Rio Rancho Public Schools

🚀 Vista Grande Elementary’s 5th Graders Went to Mars! 🚀 On April 24, our amazing team of fifth-graders joined nearly 1,000 students from across New Mexico at the Albuquerque Convention Center for the Mission to Mars expedition! 🌌 Our crew: Designed and presented a food supply system for Mars Created riddles packed with Mars facts for other teams to solve Performed and sang a Mars saga Built an impressive 8x8-foot habitat, which linked up with habitats from other schools to form a full Martian colony Their hard work, teamwork, and creativity paid off- they received an exceptional score for the day! 🏆 We are so proud of our future explorers and scientists. Way to go, Voyagers! #RRPSignites

Wow, what a night! Mr. Kramer, an incredible music teacher at Joe Harris Elementary, led an unforgettable third-grade music performance! Nearly 100 talented students took the stage, showcasing their skills after months of hard work. The turnout was amazing, with parents packing both the gym and cafeteria! We're so lucky to have Mr. Kramer guiding our students on their musical journey. Thank you to all who made this event so special! #RRPSignites

What a weekend for wrestling at Cleveland High School! The girls took home the 5A State Championship while the boys took 2nd overall! Congratulations to all the athletes who competed over the weekend in our own backyard at the Rio Rancho Events Center. 📸 by New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA)

Congratulations to Alexander McGee on becoming a finalist in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program! Alex ranked #12 out of 492 seniors in the Class of 2025 at Rio Rancho High School, is among the highest-scoring students in the nation, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors. His outstanding achievements include missing only one question on the SAT in his junior year. We wish him the best as he competes for one of the National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in the spring!

Huge congrats to Rio Rancho High School Varsity Cheer for their awesome performance at the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, FL! 🌴 They earned 5th place in Small Coed Varsity Game Day! 🎉 What an accomplishment!

🎓 Teacher Residency Program at Rio Rancho Public Schools - Apply Now! 🍎 Aspiring teachers, don't miss this chance for a paid, year-long apprenticeship for the 2025-2026 school year! ✅ $35,000 stipend ✅ Hands-on classroom experience ✅ Various licensure areas available Apply by February 15, 2025: coehs.unm.edu/residencies

🏹 Bullseye Brilliance: MCE Archery Team Strikes Gold! 🏆 Maggie Cordova Elementary's archery team continues improving! At the RRHS "Rams Quest for the Bullseye" tournament, the young archers hit a spectacular team score of 2,764, claiming the elementary division trophy! 🥇 Individual Standouts Julianne Roark (5th grade): 1st place with a stellar 256 score Brielle Alaniz (5th grade): 2nd place, scoring 253 Woody Santorius (5th grade): 3rd place with 254 points 🎯 Top Performers Elementary Girls Top 5: Morgan Hasana Olivia Call Mya Gabaldon Felicity Torres Layla Cortez-Perez Elementary Boys Top Performers: Issac Lopez Graeme Call Colton Havill Levi Thurman Coached by Toby Jackson, they're locked and loaded for the upcoming NASP NM state tournament - defending champions are on a mission!🏹🎯 #RRPSignites

🌟 Inspiring Leadership at ESE! 🌟 Mike Tupper, Regional Director of the Northeast Region for USGS, visited a 4th and 5th grade class at Ernest Stapleton Elementary School to share his insights on never giving up and what it takes to be a true leader. During his visit, he witnessed an incredible act of kindness by 4th grader Cade Miller, who took it upon himself to help a fellow student overcome language barriers while working on their project. Mr. Tupper recognized Cade's leadership by awarding him a special leadership coin from USGS—making him one of the few New Mexicans to receive this honor! 🎖️ We are so proud of you, Cade! Keep shining bright! 🌟

Last Friday, RRMS and RRHS represented the district at the annual New Mexico Music Educators Association (NMMEA) conference! The RRMS Phoenix Philharmonic, a collaborative orchestra made up of the Phoenix's concert band, choir, and orchestra programs, and the RRHS Wind Symphony had the immense honor of playing a sold-out concert at Popejoy Hall! The show was a result of both schools receiving special recognition from the NMMEA; the Phoenix Philharmonic was named this year's NMMEA Honor Orchestra, and the RRHS Wind Symphony was named this year's NMMEA Honor Band. The performance was absolutely wonderful, and every student involved did an outstanding job. We are so proud of both our Phoenix and Rams, as well as the RRPS Fine Arts Department!

🎉📚 Reading Opens the World 📚🎉 What an amazing event we had at Ernest Stapleton Elementary School on Saturday. Here's a quick recap of the highlights: 240 volunteers worked tirelessly to set up and unpack 24 pallets of books! 226 educators each received 50 books to enrich their classrooms. 440 families took home 10 books per child, fostering a love for reading at home. 🐶 The wonderful team from Tales of Joy READ brought their therapy dogs for some furry cuddles. Families had fun making Swiftie friendship bracelets! 🎨 Sundance Dental provided essential dental supplies. Our dedicated nurses from UHPNM offered blood pressure checks. Safety tips were shared by our friends at RRPD and RRFD. Special thanks to the American Federation of Teachers for providing the books! This event was made possible by RRSEU in partnership with the United Health Employees of NM. We opened our doors early at 10:45 AM, and the line was out the door in the cold! The enthusiasm did not stop, with steady traffic throughout the day. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the joy of reading! Together, we’re opening new worlds for our community.

🎉 Exciting News from Vista Grande Elementary! 🎄 We are thrilled to announce that Vista Grande Elementary has been selected to represent New Mexico in the America Celebrates ornament display at the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.! This year, our talented fifth grader, Maximo Risso, designed an incredible ornament that symbolizes our rich history, heritage, and culture. A huge thank you to Liz Lockhart, our amazing art teacher, for guiding Maximo and all the students who participated in creating these beautiful ornaments. Over 15 Grizzly students contributed their artistic talents, and all 24 ornaments are proudly hanging on the tree! The America Celebrates display surrounds the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, south of the White House, showcasing ornaments made by students from every state and territory. Join us in celebrating this wonderful honor and the spirit of creativity that brings our community together! To learn more about the tree and see pictures, go to https://www.thenationaltree.org/about-the-tree/ #RRPSignites

Rio Rancho Public Schools has a new mobile app. It's everything RRPS, in your pocket. Suitable for download on Android and iPhone devices, our mobile app will keep you informed, up-to-date, and looped in on all the latest events, alerts, and news about Rio Rancho Public Schools. The app also lets you search the staff directory, research RRPS programs and services, check lunch menus, read through our live feed and more. Downloading the app is as simple as 1, 2, 3: 1. Visit the App store or Google Play store on your smartphone or Download the app for Android at https://bit.ly/3n0sdFW for iPhone at https://apple.co/34RzWQc. 2. If visiting the App Store or Google Play Store, search "Rio Rancho Public Schools, NM" and look for the orange box with our RR logo inside. 3. Click the install button.

Who says you need to go to the beach to make a castle? Students at Sandia Vista finished their Medieval unit by creating their own castles! #RRPSignites

Parents, please remember to report serious concerns, especially safety or well-being, to our STOPit app. Using direct reporting tools like our Rio Rancho Public Schools STOPit app, sending an email, making a phone call, or simply speaking to a school administrator in person is a far better way to ensure concerns are effectively addressed versus using social media to voice concerns. Posting concerns online can spark rumors, spread misinformation, and even create unnecessary panic. Social media often amplifies a situation and many times online postings contain information and context that are misleading or not accurate. Submitting concerns through the appropriate channels, like the STOPit app, allows for a more focused, private, and effective resolution. Your report goes straight to the people who can help and take action—whether that’s the school administrators, security, counselors, or law enforcement. Whether you are concerned about safety, bullying, self-harm, or suspicious behavior, the report will be timely reviewed and sent to the appropriate officials or staff to investigate and take appropriate action. With the STOPit app, users can anonymously submit tips, attach photo or video evidence, and privately message school leaders with the necessary information to help everyone involved. If you haven’t already done so, we urge parents and guardians to download the STOPit app and become familiar with its features. This will not only enable you to guide your children in using the app but will also demonstrate our collective commitment to the safety and well-being of our whole school community. The STOPit app is also located on our RRPS and each school’s websites.

Parent Concerns Parents and guardians enjoy great relationships with their student’s teachers, principals, and other professionals at school. But sometimes questions or concerns arise. When this happens, what should you do? Click the link below for a guide to RRPS complaint resolution process. https://www.rrps.net/page/student-services#parent_concerns

Ever wonder what you child is eating while at school? Now you can take a look to see for yourself! Rio Rancho Public Schools and Southwest Foodservice Excellence have created a comprehensive and always-up-to-date online menu for all 20 schools across the district. Just click or tap on the link below which leads to our Student Nutrition Department, then click or tap on the "Menu" tab to review your child's food options while at school. You can even filter menu items to search for allergens and specialty dietary needs. Each food item is broken down by type and has a complete list of nutrition facts available to review. https://www.rrps.net/page/food-services If you have any questions about the food available to our students, please don't hesitate to reach out to the RRPS Student Nutrition Department using the contact info on the linked page.

#Anxiety Tips Tools to help normalize and cope with anxiety: Books: "Wilma Jean the Worry Machine" "The What Ifs" https://youtu.be/RiMb2Bw4Ae8 https://youtu.be/30VMIEmA114

#How to survive an all-day sick absence: https://rioranchonm.sites.thrillshare.com/page/policy-1000 Each school's handbook also has additional information and terms regarding absences.

Greeting RRPS Community! We want to make you aware of the Counseling Services available through the district for our students. All RRPS schools have a school counselor available to support your student. Our school counselors primarily support your student academically but are also available for limited mental health support or crisis counseling and as a referral source for additional community mental health services for your student. Please refer to your student's schools website and click on the Counselor Tab or on the Menu Tab under "Counselors" to see more information about your schools Counseling Support Services. https://www.rrps.net/page/student-services

Do you know that RRPS has a YouTube channel? Stay in-the-know with our video series Take a Peek at RRPS where you can find The Student Perspective, The Mascot Experience, and more. Subscribe today at: https://www.youtube.com/c/rioranchopublicschools-rrps?sub_confirmation=1