| Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Tonight's updates:
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John Marshall HS Basketball – BOTH John Marshall HS basketball teams play for the state championship tomorrow at the Siegel Center! The young women play at 12:30 pm and the young men follow at 2:30 pm. Get your tickets online to cheer on the Justices! While I have your attention about JM, did you know they earned full accreditation last year from the VDOE? They're an athletic and academic powerhouse!
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March Student Representative – Many thanks to our March student representative to the School Board, Tianna Goins, a sophomore at Huguenot HS, for sharing her very honest feedback with us during Monday night's meeting. Tianna serves as Vice President of the Student Council and President of the Huguenot Activists Association. Her awards and recognitions include National Junior Honors Society, Honor Roll, Quiz Bowl, and a nomination for the Congress of Future Medical Leaders Award of Excellence.
Tianna stays active in her community as founder of the Huguenot Activists Association and through her participation in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Upsilon Omega chapter’s Future Young Leaders program. She also served on the River City MS Rezoning Committee. In her spare time, Tianna enjoys writing poetry, reading novels, and visiting museums. Upon graduation, Tianna plans to attend Spelman College or Howard University to pursue a major in child psychology and a double minor in sociology and anthropology. Thanks again, Tianna!
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School Board Recognitions – Thank you to everyone who came out for Monday night's Board meeting. If you were unable to join us, we had two recognitions that I'd like to share. First, in honor of National School Social Work Week, we celebrated our extraordinary school social workers, whose work is absolutely critical to our students' success. Please join me in celebrating this phenomenal group of individuals who serve with love each and every day.
Second, the Board issued a proclamation in recognition of Arts in Our Schools Month, reaffirming our commitment to nurturing the artistic talents and passions of our students, and recognizing the many invaluable contributions of our visual and performing arts teachers!
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School Breakfast Week – National School Breakfast Week highlights the importance of a healthy breakfast in supporting the academic success of students. Research indicates that children who eat breakfast have improved concentration and memory, and are more likely to score higher on standardized tests. Did you know that we offer free breakfast to ALL of our students? Last year alone, our incredible School Nutrition Services department served 1,621,035 breakfasts! As I've often said, RPS is so much more than an education system. Among many other things, we're also one of the largest meal providers in all of Richmond!
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Film Screening & Panel Discussion – On Wednesday, March 13, the VCU School of Education and the Ruth Harris Professorship will host the screening and panel discussion of The Right to Read at the Commons Theatre (907 Floyd Ave). This event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the film will begin at 7 pm. Register today to save your seat.
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Young Writers Program – Students in grades 3-5 are invited to participate in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Young Writers Program. All student entries must be submitted electronically by the participant's teacher by Thursday, March 26. For questions, please email or call Tiffany Sneed at (804) 339-3778.
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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!
- Happy School Social Work Week to Mrs. Annette Cook! Thank you for all that you do for the Southampton ES community. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. We appreciate you more than you know. You can't hide that Southampton pride!
- I would like to shout-out the entire Richmond Public Schools School Social Work team, and wish each and every one of you a happy National School Social Work Week! A heartfelt thank you for all that you do goes to: Christina Bowman-Peterson, Syreeta Chapman, Diane Brown, Lorien Wilder, Towanda Edwards-Osborne, Silka Steele, Briana Branch, Lori Brooks, Shawmika Wright, Alandra Copeland, Jaymes Whitehead-Urquhart, Chanda Hannah, Erin Callahan, Barbara Barden, Amanda Miceli, Nichelle Ortiz Torres, Rebecca Wood, Kimberly Peacock, Kailyn Hampton-Studivant, Teresa Horgan, Olufemi Shepsu, Ashley White, Dominique Vanhorne, Allanah Rocha, Abigail Broas, Tori Griffin, Ingrid Brunson-Griffin, Katherine VanDerbeek, Kathryn Bentley, Kelly Salinas, Megan Adair, Thomas Gillespie, Jasmine Terry, Joy Matthews, Mackenzie Morley, Shyanna Hicks, Lisa Mullens-Jennings, Dianne Callender, Natia Smith, John Gammon, Annette Lumsden-Cook, and Ginell Walkes. Join the celebration and share a kind
moment with your School Social Worker this week!
- I would like to shout-out Megan Adair. She has been a great addition to the Amelia Street staff this year. She cares deeply and shows up for our scholars in so many ways! Thank you!
- A big shout-out goes to Mr. Seifert at Westover Hills Elementary School. His dedication, passion, and enthusiasm for teaching the second graders at WHES will be sorely missed. Our students appreciate all that he has given to the school over the years, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors. Good luck and thank you, Mr. Seifert!
- We would like to send a monumental shout-out to our partner, Atlantic Union Bank, for not only purchasing the VA Reads One Book novels for the students and staff at Chimborazo Elementary, but also for supporting literacy in our community! Lynette King and her team of spectacular volunteers have provided fantastic support in coordinating the program, counting/distributing books, and providing guest readers/activity volunteers. Thank you for joining us to celebrate National Reading Month!
- A huge thank you to the RCMS attendance team for our February attendance celebration. Over 150 students were treated to a pancake breakfast with the attendance team. Special thank you goes out to C. Smith, K. Momiroska, S. Dance, M. Poindexter, A. Baliey, Dr. K. Olds, and J. Hines for their assistance.
- Ms. Smith created, organized, and led our Black History Month program at Lois Harrison-Jones. The students were beyond prepared and excited to be a part of celebrating this moment together. It was amazing to see the whole school come together under Ms. Smith's leadership and passion. We are beyond lucky to have her at our school!
- Shout-out to all Mary Scott preschool faculty and staff who participated in yoga taught by Mrs. Suzanne Burns! Namaste!
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| Reminders from Previous RPS Directs
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2024 Graduation Schedule – I'm thrilled to share that the schedule for our 2024 graduation ceremonies is now available. Please be sure to mark your calendars and prepare to celebrate the Class of 2024!
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| Fine Arts Festival – Join us on Saturday, March 9, from 10 am - 4 pm at Huguenot HS as we celebrate the artistic accomplishments of our students at the seventh-annual RPS Fine Arts Festival. If you've never been, you're missing out!
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Tutor Recruitment – Are you a retired teacher, college student/recent grad, or community member interested in supporting the academic success of our students? We're currently accepting applications for academic tutors to support our high-intensity tutoring program. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the RPS team, just visit our website to apply or scan the QR code below with your phone's camera. This work is going to take #AllofUs!
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