Tuesday, December 13, 2022
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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| Calendar Update – All RPS schools will be closed for Winter Break from Monday, December 19, through Friday, December 30. Twelve-month employees are off from December 22 through December 26, as well as December 30. We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday, January 2! For more details, please review the full calendar on our website.
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| Yale National Initiative Open House – The Yale National Initiative will hold an open house for interested teachers on Thursday, January 5, from 5-6 pm, at Mary Munford ES. To register for the open house, use the QR code on the flyer below. Applications are due by 5 pm on Wednesday, January 18. For more information, visit the Richmond Teacher Fellows website or email Valerie Schwarz at vschwarz@rvaschools.net.
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| Wakanda Forever Screening – Enormous gratitude to the Black History Museum for hosting over 400 RPS students for a screening of Wakanda Forever at Bow Tie Cinemas! Check out the video below for a recap of their day, and to see students' reactions to the movie.
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- Special Olympics VA would like to send a huge thank you to the RPS schools who participated in Inclusive Schools Week on December 5-9. Seeing the progress of schools that provided experiences that outlined the importance of inclusion was really rewarding and appreciated. Thanks to the following schools for showing your support!! Armstrong HS, Binford MS, Huguenot HS, Lucille Brown MS, Oak Grove-Bellemeade ES, Richmond Virtual Academy, River City MS, Swansboro ES, and Woodville ES.
- I'd like to give a special shout-out to Ms. Turnage, Mr. Patterson, Mr. Gaskin, Mr. Boyles, Ms. Tam, Mr. Clark, and Ms. Harrutt for their hard work putting on A Year with Frog & Toad. Their dedication to our students is noteworthy and most appreciated by the Holton families.
- I’d like to shout-out Ms. Germain at G.H. Reid Elementary. She is always spreading joy and positive words. She even shared treats with the staff to brighten everyone’s day. She is so thoughtful.
- I would like to give a shout-out to the principal and staff at Albert Hill Middle School. This is our first year of middle school and it has been an incredible experience. Thank you all for such a warm and welcoming first semester. Happy Holidays!
- I wanted to give a shout out to Kathryn Haynes at G.H. Reid Elementary. She is an amazing counselor, an incredible person, and one of the best colleagues around. I am truly grateful to have her in my corner and don’t know what I would do without her this year.
- Thank you to the third grade team at Overby-Sheppard Elementary School for always being prepared and engaged during the collaborative planning/professional learning team meetings. We see you, Mr. Applewhite, Ms. Siders, Ms. Faye, Ms. Kulwikowska, and Ms. Marrow. Shout-out to Ms. Faye for leading the team.
- I want to take the time to acknowledge the intervention team at Overby-Sheppard. Ms. Watts, Ms. Gordon, Ms. Froden, Ms. Ware, and Ms. Wyche. We see all that you do and appreciate your dedication to our students. You ensure that every child is supported in multiple ways at Overby-Sheppard.
- I want to acknowledge you, Ms. Henry, for all the work you do to support everyone at Overby-Sheppard. I just want you to know that I see you and am excited to have you as my partner.
- I would like to shout-out Ms. Nicole Davis at River City Middle School for sharing her professional knowledge and experience with our team. We appreciate the PD she gave regarding what she learned at the Southeast TESOL Conference. We are also incredibly grateful for the trainings she has given us on our administrative tasks such as SMART goals and EL plans. She should also be commended for her dedication to all of our students, and especially our dually-identified ELs (DIELS). She is a very prepared and impressive educator with a tremendous attention to detail and a willingness to mentor and share. She always has a growth mindset and a positive attitude. She also has a warm heart for all of her students and her colleagues. We love you, Nicole!
- I wanted to share a huge shout-out to Lindsey Beekman at Fisher Elementary for stepping in to make sure all of our band students were able to participate in the winter concert. The show was so well put together and I could see how proud the kids were after they performed. Also, shout-out to James Thomas, our orchestra teacher, for putting together a great show. All of our students sounded amazing!
- I want to shout-out the 6th grade math team here at Lucille Brown Middle School. We all work together so well for the betterment of our students. Mr. Brownlee comes with his creative dance moves and gifts not only for the students but for the teachers as well. Mrs. Graf goes above and beyond to ensure that the team has what we need to be prepared for each week. Mr. Owens is always advocating and providing support to accommodate our students with disabilities. Way to go, team. Teamwork makes the dream work.
- Big shout-out to Edilsa Gutierrez! Thank you for all of your help with our holiday flyers at Miles Jones Elementary! It is very appreciated!
- I would love to shout-out Ms. Kim Bailey at Henry L. Marsh Elementary. Ms Bailey's excitement for teaching can be felt all over the East End. Her commitment to education has been felt in many ways. Everyone knows Ms. Bailey.
- Shout-out to Brent Thompson, health & PE teacher, for assembling the fitness equipment for the staff wellness room at Woodville ES.
- This week the principal cluster meeting was held at Woodville. Shout-out to Dava Allen-Miller, assistant principal, for her awesome leadership every day, but especially on this day. Also, thank you to Diette Banks for ensuring we were good hosts for our guests by providing breakfast. And thank you to Alphonso Murray, Tyra Liggans, Yacresha Ellis, and Mr. Harvey for ensuring our building was up to par! We are a team at Woodville!
- Shout-out to Mrs. Osborne, Mrs. Carter, and Ms. Martin for planning and participating in the Unwrapping Holiday Wishes activity with our students at Target and McDonald's! Thank you to Timmy Nguyen and Cheryl Burke for partnering with us and providing this opportunity for our students.
- Thank you to Woodville staff and students for participating in our Inclusion Week! Shout-out to our awesome team: Kathy Johnson, Allen Pierce, Mahalia Przygocki, Mary Easter, Lakeisha Frazier Jones, Laquea Carter, and Brent Thompson. We had an awesome pep rally to celebrate. Our students and staff pledged to be inclusive! Thank you to Torrie Lashley for your support with planning. We appreciate your partnership. And thank you to Pam Mines for supporting our event! We choose to include!
- Shout-out to Laurel West, the nurse at Bellevue Elementary, for always taking the time to answer my questions. I'm thankful for your kindness, patience, and wisdom!
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| Richmond Environment Survey – The James River Park System and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay are creating an Environmental Literacy Plan for Richmond. Share your feedback via their survey in English or Spanish by December 31. Results will be used to better understand the issues facing our community and its environment, and to build a shared definition of environmental literacy in RVA.
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| NextUp RVA Middle School Programs – Winter registration is now open for the NextUp RVA enrichment program for middle schoolers. Students can sign up to learn about coding, cooking, fashion, finance, and more – all for free!
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| Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day – Volunteers from across the state will be meeting on January 13 for the annual Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day at the Capitol to lobby for common sense gun laws. Volunteers will have an opportunity to meet their lawmakers, discuss legislative priorities, and network with their peers. If you're interested in volunteering, sign up today!
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| Open Enrollment Applications – The application window to apply for out-of-zone schools via the Open Enrollment lottery is open through February 1 via the Enroll RPS Portal. This is your opportunity to apply for up to three schools outside of your "zoned school," including Richmond Virtual Academy. (Reminder: This is different from specialty school applications for schools like FMA or Community. That application window closed yesterday.)
A few important notes:
- Families will have 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.
- If you have additional questions, please email us at enrollrps@rvaschools.net.
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| Important Links – Last updated on November 14, 2022.
RPS Links
COVID-19 Links
Crisis Support Links
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