| Monday, November 27, 2023
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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Tonight's updates:
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Lou Anderson Stadium – I'm thrilled to share that the football stadium at John Marshall HS has been officially dedicated in honor of the late Louis Anderson. "Coach Lou," as he was affectionately known, graduated from RPS in 1956 and was a football fixture on the Northside for more than half a century. His 1975 Maggie Walker team went undefeated and during his 13-year tenure as head coach at Marshall-Walker his teams won six district titles and two regional titles. Enormous gratitude to Coach Lou's family, friends, and supporters for coming out to celebrate him, and to Sean Robertson from CBS 6, for sharing this great story!
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Armstrong HS Football – Please join me in congratulating the young men of Armstrong HS, who – for the first time in program history – played for a regional football championship last Friday. We are incredibly proud of you and commend you on a fantastic season!
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Dreams4RPS – We have several Dreams4RPS community meetings happening across the city this week. Join us from 6 - 7:30 pm at one (or more!) of the locations below to share your dreams for RPS. Refreshments will be provided.
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2024-25 School Applications – The deadline to submit specialty and Governor’s School applications for the 2024-25 school year is this Friday, December 1 at 4:30 pm. If you're interested in applying for open enrollment or the Governor's STEM Academy for CTE at RTC, you have until February 1, 2024, at 4 :30 pm to submit applications.
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.
- 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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Enjoy this behind the scenes look of one of our amazing RPS specialty schools, Franklin Military Academy.
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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!
- My son wanted to share some shout-outs to teachers and staff at Henderson Middle School. He loves Ms. Williams who teaches history and makes it fun! My son was never interested in history before, but now he loves it. Thanks to Ms. Williams, it is now one of his favorite subjects! Shout out also to Ms. Deboeser who is a wonderful English teacher! He also loves Ms. Adams, who he says is the best security guard in the world! Thanks so much to Henderson teachers and staff for everything they do!
- Shout-out to Principal Watkins and Asst. Principal Gross from Chimborazo Elementary for listening to concerns from parents and faculty, and caring about making a change in the school and community. Shout out to Mr. Reese and Ms. Mauch for always being down to entertain at school events. Finally, shout out to the entire Chimborazo Elementary family for hosting a great Thanksgiving festival and cooking tons of food for the families. There are more great faculty members I could shout-out, but I’ll do that throughout the year.
- Thank you to Rebecca Fox, secondary success support specialist, for her warm and encouraging support of Richmond High School for the Arts' strategic use of Edgenuity. The individualized support you provided will make a huge difference in staff capacity to support students in credit recovery and initial credit modules in Edgenuity. Thanks for going the extra mile for this team!
- Shout-out to Ms. Alanis Collada for organizing a fantastic career day event last week! There are some aspiring authors over at J.B. Fisher Elementary!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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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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| 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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