James H. Blackwell Elementary School

Home of the Bears

    Principal's Message

    Announcements

    • Dear 8th District Family, Friends & Community Supporters,
       
      Food will be distributed daily at the Blackwell Community Center at 11:00 AM. Please remember, to stay strong and we will get through this together! 
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    • Parents, please visit our grade level resource page for additional assignments during our break. 
       
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    • Virtual Read Aloud 
       
      Coming soon! 
       
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    • COVID-19 Update - April 5, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather today! I managed to squeeze in a family bike ride to the Union Presbyterian Seminary. The pathways and ramps make an excellent race course for our boys :). Since it's Sunday, I'm sticking with shout-outs. I'll have lots more to share tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening! With great appreciation, Jason Click above to read more!

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    • COVID-19 Update - April 4, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, Since it's Saturday, I'm just doing shout-outs. Before I get to them, just a quick reminder that we still need volunteers to help with our food distribution program. If you're willing and able, please sign up here. Thank you! With great appreciation, Jason Shout-outs! – Please keep sending them to me at jkamras@rvaschools.net! I want to say thank you to Mrs. Renesha Parks for continuing to provide professional development opportunities for all Special Education Staff during school closure...Again, thank you Mrs. Renesha Parks, you’re the BEST! Click above to read more!

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    • COVID-19 Update - April 3, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, I know the days of the week have all sort of blurred together, but happy Friday nonetheless! A few notes before we head into the weekend. I want to remind everyone that RPS@Home, our pre-packaged online lessons, will launch on Monday. I'll send a quick message when it's live, along with some introductory notes. We have a School Board meeting on Monday (5 members in-person and the others virtually, per VA statute), where I'll be sharing recommendations about how to handle third quarter and final grades. In my Tuesday RPS Direct, I'll provide an update based on our discussions Monday evening. Click above to read more!

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    • COVID-19 Update - April 2, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, As I shared yesterday, we'll be rolling out the 2nd generation of our online learning plan, which we're calling "RPS@Home," on Monday. In preparation for that, I want to clarify expectations for our teachers during the closure. First let me say how thrilled I am that so many of our educators have taken it upon themselves to leverage YouTube, FaceTime, ClassDojo, and so many other online resources to stay connected with their students and support them academically and emotionally. Because of their efforts, I am prouder and more inspired than ever before to be a part of the RPS Family! I do want to be clear that these efforts – while laudable – are not required. Many of our teachers have children of their own and/or other family members to care for all day; some are sick themselves; and some are struggling with economic insecurity because their partners just lost their jobs. On their behalf, I am humbly asking for grace from our families during this very difficult time. Click above to read more.

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    • COVID-19 Update - April 1, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, I'm excited to share that we'll be rolling out the 2nd generation of our online learning plan, which we're calling "RPS@Home," on Monday. It will have a daily schedule of lessons for just about every grade and subject, with very clear directions for students and families. We're hoping RPS@Home will provide more structure so that families have less to figure out on a day-to-day basis. I'll have a lot more information about this in my Friday message, so keep an eye out for it! One important caveat: To be able to access RPS@Home, you're going to need a computer and internet access. That's why we're asking any RPS family who needs these resources to let us know ASAP by filling out this survey. Please spread the word!

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    • COVID-19 Update - March 31, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, As I have shared previously, given our unyielding commitment to educational equity, we're working furiously to provide computers and internet access to any RPS students who need them. If your child needs these resources, please complete the survey as soon as possible. We are advertising the survey in English and Spanish via texts, robo-calls, social media, traditional media, and – starting tomorrow – in-person at our food distribution sites. Still, we recognize that these communication channels don't reach everyone, so please share this information with your networks. Shout-outs! – Please keep sending them to me at jkamras@rvaschools.net! Click above to read more.

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    • COVID-19 Update - March 30, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, As you have likely seen by now, the Governor just issued a stay-at-home order for the entire Commonwealth. I've received several emails asking what this means for our food distribution program and our efforts to help students continue to learn. In short, these activities can and will continue. Both the plain text of the order (see relevant sections below) and guidance from State Superintendent Lane have confirmed this. Click above to read more.

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    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update - March 29, 2020

      Dear #RPSStrong Family, I hope you were able to enjoy the suddenly summer-like weather today. I started on some yard work this afternoon and lost track of time, so I'm a little later than usual today. My apologies! Shout-outs! – Thank you so much for continuing to email me your shout-outs – even on Sunday. Keep 'em coming! We love Mrs. Baron (4th grade inclusive classroom at Fox) so much! She has parlayed her amazing classroom teaching into daily morning Zoom meetings, lessons, and homework to keep her students engaged and learning! Click above to read more!

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