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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| VCU Book Donation – Enormous gratitude to the VCU Department of Focused Inquiry and the Common Book Program for donating books to the English departments at Franklin Military Academy, George Wythe HS, Huguenot HS, John Marshall HS, and Richmond Community. For example, the students at Wythe received 50 copies of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Thank you to Chair Stephanie Rizzi for arranging this wonderful donation for our students and teachers!
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| Game Changer Writing Competition – Congratulations to all of the RPS students who participated in the first-ever Game Changer writing competition! Many thanks to Rev. Garry Callis and Children Of Light Ministries for providing our students with the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Poetry Winners
- ES 1st place: Trashuana Giles – Westover Hills ES
- ES 2nd place: Warren Huddle – Mary Munford ES
- ES 3rd place: Louise Irby – Mary Munford ES
- MS 1st place: Lamar Erby – River City MS
- MS 2nd place: Ra’Sean Miller – Lucille Brown MS
- MS 3rd place: Alexander Sanabria – River City MS
- HS 1st place: Shavontae Johnson – George Wythe HS
- HS 2nd place: Christopher Smith – George Wythe HS
- HS 3rd place: Khamoni Mason – John Marshall HS
Essay Winners
- ES 1st Place: Aubrey Russell – Fairfield Court ES
- ES 2nd Place: Summer Lumen – Mary Munford ES
- ES 3rd place: Cateleya Squire – Swansboro ES
- HS 1st place: Mathew Blanchett – Huguenot HS
- HS 2nd place: Kaumari Wilson – Armstrong HS
- HS 3rd place: Catherine Cobbs – George Wythe HS
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| 2023 All-Metro Boys Basketball Team – Congratulations to the John Marshall HS players who were recently named to the RTD 2023 All-Metro Boys Basketball Team! Led by Dennis Parker, Jr. (wing), the team includes Latrell Allmond (forward), Jason Rivera-Torres (guard/wing), and Damon “Redd” Thompson Jr. (point guard). In addition, the All-Metro Second Team includes Dominique Bailey (guard). Just amazing! (Photo Credit: Daniel Sangib Min, RTD)
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| 2023 Eat and Greet Trailblazer Award – I'm thrilled to share that Dr. Stefanie Ramsey, RPS coordinator for Athletics, Health & PE, Driver Education, was recently named the 2023 Eat and Greet Trailblazer by Greater Richmond Fit4Kids! We're deeply grateful for Dr. Ramsey's leadership and her dedication to the health and wellness of RPS students. Congratulations!
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| BINGO Fundraiser at FMA – Everyone is invited to Bingo Night at Franklin Military Academy this Thursday, April 27, at 7 pm! All proceeds will support end-of-year activities for the 8th grade class. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the event.
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| We Love You Here – Head over to the RPS Love Store and check out the new "We Love You Here" t-shirts, hoodies, and more! Proceeds will go to partners who support our attendance efforts.
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- The Linwood Holton custodial staff would like to shout-out Ms. Paraham, zone cluster supervisor. She has been a great help to the school, admin, and custodial team. She is reliable, has a very pleasant personality, and always provides us with necessary supplies to help us to do our job. Thank you, Ms. Paraham, we appreciate you!
- Even though their official titles are not administrative office associate, we want to give a huge thank you to Bridget Davis and Camille Johnson for their outstanding organizational skills, institutional knowledge, and overall excellent office professionalism. The Facility Services department could not operate without them. We celebrate them during Administrative Office Associates Week!
- I'd like to thank Jenn Deuell with the Richmond Public Library for coordinating the Young Adult Virginia Author Award ceremony that took place this weekend! It was a great opportunity for our scholars to interact with authors! I'd also like to thank Alease Johnson and Katina Harris for chaperoning! And last, but certainly not least, I'd like to congratulate Naeemah Jackson and Savion Taylor, 6th grade scholars at T.C. Boushall Middle School, for winning complete sets of the nominated books! I'd especially like to thank Richmond Public Library Director Scott Firestine for purchasing books for every teen in attendance at the YAVA ceremony this past Saturday. We are so grateful to have a community partner so dedicated to bringing the love of books and reading to our students! Lastly, I'd like to thank our community partner, Reid Goodwin LLC, for their grant that brought author Ann Braden to T.C. Boushall Middle School last week. Our scholars had an amazing time and loved hearing about how Ms. Braden's books tell stories about other kids finding their power, the power of strength, the power of connection, and the power of a question. I'd also like to thank Alease Johnson, school counselor at T.C. Boushall Middle School, for her help with the event and for always having my back!
- I'd like to shout-out the bus drivers in Church Hill. Our son (2-years-old) sees them every morning on his way to daycare, and they always wave and say good morning. They are a huge part of our community up on the Hill and help get our son excited about his day!
- A huge shout-out to the staff at Cardinal Elementary for helping make the book fair such a success last week. Thank you to the staff for pitching in when you saw that a hand was needed. Special shout-out to Michelle Gelrud, 21st Century language lab teacher, and Natalie Hawkins, art teacher, for pitching in and helping whenever they had a free moment even when this is not their primary responsibility. Thank you to our principal, Dr. Abrego, and our AP, Mrs. Holmes, for helping with the financial duties. Also, a giant thank you to retired RPS preschool teacher Pam Wright for helping out with anything and everything that was needed.
- Kudos to our library media specialist, Mary Ellen Colangelo, for hosting the Scholastic book fair at Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School last week! Our students loved shopping from the great selections made available through this program! Ms. Colangelo and Ms. Ivey made it so easy for the children to select special items no matter what budget they had. Ms. C also stayed late two evenings so our working parents had an opportunity to shop when it was convenient. Thank you, ladies, for all the extra time and effort you put into making this week-long event so awesome!
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| 2023-24 Preschool & Kindergarten Enrollment Event – Preschool and kindergarten enrollment is underway! Join us at the Communities at Southwood from 12 - 4 pm on Friday, April 28, to begin the process. RPS staff will be on hand to provide assistance and answer questions. For more information, please email enrollrps@rvaschools.net. All children enrolled while at the event will be entered into a raffle to win a bike!
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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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| 2023 Summer Programs – We're beginning to hire for our summer programs. See the flyer below for details and apply today!
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Important Links – Last updated on April 14, 2023.
RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
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