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Dear #RPSStrong Family,
My apologies for coming to you later than usual tonight – we just wrapped up John Marshall's graduation ceremony at The Diamond! That was our third one of the day: this morning was Huguenot HS and this afternoon was Open HS. All three were all absolutely fantastic (see below for some pix of our valedictorians). Big shout out to Principal Gilstrap, Principal Carleton, Principal Murray, and our Chief Schools Officer, Harry Hughes, for planning and executing beautiful ceremonies! And, of course, congratulations to our amazing, pandemic-defying graduates!
As you have likely seen, rain is forecast for tomorrow so we're making some adjustments to the schedule:
- The ceremony for Armstrong HS will occur at 8 am tomorrow morning.
- The ceremony for Richmond Community HS will occur at 1 pm on Wednesday, June 23.
Thank you for your flexibility and understanding!
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| With great appreciation,
Jason
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- I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to 3 special educators. Your patience and guidance helped to get me through my many woes of virtual teaching. Ms. Synovia Johnson, from Maymont Preschool, gave me many tips on many occasions on how to navigate through the trials and errors of Zoom and Google Meet. Mrs. Anita B. Coley, from Maymont Preschool, was very instrumental in giving me technical guidance, tips and shortcuts to make sorting through various lessons flow smoothly. She has amazing tech talent and is a vital asset, as there is no computer challenge she can't meet! Last, but not least, Ms. Cindy Mankus, from G.W. Carver ES, is phenomenal!! She met with me for hours on several evenings after school, and on plenty of Saturdays and/or Sundays for a working brunch at a local restaurant (all masked up, sanitized, social distancing observed and laptops fully charged, of course). She was even available for those late night, last minute phone calls to patiently talk me through a snafu or 2 or 3 or 4, LOL!!!
- Excited to see that our Holton Lion Kindergarten Superheroes will get a special Popsicle Social to celebrate their achievements this year! Kudos to Dr. Hurt, Dr. Jefferson and the kindergarten team (Ms. Scambos, Ms. Lichtman, Ms. Forshay, Ms. Jones, Ms. Martin) for making it happen!
- Preschool is Real School! I would like to send a shout out to the Maymont Preschool Team, specifically Dr. Hampton and my son’s teachers, Ms. Anfinson and Mrs. Goodman. They have worked above and beyond to prepare my son for kindergarten! The graduation ceremony put the icing on the cake for our family. Thanks for helping us build a strong foundation in his academics. His kindergarten teacher will surely thank you! You all deserve to be applauded!
- Shout out to the entire staff of Richmond Community High School who have shown dedication and commitment to their students the entire year. A special shout out to them for their love, motivation and encouragement for the Class of 2021. These teachers and faculty are a class act lead by a Fearless Leader, Kenya Massenburg, who exudes excellence. As a senior parent, I am humbly grateful. We are Pharaohs, leading while Standing Firm in Our Excellence. All In, All One, All Pharaohs!!!
- I wanna shout out Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Powell for patiently working with my son. I will admit I had doubts about this virtual thing but I must say they proved me wrong. I know it was challenging but they were patient with the parents as well. I salute them both for their way of teaching through virtual. It was just amazing and I can't thank them enough.
- It's my senior year and these teachers have all been so helpful. Even if they don't realize it, they have helped me with my depression. Ms. Turnage has been a mother figure since I met her in ninth grade. She has made sure I stay on track and continue to thrive in the world we are in today. Ms. Osei has made me understand another language and has uplifted me and made me laugh in moments I really needed. Last but not least, Ms. Harrell pushed me to try different school activities and made sure I never gave up. All of these lovely women have kept a good relationship with my parent and even have spoken to her if they noticed a change in me. I am so thankful for them and many more of my teachers. However, these three definitely will affect the woman I become in the future with their kind words, loving natures and amazing attitudes.
- I need to take the time to shout out some of the amazing staff at Fairfield Court Elementary for teaching with grace, passion and love. Natasha Henderson for her leadership with the Summer School Program. We have already increased our enrollment over 80% from the baseline data last year. Nsombi Morrison for her leadership as the Academic Dean and Testing Coordinator! Our MAP testing would not have gone as smoothly as it did without Joann Grandison, Charlise Wilson, Franny (our ITRT), Nsombi Morrison, and the team leads in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th for their two-way communication (Samantha Shiflett, Barbara Gorno, Kareen Edwards, and Joyce Williams). Joanne Grandison for updating us on our VKRP participation rate and Darlene Mills for keeping me informed of our PALS participation rate, as well as Charlise Wilson for helping with PALS testing! Our records are now ready to be audited and reviewed by the FCES teachers thanks to Siohban Williams and Bridget Faison who got the records ready for all teachers. Rebecca Parks and Suzie Blevins played a big part in ordering and preparing our attendance incentives.The Title I Reading Team (Darlene Mills and Charlise Wilson) and the Title I Math Team (Joanne Grandison, Toy Parrish, and Nsombi Morrison) for playing a major role in our virtual math and reading events! Sabrina Beaman and Camille Johnson, thank you for answering all of our questions and providing support through the process! And Ms. McAdams, our ICC, for providing leadership to the Exceptional Education Department! Our principal director, Leslie Wiggins, is just a phone or Google Meet away and has provided growth-producing feedback to help us be reflective practitioners as we "Reach and Teach Each and Every student at Fairfield on their Educational Journey to Greatness!" #MissionPossible
- I would like to shout out all RPS office associates, who so often get overlooked. You are truly superheroes and you rocked this virtual learning experience. To my preschool office associate colleagues, thanks for all you do.
- Shout out to Bellevue’s entire staff for a smooth virtual year of instruction. We conquered together as a team, led by Principal Hines and Assistant Principal Penn. Our daily morning huddles on Team Bellevue and our Wednesday Community Circle times were a safe haven to unite and bond as a family – all for the benefit of our little Bellevue Dragons. Cheers to all of us for being “Stronger Together!"
- I would like to shout out Laura (Beth ) Ramsay. She has been our oasis in the storm. Your calming presence empowered us to remain focused, committed, and productive. Your intense sense of teamwork validated each one of us every day. Thank you for all that you do. We're super fortunate to have you on our team!
- I want to shout out to Principal Rickey, Mr. Walker and the staff at Binford for being such great leaders and role models through this difficult year. I want to share the conversation I just had with my child about this past school year. They said, "Binford was so great. It wasn't like walking into a school. It was like going to visit family. They are so accepting and really helped me be who I am." For a new 6th grader starting virtual school only going to the building a few times, Binford made my child feel very welcomed. That is pretty amazing over a Google Meet. This is a true testament to the leaders, staff, and culture at Binford. I am excited for the next 2 years at Binford because I know with the help of everyone there, they will only grow and flourish further.
- I'd like to pass on a shout out that Leah Harrison received from our partners at Virginia Union University. As is always the case, Leah's thoughtfulness, responsiveness, and sincere care for relationships ensures that our community partners feel well taken care of and valued for the incredible work that they do for our students every single day.
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| Lit Limo – Please review the updated summer schedule (now in effect) for the stop closest to you!
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| Important Links – Last updated on June 17, 2021.
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