| Thursday, December 7, 2023
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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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Celebrating the Art of Freedom – I want to express my gratitude to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia and the Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy Project for their efforts to bring students from all five comprehensive high schools to the museum. During the visit, students had the opportunity to interact with members of the Legacy Project, as well as participate in a scavenger hunt related to the "Art of Freedom" exhibit. Huge shout-out to Principal Director Dr. Willie Bell for his leadership in coordinating the visits and to museum staff for helping educate our future history-makers!
Note: The "Art of Freedom" will remain on exhibit through December 16. Be sure to stop by. (Photo credit: Ayasha Sledge, Divine by Design)
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2023 VA Middle School Art Educator of the Year – Please join me in congratulating Sharon Russell from Albert Hill MS who recently received the Middle Division Art Educator Award by the Central Region of the Virginia Art Education Association. This annual award honors art teachers who display exceptional service to the field of art education. Congratulations on this incredible achievement, Ms. Russell!
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Accelerated Pay Schedule – Due to Winter Break, December pay dates for RPS employees will be accelerated as follows: Monday, December 11, and Thursday, December 21. The next regularly scheduled pay date will be January 12, 2024. Please plan accordingly.
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Calendar Reminder – All RPS schools will be closed for Winter Break from Monday, December 25, through Friday, January 5. Classes will resume on Monday, January 8. We expect to see all students in class in the weeks leading up to break. Let's finish the calendar year strong, RPS! View the complete 2023-24 calendar on our website.
Finally, Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! Here's to tasty latkes (fried potato pancakes) and a holiday filled with light and love.
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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!
- Thank you and congratulations to Isabel Cardona, Jasmine Osteen, Alyssa Greenberger, and Cindy Sinanian at Oak Grove Elementary School for presenting during grade-level meetings today! They shared valuable information, ideas, and resources about collaboration and co-teaching best practices for English learners. Extremely grateful for their hard work and dedication every day!
- Shout-out to the following staff of G.H. Reid Elementary School. Adrienne Gaither (academic interventionist) always displays a very supportive attitude and is a guru at searching for resources to help students. Sheryl Faison (reading interventionist) serves with love and is always ready to step in when needed. Mr. Bobby Beverly (IA) is in his first year with RPS and has been consistently supportive and his presence is appreciated. Kerry Schaefer (SPACE teacher) leads her small groups with ease and the students are super excited to learn while using their creative thinking skills. Ms. Billie Jenkins (kindergarten) is in her 1st year of teaching and she has taken great strides to meet the needs of her students. #RavensRise #IseeYou
- I would like to say thank you to Floyd Miles and his team for his work to assist preschool on transportation needs. We appreciate all that you do for preschool.
- Kudos to preschool staff, teachers, and parents for offering suggestions around the new schedule. I appreciated hearing from all of you and I hope that you know that your voice matters.
- Thank you to Mr. Gore, CSA at Fairfield Elementary School. I had the privilege of visiting Fairfield for a meeting a few weeks ago and received an extremely warm welcome. You don't know what that meant to me. I know that students always have a great entrance into Fairfield. Kudos to Principal Wright and the rest of her team for building this culture for students, staff, and families.
- I would like to give a shout-out to Tonette Craig, instructional specialist for elementary school counseling, and Tess Short, instructional specialist for secondary school counseling, for being a shining example of leading with love! Thank you for all that you do.
- A round of applause for Mrs. Price at PHSSA! She taught an engaging virtual after-school gingerbread baking lesson with the 5th graders. This lesson integrated language arts, math, science, history, and culinary arts. Mrs. Price, thank you for all that you do to support the learning and nurturing of our school community.
- I want to recognize Chimborazo's principal, Mr. Watkins. Many of us want to nominate him for the RPS principal award – but he technically doesn't qualify because he hasn't been at our school for three years (yet!). Principal Watkins has been a breath of fresh air for our school. Students trust him, almost all families have built a personal relationship with him over his commitment to their kids, and staff morale has improved because of his openness to learn from their experiences. He does everything he can to truly hear feedback and make necessary changes so everyone feels safe and respected. He is the right balance of fun, whip smart, and professional.
- I wish to say a big kudos to the Lead Transition Mentor Mrs. Darlene Slade! Her quick responses, professionalism, calm spirit, excellent sense of humor, and many more beautiful unique characteristics I do not want to overlook!! She is always ready to support in whatever way she can! With her on my team, I am always sure to get the job done! Keep it up, Mrs. Slade, and I wish there were clones of you! You are greatly appreciated!!
- Shout-out to Dogwood Middle School's incredible care and safety associates, Mr. Whittaker and Mr. D! They go above and beyond, making our school safer and brighter. Their humor and kindness uplift everyone. Recently, they even helped fix a staff member's car by getting underneath said car in the parking lot and using their own tools. Thank you, Mr. Whittaker and Mr. D, for being our safety superheroes!
- I’d like to shout-out Sarah Haden from the Data and System Administration team for her continued patience and assistance as we learn the new financial system. I can contact her with any issues and always receive a timely response and feedback. Thanks, Sarah. This transition would be harder without you.
- I would like to shout-out the Henderson MS Care and Safety team and all the hard work they do on a daily basis to ensure the safety of staff and students. The zone supervisor, Jafar Tucker, exemplifies professionalism and is a team player through difficult times.
- Shout-out to CSAs DiMichele and Whitaker for being super caring individuals and always looking out for our students and staff! Thank you for being a part of the great Dogwood family!!
- I would like to give a shout-out of appreciation to Mrs. Ponton from the Engagement Office and members of Team Marsh and Principal Smith for their support of Henry L. Marsh, III Elementary's attendance team and students. Every month, our attendance team works to encourage perfect attendance and improved attendance. When students accomplish their attendance goals, we celebrate their success with a mid-month treat and an end-of-month celebration. At the end of November, we celebrated 306 students at the second Marsh Bounce. Our scholars had a blast!!! We are also extremely thankful for Ms. Wharton, Ms. Javarah Davis, Ms. Jennifer Brown, Mrs. Weaver, Mrs. Denise Price, Mr. Cruel, Mr, Foster, Ms. Deborah Walker, Ms. Jordan, Ms. Riley, Mrs. Staten, and Ms. Cassandra Robinson for their supervision during this event. Due to the efforts of many, our deserving students experienced 30 minutes of well supervised jumping, running, rock wall climbing, and sliding on two amazing inflatable obstacle courses during their grade level recess time. Thank you, team!!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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| 2024-25 School Applications – The deadline for families to submit open enrollment applications and applications to the Governor's STEM Academy for CTE at RTC for the 2024-25 school year is February 1, 2024, at 4:30 pm.
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.
- If you have additional questions, please email us at enrollrps@rvaschools.net.
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| Energy Assistance – Winter is quickly approaching and we want to make sure all families are prepared for the cold temperatures. Please remember that Dominion Energy has 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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| Teen Summit RVA – High school students, this one's for you! Mark your calendars for the 2024 Teen Summit RVA leadership conference on February 24. This year's theme – "I Am" – is all about the power of self-affirmation. Registration is free and opens on January 15. To receive event updates, please be sure to complete the interest form.
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