| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Happy Friday! Tonight's updates:
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| First Fridays – The Virginia Museum of History and Culture is open until 8 pm tonight for First Fridays! Stop by and enjoy free museum admission, food trucks, family-friendly activities, and live music.
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| Family Fun Day at VMFA – Celebrate the Lunar New Year tomorrow, February 3, from 10 am - 4:30 pm at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Explore Chinese art and culture through art-making activities, collaborative projects, films, artist demonstrations, and performances. For a complete schedule of events, please visit their website.
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Essay Contest – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan has officially launched her inaugural Black History Month essay contest for middle and high school students. Completed essays – including name, school, grade level, and home address – must be submitted via email no later than Monday, February 12. Winning essays will be entered into the Congressional Record and featured on Rep. McClellan’s website and social media platforms. See below for this year’s essay prompts:
- Middle School – Write an essay about the life and legacy of the first Black woman elected to Congress, former Rep. Shirley Chisholm, and how her election paved the way for other Black women to serve. (350-500 words)
- High School – The first Black President of the United States, Barack Obama, once said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” How do you encourage yourself and your peers to become engaged as changemakers in your community as a student and future voter? (500-750 words)
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| Black History Month Research Assistance – Beginning Monday, February 5, from 10 am - 12 pm, the Richmond Room in the Richmond Public Library (101 East Franklin St) will be open for walk-in research assistance to support anyone interested in learning more about Black history in Richmond. Assistance will be available every Monday from 10 am - 12 pm and every Wednesday from 5 - 7:30 pm throughout February.
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| Early College Academy – The deadline for current 10th graders – with a GPA of 3.3 or higher – to submit applications for the Early College Academy is Monday, February 5, at 11:59 pm. The Academy provides students with the opportunity to earn an associate's degree while completing the requirements for their high school diploma. Students admitted into the two-year program will start at the beginning of their junior year.
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| 2024 RPS Division-Wide Spelling Bee – Come out and support our school spelling bee champions at the 2024 RPS Division-Wide Spelling Bee! Spellers will take the stage on Tuesday, February 6, at 6 pm at Mary Munford ES. Hope you can attend!
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| School Counseling Week – Next week is National School Counseling Week! Help us spread the love to our phenomenal team of school counselors who #servewithlove each and every day – email your school counselor shout-outs to shoutouts@rvaschools.net!
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| 100th Day of School – Can you believe it?! Yesterday marked the 100th day of school and students, teachers, and staff across the division celebrated with guest readers, collections of 100, and – of course – dressing up as 100-year-olds!
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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 want to shout-out Chaun Newkirk for the intentional support provided to our middle schools in mathematics. She is always solution-driven with a positive mindset for students' understanding of grade-level math content. Ms. Newkirk, thank you for your valuable support and continued presence.
- Shout-out to Ms. Rozier and Ms. Thompson, our amazing office staff here at George W. Carver Elementary School. Thank you for all that you have done to keep the office moving smoothly. You are doing an amazing job and we appreciate you. Thank you for assisting staff with all the concerns and questions. Thank you!
- Shout-out to Ms. Griffin, our amazing exceptional education teacher here at George W. Carver. You are an amazing person and an exceptional teacher. Thank you for going over and beyond for our students and ensuring they are successful in their academics. You are amazing and appreciated.
- Shout-out to Jasmine Jones at the Richmond Technical Center. Ms. Jones is an amazing employee who supports RTC administrators daily and works extremely hard in efforts to increase the enrollment at the school. Kudos, Ms. Jones.
- I would like to shout-out a dear teacher at Broad Rock Elementary School, Mrs. R. Mason. She does so many wonderful things for our school. She is in charge of the PTA, she's a lead teacher, and she does a lot of things with no complaints. Thank you so much, Mrs. Mason! We love you!
- The entire staff of PHSSA would like to shout-out Greater Richmond SCAN for their wellness hub. The staff enjoyed the glorious essential oils and were able to take a minute to relax. Thank you for supporting Richmond Public Schools!
- Thank you to all the RPS cafeteria and custodial teams. You all work so hard to make sure the children have everything they need.
- Ms. Davis, the school counselor at Patrick Henry, is a beacon of joy for the students and staff. Like many school counselors, she is here for the children and the adults whenever needed.
- The Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary attendance team would love to shout out our family liaison, Ms. Raquajah Battle! Ms. Battle works so hard to ensure our students attend school and doesn’t hesitate to give rides to those students in need or do home visits when needed. We just wanted to let Ms. Battle know how much we appreciate her commitment to our team and always doing the work!
- Shout-out to Mrs. LaToya Graham, assistant principal at Miles Jones, for everything that she does for our school! Mrs. Graham leads with poise, love, and grace! Our school is a better place because of her presence. Mrs. Graham, thank you for all that you do!
- I wanted to shout-out Ms. Wood, ICC, and Ms. Moppin, instructional assistant, at Fox. They were amazing and swooped in and saved the day when I was out for an extended period of time. They took such good care of my students and classroom while I was out, and I am so grateful for their support!
- I would like to shout-out the custodial staff at Carver for all that they do to keep the school clean and respond to maintenance issues – and a big thanks to Crew Chief Mr. James May and Mr. Scott. My son is their little helper...he wants to be a custodian when he grows up and wants to work with them all the time as long as he completes his school work. Mr. James May and Mr. Scott, thanks for understanding my son.
- In honor of School Board Appreciation Month, shout-out to our 7th District School Board member, Cheryl Burke. Just as when I first met her when she was principal at Chimborazo Elementary, she has continued to reach out to engage the wider community for our kids. Kudos, Mrs. Burke!
- We would like to give a huge shout-out to Valerie Evans at Fox Elementary for single-handedly creating all of the beautiful and creative Black History Month bulletin board displays. Your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated! Thank you for always going above and beyond! We love you!
- Christie Barford, thank you for all that you do to help make the talent acquisition process run smoothly. We appreciate the time you take to ensure we get the help/information we need!
- Monika Haskins, thank you for all you do for the Talent Acquisition team! Your hard work and positivity brightens our days. Thank you!
- I would love to shout-out Ms. Lauren Freeze, the school psychologist at Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary, along with the attendance team: Ms. Branch, school social worker, Mrs. Jenkins and Ms. Faison, school counselors, Ms. Wingfield and Ms. Samuels, CIS coordinators, and AP Means and Principal Draper! We held our "Thank You Snow Much for Coming to School" perfect attendance celebration for January featuring Ms. Freeze, embodying Elsa from the movie Frozen! Thank you so much, Ms. Freeze, for always going above and beyond for our kiddos and thank you to the attendance team for always working so hard.
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- A huge shout-out goes to the Swansboro Elementary teachers, staff, and students. The students had a great time participating in the 100th day math activities provided by our math coach, Ms. Sanderson! What a fun time we had yesterday! Shout-out to Principal Sampson, Assistant Principal Lee-Anderson, and Ms. Sanderson.
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| RPS Love Store – Check out the new Black history designs in the RPS Love Store! All proceeds will support the Richmond Black History Museum.
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| Road to Licensure Fair – Join us on the RPS Road to Licensure on Saturday, February 10, from 9 am - 2 pm at River City MS. Learn about the requirements for teacher licensure, participate in onsite interviews, and speak with representatives from RPS and local universities. To sign-up for this wonderful opportunity, scan the QR code below with your phone's camera. Also, if you know of a great teacher who might like to join the RPS team, please tell them to apply now. We have positions available in several content areas. Help spread the word!
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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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| Mental Health Support – I want to remind everyone – students, staff, and families – that your mental health continues to be a top priority. Please note the resources below and remember that we love you here and you are not alone.
- Students who need emergency mental health support should call the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority at (804) 819-4100 or the ChildSavers Immediate Response line at (804) 305-2420 (or send a text to 741741).
- RPS employees in need of emergency support should contact the Cigna 24/7 Crisis Line at (833) ME-CIGNA, or (833) 632-4462. Additional counseling and support services are also available through the Cigna Employee Assistance (EAP) program by calling (800) 544-6931.
- Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center provides education, advocacy, and support to Spanish-speaking individuals affected by violence. The 24/7 hotline in Spanish is (888) 969-1825.
- The Trauma Healing Response Network is a coalition of grassroots, community-based organizations and mental health partners that provide support services to families and communities impacted by gun violence. The network can also facilitate the distribution of emergency relief funds to help those in crisis. For more information, email traumahealingresponsenetwork@gmail.com.
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| RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
Health and Wellness Links
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