2601 Durham Street, Richmond, VA 23220 804 968 1820 info@coderva.org

November 21, 2025

Nov 24, 2025 | Raptor Rundown

Good afternoon, CodeRVA Families-

 

Your Raptor should be arriving home with their “report card” in hand since they were distributed at school today.  As a reminder, this is a snapshot of your student’s grade as of when grades closed for Marking Period 2.  Students’ grades are not technically finalized until their Marking Period 6 ends.

We have several items for you this week, and please note this will be the last Raptor Rundown for November since we have a very short week next week.

Next week our students will get to enjoy the revived tradition of Puzzle Day!  As previously mentioned, this is a non-academic day where students get to enjoy each other’s company before our first long break of the year.  Students have already had the chance to sign up with their friends to compete in four different types of puzzles throughout the day: Minute to Win It; Logic; Trivia; and Jigsaw.  Teams will earn points and prizes will be awarded!  Thanks as well to our amazing CodeRVA PTSA for providing a pizza lunch (and a salty or sweet snack on the side, as well as a bottle of water) for all our students!  Because we cannot compete with the federal lunch program, all students will get a chance to obtain a full school lunch first and then get their pizza lunch.  Only teenagers’ stomachs can survive this type of food intake!  Please note that if your student is not attending school on Tuesday due to a medical appointment, family travel, etc., please notify our school at info@coderva.org or 804-968-1820 as soon as possible.  We will follow our normal procedures for attendance, and if your school division is not providing transportation, your student’s absence will be coded accordingly.  Please also make every effort to retrieve your student no later than 3:30 PM on Tuesday since our Main Office will be closing a little early.

Attention all 9th grade families!  On Monday November 24, all 9th grade students will be testing their CPR skills during Raptor Rotation. Passing this skill check is a graduation requirement, so please make every effort to keep your student in school during that rotation. However, there will be a make-up day later in the school year for any absent students.

Attention all families of 11th grade Dual Enrollment (DE) students. The drop/withdraw deadlines for J. Sargeant Reynolds J-Term (Winter) courses are listed below:

  • To drop a DE course without penalty or charge (to the school): Monday, November 24, 2025

  • To drop a DE course with a “W” (withdrawal) on your transcript: Friday, December 19, 2025

  • Parents/guardians must contact the School Counselor by 3:00 PM on the dates listed, giving permission to withdraw from the course.

Now that we are in Marking Period 3 and have thoroughly taught and re-taught our expectations for cell phone usage, we have realized we are at a place where we need to implement some additional consequences for a small group of students.  We will continue to utilize parent contacts (most likely an email, but it could be a phone call) for Violations 1 and 2 for students who are accessing their cell phones during the instructional day, and Violation 3 will still be a day of In School Detention, but effective immediately, students who continue to engage in accessing their cellphones during the instructional day will have the following consequences:

  • Violation 4: Student will turn in their cell phone no later than 8:50 AM daily to the Main Office for 4 days.

  • Violation 5: Student will turn in their cell phone no later than 8:50 AM daily to the Main Office for 5 days.

  • Violation 6: Student will turn in their cell phone no later than 8:50 AM daily to the Main Office for 6 days.

We will assume we won’t have students exceeding 6 violations within one school year, but if we do, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.  If you have questions about these changes, please let Dr. Goranson or Dr. Harmon know immediately.  Thank you!

Next, here are two items from our pals at the Virginia Department of Education we have been asked to pass along.

  • Free Financial Aid Help Desk : Help is available for Virginia students and families who are filling out the recently available Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) announced a financial aid help desk and a new series of free webinars to support completion of the application. 

  • Students can text “Hello” to 434-478-4003 and receive answers to their financial aid questions from an expert within 24 business hours. The service is available at no cost to Virginia students and is part of SCHEV’s efforts to ensure that no student leaves financial aid funding on the table.

  • In addition to text-based support, SCHEV has partnered with uAspire, a national non-profit focused on college affordability, to host a six-part webinar series for students and families. Each one-hour session offers guidance on the following financial aid topics:

    • FAFSA Completion

    • Financial Aid for Current College Students

    • Scholarship Basics and Tips

    • Next Steps After the FAFSA

    • Financial Aid Offer Review

    • Summer Steps for Financial Aid

  • Registration links and details are available on the financial aid events webpage.

  • VA250 Passport: 70 Leading History Attractions in Virginia Launch First-of-its-Kind Statewide Commemorative Passport in Celebration of America’s 250th

    • The Virginia Department of Education is proud to announce the Virginia 250 Passport in partnership with the VA250 Commission and supported by the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC). In 2026, the United States marks its 250th anniversary. This historic milestone—extraordinary in our lifetimes—provides the ideal moment to come together, better understand our shared past, and renew our commitment to the pursuit of A More Perfect Union.

    • In partnership, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC), Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Virginia Tourism Corporation, and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission created the Virginia 250 Passport.

    • This commemorative passport is a history travel guide, discount book, and 250th keepsake! From November 11, 2025, through December 31, 2026, participants can collect unique stamps at 70 history sites and museums across the Commonwealth, receive special pricing on admission, and enter to win prizes. Passports are available at no cost at the VMHC and select locations across the state.

    • Hear from Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin about the statewide launch of the Virginia 250 Passport here. Learn more at https://virginiahistory.org/250passport

Last but not least today, here is a cool opportunity our students might want to participate in, but they must obtain permission from their families before doing so.  Please see the message below from our partners at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles:

  • Be Part of the Future of Driver Education!

    • Learning to drive is a major milestone, but the way we prepare for it hasn’t changed in 100 years. For generations, new drivers have studied for the permit exam by reading a pamphlet and taking a multiple-choice exam. But today, we have better tools, like engaging videos, interactive content, and self-assessments, that can make learning more effective and meaningful. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is embarking on a bold journey to revolutionize the driver learning experience, and we want your student to be a part of it.

    • In partnership with SingleStone Consulting, the DMV is looking for students to share their experiences preparing for the driver’s permit exam. Whether your student(s) is currently studying or completed the process, their insights can help shape the future of driver education in Virginia.

    • Through a short survey, your student(s) can help us understand how students study, where they are in the process, what challenges they face, and how the DMV can improve the learning experience for future drivers across Virginia. Your student’s feedback will directly shape new tools and resources designed to make studying the driver’s license manual easier, more engaging, and effective for everyone. We also encourage parents to complete the survey alongside their student(s) to provide well-rounded feedback.

    • With parental permission, students will also have an opportunity to participate in additional activities by connecting with SingleStone team members after the survey to share more about their study experiences, provide feedback on design ideas, and try out early versions of new study tools created through this project.

    • Parental permission will be required before students can complete the survey or any additional activities.

    • Access the survey here: https://forms.office.com/r/cQxw7shN1g

That is it for today, Raptors!  I hope each of your families is able to relax and recharge over the Thanksgiving Break, whether you are celebrating that holiday or not.  Please remember our staff will not be checking their email while school is closed, so if you have any questions for your student’s teachers, please send those in on Monday so our staff can respond before they leave for the break.

I told my staff I count this school, both staff and students, in my blessings when I reflect at this time of year.  Thank you for trusting us with educating your students, and I look forward to closing out calendar year 2025 with strong academic achievement and a renewed emphasis on creating a caring school community through appropriate behavior choices.

Have a great weekend!

#WeAreCodeRVA