January 19, 2024 EDition

Schedule Change:  Make-A-Wish Assembly 

 

Due to the MAW Assembly, we will have an assembly schedule on Thursday, January 25th.  


I.C.E.        8:15-8:30

Block 2 & Assembly 8:35-11:35

Block 4 Lunch A: 11:40-12:10 Class A: 12:15-1:50

Class B: 11:40-1:15 Lunch B: 1:20-1:50

Block 6 1:55-3:30

 

Drop off and pick up

As we begin the second semester, it is a great time to remind everyone to be thoughtful of our neighbors during drop off and pick up.  It is imperative that we 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 - 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.  

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.

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

Fees for the second semester are available for payment beginning Friday, January 5th. If your student is not enrolled in a class and that class fee appears on their record, please do NOT pay it.  If you have questions, contact the finance office at 303-982-5534.

Panorama Education is a company that conducts student and family surveys in schools and districts across the country.  Ralston Valley High School will be giving students the Panorama student survey in the coming months.    

Content. The Panorama student survey gathers information on the following:  

You may review the survey questions by visiting this link.

The results are compiled into aggregate-level school climate reports. These reports are used by district leaders and school staff to help maintain the positive aspects of our schools and to address individual student needs.

It is Voluntary. Your child does not have to take the student survey. Students who participate only have to answer the questions they want to answer and they may stop taking the survey at any time. 

It is Confidential. No students will be identified in any public reports or publications.  Individual student information (name, student number, school and grade) will be uploaded into the Panorama system.  District staff will have access to the data file. Responses are confidential and identifiable. Individual student data may be shared with school staff to provide instructional and social emotional support.

Timing:  The survey will be administered January 30th and 31st, during ELA classes.  It will take about 30-45 minutes.

 The Panorama Family Survey offers an opportunity for parents, guardians, and families to provide feedback on barriers to engagement, school climate, school fit, school safety, and Jeffco's Strategic Plan.  The Panorama Family Survey can be accessed here 

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. 

Jefferson Center and Jeffco Public Schools have partnered for over 25 years to provide support to children and families in the district.  The school-based therapist program is an innovative collaboration, with the primary goal of increasing access to mental health services for students and their families. Mary Kristin (MK) McKenney, LCSW is the School Based therapist at your child’s school. Ms. McKenney works in partnership with the Ralston Valley staff to support the mental health needs of students. Students may work with her in therapy for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, anger, behavior issues at school or home, trauma, grief/loss, or issues adjusting to a big change. She may also teach lessons to students on topics including how their brain works, stopping and thinking, emotional regulation, and effective communication.  Jefferson Center is excited about continuing our presence in the Ralston Valley High School community!  We have heard and witnessed RV staff's dedication to giving families and students all of the resources they need to succeed in school, and in life, and we feel lucky to be a part of that vision.

Spring Mustang Madness Clothing Sale

If your student is looking for a way to spend some of that money they got from the holidays, you have an incoming Freshman next year, or you are just looking to add some swag to your home team wardrobe, we have opened up a second round of the Mustang Madness Clothing Sale.  Check out the link below to view the store.  The store closes February 1.

Link: Mustang Madness Clothing Sale

activities 

Make-A-Wish Week January 22nd - January 26th

 

Our 13th annual Make-A-Wish Week is here! We are raising money in the name of Scarlet Joy, a 7 year old little girl who loves Skittles, Sour Patch kids, gymnastics, Princess Ariel, and rainbows! Our efforts are bigger than just ONE wish! There are currently 11 children in Arvada waiting for their wishes to be granted, and our goal is to raise enough money in order to grant ALL of them: $82,500! 

 

Many of our fundraising efforts have already begun like Teacher Pie Roulette, Teacher/Coach Punishments, Wing Eating Contest, Kiss the Alpaca, and Pie the Prez & Admin! 

 

Check out the RVHS Make-A-Wish Website, Spirit Calendar (including restaurant nights) and amazing Silent Auction below to learn more about the week and how you can help our community grant 11 Wishes! This truly is one of the highlights of the school year!

 

RVHS Make-A-Wish Website

 

Spirit Calendar

 

Silent Auction  

(Bidding opens Monday, 1/22/24 @ 3:30 PM and closes Friday, 1/26/24 @ 6:00 PM)

 

Thrift for Wishes

 

In honor of Wish Week 2024, Ralston Valley is hosting our second annual clothing drive, Thrift for Wishes. The clothing drive starts Monday, January 15th and items will be accepted until January 26th! Students can bring lightly worn teen and young adult clothes, jackets, etc to their Math classroom, where they will be sorted, and Acceptable Items will be taken to Plato’s Closet. Plato’s Closet is a consignment store that offers cash for used brand-name clothing and accessories. Your donations could potentially result in cash for our Make-A-Wish efforts 2024. All items not accepted by Plato’s Closet will be donated to Jeffco Action Center. Thank you for your support! 

National Honor Society 

 Invitations to apply to become a member of the Ralston Valley Chapter of the National Honor Society will be distributed to all sophomores with a GPA of 3.6 or higher during the week of January 16th.  Eligible juniors who are not currently enrolled in NHS should see Mrs. Reid or Mrs. Rosenthal in science to obtain an application. 

Jeffcon

 

Jeffcon is a Student Technology Conference for high school students to explore Information Technology pathways and career opportunities.  There is a full day of activities beginning with a keynote speaker, breakout sessions across multiple topics, vendor booths, trivia games and prizes, colleges and universities along with multiple companies and corporations eager to engage our youth.  Register to attend here.   


When: Friday February 2, 2024

Where:  Arvada West High School

Who: Open to all Jeffco High School students grades 9-12

Learn more at https://jeffcon.net 


Thank You Ralston Valley PTSA

 

A big shout out to PTSA and the Mustang community for their generosity during the holiday season.  They donated gift cards that were raffled off to each staff member during the holiday lunch on December 19th, making for a very festive end to the first semester.  We appreciate your support!

athletics 

Spring Sports Registration is Now Open

Spring sports registration is now open for the following sports: Baseball, Girls Golf, Boys & Girls Lacrosse, Girls Soccer, Boys Swim & Dive, Girls Tennis, and Track.


Please visit the RV Athletics website to register.  You must have a valid athletic physical to register.


Registration Website: Spring Sports Registration


Mini Mustangs Cheer Camp - January 30

Check out rvcheer.com for information about signing up your youngsters for our annual Mini Mustang Cheer Camp.  Join Ralston Valley Cheerleaders and coaches for two nights of camp followed by a Saturday performance.

Wrestling

Won their dual Thursday night at Bear Creek 59-40.  Congratulations and good luck at this weekend's Saber Slam at Castle View High School.

Swimming and Diving

The girls were at day one of the Jeffco Invite today.  A good start through the prelims.  Good luck in tomorrow's finals at Meyer's Pool.

Basketball

One big crowd and two big games last Friday saw the Mustangs come away with two big wins over crosstown rival Arvada West.  The girls kicked the night off with a 48-44 win.  The boys followed it up with a dominating 71-56 victory. The girls are on the road in a huge league matchup tonight at Valor and the boys are playing host to Legend.  

Hockey

Our boys are heading into back to back games against Monarch this weekend.  They are on the road tonight and host tomorrow night.  Come and check them out at APEX on Saturday.  The puck drops at 8:00.

National Letter of Intent Day - February 7th

Ralston Valley is looking forward to celebrating all of our student-athletes who have or will be signing letters of intent to play athletics in college.  Our celebration will take place on February 7th.  All student-athletes wishing to be honored during this ceremony should see Mrs. Beauchamp in the Main Office to give her their name, sport, and the college/university they will attend.  We will send out more specific details over the coming weeks.

Hometown Ticketing - All Jeffco events have gone cashless this year.  When attending games at our schools or stadiums, save yourself time by purchasing your tickets ahead of time by using the link below.  You can also purchase punch passes to use for your entire family.  Punch passes will save you money on processing fees.

HOMETOWN TICKETING BOX OFFICE

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 

January 22 - 26, 2024

Monday, Jan. 22nd - Silver Day

Tuesday, Jan. 23rd - White Day

Wednesday, Jan. 24th - Blue Day

Thursday, Jan. 25th - White Day - Assembly Schedule

Friday, Jan. 26th - Blue Day

Counseling Department

Senior Mid-Year Transcripts

For seniors who have applied and sent transcripts to colleges/universities, mid-year transcripts have been now sent to those same schools.  There is no action on the part of your student - this has happened automatically.

If your senior has not yet sent their transcript to a school to which they are applying, they will need to complete the process to have an initial transcript sent.

FAFSA Completion for Jeffco Families

The updated FAFSA for the 2024-2025 school year is now live!  Updates can be found on the official FAFSA website, studentaid.gov.  Red Rocks Community College is holding a virtual information session about the new FAFSA.  Click here for more information and the virtual link.

Date: Thursday, January 25, 2024

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

Upcoming College Visits

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

Landmark College - Tuesday, Jan. 23 - 11:30 a.m.

FEMA Youth Preparedness Council

Students in grades 8-11 who are interested in supporting disaster preparedness and making a difference in their communities can apply to FEMA's YPC.  Members have the opportunity to present their perspectives, feedback, and opinions to FEMA staff and attend the annual Youth Preparedness Council virtual summit.  The application deadline is March 4, 2024.  Click here for more information and to apply.

Teen Science Scholars Internship at DMNS

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science offers PAID summer internships for rising high school juniors and seniors.  The Teen Science Scholars internship provides hands-on opportunities to carry out scientific work while also exploring opportunities in museum and STEM careers.  The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.  Click here for more information.

West Woods Elementary PTSA Scholarship

Seniors who attended West Woods Elementary for at least two years are eligible to apply for their PTSA scholarship.  The scholarship is for any college or trade school.  Application deadline is March 25, 2024.  Click here for more information.

 Advisement Corner 

Advisement 

Next week in 9th grade Advisement, students will access their Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) using Naviance. ICAP is required for all Colorado students. During these activities and lessons, students will explore their learning preferences, continue high school course planning, and start building a resume. 

Learn more about ICAP by clicking here.

Next week in 10th grade Advisement, students will discuss Empathy and will participate in a Walk the Line activity. 

 ralston valley HAPPENINGS

Spanish I Ends Unit with a Treat

Spanish I students are wrapping up their first unit on food and beverages this week.  They celebrated their learning by preparing fresh licuados!  Licuados are a popular beverage throughout tropical Latin American countries.  Similar to smoothies, they are usually made with milk, fresh fruit, and ice.  Gracias to each family that sent fruit so they could enjoy their work!

Senor Cisneros "El Cis" and Spanish IV students.

German Immersion in Estes Park

On Thursday this week, seven RV students and Frau Blum joined 120 other German students and teachers from around Colorado for Sprachbad, a German language and culture immersion camp in beautiful Estes Park.  The activities this year centered around Karneval and of course speaking lots of German.

Construction in Geometry Classes Chicken Coops for Sale

This semester's final project in  Construction in Geometry class involves students building chicken coops. The students will apply their mathematical and construction skills to construct coops that comfortably accommodate four chickens, with a maximum capacity of six. This hands-on project exemplifies how geometry can be utilized to solve real-world problems. 

The coops will be available for sale at $750.00 each.  If you are interested in purchasing a chicken coop please fill out our Google form here. The proceeds from the sales contribute to funding next year's program. The anticipated finish date for the coops is the week of May 20th, a perfect time for the chicks to be moved into their new permanent home and enjoy the Colorado summer.  An example of what the chicken coops will look like is provided below.  

Administration

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