| Wednesday, February 14, 2024
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| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Happy Valentine's Day!
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| We Love You Here – On this special day of love and appreciation, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our students, staff, and families. Your dedication to learning, growing, and supporting each other is the best Valentine anyone could ask for. Don't ever forget: We love you here!
To our students: You are the heart and soul of our school division. Each of you brings unique talents and dreams to our classrooms every day, and your enthusiasm for learning and resilience in the face of challenges inspire us all. You are loved, valued, and appreciated.
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| To our administrators, teachers, and support staff: Thank you for your tireless efforts to educate, guide, and nurture our students. Whether in the classroom, office, cafeteria, or on the bus, you create a welcoming and supportive environment where students thrive.
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| To our families: Thank you for trusting us with the education and well-being of your children. Your encouragement, partnership, and faith are invaluable. We simply could not do this work without you!
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| BHM Spotlight – Today, we celebrate Huguenot HS student Tianna Goins, who is creating Black history in her community every day through advocacy. Politically conscious – with a strong commitment to social justice and equity for all – Tianna is the incoming vice president of the sophomore class, a position she's using to improve the learning experiences of her classmates. Tianna was instrumental in establishing the Huguenot High School Activists Association and is currently spearheading a hygiene charity for the Falcon community. But her commitment to serving as a change-agent doesn't stop there. Tianna also served on the River City Rezoning Committee and participated in the Mayor's Youth Academy. According to her teacher, Mr. Hostman: "Tianna displays a commitment to excellence and fairness in everything she does."
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| Swearing-in Ceremony – Yesterday, Chair Rizzi and I had the pleasure of hosting the official swearing-in ceremony for Ms. Shavonda Dixon, School Board Representative for the Ninth District! Ms. Dixon is a Virginia native, dedicated mother of two, and proud graduate of TJ. She's a passionate advocate for the students of RPS and for the broader Richmond community. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Dixon to the Board!
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School Board Budget Work Session – The School Board will hold a budget work session tonight at 6 pm at City Hall (17th Floor). You can attend in person or watch the livestream of the meeting in English or Spanish. Please note that there won't be a public comment period at the work session.
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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 Ms. Elliotte for going above and beyond to support a scholar on their very first field trip! She was an amazing addition to our K team at Lois Harrison-Jones, and worked seamlessly to make sure all our kinder scholars had a safe, fun trip to the Science Museum. Her calm demeanor and leadership was an anchor for all of us! Shout-out to Ms. Walker for all the ways she leads on our kindergarten team at LHJ! She is always looking out for the students and staff, and her dedication to student growth is unmatched. We literally would not survive without you. We love you! I want to give a big thank you to Ms. Speights for all the ways that she has shown up in my kindergarten classroom. Spending Encore time with our class is helping all students be successful across school settings. Throughout the day, she comes by during free times to check in and support a scholar in my room who has needed a little extra love lately. The relationship she is building has brought such joy to our classroom community. Ms. Speights, you are an incredible, loving addition to LHJ! Thank you for all the ways you support us. Mrs. McEwan is such a strong advocate for our littlest learners at Lois Harrison-Jones ES. Her calm presence and commitment to growth help the kindergarten team thrive. Both in and outside the classroom, she is always thinking about ways she can support her teachers and students. We appreciate you more than words can say!
- Shout-out to Mrs. Stallings at Miles Jones. She has gone above and beyond to help bring new ideas to help best reach my students! Thank you for all that you do to ensure a successful rest of the school year for us!
- Mary Scott, Mary Scott, Mary Scott Preschool! I just can’t get enough. This little school has the biggest heart filled with the most caring staff. You can tell when a school is led by good leadership! Principal Hicks, you’ve set the tone for your crew and the children get all the benefits. Keep shining, you’re appreciated. Ms. Kroger, you're the glue to the entire operation. You directing traffic (not literally) and navigating the daily ins and outs of Mary Scott does not go unnoticed. You always greet the parents with a courteous attitude and a smile. Mrs. McLaughlin is the sweetest, most stylish teacher walking the halls. My daughter adores her! She’s the school's resident photographer and takes the best pictures! This school's social calendar is busier than mine and I love that for them! Lastly, Mrs. Mary Woolridge! Don’t ever let her go anywhere. She means business, she has all the resources and what she may not have, she's going to find it. Genuine, supportive, and caring...she is a real gem and beautiful piece to the Head Start program puzzle.
- Bzzzzzzzz! Ms. Walkes, the school social worker at Cardinal Elementary School, always has her signal on for a child in need! Thanks for being so in tune with our children and being a steady force of support and love for them. Shout-out to our school counselors! They are all amazing individuals with care for all of our students and staff members. Belated thank you for all you all do! Shout-out to the teachers at Cardinal Elementary working together to ride the waves, planning for our students, adapting to many schedules regarding tutors, testing, and changes for our children’s benefit. Thanks to Ms. Smith and Ms. Williamson, Cardinal Elementary coaches, for supporting teachers during PALS testing, and for helping prepare our weekly reading materials.
- Shout-out to the Maymont Preschool Center for their school-wide dance parties on Fridays. My kids love pointing out themselves and their teachers and friends in the videos posted on social media. What a fun way to bring the school together and celebrate Fridays!
- Summer Hill's staff and students send a heartfelt shout-out to Jewel Wilson. She crocheted hearts for every student and staff member for Valentine's Day! Thank you for making us feel the love on this special day!
- Shout-out to Laura Hill at J.B. Fisher Elementary School. She has been my child's teacher for the last two years and we love her. My child is using more language and is communicating a lot more. Mrs. Hill loves all of her students and goes the extra mile to teach every child in her classroom. My child enjoys going to school every day because of Mrs. Hill. RPS and J.B. Fisher are so fortunate to have her as the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing. Keep up the good work and we love you!
- I would thank Tyler and Bernadee Huggins for helping provide a Panera lunch for the Summer Hill staff for Valentine's Day. You are greatly appreciated!
- Shout-out to the amazing related service providers at Carver Elementary! Ms. Walko, Mrs. Dodge, and Mrs. Ward are constantly working with students in every corner of the school, and always have bins and bags of items to help. Thank you for being a part of our school, and helping our students access their learning!
- Shout-out to Mr. Cooper who checks on us regularly and supports the students in his cluster who attend Amelia Street School. Mr. Cooper joined us for our morning whole group community circle and social emotional learning session this morning.
- This past weekend, the RHSA Forensics team showed up and out at the 4B Regional competition and will be heading to Super Regionals! Way to go, Richmond High!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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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
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