| Tuesday, February 13, 2024
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| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| BHM Spotlight – When asked about influential figures in Black history who have inspired her, Mykia, a student at Richmond Virtual Academy, replied: "Martin Luther King, Jr...his speech changed the world forever." As a Girl Scout in Troop 650, Mykia is also creating Black history by serving and remaining active in her community. Mykia's principal, Dr. Robinson, writes: "Mykia has been an RVA Owl for the last three years, and she absolutely represents the ideals and principles of what it means to be a Richmond Virtual Academy scholar. Mykia is always filled with joy and encouragement for everyone she meets. She is a joy and delight!"
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2024 RVA Community Makers – On Thursday, February 15, from 6 - 7 pm at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, artists and creators Hamilton Glass and Unicia Buster will present this year’s public art installation celebrating the 2024 RVA Community Makers honorees. This is a free event and no registration is required.
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RPS Education Foundation Scholarships – The RPS Education Foundation is currently accepting applications for their 2024 Foundation Scholarship. Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,200 are available. See below for eligibility requirements. Please visit the Foundation's website for more information.
- 19 years of age or younger when applying
- Attended RPS for at least one year
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 or higher (Note: some donor-sponsored scholarships will require a higher GPA.)
- Currently attend an RPS high school and will graduate during 2024
- Accepted into an accredited college/university/community college/technical school before graduation
- Demonstrate financial need through their FAFSA or VASA Student Aid Index (SAI) or other financial documents
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Calendar Reminder – All RPS schools and offices will be closed on Monday, February 19, in observance of President's Day. View the 2023-24 calendar online to see all upcoming holidays.
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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 give a huge shout of appreciation to Ms. Dabney, principal of Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, for hosting our middle school math coaches meeting. She is always so supportive and dedicated to student success. I would like to also shout-out Mr. Dustin Robinson, math instructional coach at MLK Middle School, for providing breakfast for the meeting. You're awesome and we appreciate you.
- Shout-out to Mrs. Judy Noble, Swansboro Elementary School librarian, for creating student centered activities for kindness for the awesome students of Swansboro. Mrs. Noble is a rockstar librarian, supporting literacy and compassion in our school, and she is determined to send our students home with books as often as possible. She also hosted a crafting day in the library to reward Swansboro students for amazing behavior during Encore classes. Thank you for everything you do for Swansboro, Mrs. Noble.
- Shout-out to the River City MS boys basketball team and coaches! No matter how tonight's championship game ends, we are so proud of the way you have represented the RedTails this season. Coaches Jamie Espinal, Ben Siegel, and Steve Clarke are the perfect examples of what it means to lead and serve with love. RCMS is so incredibly lucky to have you three as role models for our players!
- Huge kudos to Dr. Tabitha Spurlock, CTE advisor, for organizing and facilitating an amazing mock interview experience at RHSA! Dr. Spurlock prepared her students well, and they did her proud! For the first time, students engaged in a panel interview experience. The students were well spoken, confident, engaging and candid. It was also impressive that all of the students had one or more definitive plan for their post-secondary transition. Dr. Spurlock and her team are to be commended for taking the mock interviews to the next level and for fully preparing the students for life after high school. Kudos, Dr. Spurlock!
- I'd like to give a big shout-out to 8th grade school counselor, Michelle Mayo at Lucille M. Brown Middle School. You are amazing! Thank you for all you do!
- Shout-out to Mr. Hill at MLK for being genuine, and caring about his craft and work relationships. I see you and appreciate you!
- Shout-out to Ms. Weaver at MLK! Ms. Weaver is an amazing singer, chorus teacher and person! She flip flops her time between MLK and Henderson MS and is dealing with her own stuff but still shows up for her students. Ms. Weaver is the epitome of “teach with love.” You inspire me, Ms. Weaver! Keep on doing what you do!
- I would like to shout-out our amazing crew chief, Mr. May. Thank you so much for making a significant difference in our school community. Your dedication to building relationships with our students, supporting our staff, and maintaining a safe and clean environment is admirable. We appreciate all you do!
- Shout-out to the speech language pathologist at Blackwell Elementary, Michelle Curtis! She always goes out of her way to make sure her students are making growth, while supporting grade-level content and social emotional learning!
- Shout-out and thank you to Mrs. Bryce at Dogwood Middle School for the effort and care she put into the disciplinary literacy professional development she gave to our grade level teams today. My team left that meeting feeling empowered with practical daily practices we can incorporate into our instruction to help our scholars grow.
- Mary Scott Preschool would like to thank Ingrid Reynolds in the Transportation department for assisting us with our field trip needs. We appreciate all of your help.
- Hadley Parks, a second grader at Bellevue Elementary, has taken remarkable action to combat food insecurity in her community. She fearlessly organized a food drive, rallying the support of Feedmore and her fellow Bellevue school community. The results were astounding, as an impressive 469.5 pounds of food were collected! Almost all of the collected food has already been distributed to Restoration Outreach in the East End Fulton Hill area. The remaining portion will be distributed through their home delivery program today and tomorrow, ensuring that no one is left behind. At such a young age, she has demonstrated a profound understanding of the importance of helping others and has taken tangible steps to make a difference. Her actions serve as a reminder that no matter our age or circumstances, we all have the power to create positive change.
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- High fives all around at Elizabeth Redd Elementary School today! The theme to this year’s "Kindness Project" is high fives! A high five is a friendly and kind way to celebrate with someone or to greet someone! We kicked off our two weeks of kindness, aka our annual "Kindness Project," today by welcoming students and staff with energetic high fives this morning! Stay tuned for more activities centered around showing kindness and the high five theme over the course of the next two weeks!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| School Immunizations – RPS Health Services has scheduled a series of school-based immunization clinics. If you would like for your child to be vaccinated at this or any of our upcoming events, please return the completed consent form to your school nurse in English or Spanish. These immunizations are mandated by Virginia law so please make sure to take care of them ASAP. See flyer below for locations and times.
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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
Crisis Support Links
Health and Wellness Links
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