Principal's Message
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Greetings Falcon Family,
Welcome to Huguenot High School, home of the Mighty, Mighty Falcons. Huguenot is the largest school in Richmond Public Schools; our comprehensive high school supports over 1200 students. HHS supports one of the largest ESL programs south of the James River. We are a thriving and welcoming community of learners and there has been a strong attraction to the quality programs and newly constructed campus over the past few years.
Five years ago, I brought my family from Oklahoma to provide them a greater opportunity educationally and a superior cultural environment. As a former high school English teacher, my passion for students has always centered around enhanced communication skills and strong cognitive development. In my time as the principal of Huguenot, I have always looked to hire teachers and staff with personal grit to be able to fight through the challenges of the career and passion for individual student relationships.
The past five years have centered on the ideals behind the following themes. All students are groomed, through an environment of reinforcement and tenacity within a culture of autonomy, to successfully complete college or excel in a trade to ultimately flourish in a 21st-century society. Our learners have a proud history and a bright future beyond high school. Daily we celebrate our beauty inside and out to remind us of the value in all people. Our Falcons are eager to make their mark upon this school, city, and state. We are determined to extend our influence and reputation beyond our campus walls. With unprecedented change comes opportunity which gives us virtually limitless boundaries for growth.
This year will be the first in the history of the school to start virtually. We are all struggling to adjust to life during a pandemic. We will continue to strive towards the Dreams4RPS five pillars: Exciting and Rigorous Teaching and Learning, Skilled and Supported Staff, Safe and Loving School Cultures, Deep Partnership with Families and Community, and a Modern Systems and Infrastructure. We will start the year with an abundance of patience and grace towards students and staff. Our learning curve as we transition to a one to one school will set us apart among our peer schools.
My ask of you as a parent, guardian, community partner, student or staff is to be attentive to your child’s and or your own progress. Do not assume that everything is going well. Please check and check often. Please stay in touch with us via our multiple platforms and social media outlets. We will push out information to your email, phone, address, and through technology. Mostly develop communication loops with the school. This could be the teachers that serve your student, counselors that guide, social workers that support, and principals that lead. Email me directly when you cannot get the help you need at rgilstra@rvaschools.net.
Please partner with us in making this school year the most impactful and meaningful year in all our students’ lives. Reach out to us if we can assist you or your child. We aim to have meaningful relationships with all our students and families.
Huguenot High School receives 2020 Board of Education Continuous Improvement Award
Schools recognized for continuous improvement were rated “Accredited” or “Accredited with Conditions” for 2019-2020 and met at least one of the following four criteria based on performance during 2018-2019:
- A 10-point increase in the combined rate in reading and math, and the pass rate in science;
- A 10-point increase in the combined rate in reading and math for two or more student groups across three years;
- A decrease in the chronic absenteeism rate for three years; or
- For schools with a graduating class, an increase in the Graduation and Completion Index and a decrease in the dropout rate for three years.
Robert Gilstrap
Principal, Huguenot High School
Virtually Limitless
Announcements
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HHS Advocacy and Outreach webpage
We have added a new page just for our HHS family. It contains information to reach our parents and students and support their needs. Currently, we have added information for English Language Learners. Click HERE for more information.
- English for Speakers of Other Languages: Citizenship Preparatory Class - Prepares students for components of the citizenship exam. Registration Fee: FREE
- Customer Service Certification & Advanced English Training - Prepares students to interact with customers and co-workers. Registration Fee: FREE
- English As A Second Language Classes - Adult classes provide a variety of skills to non-English speakers. Includes grammar, reading, comprehension, writing, and vocabulary Registration Fee: $25
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Guidance Department Updates
Graduation requirements: Click HERE
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Chromebook & Device Care Information
For general care and tutorials regarding your RPS devices, click HERE
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Need to contact someone in the Huguenot High School building. Click HERE for a list of staff.
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Virtual College Visits, HBCU Festivals, Scholarships, and more can be found on our Career Pathways page.
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Alfred Street Baptist Church is hosting the 19th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Festival on Saturday, February 20, 2021. Click HERE for more information.
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YouTube Tutorial on Google Classroom for Students and Parents CLICK HERE
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Suicide Prevention: A Public Service Announcement from the Students of Huguenot High School.
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December 2020 - Seniors, Click on the title to get updates for the senior class.
District Announcements
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COVID-19 Vaccine Update for RPS Employees - On Thursday, January 14, 2021, all RPS Staff should have received an email containing a registration link for the COVID-19 vaccine. Also please tune into a special COVID-19 edition of RPS Live! for staff on Friday, January 15 at 4:30pm on the RPS Facebook page.
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RPS Mobile Help Desk Temporarily Closed - Due to potential COVID-19 exposure, the Mobile Help Desk will be suspending services until January 25, 2021. For any technology needs, please contact helpdesk@rvaschools.net.
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RPS Family Academy - With live workshops and a virtual resource library, the Family Academy provides RPS families and advocates the opportunity to connect with each other and get engaged with our childrens' education and future. Learn more and register for upcoming sessions here.
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#ReopenWithLove - For the latest information and resources for families, visit the #ReopenWithLove section of our website. It includes the most current information about meal distribution and other critical information.
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Family Support Helpline - Questions about reopening? Call the RPS Family Support Helpline at (804) 780-6195 and learn more about other resources available to families.
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Support RPS - There are many ways to support RPS and #ServeWithLove! Please consider volunteering, donating, or partnering with us, and for new and existing partners, don't forget to add your organization to our new searchable partnership database!
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Who is my Guidance Counselor?
HHS School Counseling Request Form: Click Here
Mr. Craig Christmas cchristm@rvaschools.net Grade 12 Ms. Andrea Reed areed2@rvaschools.net Grade 11 Ms. Monique Harris mharris@rvaschools.net Grade 10 Ms. Zamora Scott zscott@rvaschools.net Grade 9 Ms. Kirsten Buist kbuist@rvaschools.net ESL/ELL Ms. Lisa Harrison lharriso@rvaschools.net Exceptional Education
"RPS Direct" Emails from Superintendent Kamras
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RPS Direct Update - January 19, 2021
Dear #RPSStrong Family, Lots to cover tonight, so let's dive in! First, I have a couple of updates about the vaccine registration process for RPS staff: As I noted on Friday, the Richmond City Health District (RCHD) had to cancel hundreds of appointments and disable the registration link that was previously shared. We've learned that a number of RPS staff had their appointments inadvertently canceled. I'm so sorry about the frustration and anxiety that caused. Please note that there will be a new registration system and new vaccination events scheduled for February. I'll share more information about this as soon as I have it. Finally, our nurses will be reaching out to any RPS employees who are currently working in-person (for example, bus drivers and nutrition workers) to ensure they are vaccinated – if they want to be – during the events scheduled for this week and next. If you have any other questions, please reach out to us at talentoffice@rvaschools.net. Click above to read more!
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RPS Direct Update - January 15 (PM), 2021
Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Friday (PM), January 15, 2021 Dear #RPSStrong Family, Happy Friday! I have a few very important updates tonight about vaccine registration: You may have just seen a news alert that thousands of registrations for the vaccination events next week at the Richmond Raceway were cancelled. To clarify, as I understand it, the intent was only to cancel invalid registrations. The upcoming events are strictly for school, police, and fire personnel. A number of individuals outside these fields signed up. Those are the registrations that were cancelled. The freed up slots will be distributed by each of the localities in central Virginia. I don't have more information on how that process will work just yet. As soon as I do, I'll share it with you. If you were not able to register yet, I'm told there will be more opportunities with a new registration system by early February. Again, as soon as I have more details, I'll share them. Like all of us at RPS, our public health officials are attempting to do something that's never been done before. So many people have extended us so much grace over the past year; I humbly ask that we do the same for our colleagues at VDH and RCHD. They are literally working day and night to distribute the vaccine as quickly as possible.