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RPS Direct Update - May 22, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, As Memorial Day approaches, let's take a moment to remember those who gave their lives to defend our country – over 2.8 million since our founding. We are eternally in their debt. Let us honor their memory by striving every day to create a more perfect union, one that ensures true freedom – political, economic, and social – for all. Click above to read more.
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RPS Direct Update - May 21, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, Thank you to everyone who tuned in last night for our third episode of RPS Live! Our featured guests were Carmen Brown, a 5th grade teacher at Henry L. Marsh III Elementary, and Dr. Tracy Epp, our Chief Academic Officer. We had a great discussion about teaching and learning, with a focus on the two curricula up for adoption, Eureka Math and EL Education. Check it out!
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RPS Direct Update - May 20, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, I'm thrilled to officially introduce our 2020 Valedictorians and Salutatorians! Please join me in congratulating these 16 extraordinary RPS students. To our Valedictorians and Salutatorians: We're so proud of you and so inspired by your dedication and perseverance. We know this wasn't the senior year you had hoped for, but please don't let the pandemic diminish your sense of accomplishment. It certainly hasn't lessened the joy we feel from celebrating you. We love you and will always be here for you. Now go change the world! Click above to read more.
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RPS Direct Update - May 19, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, On behalf of RPS, I want to thank the School Board for adopting the budget last night, with a special note of gratitude to our Board Leadership, Chair Linda Owen and Vice-Chair Cheryl Burke. This process is never easy, as there's always less money than our students and teachers deserve. And this year was particularly challenging, as the revenue picture changed suddenly due to the coronavirus. Though RPS isn't receiving as much of an increase as we had originally hoped for, we're still up – in no small part due to the leadership of Governor Northam and Mayor Stoney. Very few school districts around the country are in such a position. We're extremely blessed to able to provide a raise, hire more staff, and launch new programming next year. Specifically, as of last night, the following enhancements are official!
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RPS Direct Update - May 18, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Lots to go over today so let's dive in! Today's Updates: This Evening's School Board Meeting – You can watch the meeting live – starting at 6 pm – from our Facebook page. Click above to read more.
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RPS Direct Update - May 15, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, Happy Friday! As we head into the weekend, I want to share a quick update on the RPS Direct schedule. I've been telling everyone around me to take some time to rest and recharge in order to stay fresh for the challenges ahead. Our deeply empathetic School Board Leadership, Ms. Owen and Ms. Burke, told me to do the same :). So I'm going to pause on sending weekend RPS Direct messages for now, which should free up a couple of hours to spend with my family. Thank you for your understanding! Today's Updates: Computer and Hotspot Distribution for Elementary Students – Computer distribution will continue next Tuesday, May 19, for our final three elementary schools: Greene, J.L. Francis, and Miles Jones. Thereafter, we'll begin distribution for our preschool students. We'll also provide additional distribution days for any student who missed their original time slot. I'll share all of the details next week. Thanks for your patience!
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RPS Direct Update - May 14, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, Happy Friday Jr.! Today's Updates: FY21 Budget – We have another budget meeting this evening, which you can watch live on our Facebook page starting at 6 pm. We also have a regular School Board meeting on Monday, May 18, when we hope to adopt a final budget. As always, you can share public comment by emailing speakers@rvaschools.net. RPS Live! – If you missed last night's episode featuring my interview with 2020 RPS Teacher of the Year, Ms. Rahmah Johnson, don't worry; it's right here! Computer and Hotspot Distribution for Elementary Students – I apologize to any families from Ginter Park or Munford who were unable to get computers this morning. In short, the number of people who showed up exceeded the number who registered for devices. We apologize for the inconvenience and will make sure to add another distribution date for those two schools early next week.
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RPS Direct Update - May 13, 2020
Dear #RPSStrong Family, What a beautiful day! Here's to more warmth coming our way this week! Today's Updates: RPS Live! – Don't miss our new weekly (virtual) community meeting, every Wednesday at 7 pm, on our Facebook page. My special guest tonight is our 2020 RPS Teacher of the Year, Rahmah Johnson. "See" you shortly! Computer and Hotspot Distribution for Elementary Students – Tomorrow we have distribution at Ginter Park, Overby-Sheppard, Mary Munford, and Southampton. I'll share the schedule for next week in my Friday RPS Direct. Request of High School Teachers – I'm thrilled to share that our high school students have collectively enrolled in thousands of Edgenuity courses via RPS@Home. At the same time, we still have some students who have not yet enrolled, or who haven't enrolled for their full course load. Given this, I'm asking all high school teachers – to the extent you have the ability and time given the pandemic – to reach out to your students to check in on them and encourage them to enroll in the relevant Edgenuity courses. And please let them know about this document on our website that lays out all the requirements for high school students during the closure. Thank you in advance for your assistance! With great appreciation, Jason
