The Tiger Tea

Happy Sunday!

We hope to see all of our students participating in our Fall Spirit Week! As a reminder, RPS is closed Friday (November 1st), Monday (November 4th), and Tuesday (November 5th). We look forward to welcoming our students back well rested and re-energized Wednesday, November 6th ready to learn after the extended break.

Highlights from last week:

• Schoolwide Read: The Crossover Kickoff
• The Girls Basketball team won on Monday at home against Franklin, 34-2, ending the regular season at a winning 6-2!
  
• The RPS Girls Basketball tournament started Thursday, and our #3-ranked Tigers won again against #6 Henderson, 35-17!
• The Soccer tournament also started on Thursday, with the #2 Tigers taking on #7 Brown and winning 7-0! They advance to the second round at home on Monday against River City.
  
• Our students went on several field trips last week! Thank you to our chaperones and sponsors for making sure our students have learning experiences outside the classroom!

Albert H. Hill Middle school was 1 of 49 schools recognized in the state for continuous improvement by the Virginia Department of Education. To earn the award, schools must have met at least one of the following criteria based on performance from school years 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024. Albert Hill met 2 of the 3 criteria!

The school demonstrates an increase:

• in the combined rate for math, reading, and science for each of the past three years, with a total increase across the three years of ten points or more;
• in the combined rate for two or more student groups in reading and math for each of the past three years, with a total increase across the three years of ten points or more; or
• in the GCI for each of the past three years, with a total increase across the three years of four percent or more; and the school demonstrates a decrease in the dropout rate for each of the past three years with the total reduction across three years of fifteen percent or more of the first year’s dropout rate.

Every Tiger, Every Day!

AHMS Parent/Caregiver Conference

Parent/Caregiver conferences will be held on November 7th from 4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. by appointment only. All conferences will be in 10 minute intervals and must be pre-scheduled with teachers. Please email the teacher directly or contact Mrs. Davidson 804-780-6107 to make an appointment.

School Portraits will be delivered soon. Parents still need to order pictures? The NEW Code Lookup Tool is now available. You can simply scan the QR code or go to https://www.strawbridge.net/code-lookup/ and follow the directions to access your child's picture ordering gallery. *Student last name and Student ID number will be required for data security.* Questions about the Code Lookup or are having difficulty navigating the site? Reach out to our Customer Service team via the Live Chat on our website, www.strawbridge.net

Fall Sports photography will be on November 11 during the school day. Flyers will be distributed to athletes in the next few weeks, but the ordering information is attached as well. Sports to be photographed are: Soccer, Girl's Basketball, and Fall Track

Beetlejuice Jr.

If you would like to support the theater program at AHMS Beetlejuice Jr. T-shirts and Hoodies are for sale! https://www.customink.com/g/btk0-00cw-rj1f

Our specialty and governor's schools will host open house events for families to learn more about each school’s unique programs and ask questions about the application process. Please review the list of upcoming open houses and plan accordingly. For additional information, please visit the schools' websites.

• Open High School - Wednesday, November 6, 2024 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
  
• Richmond Community High School - Thursday, November 21, 2024 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
• Franklin Military Academy - Monday, November 25, 2024 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm.

Students are encouraged to use the Tigers T.A.L.K. QR code if they need mental health support or if they would like to report instances of bullying or unkind acts anonymously. The QR code is monitored by one of our school counselors.

RVA MakerFest 2024 on Saturday, November 2nd, 10 am-5 pm at Deep Run High School. Our team has partnered with Build, RVA, and The Build Forward Foundation to revive this event after its 5-year run at the Science Museum pre-covid.

RVA MakerFest is a free public STEAM-focused family and community festival that brings together local makers, inventors, and creators from across Central Virginia, showcasing industrial and DIY making as well as traditional crafts. There will be hands-on demonstrations and activities for all ages:

• Free hands-on activities, interactive workshops including soldering, hand-made professional puppetry, working with natural textiles from local farm animals

• FIRST® Robotics demonstrations

• Meet local makers, tinkerers, hobbyists, and artisans and learn their crafts through live demonstrations including fired glasswork, 3D printing, Ham Radio operators

• Free learn & make to take home, block-printing postcards, hand-stamping metal ornaments, screen-printing designs, eco-friendly crafts, mini LED wands, and more!

The event is designed to celebrate our local maker community in technology and creative fields, inspiring curiosity and creativity in people of all ages!

You can find more information on our event sites:

• Event website: https://www.rvamakerfest.org/

• Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/RVAMakerFest

• Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1019381809579930

RPS Community Corner

Our Community Corner is Richmond's biggest bulletin board! Please share any family- or student-focused opportunities through the form below or by emailing opportunity@rvaschools.net. Each Monday, we'll run upcoming opportunities in Direct — and they'll all live on our website, searchable by location and age. Please note, we are only able to share programs and events that are free or are minimal in cost. If scholarships or financial assistance are provided, please be sure to let us know.

• Spanish

• French

• Russian

• German

• American Sign Language

• Chinese

• Japanese

• Latin

• Italian

• Arabic

Each workshop will allow participating students an opportunity to engage in a series of fun student-led activities, learn about languages offered at Maggie Walker, and experience the life of an MLWGS student. We believe learning about global languages and cultures allows students to become more inclusive, inquisitive, and respectful citizens and learners who see the world with a broadened perspective.

The fee is $5 per student (non-refundable), this includes lunch, which will be a variety of international foods, allowing participants to learn about global cultures while enjoying the multicultural cuisine. Students with allergies or special dietary needs may pack their own lunch. The fee deadline is December 8th, 2024.

We invite you to register via this link and visit our website (MW Language Fair Official Website) for more information. If you run into issues, please feel free to reach out to: mwlanguagefair@gmail.com

*Registration and fee payment closes on December 8th, 2024.

This is a fantastic opportunity for your middle school students to learn more about other languages and cultures, so we highly recommend that you consider registering, as well as checking out our website to learn more.

October 28

Spirit Week Day 1: Marvel Monday

7th Grade CBF Field Trip

October 29

Spirit Week Day 2: Teacher vs. Student Swap

7th Grade CBF Field Trip

October 30

Spirit Week Day 3: Western Wednesday

October 31

Spirit Week Day 4: Thriller Thursday

November 3

RPS Closed: Wellness Day

November 5

RPS Closed: Election Day

November 6

8th Grade Lord of the Flies Trip

November 7

4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. AHMS Parent/Caregiver Conference

6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. PTA Movie Night

November 8

Science Museum: 7th Graders

All students must have a current VHSL physical form dated after May 1, 2024 and signed by a physician before they can try out or participate in any athletic activities. Transportation is provided for in-zone students.

Girls Basketball

Coaches: Mr. Brouder (gbrouder@rvaschools.net), Mr. McLane (jmclane@rvaschools.net)

Cheerleading

Coaches: Ms. West (twest3@rvaschools.net), Ms. Lloyd (clloyd@rvaschools.net)

Soccer

Coach: Mr. Turner (eturner2@rvaschools.net) Mrs. Perry (sperry@rvaschools.net)

Track

Coach: Mr. Brooks (jbrooks8@rvaschools.net)

Athletic Director

Mr. Kyle Kimbrell (kkimbrel@rvaschools.net)

Upcoming Sports
Swim will begin November 11, 2:30-5 pm. Only 10 students will be able to participate. Students signed up to participate on Friday, October 25th. Students will be randomly selected with each grade level having allocated spots (3- 6th and 7th; 4- 8th grade)

Volleyball starts December 4. Tryouts TBD.

Boys Basketball starts December 5. Tryouts TBD.

P: Prepared- I will be in school on time ready to learn.

R: Respectful- I will conduct myself in a way that honors myself, my school, and my community.

I: Integrity- I will do the right thing and make positive choices.

D: Determination- I will not give up in the face of adversity. I am resilient.

E: Exceeding Expectations with Excellence- I will do my personal best everyday.

Every Tiger, Every Day!

Every Tiger, Every Day! Every Day Counts! Thank you for helping us maintain our chronic absenteeism rate last year of 21%! Our goal this year is 15%. WE CAN DO IT!

School attendance is vital to student academic success at all levels.

The Virginia Department of Education defines “chronic absenteeism” as missing ten percent or more of the academic year for any reason (18 days). Truancy is the act of accruing one or more unexcused absences. Though the definition of absenteeism may differ from truancy, the National Center for School Engagement asserts that the outcomes of a student missing class remain constant regardless of how truancy or absenteeism is classified. Several studies suggest that chronic absences frequently lead to notable academic problems.

• Parent/guardians are encouraged to call the school on the day of their child’s absence, but MUST send a written note requesting absences be considered excused upon returning to school. All written notes MUST be submitted to the school within five (5) days of the last absence.

• Excused absences are typically those that have resulted from conditions beyond the control of the students or parents/guardians. The only excuses for absences that shall be deemed acceptable for consideration are:

• Personal illness (if over three days, the school shall require a note from the doctor)

• Personal court appearance (student)

• Death in the family (mother, father, spouse, son, daughter, sister, brother, grandparent, aunt, uncle, nephew or niece)

• Religious holidays regularly observed by the student

• Extenuating circumstances as approved by the school administration

Albert Hill is a Title 1 School. Our fantastic Title 1 coaches, Ms. Collier (Reading) and Ms. Russell (Math) are always available to answer your literacy and mathematics questions. We thank them for sharing information regarding our Title 1 status at Back to School Night Thursday, September 5, 2024.

Title I, Part A provides financial assistance through state educational agencies to school divisions and public schools with high numbers or percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic content and achievement standards.

School divisions target the Title I funds they receive to public schools with the highest percentages of children from low-income families. RPS Title I funded schools are school-wide programs that are designed to upgrade their entire educational programs for all students, particularly the lowest-achieving students.

Please view this schoolwide Title 1 Presentation to learn more! This information can also be found on our school website.

All students are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at no charge each day of the school year. No further action is required of you. Your children will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit an application.

Food deliveries to students from meal delivery services are not permitted at any time during the school day or at after school activities due to safety and to minimize disruptions. Attempted deliveries will be confiscated and will remain in the main office until dismissal. Parents may bring food to students.

If you would like to stay abreast of all of the latest information. Please be sure to sign up to receive Remind messages from our school. You should've already been receiving Remind messages if your student is enrolled. If you are not, you have likely opted out of receiving Remind messages and must change your preferences.

Please also check out the school's website, weekly Tiger Tea (access through school website, social media accounts, or "follow" to receive via email), and follow all school and PTA social media accounts.

-TigerEye ParentLink on Instagram
-Albert Hill Middle PTA private Facebook group
-Albert Hill PTA Facebook account