The RPS Weekly Message

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Dear RPS Parent/Guardian,

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


Tomorrow is Ralston High School’s Spring Blood Drive
Board of Education Vacancy - Submit an Your Interest Letter & Resume!
Register Today - Fourth through Sixth Grade Summer Camp
New Athletic Camps Added Including FREE All Sports Camp - Register Today!
Thank You to our District Retirees

2023-2024 Calendar Update
Last Day of School Change for Wildewood and Karen Western Elementary Schools
RHS Senior Social Media Tributes
SORA Summer Reading App
OneWorld Mobile Health Clinic to Offer Sports Physicals

Tomorrow is Ralston High School’s Spring Blood Drive

There is still time to register for the Ralston High School Spring Blood Drive. This will be the RHS Medical Academy's final blood drive of the year. It takes place tomorrow, Friday, May 5th, in the main gym at Ralston High School from 8 am to 1:30 pm. This event is in cooperation with the American Red Cross. Anyone interested can schedule an appointment by clicking on the link below.


RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE SIGN-UP LINK

Board of Education Vacancy - Submit an Your Interest Letter & Resume!

Do you have a passion for education? Are you a community member able to provide leadership to help our students and educators succeed to their fullest potential? Due to a resignation, Ralston Public Schools is currently accepting applications to fill a seat on our Board of Education.

A school board member for Ralston Public Schools is an unpaid, volunteer position. The appointed candidate would take over a board seat whose term expires on January 9, 2025.

Eligible candidates for this appointment must be a legal voter in the Ralston School District and submit a letter of interest and resume by Monday, May 15, 2023.

If interested, please submit your letter of interest, resume, and any questions to:

Ralston Public Schools
Office of the Superintendent
Attn: Mrs. Samantha Willey, Secretary, Board of Education
8545 Park Drive
Ralston, NE 68127

Register Today - Fourth through Sixth Grade Summer Camp

All RPS students entering grades four through six for the 2023-2024 school year will have the chance to participate in the RPS Summer Camp. This fun, unique, and FREE opportunity will have a variety of activities for students focused on building and enhancing reading and math skills. The activities are provided by community partners, Ralston High School coaches, and student leaders.


RPS Summer Camp will also have reading challenges, opportunities to check out and win books, and so much more! And remember, this is all FREE for Ralston Public Schools students!


Dates and Times

June 13-15 from 1 - 3 pm at Seymour Elementary School


Programming Schedule

  • Session 1 (June 13): Spheros Coding w/ ESU#3. Derek and Dawn from ESU#3 will lead a fun and interactive session on coding. Students will test their skills on mini robots called spheros.


  • Session 2 (June 14): RHS Mini-Sports Camps. Coaches and players from several of Ralston High School’s athletic programs will lead students through several mini-sports camps. They will work with the students on skill development and proper sportsmanship through fun games and drills. Students will have the opportunity to participate in multiple sports throughout the session.


  • Session 3 (June 15): Prairie STEM and Spark Positivity. Students will explore space and under the sea through virtual reality headsets led by Prairie STEM staff. Students will also learn about social emotional regulation by exploring related apps on the VR headsets


Sign Up Today!

Don’t miss out on all the fun at RPS Summer Camp! All you need to do is register your student using this Google form. The deadline to sign up for RPS Summer Camp is Thursday, May 25th.


English Registration Form

Spanish Registration Form

New RHS Athletic Camps Added Including FREE All Sports Camp - Register Today!

All Sports Camp

Does your student love sports? Does your student enjoy being with friends, having fun, and participating in different activities? Make sure to sign them up for the RPS Youth All Sports Camp!


It takes place on Wednesday, May 24th, from 7:45 am to 12:00 pm for students going into 2nd - 6th grade at Ralston High School. The camp is FREE! Breakfast and lunch are available to participants. Scan the QR code in the flyer or click the link below to register today!


Link to registration form - CLICK HERE

View All RHS Summer Camps

Visit the District website by clicking this link - https://bit.ly/3mZ4rzi - for more information and download the registration forms. New opportunities have been added!

Thank You to our District Retirees

Ralston Public Schools would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank those who will be retiring this year. Thank you for your hard work, passion, dedication, and commitment to the staff, students, and families of Ram Nation. Please see the images below for more information on each of our retirees.

2023-2024 Calendar Update

Below is information on changes approved by the Board of Education to the 2023-2024 school year calendar.

• August 10 2023: First day of school for only Pre-K, Kindergarten, 7th and 9th grade.


• August 11, 2023: All students report. It will be a regular early dismissal day.


• January 3, 2024: Staff and students will start the second semester together.


• March 8, 2024: No School - Professional learning/collaborative plan day.


March 11, 2024: No School


• March 29, 2024: No School

• May 23, 2024: Last day of school


The new version of the calendar is attached below and is also available on the District website. The Pre-kindergarten calendar for the 2023-2024 school year will be mailed to families and staff toward the end of May.

Last Day of School Change for Wildewood and Karen Western Elementary Schools

It is an exciting time for Karen Western and Wildewood Elementary Schools. Interior renovations will start on both schools this summer.


For the projects to start on time, staff members will need time to pack up their classrooms and other areas of the school. The school calendar for only Karen Western and Wildewood has been adjusted to provide the time to prepare for construction.


The LAST DAY of school for Karen Western and Wildewood Elementary students will be Wednesday, May 17th. There will be NO SCHOOL for KW and WW students on May 18th and 19th.


If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Mather or Mrs. Holmes by phone or email.

RHS Senior Social Media Tributes

If you haven’t already, graduating seniors' families please submit your answers to the four questions below and email two photos (one baby or “little” picture and one a senior picture) to RPSphotos@ralstonschools.org.

The questions are:
What is your student’s preferred name?
Did they attend a Ralston elementary school?
What do they plan to do next?
What is their favorite Ralston High School memory?

SORA Summer Reading App

Our District Media Specialists would like to take this opportunity to share with you information about the SORA Reading App. Sora is an app for students to read books they pick and that their teachers assign. The app allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your school's library. The setup is simple - find your school and sign in. Then download or stream your favorite books to your device.


For more information visit https://soraapp.com

OneWorld Mobile Health Clinic to Offer Sports Physicals

Starting in May, the OneWorld Mobile Health Clinic will begin to offer sports physicals to Ralston Middle School and Ralston High School students. This will benefit RPS students. They will be able to receive their sports physicals early and will not have to leave their school campus to receive their sports physicals for the 2023-2024 school year.


Parents can schedule students’ sports physicals after May 1st by calling the OneWorld Mobile Health Clinic number at 402-880-4870. As a reminder, the OneWorld Mobile Health Clinic is located at RHS every Tuesday from 8 am to 3:30 pm and at Ralston Middle School every Friday from 8 am to 3:30 pm.