Tiger Talk

May 2025

Dear Tiger Families, 

It seems absurd to write to you about the end of the school year, as snow is falling as I type!

We have many fun events before the last day of school: field trips, field day, and the spring concert, to name a few. One event that has just landed on my radar is the proposed construction just east of RSES, to be voted on by the Town of Vail on 5/5/25. If the Town approves this project, construction is expected to begin on May 12th and is anticipated to impact traffic during drop-off and pick-up. We will keep you informed as we learn more.

Another item to pay attention to regards state funding. Colorado is anticipating budget shortfalls in several areas, including public education. To prepare, ECSD leadership has decided to change FTE ratios (even though the Colorado General Assembly has until May 7th to make final decisions).  FTE stands for "Full Time Equivalent," which is the number we use to determine how many and what staff positions we can have each year.  The ratio for elementary schools has been 14.05 for the past several years.  That meant for every 14.05 students we get 1.0 FTE.  A full-time teacher is a 1.0 FTE, whereas a teacher who works two days is a .41 FTE.

The ratio for elementary has been changed to 14.8. for next year. This resulted in a .87 FTE cut from RSES. To put this on a relatable scale, if RSES were to eliminate BOTH music and art, that would be a cut of .82, which is still short of the .87 target. Imagine how your child's elementary experience would be impacted if they no longer had music and art instruction each week. It is a lot to lose.

We have made the challenging decision to cut one of our interventionist positions. The silver lining is that this teacher is moving into our open special education position, which comes from a different staffing/FTE allocation. Therefore and thankfully, RSES is not losing any teachers. 

However, we are losing a resource that teachers will feel acutely. It is not forward-facing, and most families would never have known the school is doing more with less. Unfortunately, this places more on teachers' already overflowing plates to meet the needs of all students.

In SY 25-26, we will proactively communicate regarding school funding. Attend our School Accountability Committee and/or PTO meetings to stay informed and learn how you can contribute positively.

Please call or come by if you have any questions or want to discuss further. We truly appreciate your continued support of our efforts to keep RSES our little slice of public school heaven. 

Respectfully,

Anne C. Heckman

Important Dates:
  • 5/1 – Principal Appreciation Day
  • 5/5-5/9 – Teacher Appreciation Week
  • 5/12 – PTO Playdate at Donovan at 3:15pm
  • 5/21 – Bike to School Day (see PTO Update for more information)
  • 5/22 – Green Team from 3-4pm
  • 5/23 – Spirit Day: Crazy Hair and Crazy Clothes Day
  • 5/26 – No School, Memorial Day
  • 5/27 – Spring Concert at 5:30pm
Music Update from Mrs. Archey
 
 
PE Update from Mr. Beall

Wow, I cannot believe that it is actually May.  May brings so many exciting events like Bike to School Day and Field Day– two of my favorite school activities.  If the weather cooperates, I am hopeful we can go outside and play frisbee, 9 Square in the Air, and other games that are better for the outdoors.  In May, we also build mini golf courses, learn baseball and softball hitting, kickball and of course a lot of student choice of the activities we do during class. I received a generous donation from the PTO to buy some newer equipment which might bring a few new and surprising activities as well.  We are looking forward to finishing out the year strong with lots of fun and smiles. 

STEM Update from Mrs. Fletcher:

 

Art Update from Ms. Miz

Kindergarten artists are getting ready to start a colorful mixed media project.

First grade artists just learned about the famous glass artist, Dale Chihuly. They will make a project inspired by his work.

Second grade artists have been busy working on using sewing stitches to create fun artwork!

Third grade artists just completed a mini lesson on color theory before they jump into the next project inspired by art from Mexico.

Fourth grade artists have been hard at work on their mini art museums! They have built the room structure and are creating three pieces of artwork to install in a few weeks.

Fifth grade artists are using the extension Stop Motion Animator on their Chromebooks to build on the foundations they learned over the last few weeks.

SEL Update from Mrs. Asia

I'm excited to share that we have successfully completed all 7 Mindsets units and lessons—an enriching journey that has strengthened our school community and deepened our connections.

As we approach the end of the school year, students will review key takeaways from each mindset to reinforce the personal and social-emotional growth they've achieved throughout the year.

To close out the year, we’ll place a special focus on the key components and biggest themes of the 7 Mindsets.

Through a variety of engaging, hands-on activities and projects, students will revisit the importance of building meaningful, respectful relationships—with friends, family, teachers, classmates, and the wider community.

We are proud of the growth our students have made and look forward to finishing the school year with continued learning, reflection, and connection.