| Wednesday, March 20, 2024
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| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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Dreams4RPS – Join us tomorrow, March 21, from 6 - 7:30 pm at Richmond's First Baptist Church (2709 Monument Ave), for our next Dreams4RPS community meeting. If you're unable to make it, you can still share your dreams with us. Just visit our website to take the survey and find a meeting location near you. Let's keep dreaming, RPS!
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Kindergarten Enrollment & Health Fair – Join us on Friday, March 22, from 12:30 - 4 pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. MS, for the kindergarten and enrollment health fair. Students and families will have the opportunity to register for kindergarten, receive a physical, make appointments to receive immunizations, and more. Appointments for physicals are limited so scan the QR code below to reserve your child's spot today! For questions, please email enrollrps@rvaschools.net.
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Lit Limo – Our newest Lit Limo is, well, LIT! It has built-in bookshelves, power outlets for computers, A/C and heat, and a wheelchair lift so every RPS student can come onboard and browse for free books. This is all part of our effort to not only develop expert readers, but also joyful ones. The new Lit Limo will hit the road Monday, April 8!
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Women's History Month Spotlight – Women's History Month serves as a powerful reminder for Principal Tashiana Ivy from Albert Hill MS that a belief in oneself can lead to extraordinary accomplishments. A Spelman College alumna, Principal Ivy creates a culture of empowerment and excellence for her students, staff, and school community. By highlighting the achievements of women throughout history, especially in the field of STEM, faculty and staff at Albert Hill MS aim to inspire young women to overcome gender barriers and pursue their dreams. "Our school is dedicated to promoting gender equality and empowering young women by showcasing the remarkable contributions of women in history and throughout our community."
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#TeachWithLove at RPS – We're thrilled to offer signing bonuses of up to $7,000 for new hires starting in the fall! If you or someone you know is interested in joining the RPS team, please take a moment to visit our website to browse open positions. For more information, please email talentoffice@rvaschools.net.
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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 Crystal Clark at Mary Munford Elementary and all the hard work that she put into making Munford's STEM night a success!
- Shout-out to our wonderful band director, Mr. Rebbman, for inspiring our musicians – whether he is taking his classes to a cool field trip (hello, local Richmond recording studio In Your Ear Recording Studio), or getting the band ready for the All-City Band Assessment where scores went way up (including a perfect score for sight reading)! We love him and he so obviously cares about our students.
- Shout-out to Holton's amazing kids who performed at the annual Holton's Got Talent show. The PTA and Principal Lindsay did a great job supporting all the kids, and it was inspiring to see them get up there and show off their performances!
- It is CIS week and it would be shameful if I did not recognize the heart and soul of George Washington Carver, our CIS site coordinator, Ms. Cathy Hite. From creating attendance incentives, to working with VCU to bring in mentors, to ensuring kids get free haircuts to keep them fresh, down to being the school's personal "CVS." What can't she do?! These are just a very few things accomplished this year. When there is a need, Ms. Hite is swift to fix it; she is supportive to not only her very full caseload, but also to every student in need! Ms. Hite, you are one of the most resourceful and kindhearted humans on earth! Shoutout to you for making Carver a better place.
- Big shout-out to Fisher Elementary music teacher Mrs. Lindsay Beekman and the wonderful group of students she prepared to sing at the School Board meeting Monday night. They sang a beautiful song about hope that left everyone with a big smile! Thank you, Mr. Samuels, principal at Fisher, for attending and his support.
- Shout-out to the entire Holton team who helped to make the “Pi Day STEAM Night” a huge success! It took a village...all hands were on deck volunteering wherever they were needed! A special thanks to our custodians Pauline Scott and Candace Williams who cut out hundreds of triangles and squares for those hands-on projects! And a wow(!) to our parent volunteers who stepped up at the last minute to fill in when some volunteers were unable to attend. We truly are team Holton!
- Congratulations to Mx. Jackie Small, art teacher, for being nominated “New” Teacher of the Year at Bellevue Elementary School. Mx. Small has done a fabulous job of cultivating creativity in their classroom.
- I want to extend a heartfelt shout-out to Ms. Dunn, our dedicated 5th grade math teacher at Fox Elementary. Ms. Dunn consistently demonstrates a remarkable commitment to our students, going the extra mile to ensure their needs are met. Her tireless efforts are clearly yielding positive results, and we are immensely grateful for her dedication. Thank you, Ms. Dunn, for everything you do!
- This year, we organized a book tasting/food pairing event across all of the preschool centers. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Shayla Holeman for her tremendous support of the preschools' Read Across America programs. Without her, none of the events would have been as successful as they were. I am also grateful to Ms. Wanda Richardson for her behind-the-scenes logistical work. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the preschool community members who assisted. This includes the school nurses, custodians, annual substitutes, family liaisons, coaches, and the principals – Doxey, Hampton, Hartsfield, Hicks, and Smith. Your contributions were invaluable and significantly impacted the children and myself. Thank you all!
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- I would like to shout-out the fantastic team at Blackwell Preschool for a job well done at our Read Across America event! The children had a blast, and the team pulled together as a team should! Thanks to Ms. Vaughn, Ms. Wilson, Ms. Thornton, Mr.Carter, Ms. Laura Smith, Ms. Ragland, Ms. Coe, Ms. Parker, and Principal Smith, we ended the Preschool 2024 RAA on a high note. I can't wait until next year!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| Calendar Reminder – All RPS schools will be released two hours early on Friday, March 22, for caregiver/teacher conferences. View the 2023-24 calendar to see all upcoming holidays.
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| 2024-25 Preschool & Kindergarten Enrollment – Preschool and kindergarten enrollment is now open! We're thrilled to offer preschool for eligible 3 and 4-year olds, and kindergarten for all 5-year-olds living in Richmond. Please note: if your student is currently enrolled at an RPS preschool, they will still need to register for kindergarten. For more information, please email enrollrps@rvaschools.net.
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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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