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Clear Support for Students

Enormous gratitude to Chesapeake Bank who graciously donated $1,000 to support the purchase of clear backpacks for RPS students. The check was presented during VCU Field Trip Day, an annual event in which students from across the region are invited to attend a VCU women’s basketball game at the Siegel Center. Board Chair Shavonda Fernandez and Chief Wellness Officer Renesha Parks were in attendance to accept the gift.  

From Jason's Desk Special Edition - February 12, 2025

Dear RPS Family,

I’ve received several questions about this morning’s decision to switch to virtual learning from a two-hour delay, so I thought it would be helpful to explain our thinking.

First, some context: As I’ve shared before, my default starting position is to keep our schools open. We know the best place for learning is in our classrooms, and that many of our students and families depend on RPS for a range of non-academic supports, including food. So, if we can safely open, we will. In addition, while we often align with the counties, we don’t always do so, as the needs of our students and families and the nature of Richmond’s geography are different.

From Jason's Desk - February 10, 2025

Good morning, RPS Family,

I’m reaching out today about several executive orders that have come down over the last several weeks, that ban efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; that undermine the honest teaching about race; and that call into question protections for LGBTQ+ students and staff.

And so let me be as perfectly clear as I can: To all of our students,  staff, and families, no matter your skin color, what country you come from, what language you speak at home, who you pray to, who you love, or how you identify — you are welcome at RPS, you are valued at RPS, and you are loved at RPS.

From Jason's Desk Special Message - Friday, February 7th, 2025

Dear RPS Family,

I’m reaching out with this special Friday message to share that Dana Fox, our Chief Operating Officer, announced yesterday that she will be taking a role in Hanover County to be closer to home and to prioritize her family. We will deeply miss Dana, but of course understand and support her decision. 

Representation at the Center

Anne Harris greets students and families with warm smiles as they arrive for the school day at Bellevue Elementary. Her presence is a constant source of comfort for students, many of whom have come to know her as a trusted mentor and advocate. For 24 years, Mrs. Harris has dedicated herself to the role of school counselor within RPS, with 21 of those years spent at Bellevue. Her passion for creating a nurturing environment and fostering leadership has shaped the lives of countless students.

From Jason's Desk - Black History, All Around Us

Dear RPS Family,

With January behind us (phew!), we welcome February and the celebration of Black History Month, a time to mark the enduring contributions and resilience of Black Americans. It's a time for reflection, celebration, and a renewed commitment to the ongoing struggle for racial justice. This year, the importance of Black History Month feels particularly acute, given the alarming rise of efforts to suppress and distort the teaching of Black history. In this context, the legacy of figures like Henry Marsh, the first Black Mayor of Richmond and the namesake of Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School — who passed away just last week – becomes even more poignant, serving as both an inspiration and a stark reminder of the battles still being fought.

Celebrating Success

This week, Superintendent Kamras joined the Governor and leaders from the Virginia Department of Education for the release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. While overall results in the Nation's Report Card were concerning, Richmond was honored as a bright spot. We have a long way to go, but our efforts in literacy instruction and chronic absenteeism are moving us in the right direction. Read more in the RTD.

Trust at the Center

“Ah! For me? ¡Qué lindo! Thank you for this, I will put it somewhere safe y donde pueda verlo.” Ms. Edilsa Guiterrez switches fluently from English to Spanish as she admires the brightly colored picture. Just moments before, the tiny scholar had burst through the main office door, bouncing on her toes and exclaiming, “It’s for you — ¡para ti!” Now, after a quick hug, she skips off to her first-grade class. Ms. Guiterrez, still admiring the photo, murmurs, “And we couldn’t even get her to come to school consistently a few months ago.” That’s the impact that RPS family liaisons have on many students across the Division.

From Jason's Desk - January 27th, 2025

This morning I’d like to address the uncertainty and anxiety many of our immigrant families are experiencing right now in light of recent federal actions regarding deportation. To our students, let me be abundantly clear: We love you here and RPS will always be a safe haven for you.

Leadership with Love

At this week’s Board meeting, we were thrilled to celebrate our incredible school leaders — several of whom joined us at the meeting — in honor of Virginia School Principals Appreciation Week (January 13-17). From fostering academic excellence to supporting students and staff, RPS principals make a difference every day. Please join us in thanking our principals for their hard work and commitment to #LeadWithLove.

Collective Impact at the Center

Many students learn to spell the word ‘principal’ by remembering, “A principal is your pal.” And while they often offer high fives and smiles, the fifty-three principals across RPS are so much more than that: They’re instructional leaders, data analysts, problem-solvers, counselors, receptionists, and lunch monitors. They set the culture for their building, and while they’re usually in the front row at an assembly or a football game, they’re leaders because of their integrity and commitment when nobody is watching.

From Jason's Desk Special Edition - January 22nd, 2025

Dear RPS Families,

I hope you’re staying safe and warm! I’ve received several questions from families regarding my decision to close today so I thought it would be helpful to explain my thinking.

It’s always my deepest desire and intention to keep our schools open. Period. I hate missing days of instruction and many of our students and families depend on RPS for a range of non-academic supports, including food. When inclement weather or other emergencies strike, I weigh our commitment to staying open against two key factors: 1) safety for students and staff; and 2) the operations of the school system.

From Jason's Desk - January 21st, 2025

Dear RPS Family,

Last week was Virginia’s principal’s appreciation week, a time to reflect on and celebrate the extraordinary leaders we have in RPS. Over the last several weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to see the impact of so many of our principals through my observations of K-5 literacy instruction. As I have shared before, we’re engaged in a fundamental shift in how we teach reading, utilizing the very best research about what works and what doesn’t.

Celebrating Community!

The iconic William Fox Elementary cupola was carefully set into place atop the school building last Friday. Over the past three years, $30 million in renovations have modernized the school with new classrooms, state-of-the-art safety features, and an elevator. The cupola’s return was celebrated by parents, students, and neighbors despite the frigid temperatures. Read more about the celebratory occasion in the RTD.

Preparation at the Center

At Richmond Public Schools, our motto is to teach, lead, and serve with love every day. As we’ve learned over the last five years, those values matter most when the unexpected happens. Last week, as Richmond’s unprecedented water outage extended the winter break by a week, we saw those values in action daily: Teachers and principals called to check on their students and make sure that they had resources to get through the disruption. In partnership with Feed More, we mobilized to serve 4,276 meals to our families on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

From Jason's Desk - January 13th, 2025

Dear #RPSStrong Families,

I hope you’re staying safe, staying strong, and…enjoying the water! We’re so excited that it’s back, and that the boiled water advisory has been lifted. Many thanks to the Mayor and our friends at the City for their tireless efforts over last week.

I also want to thank all the teachers and staff who embodied what it means to teach, lead, and serve with love last week, bringing meals to families and checking in on students. And families, I want to thank YOU for your patience and resilience as we all navigated a very unexpected start to 2025.

From Jason's Desk - January 12th, 2025

Dear #RPSStrong Families,

I hope you’re staying safe, staying strong, and…enjoying the water! We’re so excited that it’s back, and that the boiled water advisory has been lifted. Many thanks to the Mayor and our friends at the City for their tireless efforts over the past week.

I also want to thank all the teachers and staff who embodied what it means to teach, lead, and serve with love last week, bringing meals to families and checking in on students. And families, I want to thank YOU for your patience and resilience as we all navigated a very unexpected start to 2025.

From Jason's Desk - January 10th, 2025

Dear #RPSStrong Families,

I hope you’re all staying safe and strong. Today I visited Lucille Brown Middle School, where we passed out food to families. We visited six other sites across the City as well — thank you all for turning out, and thank you to our partners for support! We know that the response was overwhelming in many locations today, and we apologize for any inconvenience. Please contact careandsafety@rvaschools.net, or visit rva.gov, to learn about additional food resources over the weekend.

From Jason's Desk - January 9th, 2025

Dear #RPSStrong Families, I hope you’re staying safe and strong. I’m reporting today from Carver Elementary, which is one of our six food sites today!

We gave out pizza today at six sites, and we’ll be back tomorrow with food trucks from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.! We’re incredibly grateful to the Richmond Ed Fund for supporting our families, all of whom are invited to come out and get a free lunch. We know that it’s been difficult to be closed without school meals, and we want to do everything we can to support our families.

From Jason's Desk - January 8th, 2025

Dear #RPSStrong Families, I hope that you are all staying safe today. Fortunately we’re getting good news from the City, and water pressure is beginning to be restored. I just want to say thank you to the Mayor and to all of our friends at the City for all of their hard work over the last few days. I know everyone is working so, so hard.

From Jason's Desk - January 7th, 2025

I hope that you are staying safe and strong. When we announced that school would be closed on Monday, I truly hoped that I would be able to see your smiling faces this Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, nobody could have predicted the storm damaging the water plant so severely. I am in touch with the Mayor and our other wonderful City colleagues, and I am super happy to hear that we’ve officially restored water production. We are working hard to share with you the most accurate and updated information possible. Our teams are all focused on helping our communities quickly return to normalcy.

From Jason's Desk - December 16, 2024

Since this is my last Monday message before break, let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year!

I’ve had the good fortune of attending several of our schools’ holiday celebrations over the last couple of weeks. From the Cardinal orchestra to the Dancing Classrooms final competition, each performance has been such an inspiration and filled me with so much joy.

Unfortunately, for some of our students and families, the holidays are a difficult time. Money may be tight, which means few, if any, presents under the tree. For others, just having a stable place to rest one’s head at night would be the greatest gift of all.

Celebrating with Gratitude

It was a day like any other, or so she thought. When Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary Reading Interventionist Rebecca McCray walked through the doors to continue her day, she couldn’t have been more surprised as she was greeted by colleagues, students, and family with the news that she had been named the 2025 RPS Teacher of the Year. Read more about Ms. McCray and this joyous occasion in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Joy at the Center

Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary (OGBM) reading interventionist Rebecca McCray had no idea that she might be Richmond’s 2025 Teacher of the Year — that is, until she saw a WTVR car outside of the school Friday morning.

“I’d counted myself out,” she says, still in shock at the win. “But that’s the moment it really began to sink in.”  

When called with the news, though, Oak Grove-Bellemeade principal LaToya Draper’s first words were, “I knew it was her year!” With a small team of co-conspirators, Principal Draper arranged to have Ms. McCray start her morning leading a professional development at Blackwell, so that her family, Superintendent Kamras, OGBM partners, the Bellemeade Community Center drumline (comprised of the school’s students), and all the school’s students could form a surprise assembly celebrating Ms. McCray.

From Jason's Desk - Monday, December 9, 2024

Dear RPS Family,

I am absolutely thrilled to share with all of you that Ms. Rebecca McCray, a reading interventionist at Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary, has been selected as the 2025 Richmond Public Schools Teacher of the Year!

RPS Direct: Friday, December 6, 2024

We bid a heartfelt farewell to Yuko and Mariyo — who joined us for two weeks from Saitama, Japan — with a memorable dinner at Elephant Thai. Their visit, part of our sister city teacher exchange, strengthened our program, fostered meaningful connections, and deepened our partnership with the Richmond Sister Cities Commission. We’re grateful for the bonds formed and look forward to future collaborations. Safe travels, Yuko and Mariyo

Inclusion at the Center

Mrs. Slade’s passion for supporting students with disabilities started close to home. “When a family member was diagnosed with autism, my career path shifted,” she shares. “I wanted to help students realize their worth and potential. Success is achievable—sometimes, it just takes a different path.” Her mission as an educator is clear: to show every student that their dreams matter and that they have a place in the workforce.

From Jason's Desk - December 2, 2024

The first week of December marks Inclusive Schools Week, a time to celebrate the diversity of our schools and communities. At Richmond Public Schools, we are committed to creating a learning environment where every student can thrive.

We believe that all students, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, deserve access to high-quality education. This commitment is reflected in our strategic plan and our daily practices

Celebrating Growth!

Tonight, ArmstrongHuguenot, and TeeJay head to the VHSL Region Semifinals. Let’s put that RPS pride on display!  Tickets must be purchased online at the links above. RPS ID is no longer valid during playoff games. Only VHSL State passes and State School Board passes will be honored.

Note: Due to weather, the Armstrong vs. Kettle Run game will now be played at Liberty High School, 6300 Independence Ave. Bealton, VA.

Celebrating Student Athletes!

Tonight, four RPS teams — ArmstrongHuguenotJohn Marshall, and TeeJay— head to the VHSL Region Quarterfinals. Please come out and support our players and coaches. Links to purchase tickets to each game are above. Please note, tickets are only available online. Only VHSL State passes and State School Board passes will be honored. Before heading out to the games, please be sure to review our security protocols for after-school events. Let’s go, RPS!

Partnership at the Center

Leaves are changing, and the air has a bite to it, which can only mean one thing — the season of teacher-caregiver conferences is upon us. Last week, high schools and middle schools hosted their fall conferences; this Thursday, the remainder of our schools will.

At this point in the school year, caregivers and teachers are beginning to form a strong sense of what’s going well and where extra collaboration is needed. It’s time to start addressing academic, behavioral, or well-being concerns as a team to ensure a successful year.

Celebrating Teaching Excellence

Ms. Lisa Perkinson, dance teacher at Dogwood Middle, has won the 2024 R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence. Ms. Perkinson, who holds a BA in dance from James Madison University and an MFA in dance from Sarah Lawrence College, has been a powerhouse at Dogwood for the past nine years. She founded the Dogwood Dance Company and continues to positively impact the lives of students through arts integration and creative expression.

Expanding Access, Supporting Students

Every student knows the excitement and anxiety of starting high school — and every high-school administrator across Richmond understands this potent mix of emotions. All our schools work to ease the middle- to high school journey for students. At Richmond Community High School (RCHS), one of three selective-admissions schools in RPS, that process is led by school counselor Ms. Bernita Williams. Throughout the year, she crafts a thoughtful, welcoming experience that helps incoming students feel prepared on day one

From Jason's Desk - October 28th, 2024

I love algebra. There, I said it. Feels good to get that out in the open! That’s probably why I taught middle school math and why I can’t resist a good algebra joke. To wit: Why can’t you ever trust an algebra teacher holding graph paper? They might be plotting something!

When I came to RPS, I was deeply disappointed — angry, if I’m being honest — to learn that we didn’t offer algebra at every middle school. When I dug a little deeper, it became clear that there was a pattern based on race and economic status: Algebra was only offered where there were large concentrations of white students and middle/upper-income students. When I talk about “structural inequity,” that’s what I mean.

Celebrating Excellence

Seven — seven! — RPS schools have been awarded Exemplar School Recognition by the Virginia Board of Education. Franklin Military Academy received the Highest Achievement Award and Albert Hill Middle, Broad Rock Elementary, Chimborazo Elementary, Huguenot High, MLK Jr. Middle, and Richmond High School for the Arts received Continuous Improvement awards. Read more about this outstanding achievement.

Connection at the Center

When most students are asked to describe an apple, they’ll visualize it on the tray in school, in a bowl at home, or in a pyramid at the grocery store. Rarely will they picture it on a tree, on a farm, miles away. But thanks to the efforts of our Nutrition Services team and a special partnership with Lulus Local Foods, a food cooperative connecting Virginia farmers to families, students across the Division are not only enjoying farm-fresh fruits and vegetables—they're learning about the farmers who grew them and the journey from farm to table.

From Jason's Desk - October 21, 2024

I remember that afternoon as if it were yesterday. Jay, a student in my seventh grade math class in Washington, DC, asked if he could talk with me after class. He was typically very quiet so I was excited for the chance to connect. But all he wanted to ask was, “Could you take me home after school?” This was a surprising question because I knew he lived just up the hill behind the school. I learned that he was now living with his grandmother across town because his mother — who had been struggling with addiction — had finally taken the courageous step of checking into a rehab clinic.

Celebrating Student Voice!

Yesterday, Armstrong High School hosted the inaugural Henry L. Marsh Mayoral Forum, the only entirely student-run mayoral debate. All five  candidates joined a conversation moderated by Armstrong AP Government students Renecia Allen and Zion Lundy, in front of an audience of their peers as well as elementary- and middle-school scholars from across the East End. Read all about why the students believed this was important for their fellow students.

Meeting Students Where They Are

Every adult can remember the sinking feeling of being in a classroom, reading out loud, and coming across a new word or sound that they don’t know. While these frustrations are an inevitable part of learning to read, it can be an unnerving, intimidating, and sometimes defeating feeling.

From Jason's Desk — October 15, 2024

This morning, I’d like to return to my obsession with literacy. In case you missed it, the School Board formally adopted our new strategic plan at our last meeting, and its very first action is called Passion4Reading: a moonshot effort to do everything humanly possible to ensure our students are reading proficiently and joyfully by the end of third grade.

How will we get there? First and foremost, we need to ground everything we do in what the research says about how children learn to read. A helpful visual for this comes from Dr. Hollis Scarborough, who studies dyslexia and other reading-related topics. In the reading world, the visual is known as Scarborough’s Reading Rope (below).

Empowering Our Students

This year, RPS had a record number of schools accredited, and we are leading the state in increases in accreditation. While we know changes to our rating system are ahead, we know nothing is changing in terms of our continued commitment to excellence. Learn more in this story from WRIC 8.

Board Recap: Monday, October 7, 2024

Every Wednesday following a Richmond City School Board meeting, we’ll include a brief recap of the meeting in Wednesday’s edition of RPS Direct. This recap will include student and staff celebrations, our monthly proclamations, and items that either were presented for Board vote, or are now open for community input.

Building Community, One Circle at a Time

The beginning of the school day is inevitably hectic: Students need to eat breakfast, turn in homework, and catch up with friends. Inevitably, a notebook or pair of sneakers didn’t make its way into the backpack, and there may be a call home or two.

From Jason's Desk — October 7, 2024

At tonight’s School Board meeting, one of the agenda items is about state accreditation. As I’ve shared previously, last year we added four more fully accredited schools, bringing our two-year increase to eight. Until last week, I didn’t know how the rest of the state fared. Well, I’m proud to share that our two-year gains surpass every other school division in Virginia. Furthermore, while we added eight accredited schools over the last two years, the state lost 75. I don’t share this data to critique other divisions — everyone is working incredibly hard. Rather, I share it to demonstrate that RPS’ success is truly remarkable. We should all be proud!

Supporting Teachers, Building Community

Since its founding more than eight years ago, the RPS Teacher Store has served as a vital resource for educators across the Division. "It started as an easy way to take donations from the community and get them into the hands of teachers," shares Dr. Stefanie Ramsey, RPS’ coordinator of athletics and activities, who leads the store's efforts. It’s grown into so much more.

From Jason's Desk — October 1, 2024

My apologies for the delay in RPS Direct; I was out of commission with a cold. Feeling much better now!

As I foreshadowed a few weeks ago, we have some great news about our graduation rate. The VDOE officially posted the data on Friday so now I can spread the word: our graduation rate is UP 6 percentage points! Nearly every subgroup and nearly every high school saw increases. Here are some highlights:

  • Armstrong High School – Up 8.3%

  • Huguenot High School – Up 2.6%

  • John Marshall High School – Up 4.3%

  • Richmond High School for the Arts – Up 14.8%

  • Hispanic/Latino Students – Up 16%

Building Bridges With Love for Families

Moving to a new city is an intimidating change, no matter your age — and it’s even more challenging when you don’t speak the language. Pilar Morfin, an Enrollment Specialist at the RPS Welcome Center, knows this, so she always has an extra-large smile. “I don't know if it comes naturally, if it’s because I was a teacher, or if I'm just a kid at heart, but I'm pretty bubbly.”

From Jason's Desk — September 23, 2024

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 through October 15, which makes this week’s message the perfect opportunity to celebrate our Hispanic and Latino students. First, some data. Did you know that RPS is now 26% Hispanic? Most of our Latino students live and go to school in the 8th and 9th districts, and many are recent immigrants from Central and South America.

Care and Safety — With Love

At RPS, safety and security are our top priorities. And over the last several years, we’ve made investments to underscore that commitment: Upgraded infrastructure, like metal detectors, security cameras, and online safety systems; new policies, such as our clear-backpack guidance; more people, like the dozens of counselors, nurses, and social workers that we’ve added to our buildings. 

From Jason's Desk — September 16, 2024

Ever since the horrific school shooting in Georgia, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of social media postings and Gaggle alerts (which we get when certain key terms are written using our Chromebooks) about potential threats in our schools. I want the RPS community to know that we investigate every single one of these cases and refer the most serious ones to the Richmond Police Department.

Board Recap: Monday, September 9, 2024

Every Wednesday following a Richmond City School Board meeting, we’ll include a brief recap of the meeting in Wednesday’s edition of RPS Direct. This recap will include student and staff celebrations, our monthly proclamations, and items that either were presented for Board vote, or are now open for community input.

From Jason's Desk — September 9, 2024

You’ll have to forgive me, but I’m going to nerd out about reading today. “Wait,” you might be thinking, “Weren’t you a math teacher?” Indeed, I was. And I have the math jokes to prove it. (As I shared with some J.L. Francis students last week: Which shape works the hardest? The TRY-angle.

Community and Strength at Cardinal Elementary

Kevin Middleton has only been on the custodial team at Cardinal for three weeks, but he’s already found the school to be an incredibly welcoming and friendly community. “You’re all part of the team here,” he observed. And this week, the Cardinal community is especially grateful to have him on their team.

 
From Jason's Desk — September 3, 2024

I hope you had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather yesterday, and got some rest over the long holiday weekend. This morning, I’ll be at Cardinal ES to welcome students back to school. Please join me in thanking the RPS Operations Team, our contractor partners, and, of course, the Cardinal staff for pulling together to get the school back in shape in, well, lightning speed! 

RPS on the Rise: TeeJay earns accreditation through trust and transparency

When Thomas Jefferson’s principal Crystal Potee learned that TeeJay had become the second accredited comprehensive high school in Richmond Public Schools, she started “crying, laughing, praising God,” she says. It was in late July, and the pride she felt for her students and team bubbled over.

From Jason's Desk — August 26, 2024

What a fabulous first week! I had the pleasure of visiting about a dozen schools and I was so impressed with how smoothly everything went. That didn’t happen by chance. Our school-based and Central Office teams have been hard at work all summer long, planning and rehearsing, to make sure we hit the ground running. Other than a few normal hiccups here and there, last week was an incredible success with lots of big smiles from students and staff.

Energy, Excitement Mark the First Day of Preschool

The first day of school brings high energy, excitement, and sometimes a few tears — but those feelings are especially big in preschool. For many children, the first day of preschool is also the first time they spend a full day away from family. Often, caregivers tear up more than their kids.

From Jason's Desk — August 19, 2024

Dear RPS Family, Welcome back! This morning I’m filled with so much gratitude — for our incredible teachers and staff, our families and community supporters, and most of all, our students. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to meet so many of our young people, and I forget sometimes that not everyone in Richmond has the same privilege. RPS students are brilliant, creative, passionate, curious, wise, hard-working, resilient, and hilarious. I get up every morning — and this morning, in particular — brimming with optimism about RPS because of the 22,000 students we serve. We’re far from perfect, but we’re undoubtedly on the rise (see the last paragraph) because of them!