Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:
I hope you are doing well. There are several important messages below. I thank you in advance for reading this week's message!
Emergency Response Today
If you have a student on 7 Red or 7 Green, they may talk to you about a situation at our fourth lunch today. A student was choking on part of their lunch and needed the assistance of a teacher and our nurses to dislodge the item. The student is now doing well and receiving follow-up care from medical professionals. Students seated in the Cafe Annex were close to the situation and were moved to the larger cafe during the emergency response. If your child has any thoughts or questions, please check in with them and let us know if they'd like to follow up with a trusted adult at school. Witnessing an emergency situation can certainly trigger some nervousness and unease. Today, like all days, I am proud of how our staff and students responded. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Activity Fee
You likely received a message from the Superintendent's Office last week about the new Activity Fee in the Acton-Boxborough Schools. During the FY25 budget process, the School Committee voted to implement a new Activity Fee of $50 for any student who is a member of any club or student activity for the 2024-2025 school year. By implementing this fee, the District (and RJ Grey) continues to be able to offer the variety of clubs we have historically offered while being able to maintain our contractual obligations to the advisors of these clubs. I point this out in case you skimmed over last week's message.
What does this actually mean for your RJ Grey student? If your child participates in one of our after-school clubs or activities, your family will need to pay the $50 activity fee for your child to continue to participate. Our $50 fee will cover your child's participation in at least one club or activity. As an example, if your child is only interested in joining the Chess Club this year, their $50 fee will cover their participation in that club. If another child chooses to participate in the Chess Club, Board Game Club, and Fit Club, the fee remains $50. In this case, participation in three after-school clubs is covered by one $50 fee.
Since this is the first year of charging this fee, we have waited until October to start publicizing the process for payment, which also gave us time to make plans for how to operationalize this process. You may choose to pay this fee through cash or check, made out to ABRSD. We have begun to use eFunds to collect online payments if that is your preference. Please check out this letter from our Director of Finance for additional information, and for the link to setting up an online payment account.
We have a bunch of clubs already up and running: Art Club, Book Club, Chess Club, Common Ground, Creative Writing, Dungeons & Dragons, Fit Club, Games Club, Green Team Club, Jazz Band, Magic Card Club, Marvel Club, MathCounts, Musical: Frozen, Jr, Ski Club, Student Council, Yearbook. Students who participate in a school sport (Cross Country, soccer, etc.) do not need to pay the activity fee if they only do a sport. Those athletes pay an athletic fee to help defray the cost of their participation. If, however, a soccer player joins a club or two after their season is complete, the student will pay a $50 activity fee.
I hope the above info is clear, but I encourage you to let me know if you have any questions. This additional fee is not an exciting one for us, but it will allow us to continue to offer the enjoyable after-school programming that we're accustomed to. Thank you for your support.
Back to School Night - Thursday, October 17
You are invited to RJ Grey's Back to School Night, next Thursday, October 17. The event starts at 7 pm and ends at 8:40. If you are able to come, I encourage you to plan ahead and time your commute well, as our nearby parking lots fill up quickly. You are free to park in any of the spots at RJ Grey, the Parker-Damon Building, and the High School.
BTSN is one of my favorite events at RJ Grey. There is excitement in the air as parents and guardians navigate our halls and bump into their own friends! You will follow your child's Day 1 schedule and you'll be able to spend 10 minutes in each of your child's classes. This adults-only event is a good opportunity to see your child's teachers, put a face to a name, and know more about what your child will learn this year. Our Back to School Night provides general information about your child's courses and does not include time for individual conversations about your own student. You can always feel free to email the teacher or set up a team meeting for a particular conversation if that feels necessary. You will receive a Parent Square message before next Tuesday with your child's schedule. We will also have hard copies of student schedules in the lobby that evening. I hope to see many of you on October 17!
Minuteman High School Visit
Representatives from Minuteman High School spoke to our 8th graders on Wednesday about their school. Minuteman is the technical school option for students who live in Acton and who would like to pursue a high school opportunity different from ABRHS. Please check in with your 8th grader about their interest in Minuteman - there is an application process, interview, and other steps to be completed before students are accepted at Minuteman. In early November, representatives from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School will speak to 8th graders about the high school experience at AB. Please be in touch with your child's counselor if you have particular questions that we can answer.
Happy Long Weekend!
I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy this long weekend. My family is going to spend a bit of time in Salem on Saturday. I expect we will be one of thousands with the same idea. My wife and kids are huge fans of the Hocus Pocus movies, so I envision several selfies at some of the local spots used in the films. However you choose to spend it, I hope you have a nice weekend.
jmarcotte
Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:
Apologies to you all for my message being delayed by a day. To begin, Shana Tova to all who celebrated the New Year yesterday with Rosh Hashanah. I hope you enjoyed the holiday with your families. I started my day yesterday in the dentist's chair, getting a temporary crown placed on a molar. This was a first for me. It was largely uneventful but has made me extra aware of my kids' teeth-brushing habits. They won't understand that I'm trying to help their 43-year-old selves by saving them some anguish, and cost!
On Wednesday and today, I had the chance to speak with all of our students in team assemblies about how we interrupt hate and bias statements when we hear or see them. I explained the important reasons for creating a community that intervenes on these topics. We practiced some ways to respond when faced with an issue. I was pleased with the overall serious attitude that our students brought to these assemblies. I reminded them that we are still trying to build a joyful, inclusive community of engaged learners, and creating a space where hate and bias reside undermines our attempt to build that community. For anyone interested, here are the slides that I used. The format for students was slightly different. We used a PearDeck presentation which allowed students to interact with the slides and provide some answers to the whole group. Overall, I am pleased that we established the expectations for this type of behavior and we'll continue to build on this work throughout the year.
Health and Wellness update from our Nursing Department:
Back to school brings new friends and new learning opportunities but it can also bring with it common childhood illnesses.
Across the district, we have been seeing an increase in the common cold and upper respiratory illnesses, both of which are spread by droplets (coughing, sneezing, transfer by hands). Students may come to school with minor symptoms as long as they are feeling well enough to engage in their learning. Students should wash their hands frequently, and cover their coughs/sneezes to prevent the spread of infection.
As a reminder, students must stay home when experiencing:
● A fever of 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
● Vomiting or diarrhea.
● Eye(s) that are red, itchy and/or are draining yellowish fluid.
● Cough that is frequent and disruptive to the child’s learning.
● A medical provider suspects a communicable illness (strep throat, conjunctivitis or pink eye, COVID-19, influenza or the flu, etc) and you are awaiting the test results.
● New /undiagnosed rashes.
Students may return to school when:
● Fever has been within normal limits for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen, or ibuprofen (Tylenol/Motrin/Advil for example).
● Vomiting and diarrhea have been resolved for 24 hours and the student feels better and has resumed a normal diet.
● Students prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection may return to school after taking their prescribed medication for at least 24 hours, have been fever-free for 24 hours, and feel well enough to be in school.
● Cough has improved and is tolerated by the student.
Please refer to the Massachusetts Guidance regarding respiratory illnesses which can be found here. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the RJ Grey Health Office.
Please check out the important dates below. I hope you have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:
Before I begin my typical blog-style writing, I wanted to let you know about a Health-related topic at RJ Grey.
It has come to our attention that one case of whooping cough (pertussis) was identified within our RJ Grey Junior High School community. If your child has been determined to be a close contact of this individual, you will be contacted by the Acton Board of Health for further guidance.
A clinical advisory has been issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health regarding pertussis which can be found here. Please contact your child’s primary care provider if you have any questions or concerns or if your child is showing symptoms of pertussis. Please click on this link to learn more about pertussis and its signs and symptoms to watch for.
As always, you are welcome to contact our RJ Grey nurses if you have questions or concerns. Please note that the school nurses need to be mindful of confidentiality and will be limited in what information can be shared.
For my more typical updates:
'Tis the season of Back to School Nights for public schools. I hope you will join us on Thursday, October 17 for RJ Grey's Back to School Night. Starting at 7 pm, we'll have you follow your child's schedule where you'll get to hear from your child's teachers in 10-minute increments. We'll send out more info and schedules as we get closer. I visited my oldest daughter's 5th grade classroom last night for her Back to School Night. It was helpful for me to hear from her teacher, see where she sits, see some of her work on the walls, and check out her desk - it was surprisingly well organized! I hope you'll be able to join us on the 17th!
I am grateful to the individuals who expressed interest in joining the RJ Grey School Council this year. Our returning 8th grade reps are Eden Dunckel and Julie Schwartz. They will be joined by our incoming 7th grade reps: Erica Brown Soto, Krishan Kumar, and Kate Elliot Mayers. The School Council will meet seven times this year and we'll talk about all things related to RJ Grey. The School Council gets to hear about what we're working on and I rely on what they hear in the parent/guardian community. The goal is to work together to make this school a great learning environment for your children. You are always welcome to join a meeting. Check out our School Council site for dates and a Zoom address.
You might have heard from your child about our evacuation drill yesterday afternoon. Every year, we combine one of our required fire drills with an off-site evacuation drill. If we need to leave our building and gather somewhere else during an emergency, our procedure is to walk to the Parker Damon building. Yesterday afternoon, we took over the gym and cafeteria of the McCarthy-Towne and Merriam schools - all planned for a time when those schools had already released for the day. All went as planned and we are pleased that our students have gone through the procedures in case we ever need to use them in a real emergency. We have now completed at least the first of each of our planned drills this year. We'll have at least two more fire drills and one more ALICE drill, but we now have at least a few weeks ahead of us without a planned safety drill. September is a hard month to gain much momentum in the classroom due to many planned interruptions. Here's hoping for a few weeks of calm, engaged learning at RJ Grey!
Finally, with a few weeks under our belts, I want to reshare the processes for late arrivals and early dismissals. We do ask that you let us know if you are dismissing your student ahead of time. This will prevent you from needing to wait if you arrive to dismiss your child. Please see our website with any questions!
Please check out the important dates below. I hope you have a great weekend!
Jim
Thursday, Oct 3: No School for Rosh Hashanah
Monday, Oct 7: Early Release at 1 pm
Tuesday, Oct 8: School Council Mtg #1, 7 pm
Wednesday, Oct 9: Minuteman High School Assemblies for 8th graders
Friday, Oct 11: Pajama Day at RJ Grey
Monday, Oct 14: No School for Indigenous Peoples' Day
Thursday, Oct 17: Back to School Night at RJ Grey, 7 - 9 pm
jmarcotte
Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:
I hope you have been enjoying the beautiful weather that we've had recently. I'm only hoping that we don't have to pay for it this winter. On Monday, we opened up our cafeteria courtyard as an option for students to eat their lunches. Our Phys Ed classes have been able to be outside most days, and I haven't yet needed my umbrella during the morning drop-off routine. All is good with the world!
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On my best days as a principal, I get to wander in and out of classrooms to see what our kids are learning. During my travels this morning, I was able to see 8th graders working on creating shared gifs in their Dig Lit class. Students in 7th grade Health worked together on a word search to find the names of all of their classmates in an effort to build a classroom community. In 7th grade English, students analyzed the poem, Oranges, for use of color and other imagery. And in 7th grade Math, students were practicing and learning about positive and negative numbers. My 30-minute walkthrough showed me that our students are engaged in learning lots of important things throughout their day. I hope your students happily report that they've moved past learning classroom routines, and have now entered the part of the year where they are learning and thinking about new and exciting topics!
On Tuesday, we administered the iReady reading assessment to our students. Next Tuesday, we'll give the math assessment to all students. This particular tool is helpful as we get to know your students as learners. Our mantra as a school for the past three years has been, "Building a joyful, inclusive community of engaged learners." This year, we are focusing deeply on engaged learning and all that comes with it.
At the end of September, when we have iReady data, MCAS results from last spring, and a month or so of knowing your students, we will begin working with some students in small groups during Directed Study. Over the past six months, we've been working to bring to life a Math Workshop and ELA Workshop for our students. If your child is selected to be part of one of these workshop classes, you'll hear from me. As a general description, we are going to look at our data on student learning and determine which students would benefit from some additional time with a content teacher to fill in some gaps in learning. For example, we may realize that a small group of five students would benefit from a thorough review of adding fractions. Another group may need intense practice with working with decimals. We'll select those students and have them start attending a Math Workshop during our Directed Study period for a 6-week session. The goal is to build skills and make sure students are on the path to being proficient at their grade level over time. More to come on our Workshop classes!
If you haven't already done so, please sign up to receive our Daily Announcements email. Please click this link to join our group.
Take care,
Jim
jmarcotte
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Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:
I hope you are doing well and adjusting to the routines that come with a new school year. We continue to enjoy working with your kids every day. They bring great energy and a general level of respect for their peers, teachers, and school. We are off to a good start!
I am sure most of you are aware of another tragic incident of school violence yesterday in Georgia. I read briefly about the incident on my phone while at school yesterday and felt an immediate sense of sorrow. Last night, while flipping through channels when my kids were in bed, I stopped briefly on a news network where the reporter was interviewing students at the school. I could only watch for about a minute before I turned the channel. My whole life is connected to schools. I have been in schools for 180 days or more every year for about the last 38 years. My wife works as a teacher and my three kids attend school every day, just like yours. Continuing to see occasions of terrible violence in schools is shocking and shakes me every time. I chose to watch a rerun of the 80's classic The Golden Girls for a few minutes to change my mood. It worked.
On Friday and again on Tuesday, I led grade-level student assemblies on all things "safety" at RJ Grey. I talked with students about fire drills, showed them maps of our school, and talked through the ALICE protocol for how we would respond if we were ever faced with a school intruder intending to do harm in our building. Students then had a chance to return to homeroom to talk in smaller groups about the specifics of locking down in a classroom, evacuation routes, and other important procedures. We will have several drills this year to help practice our safety routines. Our first fire drill will be tomorrow. We'll have 4 fire drills this year. We'll also have two ALICE drills this year - the first will take place next week.
In addition to locked doors, emergency plans, and technical responses, our overall approach to providing a safe school environment is that we are the safest when we know our students well and we have open lines of communication. When we spend time building relationships with kids through classes, Advisory, clubs, sports, and in other ways, we hope that students build trust to communicate with us when they know something is unsafe or dangerous. Having open communication between our students and their teachers and between our students and you is paramount. If you are ever privy to information that is important for us to know, especially if it relates to school safety, I implore you to be in touch with me or a member of our admin team.
Cartwheel Webinar
We continue to work with Cartwheel Care to provide mental health support to students. Cartwheel will offer sessions for caregivers throughout the year. The first is coming up on Tuesday, September 10:
Topic: The Relationship Between ADHD and Learning Disorders
Date: September 10, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom
Registration: LINK
Fifty percent of youth with ADHD also have a coexisting disorder or diagnosis, such as anxiety, depression, or learning disorders, such as dyslexia. What are the impacts on students who have both ADHD and learning disorders? What can we as parents, caregivers, and school staff do to support kids who may have coexisting symptoms?
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Parent Square
469 of you have signed up to receive our Daily Announcements email. If you haven't already done so, please sign up to receive our Daily Announcements email. Please click this link to join our group.
I am very aware that with the start of the school year, you are receiving lots of messages. I see them from my own kids' schools, too. If you haven't already done so, please take a look at your settings in Parent Square. You can refine how and when you receive messages from RJ Grey. You may want to turn off the text feature if you have the app notifications, as an example. Start here if you'd like to learn more about Parent Square and update your settings. If you have any questions, please let me know!
SBIRT - 7th grade families only
In March of 2016, the state legislature enacted H4056, commonly called the “STEP Act.” This legislation is in direct response to the opioid crisis and is an effort to provide tighter controls on addictive drugs and additional education about substance abuse. As part of the educational component, this legislation requires all public school districts to utilize a screening tool approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and to conduct the screening annually to all students in two different grade levels. At Acton-Boxborough, students in 7th and 9th grade will participate in the screening.
Our 7th grade Health program currently includes a brief unit that introduces topics related to substance use and abuse, and discusses issues related to the use and consumption of nicotine, alcohol and marijuana. Our plan is to include the screening tool during the final lesson of the unit, and involve our counselors and nurses in the delivery of the lesson and completion of the screening tool. Students will be asked to complete a written version of the screening tool which includes a series of questions about exposure and use of specific substances. For your review, I am including a copy of the screening questions with this letter. The screening form will be reviewed by the counselor and nurse, and students may be invited for a follow-up conversation if they indicate an interest in meeting or if their responses meet a set of criteria that the District has established. Please know that parents/guardians of any student who participates in a follow-up meeting for any reason will be contacted by the nurse or counselor. As for when this might take place for your child, students are scheduled to be enrolled in Health class (as part of the Physical Education program) at different points in the year. Some are currently in Health, others may not attend until later in the Spring.
Families will have the right to opt their child out of participating in the screening portion of the SBIRT lesson. If you wish to opt your child out of the screening portion, please email Assistant Principal Elizabeth Broadwater ([email protected]) and submit that request. Regardless of when your child is scheduled for Health class, opt-out requests need to be submitted by September 26, 2024.
Take care,
Jim
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jmarcotte
Welcome!
Good afternoon, RJ Grey families! I hope you all had a safe and relaxing summer! As you know, we welcomed our 7th graders on Wednesday and our 8th graders today. Our students did a great job with our routines and seemed happy to be back. Each grade spent some time in an assembly with us where we were able to revisit our desire to create a joyful, inclusive community of engaged learners. One characteristic of a positive community, for me anyway, is how we welcome those who are brand new. We have close to 30 students who did not attend school in Acton or Boxborough last year. I encouraged all of our students to reach out and connect with someone who is new to make them feel included. I am always impressed by the maturity and willingness that our students show to welcome newcomers. When your child shares a bit about their day, ask them if they met anyone new!
This year, I have decided to share my weekly Eye on the Junior High column with all parent/guardian email addresses. In prior years, families received this message by opting in. I don't want to put more in your inbox than is necessary, but I often write about upcoming events or school-wide topics that are important for everyone to know - not just for those who subscribe. I tend to get these messages out on Thursdays and occasionally on Friday during a busy week! |
School Council Nominations
Every year, I recruit interested parents or guardians who would like to serve on the RJ Grey School Council. The School Council meets with me seven times during the year to talk about school-related items, the School Improvement Plan, and ideas to make our school an even better place to be. I am seeking two parent/guardian reps from the 7th grade. Anyone interested should send me an email with a brief bio and why you're interested. If I hear from more than two parents, we'll hold a virtual election later in September. Thank you for stating your interest by September 13th. You should feel free to view past meeting notes on our School Council website.
Safety Assemblies
Starting tomorrow for 8th grade, and on Tuesday for 7th grade, we will hold our annual safety assemblies. I will speak to students about the important elements of maintaining a safe building. We will review procedures for fire drills and other emergencies, including our ALICE protocol. ALICE is the protocol we would follow if an intruder were to enter our building. I tell students that what we talk about is very unlikely to ever happen at RJ Grey, but we are all better off when we are prepared. We will have two ALICE drills this fall - one in September and one in October. I will be in touch when those drills are upcoming. |
Communication
414 of you have signed up to receive our Daily Announcements email. If you haven't already done so, please sign up to receive our Daily Announcements email. Please click this link to join our group.
I am very aware that with the start of the school year, you are receiving lots of messages. I see them from my own kids' schools, too. If you haven't already done so, please take a look at your settings in Parent Square. You can refine how and when you receive messages from RJ Grey. You may want to turn off the text feature if you have the app notifications, as an example. Start here if you'd like to learn more about Parent Square and update your settings. If you have any questions, please let me know!
Fall Athletics
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All students interested in playing Fall Sports here at RJG need to sign up on Family ID AND have an updated Physical on file with the School Nurse ( [email protected]) by 2:36pm on Friday, August 30th. Students who aren't signed up on Family ID and or who don't have an updated Physical on file will not be allowed to try out for a fall sport.
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Tryouts for all sports except Cross Country start on Tuesday, Sept 3rd. Cross Country will start on Tuesday, Sept 10th. Please visit the Fall Sports Website for additional information about locations, times, coaches, and criteria.
And while tennis is not a sport at RJ Grey, AB Community Ed has a fall tennis offering for RJ Grey students. The Marcus Lewis Tennis Program is offering a program for RJ Grey students this fall. Click here to learn more and register for this Comm Ed program.
I hope your students report that they had a good first (or second) day!
Take care,
Jim |
jmarcotte
Good evening,
I hope you are all doing well. Earlier today, our staff sought some support from the Acton Police Department to help with a student situation; this is something we do fairly regularly throughout the year. I’ve heard a few stories late this afternoon that some number of students interpreted the police presence as something significant affecting the whole building. While respecting the privacy of any student involved, I assure you that today’s student situation was isolated and does not impact the safety of our school. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.
We’ve been really busy at RJ Grey over the past few weeks, so much so that I missed writing to you last Thursday. I know you’ll forgive me! Many of our 7th grade families came to the Civics Fair held yesterday at RJ Grey. Our 7th graders have spent time this spring researching an issue that they deemed important as part of our study of Civics. Many interviewed community members, did research, and came up with interesting questions and some solutions for things like traffic safety, teen mental health, climate change, and other important topics. I was impressed by every student I chatted with about their work. We are all proud of the work of our students and teachers who made this whole event come together. As I write this message tonight in my office, our Empty Bowls event is happening in the cafeteria. I hope some of you got some ice cream, heard our Select Choir sing, and maybe even created some art! The spring is a busy place at RJ Grey, but events like both of these serve as the culmination of a year of hard work by our students and staff and we are glad to celebrate!
Speaking of celebrating, earlier tonight, I spoke at the School Committee about the educators who are retiring from RJ Grey this year. On the last day of school, we will have a school-wide assembly and I will speak about our retirees to our current students. I am always so proud of our students when they give an overwhelming response in recognition of their retiring teachers. We have four retirees this year. If you know them, I’m sure they would welcome a warm email from you!
Ms. Joanne Chadwick is retiring from being one of our Nurses and the Nurse Leader for the District. Joanne helped all of us navigate the return from Covid. She has helped lead the Health Office at RJ Grey for many years by greeting your students, listening to what ails them, and making good plans for their care. I am going to miss Joanne’s humor and positivity at RJ Grey!
Dr. Rick Cowen is retiring from his role as School Psychologist where he has worked for twenty years. Dr. Cowen has worked with hundreds of students and families over the years and has supported all of them along the way. His work with teachers and administrators has always been collaborative and focused on student wellbeing. We wish the best for Dr. Cowen as he retires from our school!
Ms. Jennifer Vacca is retiring from 8 Blue as an English teacher. She began teaching at RJ Grey in 1993 and has taught thousands of students over the years. As a department leader and veteran teacher, she has worked to prepare curriculum for all 8th graders and has helped students foster a love of reading literature. She and colleagues created the annual Trivia contest each March where students compete in small teams! Her work at RJ Grey will be remembered for a long time and we wish her the best in her retirement!
Mrs. Carol Watson has taught both French and Spanish at RJ Grey since 2010. Carol is known for getting her students up and moving in class, and maybe singing and dancing, too. Carol has helped many students develop proficiency in speaking a world language and has inspired many to go on to study French or Spanish in college. Carol has led our Spanish Club at times over the years and has been a coach for the Alpine Ski team at AB. We have huge shoes to fill when Mrs. Watson retires this year, and we wish her the best of luck!
This will be my final Eye on the Junior High message of the year. I hope you have enjoyed these brief snapshots into the daily life of our school. If you are sticking with us for another year, I’ll connect with you again in the fall. If your child is moving on to high school, I wish you and your child the best! I have the pretty amazing privilege of being the principal of a pretty amazing school. Thank you for your support over this year - I deeply appreciate it!
Upcoming Dates
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Fri, June 7: ABRHS Graduation on Leary Field
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Thurs, June 13: 8th grade field trip to Canobie Lake Park
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Fri, June 14: 7th grade field trip to Mel’s Funway Park
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Mon, June 17: No School due to Eid al-Adha
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Tues, June 18: Last day of school, RJ Grey Dismissal at 11:10 am
Take care and have a great summer!
Jim
jmarcotte
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
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Mon, May 27: No School for Memorial Day
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Fri, May 31: 8th Grade Celebration, 7 - 9 pm
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Mon, June 3: Library closed to students after school
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Wed, June 5: Civics Fair
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Thurs, June 6: Empty Bowls Event, 5:30 - 7:00
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Fri, June 7: ABRHS Graduation on Leary Field
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Thurs, June 13: 8th grade field trip to Canobie Lake Park
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Fri, June 14: 7th grade field trip to Mel’s Funway Park
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Mon, June 17: No School due to Eid al-Adha
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Tues, June 18: Last day of school, RJ Grey Dismissal at 11:10 am
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
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
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Fri, May 17: 7th grade dance, 7 - 9 pm
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Mon, May 20: Early Release at 1 pm
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Wed, May 22: Spring Chorus and Orchestra Concert
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Mon, May 27: No School for Memorial Day
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Fri, May 31: 8th Grade Celebration, 7 - 9 pm
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Mon, June 3: Library closed to students after school
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Wed, June 5: Civics Fair
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Thurs, June 6: Empty Bowls Event, 5:30 - 7:00
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Fri, June 7: ABRHS Graduation on Leary Field
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
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
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Fri, May 10: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Gold students
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Mon, May 13: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Blue students
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Mon, May 13: Boxborough Town Meeting
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Wed, May 15: Spring Band Concert
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Thurs, May 16: MCAS Civics Field Test for 8 Blue students
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Fri, May 17: 7th grade dance, 7 - 9 pm
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Mon, May 20: Early Release at 1 pm
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Wed, May 22: Spring Chorus and Orchestra Concert
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Mon, May 27: No School for Memorial Day
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
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