The RPS Weekly Message

Winter weather is now upon us. To receive snow day alerts from Ralston Public Schools, your contact information must be up-to-date in your R-Kids account.

Click HERE to update your information now in R-Kids!

Parents are notified of snow days via an automated phone call, text message, and email. You don't want to miss these important messages!

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.

The Ralston Schools Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Heart of Learning Awards. This award recognizes outstanding staff members who have made a significant impact on the school community.

Click HERE to submit a nomination.

This year's Heart of Learning Banquet will take place on April 30th.

The award will be given to one recipient in each of the following categories:

• Secondary Teacher or Administrator (Grades 7-12)

• Elementary Teacher or Administrator (Grades PreK-6)

• Classified & Certified Support Staff (All levels)

• Ralston Schools Foundation Employee
  
  

To be eligible, nominees must be current Ralston Public Schools or Ralston Schools Foundation staff members and demonstrate excellence in education, leadership, and contributions to student needs. They must also have high standards of performance and a commitment to the students of Ralston Public Schools.

*Previous winners are not eligible - to see a list of previous winners click HERE

To submit a nomination, please complete the online form HERE by Friday, February 28, 2025.

Please include the nominee's name, building, and position, as well as the reason why you are nominating them.

Note that nominees will receive a copy of the letters submitted on their behalf. If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Nodgaard at ashley.nodgaard@ralstonschools.org.

Below is the Second Semester Parent/Teacher Conference Schedule for Ralston Public Schools. Please be on the lookout for specific information from your child’s school with details on how conferences will be held at each building.

Blumfield Elementary:
• Wednesday, February 12th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

• Thursday, February 13th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

Karen Western Elementary:

• Wednesday, February 5th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

• Thursday, February 6th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

Meadows Elementary:

• Wednesday, February 5th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

• Thursday, February 6th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

Mockingbird Elementary:

• Wednesday, February 5th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

• Thursday, February 6th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

Seymour Elementary:

• Wednesday, February 12th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

• Thursday, February 13th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

Wildewood Elementary:

• Tuesday, February 11th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

• Thursday, February 13th: 3:30 to 7:30 pm

Ralston Middle School:

• Wednesday, February 12th: 4:30 to 7:30 pm

• Thursday, February 13th: 4:30 to 7:30 pm

Ralston High School:

• Thursday, February 27th: 4:30 to 7:30 pm

Below are some tips for a productive conference with your child’s teacher.

Before the Conference: Prepare a List of Questions

Preparing a list of questions will help you have a productive conversation with your child’s teacher. Prioritize the questions in case you run out of time during the conference.

During the conference: Be on Time

Get off to the right start: come to the conference on time. Remember that other parents may also have conferences scheduled for that day; if you arrive late, you may miss your conference altogether. You should also plan on ending the conference at the scheduled time so that other parents can start their conference on time.

Ask for explanations of anything you don’t understand

Listen carefully to what the teacher says. If you don’t understand something that the teacher talks about (such as an educational term or an explanation of a school policy), don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. It is important for you to understand what your child’s teacher is telling you.

After the Conference:

Talk with your child

Talk about the conference with your child. Emphasize the positive points, and be direct about problems that were discussed. If you and the teacher created an action plan, explain it to your child. Make sure that your child understands that you and the teacher created this plan to help them.

Keep in touch with the teacher

Stay in touch with your child’s teachers. This will help you strengthen the parent-teacher partnership and will be an important part of the child’s success in school. When a child sees that parents and teachers are working together, the child will understand that their education is a top priority at school and at home.

Additional Resources

• Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child's School | Reading Rockets.

• Sugerencias para el éxito de las reuniones entre padres y maestros en la escuela de su hijo | Colorín Colorado

• Tips for Success – Parent/Teacher Conferences

For more at-home tips, advice, and ideas, feel free to reach out to us,

Dr. Anne Harley, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning

Dr. Sara Zabrowski-Gates, Director for Teaching & Learning

Earlier this year, Wildewood Elementary Principal, Mrs. Ashley Holmes, announced she would be transitioning to a different position in the educational community at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Holmes for her wonderful leadership and wish her the very best in her new role at Educational Service Unit #3 next year.

At this time, we would also like to announce that Mr. Kris Kaiser has been selected as the new Principal at Wildewood Elementary School.

“I am honored to join the Wildewood Elementary community. My goal is to build on the school’s strong foundation and ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive,” said Mr. Kaiser. “I believe collaboration and open communication are key to our success in creating a welcoming and inspiring environment for all students. I am eager and excited to meet our students, staff, and families.”

Mr. Kaiser brings 18 years of educational experience - 16 years in the classroom and two as an administrator. Before joining Ralston Public Schools, Mr. Kaiser served as Principal at Northside Elementary School in Nebraska City for the past two years. He began his teaching career in the Papillion-La Vista Community School District, where he taught sixth grade at several elementary schools.

Mr. Kaiser is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and earned his Master’s Degree and School Administrator Endorsement from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He brings with him a wonderful set of skills, along with a positive and enthusiastic spirit. As a District, we are confident Mr. Kaiser will be a fantastic addition to our school community. He is excited to meet the members of the Wildewood family.

Report cards for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students for the second-quarter are currently available to view in 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.

** IMPORTANT- 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. **

Enrollment and Option Enrollment is now open for the 2025-2026 school year for students who are entering kindergarten through the 12th grade.

We encourage everyone enrolling students for next school year to start 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.

For those families enrolling students in kindergarten, to be eligible, the students must turn five on or before July 31, 2025.

Option Enrollment - For families living outside the RPS District boundaries who want to enroll students in the District; Option Enrollment is also now open. The deadline for Option Enrollment applications is Friday, March 15th. Families who apply will be notified of their student’s option enrollment status after the March 15th deadline.

Pre-Kindergarten - Registration for the 2025-2026 school year will open after 9:00 am on Monday, February 3, 2025. Pre-Kindergarten is only available for students who live within the District boundaries and who turn four on or before July 31, 2025. Applications submitted before 9:00 am on February 3rd will not be accepted.

For more information, families can visit the District website and click on Enrollment under the For Families section. If families have specific questions on the enrollment process, they can contact the building they are enrolling their students in.

Attention Ralston Public Schools Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School students! The Kid Culinary Competition is back again this year and applications are now available. The competition will take place on Thursday, February 20th at Ralston High School. Entry forms are attached to this message and are asked to be turned back into your student’s school by Wednesday, February 12th. Finalists will be announced and notified on Thursday, February 13th.

Download the entry form and submit your recipes today!

Attention parents/guardians of the Ralston High School Class of 2029. RHS is hosting its annual Incoming 9th Grade Registration Night on Tuesday, February 11th starting at 6:00 pm at Ralston High School. Doors will open at 5:30 pm for check-in.

At the orientation, your family will:

• Meet RHS educators and administrators

• Dive deeper into program offerings, activities, and opportunities

• Complete a guided tour of the building

• Attend a registration meeting with a teacher registrar. These will be 10 minute meetings where you and your student will choose elective courses for the 2025-2026 school year.

This is not your traditional open house. It is important to plan to attend the entire evening from 6:00-8:00 pm.

If you have any questions, we ask you to please contact: Principal - Dr. Ryan Pivonka (ryan_pivonka@ralstonschools.org).

Ralston High School will host its next monthly food distribution on Tuesday, February 4th. 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.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. View the full USDA Nondiscrimination Statement HERE

The Ralston High School HOSA organization will host its annual Winter Blood Drive with the American Red Cross on Friday, January 24th from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm in the gymnasium at Ralston High School.

To register, visit the LINK!

By registering to be part of the Ralston High School HOSA Blood Drive, not only are you making a life saving difference but you are also supporting our students. By hosting blood drives throughout the year, the American Red Cross supports a scholarship fund to benefit engaged students as they move on to higher education. The scholarship program is available for high schools that host at least one Red Cross blood drive during the year.

Calling All Rams! Do you know an outstanding Ralston High School graduate who's making waves? The RHS Distinguished Alumni Award is your chance to shine a spotlight on an exceptional Ralston Ram who's inspiring our community.

Let’s celebrate the inspiring stories of our alumni! Nominate someone today and help us showcase the incredible impact RHS graduates are making in the world.

Nominations are due by Saturday, May 31st!

For more information: https://www.ralstonschoolsfoundation.org/2025-nominations.html

Attention, Ram Nation! Mark your calendars for the third annual Ralston High School Auto Show on Sunday, May 4th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (registration opens at 8:00 AM) in the parking lot of the Liberty First Credit Union Arena. This event is a fundraiser benefiting the Ralston High School Auto Club, SkillsUSA, and other RHS student organizations, including HOSA, FFA, Future Teachers, Culinary, DECA, and Construction Crew.

Spectator admission is FREE (though donations will be accepted). Participant registration is $25 per vehicle, and sponsorship opportunities will also be available. Please check future RPS Weekly Messages for more information.

This is an event that Ram Nation looks forward to every year, featuring over 250 classic and modified cars, raffles, food trucks, vendor booths, a live DJ, Best in Show prizes, and so much more. It’s an afternoon of fun for the entire family!

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.