R.J. Grey Junior High School

Good afternoon,

We had a great time last Friday night at the 7th grade end-of-year celebration. Our students were well-behaved, enjoyed plentiful food and drink, and loved the music and dancing. We have our 8th grade celebration next Friday (May 31) from 7 - 9 pm in the cafeteria. If you are able to contribute in some way, the PTSO has set up a convenient SignUp Genius to share what we need for the event to be successful!

If your oldest child is at RJ Grey right now, or if you haven’t yet had a Senior go through ABRHS, you may not know much about AB Project Graduation. Project Graduation is a massive undertaking whose website shares their goal: For over 34 years, we've hosted a substance-free Project Graduation Grad Night for ABRHS seniors, thanks to dedicated volunteers and generous donors. Join us in our mission to provide a safe celebration, free from alcohol and drugs, exclusively for the graduating seniors of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. Project Graduation is successful because a ton of parents and guardians of younger children volunteer their creative talents and spend time staffing the event on the night of graduation. Senior parents are not involved in Project Graduation, so that forces parents of underclassmen to come together as volunteers in many areas. Please see the Project Graduation site to see how you can participate and pay it forward for when your own children will have the chance to celebrate safely when they graduate from AB!

Our annual Empty Bowls event is coming up on Thursday, June 6 from 5:30 - 7:00 in our cafeteria and courtyard area. With your donation, you’ll be able to fill your bowl with ice cream and toppings, see some beautiful student-made artwork, and listen to our Select Choir. Please consider joining us for this fun tradition that serves as a showcase for student art and a donation to the Acton Food Pantry.

I wish all of you a happy Memorial Day weekend! My weekend will include a graduation party and some yard work. As we remember those who sacrificed their lives for our country, I hope you enjoy some time with friends and family. 

Upcoming Dates

• Mon, May 27: No School for Memorial Day

• Fri, May 31: 8th Grade Celebration, 7 - 9 pm

• Mon, June 3: Library closed to students after school

• Wed, June 5: Civics Fair

• Thurs, June 6: Empty Bowls Event, 5:30 - 7:00

• Fri, June 7: ABRHS Graduation on Leary Field

• Thurs, June 13: 8th grade field trip to Canobie Lake Park

• Fri, June 14: 7th grade field trip to Mel’s Funway Park

• Mon, June 17: No School due to Eid al-Adha

• Tues, June 18: Last day of school, RJ Grey Dismissal at 11:10 am

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

We were grateful when several months ago, leaders in the town of Boxborough reached out to find out how they could be helpful in the work that we do with Civics as part of our 7th grade social studies curriculum. We had several representatives visit and talk with our 7th graders this week. Boxborough Town Planner Alec Wade, Town Clerk Becky Harris, and Recreation Board Member Megan Connor spoke to 7th grade students about civic engagement as a kickoff to our annual civics project. They shared their backgrounds in local government and provided a look into how the government works on a day-to-day basis. The presentation also highlighted many ways that kids can get involved in their local community. Students will now be tasked with identifying local and regional issues facing the community which will culminate in a Civics Fair on June 5th. Be on the lookout for more information about the civics fair from your 7th grader’s social studies teacher. 

We have a Celebration/Dance tomorrow night for RJ Grey 7th graders. We’ve sold lots of tickets, and we’re happy to host this exciting opportunity for our students. A reminder to all adults - the event ends promptly at 9:00 - believe me that we are not shy in turning on the gym lights at 9:00! Your on-time arrival will save your child a bit of embarrassment by hanging with me until a ride arrives! I recommend that you all park in one of our parking lots as you wait for your child. If your child has a phone, text them your location, or you could choose to walk up to the gym catch the eye of your student. It is safer for all of us to not have cars idle outside the gym or in the front circle.

In two weeks, on Friday, May 31, we’ll host our 8th grade end-of-year celebration. The PTSO helps us out in a major way with this event, including with volunteers to set up the space, clean up at the end, and to provide our students with plenty of food and drink. Please see the SignUp Genius link here to let us know how you can be helpful. We will have plenty of staff chaperones for this event, so we don’t need parents to be present during the event. But we do need your support in other ways. Thank you in advance for your help!

Our Creative Writing Club had a really engaged group of writers this year - so much that they created their own Literary Magazine, Writer’s Haven. I invite you to check out their beautiful project. Special thanks to Mrs. Bryan, 7 Gold English teacher, for working with these students all year!

Finally, I am doing a little reconnaissance to see if you, or anyone you know, is interested in working at a welcoming, joyful, awesome place (RJ Grey). We have two openings: a part-time (.6) Spanish teacher, and a .6 Multilingual teacher. You win the real bonus prize if you know someone who is licensed in both areas, to round out a full-time position. If you know someone who is licensed and interested in either of these content areas, please put them directly in contact with me!

Upcoming Dates

• Fri, May 17: 7th grade dance, 7 - 9 pm

• Mon, May 20: Early Release at 1 pm

• Wed, May 22: Spring Chorus and Orchestra Concert

• Mon, May 27: No School for Memorial Day

• Fri, May 31: 8th Grade Celebration, 7 - 9 pm

• Mon, June 3: Library closed to students after school

• Wed, June 5: Civics Fair

• Thurs, June 6: Empty Bowls Event, 5:30 - 7:00

• Fri, June 7: ABRHS Graduation on Leary Field

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

We conducted our second student survey of the year last Friday. In Advisory, students spent between 10 and 12 minutes answering a series of questions about their school experience. We are pleased that our students report a consistently positive experience since the first version of the survey was given in December. 89% of students report having a trusted adult at RJ Grey. Even higher percentages of students report having a trusted adult at home (93%) and having a peer/friend (95%) to trust at school. We know that when students have a trusted adult in their homes and at school, they will feel more confident and are better able to learn. We are very pleased to see the data from this survey, as it affirms the work that we’ve been focusing on for several years.

As the school year comes to an end, we have some exciting events for students in the next few weeks. On May 17, we will host an evening dance for our 7th graders. From 7 - 9, students will gather in the gym and enjoy time dancing, singing, and hanging out with friends. Similarly, on May 31, our 8th graders will have the chance to end their year in a fun way with their own dance. The 8th grade end-of-year dance is held in the cafeteria and is a special night as they wrap up their time at RJ Grey. I encourage you to ask your child if they’re planning to attend. Tickets for the 7th grade dance are on sale now through next Thursday. Tickets for the 8th grade event will go on sale in a few weeks.

Additionally, each grade will have a year-end field trip. On Thursday, June 13, our 8th graders will travel to Canobie Lake Park. On Friday, June 14, our 7th graders will enjoy Mel’s Funway Park for their year-end celebration. Permission slips for both trips have been distributed to students. We request that permission slips and payment be returned before Friday, May 31 so that we can account for all students, tickets, and buses. If your family needs financial assistance for these trips, please be in touch with me; we are happy to help to ensure that all students can enjoy these fun trips.

Upcoming Dates

• Fri, May 10: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Gold students

• Mon, May 13: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Blue students

• Mon, May 13: Boxborough Town Meeting

• Wed, May 15: Spring Band Concert

• Thurs, May 16: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Blue students

• Fri, May 17: 7th grade dance, 7 - 9 pm

• Mon, May 20: Early Release at 1 pm

• Wed, May 22: Spring Chorus and Orchestra Concert

• Mon, May 27: No School for Memorial Day

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

Today is Day 149 of the school year at RJ Grey. With just 31 days to go, there is a lot going on. Interim Reports, marking the mid-point of the final term, were emailed home today. Teachers submit interim reports if there is cause for concern, including low grades on assessments, changes in homework completion, or other reasons. If you have a question about an interim report that your child cannot answer, please be in touch with the classroom teacher. These last few weeks will include additional learning, projects, assessments, and some fun stuff, too. If your child needs a little boost to be ready to tackle the remaining academic work of the year, this is a good time to give that pep talk! Let us know if we can help you with that.

Next week is the nationally recognized Teacher Appreciation Week. I will certainly express my thanks to our teachers next week, and always. I am someone who knew since 6th grade that I wanted to be a teacher. That’s when I had the first male teacher of my career - Mr. Kludjian at the Wang Middle School in Lowell.  I’m sure you all have a handful of teachers from your own career that stand out as memorable. I continue to be in awe of teachers who show up every day, care for 100+ students, and teach them lessons, planned and unplanned, big and small. I truly appreciate our teachers at RJ Grey and I hope you do, too. If you have a minute to share a word of thanks to your child’s teachers this spring, I know they will appreciate it. 

Each spring, we at RJ Grey live in a world of transition. We are welcoming 6th graders, we are saying goodbye to 8th graders, and we make plans for our 7th graders. If you have plans that include sending your child to a school outside of AB next year, please let us know by completing page 1 of this withdrawal form and returning it to our Counseling Office ([email protected]). This includes if your child plans to attend Minuteman High School or a private school. Knowing who we can expect to return to RJ Grey or ABRHS next year makes our planning go more smoothly. Please let me or Kerry Lewis know if you have any questions or need to talk about your plans.

Finally, there is an upcoming webinar that may be of interest to some of you: 

Finding the Words: Talking to Youth about Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Sometimes it can be hard to find the words to talk to kids and teens about certain topics. As parents and caring adults, we may feel nervous about saying the wrong thing or making matters worse. However, research shows that when it comes to topics like suicidality - talking is helpful, not harmful. Join Cartwheel and guest speaker Chris Smith, LCSW to learn practical tips and scripts for how to speak with kids and teens about mental health topics, including suicide prevention. We'll discuss how to break down communication barriers and let your child know that you're available to support them.

Tuesday, May 7 at 7:30 pm on Zoom: Click here to register

Upcoming Dates

• Mon, May 6: MCAS Math 7

• Mon, May 6: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Gold students

• Mon, May 6: Library closed after school

• Mon, May 6: Acton Town Meeting

• Tues, May 7: MCAS Science/Tech 8

• Wed, May 8: School Council, 7 pm

• Fri, May 10: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Gold students

• Mon, May 13: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Blue students

• Mon, May 13: Boxborough Town Meeting

• Wed, May 15: Spring Band Concert

• Thurs, May 16: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Blue students

• Fri, May 17: 7th grade dance, 7 - 9 pm

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim