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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| School Lunch Hero Day – Tomorrow, May 5, is School Lunch Hero Day! From preparing healthy meals for our students to serving them with love, our school nutrition professionals are true heroes. To celebrate them, please email your shout-outs to shoutouts@rvaschools.net. Thank you!
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| Welcome RPS Principals – I'm pleased to announce the hiring of several new principals. See their bios below and look for Remind messages about in-person meet-and-greets. Please join me in welcoming our newest leaders!
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Jennifer Smith – J.H. Blackwell Preschool
Entering her 10th year in educational leadership with RPS, Ms. Jennifer Smith has previous experience as both an assistant principal and instructional specialist. Prior to entering a leadership role, she served as a special education teacher with both Chesapeake Public Schools and RPS. Ms. Smith has a Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology from Norfolk State University, a Master’s of Science in School and Community Counseling, and Endorsements in Educational Leadership (K-12) and Special Education.
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Gary Lindsay – Linwood Holton ES
Mr. Lindsay began his career in education as a 5th grade teacher in North Carolina and then in RPS at E.D. Redd Elementary School. In 2018, Mr. Lindsay became an assistant principal with Louisa County Public Schools. Mr. Lindsay holds a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from East Carolina University and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Virginia. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education Policy and Leadership at the University of Virginia.
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Nokomis Alston – Westover Hills ES
Mrs. Alston has served as assistant principal at Westover Hills Elementary School for two years. Prior to that, she served as an assistant principal for 4 years at John Rolfe Middle School in Henrico County Public Schools. She also taught orchestra and chorus at John Rolfe Middle School for 12 years. Mrs. Alston earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.
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| New Teacher Bright Spot – Tonight, we're highlighting Kailyn Small, exceptional education teacher at Fairfield Court ES. "Ms. Small has gone above and beyond by getting to know the young people she case-manages and building authentic relationships with her students. She creates lesson plans that are targeted to the needs of her students, with alignment to the goals and objectives of their IEPs. She has been chosen for the "Fairfield Staff of the Week" award and takes pride in her job as one of our crossing guards, offering a contagious smile with a warm "hello" every morning. We are proud she is a Fairfield Eagle!" ~ Principal Angela Wright
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| Early Commitment Bonuses – We're now offering bonuses of up to $12,000 for new hires who sign their commitment letters by Thursday, June 1. If you know of a great teacher who might like to join the RPS team, please tell them to apply now!
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| Teacher Job Fairs – If you or someone you know is interested in joining the RPS team, sign up to attend one of our Virtual Teacher Hiring Events on May 17-18. To register, just scan the QR code below with your phone's camera, and to apply for a position, just visit our website.
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| And finally – because I can't help myself – May the 4th Be With Ewe!
With great appreciation,
Jason
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- I would like to give a huge shout-out to all of the community members and staff at MLK Middle School who helped make STEAM in the City Day happen!
- Our orchestra teacher, Mr. Thomas at Fisher ES, is a marvelous music educator. Today he rehearsed for tonight's concert, took his students on a field trip to see the Richmond Symphony perform, and then returned to school for the spring concert. He is passionate, dedicated, and his students adore him.
- A huge shout-out to Clara Curbelo-Goad for assisting a Spanish-speaking parent get to the correct folks to enroll her child in RPS. Clara spent the time, through several phone calls, making sure our parent was taken care of. Now that’s great customer service. Thank you, Clara!
- I want to give a huge shout-out to the parents and students who came to River City Middle School SOL prep night! Kudos to Mrs. Lopes-Wyche, Ms. Nelson, Mr. Burt, Mrs. James, Dr. Turkson, Mr. Kalafatis, Ms. C. Smith, Ms. J. Smith, Mrs. Lee, Ms. Weisser, Ms. Rawlings, Ms. Jamison, and Principal Murphy-Braxton!
- The RPS Assistive Technology (AT) Team rocks! On behalf of the VDOE AT Network, I want to thank Sydney Butterworth, Adrienne Garner, Tiffany Rivenburgh, Amy Nugent, and Ronni Wiles for your time and talents presenting at the TechKnowledgy Conference last week. Both sessions were so well received and we heard very positive comments. We appreciate your willingness to share the activities of the RPS AT team and your successes in the area of literacy and core vocabulary. We feel that it inspires others to develop and expand their own AT teams when they hear about your successes.
- I want to express gratitude on behalf of all the K-2 families at PHSSA to the administration, faculty, and staff for providing a magnificent Spring Fling dance last Friday evening. It was a great opportunity for the children to let loose and show off their dance moves. Thank you, Mr. Godsey, for dj-ing the event and leading the kids in the cupid shuffle.
- Shout-out to Anna Moeser Waters and Chrissy Schlegel for coaching our Bellevue Dragons to complete the RVA Kids Run! The kids did great and had so much fun! Thank you for your time and dedication!
- Sending an enormous shout-out to Arianna Trickey and Erica Mcmillan at BOES for rearranging their whole lives to answer a million SmartBoard questions and get our kiddos engaged in some awesome new tech experiences! We love y'all and so appreciate your noticeable dedication to both students and teachers all throughout the building.
- Shout-out to Director of Army Instruction Colonel Carlton Day for his unwavering support and leadership ensuring our students and staff are exposed to career-related opportunities within the military! The CTE leadership team, along with students from four district high schools, visited Fort Gregg-Adams (formerly known as Fort Lee) this week. It was great to hear about the two African-American trailblazers and officers, Lieutenant General Arthur Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams, that the army post was recently named after, along with engaging in hands-on experiences related to a plethora of career options for students.
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| Decision Day Announcements – Class of 2023, please keep sharing your Decision Day news with us at outreach@rvaschools.net. Thank you!
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| 2023-24 Preschool & Kindergarten Enrollment Events – Join us for our upcoming preschool and kindergarten enrollment events! RPS staff will be on hand to provide enrollment assistance and answer questions. For more information, please email enrollrps@rvaschools.net. All children enrolled while at the event will be entered into a raffle to win a bike!
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| 2023 Summer Programs – We're beginning to hire for our summer programs. See the flyer below for details and apply today!
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Important Links – Last updated on April 14, 2023.
RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
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