| Wednesday, August 3, 2022
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| Before diving in, I'd like to send a huge thank you to our school nutrition, transportation, summer school, and custodial teams, who worked diligently to keep our students healthy, nourished, and engaged all summer long. We appreciate you!
This Week's Updates:
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| Welcome Back, Patrick Henry – Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts began its 2022-23 school year this week! Join me in wishing them a joyous and productive school year. Don't forget, all other RPS schools begin on Monday, August 29, this year!
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| Congratulations to Summer Graduates – We had a wonderful ceremony for our summer graduates last week – including graduates of our ¡Con Ganas! program, an alternative path to graduation for English Learners. This ceremony was even more special, as the chosen speaker was Muhibuddin Qasimi, a ¡Con Ganas! student and Afghan refugee who started at RPS last year. He gave a moving speech, sharing his story and expressing his deep appreciation to his RPS teachers. Congratulations to Muhibuddin and all our summer graduates!
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| Student Wellness Institute – RPS held its first-ever Student Wellness Institute this week! Thank you to Angela Jones, Director of Culture, Climate, and Student Services, for her leadership of this event and to everyone at RPS who supports out students' mental, emotional, and physical health!
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| Elementary and Preschool Aftercare – For the upcoming school year, the City of Richmond is coordinating aftercare in all RPS preschools and elementary schools in partnership with the YMCA and Richmond's Parks and Recreation Department. Aftercare will run Monday through Friday until 6 pm. Due to limited funding this year, aftercare is not free, space is limited, and transportation home will not be provided. However, both the YMCA and Parks & Recreation can provide financial aid and full scholarships. To sign up, please contact your school to get the registration information. Please also note that there are other aftercare options across Richmond that may work for your family.
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| Required School Immunizations – It's that time of year again! To start school on time, students must have all required immunizations. The Richmond City Health District offers free immunizations and physicals for uninsured K-12 students by appointment. See the flyers below for details or call (804) 205-3501.
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| Regional Teen Summit Survey – The City of Richmond and surrounding counties are joining to host a teen summit on the everyday issues teenagers face. To make this an impactful event, the organizers need to hear directly from teens! Any high school student, aged 14 - 19, can complete this survey in English or in Spanish to share their thoughts.
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| Higher Achievement Student Campus Visits – Huge shout-out to our partners at Higher Achievement for taking students from Henderson MS, Binford MS, and Boushall MS to tour James Madison University last week as part of their program to develop caring, confident, college-bound scholars!
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| World Congress of Teachers – The Korean War Legacy Foundation selected our very own Ms. Meaghan Rymer of River City MS to attend their annual World Congress of Teachers event, which recognizes the sacrifice of Korean War veterans and the importance of teaching about the war’s legacy. Congratulations, Ms. Rymer!
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| 2022 Virginia History Teacher of the Year – Congratulations are also in order for Mr. Edward "Chad" Ingold of Open HS for being named the 2022 Virginia History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History! Only the best at RPS!
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- I want to shout-out Ms. Emily Spencer, K-5 intensive support teacher at the Richmond Virtual Academy, for getting two Donors Choose projects funded for our owls: "Big Emotions for Little Bodies; Help Us Read and Write" and "Making My Voice Heard!" Thank you for all you are doing to ensure that virtual learning is hands-on, creative, and fun for our owls when we reopen this month! Hoot Hoot!!
- The custodial and cafeteria educators at Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts are making a difference. They have made it so our students have fresh meals every day and eat in a clean environment. They even participate in professional learning with the instructional team and help students who are adjusting to a new learning space. Thank you, Mr. Anderson, Mr. George, Ms. Cooper, Ms. Hamilton, Ms. Rogers, and Ms. Johnston, for being models for our Mighty Oaks!
- A huge shout-out to the entire team at Linwood Holton Elementary for being phenomenal hosts this summer! The staff was extremely welcoming and supportive. The program had a gem, Sarah Catlett, as the admin intern. The entire experience was amazing. Kudos to everyone who spent their summer break teaching and loving our scholars.
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| 5th Annual Ultimate Backpack Drive – Mark your calendars! Thursday, August 11, from 8 am - 6 pm, is the 5th Annual Ultimate Backpack Drive at the Arthur Ashe Center. The goal: collect enough backpacks and schools supplies to support 50,000 students in Richmond and across central VA. Students will receive the backpacks and supplies once school starts; the event on August 11 is only for dropping off donations.
Huge shout-out to Timmy Nguyen from VCU, who founded and continues to lead this incredible event; and to the drive's many sponsors, including Comcast, CoStar, Dominion, VCU, Virginia Credit Union, Walmart, and more.
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| We're Hiring – Join us for the 2022-23 school year! We're still hiring for many roles – teachers, library media specialists, school nutrition staff, bus drivers, and more. Take a look at our open positions and share them with everyone in your networks. And don't forget about the incredible incentives we're offering!
- $6,000 moving stipend for teachers currently living 50+ miles outside of Richmond
- $4,000 signing bonus for teachers with 2+ years experience
- $2,000 signing bonus for new teachers
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| RPS Preschool and Kindergarten Enrollment – RPS preschool and kindergarten enrollment is happening now! Enroll your 3 and 4-year-olds in our free, high-quality preschool program, and your 5-year-olds in kindergarten. Please also remember, if your student is currently in RPS preschool, they will still need to enroll in RPS kindergarten.
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| Important Links – Last updated on May 24, 2022.
RPS Links
COVID-19 Links
Crisis Support Links
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