Monthly Newsletter

Wow! Another school year is coming to a close. Overall, it's been a very successful school year with many amazing outdoor field trip experiences, after school clubs and enrichment activities, and many strides towards creating more opportunities to get our communities outside. While things might seem a little quieter over the summer, we'll be hard at work setting the stage for the year to come. We hope you all have a wonderful summer with lots of time outside and we'll see you on the trail!

We all Grow Better Outside

Spring has arrived, and Earth Day has passed, but the opportunity to embrace the outdoors persists. Across the district, both students and the community have been active. High school Environmental Science classes engaged in hands-on learning about the Colorado Watershed at the Rifle River Stop. Meanwhile, middle school students explored nature, with 6th graders hiking between Rifle Falls and the Fish Hatchery, and 7th graders delving into geology at the Colorado National Monument.

In addition to educational trips, high school students partnered with the Student Based Family Resource Center for a fishing excursion at Rifle Gap, honing their angling skills. Looking ahead, various student trips are planned, from museum visits for 3rd graders to outdoor fishing adventures for middle schoolers. Meanwhile, 5th graders enjoyed their annual camping trip, blending nature exploration with cultural and recreational activities.

Beyond student activities, the community is buzzing with events like the BUE Bike Derby and the upcoming 3D archery competition fundraiser. Families can look forward to the Parachute Pond Fishing Derby in June, where all ages can join in the fun of fishing, clinics, and competitions, fostering a spirit of outdoor camaraderie.

Last month, the Buddy Program organized an exciting outing for Rifle High School students. They ventured into the snowy backcountry to reach the McNamara Hut, where they engaged in practical activities such as map reading and compass navigation. Amidst the wilderness, they cooked meals using a wood-burning oven, learned about avalanche safety, and had the opportunity to build snow caves. It was a hands-on learning experience that combined adventure with important life skills.

Over the past month there have been a ton of outdoor field trips for students!

A few of the highlights are the last quarter Outdoor Ed STEAM trips for Riverside Middle School. Their field trips started with a 6th grade trip to Highline State Park and hike to the top of Mt. Garfield, an 8th grade trip to Arches National Park for climbing and canyoneering, and ended with a 7th grade trip to Canyonlands National Park for some hiking and mountain biking.

Across the district, many elementary schools are wrapping up their school years with exciting trips right in our backyard from and ECE trip to Rifle Falls State Park and Fish Hatchery to a day at the Grand Valley Challenge Course for the KSE Student Council to CVE and WES down at Colorado National Monument and Fruita to even a thrilling day spent rafting on the Colorado River for 5th grade students at KSE and fishing at Alder Pond for GME students. In addition, the HES 2nd grade will have a camping trip at school next week! Lastly, some students at Rifle High School will be completing their Wilderness First Aid Course in the coming weeks as well.

It's been a great school year for outdoor ed at Re-2 and the numbers help complete the story. This school year has seen over 1,800 students experience the outdoors through various opportunities (NOT including the upcoming end-of-school-year-trips) across all 10 schools. We hope you have a great summer and can't wait to keep sharing our highlights in the coming year!

Kindergarten through second grade students are excited to spend the rest of the year working on the school garden in ACES classes. They have gotten their hands dirty and are learning what it takes to grow their own food. Every grade at KSE will get to work on their very own garden project and truly make it all come together. The kids are thrilled to witness the journey from seed to table. Third grade students recently became detectives and investigated why Great Blue Herons moved away from Rock Bottom Ranch and Northstar Preserve. They made class Great Blue Heron rookeries that demonstrated what herons looks for in a habitat. Fourth graders learned about biomimicry and had a blast matching man-made inventions to their natural inspirations. They made their own seed dispersal prototypes and tested them out. There were so many great ideas and students successfully made their seeds travel by wind! Fifth grade students learned about the five mass extinction events, prehistoric animals that lived in Colorado, and what animal species are currently under threat of going extinct. They had thoughtful discussions about what threatens today's species and what we can do to help.

KSE students are also getting outdoors on field programs! Fifth grade students studied water quality at Rifle Falls State Park. Fourth grade will be exploring renewable energy resources at VIX Ranch Park. Second and third grade classes are visiting Silt River Preserve to explore the wetland ecosystem, and Kindergarteners will be investigating insects at East Elk Creek!

Buddy Program is hiring LEAD program coordinators. Check out their website HERE for more info!

Middle Colorado Watershed Council is seeking a part-time, seasonal River Stop operations coordinator in Rifle. The River Stop is located at the Rifle Rest Area. If you are interested, please submit a one-page cover letter and your resume with references to admin@midcowatershed.org. Please direct additional questions to that email as well. More information about this position can be found here: https://www.midcowatershed.org/join-our-team

Middle Colorado Watershed Council has a new EM2 stream table at the River Stop in Rifle. Middle Colorado Watershed is inviting kids to the River Stop on Fridays from 10:30 am to noon May 31, June 7 and June 14 to learn about how rivers move through the landscape. Email admn@midcowatershed.org to sign up for one of those mornings. Space per day is limited. Use "River Stop stream table" in the subject line. Parents or guardians need toi be present.The River Stop is located at the Rifle Rest Area.

Garfield County Outdoors is a proud Generation Wild community and is made possible through the generous support of Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO).