Wednesday, September 13, 2023
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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's Updates:
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School Application & Selection Town Hall – Join us from 6 - 7:30 pm tomorrow, September 14, for a virtual town hall to learn more about my recommendation to the School Board regarding changes to our specialty school admissions process. If you're unable to join virtually, please feel free to submit questions and comments on our website. Thank you!
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Special Education Advisory Committee – The RPS Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) will hold its first meeting of the 2023-24 school year on Wednesday, September 20, at 6:30 pm. For more information and to join the virtual meeting, please visit our website.
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Essay Contest – The Upsilon Nu chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. is currently accepting submissions for the international high school essay contest. The contest is open to all college-bound seniors. The deadline to submit entries is Friday, October 20.
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Cheers to Classrooms – From now through September 30, all RPS employees are eligible to receive any size hot coffee, free, at participating Wawa locations. Just show your RPS badge at the register to receive the offer. Enjoy!
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With great appreciation,
Jason
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Frances McClenney Elementary shout-out to Principal Anderson and Assistant Principal Tyler for joining our school community as leaders with immediate grace, open-mindedness, visibility, and communication. Your hard work is appreciated towards our goal of Cultivating Learners and Growing Leaders.
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I would like to shout-out Nathan Potter, who spent the day at Fairfield Court Elementary working with our teacher on student discourse during CRA (Concrete, Representational, Abstract) process. Having our teachers to continue internalizing and pre-planning to have students do the work using the RDW (Read, Draw, Write) process each day and then let students explain their thinking is critical. As we continue to focus on proficiency and rigor, students reading and writing in math every day will increase their comprehension and vocabulary!
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Shout-out to Katrina Evans, who came to Fairfield Court Elementary to support grades K & 1 during collaborative planning this week. She lifted the importance of the Skills Block and how to incorporate writing into the literacy stations. We know how important it is for our students to read and write across all content areas and implementing the Skills Block small group with integrity! Thank you for lifting these foundational non-negotiable skills to increase literacy and comprehension at Fairfield Court Elementary!
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I would like to shout-out all the amazing teachers at Cardinal Elementary! Ms. Lemus and Ms. Smalley have joined in our quest for excellence in kindergarten. Ms. Seise and Ms. Fay have joined the hardest-working first grade team on the planet! Ms. Watson, Mr. Koerner, and Ms. O'leary have joined the ranks of the warriors on the 2nd grade team! Mr. Montoya, Ms. Croes, Mr. Woodson, and Ms. Coltrain have been inspiring added members to our talented 5th grade team! Ms. Grayson, Ms. Barrett, and Ms. Alvarez are fitting right in with the hardest-working 3rd grade team on the planet! Ms. Kane and Mr. Rodriguez have joined the ranks of the warriors on the 4th grade team! Here's to a year of strength, unity, and the realization of great expectations!
- Shout-out to Dr. McCrowell, Mrs. L. Miller, Ms. Brown, Teacher Carreras, and Coach Woolridge for enduring and standing in the gap throughout all of the meetings scheduled for today. Your encouragement and teamwork have been a blessing. Hoot Hoot!
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I would like to shout-out Ms. Shirley Maxwell. Being in charge of SMARTfind and almost all things dealing with substitutes is a huge lift and she is doing the best that she can. I appreciate all that you do before, during, and after work to make sure we have substitutes in place.
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Shout-out to Mrs. Parker at Dogwood Middle School. She is a light in this school who I can always count on to put a smile on my face. She goes above and beyond for her students and colleagues. The level of care, joy, and laughter she brings to a room is unmatched and the 8th grade team would be lost without her.
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Huge props to Ms. Destiny Rainney at Dogwood Middle School for all she does in this building. She is an unsung hero who prioritizes the wellness, joy, and success of staff and students. Her top priority is social emotional growth as a means to academic achievement. She is the definition of brilliance!
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A huge shout-out goes to Molly Boehm, the librarian at J.B. Fisher Elementary School. Ms. Boehm does a great job working with the intensive support classroom and the deaf and hard of hearing classroom. Last year both classes were able to learn how to work in the library through the intensive support mentors and Ms. Boehm. This year, Ms. Boehm took the initiative and created a library leader book pick-up schedule for both classes because she knew how much they enjoyed it last year. Both teachers are beyond thrilled for this program to be up and running and making it beneficial for both classes. We love you, Ms. Boehm.
- Welcome to Beth Allums, the new visual art teacher at Oak Grove-Bellmeade Elementary. Ms. Allums is off to an amazing start with her students, already introducing them to a wonderful painting lesson where students were fully engaged and excited! Thank you for joining team RPS and bringing your enthusiasm.
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I want to shout-out Vanessa DeYoung, visual art teacher at Miles Jones Elementary, for her excitement about learning a new concept at professional development. She jumps right in and embraces new ideas to bring back to classroom and RPS students. Go, Ms. DeYoung!
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I would like to shout-out Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School faculty, staff, students and families. We are the mighty Titans and we are #Titanready for this 2023-2024 school year!
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I would like to send a huge shout-out to Mrs. Julien and Ms. Odom at Blackwell PreK! They have been so welcoming to my student who is starting to practice a visiting model, and have effortlessly made him feel like a part of their class. You both are so appreciated!
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The Ed Tech Integrator team is the best! They are collaborative, creative, innovative, and supportive problem solvers. Thank you for all that you do to support students, teachers, coaches, administrators and all staff in purposefully integrating technology. Shout-out to Alex Alexson, Arianna Trickey, Ashley Bland, Bernadette Cruse, Carla Wood, Chris Barna, Fealeacia Price, Franny Aida, Jessica Blumberg, Joselyn Verdi, Marci Rosenthal, Mercedes Buck, Meredith Ose, Dwayne Dick, Rose Martin-Turnage, Sam Cooper, Stacy Green and Stephanie Smith!
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Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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RPS Advisory Councils – As a reminder, applications are now open to join my 2023-24 advisory councils. These groups advise me and the RPS leadership team, advocate for RPS, and help us achieve our goals. This year, our advisory councils will play an important role in helping develop our new strategic plan, Dreams4RPS 2.0 (more details on that process soon). Please visit our website for additional information.
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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 one of these clinics, 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.
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Road to Licensure – Join us for the RPS Road to Licensure Fair on Saturday, September 30, from 9 am - 1 pm at Huguenot HS. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the requirements for teacher licensure and to speak with representatives from the RPS Talent Office and local universities. Attendees will also be able to participate in onsite interviews. To register, click on the flyer or scan the QR code below with your phone's camera.
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Teach With Love at RPS – We hire all year long so if you know of a great teacher who might like to join the RPS team, please tell them to apply now. We're offering bonuses of up to $12,000!
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Student Wellness and Mental Health Support – Please note the resources below and remember that we love you here and you are not alone.
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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).
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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.
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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.
- 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.
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Health and Wellness Links
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