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RPS to be Closed on Monday, January 27
Dear RPS Family, I’m reaching out to share an important change in our school calendar: RPS will be CLOSED on Monday, January 27. Please allow me to explain. On that day, the Virginia Education Association (VEA) is hosting a “Fund Our Future” rally at the State Capitol to advocate for increased school funding. Based on data we collected last week, it appears that nearly 700 (about a third) of our teachers will be taking personal leave to participate in the VEA rally. We are proud that so many of our educators will be turning out to advocate for RPS and all of Virginia’s public schools. Unfortunately, however, it is simply not possible to secure enough substitutes for this many classrooms. As a result, non-participating teachers would face unreasonable class sizes that would make meaningful instruction nearly impossible and potentially create significant safety concerns. Given this – and after conferring with the School Board – I have decided to close RPS on Monday, January 27. Click the link above to read the rest of this letter.
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RPS Awarded Four Electric Buses from Dominion Energy
Richmond Public Schools (RPS) is set to receive four electric school buses as part of Dominion Energy Virginia’s Electric school bus deployment. Earlier this school year, RPS applied for the first phase of Dominion Energy Virginia’s Electric school bus initiative. This initial phase aims to have 50 buses fully operational within their service territory by the end of 2020.
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RPS Launches RPS en Español
Richmond Public Schools is proud to announce RPS en Español, a new initiative to inform, empower, and share information and resources with our growing Spanish- speaking community.
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Parents + Attendance = Student Success
The PASS docket, a new RPS and Richmond Juvenile Court initiative, aims to lower chronic absenteeism across the division by connecting students and families with wraparound supports while enforcing school attendance through the legal system.
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Seven RPS Teachers Honored with the 2019 R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence
Seven Richmond Public School teachers were recently honored with the prestigious R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence during a ceremony at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
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RPS Launches New Crossing Guard Pilot Program
“While the focus is on the safety of our students and families, we are also very intentional about creating safe and loving school environments through this pilot,” said RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras. “Each crossing guard from the program works at that school, so they are already familiar with the school community, which empowers them to continue to build on their relationships with students and families.”
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Home Visits Initiative Builds Trusting and Meaningful Relationships with Families
"Our parents are experts on their children. We believe that parents and teachers are co-educators, each just as important as the other,” said Dr. Shadae Harris, RPS Chief Engagement Officer. “All families have the ability to assist their child in their academic success and high impact family engagement strategies, such as home visits, can happen in everyone's home.”
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RPS Administrators Attend Trauma-Responsive Leadership Training
“In alignment with Dreams4RPS, this training is a significant step for our division in ensuring that our teachers, support staff, and administrators have the skills necessary to effectively and compassionately serve all of our students who may have been impacted by trauma,” said Harry Hughes, RPS Chief of Schools. “Through a thorough understanding of trauma-responsive practices, coupled with our deep care and commitment to our students, we can work together to minimize the impact that this stress has on their lives so that they can focus their minds on learning.”
