The RPS Weekly Message
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Dear RPS Parent/Guardian,
This week’s message includes information on the following topics listed below:
A Message from Dr. Adler
#BeKind Week Wrap Up
Report Cards Now Available in R-Kids
Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan Update
Future Ready Ralston Bond Project Update
Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Dinner
Rake Ralston - Ralston High School NHS Community Project
Help Spread the Word - Ralston Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Luncheon
Ram Recognition
A Message from Dr. Adler
Ram Nation, thank you! My wife Joni and I and our family are beyond overwhelmed and grateful for the amazing support last week during #BeKind Week.The over-the-top acts of kindness, financial generosity, and positive excitement were more than anyone could ask for from a community. Ralston is a special place with special people rivaled by few!
Let's keep kindness as a constant and keep being awesome!
#BeKind
Dr. Mark & Joni Adler
Jade, Luke, and Kamille
#BeKind Week Wrap Up
Ram Nation was proud to display its school pride and show others what it means to be kind last week during #BeKind Week. Student and staff participation at each school was over the top, showing their school community they fully support the #BeKind message.
On one of the coldest mornings this school year, staff and students were outside braving the chilly temperatures with #BeKind signs, high fives, and handshakes welcoming students to school.
Crazy socks, Rams spirit gear, and sports jerseys were present throughout the District all week.
Students and staff presented #BeKind pins to friends, family, and neighbors who show kindness to others.
Families enjoyed jumbo-sized popcorn bags while cheering on the Rams volleyball and football teams.
"Donuts with Doc" had an amazing response, with over 450 students letting us know what being kind means to them. Sixteen students were selected and had a great time at the donut and juice party at Applewood Hy-Vee.
The week ended with everyone devouring a delicious Hy-Vee donut to start the day in a fun way.
Your generosity was in full view during the "Elementary Penny Wars" and the "Duct Tape a Principal" activities at Ralston Middle School and Ralston High School. $7,292.32 was raised throughout the District for the Reid Adler Memorial Fund!
Thank you Ram Nation! Let's keep focusing on spreading kindness and making positive connections to help make our schools a welcoming place for all students and staff. #BeKind
Report Cards Now Available in R-Kids
Report cards for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students for the first-quarter are currently available to view on R-KIDS.
You can access R-Kids by clicking on this LINK. As a reminder, report cards are only available on R-Kids and are no longer printed. If you are having trouble accessing your R-Kids account, please contact your student’s school for assistance.
Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan Update
At the Monday, October 24th Board of Education meeting, Dr. Cecilia Wilken updated the Board on the progress of the Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan. The goals of the plan include: 1) a focus and strengthening of the District’s Professional Learning for educators; 2) an equitable learning community focused on high expectations for learning and hard work, and building strong connections and belonging for students and staff to their school; 3) utilize a comprehensive continuous improvement process centered around growth, increased student achievement, and social-emotional development.
RPS has been focusing on:
• implementing Student Advisories to increase student voice in our schools
• using instructional practices that support a variety of learning needs
• implementing Well-Being (social-emotional learning) curriculum
• completing the curriculum adoption process for English Language Arts
• researching career self-assessments for use with elementary students
The bulleted items above have been so important to the work our educators are doing during professional learning days. These days allow our staff to learn and collaborate with each other and learn how to apply different learning strategies in the classroom.
Future Ready Ralston Bond Project Update
• Ralston High School Multi-Sport Complex: Demolition and excavation work has started. A pre-construction meeting has been held on the complex with subcontractors for field work, electrical, utilities, and earthwork all being identified. The goal is to have the project mostly completed by the fall of 2023. It will allow the Rams to play softball on campus next fall. The RHS baseball team will play one more year at Orval Smith this spring and should be able to play their spring/summer season of 2024 at the new Multi-Sport Complex.
● Meadows Elementary Interior Renovation: The initial bids for the interior renovations for Meadows Elementary are nearly complete and should be available by the Board of Education meeting on November 14th. A transportation survey has been distributed to Meadows parents to determine transportation needs to the Westside Community Center transition site this spring.
BCDM Architects have developed a fly-through video to visually show how the school will look once the interior renovations are complete. The video shows the secure entrance to the school, main office, cafeteria, library, art room, and classroom example. Click HERE to view the video.
• Wildewood Elementary Interior Renovation: BCDM Architects and District Administration presented a draft plan for the interior renovation to Wildewood staff to gather input several weeks ago. They recently had a follow-up meeting with the Principal to review the input from the presentation.
• Karen Western Elementary Foundation Repair: A contractor has been secured for the school’s foundation repair project which will be underway shortly. The timeline to finish this project is quick and it will be completed in a matter of days once started depending on the weather conditions. It will also cause little to no interruption to the learning environment.
• Westside Community Center Transition Site: Administration and school leaders from Meadows, Wildewood, and Blumfield Elementary Schools have met and discussed logistics about the temporary transition to the Westside Community Center during their interior renovations. Our District’s Food Service staff have toured the center along with the Douglas County Health Inspector to make sure the kitchen is ready to go for the Meadows transition this spring.
Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Gala
The Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce annual Scholarship Gala will be held on Thursday, November 10th at the Liberty First Credit Union Arena. This event will honor the 2022-2023 Ralston High School senior scholarship recipients. Each of these seniors went through an application and interview process in order to receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Chamber. The gala will include entertainment from student groups at Ralston High School, plus dinner, drinks, and a silent auction.
Tickets are available through the Chamber with individual and table options available. Please visit the Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce website at https://ralstonareachamber.org/ to purchase your tickets today!
Rake Ralston - Ralston High School NHS Community Project
Rake Ralston is a yearly community service project organized by members of the RHS National Honor Society. Members go out into the Ralston community and clean up the yards of Ralston residents who are unable to do so on their own. Rake Ralston will take place on Saturday, November 5, from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm.
“Rake Ralston allows our students to get out in the community and help citizens that maybe need a little extra help raking their yards,” says Ms. Andrea Hartman, RHS teacher, and NHS sponsor.
If you know a neighbor or Ralston resident who needs assistance with their yard cleanup, contact Ms. Hartman at andrea_hartman@ralstonschools.org or Dr. Boster at daniel_boster@ralstonschools.org.
Help Spread the Word - Ralston Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Luncheon
Ralston Public Schools is proud to once again welcome our community’s senior citizens back to Ralston High School for a Thanksgiving Luncheon. There will be a free lunch for all senior citizens and performances by Ralston High School's instrumental and vocal music programs. Please help spread the word by letting your neighbors know about this wonderful event.
Ram Recognition
Each week in Ram Recognition, Ralston Public Schools will highlight some good news happening across the District.
RMS Students Attend UNO Code Crush
Congratulations to Ralston Middle School students Reiley Conaway, Dinah Cain, Madison Orsi, and Lucia Chavez on being selected to participate in the Fall Summit of CodeCrush! Only 32 students are selected to participate in the CodeCrush Summit! Way to go Reiley, Dinah, Madison, and Lucia!
Through the University of Nebraska at Omaha, CodeCrush was created to show eighth and ninth-grade students, and their mentoring teachers, the world of IT. For three days, the UNO College of Information Science and Technology inspires CodeCrushers to take a deeper look at IT through hands-on experiences with emerging fields such as bioinformatics, IT innovation, music technology, and cybersecurity.
Ralston High School Ag Program and FFA Chapter Receives Grant & Presents Gift to Board
Congratulations to the Ralston High School FFA Chapter on receiving the Governor’s Agricultural Excellence Award. Thirty-one Nebraska FFA Chapters applied to receive this honor. Ralston was one of only four chapters to receive a $2,500 award.
The Governor’s Agricultural Excellence Award recognizes outstanding projects and activities of agricultural education programs and FFA Chapters in Nebraska. The Ralston FFA Chapter will be recognized on stage at the State FFA Convention in the spring. Congratulations to Ms. Johnson and her students for all their hard work.
Also in Ralston Agriculture news, students in Intro to Agriculture completed their floral unit with the construction of a Fall/Halloween-themed floral arrangement. Ms. Johnson presented each member of the Board of Education with an arrangement made by the students to show appreciation for all that the Board does for our District.
Ram Pride Band Performs at State Competition
The Ralston Ram Pride Band received a Division 1 (Superior Rating) at the State Marching Competition. The drumline also received a superior rating. The last time the band received a Division 1 rating was in 2002. The band also received a plaque for 30 years of participating in the State Marching Band Competition. Great job to Mr. Capron, his assistants, and all of the students in the Ram Pride Band. #RamProud
Seymour Elementary Students Adopt a Cow
You have heard of a class hamster or goldfish, but have you ever heard of a class cow? Seymour first-grade students recently adopted a cow from a dairy farm in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. This ties into the students' learning about how plants and animals grow and live in their natural environments. The calf's name is "Lark", and the students will receive updates on happenings at the farm and with Lark.
RHS Students Attend Leadership Symposium
A group of Ralston High School students recently participated in the UNO's annual Chuck Hagel Leadership Symposium. The students spent the day immersed in sessions about leadership and real-world problem-solving. They also had the opportunity to meet with former Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel. #RamProud
Ralston Public Schools
Email: jim.frederick@ralstonschools.org
Website: ralstonschools.org
Location: 8545 Park Drive, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-331-4700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RalstonPublicSchools
Twitter: @ralstonschools