Happy Sunday!

October is Bullying Prevention Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We are asking all students to wear blue tomorrow, October 2nd to show solidarity in Stopping Bullying Now: Stand Up, Speak Up! Each Friday in October, we are also asking students to wear pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Tomorrow is School Custodian Appreciation Day! We are grateful for the service of Ms. Patron and Mr. Hawkes! When you see them tomorrow, please say thank you!

Please join us at our RESCHEDULED first PTA spirit night of the year. It will be hosted at the Willow Lawn Location of &Pizza on Tuesday, October 3rd. They have generously increased their donation from 25% to 30% which becomes our highest spirit night contribution.

Highlights from last week:

• Our girls basketball team opened the season against Lucille Brown. They fought hard and narrowly lost 29-25.

• Congratulations to our Tiger Athlete of the week Reagan Stokes! Head over to our social media pages to view her encouraging message to fellow athletes!

• 6th graders enjoyed Reedy Creek hosted by the James River Park System! Water quality testing, searching for macro invertebrates to indicate stream quality and hiking the Buttermilk trail in search of native wildlife (we found our only native fruit , paw paws!)…. Authentic science learning at its best.

• Ms. Little's classes and our low incidence classes enjoyed the State Fair of VA!

• 7th graders went Paddleboarding hosted by the Crosswind Foundation!

• We hosted our 6th grade sorting ceremony and 1st Element Meeting! Thank you to all of the 7th and 8th grade students who cheerfully welcomed our 6th graders to their new elements!

• Thank you to our amazing PTA for our new banners!

Every Tiger, Every Day!

RESCHEDULED: PTA Spirit Night

Our first PTA spirit night of the 23-24 School Year on October 3rd from 4:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at &Pizza Willow Lawn location. &Pizza has increased their donation from 25% to 30% of sales to our school! Please spread the word!

Boys Basketball Interest Meeting

A boys basketball basketball interest meeting will be held during 6th, 7th, and 8th grade lunches on October 4th, 2023. See flyer below.

Yearbook Club

Do you love taking photos? Interested in print design? Do you want to learn some basic journalism skills? Then please consider joining the Yearbook Staff! We will meet on the first Monday of the month after school from 3:30-4:30. Our first meeting will be next Monday Oct 2nd in Ms. Howard's room, 201. Make sure you can ride the activity bus home or arrange for transportation! Come to learn more about what being on the yearbook staff means and learn how you can contribute to this year's yearbook!

Musical Auditions

If your student is interested in auditioning for a role in our upcoming production of Matilda Jr. Please see interest meeting video and one-pager. Students can audition for a role in the musical or for tech support. Contact Mrs. Vollmer (cvollmer@rvaschools.net) if you have any questions.

Girls Basketball Games

There is a $2 entry fee for all home games! These funds directly support AHMS athletics.

Strong Men and Women Exhibit

From October 3 through November 11, we will be hosting the 2023 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History banner exhibit, courtesy of the Library of Virginia and Dominion Energy. The annual exhibit honors distinguished African Americans, past and present, who have made significant contributions to Virginia, our nation, or their professions.

This year’s honorees are a stock card driver, a nuclear engineer, a minister and civil rights leader, a CEO, a farmer and community activist, and an Air Force pilot.

The exhibit is being coordinated by Mr. Harter.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Bullying Prevention Month

October 2

Wear Blue- Stop Bullying Now: Stand Up, Speak Up

3:30 p.m. Yearbook Club Meeting- Room 201

Panorama Survey Window Opens

School Custodian Appreciation Day

October 3

8th Grade Field Trip: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Strong Men and Women Exhibit

October 4

8th Grade Field Trip: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Boys Basketball Interest Meeting

October 5

8th Grade Field Trip: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

October 6

Boys Basketball Interest Meeting (6th, 7th, and 8th grade lunches)

8th Grade Field Trip: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

National Instructional Coach Appreciation Day

Pink Out Friday

October 13

Pink Out Friday

9:00 a.m.- 10:30 a.m. Folk Festival Ensemble Performance- Kala Ramnath

October 16

8th Grade Field Trip: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

October 17

8th Grade Field Trip: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

October 19

6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. History Night

October 20

Pink Out Friday

Picture Day

History PBA Window Opens

Element Meetings: Flex Bell Schedule

October 25

End of 1st Quarter

Tentative Pumpkin Carving Contest

October 26

Talent Show

October 27

Pink Out Friday

October 30

Spirit Week Begins: Day 1 TBD

October 31

Spirit Week: Day 2 Costume Day! No masks or face paint.

Please join our PTA. The cost is $7.00 per person. We are striving for 100% family participation. You can also encourage friends, neighbors, and extended family to join.

Our PTA supports monthly programming, helps to keep our school and grounds beautiful, supports families who experience hardships, supports our teachers through monthly displays of appreciation, sponsors students for school events, field trips, and materials, and ensures our teachers have everything they need in the classroom. Your membership and generous donations help to support all of these things and more!

There are several available positions on our 2023-2024 PTA Board. Help us continue to provide students and staff with experiences and resources needed to have a fun and memorable middle school experience. To find out more information or to volunteer for any of the roles above, please email alberthillpta@gmail.com with the name of the position you are interested in as the subject.

Show your Tiger Pride and Support the PTA by purchasing Albert Hill Merchandise!

Merchandise Link (Scroll down to access the Spiritwear order form.)

All students must have a current VHSL physical form dated after May 1, 2023 and signed by a physician before they can try out or participate in any athletic activities. Transportation is provided for in-zone students.

Our athletic director is Mr. Kyle Kimbrell. If you have any questions regarding middle school athletics, please email him kkimbrel@rvaschools.net

This Fall we will offer the following sports:

Cheerleading

Coaches: Tiana West (twest3@rvaschools.net); Charmaigne Lloyd (clloyd@rvaschools.net)

Girls Basketball

Coaches:

Head Coach: Mr. Brouder (gbrouder@rvaschools.net)

Assistant Coach: Ms. Gabbart (egabbert@rvaschools.net)

Fall Soccer (co-ed)

Fall Outdoor Track (co-ed)

• The Virginia War Memorial is providing a writing opportunity for grades 6-12. Click here for more information. Due date, October 15.

***NOTE: When registering, please make sure to: Register your kid for ONE workshop for EVERY time session (1 slot for the 9:25-10:10, 1 slot for the 10:20 to 11:05, and 1 slot for the 11:15 to 12:00 pm) Please register with your CHILD’s name (parents, leave your name as a comment)

Youth Ambassador Program - Krista Weatherford, the Director of Programming and Community Engagement at Maymont is looking for youth ages 12-19 to participate in the Youth Ambassadors Program which will start on October 14. Please see the linked flyer for further details.

Virginia Credit Union is offering an opportunity for all Richmond Public School students to jumpstart their savings in 2023-2024. This new initiative, called RPS Saves, is designed to provide families with quality financial literacy programming to prepare all individuals for a brighter financial future. Parents can sign their student(s) up for a Virginia Credit Union Custodial Saving Account using this link. VACU will then cover the $5 membership and deposit $20 in the account to get their savings started!

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.

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!

Core Belief: In order to facilitate an uninterrupted, distraction-free learning environment, all cell phones and electronic devices should be off and away unless teachers expressly permit their use for instruction.

• All classrooms will have signage indicating “Red, Yellow, or Green Zone”

• All classrooms will have a cell phone locker for students who are using cell phones during unauthorized times.

Every Tiger, Every Day! Every Day Counts! Thank you for helping us reduce our chronic absenteeism rate last year from 25% to 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. Newkirk (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 14, 2023.

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 set preferences 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