A Well-Kept Secret, A Well-Deserved Honor!
This morning, staff and students at Robbinsdale School pulled off a top-secret surprise assembly to celebrate Alyssa Downey for an incredible honor!
Alyssa was recognized as the 2026 South Dakota School Nurse of Excellence — a statewide award recognizing the very best school nurse in South Dakota. 🏆
From caring for students to supporting staff and families, Alyssa’s compassion, dedication, and leadership make a difference every single day. In addition to serving students at Robbinsdale, Alyssa is also the school nurse at Grandview Elementary School. We are so proud to celebrate her and this well-deserved recognition.
Congratulations, Alyssa!
Rapid Valley families, students, and community members are invited to a Community Open House to get a first look at the exciting expansion and remodel planned for Rapid Valley School.
This event is your chance to explore architectural mockups, learn how the expansion will enhance learning spaces, and see how the project is shaping the future of our school. District and school staff will be available to review the plans and answer questions.
We’re excited to welcome the entire Rapid Valley community to be part of this important moment. Join us to learn more, share your thoughts, and help shape the next chapter of Rapid Valley School.
The Healthcare Pathway enables students to explore high-demand, high-impact careers while still in high school. Through a sequence of hands-on, career-focused courses, students build foundational knowledge, technical skills, and professional habits needed for success in healthcare fields. We offer courses at both Central & Stevens High Schools.
From patient care to diagnostic services and beyond, students in the Healthcare Pathway are developing the skills and confidence to serve others and make a difference in their communities.
Students have the opportunity to take the Introduction to Health Services, Gateway to Certified Nursing Assistant, Introduction to Pharmacy Technician, and Principles of Biomedical Sciences CTE courses within this Pathway.
Students also have the opportunity to join HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America).
Industry-recognized credential opportunities within this pathway include CPR, First Aid, Stop the Bleed, CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), and Pharmacy Technician.
#CTEMonth #RCASCTE #HealthcarePathway #CareerReady #CollegeReady #LifeReady #FutureHealthcareProfessionals
February is CTE month! CTE - short for Career & Technical Education is an educational approach focusing on providing secondary students with academic, technical and employability skills for high-demand, specialized careers.
RCAS offers CTE courses in the areas of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, Business, Entrepreneurship & Hospitality, Construction & Technical Trades, Engineering, Health Services, Human Services & Education, Information Technology and Visual Arts & Design.
Last week, the Introduction to Health Services students from Central & Stevens attended Scrubs Camp. The camp was held at WDT. Students had the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities and hear from industry professionals in Athletic Training, Dentistry, Nursing, EMT/Paramedic, Surgical Technology, and Wound Care. Students also participated in Healthcare Jeopardy and heard from a panel of post-secondary representatives from WDT, SD Mines, and SDSU about post-secondary options in healthcare at their institutions.
A special thanks to WDTC for providing the space, lunch, and extra support for the sessions. Thanks to Black Hills Surgical Hospital, Delta Dental of SD, the USD School of Nursing, the West River Area Health Education Center, SD Mines, and SDSU for providing additional breakout sessions for students.
Special thanks to SD Mines for sponsoring and hosting this event for our students and for providing lunch and door prizes.
On Thursday, January 22, the intro to construction and technical traits classes from Central and Stevens High Schools participated in a trades experience day. Students participated in hands-on activities with various local businesses that are part of the Black Hills Construction Trades Workforce Connection group here in western South Dakota.
Students were able to learn more about residential plumbing, general contracting, setting up concrete forms, metal fabrication, fire suppression, servicing plumbing and HVAC systems, and electrical and HVAC fabrication.
A special thanks to the Black Hills Construction Trades Workforce Connection for their time and dedication to our students.
Basketball Schedule Change:
The games against Central High School, originally scheduled for Friday, January 30, and Saturday, January 31, have been rescheduled to Saturday, January 24, and will be played at Carold Heier Gym.
Game Times
Sub-Varsity: 3:30 p.m.
Girls Varsity: 6:00 p.m.
Boys Varsity: 7:30 p.m.
We appreciate the flexibility and understanding of our students, families, and staff as we continue to prioritize safety while supporting extracurricular opportunities.
Join us for a student-led event celebrating creativity while supporting an important cause in our schools.
Date: March 7
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Dahl Arts Center, 713 7th Street
This event benefits RCAS student lunch debt, helping ensure students are ready to learn without barriers.
• Live music from the Central & Stevens Jazz Bands
• Food and drinks available
• Hosted by the Youth City Council and Student School Board
Come bid on incredible student artwork, support our students, and enjoy a great community event for a great cause.
For more information, contact Kristin Kiner at (605) 310-4400 or Kristin.Kiner@k12.sd.us
Rapid City Area Schools, through our McKinney-Vento Program, is excited to partner with Subaru Loves to Help to provide free winter coats for kids in our community.
📏 Sizes available: Youth 4 – Junior XXL
📍 Location: Rapid City Alternative Academy
625 Columbus Street, Rapid City, SD
📅 Date: January 15
⏰ Time: 3:30–6:00 PM
Thanks to the generosity of Courtesy Subaru, families are invited to stop by and pick up a warm coat for their child while supplies last.
Help us spread the word—no child should go without a warm coat this winter!
On the Spring 2025 South Dakota Science Assessment, Breken Neff earned a perfect score—a rare and commendable accomplishment that places him among an elite group. Breken is one of only 51 students statewide to achieve this distinction.
On the Spring 2025 South Dakota Math Assessment, Sophia Li (not pictured), John Davies, and Wilson Maung each earned a perfect score. This outstanding achievement places them at the very top in the state, with only 16 students statewide reaching this level of excellence.
We are proud to recognize and celebrate these students for their remarkable achievements, which exemplify the high standards our district strives to uphold every day.
👏 Congratulations to Breken Neff, Sophia Li, John Davies, and Wilson Maung on this incredible accomplishment!
Due to continued power outages at Corral Drive Elementary, Meadowbrook Elementary, Southwest Middle School, and North Middle School, school will be cancelled at these buildings today, December 19th.
At this time, power has not been restored, and these buildings cannot operate safely.
We appreciate your patience and understanding.
We will provide an update early tomorrow morning if any of these schools are unable to hold classes because power has not been restored. If power is restored, classes will begin at their late start time and buses will run on their late start schedule.
Parents of students at schools that are in session may use their discretion when deciding whether their child will attend, including student needed to help with supervision of younger siblings or students. Please just call you student school to excuse them if needed.
Due to a lack of quorum, the PAC meeting scheduled for tomorrow night has been cancelled.
🗓 Next Meeting: January 21
📍 Location: Rapid City Alternative Academy
🍽 Meal: 5:30 PM
🕕 Call to Order: 6:00 PM
Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you in January!
https://rcas.edurooms.com/engage/rapid-city-area-schools/newsletters/november-news
Ms. Macziewski's Jr. Kindergarten students at Valley View had a blast making their very own scarecrows with the help of their 4th-grade buddies!
From scarecrow dance warm-ups to crumpling newspaper for their creations, these students did great at every part of the activity. 🍂
We love seeing our students learn, create, and build connections across grade levels. Great job, Valley View! ✨
