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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| Teacher Appreciation Week – Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Enormous gratitude to our amazing teachers who go above and beyond to Teach With Love, Lead With Love, and Serve With Love every day. We hope you enjoy the special shout-out video from our students. Also, please help us continue to spread the love for our teachers next week by sending your teacher shout-outs to shoutouts@rvaschools.net!
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| Sister CityTeacher Exchange – Please join me in congratulating two RPS educators, Tiffany Furmage from Ginter Park ES and Arianna Trickey from the Ed Tech Integration team, who were recently selected to participate in the teacher exchange program with our sister city – Saitama, Japan – this summer! They'll spend two weeks in late June and early July learning about the Japanese education system and experiencing Japanese culture. Congratulations!
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| Binford Middle School Renaming Public Hearing – The first renaming public hearing for Binford MS is tonight at 6 pm in the Binford auditorium. The Binford Renaming Committee has narrowed the community's recommendations to the following 5 names:
- Dominion Middle School
- Dogwood Middle School
- Fan District Middle School
- Richmond Middle School for Arts Integration
- Unity Middle School
During the public hearing, community members can share feedback on their preferred names with the School Renaming Committee. For more information on the renaming process, please visit our website.
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| 2023-24 Preschool & Kindergarten Enrollment Events – Join us for our upcoming preschool and kindergarten enrollment event tomorrow, May 9, at Whitcomb Court. We'll be on hand to help with enrollment 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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| "I Voted" Sticker Contes – Know a high-schooler with design skills? Make sure they don't miss Richmond's first "I Voted" Sticker Contest. The winning sticker design will be used in the upcoming elections for the next 3 years! Designs must be submitted by Friday, May 12, at 5 pm.
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| Strawberry Street Festival at Clark Springs ES – Join William Fox ES on Saturday, May 13, from 12-4 pm, for the 2023 Strawberry Street Festival. Come out to Clark Springs ES (1101 Dance St) for live entertainment, tasty treats, a bounce house, carnival games, and more. Tickets may be purchased at the event or online using the QR code below. Hope you can make it!
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- I want to take a few minutes to shout-out Mrs. Wilkerson at Holton. Although she has only been here a couple of months, I appreciate her classroom management (as expressed by my student) and communication. Thank you for joining the Holton Community.
- Congratulations to Ms. Turnage for yet another great Holton Players production. We appreciate you sharing your gift with our children.
- Shout-out to all the support staff at Henry L. Marsh Elementary School. The team in our building shows up to support not only the staff but also the students in so many ways. Ms. S. Glover, Ms. M. Glover, Ms. Lewis, Ms. Hargrove, Sgt. Jefferson, Ms. A. White, Ms. R. Loepp, Ms. N. Battle, Ms. C. Bor, Ms. Leecost, Mr. Parker, Ms. A. Johnson, and so many others continue to show love to everyone they cross paths with. You all take the time to check in throughout the day and it is not only noticed but appreciated. Thank you for your dedication to our school family.
- I am taking the time to recognize all the long-term substitutes and instructional assistants that continue to show up and support our students during our teacher shortage. These teachers include Ms. A. Drew, Ms. J. Davis, Ms. J. Moore, Ms. Boarman, Ms. S. Payne, Ms. Holmes, Ms. Tyler-Jones, Ms. Hewelett, Mr. H Robertson, Mr. Peterson, and so many more. Henry L. Marsh students and staff appreciate your dedication to the success of our students.
- I would like to shout-out Ms. Grant because she was patient when the year was hard. She has also been there when students needed her and I always love talking to her in the morning. She makes school fun and she is very kind to me and other students. I also love joking with her about hockey.
- A big shout-out and thank you to Blackwell Elementary's art teacher, Jessica Thomas, and her students for creating beautiful decorations on stage for our spring concert last week!!!
- Big, joyful shout-out to the Linwood Holton community for putting on another amazing Happy Holton Players production under the direction of Ms. Turnage. Last week's "The Little Mermaid, Jr." was quite a hit. So many teachers and parents helped out to get the lighting, sound, set, costumes, props, t-shirt, program, and headshots together. A lot of work and love goes into these plays and it shows. The kids have so much fun and are so proud to be in it. The best part is the eruption of happy squeals from all the cast members at the close of the show! Thanks to everyone who makes this happen!
- Shout-out to the amazing staff at River City Middle School! They went above and beyond hosting a transition program for G.H. Reid's rising 6th grade students. Kudos to Principal Murphy, CIS Site Coordinator Mr. Bailey, 6th Grade Dean Ms. Weisser, Next-Up Coordinator Ms. Steele, School Counselor Ms. Wodoson, Coach Eddie (step), School Librarian Ms. Hayes & the RCMS step team, dance team, and cheering squad!!! Special shout-out to our G.H. Reid Alumni, who did a fantastic job speaking about their middle school experience. Kudos to superstars Jaziya Warrick, Jamya Warrick, Genita Terrell & Jaqueline Marques! Last but not least, kudos to Ms. Monique Leach, G.H. Reid's teacher who does it all!!! Thank you for all your help coordinating such a successful program. Teamwork makes the dream work!
- Shout-out to Ms. Antinita Marrow at G.H. Reid Elementary for always having a positive attitude and being a team player. She consistently goes the extra mile to make sure our staff, students, and families are taken care of. Thank you for all you do, Ms. Marrow!
- The leadership team at the VTCC education program would like to shout-out our teachers, Marvell Lewis, Tamra Gregory, Kimberly Denmark, Sandra Taylor, John Richmond, Kimberly Vaughn, Janelynn Testerman and Diane Schultz for their dedication in shaping children's education. Thanks for all you do!
- Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to the amazing teachers at Henry Marsh Elementary School. Our teachers have experienced a lot of transition this year, but continue to show up and show out for our students and deserve the recognition. Thank you!
- I would like to shout-out Ms. Suggs at Henry Marsh for coming in mid-year and taking on/ turning around a class that had been through a lot of transition and change. Your heart and strategies do not go unnoticed.
- Shout-out to Mrs. Best, ICC at Henry Marsh, for not only leading compliance, but also supporting classes and students when she has been short of staff. Mrs. Best, you're amazing and appreciated.
- A huge shout-out to Ms. Walker at Henry Marsh; you are the ultimate team player! Ms. Walker has the biggest heart for people and loves the children of Marsh with no exception. Thank you for your continued dedication over the years to our school.
- Thank you to Ms. Leecost and Mr. Parker, you have held the school up during our many transitions this year and we could not ask for better assistant principals at Marsh.
- I would like to give a special shout-out to Overby-Sheppard faculty, support staff, volunteers, absolutely everyone. I work with the best team ever! Everyone goes above and beyond, especially our teachers! I am amazed at what they do every day. We had a super teacher appreciation week! Thank you, teachers and Mrs. Holemean, who even served her teachers lunch! She is so gracious. Go, Overby-Sheppard!
- The biggest shout-out to Ms. Michael at PHSSA for her exceptional work putting on our Amaze Day. Our kids are the luckiest to have such a creative, kind, thoughtful and inspiring PE teacher and leader to look up to (and have fun with) every day. Thank you, Ms. Michael, for putting on an amazingly organized and fun event for the whole school – you truly went above and beyond.
- I want to shout-out the hardworking staff of Mary Scott Preschool! I am so honored to work with each of you! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
- I’d like to shout-out all the amazing Holton staff that made "The Little Mermaid Jr." performance possible: Ms. Turnage, Mrs. Harr, Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Edwards, Ms. Robinson, Ms. Joy, and Ms. Tam went above and beyond! Our school community came out in full force in support.
- Linwood Holton Elementary School put on an incredible production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” this week. Both my daughters participated, and it was a joy. The school staff that made it possible have my love, respect, and gratitude. They include: Mrs. Harr, Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Edwards, Ms. Robinson, Ms. Joy, and Ms. Tam. Meanwhile, the director of the play, Ms. Turnage, has my deepest admiration. She has given my girls something essential, vital, and beautiful, and something, moreover, no one, no matter what, may take from them. I am in her debt forever.
- Shout-out to Ms. Turnage, Mrs. Harr, Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Edwards, Ms. Robinson, Ms. Joy, and Ms. Tam for all their hard work with the Holton Player’s presentation of "The Little Mermaid Jr." What a fantastic show!!!!!!!
- Just wanted to express how wonderful it was to sit in the audience and watch "The Little Mermaid Jr." at Linwood Holton last week. That show was amazing and every person that worked on it is my hero. I haven’t seen a school play in 30 years and I can’t believe how rich it was. Thank you all for such a special experience.
- Shout-out to Ms. Bridget Thomas at Blackwell Preschool for teaching and leading with love each and every day! It has been a pleasure working with you this school year. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
- I would like to shout-out the wonderful aftercare team at Blackwell Preschool: Ms. Bernardette Taylor, Ms. Bridget Thomas, Mrs. Roslyn Belton, Mrs. Renita Thornton, Mrs. Iris Pressley, and Mr. Terrence Taylor. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication for keeping the students engaged and entertained each afternoon. You all rock!
- A big thank you to all of the folks at Linwood Holton ES who worked so hard on the recent production of "The Little Mermaid" with two very large casts, many costumes, beautiful scenery, and completely wonderful music! Thank you to Ms. Turnage, Ms. Harr, Mr. Patterson, Mr. Clark, and all of the other staff, parents, and teachers who made this such a successful musical!
- I want to shout-out a huge thank you to all the PHSSA teachers, support staff, administration, PTA, PHSSA Board members, and most importantly the PHSSA parents! With everyone's support, our students had a very successful Amaze Day. I want to give a special thank you to the Amaze Day committee members, including Mrs. Santiago, Mrs. Drieling, Ms. Williams, Ms. Manuel, Mrs. Chamblin, Ms. Wood, Mrs. Flannagan, Mrs. York, and Mrs. Phillips. Our hard work paid off! Another thank you to our cafeteria staff who always take such great care of our students and staff. They made sure all the lunches were ready to go for the day. This was Mrs. Hudson's first Amaze Day and she supported us every step of the way. I couldn't ask for a more supportive, present, and enthusiastic principal. Thank you, Mrs. Hudson, you are appreciated more than you can ever imagine.
- The biggest gift we have at PHSSA is the outstanding parents that jump in and get involved in volunteering and purchasing supplies to make Amaze Day happen! I'm happily overwhelmed by the support from our parents. I had a team of parents that help set stations up days prior and the day of. They took that time out of their day to help and I appreciated that so much. I had parents stop their car during parent pick-up and ask to help in any way from making copies to posters. On the day of I had a parent that showed up early and offered to help in any way possible. We had parents jump in and help with activity stations that they were not assigned to volunteer at. This is what makes PHSSA so great! I truly believe it takes a village to raise kids! And our village at PHSSA is amazing!!! From my overflowing heart, thank you!!!
- I’d like to shout-out Ms. Grant at Binford for organizing an awesome field trip to the aquarium in Virginia Beach! The kids had a blast and really appreciated all of the effort you put into it!
- I would like to give a shout-out to the best parents at Summerhill Preschool for the best luncheon they gave to the teachers. The parents have the Tiger Roar Spirit!!
- Shout-out to Huguenot High School, Mrs. Whitney Wilson, Mrs. Abigail Broas, and the HHS CIS team of Mr. McKnight and Mrs. Tyree for helping to promote a positive and safe learning environment at Huguenot High School.
- Shout-out to our Huguenot High School Spirit Week Team of students, social workers, CIS team, and school counselors for providing a fun week with multiple events. The Arcade Day, Luau and Stitch Day, Sports Day, and Bikers Vs. Surfers Day featured games every lunch period, student ice cream day, a student vs. faculty basketball game, SOL trivia for prizes with Power92 DJs, a senior parade, and the Powder Puff game all provided students a way to celebrate their successes positively and increase school engagement. We look forward to riding the positive vibes into SOL testing. Thank you to our care and safety team for helping to keep everyone safe. The biggest shout-out should go to our principal, Mr. Gilstrap, for providing courageous leadership and promoting positive school culture.
- I would like to shout-out the wonderful educators at PHSSA. Ms. Walkey is a consistently warm and friendly presence at pickup and I want her to know how much I appreciate her! Ms. Drieling is helping our first graders to grow as knowledgeable and responsible citizens and we are so grateful to have her as a teacher! Thank you to Ms. Wood, Ms. Michael, and the PTA for working so hard to organize fun and educational Earth Week, Spring Festival, and Amaze Day events for our school!
- Shout-out to Mr. Farqurharson, Huguenot High School's activities director, for always keeping our students best interests at heart, and to Mr. James, Huguenot's care and safety supervisor, for building strong relationships with students and always keep our learning community safe. Both these faculty members play crucial roles in maintaining a positive environment for success at HHS.
- I would like to give a shout-out to Dr. Smith and Ms. Battle, who, despite being retired administrators, continue to serve as assistant principals at Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School. Their dedication and hard work are truly admirable, and they strongly believe in promoting academic achievement for every student.
- I'd like to send a shout-out to Brendan Trache, one of the amazing science teachers at Binford Middle. He makes sure to keep parents up to date with all the important things going on in his classroom. Also, he has volunteered to stay after school to offer tutoring leading up to SOLs. I truly appreciate his dedication to his students!
- Shout-out to Tranelle Pollard, school counselor at Binford Middle School. Whatever the question, she sends a prompt response with helpful information. The school is lucky to have someone with vast knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. Thank you for all you do!
- I would like to give a huge virtual hug to the RVA Owls teachers J. Baber & B. Otey. This week we celebrate amazing teachers like the both of you and couldn’t imagine the amount of progress my children have made without the support from both of you! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week & continue being one of the lights to all of our children’s fire!
- Special shout-out to the expanded core team who successfully hosted their first “Una noche en Madrid” event. Students enjoyed a concert, sponsored by Mr. Fuller, a choral performance by Ms. Weaver, and a dance performance by Ms. Anderson. The students also experienced tapas sponsored by the Spanish students. Special thanks goes out to the expanded core teachers: Mr. Blackwell, who taught the tapas bar "owners" the importance of communication, teamwork, and work ethic; Mr. Cosby, Ms. Loney, Mr. Parris, Mr. Dulin, Mr. Mcfadden, and Ms. Tisdale for pitching in to help with logistics; Ms. Hill-Green and Ms. Richardson for tapas preparation; and Mr. Harrison for his moral support and for capturing pictures. A deep heartfelt thanks to Mr. London, Ms. McCloud, Ms. Francis, Ms. Lawson, Ms. Rozier, Mr. Adams, and his team, along with Mr. Williams and Ms. Adams. You all are awesome! #TeamWarriors
- A very heart-felt thank you goes to Ms. Miwa Kamras, Ms. Valerie Catrow, and Ms. Le' Toya Webb for all of their hard work with preparation and for their food contributions for Henderson's First Annual Tapas Event. In addition, another special shout-out goes to Ms. Emily Smith, Ms. Audrey Short, Mr. Harry White, and Ms. Mariah Branch-White for their food contributions to the event. Your contributions and positive vibes ensured that students would enjoy learning about Spain's culture through music, dance, and cuisine. #TeamWarriors
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- Congratulations to the George Wythe Poetry Team! They came in first place at the 2nd Annual RPS Youth Poetry Slam at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond. Students from 6 high schools competed with their original works. Kudos to Coach Rieka for her stellar work with the team. The team members are Shyla, Jamesha, Chris, Mya, and Jesaiah. Many thanks to Ms. Moore and Ms. Kimbrough for their commitment to students.
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- A huge shout-out to the students at Franklin Military Academy that attended the ice cream social for perfect attendance and most improved attendance. Thank you to everyone that helped to make this a successful event.
- Shout-out to Ms. Wanda Robinson for making the ice cream social for our students at FMA a success.
- Shout-out to everyone that played a part in the success of the ice cream social today at FMA – from the board games to the books and snacks. Thank you again, the students truly enjoyed themselves.
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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