This looks like a good opportunity to get the area clean before the Richmond Folk Festival the following weekend.
VCU Area/Neighborhood Cleanup This Coming Saturday
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Category Archives: schools
VCU To Host Saturday Forum on Teacher Merit Pay
From press release:
VCU TO HOST OCTOBER 1 FORUM ON MERIT PAY AND TEACHER EVALUATION
There is a heated debate raging across the country about reforms to change the way teachers are paid. Some reformers have argued that the key to keeping the best teachers in the profession is to reward them for their excellence with merit pay. Critics argue that merit pay relies too strongly on standardized tests results that do not validly indicate who is a better teacher than others. The Virginia Department of Education is currently partnering with a small number of districts around the state to test out different merit pay systems.
A forum will be held Saturday, Oct. 1, noon-2 p.m., in the Virginia Commonwealth University Student Commons, Virginia Rooms C and D, 907 Floyd Ave., in Richmond, to bring together a number of speakers who represent diverse opinions regarding this reform. The goal of the forum is to provide a democratic space where these views can be shared, and where the public can join the dialogue.
Panelists will include:
· Kitty Boitnott, Virginia Education Association President
· Gabriel Reich, VCU School of Education Assistant Professor
· Tichi Pinkney Eppes, Greater Richmond Education Reform Alliance
· Stephanie Hooks, Richmond Public Schools
· Mary Tedrow, National Board Certified Teacher
· Martin Reardon, VCU School of Education Associate ProfessorThe forum is sponsored by Richmond Teachers for Social Justice, South Atlantic Philosophy of Education Society, VCU School of Education and the Student Virginia Education Association.
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PHSSA TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR 2ND, 4TH AND 5TH GRADES
From press release:
RICHMOND, VA, September 19, 2011 – Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, a Richmond Public School, will be reopening second, fourth and fifth grades for additional enrollment spots.
Interested families can visit the PHSSA website at www.patrickhenrycharter.org to download an application or can stop by the school at Woodland Heights Baptist Church – Education Center, 611 West 31st Street, Richmond, to pick up an applications. Families will need to complete the application and mail it or drop it off at the school during the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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VCU Sirens Today At Noon
It’s the first Wednesday of the new semster which means VCU will be testing its emergency siren at noon today. Duck and cover, kids.
From Times Dispatch article:
For Richmond residents, the most apparent sign of the testing will involve 10 sirens sounding at noon throughout the Monroe Park and MCV campuses.
The sirens will sound a speedy up-and-down wail for three minutes. Then, after a one-minute pause, the sirens will sound a steady wail for one-minute to signal “all clear” and conclude the test.
Lobs & Lessons Center Hosts Tournament on Sept. 17
From press release:
The inaugural Lobs & Lessons Family Open will serve up to 256 participants from the greater Richmond area on Saturday, September 17th, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. It will be hosted by the Mary and Frances Youth Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.
The event marks the continual partnership between the Lobs & Lessons program and the Richmond Tennis Association to develop QuickStart Tennis (QST) in the greater Richmond area. QST is a teaching format that allows more children the opportunity to experience the game, as the courts and equipment are smaller so they can feel confident. The tournament will ultimately promote QuickStart Tennis for Everyone, giving families the opportunity to play side by side and encourage the reluctant player, whether it is an adult or child.
The Lobs & Lessons Family Open is a QST event held to promote healthy lifestyles and demonstrate that QST is fun at any age, while providing a low-cost tournament opportunity for the greater Richmond area. In addition to promoting the growth of the game, the event will serve as an annual fundraiser for Lobs & Lessons. Doubles teams will have two registration options, one of which is a low-cost entry fee. A second option, “Team Challenge,” will encourage participants to raise money to support Lobs & Lessons. The event is presented by Lobs & Lessons and the Richmond Tennis Association. To register, please visit www.vcuyouthcenter.org.
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The Lobs & Lessons Family Open will be held at the Mary and Frances Youth Center, using the Thalhimer Tennis Center and Cary St. Field, on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The Center is located at 120 South Linden Street, just off of West Cary Street, between Cary Street Field and the Cary Street Gym.
St. Andrew’s School Job Postings
From St. Andrew’s School announcement:
The school will be providing nutricious hot lunches for students Monday through Thursday this year and a cook is needed to plan and prepare those meals. Also, an afternoon receptionist is needed in the school office Monday through Thursday from 3:30-6:00pm. A pianist is needed for a half-hour school chapel on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30am. Jane Page Watson, Assistant Head for the school, is the contact for all of these positions: 648-4545 or jpwatson@st-andrews-school.org.
Girls Rock! at St. Andrew’s
RVANews.com posted a story today about a recent “Girls Rock! RVA Rock Camp held at St. Andrew’s School. An excerpt:
There were fundraising events: songs were played, poetry was slammed, and the camp grew in the minds of its makers. The desire to create far-reaching varied impacts in the lives of area girls grew as well — not only would the camp focus on music, but it would include workshops on things like self defense, mural painting, zinemaking, healthy foods, and creative writing.
Open High one of 4 city schools given waivers for high achievement
Oregon Hill’s Open High School was one of only 4 city schools (among 54 state-wide) awarded waivers from annual accreditation:
Each school receiving a waiver will remain fully accredited for three years. The schools qualified for the flexibility by achieving pass rates of 95 percent or higher in all four tested Standards of Learning (SOL) content areas for two consecutive years.
“The waivers provide an opportunity for high-achieving schools to try new approaches in covering the SOL content without worrying about a potential short-term impact on test scores and accreditation ratings,” Wright said. “I encourage superintendents and principals to empower teachers in these schools to move away from excessive review and practice and focus instead on providing rich and varied instruction that exceeds the standards.”
The 4 Richmond schools given waivers are Bellevue Elementary, Mary Munford Elementary, Open High and Richmond Community High.
(Issue #1) Still No Positive Step From VCU
In regard to Issue #1, at a meeting last week between the Virginia Commonwealth University administration and Monroe Park campus community and neighborhood leaders, VCU President Michael Rao dismissed calls for lasting compacts for the university’s physical expansion and instead suggested that input be given in the next VCU Master Plan process.
The problems with that are numerous:
Oregon Hill residents in particular have no reason to trust VCU’s Master Plan process, simply because VCU now has a history of abruptly changing it’s Master Plan at any point to serve its own purposes. Add VCU’s assumed powers and history of encroachment on top of that, and there is even more reason for nearby neighborhoods to feel threatened. There’s no “community partnership” in that!
Another reason to look askance at the VCU Master Plan process is that Richmond in general has always discounted any citizen input into planning, including it’s own Downtown Master Plan. This city has a bad history of patrician rule that is not above playing racial politics with whole neighborhoods. It’s again worth noting that the initial draft of the City’s Downtown Master Plan asks for more protection of Richmond’s historic neighborhoods.
One thing that I conveyed to President Rao was how the administration’s willingness to disregard community concerns about VCU encroachment in turn fosters a disrespectful attitude from some VCU students and boosters. And it’s not just Oregon Hill that bears the brunt of this arrogance, especially in discussions over possible football stadium locations.
In the end, the VCU Public Relations Department can keep acquiring awards, but until the VCU administration takes the positive step of making a lasting, reliable border agreement with its neighbors who have been asking for one for years, then there can be no true “community partnership”. The thirty+ year siege of Oregon Hill continues.
VCUarts Launches Cinematheque Series
From press release:
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts today announced the introduction this fall of VCUarts Cinematheque, a new series of 10 world and independent art films to be screened at the Grace Street Theater.
Feature films will be projected in 35mm with VCUarts’ brand-new, state-of-the-art projecting system. The system includes a new theatrical screen, Dolby Stereo Surround Audio System and a German Kinoton FP 30D projector. The Grace Street Theater, which is located at 934 W. Grace St., seats 250 people in a stadium-seating layout.
The inaugural Cinematheque season will hold Tuesday screenings that start promptly at 7 p.m. The screenings will be free and open to the public on a first-come basis.
“We are excited that there will be an alternative theatrical film venue in Richmond to present art and world cinema in 35mm in a state-of-the-art movie theater,” said Rob Tregenza, director and professor in the VCUarts Department of Cinema and the programmer for the Cinematheque. “This series will provide a new opportunity for the VCU and Richmond community to experience great films in a setting and format that honors the work.”
Tregenza selected and programmed feature films in the series from current theatrical art house releases, world cinema and classic art cinema with input from the School of the Arts, the School of World Studies and cinephiles from the community.
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