Dear Tiger Families,

We are finally seeing the snow that Vail is known for!  Hopefully, it will continue to fall, boosting our moods and recess fun. For recess to be the best, your children need to be properly outfitted with waterproof gloves/mittens, hats, boots, and snow pants. If your family needs assistance with any of these items, we can help.

February and March are crucial academic months for your children, especially in the upper grades, as teachers are preparing students for the state test (CMAS) by teaching and reinforcing student learning on the state academic standards. Continue sending your children to school well-rested and on time each day. Overall, our absence rate has improved compared to last year, but tardiness remains an issue. Students must be inside the two sets of front doors before 7:56 AM (8:56 AM on Wednesdays) to be marked as on time.

As a staff, we aim for 100% attendance at parent-teacher conferences in February. Your child's teacher will address attendance and tardiness with you if it is a concern for your child(ren). If you have not signed up for a conference yet, please reach out to your child(ren)'s teacher to do so.

Stay warm,

Anne

We love partnering with you in your child's learning journey! If you haven't signed up for a conference yet, please reach out to your child's teacher or contact the front office—we'd be happy to help get you scheduled. We're looking forward to meeting with you and celebrating your child's growth together.

Interested in supporting our teachers during conference week? Please sign up here.

While you're here for conferences, don't forget to stop by the lost and found—you might just spot a missing water bottle, hoodie, or jacket waiting to be claimed! 

Payment Options: Payments may be made by check, cash, or card in the front office, or online through PowerSchool.

Equipment Drop-Off & Labeling:

K–2nd grade: Ski School at Golden Peak

3rd–5th grade: Ski School at Lionshead

Drop-off date/time: February 1, 2026 by 3pm

All skis, boards, and boots must be clearly labeled with your child’s first and last name and school (RSES).

Transportation:

Kinder–2nd grade: Bus transportation

Departure: 9:00am

Pickup (Golden Peak): 3:00pm

3rd–5th grade: Walk across the bridge to Lionshead

Departure: 9:00am

Pickup (Lionshead): 3:00pm

Lunch: Please pack a disposable sack lunch for your child on both ski days. No items will be brought back. If you requested a sack lunch from the cafeteria, students will grab that before they leave.

Proper Clothing Checklist: Please send your child with appropriate, clearly labeled clothing for a safe and comfortable day.

To support a smooth start each morning, please note that doors open daily at 7:40 a.m. for drop-off. School begins at 7:55 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 8:55 a.m. on Wednesdays. Students arriving after the start time are considered tardy, even if staff are still outside assisting with drop-off. We appreciate your partnership!

📚 Parent volunteers are needed for our upcoming Book Fair! Your help makes a big difference—thank you for supporting our school! Sign up here. 

RSES PTO TEA Sign-Up: It's a Soup-er Bowl Potluck 

Mark Your Calendars: Read-a-Thon is coming up - March 1st-March 31st!!

Fee Reminder: School fees have been assessed. Please submit payment as soon as possible via PowerSchool, check, or cash. Not sure what you owe? Contact Shandi Sheets for assistance.

Please email all attendance and after school updates to rsesattendance@eagleschools.net.

Our website is a great resource! Visit us at https://rses.eagleschools.net/.

Congratulations to all of this year's RSES Spelling Bee participants!  They deserve a big round of applause for all their hard work.

Jana Burillo

Renata Sanchez

Jade Walker

Emma Eaton

Blakey Sheets

Charley McElduff

Wyatt O'Connell

Miranda Marquez

Emma Simeonov

Hazel Griffin

Nick Martinez

Lukas Major

Bradley Bangston

Baxter Roman

Liam Tanis

Our top 5 Spellers will represent RSES at the District Spelling Bee on February 10!

Dylan Quiroa

Jason Pop

Shania Arroyo-Illa

Sadie Tanis

Xaviera Quiroga

Hi Everyone,

I am excited to be back on my feet and healing from my injury.  I am back at work in Vail doing administrative work but won’t be back in uniform for a couple more months.  I am able to come to school and interact with the kids but am still limited in what I can do physically.  My good friend and fellow Officer Brian Flynn has been asked to have a presence at RSES while I am healing.  Brian and I were detective partners for several years and have a very similar style with people and policing.  Brian has organized Shop with a Cop for several years and is very familiar with the school and office staff.  He is a part time ski patroller at Beaver Creek, and a father with two young teenagers. 

-Officer Greg

 

There are so many ways to get involved at our school—whether it’s lending a hand at recess, helping in the lunchroom, or supporting classroom activities (when teachers request it!). Your time and energy make a big difference, and we’d love to have you join us. If you’re interested, please apply using the information on the flyer. The flyer is also linked.

We are looking for volunteers to help on Wednesday mornings. If you have some extra time in the mornings and would like to lend a hand, we’d love to have you join us. Your support makes such a difference for our students and staff! 

Kindergarten artists are just wrapping up on their playground sculpture project. We expanded on our knowledge of different types of lines and experimented with various ways to manipulate paper!

First grade artists are just finishing up with their lesson on the artist, Piet Mondrian. We had fun recognizing primary colors, vertical lines, and horizontal lines!

Second grade artists have been hard at work on paper weavings. They have been going over and under to create some amazing masterpieces!

Third grade artists have created personalized two dimensional suitcases to connect with our Global Art theme.

Fourth grade artists recently started an agamograph project inspired by Keith Haring.

Fifth grade artists are finishing up on their Keith Haring collaborative project that can be found on display in RSES. Don’t forget to also check out their yeti project installed at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens! 

Ms. Mizwicki, Art Teacher

We've been busy in STEM! Here's just a little of what's been going on: 

1st Graders are wrapping up their unit on light energy. Students have been exploring how light travels, reflects, and bends through hands-on activities and simple experiments that encourage curiosity and scientific thinking. Ask them what refraction means! 

4th Grade is beginning a new unit on natural resources. Students will learn about renewable and nonrenewable resources, how they are used, and why conservation is important for our planet.

5th Grade is starting their pasta derby project. They will be making cars utilizing a  budget (and maybe a little negotiation), to see who can stay within their constraints and whose car can go the furthest (and stay intact!).

- Mrs. Fletcher, STEM Teacher

In grades K-2 we will wrap up the Empathy and Kindness Unit and dive into the Problem Solving Unit. Students will learn how to apply their emotion management, communication, and empathy skills to solve interpersonal problems and demonstrate strategies for effectively dealing with interpersonal conflict. 

The goals of this unit include students being able to state the problem clearly and without blame in a given scenario, generate multiple solutions to solve a given problem and identify which solution works better than others for a given problem.

Why is it important? 

Research shows that children who learn the skills in this unit are more likely to:

make positive choices 

experience greater well-being 

contribute to a better school environment

Try this!

If problems or disagreements arise for example, between siblings or friends - remind your child to describe the problem respectfully. Ask, “What's the problem? How can you say it without blame?” 

Students in grades 3–5 will continue the Botvin LifeSkills Training sessions. An email with more in-depth information was sent to parents earlier this week. The final lessons will focus on:

Communication & Social Skills: Students will learn how to express themselves clearly, listen actively, read social cues, and build positive, respectful relationships.

Conflict Resolution: Students will develop strategies to manage disagreements calmly, solve problems respectfully, and resolve conflicts without aggression or avoidance.

Peer Pressure: Students will learn to recognize negative peer influence and practice skills for making healthy, independent choices even when facing pressure from others.

Assertiveness: Students will build confidence in expressing their needs, opinions, and boundaries in respectful ways, learning how to stand up for themselves.

In January, our 5th graders took the lead in reviewing RSES traits with younger students. They created a fun Kahoot quiz and presented it in each classroom. The younger students had a great time playing, and it was wonderful to see our 5th graders stepping into leadership roles—helping, supporting, teaching, and entertaining the younger students.

Ms. Asia, SEL Teacher