The RPS Weekly Message

This week’s message includes information on the topics listed below:

• Board of Education Recognition
• RHS Distinguished Alumni Recognized

• No School Reminder

• City of Ralston & RPS Family Fall Fest - Sunday, October 13th!

• Now Accepting Option Enrollment for the 2025 - 2026 School Year

• Sixth Grade Outdoor Education - Yearly Tradition Coming Soon

• RHS Fall Musical: “Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 - The Musical”

• SAVE $$ - Order Your Ralston High School Yearbook in October

• Ralston High School “Rake Ralston” Community Service Event
• Open Store Yearly Event Coming Soon!

• RPS Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Luncheon

• RHS & RMS FFA Poinsettia Fundraiser

• Submit a Home Improvement Project to the Ram Crew
• When Should a Child Stay Home from School for Illness?

• OneWorld Medical Mobile Health Center

• Ram Recognition

Congratulations to the Ralston Public Schools Board of Education on receiving the 2024 Board of Excellence Award from the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB). This is the fourth year in a row our Board of Education has received this award. Members of the Board of Education include Robin Richards, Elizabeth Kumru, Mary Roarty, Samantha Willey, Carrie Hough, and Katie Krause.

This recognition shines a light on local school boards for their commitment to achieving excellence in board leadership through continuing education and professional development. NASB presents the award to boards that meet the criteria during the Awards Year. The criteria for this award includes a component for individual and collective commitment to board member professional development. NASB specifically looks at attendance at NASB conferences and workshops to grow board member knowledge and skills, having a board member present at the annual Delegate Assembly, and holding an annual board retreat to discuss and develop goals.

The Board of Excellence Award recognizes our board members' dedication and commitment to growing their knowledge and skills to help them make the best choices for our District.

It was an incredible evening last Thursday at the Post Event Center for the Ralston High School Distinguished Alumni Award Celebration! The Ralston Schools Foundation, in partnership with Ralston High School, proudly honored Dr. Richard Jackson and John H. Gamble, two outstanding alumni whose contributions to our community and beyond are truly inspiring. This event marks the beginning of a new tradition for Ralston, celebrating the remarkable achievements of our graduates. Thank you to everyone who joined us to recognize these exceptional alumni.

There will be no school for Ralston Public School students on Monday, October 14 and Tuesday, October 15, 2024. We hope all students and families enjoy the long, relaxing fall weekend.

The City of Ralston and Ralston Public Schools would like you to mark Sunday, October 13th on your calendar. Fall Fest will be a fun, family event at The Granary in downtown Ralston. There will be fun, family activities, sweet treats, crafts, and entertainment.

Ralston Public Schools is now accepting Option Enrollments for the 2025-2026 school year. Please visit the District website, https://www.ralstonschools.org/Page/3149, to learn about the option enrollment process, review the new enrollment information packet, and fill out the necessary paperwork. Option Enrollment closes on March 15, 2025.

Outdoor Education is quickly approaching for our District’s sixth-grade students. This highly anticipated yearly tradition takes their learning outdoors for two amazing days at the YMCA Camp Kitaki. The sixth-grade students will participate in outdoor activities including archery, fishing, hiking, canoeing, and a high ropes tower. They will also learn about the Nebraska environment including wildlife, plants, and survival techniques.

October 7 & 8 - Mockingbird & Karen Western Elementaries

October 21 & 22 - Meadows & Wildewood Elementaries

October 28 & 29 - Seymour & Blumfield Elementaries

Mark your calendars now and make plans to support the Ralston High School Theatre Department and their fall musical “Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 - The Musical.” This production is a Broadway-style musical based on the 1980 movie of the same name. The musical follows Violet Newstead, Doralee Rhodes, and Judy Bernly as they bond and eventually overthrow their misogynistic boss, Franklin Hart Jr.

Cast members featured on the poster include (from left to right) Arianna Johnson-Brown, Emily Cross, Keira Dunham and King Barnett at the bottom.

Dates:

October 24 - 26 at 7:00 pm

October 27 at 2:00 pm

All tickets will be general admission and can be purchased when you arrive at Ralston High School for your performance. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $8 for students. Any questions, please contact Ralston High School at 402-331-7373.

The Ralston High School Yearbook staff wants to remind Ram Nation the best time to order your 2024 - 2025 yearbook is NOW! In October, the RHS yearbook will only cost $60.

After October 25th, the price of the yearbook will increase. The RHS Yearbook staff will not have another sale like this for the remainder of the year.

If you are interested in a RHS yearbook, NOW is the best time to order. If you order online, you can set up a payment plan. Click on the LINK to purchase your yearbook today!

** Do you love taking photos? **

The RHS Yearbook staff loves taking photos as well and also enjoys seeing great photos of Rams activities. If you take a great photo and want to submit it for the yearbook, click HERE and be taken to a website where you can submit photos for the publication.

Ram Nation, help us spread the word to local senior citizens in the Ralston community. The annual Ralston High School Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon is coming up on Tuesday, November 19th. It starts at 11:30 am in the Ralston High School gymnasium.

This event is FREE and open to any Ralston resident 60 years or older. As an added bonus, Boomer Radio DJ Dave Wingert will be our guest emcee for the luncheon.

There is no need to register. We are asking all seniors to be there a little ahead of time, as we will start serving lunch at 11:30 am. Guests can park in the school's main parking lot (east side of the building) and enter through the front doors.

Support your Ralston High School and Ralston Middle School FFA Chapters by ordering a poinsettia this holiday season! Purchasing a poinsettia helps provide scholarships for student-run businesses/projects, community service efforts, & chapter activities at both schools.

• Orders & Payments Are Due: November 22nd

• Orders will arrive on December 2nd.

If you have any questions please contact: nick.birdsley@ralstonschools.org.

To order, scan the QR Code below or visit this website - https://bit.ly/47DS8eU.

Looking to enhance your outdoor space with a new deck, fence, or shed? Hire the talented Ram Crew from Ralston High School! These skilled students, guided by Construction Trades Instructor Mr. Becklun, are eager to take on home improvement projects in our community.

Not only will you benefit from their hard work, but you’ll also help these dedicated learners gain valuable experience in residential construction.

Ready to get started? Contact Mr. Becklun at justin.becklun@ralstonschools.org to submit your project for consideration. Let’s build something great together!

The OneWorld Medical Mobile Health Center provides medical and behavioral services at the most convenient place for youth and their parents; near their school. They are always taking appointments; if your child is not feeling well, sports physicals, vaccinations, and well-checks.

Parents can schedule appointments by calling OneWorld at 402-880-4870.

New this Year - Medical Mobile at Karen Western

The OneWorld Medical Mobile Health Center will start to come to Karen Western Elementary every other Friday during the 2024-2025 school year. The mobile unit will be at Ralston High School every Tuesday from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm. Below is the schedule for August and September for Ralston Middle School and Karen Western (8:00 am - 3:30 pm).

October 4 - KW

October 11 - RMS

October 18 - KW

October 25 - RMS

November 1 - KW

Each week in Ram Recognition, Ralston Public Schools will highlight some good news happening across the District.

Throughout September and October, the Ralston High School Latino Leadership Council is attending several events to celebrate Hispanic Youth. One of the first events they attended was at Bellevue University for the Hispanic Heritage Luncheon. Our students joined students and community leaders from across the metro at a luncheon that paid tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced our nation.

Royalty runs in the family! Congratulations to the Ralston High School 2024 Homecoming King and Queen, Elijah Dutton-Burtin & Kat Busenbark! Elijah continues a family legacy as the 4th sibling to wear the crown, while Kat carries on the tradition as the third sister to be crowned—two as Homecoming Queens and one as Prom Queen!

Another special moment from the Homecoming game came from the Ram Twirlers, as they performed an impressive fire baton twirling routine at halftime, bringing together past, present, and future generations of twirlers. The group was made up of 15 amazing RHS alumni twirlers that joined our current high school twirler for an unforgettable show, representing a span of over 45 years of twirling tradition at Ralston High School - from the Class of 1974 to today!

RMS HAL students did a great job at the Neurographic Workshop! Neurographic workshops are events that teach people how to create Neurographic art, a unique art therapy technique that combines art and psychology to help people express themselves and reduce stress. It can help people make connections between their thoughts and feelings through the drawing they create.

National Constitution Day was recognized on September 17th. Lots of activities were happening throughout the District today. One of the activities was a "Constitution Day Museum" at Karen Western Elementary. The fourth-grade students have been working on researching the Constitution and the five important contributors to the Constitution. They organized their facts on posters and presented their research to other students at the school.

Fifth-graders used Skittles to review the scientific method! Students made Skittles rainbows and learned a bit more about dissolving, absorption, and how colors mix. When placed in a shallow pan of water, the dye quickly dissolves and starts to absorb into the water, making a colorful rainbow. Great experiment and such a fun way to learn the scientific method!

Check out all the fun these Wildewood students are having in Music class! They have played games, instruments, and sang songs - all while laughing, learning and working hard! Students have learned about counting rhythms, singing in solfège, and working together to figure out how pitches relate to instruments.

In CKLA Knowledge, first-graders have been learning about body systems. Recently, students went outside and traced their bodies and then labeled the various body systems they learned about: circulatory system, digestive system, nervous system, skeletal system, and muscular system.

This week, RPS held a special ceremony at Mockingbird. The entire school ventured outside for a ribbon cutting for the new building. Superintendent Buckingham, Principal Ferguson, and Board of Education Vice President Mrs. Liz Kumru spoke in front of the student body. The entire RPS Board of Education, representatives from The Weitz Company and BCDM Architects were also on hand for the special ceremony.

The RPS Board of Education then got together, and Board Member Mrs. Carrie Hough had the honor of officially cutting the ribbon for the new school. To celebrate this afternoon, students had a cookie party in their classrooms.

It is always so wonderful to see students be leaders and help other students with their studies. Check out these awesome photos from Meadows Elementary of students from Mrs. Kelly’s class helping Mrs. Nun’s kindergarten students with a little math during a morning meeting. Way to go! #togetherasone

We would greatly appreciate your feedback on the RPS Weekly Message to help us improve future editions. Please email your thoughts and suggestions to jim.frederick@ralstonschools.org.