| Friday, February 23, 2024
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| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| Dance Concert – The Dogwood MS Dance Company will hold two performances this weekend – tonight at 6 pm and tomorrow at 11 am. Everyone is encouraged to come out and support this talented group of students!
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| BHM Bingo – Join VPM tomorrow, from 1 - 3 pm at the Market at 25th (1330 N. 25th St), for Black History Month Bingo. Families with young children in grades PK-2 are especially encouraged to attend!
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| BHM Spotlight – As the founder of Unbreakable Minds, Yolanda Hall, certified life and mindset coach, leads a variety of wellness programs including Mother-Daughter Circles, Parenting on Purpose, and the Crown Movement. These initiatives currently operate at Richmond High School for the Arts, Thomas Jefferson HS, and John Marshall HS. Ms. Hall aspires to share strategies for stress management, emotional regulation, and effective communication to empower students to make deep impacts on their community.
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| L. Douglas Wilder Visit – Enormous gratitude to former Governor L. Douglas Wilder for inspiring students during his visit to Richmond Community HS this week. The former governor, and RPS alum, reminded students, "You can be anyone you want to be."
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| Third District Budget Meeting – Board member Kenya Gibson will hold a 3rd District Budget Town Hall on Wednesday, March 13, from 6 - 7:30 pm at Barack Obama ES, to discuss the FY25 budget. To review the budget in advance of the meeting, scan the QR code below or visit our website.
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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!
- I would like to shout-out Mrs. Simms-Pleasants at Blackwell Preschool! Not only has Mrs. Simms-Pleasants stepped up in the absence of the lead teacher, but she has also been a rockstar with transportation. With all of these changes, she manages to stay humble and helpful. We love and appreciate all that you do, Mrs. Simms-Pleasants!
- Shout-out to Crystal Potee and team at TJHS for a very successful event welcoming incoming freshmen. The rising freshmen and their families were welcomed by students, cheerleaders, step team members, and school staff members from every department so that they could feel the love at "The Jefferson." Well done, Principal Potee and team!
- A special shout-out to the Black History committee at Mary Scott Preschool for an awesome "BlacksInWax" museum celebrating famous Black Americans. Your creativity is phenomenal. A great big thank you to Sonata Koger, Chanae McLaughlin, Kellie Lorish, and the parents and students who created posters and dressed their students up. Additionally, we could not have pulled it off without the behind the scenes work of Diana Holsinger and her husband for their creativity and hard work. We love having you on our team!
- I would like to shout-out three very, very special family liaisons that operate out of the Engagement Office. Nacilda Basualdo, Southside coordinator/team lead, is one of the only bilingual and Latino family liaisons. Mrs. Basualdo has been with RPS for two years, serving families on the Southside where they have 17 schools and a multitude of multilingual, bilingual, and ELL learners. In the Fall of 2023, Mrs. Basualdo stepped up to be a leader in the temporary absence of her team's coordinator. Mrs. Basualdo served five schools while temporarily filling in for her supervisor. Family liaisons Jonathan McDearmon, Huguenot HS, and Arthur Williams, Armstrong High School, have been with RPS for 19 years, collectively. They have become a shining presence in RPS, our secondary schools, and the community over the last decade. Recovering students who have had issues with chronic absenteeism, supporting school administrators, mentoring students, and providing safety and professionalism that has earned them recognition as some of the best RPS staff to work in family and community engagement. In addition to these responsibilities, they have taken additional responsibilities such as providing transportation services. This includes transporting students with babies, students enrolled in the Secondary Success Center, and students representing their schools for the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council.
- I want to thank Mr. Aaron Bryant at Lucille Brown Middle School for being a supportive teacher and colleague. Always there when needed and knows how to make math fun and engaging. Thanks, Ms. Bryant.
- I would like to give a huge shout-out to Andrea Bryant at Lucille Brown. She models a love for learning and is simply an amazing human. Mrs. Bryant serves her students and RPS above and beyond what is expected. It's an honor to call her my colleague.
- Sending a huge shout-out to Mrs. Blackstone, Miss Hoye, Ms. McKeithan, Ms. Warren, Ms. Grady, Mrs. Gentry, and all of the amazing performers at the Westover Hills Black History Month presentation. It takes a huge amount of work to pull off this event, but you all made it look effortless and our kids shined!
- I want to give a huge shout-out to Mr. Beekman at Bellevue ES for writing and putting on an absolutely fantastic Black History Month musical with our 4th and 5th graders! It was incredible to see so many of them get their time to shine in their solos! It was a truly magical evening and we're so grateful for all of your hard work! I want to shout-out Ms. Bowers at Bellevue for organizing a super fun Kuchonga Unity Day for our Bellevue Dragons! The morning was a blast for the whole school! The event included so much student and parent participation and flowed so well! What a fun way to end the week! Thank you so much for everything you did to make the day a success!
- Please join me in giving a shout-out to Debra Carlotti, the ICC at Munford Elementary. Ms. Carlotti has a tremendous wealth of knowledge in reading instruction and specially designed instruction that she shares with her gen ed and exceptional ed colleagues. Together they are making positive changes in children's lives!
- Angelique Bland, the ICC at Overby Sheppard, is a rock star! Her knowledge of tier 1, 2, and 3 MTSS strategies is helping build positive relationships between staff and students and helping students stay in their neighborhood schools. Thank you, Ms. Bland, for sharing your expertise in compliance, regulations, and instructional interventions.
- A huge shout-out to the Summer Hill Motown Celebration committee! Ms. Cumberbatch, Mr. Hollomon, Ms. Spurlock, and Ms. Burton-Fludd did an amazing job organizing the event. Thank you to all the teachers who put in so much effort to showcase our students and to all of the families who came to support us. We can’t wait to do it again next year!
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- Sending the biggest shout-out to the Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School community for turning out for an incredible Black History Month community celebration last night! We were thriving with incredible student percussion team performances, student songs and dances, a fashion show, games, raffles, and even a teacher choir! What a night of fun and togetherness! Thank you so much to our students, families, community partners, and our entire staff who chipped in to make the event a success! Special shout-out to my fellow culture & climate committee team members who continue to plan and put on engaging programming for our school community – so grateful to do this work alongside each of you!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| RPS Shines – This May, we're hosting our Third Annual RPS Shines, a special evening to recognize and honor our life-changing teachers, principals, and support staff. You can help us celebrate these amazing individuals in two ways: 1) by nominating RPS educators and staff for our division wide awards – Lucille Brown Impact Award, Rodney A. Robinson Equity Award, and the 2024 Principal of the Year Award; and 2) by supporting RPS Shines with a donation to the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation. The window to submit nominations closes on Friday, March 1. Thank you!
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| RPS Love Store – Have you had a chance to check out our Black History Month designs in the RPS Love Store? All proceeds support the Richmond Black History Museum!
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| Advocate for RHSA – On Wednesday, March 6, RPS will be requesting a waiver from the city Zoning Board to install light poles on the athletic grounds of the new Richmond High School for the Arts. If you can, please come out to support the RHSA community. For more information, visit our website or scan the QR code below with your phone's camera. Thanks in advance for your support!
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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
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