| Wednesday, April 12, 2023
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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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| We Love You Here – Many thanks to Relay Run Co. for providing running shoes to student athletes at four of our schools! Why do we develop partnerships like this? Because #WeLoveYouHere! Show up every day to school – maybe even run :) – so we finish the year strong.
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| Ginter Park ES Renaming Public Hearing – Ginter Park ES is holding a renaming public hearing at 6 pm TODAY to get feedback on the five finalist names selected by the school's Renaming Committee. The finalists are:
- Northside Elementary School
- Dogwood Elementary School
- Albert V. Norrell Elementary School
- Frances McClenney Elementary School
- Azalea Elementary School
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| Preschool Volunteers Needed – We're looking for volunteers to help in preschool classrooms from May 8-19 while teachers conduct state-required spring assessments. If you have experience with little ones, please consider signing up today!
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| "I Voted" Sticker Contest – Know a high schooler with design skills? Make sure they hear about Richmond's first "I Voted" Sticker Contest. The winning sticker design will be used in the upcoming elections for the next 3 years! Designs must be submitted by May 12.
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| Teacher Job Fairs – If you couldn't attend today's virtual teacher job fair, don't worry! We still have a few slots available for tomorrow, April 13. And don't miss our Priority Schools Hiring Event next week. To register, just scan the QR code below with your phone's camera; and to apply for a position, just visit our website. Remember, new hires are eligible for up to $12,000 in signing bonuses. But you have to move fast – some of those bonuses expire on May 1!
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- Absolutely want to thank Mrs. Allgeier and Mrs. Scott at MMES for patience, fortitude, creativity, and love for their students! They make complicated communication a breeze!
- Kudos to the dynamic science duo of Aimee Sobon and Lauren Kern. This phenomenal team comes with a wealth of knowledge and support to RPS. Their goal is to boost student achievement and the capacity of teachers across the division. They have collaborated with various departments to ensure adequate instruction is provided for all students. They are open to feedback and ideas. You both are a huge asset to RPS and very much appreciated.
- In recognition of school library month, I'd like to shout-out Judy Deichman, instructional specialist for libraries, for all of her work towards literacy for the district! I don't know where we would be without her! In addition, I'd like to thank all the RPS librarians for the work that they do daily to spark the love of reading in our students. I am honored to work with such passionate, creative, and engaged professionals!
- In recognition of assistant principals week, which we celebrated over spring break, I'd like to thank Dr. Aldridge and Ms. Roberts, assistant principals at T.C. Boushall Middle School, for going above and beyond for our staff and scholars! We are so lucky to have you!!!
- I’d like to thank bbgb books for bringing Andrea Beatriz Arango to T.C. Boushall Middle School! We are so grateful for such amazing community partners who support literacy every day! Our scholars enjoyed hearing from Ms. Arango and it’s always so powerful to meet an author in person. Thanks also to Ms. Hayes and Ms. Reynolds for encouraging their girls group participants to come. A huge thank you to Ms. Waller for funding the visit. And last, but certainly not least, many thanks to Ms. Johnson who is always there for me, no matter what I ask of her!
- Shout-out to Principal Kevin Olds at George Wythe High School. In a matter of a few months, he’s changed the narrative of the school environment. Mr Olds has created an atmosphere where the students and teachers feel safe and their concerns and issues are being addressed. I am the parent of a sophomore student who attends George Wythe and she had a problem that was brought to the attention of Mr. Olds and he reached out to me after school was dismissed to have the matter resolved before the next school day. Parents, families, teachers, and staff we need to come together to support Mr. Olds with his goal of changing the narrative of George Wythe High School.
- A huge shout-out to Cardinal Elementary's speech/language pathologist, Rebecca Clay!! Ms. Clay goes above and beyond, not only in her support for students and families who qualify for speech/language services, but also as a warm, skilled, and supportive person for all students and staff at Cardinal!! Thank you, Ms. Clay, for all that you do every day. We are so grateful to have someone with your heart, bilingualism, and expertise on our team!!
- Huge shout-out to the Reading/Literacy Committee at Oak Grove Bellemeade Elementary School who planned all the exciting events to celebrate literacy in March! Thanks to the reading team: Ms. McCray, Ms. Rudebusch, and Dr. Hooks. Our CIS team is always willing and ready to support our staff and students to promote literacy: Ms. Valenza and Ms. Brown! Thanks for all the support, ideas, and promotion to make reading fun. The character parade was so much fun for all! You are the best colleagues ever, and this OGBES librarian is extremely grateful.
- I would like to send a ginormous shout-out and thank you to Ms. Travis at Southampton Elementary. Ms. Travis is always friendly and energetic and always available to answer a question and give guidance as needed. I have had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Travis in her role as assistant principal when my older child was a student at Southampton and now with my younger child there as well. Through the years she has remained a true professional and she does not hide her Southampton pride! Thank you for all that you do, Ms. Travis! You are a jewel!
- Shout-out to Alan who has been answering all of my enrollment questions. Thank you so much.
- Shout-out to Mrs. Penn – you are truly amazing! We love you and thank you for everything you do for your staff and students. You are the glue that holds Bellevue together!
- Shout-out to Huguenot High School, Henderson Middle School, and MLK Jr. Middle School for being our top Nearpod schools in March! Special shout-out to David Bingen, Kevin Lovett, and Cheri Manning for being the top three teachers for Nearpod usage in the district during the same time frame! Our top three teachers for Flocabulary usage were Joseph Jackson, Alita Fulford, and Eunique Bryant! The top three schools were G.H. Reid Elementary, Albert Hill Middle School, and Holton Elementary School! Way to make learning more engaging for your students!
- Ms. Evans, our student intervention liaison, is a go-to support for students and teachers at Cary ES. You will find her diligently working with students to help them regulate themselves so they can re-enter the class to be the best student they can be. She has built relationships so quickly with the students, staff, and community members to help increase our student and family engagement. She always steps in when asked to support everyone and everything. Just this week she facilitated the Spring Picture Day to make it run smoothly and got the students back to class as quickly as possible. Kudos to Ms. Evans and all she does at Cary ES.
- Cary ES staff would like to express a big thank you to the 5th Baptist Church members who made apple cobbler and apple pies and delivered them to Cary ES for the staff to enjoy. Your kindness made the staff at Cary Elementary feel seen, appreciated, and loved.
- I wanted to recognize Ketia Singleton for Assistant Principals Week since it was during spring break. She is a valuable and supportive member of John B. Cary Elementary. Thank you for all that you do and the ways in which you support staff and students.
- I would like to thank Letitia Lampley, senior HR retirement specialist, for her prompt and in-depth responses to my questions today. She probably doesn't realize how much she is appreciated not just by me, but by many others who provided her name as a contact person. I'm sure that she is extremely busy at this time of year so I applaud her professionalism and her caring and gracious demeanor. Thank you!!!
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| Early Commitment Bonuses – We're now offering bonuses of up to $12,000 for new hires who sign their commitment letters by Monday, May 1. If you know of a great teacher who might like to join the RPS team, please tell them to apply now!
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| 2023-24 Preschool & Kindergarten Enrollment – Preschool and kindergarten enrollment is underway! We offer preschool for eligible 3 and 4-year olds, and kindergarten for all 5-year-olds living in Richmond. 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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| RPS Shines – This May, we're hosting our Second 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 for our divisionwide awards; 2) by supporting RPS Shines with a donation to the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation. Thank you!
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Important Links – Last updated on March 20, 2023.
RPS Links
Crisis Support Links
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