| Tuesday, January 11, 2022
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I'd like to begin this evening by congratulating Dr. Shonda Harris-Muhammed and Ms. Kenya Gibson on their election last night as Board Chair and Vice-Chair! I'm looking forward to partnering with our new leadership over the coming year. I also want to thank outgoing Chair, Mrs. Cheryl L. Burke, and outgoing Vice-Chair, Mr. Jonathan Young, for their guidance, wisdom, and support over the past year!
Tonight's Updates:
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| COVID-19 Update – Unfortunately, given the number of cases, we were not able to compile everything for the COVID update prior to the Board meeting last night. I'll send a double update for yesterday and today later this evening.
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| Student Representative – I'm proud to introduce Open HS Junior Sydney Wright as the Student Representative to the School Board for January. Sydney joined us last night to learn how the Board operates and advocate on behalf of her fellow Early College Academy peers. Special shout-out to Sydney's dad for joining us as well!
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| Virginia School Principal Appreciation Week – We're excited to give our principals the recognition they deserve for leading our schools with love each and every day. We kicked things off last night by recognizing some of our incredible leaders during the School Board meeting and by officially proclaiming January 8-14 as Virginia School Principals Appreciation Week at RPS. We'll be celebrating our school leaders throughout January – make sure join in by sending me your principal shout-outs!
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| RPS Live! – Please join us tomorrow, January 12, for our next installment of RPS Live! Our featured guest will be Dr. Melissa Viray, Deputy Director of the Richmond City and Henrico Health Districts, who will discuss the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and how we can best protect ourselves and our community. I hope you'll join us live on our Facebook page at 7 pm.
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| Calendar Reminder – RPS is closed on Monday, January 17, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. All schools and offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 18.
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- Shoutout to Mr. Devaughn, Ms. Flannagan, Mr. LaPradd, Ms. Wampler, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Anderson (custodial services) who've trained to be crossing guards. And to Ms. Liggins and Ms. Carter from Mending Fences. My youngest said he had the greatest day being back.
- I would like to shout out Ms. Lancaster who is my daughter’s 2nd-grade teacher at Linwood Holton Elementary. Right before winter break let out, she knitted all of her students a scarf for the break! It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift. My daughter is still pretty new to RPS and I could tell this really brightened her day.
- Special shout-out to Mrs. Sheleta Crews, principal at Southampton Elementary School. She has truly put her all into this school year and has done so with a smile on her face and pep in her step, even on the hardest days. Many don't know or see all the obstacles that get thrown her way on an hourly basis. She is committed and willing to help anyone at any time, and we are grateful to have her. A true example of leadership and how important it is to find the silver lining in any situation. We salute you, Mrs. Crews!
- Tremendous kudos and appreciation to the entire Special Education Team at Southampton Elementary School. These ladies hit the ground running in August and haven't taken their foot off the pedal since. It's been a whirlwind and they've shown what excellence, perseverance, and integrity really look like. They've been covering entire classrooms and lunch duties due to staff shortages, managing student behaviors, taking on additional caseload responsibilities, attending extra trainings and consults, graciously adjusting to scheduling changes, and being sounding board advocates for students and each other. It's been ongoing and doesn't go unnoticed. Charisse Williams, Colleen Paxson, Elizabeth Blackwell, Linda Hackney, Kim Wright, and Elisabeth Neyland, you all are rockstar educators and we thank you for each and every exceptional sacrifice!
- Thank you, thank you, thank you to Carol Smith, exceptional education specialist, for always being willing and able to step in and support our Southampton Elementary team with whatever we may need. Ms. Smith is always ready to share an encouraging word or useful tip and takes coaching to another level. She doesn't just talk about what can work, she's right there with us making it happen and encouraging us to dig deeper. She is a gem and we're delighted to have her as a team member and share in her expertise, compassion, and dedication.
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| COVID-19 Reminders – Please see the flyers below for updated information about our school-based vaccination events. Though Omicron is causing more breakthrough cases, the risk of serious disease in vaccinated individuals appears to be very low. So please make sure to get vaccinated if you haven't already done so!
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| Testing Site at Richmond Raceway – The Richmond Raceway will be serving as one of the state's COVID-19 Community Testing Centers (CTC). To make an appointment, click here and enter zip code 23222. The CTC will operate at Gate 7, 4690 Carolina Avenue. The clinic will run every day from now until January 13, from 9 am - 6 pm. After that, the clinic will be open Saturdays - Tuesdays, from 9 am - 6 pm.
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| Yale National Initiative – The Yale National Initiative to strengthen teaching in public schools is looking for their next cohort of Richmond fellows! This is a wonderful opportunity for teachers to explore innovative topics and experience collaborative professional development. Learn more and apply by January 17!
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| Important Links – Last updated on December 15, 2021.
RPS Links
COVID-19 Links
Crisis Support Links
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