8475 Queen St
Arvada, CO 80005

I have had three (very different) kiddos at Sierra and it has been a wonderful school for all of them so far. The Specials team is fantastic! They have Art, Music & PE and days called ROAR days that my crew absolutely loves. The building is light and bright. Administrators are visible and accessible. Two of my kiddos have had IEPs, and they have been well supported.

The teachers there all love the kids so much and work very hard to make sure everyone feels included and cared for. The faculty will context with kids of all kinds and give anyone who needs help the opportunity to get help. The school counselors are also a huge help to everyone there and are a commonly used resource. There is also minimal to no fighting unlike many other middle schools and everything feels completely safe. Overall the school helps everyone both the special needs, lower academic, and high academic in many ways and is a wonderful middle school.

Ralston is a Jefferson County School. Jefferson County School District has systemic issues which permeate the district from the superintendent down to the school level. While the majority of teachers at Ralston Valley are caring, the admin tend to lack humanness. They tend to take a one-size-fits-all approach and don't seem to be willing (able?) to perspective-take and consider individual needs and circumstances. While it's necessary to be firm and consistent, there are always going to be nuances when dealing with students from all different backgrounds and walks of life, a concept RV would do well to acknowledge. Some RV educators don't value parents as invaluable advocates and supporters in their children's lives---if and when they feel justified in overriding parental authority. Concerns shared with admin about employee missteps should be taken seriously and addressed, not downplayed or ignored. Complacency when things are going smoothly at RV can turn into being blindsided by an onslaught of circumstances or events which can negatively impact students. Teachers are the highlight of RV, most of them genuinely caring about students and working to meet them where they are. Bravo, teachers!