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| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! Once again, thank you to all mothers and all those who provide motherly love across RPS. We appreciate you!
Today's Updates:
Computer and Hot Spot Distribution for Elementary Students – Please note the schedule change in orange below:
- Tuesday, May 12: Barack Obama, Linwood Holton, Patrick Henry, Swansboro, Woodville
- Wednesday, May 13*: Bellevue, GH Reid
- Thursday, May 14: Ginter Park, Overby-Sheppard, Mary Munford, Southampton
- Amelia Street students may go to a designated school on any date.
- *SCHEDULE CHANGE: JL Francis, Miles Jones, and ESH Greene have been moved to next week because of a shipping delay. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience.
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| Tech Support – If you're having a tech issue with your Chromebook, hotspot, or the RPS@Home platform, please email us at helpdesk@rvaschools.net. For issues that require hands-on support, please visit one of our mobile tech centers listed below.
- Boushall Middle School, Mondays, 4pm - 6pm
- MLK Middle School, Wednesdays, 11am - 2pm
- Elkhardt-Thompson Middle School, Fridays, 7am - 9am
2020 National Street Law Educator of the Year – Mr. Scott from Armstrong High School won! See below for a video of his acceptance speech.
AP Testing – It starts this week! See below for six tips to help students get ready.
NextUp RVA – Their after-school activities for 6th-8th graders are now online and free for RPS students! See below for more details.
RPS Live! – Don't miss our new virtual community meeting, every Wednesday at 7 pm on our Facebook page. "See" you then!
With great appreciation,
Jason
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Shout-outs! – Please keep sending them to me at jkamras@rvaschools.net! And keep sending the teacher appreciation videos to outreach@rvaschools.net. Today’s featured shout-out comes to us from Bruce Bowker, a second grader in Ms. Slachiak’s class at Linwood Holton Elementary School. Bruce, thank you for sharing this teacher appreciation Hamilton remix!
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- Shout-out to my boys' teachers, Ms. Weber and Ms. Partridge at Blackwell Elementary, for always making sure the boys stay on track and for checking in on them almost every week! And not only do they check on their students, they ask about the family as a whole! Thank you to the Blackwell Family!! We miss you!
- I would like to shout out PHSSA's teachers for all they do. They are going above and beyond to keep our children in the loop: phone calls, zoom meetings, weekly assignment checks, resource updates, and volunteering – all while caring for their own families. Can't forget our amazing principal, Dr. Atkinson, Amazing Asst. Principal, Mr. DeVaughn, and our amazing teachers: Mrs. Shrader, Ms. George, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Pendleton, Mrs. Durham, Mrs. McGrath, Mrs. Morris, Mrs, Marande, Mrs. Hamlet, Mrs. Peyton, Ms. Swift, Mrs. Grimes, Mrs. Flannergan, Ms. Coleman, Ms. Starke, Mr. Burke, Mr. Swartz, Mrs. Price, Mrs. Dreiling, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Christian, Ms. Peters, Mrs. Belle, Mrs. Martin, Ms. Arden, Ms. Evan, Mr. Godsey, Mrs. Chamblin, Mrs. Wood, Mr Litchfield, Mr. LaPradde, Mr. P, our exceptional regular substitutes, and of course all the amazing parents and grandparents who volunteer and substitute! We salute them and have an even greater appreciation for their hard work, love, and heartfelt sacrifice. We greatly thank you.
- I want to shout out Mrs. Cosans and Ms. Elen from Swansboro Elementary for making care packages for the students and always checking on them.
- I would like to give a shout out for the consistent check-in via class Dojo and Zoom by Mrs. Durrette and Ms. Ross at Holton E.S.
- Shout out to Ms. Taylor Flagg from Redd Elementary School. She goes above and beyond for her students. She is an amazing person. I’m so glad my son got her as a teacher. She makes sure he stays on top of things. We miss her so much and can’t wait to see her again.
- I would like to give a huge shout-out to our RPS ELA Curriculum Specialists - Victoria Garren, Michelle Gillikin, Ahmara Perkins, and Gueringe' Richardson. These ladies have truly risen to this moment by creating videos, building a strong team of teacher volunteers to help build out RPS@Home, and supporting in every possible way! Thank you, team, for your continued dedication, enthusiasm, and leadership! This work would not be the same without each of you.
- I would like to give a shout out to Principal David Hudson at Franklin Military, who always goes above and beyond to help students, parents, and staff, any time, day or night. Also, I would like to shout our math teacher, Mr. J. Barclay, for taking the time to help me navigate through the technical resources and explain the academic grading process. Thank you!
- I would like to send shout outs to Mrs. Mason, fourth grade, and Mr. Brower, first grade, of Broad Rock Elementary. They both have been in contact with me and each of my granddaughters personally. They have made themselves available to help and support during this time of separation. They are both FANTASTIC TEACHERS!!
- I want to give a shout out to everyone on Bus 347. They serve Gilpin Court and I am thankful for them because the meals really help my kids. This bus comes faithfully. I just want them to know we are so happy that they come. Thank you to Bus 347, Ms. April, and the rest of the crew!
- Shout out to Major Wester (Biology) and Major Paschall (Algebra & Earth Science) at Franklin Military for providing "MAJOR" quarantine goodie bags last Thursday and for following up with parents and students to keep them on target with their work. And, of course, shout out to Colonel Hudson who was there for the computer distribution to provide support and encouragement! Go, Knights!!
- I'd like to shout out the REAL School staff for meeting weekly by Zoom to discuss the instructional and social-emotional needs of the students. I'd also like to shout out Jaymes Whiteheart-Urquhart, school social worker, Brent Evans, ITRT, and Kari O'Connell, RPS behavior specialist, for meeting with our staff. They keep everyone abreast of instructional strategies, technology resources, parent/community needs, and resources for self care. REAL School Rocks.
- I want to shout out Ms. Nicole Sparkman for being the best school mom I could ever have. I love you, Ma!
- I teach tenth and eleventh grade English at Huguenot and am fortunate to have the most appreciative, loving, and smart students. I miss them so much and can’t wait to see them all again in the future! RPS has THE best kids! I’ve taught in several other states and have never felt more at home than I do at HHS. TEACH WITH LOVE.
- I would like to give a shout out to Mrs. Janice Ragin at Huguenot High School. She has been a longtime advocate for the low incidence classroom. I, along with many students, appreciate her commitment. Also a shout out to Mrs. Sookins-Goode at Blackwell preschool for taking care of one of my timid twins. You all rock!!!
- I am sending love to all of the teachers at Broad Rock for taking time out for my kids. Thank you!
- Shout-outs go to my ETMS Exceptional Education colleagues, Carla Dennis and Lisa Acree, for their continuous help and support with the IEP process during this pandemic...Their patience with me has been stupendous! I couldn't have done it without them!!!
- Shout-outs go to two of my sidekicks, Joy Richardson and Melody Winters, for providing interpreting services for me during our ZOOM and Google Meet meetings on a weekly basis.
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2020 National Street Law Educator of the Year – Join me in congratulating Mr. William Scott from Armstrong High School on being named the 2020 National Street Law Educator of the Year! As a Virginia and United States Government teacher, Mr. Scott works diligently to promote civic engagement with his students. Check out the video below (starting at 3:24) of the great introduction of Mr. Scott by his student, Noah Harper, and then Mr. Scott's acceptance speech.
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AP Testing – College Board Advanced Placement (AP) testing begins this week and we have a few tips to make sure our students are ready:
- Check the contact info you have on file with the College Board – To ensure you're receiving critical information, please log in to My AP to remind yourself of the email address and cell phone number that the College Board has on file. (Please note: Two days before each exam, you will receive an email with a personalized e-ticket that will include your eight-character AP ID code. If you have not received the email, you can access your e-ticket directly through My AP.)
- Familiarize Yourself with the 2020 AP Testing Guide – Please review the 2020 AP Testing Guide and watch the overview video. The comprehensive guide will walk you through exam preparation, and the video gives a high-level overview of this year's exams.
- Complete the AP Exam Day Checklist – Complete the 2020 AP Exam Day Checklist for each exam and keep it next to you while testing.
- Watch the videos to prepare for test day – Explainer videos are available to give quick, easily accessible information about the test day experience, how to prepare, exam security, and more. Explore the playlist.
- Practice with the exam demo – Use the demo to practice the different ways to submit exam responses.
- Review the required and recommended resource list – Make sure you know the resources you can use during the exams and how to access them.
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NextUp RVA – Starting this week, our partners at NextUp RVA are providing FREE access to their online "after-school" classes for RPS middle school students. Topics include forensic science, creative writing, fitness, cooking, art, entrepreneurship, mindfulness, and video production. To sign-up, please visit www.nextuprva.org.
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Important Links – I'll note in orange when there have been additions/updates so you you won't miss anything.
Local, State, and National Public Health Links
Local, State, and National Public Education Links
RPS COVID-19 Quick-Links
FAQs
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