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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| Calendar Reminder – Spring Break for all students and school staff is next week, April 3 - 7. All RPS offices will be closed on Friday, April 7, in observance of Good Friday. View the 2022-23 calendar to see all upcoming holidays.
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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 Monday, May 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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| All-City Cheer Competition – Kudos to all of the students who participated in the 2023 All-City Cheer Competition this past Saturday. Special congratulations to the Icettes from John Marshall HS on their first place finish!
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| Arts in Our Schools Spotlight – Many thanks to Stuart Harnsberger, IB art teacher from Thomas Jefferson HS, for sharing his story with us on Friday. Today's story comes from the Swansboro ES Concert Choir led by Mrs. Wallesa Jones. Enjoy!
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| Onyx & Alice Dance Performance – Kyle Marshall Choreography will be performing two works, Onyx and Alice, at 7:30 pm on Saturday, April 8, at the Grace Street Theatre. Onyx explores rock and roll's roots in music from Black artists, and Alice depicts a spiritual journey guided by the compositions of Alice Coltrane. Admission is free and open to the public.
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- I am sending a huge shout-out to our assistant principal, Ms. Travis, at Southampton Elementary School. She is definitely 100% Tiger and we are lucky to have her here. She is the right fit for our district. I consider her a "solutionist" for students, parents, as well as for our teachers. Her superpowers are multitasking, being a good listener, quickly reaching decisions with kindness, and supporting no-nonsense direction. I really enjoy working with her (now 4 years)!
- I would love to shout-out the amazing mental health support staff at Oak Grove-Bellmeade Elementary school counselors - Bridget Faison & Tierra Jenkins; school psychologist - Lauren Freeze; school social worker - Briana Branch; CIS coordinators - Mary Valenza & Bridgette Brown; Child Savers clinicians - Rosy Wagoner & Zach Gibson, and RBHA counselors - Beverly Akinfolajimi & Kaprice Jackson. They all work as a wonderful team to support our students and we are so thankful for them! Thank you to each of you for showing up every day and giving our students so much love and support. Your jobs are not easy but we are thankful to have such a wonderful support team at OGBES! Thank you for all you do – we love you!
- I would like to shout-out all of the teachers at Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary. Thank you for the work you do with your students! This year has been challenging but you keep pushing through! We are almost at the finish line!
- I would like to first give a shout-out to the incredible math team at MLK for working diligently to get interim 3 participation rates up. Also, I would like to give a special shout-out to our cheerleaders and cheerleading coach for bringing the championship back home to MLK. This is extra special since this is the cheerleading coach's first year and she is a member of the marvelous math department. I would just like to thank them so much for all their hard work this school year.
- I would like to send a special shout-out to Mr. Smith. I wanted him to know that he did an awesome job helping out today in the cafeteria serving our students. The help was much appreciated. The staff and I wanted you to know that you rocked that line today!!
- Mr. McDonald, educational diagnostician at Chimborazo ES, is making an incredible difference to our students' emotional well-being. His mentoring is second to none, and his kindness in helping families better understand their child's needs and feelings is actively making our community healthier and happier. Because of Mr. McDonald, my child is learning the skills needed to regulate himself to be successful academically – a win for everyone, but especially for our future. Chimborazo is truly lucky to have him on our team.
- Shout-out to Nate Potter! He is always available for instructional discourse about mathematics, but Wednesday I needed a Coke and he brought me a Coke!
- Shout-out to the amazing encore team at William Fox! This past week our librarian, Melissa Oliver, kicked off Fox Reads One Book with a fantastic assembly. Then our music teacher, Rob Winslow, showcased our Theatrix students' play, “Superstars,” which they wrote themselves, with 4 performances. Finally, our PE teacher, Mark Bingaman, got slimed because our students raised over $10K for the American Heart Association! They make coming to school fun for everyone!
- I'd like to shout-out Mr. Toombes, lead custodian at T.C. Boushall Middle School. There is nothing that he won't do for our staff or scholars. He's a mentor, friend, caregiver, picker-upper, role model; the list is endless!! Thank you, Mr. Toombes, we love you!!!!!
- I'd like to shout-out Ms. J. Davis and Ms. S. Davis, teachers at T.C. Boushall Middle School, for a great Unified Champions meeting today! All our scholars had a great time making buttons, and it's great advertising that our scholars "Choose to Include" – thanks for being awesome!!!
- I'd like to give a shoutout to Kielle Johnson at Barack Obama Elementary for staying late on a Friday to help me set up the Scholastic Book Fair. You are a shining star and much appreciated. Thank you!
- Shout-out to Mr. Brownlee, Ms. McKay, Ms. Graf, and the whole Lucille Brown Middle School 6th grade math team. The two sixth graders that I pick up from school were abuzz and giggling about today's "Math-topia" and were eager to tell me how fun and funny math class was. Those are two words that I never used to describe my math classes. Thanks to our great LMBMS teachers for making math class the talk of the afternoon!
- Sending praises to Cardinal Elementary’s trio of terrific guidance counselors who put on an amazing career day for the entire school! Thanks to them and all of our visitors who shared their love for their chosen professions!
- As I tucked my daughter into bed the other night she said: “Mr. Samuels is a good man.” She went on to say: “If you’re having trouble, he never wants you to be known for that. He only wants you to be known for the best parts of yourself. And when he talks to you, he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world. Every time.” I couldn’t agree more. Mr. Samuels, you are beloved to our Fisher community!
- This shout-out is for a few amazing parents at Chimborazo Elementary! Sarah and Jason Carpenter spearheaded an amazing community building event in the form of a staff and caregiver basketball game at MLK middle school last week. It was fantastic to see our school community come together to do nothing but enjoy each other's company! Their vision for and execution of this schoolwide shindig was inspiring.The event would not have been possible without the support of our PTA led by Kate Barnes and Mercedes Schaum. Special thank you to Assistant Principal Clifton Murray for being our announcer! You all rocked it!!
- I would like to give a huge shout out to Darlene Slade, Pamela Ragin, and Nicole Glover at Huguenot High School! The special education team hosted the PERT program today. The PERT program provides post-secondary options and job training for students with disabilities. The HHS team invited parents, students, and case managers to hear about this great opportunity. A sign-in sheet was available and students were given special passes so that they would be excused from classes to attend the session. The engagement from parents and students was phenomenal. Kudos to the team!!!!!! Wonderful job!!!!
- I would like to send a huge shout-out and thank you to Lt. Nious for coming to support Miles Jones as we have conversations with our 5th grade students about internet and social media safety!!! I definitely think your words made an impact on our students.
- I want to give a shout-out to Mrs. Vanessa DeYoung, art teacher at the Marvelous Miles Jones!!! Thank you for always going above and beyond for our students and exposing them to various experiences within the classroom and around the city through art!!!! You are the best!
- I would like to shout-out our wonderful experience with Amy Harr at Holton Elementary. She has helped our child get on a 504 plan that has taken many months to finalize. She took time out of her evening to walk us through the plan, and included our child in the process. She made him feel empowered with his special gifts instead of making him feel different. If you feel like your child is struggling with school because of their unique needs, know that there are options and people in the schools who can help. Thank you, Ms. Harr, for being an advocate for our children.
- I'd like to give an exceptional Warrior shout-out to our fearless leader, Mr. Antione London. Thank you for being an exemplary leader. You are "leading with love" personified. I am a better leader because you model daily what it means to be thoughtful and intentional about the art of leadership. I am fortunate to be a part of your team and all that you do to make a difference in the lives of everyone entrusted to you. You care deeply and work tirelessly to ensure that Henderson is The Pride of the Northside. Even though you have 1,000 motivational quotes to live by, your actions speak louder than your words. So thank you, Obi Wan!
- I would like to send a heartfelt shout-out to Elizabeth Ragland, preschool program ICC! She knows and keeps track of all things IEP in all of the preschools. She has offered support, guidance, and feedback with the whole IEP process every time I've asked. Thanks for all your help, Mrs. Ragland!
- I would like to shout-out the students, staff, and family liaisons of the Huguenot High School Fitness & Run Club. The team meets weekly to prioritize health and build relationships with one another. The team actually participated in the Richmond SPCA 21st Annual Dog Jog, 5K and Block Party along with a few other RPS schools this past Saturday to run in the rain! The staff who support this group model what it means to show up for yourself and one another! Thanks for going above and beyond for our students!
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| 2023-24 Preschool & Kindergarten Enrollment – Preschool and kindergarten enrollment is underway! We offer preschool for eligible 3 and 4-year olds, and kindergarten for all 5-year-olds living in Richmond. If your student is currently enrolled at an RPS preschool, they will still need to register for kindergarten. For more information, please email enrollrps@rvaschools.net. If you enroll your child now, they'll be entered into a raffle to win a bike!
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| 2nd Annual RPS Shines – We're thrilled to announce that nominations are now open for our 2023 division awards for RPS staff, including the Lucille Brown Impact Award, Rodney A. Robinson Equity in Education Award, Principal of the Year Award, and Support Staff of the Year Award. Review the award details and complete your nomination by Friday, April 14. We can't wait to celebrate all the winners – including our 2023 Teachers of the Year – at our 2nd Annual RPS Shines on Tuesday, May 23!
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| RVA Men Teach Conference – The first-ever RVA Men Teach Conference will be held on Saturday, April 15 from 8:30 am to 3 pm at Huguenot HS. Conference breakout sessions, led by some of our dynamic male minority educators here in RPS, will showcase the ground breaking work being done in the city. There will also be panel discussions on 21st century education issues, an RPS hiring fair (with on-the-spot interviews), and free CPR certification classes for RPS teachers. Registration is free and open to all RPS teachers.
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Important Links – Last updated on March 20, 2023.
RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
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