| Friday, November 17, 2023
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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Happy Friday! Tonight's updates:
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2023 R.E.B. Award – We have another winner! Please join me in congratulating Kimberly Bailey, SPACE teacher at Henry Marsh ES, for receiving the 2023 R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence! Ms. Bailey will use her award to research waterway conservation in Brazil to inform the design of STEM workshops in Richmond’s underrepresented neighborhoods. Congratulations to all of our award winners!
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Southside Block Party – Join us tomorrow, November 18, from 11 am - 2 pm at Boushall MS for our Southside block party. We'll have music, food, and opportunities to connect with school leaders, teachers, and community partners. Hope to see you there!
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Give Back Turkey Giveaway – Newly elected Delegate Mike Jones will host the Give Back Turkey Giveaway tomorrow, November 18, from 9 am - 12 pm at River City MS. Registration is required. Please email Ken Wright or call (804) 646-2779 to register.
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Ballpark Warming Party – Also happening tomorrow, November 18, from 11 am - 1 pm, the Richmond Flying Squirrels will host the annual Coats for Kids ballpark warming party at the Diamond (3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd). Every coat donated will be cleaned and repaired by Puritan Cleaners to ensure that children in our community have a warmer and cozier holiday season. Everyone is invited to come out for a day of fun and fellowship. Event highlights include live music, free hot dogs, train rides, bounce houses, dump trucks, monster trucks, first responder vehicles, and even helicopters!
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Dreams4RPS Community Meeting – Join us on Tuesday, November 21, from 6 - 7:30 pm at the Humphrey Calder Center (414 N. Thompson St) for our next Dreams4RPS community meeting. Refreshments will be provided. Visit our website to find a community meeting near you, and remember – let's keep dreaming, RPS!
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Calendar Reminder – All RPS schools and offices will be closed November 22-24 for Thanksgiving Break. But we are open and expect to see everyone on Monday and Tuesday next week! 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 Ms. Taylor and her staff at Mary Munford ES for the wonderful holiday meal served today. We had over 180 guests for lunch! Also to RPS Purchasing and Procurement for sending two staff members to help serve today. Lastly, to our Munford IAs who helped with crowd control and serving.....It takes a village!
- I would like to send a big shout-out to all of our Mary Scott rising star parents who came out and celebrated a time of gratitude and family as we had our Thankful Thursday Thanksgiving. The amount of love and joy seen on the faces of our little scholars was unmeasurable. So here’s to you for showing up and being seen. It takes a village, we are the village, so let’s continue to be great.
- Huge shout-out to the staff at Miles Jones! They have really welcomed me and have made me feel like I have finally found my home away from home. I can’t thank you all enough!
- First, a big shout-out to the cafeteria staff at Bellevue Elementary School. Our Thanksgiving lunch was great and you are always so patient with everyone! Second, shout-out to Beth Sawyer, STEAM teacher at Bellevue, Raffinee Worsley, math coach at Bellevue, and Katisha Marrow, reading coach at Bellevue, along with Ms. Hines and the many staff members who helped with Bellevue’s STEAM night! It was such a great time and very well put together! What a great turnout by our families! Go, Dragons!
- Shout-out to 3rd grade teacher Mr. Forshay for his dedication and best practices to ensure student success. Shout-out to Swansboro ES custodians and cafeteria staff for all they do to ensure cleanliness and excellent school nutrition. Shout-out to the Life Enrichment Center literacy tutors who meet with second-grade scholars at Swansboro Elementary every Thursday. We appreciate their partnership and commitment to helping our scholars become confident readers!
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- Shout-out to the 5th graders at Chimborazo for raising awareness of how we can conserve our natural resources. Students created detailed posters illustrating the many ways we can take care of the Earth. Congratulations to the 1st place winners for each class: Adonis, K'Ali, and Iyana!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| Free Thanksgiving Meal Opportunities – RVA has several events coming up to help families prepare for an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. Please spread the word!
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- The Giving Heart – The Giving Heart will host its annual Community Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday, November 23, from 11 am - 2 pm at the Richmond Convention Center (403 N. 3rd St). All are welcome!
- Community Luncheon – UGRC / Black Pride RVA will host a luncheon on Thursday, November 24, from 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm at Diversity Richmond (1407 Sherwood Ave). All are welcome!
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| Energy Assistance – Dominion Energy has several payment programs to assist families experiencing financial hardship. For a full list of Dominion Energy customer assistance options, visit their website or call 866-366-4357.
EnergyShare Bill Payment Assistance
- Anyone needing help to pay heating bills may qualify for assistance
- Not income-based
- Individuals 60 and older, military veterans, and people with disabilities may be eligible for additional assistance
- Offers up to $600 in bill payment assistance from October 1 through May 31
- For more information, visit Virginia 211
Extended Payment Plans
- Extended payment plans to assist customers who have fallen behind on their electric bills
- Eligible customers can make a 50% down payment on their past due bill and spread the remaining balance over 6 months (sign-in to your Dominion Energy account online to apply)
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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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| 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.
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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.
- 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.
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| RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
Health and Wellness Links
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