The RPS Weekly Message
Thursday, December 19, 2024
RPS Parents and Guardians,
As we close out the calendar year of 2024, I want to thank each of you for a successful first semester here at Ralston. We’ve undergone a great deal of change at RPS, and I’m happy to report that things are progressing very well on several fronts. We have accomplished a lot since we first started back in August, and I’d like to thank all of you for your flexibility and willingness to partner with us in providing the best educational opportunities for your student(s).
Our staff at the elementary and middle school levels have worked tirelessly to implement a new reading curriculum over the past two years. In addition, our high school staff has adopted new materials for their department as well. The planning and time required for these changes has been extensive, and our staff has taken on this challenge and performed admirably. We have already observed some very positive results on our state assessment scores, and we are excited to see what the second year of these efforts will bring.
Our overall attendance has improved compared to the last four years. Once we close out the calendar year, I plan to share the results of our attendance improvement plan. To date, we have seen gains in average daily attendance and a reduction in the number of students with absentee rates greater than 10%. This improvement is a direct reflection of your willingness as parents to partner with us in improving attendance. It is having a positive impact on student achievement, and so far, the results have been encouraging.
On the construction front, we have nearly completed all of our work in each of our six elementary buildings and are about 75% finished with our work at Ralston Middle School. We are set to begin work at Ralston High School over the winter break. The quality of work completed by our contractors over the last two and a half years is truly remarkable, and we cannot thank our patrons enough for entrusting us with the funds and support to take on these projects. For that, we are truly grateful.
Enjoy your time off over the break, and let’s get ready for a great second semester at RPS!
Mr. Jason Buckingham
Superintendent
Ralston Public Schools
Enrollment will begin for the 2025-2026 school year for students entering kindergarten through the 12th grade on Monday, January 6, 2025.
** This is for students not currently attending Ralston Public Schools. Students currently enrolled in grades kindergarten through eleventh grade are automatically enrolled for the following school year. **
For more information, families can visit the District website and click on Enrollment under the For Families section.
Families, contact the building you are enrolling your students in if you have specific questions on the enrollment process.
** VERY IMPORTANT: If you have a student starting kindergarten next year, we encourage you to begin and finish this process as soon as possible. If your child is currently attending Pre-Kindergarten at an RPS school outside of your neighborhood boundaries, please note that they will return to their neighborhood RPS school for Kindergarten. **
Pre-Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year will open on Monday, February 3, 2025.
The last day of school for students before winter break is today, Thursday, December 19th.
Our Administration Office will be open on Monday, December 23rd and Monday, December 30th. The office will be closed on December 24 - 27 and December 31 and January 1st. The office will reopen on Thursday, January 2nd.
The first day back for students and staff in 2025 will be Thursday, January 2nd.
Snow Days - If the District were to cancel school due to inclement weather, there is no official online or at-home learning on those days. As in past years, those will be “snow days” or “no school” days.
Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in R-Kids. Staff and parents are notified of snow days via an automated phone call, text message, and email. You don't want to miss these important messages so make sure your contact information is up-to-date in R-Kids! Click HERE to update your information now in R-Kids!
Notifications will also be on all District and school websites and social media pages. RPS notifies all the local news stations, allowing them to share this information with their viewers as well.
It is now time to begin the renovation process at Ralston High School.
Once Winter Break begins, crews will start initial work on the areas they will renovate starting in January. Below are some of the projects our construction team will focus on initially, as well as important reminders for our high school students and families.
Crews will begin work in the B Wing of RHS, renovating four classrooms at a time. These classrooms will be closed during construction, and the affected teachers will hold class in other areas of the building. Students should check their schedules in R-Kids for the correct room numbers, as second-semester schedules will reflect the new classroom assignments.
Once the first round of four classrooms is complete, crews will move on to the next set of four classrooms. Students will be notified of the new room assignments as needed. These construction areas will be sectioned off, and construction workers will have their own designated entrance and exit to maintain school safety.
The Media Center will be off-limits to students during lunch for the second semester due to limited space during the renovation. A portion of this area is being converted into a new location for our Tiny Rams program. This program will have a new, dedicated space at RHS with its own secured entrance, welcome area, and classrooms. By relocating Tiny Rams, we can expand classroom space in the former Tiny Rams area and make updates to our Culinary program.
As we approach spring, the renovation of the school’s main parking lot (on the east side of the school) will begin. Portions of the north section of the parking lot will be closed for construction, but the southern half will remain open for students and the community throughout the rest of the school year. The main parking lot will be closed during the summer and completely redone. The new parking lot will be finished before the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
As we get closer to summer, look for additional information in the RPS Weekly Message about further summer projects at RHS and updates on the renovation process. This is an exciting time for our District, and we deeply appreciate the patience and support of our staff, students, and families as we move forward with the final project of the Future Ready Ralston bond issue.
Ralston Families, we are excited to share a special opportunity for local businesses to support Ralston High School athletics through our sponsorship program, and we hope you’ll consider whether your employer could be a great fit!
The Ralston Schools Foundation and Ralston High School are offering two exclusive marketing packages—Premier and Silver sponsorships—that provide year-round visibility for businesses both within the Ralston community and beyond. Your employer’s sponsorship will directly help enhance our athletic facilities and programs, benefiting student-athletes and boosting school spirit.
If you work for a company that values community involvement, this is a wonderful chance for them to show their support for Ralston High School while also gaining exposure at our athletic events. Learn more about the available sponsorship opportunities by clicking on the following link: https://www.ralstonschoolsfoundation.org/rhsathleticssponsor.html
If you believe your employer could be interested in partnering with us, we would love to discuss how they can get involved. Contact Ashley Nodgaard (ashley.nodgaard@ralstonschools.org) or Clint Williams (clint_williams@ralstonschools.org) to discuss a partnership.
Thank you for considering this exciting opportunity to support our student-athletes and the entire Ralston High School community. Go Rams!
Ralston High School will host its next monthly food distribution on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. This event is in partnership with the Food Bank for the Heartland.
Families can begin to line up at 4:00 pm at Ralston High School (8969 Park Drive) in the main parking lot on the east side of the school. The food distribution will go from 5:00 to 6:00 pm.
Ralston High School staff volunteers will direct individuals on where to park and help with the food distribution.
IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM FOOD BANK FOR THE HEARTLAND: All Food Bank for the Heartland Mobile Pantry food recipients will be required to fill out a form (USDA/TEFAP self-attestation form (FDP-105)) providing their address, household size, if there are children under the age of 18 in the household, and attesting their household meets the income guidelines and/or participates in programs like SNAP or LIHEAP.
Participants will fill out this form each month they receive food at a Food Bank for the Heartland mobile pantry.
Vaccinations Available through OneWorld Mobile Health Center
As a reminder to all RPS parents and guardians, the OneWorld Mobile Health Center can provide vaccinations. If an RPS employee or student needs the flu or COVID-19 vaccination, they can schedule an appointment with the Mobile Health Center and receive it on campus at either Ralston High School or Ralston Middle School.
Interested individuals must call 402-880-4870 to set up an appointment. A OneWorld Health professional will administer the vaccinations.
You can also schedule a vaccination at any OneWorld metro clinic. To find a clinic close to you, please visit OneWorld’s website by clicking HERE.
Blumfield
Students from the College of Saint Mary visited to teach our third graders more about light and sound. Building on what they learned in their CKLA unit, our students had the chance to engage in hands-on activities with light and sound waves, deepening their understanding of these fascinating topics.
Karen Western
The Attendance Trophy is back at Karen Western and it travels from classroom to classroom each week to the room with the best attendance. It has become quite a competition at the school. Pictured are fifth grade students with the trophy (they have won three weeks in a row!).
Mockingbird
In their CKLA unit, fourth graders have been learning about inventors and the skills needed to create inventions. They were then challenged to design their own inventions, focusing on collaboration, research, and learning from mistakes. We love seeing their creativity and ingenuity come to life!
Seymour
Students in 2nd grade are working on a prewriting unit in science, where they are recording observations and ideas about properties and mixtures.
