Winter 2009-10 - Rio Rancho Public Schools

A Publication of the Rio Rancho Public Schools ● Volume 15 Number 2 -- Winter 2009- 10VisionStudent ExcellenceMissionRio Rancho Public Schools isdedicated to graduating each studentwith an educational foundationfor success as a responsible,ethical contributor to society.Board of Education:Don SchlichteDistrict 1PresidentMartin ScharfglassDistrict 2Vice PresidentMargaret TerryDistrict 3SecretaryDivyesh N. PatelDistrict 4MemberCraig BrandtDistrict 5MemberV. Sue Cleveland, Ed. D.Superintendent of SchoolsPre-kindergarten:Shining Stars PreschoolElementary schools:Cielo AzulColinas del NorteEnchanted HillsErnest StapletonMaggie M. CordovaMartin Luther King, Jr.Puesta del SolRio Rancho ElementarySandia VistaVista GrandeMiddle SchoolsEagle RidgeLincolnMountain ViewRio Rancho MiddleHigh SchoolsRio Rancho HighCleveland HighIndependence HighRio Rancho Cyber AcademyOn the Web: www.rrps.netState Budget Situation Affects Rio Rancho SchoolsRio Rancho Public Schools’ financialpicture is much improved from a yearago, when the district had to slashclose to $5 million mid-year from itsoperational budget. However, theimpact of the state and nationaleconomic downturn continues to be feltaround the state. And the outcome ofthe current legislative session couldfurther affect teaching and learning.Thanks to the sacrifices made by staffand students last year, the districtavoided layoffs and ended the yearwith some cash on hand. This year,with the knowledge further budget cutscould be in the offing, the district tooka very conservative approach tobudgeting and staffing classrooms. Asa result, some classes, especially inelective courses, were larger thandesirable. Fortunately, the districtgrew by about 500 students, whichgenerated some additional revenue andmade it possible to hire additionalteachers and alleviate some of theovercrowding.Then, in October, the state further cutschool budgets by 2% — nearly $2Getting Our Fair Share: Complete Census Count =$$$ for Rio Rancho!People often ask us, “What can I do to help our schools?” Well this spring, by spending 10minutes or less answering 10 simple questions, you could help raise millions of dollars for your schools and your city!The census is as old as the country. The U.S. Constitution requires a count of the country’s population every ten years. Thedata collected is used to allocate hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities.Inside this issue:million for Rio Rancho. Because of theconservative budget approach taken atthe beginning of the year, the districtwas able to absorb the cuts withoutimpacting classrooms further throughcash reserves, growth funding, andcuts to district-level departments.As readers receive this issue of Insideour Schools, the state legislature is insession considering further statewidebudget adjustments for this school yearas well as next year’s budget. Thestate’s budget shortfall continues to besevere. In addition, next year federalstimulus funding which was used toshore up the state budget will go away,leaving the state to either make up thedifference or cut services. Proposals onthe table in Santa Fe as Inside ourSchools went to press include a 3% cutto public school budgets that couldinclude across-the-board salary andbenefit cuts, as well as potential“revenue enhancements” to generatemore money for the state.In the last two years, Rio RanchoPublic Schools has already absorbednearly $2.6 million in state budget cutsGraduation requirements 2 Services for home schoolers 6RRPS saves big on energy! 2 New Montessori program 6New elementary will honor Joe Harris 3 Walk and Roll to School 6The spirit of giving! 3 Staff, students, and community 7Students in the spotlight 4 Ed Foundation teacher grants 7Building CHS: the final chapters 4 A fall of flu 8Fun and success in sports! 5 New RRPS e-newsletter 8Rio Rancho’s population has grown by more than25,000 residents since the last census, and thedemographics of the community have alsochanged. The school district also continues togrow (see chart on page 7). What this means isthat schools and the community aren’t getting theirfair share of money from the federal government,since the funds are allocated on the basis of 2000census information.(continued on page 2)in addition to $4 million in districtinitiatedcuts needed to balance thebudget last year. At this point, it willbe very difficult for the district to cutthe budget further without eliminatingeducational programs, people, or both.Rio Rancho PublicSchools’ has askedthe legislature tominimize furthercuts to schools.Students have onlyone chance at aneducation, andopportunities lostto them as a resultof budget cuts maynever be regained.Parents andcommunity members are encouraged totell their state legislators how cutsaffect their children and how they feelabout the proposals. Furtherinformation about the school district’sposition on the budget and contactinformation for legislators may befound on the district Web site,www.rrps.net.

PAGE 2INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2009-10As reported in the lastissue of Inside ourSchools, Rio Ranchostudents graduatefrom high school at arate exceeding 79%(and 88% at RRHS),well in excess of thestate and nationalaverages. In addition,comprehensive highschool students mustmeet some of thestate’s most rigorousrequirements forgraduation in order toreceive a diploma.RRHS, CHS GraduationTo earn the desirableRRPS Diploma of Requirements AmongDistinction, ClevelandHigh and Rio RanchoState’s ToughestHigh students mustearn 28 credits, (thestate requires 24). Aspart of this requirement, students must earn four credits in each of thefour core subjects — English, social studies, math, and science — bytaking and passing a class in each subject every semester they areenrolled. The State of New Mexico requires only three credits in scienceand 3 1/2 in social studies for 9th graders entering this year.The Diploma of Distinction sets a high bar for Rio Rancho high schoolstudents. Students at Rio Rancho High and Cleveland High take sevenclasses each day, allowing them to earn a maximum of 28 credits. Inorder to achieve the Diploma of Distinction, students must take a fullload every semester and pass every class.A change taking effect next year is that students may earn a “standard”diploma at RRHS and CHS with the completion of a minimum 26 creditsincluding four credits in each of the core subjects. This still exceeds thestate minimum requirements and those of most school districts. Thestandard diploma allows students to graduate with two fewer electivescredits in order to give them the chance to “make up” required classesrequired for graduation. To receive a standard RRHS or CHS diploma, aswith the Diploma of Distinction, students must still earn credits in allrequired classes including all four credits in all four core subjects.Rio Rancho Schools Save Big on EnergyW hen your powerconsumption drops so drasticallythat PNM calls you wondering ifyour meter works, that’s saving energy.And that actually happened at RioRancho High School earlier this year.Facilities Executive Director Al Senareports that in the first quarter of thisyear, number of kilowatt hours ofelectricity consumed in the Rio RanchoPublic Schools district in the first quarterdropped by more than 50% whencompared to the same period lastyear. The total decrease was 2.7million kwh, with Rio Rancho Highaccounted for 940 kwh of the savings.The savings are even more significantwhen considering that a large newfacility, Cleveland High, came onlineShutting down all that kitchen equipment when not inuse saves a lot of energy!during the first quarter. For moreinformation and data on thedecrease, visit the RRPS Web site,www.rrps.net.In addition to the savings on energycosts, the reduction in energy usebenefits the environment as well.Significant savings have also beenachieved in natural gas and waterconsumption.District employees were asked tosave energy as part of the budgetreducingmeasures put in place lastyear. Some of the biggest energysavings were realized by shuttingdown equipment in the district’s 19school cafeteria kitchens during thesummer months. The district’s kitchentechnician, Bill Warzynski,singlehandedly went into everykitchen to affect theshutdown, proving that evenone individual’s attention tosaving energy can make adifference.Schools Honor Veterans on November 11Though the district’s currentbudget situation hasimproved, the campaign toreduce utilities consumptionwill remain in place tocontinue to save money andenergy.These graduation requirements apply to students at Rio Rancho Highand Cleveland High. Students at RRPS’s two small high schools,Independence High and the Rio Rancho Cyber Academy, can still earn adiploma with the state-required minimum of 24 credits.Census (continued from page 1)The data is also used to draw federal, state legislative, and localgovernment districts – which means Rio Rancho is currentlyunderrepresented in federal and state government. If we can get anaccurate census count of every Rio Rancho resident, it’s very likely ourcommunity and our schools will qualify for more money and a biggervoice in government policymaking.You can help! When the census form shows up at your home, in mid-March, just fill it out and send it in. Census data is confidential andindividuals’ answers are not shared with any other agencies, including lawenforcement, the Internal Revenue Service, and immigration.Veterans Day in Rio Rancho is a school day — and an educational opportunity.Schools take advantage of the holiday to teach students about the contributionsmade by veterans and to host guest speakers.Some schools also hold special ceremonies honoring veterans. At the new ClevelandHigh (above left), veterans and JROTC members unveiled a flag flown in theAfghanistan battle zone and donated to the school. At Lincoln Middle School (aboveright), veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf wars displayed vintagemilitary equipment, answered student questions, and were part of a studentassembly honoring veterans.

VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2009-10INSIDE OUR SCHOOLSPAGE 3Next Elementary School to BeNamed for Joe HarrisOn July 16, 2009, Sandoval County andRio Rancho lost one of its finest lawenforcement officers, and Rio Ranchostudents lost one of their best friends.Sandoval County Sheriff’s Sergeant JoeHarris, killed while apprehending asuspect in the Jemez Mountains, was amuch-loved and frequent presence in RioRancho schools. In a quarter-century ofservice to the community as a Rio Ranchoand Sandoval County officer, Sgt. Harrisbrought drug and crime preventionprograms including D.A.R.E, G.R.E.A.T.,Neighborhood Watch, Citizen PoliceAcademy, and McGruff the Crime Dog toRio Rancho.Joe and his faithful law enforcement dogHarley were also part of the “Kasey Says”program which uses therapy dogs to helpchildren learn to read. On one occasion,Harley even made a drug bust – studentssaw the dog, assumed he was there tosniff out drugs (he wasn’t), and turnedthemselves in. Harley also created op-artpaintings that were auctioned at the RioRancho Education Foundation’s annual“Seats and Eats” fundraiser benefittingRio Rancho schools.In the aftermath of Joe Harris’ death,many community members suggestedRRPS honor Joe by naming a school in hishonor. The school board honored theserequests earlier this month by adopting aresolution to name the community’s nextelementary school in honor of Joe Harris.This school will be built as soon as statematching funds become available in anarea west of Unser between Southern andNorthern Blvd.The board also directed that the school’smascot be the “Harleys,” in honor of Joeand Harley.Elks Provide Free Dictionaries to ThirdGraders: Every third grader in the Rio Ranchoschool district is now the proud owner of theirvery own dictionary, courtesy of Rio RanchoElks Lodge #2500. The Elks are Rio Ranchosponsors of the Dictionary Project, whichassists students with becoming good writers,active readers and creative thinkers throughproviding all students with their own personaldictionaries. This year, more than 1,360 thirdgraders, including these Cielo Azul Elementarystudents, received dictionaries.Tons of Food!Schools around thedistrict collectfood, toys, andother donations tobenefit lessfortunate families.One of the firstdrives completedthis year was atthe district(central) office,which holds anannual contest tocollect food whichis distributed through Storehouse West. Thisyear, district level employees donated morethan 4,300 pounds of food, nearly doublingtheir contribution over last year’s.The Spiritof Giving!One Big Event!: Local residents got ahelping hand from Rio Rancho andCleveland High School students inNovember during The “Big Event,” acommunity service project where teamsof high school students, under adultsupervision, complete odd jobs at thehomes of Rio Rancho residents as a wayof saying “thanks” to the community forsupporting schools. Nearly 200 studentsand adult volunteers participated thisyear. “Big Events” are held around thecountry, but most are sponsored by postsecondaryinstitutions. Rio Rancho’s isone of a very few high school-sponsored“Big Events” in the country.Holiday Cheer: Every year, RRPS students spread a little of thespirit of the season throughout Rio Rancho: Above: Puesta delSol Elementary’s drill team was one of several groupsparticipating in the Winterfest Parade. Right: choral groups likethis one from Enchanted Hills Elementary visited senior centers,businesses, and government offices.Talk about going the extra mile – or 60!:RRPS cancer survivor Deb Schindel(right), her boss LaJuana Coleman fromCurriculum and Instruction (middle right),B.J. Hartford of the Special ServicesDep’t. (left), and retired Mountain Viewprincipal Kathy Pinkel (middle left)celebrated Deb’s completing her chemoand radiation therapy by participating inthe Susan G. Komen for the Cure “BreastCancer Three-Day” in Scottsdale, AZ. Thegrueling event involves walking 20 mileseach day for three days and spending two nights in a pink pup tent. Theymade it! – and raised more than $10,000 to support efforts to cure breastcancer. LaJuana called the experience “inspirational and rewarding” andsays, “I’d even consider doing it again!”

PAGE 4INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2009-10Students In the SpotlightIHS students Kaylynn Delozier andMichelle Cusack pose with AttorneyGeneral Gary King after winning firstplace in the UPublic/DUDE TV UnderageDrinking Prevention Film Contest.Independence Students WinFilmmaking AwardsTeams from Independence High Schoolwon the top two awards in the UPublicand DUDE TV (“Don’t Use Drugs Ever”)Underage Drinking Prevention FilmContest. The New Mexico AttorneyGeneral’s office teamed with UPublic andDude TV to promote the contest as partof its efforts to curb underage drinking.Attorney General Gary King came toIndependence on October 16 topersonally congratulate the winners andaward prizes.“Take Another Look,” a video featuringIndependence student Michelle Cusack,took first prize in the contest. In thevideo, Cusack tells how an evening of binge drinking nearly killed her when she fell outof the window of a car moving at 75 miles per hour.Second prize in the statewide contest went to “DWI Rap,” a 30-second public serviceannouncement produced by Michael Thompson and Ricky Mayberry. To the tune of arap song penned by Thompson, the spot features a re-enactment of a teenagerdrinking, driving, and getting busted by the cops.Both teams were part of IHS’s film program taught by Marla Peters, which trainsstudents to pursue careers in the film industry.Marching to Victory!Rio Rancho now has TWO greathigh school marching bandsbattling for top awards — and bothwound up winners!Rio Rancho High School’s band(left, in their new uniforms) wonthe 5A division (large bandcategory) of the Pageant of theBands. The band’s drum majors,guard, and percussionists alsosnared top honors. ClevelandHigh, (right) which has a relatively small marching band, won the 3A division; theirdrum majors, guard, and brass section also placed tops in their class.At the Zia Marching Band Fiesta, generally regarded as the state championship meet,Cleveland finished third in Class AAA. Rio Rancho finished second in Class AAAA andmoved on to the finals, where they finished third in the state and fourth overall.Photo by Elizabeth EconomonThe Final Chapters: Cleveland ConstructionClassrooms at Rio Rancho’s new Cleveland High School opened tostudents last August 15 — and over the past several months theremaining facilities at the new school have come on line one by one.These facilities were part of Phase II of the project, begun later thanthe rest of the campus.The photo above, taken by Cleveland softball coach ElizabethEconomon from a balloon on a Saturday during the Balloon Fiesta,shows sports and PE fields nearing completion. The athletic stadium(at left in the photo above and in the photos below), whichaccommodates track and field, soccer, and football, opened onOctober 10, other venues have since been completed.Performances in the new Cleveland High Concert Hall will begin laterthis winter. The Concert Hall, which will serve the community as wellas the school district, seats about 1,100 and is one of the finestperforming arts venues in the state.French Students Visit RRPS SchoolsTwenty students and three teachers from theLycée Boissy d'Anglas from Annonay, about 45miles south of Lyon, visited Albuquerque andRio Rancho in October and many of thestudents attended our schools and stayed withCleveland High and Rio Rancho High families.Annonay has a special connection withballooning; some of the Montgolfier brothers’earliest experiments with unmanned balloonstook place there in 1783. The students especially wanted to visit the Balloon Fiestaand re-enact their town’s pageant celebrating the event. Unfortunately, it rainedthe day the students visited the Fiesta, grounding the balloons. But the Frenchstudents, teachers, and their Rio Rancho hosts were the center of attention on thelaunch field as they met Fiesta-goers and visited the nearby Balloon Museum.

VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2009-10INSIDE OUR SCHOOLSPAGE 5Two Schools Double Students’ Chances to Compete and Excel!SoccerAnd as the sun sinks slowly on the season: Rio Rancho High’s boys and girls soccer teams both had terrific regularseasons, but fell out early in the state tournament. After that, it was all about the Cleveland Storm girls soccersquad’s remarkable run to the threshold of the state title match. In the semis, the Storm girls (no seniors) camewithin a hair’s breadth of beating perennial powerhouse La Cueva (11 seniors!), playing them to a tie through twoovertimes and finally losing in penalty kicks. They have a lot to look forward to next year as the whole team returns!Cross-CountryCountryAnother year, another bluetrophy . . . “Dominant”doesn’t begin to describethe mighty Rio Rancho Highvolleyball squad. That“we’re number one” fingerheld up as the Ramscelebrated victory might aswell have been six — for thenumber of titles the teamwon in the first decade ofthe 21st century. Theybreezed through the statetournament, sweeping everymatch in three games.The CHS Storm squad(below right) had a decentfirst year of competition,making it into the first roundof the state tournament.VolleyballRemembering Alan KennethAny year your boys and girls teams both finish in the top three in state, you’ve done all right. At left above, the RioRancho High boys cross country squad shares their third-place trophy with parents in the stands. At right, the Ramgirls are all smiles on their home field after running the grueling state championship course (the state meet was heldat RRHS). They were the state runners-up. In their first year of competition CHS did not field full teams at state, butMalia Gonzales (at right with coach Larry Chavez) became the school’s first individual all-state runner. Rams runnersTamara Lementino, Jenna Padilla, and Caleb Rubalcaba also finished in the top ten to earn all-state honors.FootballIt was a fun year for football, as for the first time RioRancho fans had two teams to root for! The RioRancho Rams defeated Cibola in a thrilling overtimegame to win the district title, but were unable toprevail in the first round of the state tournament. Intheir first year on the gridiron, the Cleveland Stormsurprised some teams expecting to whomp up on anew squad competing without seniors. The Stormwon five games, but couldn’t compete against mostbig-school teams — including their cross-town rivals,the Rams. In the first meeting of what should proveto be a long and healthy rivalry (at left), the Rams(with seniors, of course!) dominated the Storm 50-19.For nearly a decade,the reassuring voiceof Alan Kenneth (left,at the volleyballdistrict championshipgame in 2007) keptsports fans abreast ofthe action at highschool sports events.But Alan, known asthe “Voice of theRams,” was muchmore than a game announcer for RioRancho and state tournament matches.Above all, Alan cared deeply andpassionately about schools and kids andwas a strong advocate for excellence inour schools. He was a tireless athleticbooster, served on the community SchoolBond Referendum Committee, and wasRio Rancho Public Schools’ 2009Volunteer of the Year.Many at Alan’s memorial servicecommented on his huge heart. That wasan understatement. He will be missed.

PAGE 6INSIDE OUR SCHOOLSVOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2009-10For many years, Rio Rancho parents haveencouraged Rio Rancho to offer a Montessoriprogram for preschool and elementarystudents. This year, RRPS was finally able tomake that dream a reality!The Montessori program at Sandia VistaElementary opened this fall with anenrollment of a dozen preschool children andabout 50 elementary-age children. Learningin a Montessori classroom is principallydirected by the child within a carefullystructuredenvironment where groundrules and expectations are clearly statedand enforced by both students andteachers. Montessori teachers arecarefully selected and highly trained toguide students so they can experiment,They’ve got rhythm? Fine arts programs aren’t justfor high school students: RRPS offers music and artto students at all grade levels. Here, students inEnchanted Hills Elementary’s Enchanted Drumsgroup become instructors, teaching school boardmembers Don Schlichte, Margaret Terry, and CraigBrandt how to march to a different drummer.Montessori Program OffersOptions to Preschool,Elementary ParentsRio Rancho Public Schools2009 – ’10 Calendar—remainder of yearFebruary 15*March 15 – 19April 1-2April 5*April 29April 30*May 25SCHOOL IN SESSION—Make-up daySpring breakParent-teacher conferences andcredentialing – all schools: noclassesHoliday -- all schools: noclasses/weather make-up dayInservice day – all schools: noclassesHoliday – all schools: noclasses/weather make-up dayLast day of school*Plans that cannot be changed should not be made forweather make-up daysdiscover, and learnat their own paceand in their ownway. Children areorganized into multiage-levelgroups (asopposed to gradelevels). They areallowed to learn attheir own pace, andgain responsibilityand leadershipskills as olderchildren in theclassroom mentoryounger children.The classroom contains inviting materialsespecially designed to help students learnthrough their own errors to make correctdecisions.Rio Rancho’s elementary Montessori is apublic school program located at SandiaVista Elementary School and is one of onlyabout 200 public school Montessoriprograms in the nation. Enrollment isopen this year to pre-K through 3 rd gradestudents. Application forms for the 2010-2011 school year will be posted on theSandia Vista Elementary Web site, http://www.rrps.net/NewElementa/sandiavista/index.htm, in February 2010.Parents interested in enrolling three, four,and five year old students for the 2010-2011 school year may contact theElementary Curriculum and Instructionoffice 994-2811, visit the Sandia VistaElementary Web site, or callSandia Vista at 338-2526. Parents may wish toconference with their child’steacher or the Montessoristaff to determine if thisprogram is right for theirchild.The RRPS MontessoriProgram is tuition-free forkindergarten and elementaryagestudents, but parentsliving outside the SandiaVista attendance boundarymust provide their child’stransportation. Tuition forpre-school students, who arenot funded by the state, is$6,000 per year.RRPS Serves Home School Families, Too!For a variety of reasons, some parents choose toeducate their children at home. Rio RanchoPublic Schools policies 470 and 376, available onthe district’s Web site, www.rrps.net, define theprocedures parents must follow when establishinga home school or when enrolling a student whohas been home-schooled in an RRPS school, andalso some of the options students have to participate in electiveclasses in RRPS schools. Home schools are required to register withthe New Mexico Public Education Department and, at a minimum, toprovide instruction in the core academic subjects.Home school students may enroll in elective courses at high schoolson a space-available basis, and may participate on athletic teams atthe school serving students in the attendance area where they live.For information on these programs, parents may contact the highschool serving the area in which they reside.The Rio Rancho Public Schools Family School supports elementaryschool parents who are homeschooling. Home school studentsattend the Family School on a half-time basis. The Family School iscurrently located at Enchanted Hills Elementary School, and parentsinterested in enrolling should contact the school at 891-8526.The Rio Rancho Cyber Academy educates students through onlinecourses, and especially is an option for elite athletes or otherstudents whose schedules make it difficult to attend a regular publicschool. The Cyber Academy also provides support for home schoolfamilies, including the opportunity to enroll in courses the parentmay not be comfortable teaching. Those wishing information maycontact the Cyber Academy at 892-7222.Students Encouraged to“Walk and Roll” to SchoolIn some ways, people would thinkencouraging students to walk orbike to school is a no-brainer. Itburns calories, combats obesity,saves gas, and is good for theenvironment. Yet the vastmajority of Rio Rancho students,even those who live close enoughto schools to walk or ride bikes,ride buses or are driven to school.On October 27, the RRPS StudentTransportation Departmentpartnered with our local policedepartment to encourage studentsto “Walk and Roll” to school. Theevent focused especially on threeelementary schools — Puesta del Sol (photo), Sandia Vista, andCielo Azul — where students were encouraged to walk or bike toschool with the help of the the RRPS Student TransportationDepartment staff and Rio Rancho Police.Last year, the Student Transportation Department received aNew Mexico Department of Transportation Safe Routes to SchoolsGrant to begin work on developing safe routes to school forstudents at Cielo Azul, Puesta del Sol, and Sandia Vista. Theareas around those schools, like many Rio Rancho neighborhoods,lack sidewalks and/or are in rural areas, and some students haveto cross busy streets to reach their schools.

VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2009-10INSIDE OUR SCHOOLSPAGE 7Spotlight on Staff, Students,and Community• Students in the RRPS Junior ROTC program snared thesweepstakes award and first place honors in Armed Drill, ArmedInspection, Armed Exhibition, and Physical Training at the UNMJROTC competition earlier this fall. JROTC students are a frequentsite at community and school events, presenting the colors,providing traffic control, taking tickets, and assisting with seatingat football games.• RRHS Thespians drama students captured awards in severaldisciplines at the annual San Juan College Musical Theatercompetition in Farmington.• RRPS’s Reading Recovery program was recognized for 10 years ofsuccessful results in helping struggling first grade students learnto read, as part of the national Reading Recovery program’s 25th anniversary celebration• Selby Lucero, formerly Deputy Director of the NM Building Services Division, is RRPS’s newMaintenance Manager• Three Rio Rancho elementary schools — Ernest Stapleton, Rio Rancho Elementary, and VistaGrande — have been recognized by the New Mexico Public Education Department for effectiveprograms serving the linguistic and academic needs of English-language learners.• Rio Rancho High seniors Amber Porter and Hunter Loen have qualified as National Merit Scholarsemi-finalists. Morgan Reed has been named a Commended National Scholar. Leslie Garza,Cayla Price, and Jeffrey Ulibarri have qualified for the National Merit Hispanic Recognition ProgramWe’re Still Growing!17,00016,00015,00014,00013,00012,00011,00010,0009,0008,0007,0006,0005,00040th Day RRPS Student Enrollment10,2192000-0110,5662001-02Save the date!April 30, 201011,1382002-0311,7762003-0412,5422004-0513,6112005-0614,8152006-0715,8052007-0816,1822008-0916,762*2009-10Rio Rancho schools addedabout 500 students this year,bringing the district’senrollment over 16,500students. The district’s annualgrowth rate of about 3.3% hasslowed since the 8.5% rates ofa few years ago, but is slightlyhigher than last year.The Rio Rancho district beganin 1994 with 5,900 students.Since then, the district’senrollment has grown by180%.Education Foundation Funds School ProjectsLots of happy teachers lined up behind Rio Rancho School Board members last fall — thisyear’s recipients of Rancho Education Foundation grants. The Foundation awarded a total of$43,488 this year, including 21 “teacher grants” of up to $1,000 to support small projects,and 8 campus grants of up to $5,000 to fund campus-wide initiatives. The business andcommunity leaders who make up the Foundation raise money, principally through their “Seats& Eats” annual event, to fund projects in schools and classrooms that the district is not able tofund through its operational budgetComplete information about the projects the Foundation funded this year may be found on theFoundation Web site, www.rref.org.School SupplyDonationsSupport StudentsWith the tough economictimes, more families thanever needed help this yearwith providing schoolsupplies for their children— and our communitycame through!At top, Rio Ranchostudent athletes processsome of the suppliesdonated through the NMPublic EducationDepartment and Feed theChildren annual drive forhomeless students.Each year, Intel employees volunteer in schools (Intel makes amatching financial donation for each hour worked) and alsomount a school supply drive. This year, Intel employees donatedsome 5,000 school supply items, of which half went to RioRancho schools. Other school supply donations came from thelocal balloon club, which donates supplies collected fromballoonists at its August rally in Rio Rancho, and through Channel7’s annual school supply drive. Churches and several privateindividuals also made significant donations of school supplies.Thank you to ourbusiness communityfor supportingour schoolsand students!Parents: Can we reach you in anemergency? Rio Rancho Public Schools’emergency phone notification systemprovides a means to contact parentspromptly with basic information andupdates in the event of an emergencysituation at their child’s school, schoolclosures or delayed start times, or urgent,time-sensitive information. In order forthe system to work properly, it is veryimportant that the phone numbers in yourchild’s school record are up-to-date. If theinformation needs to be corrected, contactthe registrar at your child’s school. Ofcourse, as has always been the case, schoolstaff will contact you directly as soon aspossible if your child becomes ill or isinjured at school.If you do not have children in school andreceive a call, please call 896-0667 ext. 180and leave your name and phone number sowe may correct our records.

PAGE 8INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 WINTER 2009-10Keeping Students Healthy in theFace of FluAs we all know, this has been a tough cold and fluseason. Parents, students, and staff pulled together tohelp limit the spread of colds and flu by following goodprevention strategies: washing their hands and/or usinghand sanitizer frequently, coughing into tissues or intoelbows, and staying home when they are ill, and we thankthem.Sadly, even the best prevention strategies don’t alwayswork. The recent surge of flu-like illness in schools,including H1N1, took its toll in Rio Rancho, resulting inthe death of an elementary student. In November,Trinity’s family atthe dedication of“Trinity’s Garden”Shining Stars Preschool named one of its learning and play areas “Trinity’sGarden” to honor the little girl, a Shining Stars “graduate”.With many months left in the cold and flu season, it is very important that we notlet our guard down and continue to do everything we can to prevent our studentsand staff from illness. Health authorities have warned that H1N1 could make acomeback later this winter.For further information about cold and flu prevention, visit http://www.rrps.net/Administration/Health/swinefluinfo.htmParents: Monitor Your Child’s Progress!If you have a child in middle or high schooland would like to keep an eye on grades,assignments, and attendanceinformation via the Web, it’s simpleand easy: sign up for PowerSchool!Parents wishing to sign up mustpresent a photo ID at their child’sschool in order to receive a user IDand password. This helps to ensurethat student records remain privateand secure. Parents with a child inmore than one secondary school canreceive usernames and passwordsfor all of their children at any one oftheir child’s schools. Elementaryschools and the Cyber Academy useseparate systems and their datacannot be accessed through thePowerSchool parent portal.Make-Up Day SetAll Rio Rancho Public School studentswill attend classes on Monday,February 15 (President’s Day) to makeup for the cancellation of classes onDecember 8 th due to high winds thatknocked out the district’s school buscommunications system.February 15th is the first of the daysidentified in this year’s school calendaras a possible make-up day. Choosingthis day preserves make-up days laterin the year (April 5 and 30) in case lateseason bad weather forces furtherschool closures. Parents are advisedat the beginning of each school year toavoid making plans that cannot bechanged for weather make-up days.School Phone Numbers:Shining Stars Preschool 892-7735Cielo Azul Elementary 338-2320Colinas del Norte Elementary 896-3378Enchanted Hills Elementary 891-8526Ernest Stapleton Elementary 891-8473Maggie M. Cordova Elementary 994-0229Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary 892-2575Puesta del Sol Elementary 994-3305Rio Rancho Elementary 892-0220Sandia Vista Elementary 338-2526Vista Grande Elementary 771-2366Eagle Ridge Middle School 892-6630Lincoln Middle School 892-1100Mountain View Middle School 867-0711Rio Rancho Middle School 891-5335Independence High School 338-4658Rio Rancho Cyber Academy 892-7222Rio Rancho High School 896-5600V. Sue Cleveland High School 938-0300Career Tech/Early College Center 896-6613RRPS District Office 896-0667Student Transportation 338-0078Curriculum & Instruction/Fine Arts 994-2811Inside Our SchoolsEditor and photographer: Kim VeselyQuestions and comments should beaddressed to:Inside Our Schools500 Laser Rd. NERio Rancho, NM 87124E-mail: district@rrps.netWe hope you find this newsletter informativeand enjoyable. Please addresscomments to the attention ofEditor, Inside our Schools, at theabove addresses.Subscribe to RRPS’s E-Newsletter!E"Student Excellence"Rio Rancho Public SchoolsE-ExpressionsWould you like to receive regularupdates about news and eventsin Rio Rancho schoolsbetween editions of Insideour Schools? Subscribe toE-Expressions, RRPS’s newelectronic newsletter!E-Expressions comes out approximately monthly and containsinformation about the achievement of our staff and students as well asnews affecting schools and the district (such as school funding).Subscribers receive an e-mail notification as new issues come out.To subscribe to E-Expressions or to view past editions of the e-newsletter, visit www.rrps.net and click on the “Subscribe to ourNewsletter” tab near the top of the home page. Subscribing is simpleand easy. As an anti-spam measure, after you sign up, you will receivean e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription, and then a second e-mail introducing you to the publication.Rio Rancho Public Schools500 Laser Rd. NERio Rancho, NM 87124ResidentRio Rancho, New MexicoNONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGEPAIDALBUQUERQUE, NMPERMIT NO. 539