April 18, 2025

Good Afternoon Raptor Families!

Happy Friday and dare I say we have some beautiful weather on the horizon this weekend. I sure am ready for summer days and to put these 40 degree mornings behind me. This edition of the Raptor Rundown is jam packed with information as we approach another end of the school year. We will be in marking period 6 when Raptors return on Monday and the school year is over May 30 which is not far at all, the year flew by us. As we reflect on the school year, our wonderful school counselors have created space for our Seniors to share about their experiences being a Raptor these past four years during Flex Day on Wednesday, April 23:

• School Counselors will hold an open reflection forum for 12th graders to share their favorite moments with each other over the last 4 years. Seniors will also share “what they wish they knew,” and their wisdom will be passed down to the underclassmen.

As we celebrate our Seniors upcoming graduation, we also want to make sure we are preparing our freshmen and sophomores for their journeys as well. The counseling department has organized this opportunity as well on our next Flex Day:

• Our Reynolds Career Coach, Carolyn Young, will be conducting career exploration sessions with our 9th and 10th graders.

Our school counseling department has been busy as they have also planned our annual College & Career Day that is coming up on April 30:

• Attention all families! On April 30th, CodeRVA will be hosting its 5th annual College and Career Fair. Students will get the opportunity to meet representatives from various colleges, universities, businesses and the military to learn more about some of the many options available for students to pursue after high school. Your student will also have the opportunity to attend focused information sessions about various topics in college and career exploration. We look forward to hosting a fun, informative afternoon with our university, military and business partners throughout Virginia!

Now to the fun! Let’s get our dancing shoes on and get ready for a night of fun! Prom is upon us and will be Friday, April 25, 2025 and we have some reminders for ticket purchasing: 

• Attention all Juniors and Seniors!  Please remember Monday and Tuesday (April 21 and 22) are the last days to buy a Prom ticket.  They can be purchased during breakfast or lunch.  Seniors who have already concluded their classes and are no longer attending on a daily basis can buy their tickets in the main office on Monday and Tuesday.

For our Seniors and families, Graduation is quickly approaching and we have a few updates for you below:

• Attention Families of the Class of 2025! Graduation is one month away and we are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to celebrate our Senior class.

  • If your student is going to attend the ceremony on May 16, they must purchase a CodeRVA cap and gown from Herff Jones

  • If your student is not planning to attend the ceremony, please email Ms. Culbertson (kelly.culbertson@coderva.org) so she can redistribute extra graduation tickets.

  • As mentioned in last week’s Raptor Rundown, both the Senior Exit Survey and the Student Nominated Class Speaker forms are due today, 4/18/25. Please encourage your student to fill both of these out if they have not already done so

• Families of Seniors will be receiving correspondence soon about specific instructions regarding Graduation Rehearsal on 5/15 so stay tuned for that. If you have any questions regarding anything Graduation-related, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Culbertson.

Congratulations to our Seniors, they are almost there and we cannot wait to celebrate with them on May 16 at the Convention Center! As we are all striving to get the end of the school year CodeRVA, I do have a few transportation updates that are upcoming below:

• Attention families coming from Amelia, Henrico, Powhatan, Richmond, and Sussex. Your divisions are closed on Monday, April 21, but CodeRVA is open! Your division should still provide transportation. If there are any changes in times or stops they should communicate that with you directly. Reach out to your division’s transportation office with additional questions.

• VCU Athletic Village construction continues at the corner of Hermitage Road and Rhoadmiller Street. We were made aware that starting on Monday, April 28, Rhoadmiller Street will be closed for at least two weeks to allow the complex to access utilities and integrate storm water run-off systems.  There should be signs marking the detour for you to follow. If you currently use Rhoadmiller to come to CodeRVA, you will need to use Cummings Drive and turn right onto either Hardy Street or Durham Street.  Please stay safe and pay attention to the signs! 

Please be safe and account for the construction traffic change in your commute here. In other safety news, we have a few updates about cell phone/technology policies at CodeRVA. Please review this with your Raptor:

• Attention all Families! We have noticed an increase of students bringing personal devices to school each day. These include laptops, tablets, iPads, etc. Students should not be bringing these items to school. Please discuss with your student the need to leave these items at home. We will be revising our Student Code of Conduct for 2025-26 in light of the law recently passed by the General Assembly related to students’ use of technology during the school day, and now is a good time for students to get used to not having anything during the school day other than their school-issued device. As a reminder, cell phones are permitted for the remainder of the year, except during instructional time and during any other time a teacher requests. Please feel free to contact Dr. Goranson or Mrs. Harmon if you have any questions.

Last but not least, here are the latest updates for community events from our partners at the University of Richmond:

• Free on-campus performances of Urinetown are coming April 17-20. Winner of three Tony Awards, Urinetown is a hilarious musical satire: a terrible water shortage has led to a government ban on private toilets and citizens have to use paid public toilets, owned by a single malevolent company.

• Witness the transformation of American popular music from the 50s during a Cuban Spectacular: From Mambo to Motown on Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. This concert is offered as part of the Department of Music Free Concert Series 2024-2025 Season.

• Save the date for the Big Yard Sale on campus May 16-17. More information coming soon!

• Cool the City Launch Party: On Earth Day, Southside ReLeaf and partners will launch our collaborative “Cool the City” campaign with a fun, family-friendly event.

I know that there were a lot of updates but the end of the year is always busy! I hope everyone gets a moment to enjoy this beautiful weather this weekend! Thank you Raptors and  families, we are almost there! As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at info@coderva.org.

24-25 CodeRVA: Raptor Scholarship Sheet

Need a transcript?  Create a self-service Parchment account here: Ordering a Transcript from Parchment

Previous Raptor Rundown Reminders

Attention Families of the Class of 2025!  Over the past few weeks, we have asked our Seniors to fill out two surveys that pertain to graduation. Our Senior Exit Survey asks questions about their post-secondary plans, including which colleges they were accepted into and how much scholarship money they have been offered. Our Senior Nominated Class Speaker Survey gives Seniors the opportunity to nominate a peer from their class to say a few words at the ceremony before diplomas are distributed. We have reminded them daily in their Raptor Rotations about these surveys, but we also wanted to make you aware. Both of these surveys are due on April 18, and we appreciate your help in making sure your Senior completes them.

Attention all Families of Grade 9 Students!  We will be hosting our first ever CSI (Computer Science Investigations) Showcase and families are welcome to attend.  Stay tuned for more details, but Save the Date now for May 29, 2025.  This will be an Open House style event where you can stop in between 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM.

If your student is planning to attend Prom as a Junior or Senior (or as a guest of a Junior or Senior), please read carefully below.

• Our Junior/Senior CodeRVA Prom will be held Friday, April 25, 2025 at Virginia Union University’s Living and Learning Center from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. (Please use the Richmond Police Training Academy for the GPS address, 1202 West Graham Road, Richmond, VA 23220. Students will use the entrance to VUU directly across the street at the intersection of West Graham Road and School Road.)

• Tickets for Seniors will be $15, while tickets for Juniors and guests will be $20. (Please note: Students with any outstanding school fees may not purchase Prom tickets or attend as a guest until all fees have been paid. Please email our Office Manager (Mrs. Melody Krupnik) at melody.krupnik@coderva.org if you have been receiving fee-related messages and need to pay or request a fee waiver form.)

• The theme for Prom is “Masquerade.” As you shop, please remember that semi-formal attire is required. Student outfits must include either a suit or tuxedo to include a shirt and tie OR a dress with appropriate coverage (must extend to the mid-thigh when standing, sitting, or engaging in physical activity and should not have plunging necklines or backs) AND school appropriate shoes. Clothing that is see-through or torn/cut/ripped to expose the chest, midriff, any area traditionally covered by undergarments or clothing that reveals undergarments themselves is not acceptable. All garments should also meet other dress code expectations in the Standards for Student Conduct. If students are in doubt whether or not an outfit is appropriate, show an administrator a picture of the outfit. Inappropriately dressed students may be refused admittance into the Prom, and no refunds will be issued.  If you are looking for a gently used dress or suit jacket or pants (not a tuxedo style) then please contact your School Counselor to set up a time to shop in our school’s clothes closet.  Students are welcome to keep any items that are borrowed, and we would love to make some space for new items!

• Please note we have already received several questions about whether or not students may wear masks at Prom as part of the Masquerade theme.  For purposes of safety, students must enter the facility without a mask and be admitted by CodeRVA staff through our normal entry processes. Once students are checked in, they can wear masks for the duration of Prom.

• Students may arrive at Prom whenever they would like, but once admitted, students will not be permitted to leave the building and return.

• All students must be picked up promptly at 10 PM.  Please do not believe your student when they say the dance is going longer than 10 PM.  We must clean up and vacate the facility as soon as possible after 10 PM, so the music will 100% stop then.

• Lastly, any student arriving at Prom under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances will not be admitted; will be subject to school-based discipline (including but not limited to being unable to walk at Graduation); and VUU police (who will be on site) will be contacted

• Tickets will be available for purchase (in person purchases only) during breakfast and during all lunches on the following dates: April 8-22 (excluding April 17 and 18). No tickets will be sold after April 22; there will be no exceptions to this deadline. Students may purchase tickets using cash (please bring exact change if you can), check (made payable to CodeRVA Regional High School), or credit card. Students who choose to pay with a credit card will be charged a small processing fee.

• Any student wishing to purchase a guest ticket for a non-CodeRVA guest must submit a properly completed Prom 2025 Guest Form to Ms. L. Dowe or Ms. S. Dowe prior to the purchase. Printed guest forms are available at the front desk starting Monday, April 7.

• We can’t wait to see our Raptors on the dance floor!