Our November lunch menu is ready, and we’ve got plenty of warm, hearty favorites to go with the cooler weather. 🍽️
Join us TOMORROW, Saturday, October 24, for the 12th Annual Fall Carnival, Haunted Hallway, AND Middle School Dance at Ruthven-Ayrshire! 🕸️🕷️
🎪 Fall Carnival: 5:00–7:00 PM
👻 Haunted Hallway: $1
🍔 Food, games, and raffles!
💃 Middle School Dance: 7:15–9:00 PM ($5 entry)
Bring the family, grab your friends, and come enjoy a fun-filled evening with us! 💜🖤
We can’t wait to see you there! Go Titans! 🐯🎃
Our middle school students are heading out into the community for our annual Leaf Raking Service Learning Day on November 10th! It’s one of our favorite fall traditions and a great opportunity for students to give back, work together, and serve the community that supports them all year long. 💜
If you would like to have your leaves raked or have questions, please contact us!
📧 ssamsel@gt.ratitans.org
📞 712-837-5212
Thank you for supporting our students and this wonderful tradition! 🍁
Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School is now taking applications for Paraeducators, Guest Teachers, and Guest Paras.
Paraeducator: No certification is required. Experience working in education, childcare, or healthcare settings is desired, but we are happy to talk with anyone who enjoys working with kids.
Guest Teacher: Must hold a substitute authorization or a license through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE). Online classes for the authorization are available through the AEA.
Guest Para: Same welcoming approach as our paraeducator role, with the flexibility of filling in as needs arise.
Interested? Call the office at 712-837-5212 for more information. Applications are available online at TeachIowa or on our district website, www.ruthven.k12.ia.us.
Our students and staff would love to have you ... Come be part of Titan Nation!
Place: Ruthven-Ayrshire CSD board room
Time: 6pm
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to the Ruthven-Ayrshire School Library, and it lines up perfectly with conferences ... so you can browse before or after your visit.
📅 Tuesday, October 27 and Thursday, October 29
🕒 3:00 to 7:00 pm
📍 R-A School Library, during parent-teacher conferences
💳 Set up eWallet before the fair! It’s a cash-free, easy way for your student to shop, it keeps checkout lines moving, and it lets family and friends chip in toward a child’s books too. Set up eWallet and preview the fair here: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/ruthvenayrshireelemschool
Come find your next great read! Every book that goes home helps bring new titles to our library, so your trip does double duty: a great story for your reader, and a little growth for all of Titan Nation. 💜
Read, discover, explore. We’ll see you at the fair!
#TitansRead #ScholasticBookFair #GoTitans
Each day, our bus drivers are entrusted with transporting our most precious cargo—our students. Their dedication and commitment to safety help ensure our students arrive at school and return home safely every day.
Did you know?
A yellow school bus is 13 times safer than other modes of transportation, including family vehicles, passenger trains, airplanes, and other types of buses.
This week, we celebrate not only our outstanding transportation staff but also the safety of school buses and the important role they play in keeping our students safe.
Thank you to all of our bus drivers for everything you do! Your dedication does not go unnoticed!
And remember, stopping for a school bus with flashing red lights is not optional—IT'S THE LAW!
Happy School Bus Safety Week!
Join us at 4:00 PM in the G-T High School gym to celebrate our 2026 G-T/R-A Homecoming Royalty, and come early for the After Prom Parents pork sandwich fundraiser in the G-T Commons starting at 2:30. Katherine Scott and Kaleb Borchers will emcee.
A quick note on timing, since a few have asked about this year's change. With activities every night this week, Coronation moved up to Sunday to protect Wednesday for family night, celebrate our royalty all week long, and kick off Homecoming Week together before the first school day.
Congratulations to our R-A royalty:
Queen candidates - Lindsey Conlon, Jenna Conlon, Taylor Fay, and Alonah Rosacker
King candidate - Oscar Beyart
Queen escorts - Boone Bland, Aiden Sanguino, and Jonah Malm
Junior attendants - Linus Domann and Jasmine Heisler
Sophomore attendants - Trace Willrett and Faith Williams
Freshman attendants - Gavin Sabin and Alex Fuller
Third grade crownbearers - Asher Long and Tessa Larson
The program includes the school song with the G-T/R-A Pep Band and Titan Nation Football Cheerleaders, the Booster Club’s annual Homecoming scavenger hunt, our fall coaches and athletes. The football jersey auction will once again be hosted by Coach Todd Hough and Auctioneer Bill Brown, a signed volleyball auction for cancer research to follow. The ceremony will be capped off by the annual GTRA Coronation with the procession of the Homecoming Court and the crowning of our Kings and Queens.
Royalty will be honored again at halftime of Friday’s Homecoming game. See you there, Titan Nation!
RIO Vibes in Titan Nation!
Homecoming Week is here, October 11 to 16, and here is the week at a glance:
Dress-up days:
Monday - Twin Day (5-12) & Pajama Day (PK-4)
Tuesday - Tropical Tuesday
Wednesday - Party Animals (animal print or camo)
Thursday - RIO / Throwback Thursday
Friday - Titan Pride in Paradise
Sunday:
After Prom Parents are hosting a pork sandwich fundraiser at 2:30 in the G-T Commons,
followed by Coronation and the Jersey Auction at 4:00 in the G-T gym.
Monday:
JH football vs North Union at 4:00, followed by JV football at 6:00 at the Titan Athletic Complex in Ruthven
JH volleyball vs Emmetsburg at 4:15 in Graettinger
Cross country at Forest City at 5:30.
Tuesday:
JV and Varsity volleyball at Emmetsburg, 5:30 and 7:00.
Wednesday is Family Night.
No school activities are scheduled, so enjoy the evening together.
Thursday:
HS Powder Puff and Muscle Volleyball at 1:30 in Graettinger
Cross country @Twin Lakes Conference meet in Pocahontas at 4:00
Homecoming volleyball and Senior Night vs Southeast Valley
- JV at 5:30 followed by Varsity at 6:45 in the G-T gym
Friday:
Team building and float building in the morning
- MS in Ruthven and HS in Graettinger.
GTRA Community Parade and Pep Rally starts at 2:00 in Graettinger and ends downtown near Fohnstock Park.
- Elementary and MS students ride buses to Graettinger; families pick up after the pep rally near the park.
Booster Club and Junior Class tailgate at 5:45 - Titan Athletic Complex
Homecoming football and Senior Night vs Harris-Lake Park
- 7:00 in Ruthven featuring our Homecoming Royalty
HS Homecoming Dance follows in the R-A gym, 9:30ish to 11:00.
Já é, Titan Nation!
(RIO for We've Got This!)
The City of Ruthven remains under a boil advisory at this time. R-A will have bottled water available for students and staff throughout the school day and will continue to do so until the advisory is lifted.
Donations of bottled water are welcome and greatly appreciated!
Thank you for your patience, generosity, and understanding as we take these precautions to keep everyone safe.
Today, we’re celebrating and thanking our amazing custodial staff across Titan Nation!
Our custodians work hard every day to keep our schools clean, safe, welcoming, and ready for our students and staff. So much of what they do happens behind the scenes, but their hard work makes a difference every single day!
Please join us in giving a BIG THANK YOU to our wonderful custodial team for all they do! We appreciate you more than you know!
Happy Custodial Appreciation Day!
Prices for extra milk and reduced-price meals will remain unchanged, as will eligibility for free meals.
Questions may be directed to Interim Superintendent Jeff Dicks at jdicks@gt.ratitans.org or 712-837-5212.
🏈 Homecoming T-Shirt orders are open! Order online at https://stores.inksoft.com/gtrahomecoming2026 or pick up a paper form in the school office. Orders due Friday 10/2 by 3:30 PM. Go Titans! 💜
The September lunch menu is here! Take a look at what’s being served this month. 🍽️
Go Titans! 💜🖤🩶
Here's your look at the week ahead as we officially kick off the 2026-27 school year at Ruthven-Ayrshire ...
MONDAY, AUGUST 24
📚 1st day of school for Middle School & High School
(grades 5-12)
🤝 Intake Conferences for our K-4 elementary families
🏡 Home Visits for our Preschool families
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25
📚 1st day of school for our K-4 Elementary students
🏡 Home Visits continue for our Preschool families
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26
📚 1st day of school for our Preschool Titans!
🏳️ Annual Flag Raising Ceremony at 8:30 am ... the whole community is invited to join us!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27
🏐 1st Home HS Volleyball Game (Graettinger Indoor Complex)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
🏈 1st Home HS Football Game (Ruthven Outdoor Complex)
This is our 4th year starting the school year with this phased entry approach, and it continues to be one of the best decisions we've made. Rather than bringing every grade level into the building on day one, we take the time to welcome each group with the intention and care they deserve... from a personal home visit for our littlest Titans, to one-on-one conferences for our K-4 families, all the way through flag raising with our newest Preschoolers.
A note for our K-4 families: given the wonderful turnout at last week's Open House, we're adjusting Monday a bit. Rather than asking you to come into the building sometime between 11 and 7, your child's teacher will reach out directly by phone or email during the school day on Monday. This gives us the same chance to connect and make sure your child is ready for Tuesday, without asking your family to rearrange your whole day to do it.
We can't wait to welcome every each and every student back home this week, and to see everyone out cheering on our Titans Thursday and Friday!
#WeveGotThis #TitanNation #RuthvenAyrshire #BackToSchool
Meet Alexis Beck, our new 5-12 Social Studies teacher! Alexis always knew social studies was her calling, and student teaching confirmed how rewarding it is to watch students learn and grow. She was won over by how kind and inviting everyone at R-A is, plus our small class sizes that let her connect with each student. This year she's looking forward to making Social Studies a class everyone's excited to come to. Fun fact: Alexis is a total cat person and shares her days with two cats, Weasley and Sylvie!
And welcome Ro Fieseler, one of our new Paraeducators! Ro's love for kids and her joy in watching them learn is what brought her to R-A. A Ruthven resident of more than 22 years who ran an in-home daycare for nearly 14, she's excited to keep working with kiddos alongside our amazing teachers and watch our students learn and grow. Fun fact: Ro enjoys camping, kayaking, and cooking!
Please join us in giving Alexis and Ro a warm Titan welcome! 💜🖤
#FridayFaces #WelcomeToTheTeam #RuthvenAyrshire
RUTHVEN-AYRSHIRE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Regular Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
6:00 PM
Board Room
Full details can be found here:
https://ruthven.iowaschoolfinance.com/policy/2026819-board-agenda
A few weeks ago, we started this series with a word taped to a wall: BELIEVE. On the back of that sign, our teachers wrote what they chose to believe in, that every child wants to learn, that children are kind and capable, that what we do matters.
They were right.
You have seen the proof: our youngest readers meeting the national mark, our classes climbing year over year in reading and math, more Titans than ever reaching the future-ready track. That growth did not happen by accident. It happened because a community believed, and then did the work.
Now we build on it. This year, each and every student will set a personal growth goal in reading and math. Our comprehensive federal literacy grant will continue to fuel our reading work from birth through graduation. And we will hold to what got us here: higher expectations with higher support, growth over proficiency, every single day.
We believed. Our Titans grew. And we are just getting started.
We've got this. 💜
#RuthvenAyrshire #WeBelieved #WeveGotThis
