Wednesday, November 2, 2022
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| This evening, I'm dedicating my entire RPS Direct to the four outstanding RPS teachers who won the 2022 R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence! These remarkable educators are being honored for their passion, dedication, and expertise – as teachers, mentors, and champions for their students. Each of them has chosen a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience to enhance their knowledge and skills, and to nourish their souls – all paid for by the R.E.B. Foundation! Read more about their upcoming adventures below.
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| Ashleigh Russell (Math, Albert Hill MS) – Ashleigh will travel all over the US and Mexico to document real-life uses of mathematical principles that she'll incorporate into her math classes.
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| Jamar Billups (History, Armstrong HS) – Jamar will explore the role of symbols in resolving conflict in London and Jerusalem, and then bring that learning back to Richmond to address conflict in our own communities.
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| John Nunez (Science, Franklin Military Academy) – John will visit Hawaii to study the influence of tropical ecosystems on his own Pacific Islander heritage, with the goal of infusing that learning into his science classes.
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| Monica Thomas Moore (Math, Obama) – Monica is headed to Paris to study the science and math of cooking, which she'll deliciously incorporate into her classes at Obama.
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With great appreciation,
Jason
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- Shout-out to Mrs. Scott, the homecoming committee, Ms. Claytor and her dance class students, Ms. Taylor, hall decoration teams, stage production participants, the Huguenot High School JROTC Color Guard, Mr. Farquharson, Mrs. Harris, and the rest of the Huguenot High School counseling team. The Huguenot High School Homecoming Pageant was a great success that helped unite students and create a culture of community pride at Huguenot High School. Job well done to all involved. Go, Falcons!
- I would like to give a shout-out to John B. Cary's art teacher, Dr. Holland. He is such a great teammate and truly cares about our students!
- I want to shout-out our school social worker at John B. Cary, Mrs. Finney. She goes above and beyond to support our scholars and make sure they have what they need to succeed!
- I want to give a shout-out to John B. Cary's assistant principal, Mrs. Singleton. She is so supportive of teachers, students, and families and is such a positive presence. Thank you, Mrs. Singleton!
- I'd like to shout-out Mr. Bennett at John B. Cary Elementary. He has worked so hard this year to support our scholars and his hard work has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for all you do!
- I'd like to give a shout-out to one of John B. Cary's exceptional education teachers, Mr. Thompson! He has such high expectations for our students and works hard every day to help them rise to their potential!
- The Amelia Street School family would like to send a huge shout-out to Mrs. Reynolds, transportation management specialist, and her team. She has been diligently working with us to make sure we have the accommodations needed for our students to travel for field trips. We would also like to shout out the Planning and Routing Department for working with us to ensure our scholars have transportation set up in a timely manner. For this we are grateful.
- I would like to give a shout-out to Mrs. Smith-Bagley, the transportation routing planner! She is just amazing at what she does! She is very professional, and result-driven! She even goes the extra mile to render her support every day. Mrs. Smith-Bagley, I wanted to let you know that all the wonderful things you are doing have not gone unnoticed. Keep up the great work and thank you!
- I want to give a huge shout-out and congratulations to Tremaine Clarke and Laniyah Fields for graduating from the RVA C.O.O.K.S Culinary Program. Armstrong High School is very proud of you both and we wish you both well in your future endeavors!!
- The Armstrong culture and climate team would like to shout-out CSA Corinne Harrigan for always greeting our students with a smile, and ensuring the safety of everyone in the building. We would also like to give a shout-out to our students who participated in the Battle of the Brains a couple of weeks ago – Larry Reid, Cassidy Rozario Rock, Jaivron Thorpe, and Jackson Jordan.
- I'd like to give a huge shout-out to Dr. Smoak, Thomas Jefferson's new 9th grade assistant principal. Dr. Smoak has jumped right into the school year and has been an incredible support for both our 9th grade students and our 9th grade teachers! Dr. Smoak is very transparent, communicative, consistent, and responsive. He works very hard to build relationships with our students and their families. He provides the perfect mix of compassion and discipline and supports our teachers in setting high expectations for student success. We are very lucky to have him on our team and we appreciate him so much!!
- Thank you to the third-grade team at Overby-Sheppard for always keeping parents in the loop. In addition to the other school communications, the team shares a newsletter with us highlighting birthdays and what our children will be learning. Ms. Faye, Ms. Foster, Ms. Kulwikowska, and Ms. Siders, you don't know what this means to parents. Your hard work is seen!
- I’d like to shout-out the entire Ginter Park Elementary community. I just love coming into the school because it has such a warm and loving feeling. Despite challenges, staff work together and support each other to problem solve and rise up. Not every day is easy or perfect but it shows how much teachers, staff, and families are working hard, with love for the students always centered.
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| Nominate an RPS Principal! – You've got two more days to nominate an RPS principal for the R.E.B. Awards for Distinguished Educational Leadership! Don't miss this opportunity to recognize an amazing RPS principal who demonstrates every day what it means to #LeadWithLove. The winning leader will receive a $10,000 award and an additional $20,000 for their school. Submit your nominations by tomorrow, Thursday, November 3.
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| School Health Advisory Board – The RPS School Health Advisory Board (SHAB) will hold their next meeting on November 9, from 5:30 - 7 pm. Join in-person at the VCU Health Hub (1330 N. 25th St, Suite A) or virtually via Zoom. The SHAB is also collecting community input on an ongoing basis using this feedback form.
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| Child Tax Credit – Households with low or no income may be eligible for the Child Tax Credit, even if they've never filed taxes before. Check out this free, quick, and simple tax filing tool to claim your credit before November 15!
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| 2023-24 School Applications – The application window for families to submit open enrollment, specialty school, and governor’s school applications for the 2023-24 school year is now open via the Enroll RPS Portal. Students may apply for:
- Any specialty school for which they are eligible (specialty schools include Franklin Military Academy, Open High School, Richmond Community High School, Governor’s STEM Academy at Richmond Technical Center, and the IB Diploma Programme at Thomas Jefferson High School (for rising 11th-grade students))
- Out-of-zone schools via the open enrollment lottery (maximum of three school choices)
- Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (charter school) via a separate open enrollment lottery (if eligible)
- Appomattox Regional Governor’s School and/or Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School (the application for CodeRVA is managed separately by that school)
A few important notes:
- Families will have until 4:30 pm on December 1, 2022, to submit specialty and governor’s school applications, and until 4:30 pm on February 1, 2023, to submit open enrollment applications.
- We unfortunately cannot accept late applications for any reason. Please plan accordingly.
- As long as your application is submitted before the deadline, the timing of your submission will have no impact on the outcome.
- We're holding information sessions about the application process, the Enroll RPS portal, and school options. Details will be at www.rvaschools.net/enroll as soon as they are final.
- If you have additional questions, please email us at enrollrps@rvaschools.net.
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| 2023 Employee Benefits Open Enrollment – RPS employees, the open enrollment window for your 2023 benefits is open now through Friday, November 4. Employees should have received an email with information last week. You can also find all of the details in the RPS Staff Portal.
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| Richmond Environment Survey – The James River Park System and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay are working with RPS to create an Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) for Richmond and they're asking for our help to understand the issues facing our community and its environment. Please take a moment to complete the survey to help promote environmental literacy in our schools and communities. Thank you!
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| Important Links – Last updated on August 26, 2022.
RPS Links
COVID-19 Links
Crisis Support Links
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