RioRancho

PublicSchools

Staff NewsletterAugust 14, 2015

Igniting Student Potential

CONTENTSWelcome to the 2015-16 school year. As I said at convoca�on, thank you for giving us another year and for those who are new, thank you for joining our team. I believe that this year is going to be a great year. These are challenging and exci�ng �mes and we will con�nue to do admirable work for the children in our district.

We know that we have reached a special moment; one that cannot be ignored. This is our moment of opportunity—the opportunity to take charge of our future and to take be�er care of ourselves so that we are be�er able to care for our students. The moment to work as a team to protect what has always been good about the district. The opportunity to work as a team to change the things that are broken and create something even be�er for tomorrow.

We have recognized the need to look inward, to fix some things, reinvest in ourselves and focus on our team. We are excited to roll out our new strategic vision that was developed with the help of 110

voices from inside and outside the district. This vision will address our weaknesses and focus on strategies to improve how we work as a team, how we engage with our community, how we design our programs and drive improvement within our schools and how we rework our processes to be more efficient and more transparent as we make decisions. Members from our District Leadership Team will be visi�ng faculty mee�ngs to discuss our new strategic framework.

Once again, thank you for your service and dedica�on to the students of Rio Rancho Public Schools. As educators, we can make an incredible difference in the lives of our students. You are the spark that will help each student in this district find his or her passion and develop his or her poten�al for growth and achievement. Together, we can ignite student poten�al.

V. Sue Cleveland, Ed.D.Superintendent of Schools

MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

Message from the Superintendent

Impact Youth Mentoring

Media Tips

District Highlights

Do you have great news you would like included in the staff newsle�er? Please email Beth Pendergrass at bethany.pendergrass@rrps.net

RRPS

Spirit of the StormBen Vigil is the first award recipient of the "Spirit of the Storm" award. This new award will be given annually to a deserving staff member who embodies what it means to be a STORM.

Ben is passionate about Special Olympics and has been instrumental in making the CHS Special Olympics program the best in New Mexico. Ben gives of his �me extensively, but more importantly he gives his heart to the kids.

As a token of their apprecia�on, CHS presented Ben with a 1995 Special Olympics World Games Silver Dollar featuring Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her quote "As we hope for the best in them, hope is reborn is us.” Congratula�ons, Ben!

Miller Named to Na�onalTask ForceCongratula�ons to Happy Miller, Execu�ve Director of Research, Assessment, Data and Accountability, who has been selected to par�cipate on a na�onal task force on

assessment literacy. The task force is new and is currently in the process of being formed.

AVID Summer ProgramIn July, ERMS had 60 students who volunteered to par�cipate in one of three AVID Algebra or Pre-Algebra Readiness Summer Bridge classes. The classes ran for three weeks, 8:00 to noon each weekday morning. The AVID program con�nues to yield great results.

THANK YOU Alliance DataAlliance Data collected 2,800 back-to-school supplies and 337 box tops for Rio Rancho Public Schools. The Rio Rancho community con�nues to support our schools through their generosity.

Tafoya Named Outstanding Educator by MANAVictoria Tafoya, Execu�ve Director of Federal, Bilingual and Na�ve American Programs, received an Outstanding Educator Award from MANA. MANA is a na�onal La�na organiza�on that “represents the interests of La�na women,

youth and families on issues that impact our communi�es.” This year, MANA held their na�onal conference in Albuquerque. The focus of this year’s conference was educa�on. Victoria was one of four educators recognized. Victoria was nominated by the local chapter of MANA, MANA de Albuquerque.

American Indian Summer AcademyOnce again, RRPS students enjoyed their �me at the American Indian Summer Academy. The focus of this year’s academy was exploring nature and the world around us. Students learned about geology, topography, and architectural design while making connec�ons to tradi�onal stories and art. Students developed their leadership skills and worked to solve current events within their communi�es in addi�on to learning about the RRPS NAPAC Core Values.

DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS

Impact Youth Mentoring Our schools need caring adult volunteers who are willing to spend some �me with a child who may be struggling or just in need of a li�le coaching to help him or her reach full poten�al.

Mentors are exemplary role models exhibi�ng posi�ve a�tudes and outlooks. A mentor displays a posi�ve image--one that can guide the mentee’s behaviors and ac�ons. Mentors will build a trus�ng rela�onship, be a good listener, serve as an advocate.

Our mentors are from local businesses, RRPS District Office, as well as the community at large. If you know someone who might be interested in mentoring a child, please have him or her call RRPS Student Services Department at(505)896-0667 ext 51177 or 51129.

Media Tips1. If an employee of RRPS receives a call from a representa�ve of the news media, he or she should ask if the media representa�ve has already spoken with the district's Public Informa�on Officer (PIO). If they have not, tell them to contact Beth Pendergrass at (505) 896-0667.

2. Each school will have a representa�ve serving on the Communica�on's Team. This team will meet once a month to discuss events, honors or other great things happening in our schools. Informa�on gathered at the mee�ngs will be used to create a Tip Sheet for the media, may be used on our website, social media sites and/or publica�ons.

3. Informa�on should be presented to the media in a �mely manner. If the news media is contacted on the same day the

event is happening, the likelihood of the event being covered drops significantly. Please work to get informa�on to your building rep or PIO at least a week prior to the event or ac�vity.

4. The PIO can provide all the informa�on to the news media, but the PIO cannot make them run a story. The following ques�ons will help you to determine what the media deems “newsworthy.”Ÿ Would I want to hear the story?Ÿ Who is the audience for this story?Ÿ Why should taxpayers care about the

story?Ÿ Can the story be connected to larger

issues currently in the news?Ÿ Are there interes�ng photo

opportuni�es that accompany the story?