration

Come help VanArsdale celebrate their 30th year in the Ralston Valley articulation area!

Mustangs Madness Spirit Sale

Looking to update your gear for the spring? Or, welcome your new Mustang with some Ralston Valley clothing before next school year? Now is your chance to order the latest Ralston Valley swag during our spring sale. Click on the link below to browse the online store. The deadline for orders is February 10th and gear will be delivered to the school on March 4th.

Online Store

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

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

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

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.

ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC SUPPORT & TUTORIAL CLASS

Courses titled 'Tutorial' were added to student schedules. Students and families will notice that a section of Tutorial for each of their teachers has been added to the I.C.E. section of their schedule.

Beginning Tuesday, February 4, students earning a D or an F in a course at the time that teachers submit grades are required to attend I.C.E. for additional academic support. The Tutorial class is a placeholder course and is used to track attendance for those students who are required to attend I.C.E.

The expectations of I.C.E are:

Attendance in I.C.E. will be mandatory for ALL students with a D or F in any of their classes.
Parents will receive a phone call notifying them that their student’s attendance is required in I.C.E. during the segmented portion dedicated to the class in which they have a D or an F.
Students earning an A, B, or C are still encouraged to attend I.C.E. for additional support; however, the segmented portion of I.C.E. will be dedicated to improving the learning of students who are currently earning a D or an F.

The schedule for I.C.E. can be found by clicking here.

SENIOR BULLETIN

The latest edition of the Senior Bulletin was sent to households of seniors earlier this week. Be sure to check your inbox for detailed information related to the following:

Graduation Website
Senior Signs: Click here for additional details and to order by March 24. NOTE: Proceeds benefit RVHS After Prom.
Senior Panoramic Picture: Tuesday, February 18. Preorder here.
Save The Date: Parent Graduation Meeting: Wednesday, April 9.

activities

Winter Guard Takes First Place

Ralston Valley's Winter Guard went to their first competition of the year at Prairie View High School last weekend, and finished in first place!

Congratulations to the Speech & Debate team this week! They competed at Arvada West High School with Holden Hanou earning second place in Original Oratory, Evey Thacker in third place, Original Oratory, and Ellis Thompson placing second in Congressional Debate!

Students also competed on Tuesday at Cherry Creek Congress with Reagan Russell and Kaellah Reda placing as top speakers! Holden Hanou received a Presiding Officer Award. Way to go Mustangs!

25th Anniversary Celebration - Planning Committee

It's hard to believe but Ralston Valley High School will celebrate its 25th Anniversary this year! This significant milestone is a time to reflect on our achievements, honor our history and celebrate the continued growth and promise of our school community, including our current and future Mustangs!

We would like to extend an invitation to all members of our school community -- students, parents, current and former teachers, staff, and administration, and alumni- as well as our surrounding community, to join us for a planning meeting. We believe that that everyone’s ideas and input will help make this celebration truly special.

The next planning meeting will be held on Thursday, February 13th, 2025, at 6:30pm in the RVHS library. Your participation is vital as we come together to create an event that reflects the spirit of our school and community.

We look forward to seeing you there and hearing your ideas! Please reach out with any questions.

NHS Accepting Applications

The Ralston Valley Chapter of the National Honor Society is now accepting applications for membership! Students must be in 10th or 11th grade and have a 3.6 or higher GPA to apply.

Invitations to apply have been delivered to eligible Sophomores in their Science classes. If you are a Junior with a GPA of 3.6+, please pick up an application from Mrs. Reid or Mrs. Rosenthal in the science office.

Applications close at 3:40pm on Friday, February 28th.

Join NHS students for study hall! We meet every Wednesday in the library from 3:30 - 4:30. Free tutoring is also available.

athletics

Basketball - Thank you to all of the community members who came out last Saturday to support basketball in Arvada. Both our boys and girls teams played in front of a packed house against cross-town rival Arvada West. Both schools played great and the students' sections kept it spirited as we showcased both programs. The girls fell short against the Wildcats, while the boys led wire to wire and survived a crazy 4th quarter to remain undefeated on the season.

The girls followed Saturday's loss with victories over Bear Creek 68-30 and Lakewood 68-42. The boys kept their undefeated season and school record winning streak intact with wins over Bear Creek 71-44 and Lakewood 90-30. They are sitting alone atop the 6A Jeffco standings at an amazing 18-0.

Girls Swim and Dive - They did it. Ralston Valley held off a hard-charging Valor team to win the Jeffco 5A League Title last Saturday. The point spread at the end of the day was only five points, but it was enough. The Mustangs enjoyed taking the first Champions Plunge into the Arvada Aquatics Center and are currently taking that momentum to State. Early State results are promising. Congratulations to Senior Sophia Hineline who was voted CHSAA's 5A State Diver of the Year. Good luck to our swimmers this weekend at VMAC.

Hockey - The Hockey team has two more regular season games to try and secure a first-round home game in the State playoffs. They are currently sitting ninth in the standings. With games against #1 Poudre tonight and #3 Cherry Creek on Saturday, they are in control of their destiny. A 2-0 weekend could vault them as high as #6. Good luck this weekend.

Wrestling - Coming off a strong third-place finish at the Jeffco League Championships, the boys head down to the southeast corner of Denver to Ponderosa for Regionals. With State qualifying on the line at the home of one of Colorado's big school wrestling powerhouses, the Mustangs are looking to get multiple wrestlers downtown with top four finishes. Go get 'em Mustangs.

Ticketing has moved to GoFan for all Jeffco-hosted events. - Ticket sales to all Jeffco events are now 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

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, Feb. 10 - Blue Day
Tuesday, Feb. 11 - White Day
Wednesday, Feb. 12 - Blue Day
Thursday, Feb. 13 - White Day
Friday, Feb. 14 - Professional Development Day - No School for Students

Counseling Department

RVHS College Admissions Night for the Class of 2026

Designed for current juniors and their parents, this is the annual kickoff to the college search and application process. The RV counselors will provide guidance for each stage of the process, including how to make the most of a campus visit, build a college list, create a compelling application, fund your education, and how RV supports the process. RSVPs are encouraged but not required.

Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: RVHS Auditorium

Upcoming College Visits

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

University of Wyoming - Thursday, Feb. 13 - 9:00 a.m.

Colorado Mesa University - Thursday, Feb. 13 - 11:45 a.m.

University of Northern Colorado - Tuesday, Feb. 18 - 8:15 a.m.

Panorama SEL Survey Opt Out

RVHS will give students the Panorama Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Student Survey on February 19. If you would like to learn more about the survey and/or opt your student out of participation, click here for more information.

Colorado Health Careers Academy

The Colorado Health Careers Collaborative is offering students ages 16-24 a summer program where they can learn more about a variety of fields within the health care industry. Two, three-week sessions are offered at Arapahoe Community College. The program features career exploration, virtual job shadowing, career panels, medical labs and more. Click here for more information and to apply.

Workshop: Navigating Social Media & Mental Health at Home

Jeffco Public Schools and Children's Hospital Colorado are hosting a virtual workshop that will explore the potential effects and signs of concern around social media use. Families that attend will receive a template for developing a social media plan with their youth. Click here for more information and to register.

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Jefferson County Counselor Association (JCCA) Scholarship

The Jefferson County Counselor Association is sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship for a graduating senior. Students must have a 2.5 GPA or above and be willing to share a story of how a school counselor positively impacted them while in school. Click here for the application. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2025.

Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) Scholarship

The Jefferson County Education Association sponsors three different scholarships for graduating seniors of Jeffco Public Schools. Each scholarship has it's own criteria and award amount. Click here to learn about the scholarships and to apply.

Jeffco PTA Scholarship

Jeffco PTA is offering multiple $1,000 scholarships for any college, university or technical school program. Applicants will need to write an essay describing how they have been involved in and/or advocated for their community. Click here for a link to the application. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2025.

Warder Elementary School Scholarship

Warder Elementary is offering a $1,000 scholarship to graduating seniors who attended Warder for at least one full year and plan to enroll as a full-time student in college or other eligible post-secondary institution. Click here for the application. The deadline to apply is April 11, 2025.

Manning Scholarship

Manning Middle School is offering a $500 scholarship to graduating seniors who attended Manning for 7th and 8th grades. The scholarship can be used at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school. Click here for more information. Applications are available in the counseling office and the deadline to apply is April 11, 2025.

West Woods Elementary PTSA Scholarship

West Woods Elementary PTSA is offering three $500 scholarships to graduating seniors who attended West Woods for two years or more. The scholarship is to be used towards tuition or educational needs at any college or trade school. Click here for more information and the application. The deadline to apply is March 30, 2025.

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

Advisement classes for 9th and 10th grade students will resume the week of February 24th.

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.

Peer Counselors visited 10th grade Advisement classes to talk about the "Bright Spots of RV" and the impact of gratitude. Students then wrote notes to people they are grateful for and the Peer Counselors delivered those notes.

Ralston Valley Happenings

Mustang Merit Awards

Each month, RV teachers nominate students for our Mustang Merit Award, which is meant to recognize and celebrate students who exemplify the values of our school: integrity, respect, inclusivity, perseverance, honesty, empathy, and motivation. Our award winners for December and January are: Jonah Sparks, Joseph Allen, Zoe Zoll, Aidan Hoy, Ivan Christiakov, Jocelyn Stoehr, Aviva Martin, Colton McConaghy, Mia Gordon, Taylor Putman, Sam Decker, Avner Martin, Gavin Snyder, Oriana Jager, Ayla Chang, Brooke Drager, Genesis Espey, Drake Whitcomb, Duc Nguyen, and Carson Wall. Way to go, Mustangs!

RV Engineering Students Collaborate with NASA

A huge congratulations to Sam Iannone and Andrew Myers!

As part of Mr. Gause's Engineering 2 class, Sam and Andrew have been diligently working on their NASA HUNCH project. Through the NASA HUNCH program, they were contracted by NASA to help tackle challenges aboard the International Space Station, as well as anticipate potential issues for the upcoming Gateway mission and Artemis campaign. This is an awesome opportunity for them to contribute to groundbreaking advancements in space exploration.

Sam and Andrew were selected as one of just 25 high school groups nationwide to present their biomedical project at NASA's Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop in Galveston, TX, last week. This workshop serves as a major platform for sharing cutting-edge research focused on advancing safe, productive, and efficient human spaceflight. Their innovative otoscope prototype has the potential for use aboard the International Space Station—and in future space missions—making a significant contribution to space healthcare. One of the photos even shows Sam engaging astronaut Michael Barratt—who recently returned from a six-month mission aboard the ISS—in a conversation about hearing loss caused by extended space travel. Sam and Andrew represented themselves and RV well. Outstanding work, gentlemen!

Here is a link to a CBS new story featuring their work, our students are front and center at the :57 second mark of the video.

Lasers in Physics

Mr. Bradley's Physics students are using green lasers to study the diffraction of light.

Science Department Hosts Future Insights Series

The Ralston Valley Science department welcomed Dr. Dan Kaffine from CU - Boulder this week as a guest speaker. Dr. Kaffine is a resource, energy, and environmental economist.

French Classes Celebrate La Chandeleur

Madame Frie's French I students observed the French holiday, "La Chandeleur" by making traditional crepes in class, a delicious project!

World History Studies Imperialism

Students in Ms. Dean's Modern World History class analyzed political cartoons about imperialism and worked together to find common themes about the topic.

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

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