| Tuesday, November 14, 2023
| |
|
Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
| |
|
Coach Bo Jones Way Dedication – On Saturday, we had the pleasure of dedicating the street that runs behind Huguenot HS as "Coach Bo Jones Way" in honor of the late Leroy Bo Jones, Sr., a remarkable coach, mentor, and source of inspiration to thousands of students for over 40 years. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the family of Coach Jones and to everyone who joined us to celebrate his life and legacy. He truly exemplified what it means to #LeadWithLove.
| |
|
Special Education Advisory Committee – The RPS Special Education Advisory Committee will hold an in-person meeting tomorrow, November 15, from 6 - 7:30 pm at AV Norrell (2120 Fendall Ave). This is a wonderful opportunity for families, students, and community members to gain a deeper understanding of special education processes and procedures. For more information, please visit our website.
| |
|
STEM Academy Open House – The Governor's STEM Academy for CTE at RTC will hold an open house for prospective students and families on Thursday, November 16, from 6 - 7:30 pm at the Richmond Technical Center (2020 Westwood Ave). Make sure to attend if your student is interested in applying!
| |
|
With great appreciation,
Jason
| |
|
| 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!
- Huge shout-out to the seventh grade English team at River City Middle School – English teachers Shay, Mr. Straus, Mr. Matthews, Ms. Bujno; co-teacher Mr. Brown; and LIEP teachers Ms. Woolley (Ms. Coco), Ms. Wisman (Ms. L), Ms. Danso-Danquah, Ms. Gentry, and Mr. Patmore. You all make this place an amazing school for your students by giving much more than is reasonably expected every day, and I am thankful that I get to work alongside all of you.
- A special shout-out to our principal, Dr. Clayton, and our assistant principals, Ms. Holoman and Mr. Angeles, for creating an attendance celebration for us at G.H. Reid today! Teachers were able to create their own custom nachos! This is on top of the custom beverage celebration that was held last Friday! Great things are always happening at G.H. Reid!
- Mr. Glenn is our number one man over at Francis! He does it all! This week he had two exceptionally early mornings to make sure our building was ready for Election Day and the AP meeting! Thanks for all you do, Mr. Glenn, especially, the way you’re able yo connect with our students! J.L. Francis loves you!
- Ms. Helmuth of Frances McClenney Elementary School, thank you for making sure that you are differentiating instruction. The way you know your students and your ability to connect with them is amazing. Even the way you are collecting data is impressive. Keep up the heart work!
- Congratulations to Dr. Jacquelyn Murphy-Braxton for being nominated for principal of the year. She is the proud principal River City Middle School, Richmond's largest and most diverse middle school. She leads with love and energy that reaches teachers, staff and students. We just love her at River City Middle School.
- A huge thank you to Mrs. Lofton-Pickens for her exceptional problem-solving skills at Richmond Virtual Academy. Her ability to create solutions in challenging situations is commendable.
- Let’s give a shout-out to Armstrong High School English teacher Ms. Dean-Thomas (mom) and M.L.K Middle School English teacher Ms. Jesseleia Davis (daughter) because families who teach together reach together to seek new heights for students at RPS.
- Huge shout-out to the entire ENCORE team for putting together the Veterans Day breakfast to celebrate and acknowledge those who serve in any capacity. You guys are rocking it, here at Carver!
- Shout-out to the Encore team (Mr. Johnson, Ms. Crase, Dr. Cooper-Cravey, Dr. Solibio and Ms. Broomell) and CIS Coordinator Ms. Hite at George Washington Carver Elementary School for organizing a Veterans Day breakfast for parents and staff members. Thank you for bringing our school and community together.
- Sending kudos to Denise Robinson, school psychologist who works at G.W. Carver Elementary two days each week!
- Rochell Wilkins, you are the best. Thank you for always supporting and being there for all STCs. You are very knowledgeable and always willing to assist. You are making my first year as an STC go smoothly. Please know that you are very appreciated and loved.
- I want to give a shout-out to everyone who helped with the WISE grandparents event today at Mary Scott Preschool! Special thanks to Ms. Alyssa and Ms. Mills! Thankful for all of our Mary Scott WISE grandparents!
- Shout-out to Ms. Christian, 3rd grade teacher at Broad Rock, and her new class pet – a tadpole! Students are learning about frogs during language arts and now they get to watch it firsthand. Thank you for making learning come to life, Ms. Christian!
- Shout-out to our Huguenot High School engagement committee who held our first "I donut miss school" event at HHS. Students received donuts and a drink for having excellent attendance! Thank you also to the RPS Office of Engagement. Great job, team!
- Huge shout-out to Amelia Castaneda, Luis Martinez, Lily Mirjahangiri, Gloria Keating, Lynn Plevich, Alan Gonzalez, and Luke Hostetter for leading the division’s first EL speciality school application nights! The events at Henderson and River City were packed! Congratulations to this incredible team for ensuring meaningful access to our multilingual learners in RPS!
| |
- A shout-out to our Huguenot High School JROTC cadets and our JROTC instructors – SSG Rosier, LTC Stinnie, and SMG Branch – for creating a meaningful and moving Veterans Day assembly honoring those who served and those continuing to serve the public as educators. It was a beautiful ceremony. Huguenot JROTC has also created a Veterans Day Museum Walk in our gallery. Thank you to our Huguenot Cadets and our faculty and staff who have served. Go, Falcon JROTC!
| |
| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
| |
| VDOE Family Engagement Survey – All parents/caregivers of children who receive special education services are encouraged to complete the Virginia Department of Education’s annual parent survey in English or Spanish. The survey will remain open through December 15. For questions, please email or call Chiquita Seaborne at (804) 225-3898.
| |
| K-12 Learning Recovery Grants – I'm thrilled to share that RPS has partnered with Outschool.org to help families apply for, receive, and spend down Virginia Learning Acceleration Grants. These grants from the Virginia Department of Education aim to help students recover from learning loss experienced due to the pandemic. Qualifying services include tutoring, the purchase of assistive technologies for students with disabilities, and specialized educational therapy services and supports. Visit their website to get started today.
| |
| 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!
| |
| School Nutrition Open Interviews – Every Thursday through November, we're holding walk-in interviews for part-time nutrition assistant positions. Interviews will be conducted from 1:30 - 3 pm at our Facility Services office (1461 Commerce Rd).
| |
| 2024-25 School Applications – The application window for families to submit open enrollment, specialty school, and Governor’s School applications for the 2024-25 school year is open! Families have until 4:30 pm on December 1, 2023, to submit specialty and Governor’s School applications, and until 4:30 pm on February 1, 2024, to submit open enrollment applications and applications to the Governor's STEM Academy for CTE at RTC.
A few important notes:
- We unfortunately cannot accept late applications for any reason. Please plan accordingly.
- As long as your application is submitted before the deadline, the timing of your submission will have no impact on the outcome.
- We're holding information sessions about the application process, the Enroll RPS portal, and school options. Details will be at www.rvaschools.net/enroll as soon as they are final.
- If you have additional questions, please email us at enrollrps@rvaschools.net.
- If you haven't already done so, please review the recently developed list of FAQs regarding changes to the admissions process for Richmond Community HS, Open HS, and Maggie L. Walker Governor's School.
| |
| Student Wellness and Mental Health Support – 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).
- 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.
- 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.
| |
| RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
Health and Wellness Links
| |
|
|
|
