| Monday, February 26, 2024
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| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| All-City Choir Concert – The RPS All-City Middle and High School Concert Choir and the Virginia Union University Concert Choir will hold a concert tomorrow evening at 6:30 pm at VUU's Coburn Hall (1500 N. Lombardy St). The concert is open to the public. Hope you can make it!
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| School Immunizations – RPS Health Services will hold a school-based immunization clinic tomorrow at Franklin Military Academy and Thursday, February 29, at Armstrong HS. If you would like for your child to be vaccinated, 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. See flyer below for locations and times.
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| Shockoe Project – In commemoration of the history and stories of enslaved and free Africans, the City of Richmond will unveil the Shockoe Project tomorrow, February 27, at 5:30 pm at Main Street Station. To RSVP, scan the QR code below or email Athena Hanny.
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| BHM Spotlight – Savannah Roberts, a student at Martin Luther King, Jr. Preschool, is creating Black History by serving as a role model for her peers. At four years old, Savannah is already reading children’s books and models excellent citizenship at school. According to her principal, Mrs. Hartsfield, "Savannah enjoys coming to school each day. In class she is cooperative, dependable, and respectful of others and has exceeded all of her goals both academically and socially."
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Workshops for Educators – During the month of March, the Virginia Holocaust Museum will host two professional development workshops for educators. Registration is free and includes breakfast and lunch. See below to register.
- March 7: "When Civil Society Stands Up: Sephardic Jews, the Holocaust, and the Bosnian War" – Deadline to register is Thursday, February 29.
- March 20: "Antisemitism: Understanding and Countering this Hatred Today" – Deadline to register is Wednesday, March 13.
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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. 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!
- Shout-out to Peyton Douglas for showing care and concern for the Woodville team today. We enjoyed the special treats. We truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and support.
- Shout-out to Christie-Jo Adams for arranging an opportunity for our students to visit the Dominion Energy Theater for a performance by the Latin Ballet. We are grateful for Jennifer Maddux from the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance and music teacher Dana Cooper for working together to get this opportunity planned. Initiatives like these can broaden students' horizons and foster a love for the arts and culture. Thank you to our awesome staff and students for their interest and engagement during the performance.
- A special acknowledgment goes out to Quintett Bowers, the student intervention liaison at Bellevue Elementary, for coordinating the "House of Kuchonga's Unity Day" event. The day began with a delightful breakfast and concluded with engaging games, laughter, and schoolwide celebrations centered around the core trait of "responsibility." Both parents and students were equally enthusiastic about competing and taking part in the activities. Overall, it was a fantastic way to kick off the day!
- I would like to extend a heartfelt "bravo!" to Bellevue ES music teacher Thomas Beekman for orchestrating a remarkable 4th and 5th grade musical performance of "I'll Take You There: A Tribute to the Staple Singers." Mr. Beekman not only wrote the play, but he also enlisted some of the finest musicians in Richmond to accompany our students. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it was evident that Mr. Beekman's talent for bringing out the best in our students is truly exceptional. Even the most reserved students were eager to take the stage, showcasing their talents and enthusiasm. The event was a joyous celebration of Mavis Staples' soulful journey, and everyone in attendance had a fantastic time.
- Today was Fairfield Court's first installment of "Spa Day" for our 2nd grade girls. Spa Day was designed to help our young ladies feel seen, heard, and set apart! As our young men get monthly haircuts, we felt it necessary to put in place something that serves a similar purpose. With the help of our community partner, the Pour Foundation, it was a huge success!! Shout-out to Ms. Ashley Johnson, CIS, and Ms. Ebony Edwards for their hand in making this event possible!
- Shout-out to Ms. Gonzalez at Boushall MS for sharing an amazing instructional activity at our faculty meeting last week. And shout-out to Ms. Carver for an engaging discussion with her scholars on Black History Month.
- I want to shout-out AP Mrs. Jones at Boushall Middle School for staying on top of our students while also juggling testing. She is an integral part of the Boushall community.
- I would like to give a huge shout-out to Mr. Gregory Redford for all you do for the Boushall family. Your work and teachings to our students does not go unnoticed. We appreciate you!
- I would like to shout-out the amazing CSAs and SRO at Boushall Middle School. Our campus is safe and secure due to our incredible care and safety associates and our SRO. Thank you, Sgt. Wills, Officer Lofton, Officer Harris, Officer Newby, and Officer Foster. You all are truly a blessing to our great campus!
- Shout-out to the amazing counselors, RBHA, student support specialist, CSAs, Child Savers, and OLA at Boushall Middle School. Your support for our students is irreplaceable and we truly appreciate the assistance.
- I'd like to send a shout-out to the administrative team at T.C. Boushall Middle School. You are doing an exceptional job! Thank you for bringing your expertise to this work every day. Thank you for engaging with scholars and parents in such a caring and creative way. Your dedication is moving our school forward and our Eagle family is fortunate to have each of you. Thank you for exemplifying Eagle excellence every day in a remarkable way!
- Shout-out to the principal and assistant principals at Boushall Middle School. I love the unity and enthusiasm when it comes to working with our students.
- Shout-out the school counselors at Boushall Middle School for instilling empowerment in our students daily.
- Sending a loud shout-out and high five to Sam Banks and his team for providing quality care and superb technical support at the tech services service desk! And...a round of applause for Lisa, Leroy, Damien, and Mohammad who are not only techy, but can break that "techy" down into terms that I can understand. This type of showing love and support is very cool! Thank you so much for being there for us!
- Shout-out to Beth Sawyer, our amazing STEAM teacher at Bellevue. Not only does she teach STEAM, but she teaches science and is always willing to give a helping hand. You are so appreciated, Ms. Sawyer! Shout-out to Raffinee Worsley, the awesome math coach at Bellevue Elementary. She is always there to see how we can help our students soar on math! All your help is appreciated! Shout-out to Mr. Beekman, our wonderful music teacher at Bellevue Elementary school, for an amazing program he wrote and organized! Our students were so excited to perform and he made it all come together! We love to see our students shine!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| RPS Shines – This May, we're hosting our Third Annual RPS Shines, a special evening to recognize and honor our life-changing teachers, principals, and support staff. You can help us celebrate these amazing individuals in two ways: 1) by nominating RPS educators and staff for our division wide awards – Lucille Brown Impact Award, Rodney A. Robinson Equity Award, and the 2024 Principal of the Year Award; and 2) by supporting RPS Shines with a donation to the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation. The window to submit nominations closes on Friday, March 1. Thank you!
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| RPS Love Store – Have you had a chance to check out our Black History Month designs in the RPS Love Store? All proceeds support the Richmond Black History Museum!
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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. Thanks in advance for your support!
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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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