| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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Fruit and Veggie Week – To encourage students to make healthy food choices, we've partnered with Greater Richmond Fit4Kids and Performance Food Group to bring Fruit and Veggie Week to RPS! Students will have the opportunity to sample fresh fruits and veggies and participate in hands-on learning activities about nutrition. We'll also be sharing some interesting fun facts (like the one below) about fruits and veggies, along with some quick and easy recipes that families can prepare together at home. Enjoy!
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Scholastic Kids Press – Beginning tomorrow, March 27, students around the world, ages 10-14, can apply to become a kid reporter for the award-winning Scholastic Kids Press program. Throughout the year, Scholastic Kid Reporters cover issues that matter most to them and their peers. They've made headlines by interviewing some big names, including President Barack Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, conservationist Jane Goodall, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai, and ballerina/author/actress Misty Copeland! For more information, visit their website.
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Arts in Our Schools Spotlight – Congratulations to Thia Rose-Hansen, 5th grader at Linwood Holton ES, for winning this year's RPS Fine Arts Festival t-shirt design contest! Thia's art teacher, Ms. Easter, writes: "I am grateful that I get to help cultivate the creativity that Thia already has. All of the class assignments have an overall objective, but I aim to keep them open so that the personality, imagination, and style of each student shows through what they create."
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2024-25 Preschool & Kindergarten Enrollment – Preschool and kindergarten enrollment is now open! We're thrilled to offer preschool for eligible 3 and 4-year olds, and kindergarten for all 5-year-olds living in Richmond. Please note: 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. And make sure to visit the Virginia Department of Health website for details about required immunizations!
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With great appreciation,
Jason
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Shout-Outs – Please help us continue to inspire and uplift the RPS community by submitting shout-outs to shoutouts@rvaschools.net. Entries can be submitted in Spanish or English!
- Huge shout-out to Ms. Cathy Hite, the CIS site coordinator at George Washington Carver. Your work and dedication are unmatched! We love you so much!
- I would like to send a huge shout-out to Mrs. Jacqueline Jiménez, the bilingual parent liaison at Huguenot High School! During her first year with us, Mrs. Jiménez has excelled in supporting our Spanish-speaking families and students. She goes above and beyond to make them feel heard and supported! She is dedicated to language justice and advocates for the breaking of language barriers for these families. Thank you for doing your part to make this school a better place, Mrs. Jiménez! We love you!
- Shout-out to Madeline Adamiak, kindergarten teacher at Westover Hills Elementary! Mrs. Adamiak is highly competent and skilled as a teacher, and her balanced approach to her students allows them to grow and thrive academically and socially. I have been so impressed with her proactive approach and willingness to work with different kinds of learners. My son loves going to school, and as a parent, nothing feels better than seeing your child excited about learning.
- A very musical Miles Jones shout-out to music teacher Courtney Cunningham. Ms. Cunningham is a gift to our school and all of her students. She models excellence and teaches a variety of different music genres and instruments in her classroom. She finds music that excites our students and is relevant to their lives. Ms. Cunningham leads the Jaguar choir and participates in many district events. Happy Youth Music and Arts Month to you, Ms. Cunningham, from Miles Jones ES!
- Big shout-out to everyone who came out last Friday in support of Mary Scott Preschool Mobile Career Day Expo. Special acknowledgement to my team, who came right in and helped me to make this a great success. You are a clear picture of what life is better when we do it together: Mrs. Holsinger, Coach Hunt, Mrs. Biard, Ms. Mills, Mrs. Kelli Lorish, Ms. Aylssa, and Mrs. Gloria Leonard, you all really rock! To Mrs. McLaughlin, Ms. Foster, and Ms. Willis, thank you for capturing the moment and sharing it with our families. I'm sure they enjoyed the photos. Now, to all of our community partners who shared your career experiences, we say, thank you! Thank you to all of Richmond's first responders, RPS Transportation, Lit Limo, Chick-fil-A, Jeremiah Entertainment, Shalom Farms, Scott's Towing, Mechanics of Faith, Humble Haven Yoga, RVA Explore Tour, and the Fun Bus. To our rising star family members who made financial donations to help support some of our fun filled activities, we say thank you and we appreciate you.
- Congratulations to Blackwell ES, Albert Hill MS, and GH Reid ES for leading the way in Flocabulary activities last month! Kudos to top teachers Terry Zenon, Kenyodda Sykes, and Alita Fulford for their outstanding dedication to teaching vocabulary! Keep inspiring! River City MS, Huguenot HS, and GH Reid ES lead the charge with Nearpod during the month of February! Huge shout-out to top educators Kevin Lovett, Chanel Graves, and Deborah Hardy for harnessing Nearpod's power to transform learning!
- I would like to give a shout-out to Ms. Phelps at McClenney Elementary School! Her third graders are so ready for SOL Academy! They are fluent with lines, line segments, angles, and rays. They can clearly articulate the differences between fiction and non-fiction. Her classroom transitions are on point. Ms. Phelps, watching you teach is truly watching a master of your craft. Thank you for the foundation you are laying for the future opportunity of our students!
- Shout-out to Anthony Cosby, program coordinator with University Instructors. Managing so many tutors across so many buildings and content areas is a tough job. I appreciate your commitment to instruction and your willingness to work with staff to make the magic happen! You are a gift to the entire community – thank you!
- Dr. Tabatha Spurlock, CTE academic advisor, was honored on March 1 as an 804 Woman Making History for Women’s History Month with Radio One Richmond. As a first-time attendee for the 25th Women Education Leaders in Virginia (WELV) conference last week, she represented RPS extremely well as a presenter. The title of her presentation was “Unleashing Your Best Self: How to Level Up in Life with a Productive Mindset.”
- Shout-out to Ms. Sonata Koger for putting together an awesome mobile career day!
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- Shout-out to Ms. Conklin at Amelia Street School for bringing science to life through chicken egg incubation and sharing this joy across Richmond Public Schools through the "chicken cam" livestream where students outside of Ms. Conklin's class have observed eleven chickens hatch (so far!).
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| Lit Limo – Our newest Lit Limo is, well, LIT! It has built-in bookshelves, power outlets for computers, A/C and heat, and a wheelchair lift so every RPS student can come onboard and browse for free books. This is all part of our effort to not only develop expert readers, but also joyful ones. The new Lit Limo will hit the road Monday, April 8!
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| #TeachWithLove at RPS – We're thrilled to offer signing bonuses of up to $7,000 for new hires starting in the fall! If you or someone you know is interested in joining the RPS team, please take a moment to visit our website to browse open positions. For more information, please email talentoffice@rvaschools.net.
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Tutor Recruitment – Are you a retired teacher, college student/recent grad, or community member interested in supporting the academic success of our students? We're currently accepting applications for academic tutors to support our high-intensity tutoring program. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the RPS team, just visit our website to apply or scan the QR code below with your phone's camera. This work is going to take #AllofUs!
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| RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
Health and Wellness Links
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