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Afghan Dreams Author Speaks at RGS 
On Wednesday, January 27 and Thursday, January 28, local author, Tony O'Brien, and his co-author, Michael Sullivan, came to share their experiences from their trip to Afghanistan that inspired their book Afghan Dreams. Students in all classes had a chance to hear from the two authors and ask questions regarding both the children in the book, and what they saw during their travels in Afghanistan. Pictured here above are fifth graders Zoe Darmon and Elizabeth Whiting who stayed after the presentation to talk more with Mr. O'Brien. |
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Annual Survey Tells the Story of RGS Families 
by Jay Underwood, Head of School
Happy Groundhog Day! Apparently Punxatawny Phil saw his shadow, so it looks like we're in for more winter...let's just hope the snow stays on the slopes!
Each year, our Board's Community Outreach Committee surveys our parents to learn more about our families and how our school can best repond to their needs, hopes, and dreams. The committee pays close attention to the results of this survey and compares it with the results of past years to help us determine directions for RGS. This year, our families who responded to the survey (about 74%) included comments about our new Strategic Plan, which helped the board determine our overarching priorities for the next three years. The survey also yielded some interesting facts that I would like to share with you.
- Just over half of our families have lived in Santa Fe for fewer than nine years, with almost a quarter of them hailing originally from the Northeast;
- 69% learned about RGS from friends and colleagues and 80% have been responsible for other families inquiring about the school for admission for their children;
- 45% did not consider seriously any other school in Santa Fe for their children;
- 78% indicated that the high quality of our faculty and academic program was most important in their decision to send their children to RGS;
- 99% of families indicated that they were satisfied with the education offered by RGS, with 92% indicating they were either "very" or "extremely" satisfied;
- Families shared a number of suggestions as to how RGS could improve upon their child's school experience, with "smaller class sizes," "enhancing diversity," and "growing the science program" receiving the most mentions.
We appreciate that our families acknowledge that RGS is a school with talented, dedicated teachers and a strong, vibrant academic program. At the same time, we know that the world of tomorrow will present our children with challenges and situations never experienced before. So we are ever mindful that we need to keep learning about how we can best serve our children--to prepare them for an uncertain tomorrow while they navigate the joys and challenges of the present. As always, we invite you into the conversation, and we are grateful for the confidence you have in RGS. |
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PA Meeting to Discuss Book on Bullying
Don't miss our Parent Association meeting on Wednesday, February 3 at 8 am in Gilbert Hall. We will be discussing the book The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander by Barbara Coloroso, with our discussion facilitated by RGS Consulting Psychologist, Dr. Alice Kahle. You do not need to have read the book to attend--our discussion will be interesting and informative for parents of children of all ages. We hope to see you there! |
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Gala Grande to Offer Masterworks from Aspiring Artists 
The Gala Grande for Tuition Assistance is just around the corner on Saturday, February 20 at The Encantado Resort. Spaces are going quickly, so buy your tickets now! Next week will be the final week we will be accepting RSVPs, as space is extremely limited this year.
You will have the chance to bid on one-of-a-kind classroom creations that you will treasure, along with lots of luxury items, special trips, and events. Of course, you will not want to miss the opportunity to send one of our lucky faculty members on a trip of a lifetime to Kauai this summer. All you have to do is purchase raffle tickets for the teachers of your choice!
Remember that all proceeds of the Gala Grande go to support RGS's tuition assistance program, which supports one in five RGS families. This year, RGS is giving more tuition assistance than ever before, which means we need your strong support now more than ever! | |
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RGS Stars
Recently, the 4th grade class held a fundraiser for the Espanola Valley Humane Society. Selling dog biscuits, dog and cat toys, and collecting old blankets and towels, the class raised a whopping, not to mention record-breaking, $1,100 to donate to the animal shelter through its winter sale. Pictured below are some of the RGS students that delivered the check to the shelter. From left to right are Learning Specialist Kerri Cottle, Sophie Bennett, Lucy Kamp, EVHS Community Coordinator Nina Chiotasso, Emmi Rivera, Aidan Daly, 4th grade teacher Kristin Potter, Lucas Schlenzig, and Yannick Schlenzig (3). Look out for more biscuits for sale around Valentine's Day!
RGS's own Music Specialist and Director of Admission Barbara Bentree has been selected to present a paper/poster that she co-authored at the 39th annual meeting of the Society for Cross-Cultural Research. The paper was subjected to a competitive peer review process by scholars from several different universities. The title of Ms. Bentree's paper is "Cultually Mindful E-Learning Design". She will be presenting her work at the meeting in just a couple weeks when the conference convenes in Albuquerque! | |
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Mark Your Calendar
Parent Association Meeting
Wednesday, February 3
8:00 am in Gilbert Hall
SCHOOL CLOSED
Presidents Day
Monday, February 15
Gala Grande Fundraiser for Tuition Assistance
Saturday, February 20, 6 pm at Encantado
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, March 5
SCHOOL CLOSED
March Break
Monday, March 8 - Friday, March 12
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, March 19 |
Attention Parents: Time
to Re-Enroll!
For most of us, February 14 brings Valentine visions of flowers, candy, and hearts. For RGS, this date also brings wonderful visions of signed student re-enrollment contracts accumulated on
Mr. Virgin's desk! Please remember to submit your child's re-enrollment contract before Valentine's Day and you will be Rich's sweetheart!
Cycling Team Needs Sponsors
RGS parents, Barbara and Tim Wetherill, are creating a new cycling team, Team Never Stop, riding in support
of the Espanola Valley
Humane Society. Based in Santa Fe, this exciting new team is searching for two
more title sponsors. These sponsors
names/companies/
organizations would be on the team jersey and shorts. If you or someone you know
is interested in supporting this worthy cause, please contact Barbara or Tim.
Also, check out RGS Stars below for news on the incredible work of our 4th graders and their relationship with the Espanola Animal Shelter.
Second Grade Selling
Truffles to
Save Chimps
Just in time for Valentine's Day, the second grade class is making their own delicious chocolate truffles to raise
funds for Save the Chimps. Order forms have been sent home with every class. Every order of 5 truffles costs only $5! Orders need to be sent through second grade by Monday, February 8th. All orders will be filled by Friday, February 12th. Any questions about the fundraiser can be
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