Roanoke City Public Schools

Tuesday's School Board meeting was full of celebrations, and they couldn’t have come at a better time with October being Bullying Prevention Month! #RCPSProud #WeAreOne First up, we honored Lincoln Terrace Elementary School as our featured school of the month! Principal Mills, her incredible team, and some awesome Tigers shared some of the exciting things happening at their school this year. Then, we heard from students in the Community Builders pilot program. 55 8th-grade students are making a mark on their community through leadership development and career/college exploration. Interested in learning more? https://lnkd.in/en-BUd9m Thank you to Director of Community Engagement Corey Allder, Youth Development & Intervention Coordinator Josh Johnson, and Site Leaders Brianna Gallatin and Mikayla McMullen for their hard work launching this program! Community Builders was made possible thanks to legislation championed by Del. Sam Rasoul, passed unanimously by the General Assembly, and signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

We're proud of our founding partnership with Carilion Clinic, Freedom First Credit Union, and Delta Dental of Virginia through the LIFT Center at Fallon Park Elementary to support our students and families! #WeAreOne

October is National Principals Month, and we are so proud of and thankful for our school and program leaders! They’re molding futures, shaping communities, and paving pathways to success for every student. #ThankAPrincipal #RCPSProud

Over the past two days, the School Board has held its semiannual retreat to discuss their priorities and board governance matters. This morning, they received an update from Dr. White and District Leadership Team members about the Strategic Plan and forthcoming updates to ensure RCPS' goals continue to align with providing our students with what they need to succeed! #RCPSProud

This morning, we celebrated RCPS receiving a $395,000 grant through Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia to purchase specialized equipment and resources for students with visual impairments! This is the second-largest grant ever approved by the foundation, and the first grant awarded through the foundation's Emil and Emma Lang Fund for the Visually Impaired. The funds will allow RCPS to improve accessibility and provide cutting-edge technology for students with visual impairments across all grade levels, including vision screening devices, white canes to support independence, and related assistive technology and devices to support instruction and independence. Braille signage will also be updated in our schools. This is a transformative gift, and we are thankful to everyone within RCPS who worked on this grant application and to our partners at the Community Foundation. #WeAreOne #RCPSProud

September is #AttendanceAwarenessMonth. We're proud of our educators and staff for working with our students and families to reduce chronic absenteeism. A special thank you to our student support specialists, counselors, and social workers for going above and beyond! RCPS offers many resources, including free virtual mental and physical health services, to support student attendance. Visit https://lnkd.in/e8H8Spf5 or our Facebook page for additional resources. #MissSchoolMissOut #WeAreOne

We had our first Principals’ Meeting of the school year yesterday, which provided principals with the opportunity to dig into ways to support our teachers in providing high-quality instruction! Thank you to our Academic and Professional Learning leaders for planning a great hands-on session! Our monthly Principals’ Meetings provide the opportunity for principals to receive updates from district leaders and receive the support they need that ultimately benefits our students! #RCPSProud

Today we celebrate our incredible RCPS technology team! They keep our devices running and keep us safe online! We are thankful for all their hard work. #RCPSProud #WeAreOne

Spotlight on Fairview Elementary School: Thanks to WDBJ7's Patsy Montesinos for this sweet story about 99-year-old retired teacher and Hermitage Roanoke resident Martha McMullan, who saved her weekly bingo winnings to buy school supplies for Fairview's fourth graders! Watch the story to hear Fairview's 4th grade team talk about what it means to receive this special donation: https://lnkd.in/eUZQmr2H We’re so grateful for this amazing act of kindness! #RCPSProud #WeAreOne

Roanoke City Public Schools is all in on early literacy! We had an amazing time celebrating early literacy, family engagement, and the Virginia Literacy Act yesterday during our Right to Read events, hosted in partnership with E3: Elevate Early Education! We first hosted a panel luncheon with our legislators, community, and business partners to discuss how we all play a role in our students’ success, followed by a special red carpet Early Literacy Academy panel to provide families with practical tips and resources to support their children’s reading journey. A special thank you to Virginia Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Lisa Coons, University of Virginia Professor Dr. Emily Solari, and Del. Sam Rasoul for serving on our panel moderated by Verletta White, Ed.D. in addition to our amazing parents and staff: Supervisor of Reading Improvement Rachel Floyd, Supervisor of EL & World Languages Elizabeth Schenkel, Westside Elementary School Principal Dr. Kristen English, Round Hill Elementary School School Principal Dr. Brenda Russ, and Roanoke City Council of PTAs/PTSAs President (and proud teacher and parent!) Jessica Blandy. #RCPSProud #WeAreOne