| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Happy Friday! Tonight's updates:
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Women's History Month – Every year, RPS and communities across the country recognize March as Women's History Month. Please join me in celebrating the many inspirational women who help lead RPS, including Chair Rizzi and Vice Chair Doerr; Board Members White, Gibson, Harris-Muhammed, Burke, Page, and Dixon; Chiefs Chang, Clemmons, Fox, Harris, Parks, and Wiggins on the RPS Leadership Team; 33 principals; and thousands of teachers and support staff! In celebration of this year's theme, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,” we'll be recognizing several of our principals, beginning with Crystal Hartsfield from Martin Luther King, Jr. Preschool.
Reflecting on Women's History Month, Principal Hartsfield writes, "It's a time to celebrate the achievements, resilience, and contributions of women throughout history, including those who have paved the way for individuals like me to pursue leadership roles in education." At MLK PS, she promotes gender equality and encourages young women by incorporating diverse and inclusive materials in the curriculum, sharing positive stories of influential women, and spotlighting books written about women by women. "Learning about the struggles and triumphs of women who have made a difference in various fields can empower young women to believe in themselves and their abilities. It can help them recognize that their voices, ideas, and dreams are valuable and worthy of pursuit."
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Arts in Our Schools Month – March is also Arts in Our Schools Month! We're incredibly excited to share our students' artistic accomplishments as well as information about arts events in the community. Be on the lookout for our weekly spotlights and be sure to mark your calendars for the seventh-annual RPS Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, March 9, from 10 am - 4 pm at Huguenot HS. If you've never been, you're missing out!
Speaking of art, tonight, from 5 - 8 pm, ART 180 will hold the second opening of "Cross Contour," an exhibition of artwork by students from Boushall MS and the Parks and Recreation Motivate Excel Lead program.
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2024 Graduation Schedule – I'm thrilled to share that the schedule for our 2024 graduation ceremonies has been finalized. Please be sure to mark your calendars and prepare to celebrate the Class of 2024!
Tuesday, May 14
Stuart C. Siegel Center (1200 W. Broad St)
- 2 pm – Reynolds Community College Early College Academy
Wednesday, May 29
Virginia Union University Living and Learning Center (1500 N. Lombardy St)
- 9 am – Open HS
- 12 pm – Richmond Community HS
- 3 pm – Franklin Military Academy
- 6 pm – Richmond Virtual Academy
Thursday, May 30
Greater Richmond Convention Center (403 N. 3rd St)
- 12 pm – Huguenot HS
- 3 pm – John Marshall HS
- 6 pm – Thomas Jefferson HS
Friday, May 31
Greater Richmond Convention Center (403 N. 3rd St)
- 12 pm – Armstrong HS
- 3 pm – Richmond HS for the Arts
Thursday, July 18
Huguenot HS Auditorium (7945 Forest Hill Ave)
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Calendar Reminder – As a reminder, due to the upcoming primary election, Tuesday, March 5, will be a Teacher Work Day with no classes for students. We expect to see everyone in class on Monday, March 4! 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!
- Big shout-out to Principal Ivy & AP Ford for their awesome leadership and support! We love you at Albert Hill and appreciate you so much!
- A special shout-out to Michelle Curtis who is having amazing speech-language therapy sessions with her students! One of her students sent this lovely note for Ms. Curtis: "Dear Mrs. Michelle, you're my favorite speech teacher I ever had. I like that you're different. I like that you wear glasses like me! You help me a lot with my speech. I think that people understand me more because of you!"
- Shout-out to Chloe Grant at Dogwood Middle School. She spearheaded the cross curricular eighth grade Black History Month showcase project. From her excellent ideas and amazing follow through, she’s a teacher that Dogwood students are lucky to have.
- I’m giving a shout-out to Ms. Craig at Lois Harrison-Jones ES for gracefully managing her many challenges in her first year of being a kindergarten teacher! She manages it all with a smile and pizazz that all the kids love. Shout-out to Mrs. Nowaczyk at Lois Harrison-Jones ES for taking time to get to know her students and teach to their strengths and potential every day.
- Shout-out to Lameekia Evans in the Payroll department. She is responsive, patient, and the work she does is much appreciated! Thank you, Ms. Evans!
- Big shout-out to Mr. Bobby Hathaway and his team who showed up to do excellent ventilation work which resulted in John Marshall High School having its first working kiln in years! Students are excitedly engaging in ceramics. We are looking forward to seeing their finished results which would not be possible without the knowledge, expertise, and partnership of the Facilities team. Big thanks from your friends in Fine Arts and at John Marshall!
- Shout-out to Swansboro Librarian Judy Noble and CIS Site Coordinator Kimberly Greenshields for an awesome Read Across America event this morning at Swansboro. These awesome ladies coordinated a variety of community volunteers (Reveille United Methodist Church, Liberation Church, City Council Staff, and the Verlander Family) to read to each class. Special thanks to Stephanie Rizzi for reading to Swansboro students this morning.
- We would like to give a huge shout-out to the Curriculum and Instruction superhero office associate, Gabrielle Coleman. She resolved a problem with grace and love. She said I'll take care of it and that's exactly what she did. Thanks, Gabrielle, for all you do!
- Shout-out to our music teacher, Mr. Clark, from Linwood Holton! He did an amazing job organizing and producing our Black History play!
- Big congratulations and thanks to Ms. Beekman of J.B. Fisher Elementary for organizing a spectacular Black History Month play and concert. Even better than the wonderful student performances was seeing the genuine joy and support all the students demonstrated to each other throughout the event. Thank you also to school administration, including Principal Samuels, for understanding the value of the arts in education.
- A heartfelt appreciation to the visionary, Ms. Rohoma Sims, for infusing an extraordinary level of creativity into River City Middle School's Black History Month celebrations! Ms. Sims crafted a dynamic calendar of events that not only tapped into the diverse interests of our school community but also served as a radiant showcase for the multitude of talents within our midst. Her dedication to curating a rich and engaging tapestry of activities truly made this Black History Month a memorable and enriching experience for us all. Thank you, Ms. Sims, for transforming our school into a vibrant canvas of celebration and learning!
- Kudos to the dynamic duo, Mrs. Abdelkader and Ms. Finney, our literacy virtuosos at River City Middle School! Their commitment to fostering a love for literature reached new heights as they orchestrated captivating events that transformed our school into a literary haven. From the innovative "Book Tasting" to the adrenaline-pumping "Speed Rating" (think speed dating with books!), and the soul-stirring "Poetry Slam," our students were not just readers; they became active participants in a literary journey. A heartfelt thank you to these literacy leaders for going above and beyond, instilling the joy of reading in the hearts of our Red Tails!
- Hats off to Ms. Eberhardt and Ms. Acree, the visionary creators behind River City Middle School's inaugural Black History Month fashion show! They curated an empowering runway experience that not only showcased the latest fashions but also celebrated the profound contributions of African Americans in the arts. Our students didn't just walk the runway; they embodied a legacy. A monumental salute to these trailblazers for making history in our school!
- A special shout-out to the heartbeat of our events, Ms. Rawlings! With boundless energy and dedication, she transformed spaces into enchanting realms for every occasion. From Black History Month to Valentine's Day, Ms. Rawlings orchestrated the magic behind the scenes, ensuring every detail was perfect. Without her, our celebrations might have been a tad "janky." We don't just appreciate you, Ms. Rawlings; we absolutely love you for making our school events extraordinary!
- A standing ovation for the collaborative brilliance that made our Black History Month concert an unforgettable experience! Under the guidance of the maestro herself, Ms. McFarland (band and bucket drums), and the incredible contributions from Ms. Bruno (dance), Mr. Payne (choir), Coach T (step), Mr. Jenkins (art), and Ms. Baker (orchestra), our scholars embarked on a culturally enriching journey. To the elective team at River City, you are the magic behind the melody, the rhythm in our steps, and the colors in our celebration. Bravo!
- A resounding thank you to all the teachers at River City Middle School! Throughout this month, you showed unwavering support, navigating through rehearsals, practices, auditions, modeling calls, and a paper trail of permission slips. Your understanding, assistance with make-up work, and willingness to make concessions ensured our students had a month to remember. We are immensely grateful for your dedication and resilience!
- I'd like to give a shout-out to Ms. Simmons' 2nd grade class at Carver Elementary. Their Black History Month projects turned out so well! Ms. Simmons helped her students research different historical figures, and write about their person of choice!
- Thank you to all the volunteers who participated in Swansboro’s Read Across America Day! We were also joined by School Board Chair Ms. Stephanie Rizzi and parents of MLB star Justin Verlander, who read and autographed a copy of their book for students. Lastly, thank you, Mrs. Noble (librarian) and T. Jones (reading interventionist), for enriching literacy for Swansboro students.
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- Shout-out to Linwood Holton Elementary School for putting on a fantastic Black History play. Mr. Clark put on a fantastic show! It was wonderful to watch our kids tell the story of the complex and challenging history of the United States. Well done!
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- A major celebration from Secondary Success Pathways and Armstrong High School is the graduation of Joseph Louis (Cohort 2021)! Thank you to every person that poured into Joseph as he has worked hard to earn his high school diploma through the Secondary Success Center (SSC) over the past 2.5 years. Kudos go out to Rebecca Fox, secondary success support specialist; Dr. Willie Bell, principal director of high schools and athletics; Kelly Carter, interim principal at Armstrong; the entire SSC team, and the Armstrong High School family. Bravo, Joseph!
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- Shout-out to Mrs. Iris Stafford, first grade teacher at "The Hive" (Overby-Sheppard) for organizing the first wave of cuts from RVA Cutz and the owner, Orlando Hogan, an Overby-Sheppard alum. Mr. Hogan, on behalf of the staff at Overby-Sheppard, we thank you and your team for stopping by to share and provide haircuts for our students.
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- Congrats to the following schools for being certified by SportsBackers as RVA Active Schools! Bellevue, Cardinal, Dogwood, Franklin Military, Henry Marsh, J.B. Fisher, John Marshall, Linwood Holton, Mary Munford, Open High, Richmond Community, Thomas C. Boushall, Thomas Jefferson, William Fox and Westover Hills! Great job being healthy and active RPS! (Pictured: Mr. Travis Amos of Dogwood receiving their Active RVA award!)
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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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.
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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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