R.J. Grey Junior High School

Good afternoon,

If you’re my age or older, and you grew up around here, I bet you share the sentiment that there was no better feeling than a snow day! Waking up and finding out there was no school by listening to the radio, and in later years seeing it on TV was a thrill. It was only surpassed once or twice in my school career by a “no school” call the night before! I make no projection about how tomorrow’s weather could impact our school day. That role gets reserved for Mr. Light. But on the eve of some inclement weather, I hope you’re prepared with your shovel and other gear.

We are anticipating hosting our students for Summer Fun in Winter tomorrow afternoon.  I have my Hawaiian shirt ready to go, having last worn it just about one year ago for last year’s Hawaiian Shirt Day. Representatives from ABSAF will be attending the event, ready to sell some of their AB gear. If your child would be interested in purchasing an AB bucket hat, please see this flyer for more details about the cost and how to pay.

You may have heard that Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools have partnered this year with Cartwheel Care to provide outside-of-school mental health support to our students. The new partnership with us and Cartwheel has been really great. As part of our relationship, Cartwheel is sponsoring 5 webinars for caregivers this year. The first will take place on Wednesday, January 25 at 7pm. The topic, Youth Mental Health in a Digital World is relevant and important to all of our students. I encourage you to join the webinar next Wednesday. Please click here to see more details and the link to register.

Finally, I am previewing for all 8th grade families that you’ll be hearing from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School soon about their 9th grade Transition Night. Please mark Thursday,  February 9th in your calendar for an in-person evening event at ABRHS.  Keep your eyes open for an email message to your inbox with more details.

Here are some dates to be aware of:

• Friday, 1/20/23: Hawaiian Shirt Day and Summer Fun in Winter activity after school

• Tuesday, 1/24/23: Last Day of Semester 1, Exploratory classes change on 1/25/23

• Wednesday, 1/25/23: Winter Orchestra and Chorus Concert, 7 pm

• Wednesday, 1/25/23: Youth Mental Health in a Digital World Webinar

• Monday, 1/30/23: Early Release at 1 pm

• Tuesday, 1/31/23: 7 Red SOS Lesson

• Thursday, 2/2/23: 7 Green SOS Lesson

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good evening,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a safe and healthy holiday season and New Year. My three kids received a family Christmas gift this year: a Nintendo Switch. They’re becoming familiar with the ins and outs of Mario Kart. My wife and I congratulate them when they don’t finish in last place! Meanwhile, she and I regularly battle to come in first…evoking our own Mario Kart experiences from when we were young! I hope you, too, had some quality time with your children over the vacation!

I have treated the January re-start as a way to focus on a few areas: organization and timeliness, as my own work-related examples. With only three school days into this year, I think I’m doing pretty well! I’d encourage you to ask your RJ Grey student if there are areas where they might focus some attention. For some students, I’d want to direct some focus on on-time arrival to school. We know that traffic around campus is not easy…but that’s something we can predict will be challenging every day between 7:45 and 8:00. Our assistant principals spend a lot of time monitoring students who are frequently tardy or absent from school. If you find yourself struggling with getting your child to school on time, or at all, please reach out to us. We’re happy to talk with families about creating evening and morning routines that yield smoother mornings and on-time arrivals. Please know that this commentary applies to only a small percentage of our families, so most of you can disregard this plea, and you can focus on a different new year intention! 

I want to thank our PTSO, and subsequently, all of you, for sponsoring a lunch for the RJ Grey staff in December. We all enjoyed burritos, salad, and chips from Oscar’s the week before vacation. We have a great relationship with our PTSO. They have financially supported us this year with our student plan books, Revolution t-shirts, and student council events. If you haven’t yet financially supported the PTSO this year, feel free to do so on their website. They’re a great partner and we appreciate their support!

The Superintendent’s Office has asked us to share two community flyers with you all. Please check them out if you’re interested:

• Basketball clinic for students in grades 3 - 9

• Boxborough Emergency Assistance Program

Here are some dates to be aware of:

• Monday, 1/9/23: Early Release at 1 pm

• Monday, 1/9/23: School Council meeting at 7 pm on Zoom

• Tuesday, 1/10/23: iReady ELA Diagnostic for all students

• Monday, 1/16/23: No School for MLK, Jr. Day

• Wednesday, 1/18/23: Winter Band Concert

• Thursday, 1/19/23: iReady Math Diagnostic for all students

• Friday, 1/20/23: Hawaiian Shirt Day and Summer Fun in Winter activity after school

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good afternoon,

We are just about one day away from the start of our vacation week. For students, the week before a vacation is always a balance between excitement for vacation and maybe holidays, while simultaneously finishing up work in classes and taking end-of-unit assessments. 

For the adults, it often feels like a crawl to the finish line. There were some hints from the universe today that I might be ready for a break just as much as our students. I received a thoughtful gift from a colleague and friend with the note, “I was searching for a book that could be a real escape. Hope this is it!” When I was on lunch duty, another colleague stated, “You look really tired.” That was the not-very-subtle comment. I blame that comment on my wearing a mask where the only visible part of my face was my eyes. I was kind in my response, but yes, my eyes do show that I’m tired! The December vacation always marks a great time for some serious rest and rejuvenation before we start the new year in just over a week. 

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, another holiday, or just a school vacation, I hope you have an enjoyable and safe time with your friends and family. 

Here are some dates to be aware of when we return in 2023:

• Friday, 12/23: Last day before vacation, 2:36 dismissal

• Tuesday, 1/3/23: Schools reopen after vacation

• Monday, 1/9/23: Early Release at 1 pm

• Monday, 1/9/23: School Council meeting at 7 pm on Zoom

• Tuesday, 1/10/23: iReady ELA Diagnostic for all students

• Monday, 1/16/23: No School for MLK, Jr. Day

• Wednesday, 1/18/23: Winter Band Concert

• Thursday, 1/19/23: iReady Math Diagnostic for all students

• Friday, 1/20/23: Hawaiian Shirt Day and Summer Fun in Winter activity after school

Take care and have a great week,
Jim

Good afternoon,

I hope you are all doing well this week. You heard from me earlier this week regarding the graffiti that was appearing in some of our bathrooms. Yesterday’s Advisory conversations about the graffiti went well according to many of the teachers I’ve spoken with. I found our students to be engaged with the topic and truly bothered by what we described as happening. It’s when we’ve been faced with challenging situations that it becomes even more apparent to me that the extreme majority of our students are kind, thoughtful, and care about their classmates and their school. I very much appreciate our students’ proactive and engaged response to this situation. If your child has any information to share as to who might be responsible for the graffiti, please encourage them to reach out to me or a trusted adult so that we can put some closure to this issue.

You might be reading this message knowing that your own child missed Advisory yesterday because they were at home sick. Just about 10% of our students were absent each day this week. We have a few cases of Covid, but otherwise, we’ve seen the flu, strep, the common cold, and other viruses that are keeping kids home. We appreciate that kids are home recovering rather than coming to school while sick. We’ve also had a lot of teachers out this week with similar ailments. We’ve all been pitching in to cover classes - which reminds me that if you’re interested in becoming a substitute teacher at RJ Grey, we’re hiring! We’ll provide you with a mask if you want one! I hope your families all remain relatively healthy as we head into the vacation and holiday season.

With the upcoming vacation and holiday season, I know some of you have considered or have even already made plans for giving gifts to teachers. My own wife was just wrapping up small tokens of appreciation for our daughters’ many dance teachers. No RJ Grey teacher expects gifts and no family should ever feel obligated to provide one! A kind email or word of thanks to a teacher goes quite a long way! However, if you’re committed to giving a gift, please know that there are state ethics laws that limit gifts that teachers, coaches, and staff are permitted to receive. School staff cannot accept gifts from a single family that amount to $50 or more in value for the entire school year. Sadly, I had to return a pair of Red Sox tickets many years ago from a father who felt bad watching me direct traffic each morning. The gesture was very kind, but I was not able to accept the tickets. And they were good seats, too. 

Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:

• Friday, 12/16: Formal Dress Day at RJ Grey

• Monday, 12/19: Early Release, 1 pm

• Friday, 12/23: Last day before vacation, 2:36 dismissal

• Tuesday, 1/3/23: Schools reopen after vacation

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good afternoon,

I hope many of you were able to see Oliver, Jr. last weekend. I was very impressed with all of our singers, dancers, and actors. Singing with a British accent is quite a challenge, I’m sure! And I was equally impressed with the seamless set changes, costume changes, and lighting sequences. All of our students who worked on the crew were an instrumental part of the production. Thanks to all the families who supported their kids with learning lines, juggling pick-up after long rehearsals, and providing support for the show. 

This is the season of giving at RJ Grey! Last week, I commented on the Coat Drive, sponsored by the Student Council. Bring any used coats in good condition to RJ Grey through December 15. We also are a drop-off site for Toys for Tots. This drive asks for new, unwrapped toys to be delivered through December 16. And finally, 7 Gold is sponsoring a Canned Food Drive through December 14 to benefit the Acton Food Pantry. If supporting any of these drives is available to you and your family, we welcome your donations!

We have wrapped up Trimester 1 at RJ Grey. Not all classes operate on a trimester, but all of our team-based classes have closed grades for the first ⅓ of the year. We also recently changed trimester-long Grey Block Elective classes. Teachers have submitted grades and we now spend a few days double-checking grades and comments before emailing report cards next Wednesday, December 14. For some of your students, this may be their first time receiving “grades.” RJ Grey operates on a system where we issue letter grades (A-, B+, etc.) for our team-based classes. We tend to give a Pass or Fail to our off-team classes (Phys Ed, Art, etc.). If you have questions when you see your child’s report card, I’d ask you to start by talking with your child. If you have other questions beyond what your child might be able to answer, I encourage you to connect with the individual teacher. 

And finally, grading leads me to think about family communication. I wrote to families back in September about our plans for family communication this year. In most other years, I’d spend this week writing about the three upcoming early release days to allow for parent conferences. This year, we chose to prioritize time spent in school for full days, over early release days to allow for 5-minute parent conferences. However, we still have a goal of strong communication with families. If you would benefit from hearing more from a teacher, please reach out to the teacher. While our teachers do a great job of connecting when they see challenges, they often cannot get to all of you even with a bit of good news. If you are seeking some feedback, please be in touch. If you sense more of a global issue, it might be appropriate to set up a team meeting. A team meeting is a 20-minute block of time during the school day when a family can meet with the 4 or 5 team teachers and the counselor for your child. While team meetings are necessary for some students, they are not necessary for many. If you are concerned about your child and are interested in a team meeting, please reach out to Christina Pharo ([email protected]) to learn when the next available meeting could be.

Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:

• Wednesday, 12/14: Last day of PE/Health for Rotation 2

• Wednesday, 12/14: Trimester 1 Report Cards emailed home

• Friday, 12/16: Formal Dress Day at RJ Grey

• Monday, 12/19: Early Release, 1 pm

• Friday, 12/23: Last day before vacation, 2:36 dismissal

• Tuesday, 1/3/23: Schools reopen after vacation

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good evening,

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends. Before we left for the holiday last Wednesday, we hosted two assemblies in our gym. Our chorus, band, and orchestra all played. We had turkey drawing contests and a relay race, and we had some great student council members as our MC’s. All in all, it was a great way to spend part of that early release day. One 7th grader asked me, “Mr. Marcotte - do we ever do this again? It’s so fun!” The answer is yes, traditionally before February vacation we have Blue and Gold Day, complete with a similar assembly. I hope your students had a good experience at this event. 

Our annual musical opened last night. Oliver, Jr has shows tonight and tomorrow night at 7 pm and on Sunday at 2 pm. Tickets will be sold at the door if you don’t already have yours. If you’d like to see a Behind the Scenes video about the production, please check out this video, produced by Acton TV. The student performers, the crew, the musicians, and our staff advisors all deserve a huge thank you for their months-long commitment to this show. Please check it out if you can!

If you do come to see the musical this weekend, or anytime through December 16th, please consider bringing a gently used coat for a donation. Our Student Council is beginning our annual Coat Drive at RJ Grey. There is a bin in the center of our lobby - feel free to bring gently used coats and we’ll take care of the rest!

Finally, if you or someone you know is interested in learning more about being a special education assistant at RJ Grey, we have a few openings. Please be in touch with me to learn more!

Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:

• Friday, 12/2: Oliver, Jr. Performance at 7 pm

• Saturday, 12/3: Oliver, Jr. Performance at 7 pm

• Sunday, 12/4: Oliver, Jr. Performance at 2 pm

• Monday, 12/5: Early Release at 1 pm

• Tuesday, 12/6: Field trip for interested 8th graders to Minuteman High School

• Wednesday, 12/14: Last day of PE/Health for Rotation 2

• Wednesday, 12/14: Trimester 1 Report Cards emailed home

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good evening,

We have good news to share about Junior’s recovery. He is awake and responding to his family and friends. Thank you again for all of the support you’ve offered him and his family over the past two weeks. As we head into the season where gratitude is a frequent topic of conversation, we can certainly be grateful for continued good news.

While it is only November, some families are considering what ninth grade might look like for their children. I will always encourage our students to continue to attend school in Acton-Boxborough by attending ABRHS in grade 9. I taught Spanish at ABRHS starting in 2005 and I was an assistant principal there for four years prior to coming to RJ Grey in 2012. I’m married to an AB grad and have a whole set of in-laws who had great years at ABRHS. It’s a great school with a ton of dedicated teachers, many of whom I still consider friends. While some families use the fall to consider private schools or technical schools, please know that you’ll all hear from our high school starting in February about the transition process for next year.

Because there are deadlines and processes to follow when applying to technical or private schools, I want to highlight a few elements you'll need to know.

Technical high schools: The Town of Acton belongs to the Minuteman Regional School District. Our 8th graders who live in Acton and wish to attend a technical school apply to Minuteman High School. Minuteman has a process for reviewing applications and will offer admission to students from member towns based on set criteria. In December, we’ll have a chance to take a bus of interested 8th graders (from both towns) to Minuteman for a tour. Pay attention to our daily announcements for more details on this trip.

The Town of Boxborough does not belong to the Minuteman Regional School District. Boxborough students who wish to apply to Minuteman apply as non-resident members. Students from Boxborough also have the choice to apply to Assabet Valley Technical High School (Marlborough) or Nashoba Technical High School (Westford). In all three cases, the students apply as residents of non-member towns. Our counselors are helpful in talking through options with you or your child. If your child lives in Boxborough and wants to learn more about technical school options, please connect with their counselor. 

Private Schools: Students in either grade may be considering attending a private school next year. This is also a step that starts in the fall, so if you’ve considered applying to a private school, please click here to access information on our Counseling website related to Private School Applications.

Your child will often need recommendations from a counselor and several teachers. Below is a paragraph I’ve stolen from my predecessor, Mr. Shen, about seeking these recommendations: 

Our teachers and counselors are happy to support students in their applications, and take seriously the crafting of a recommendation.  With that in mind, we ask that families honor the request that teachers be approached about letters of recommendation at least 4 weeks in advance of when those letters are due.  In many situations, parents initially reach out to teachers on behalf of their child, which is perfectly fine.  It’s also important for the student to connect with their teachers first about their interest in private schools.  This is valuable for a few reasons.  First, hearing a bit more about the student’s interest in the schools to which they are applying gives the teacher a better sense of what might be useful to include in the letter.  Secondly, having a teacher find recommendation forms on her desk, or sent via email, without any prior explanation from a student or parent is never the ideal way to start the conversation about a recommendation. By no means are teachers and counselors expecting students to feel indebted to them for writing a letter, and forever genuflect whenever they enter the room. However, speaking directly to the teacher is, I think, central to showing an appropriate level of appreciation for this additional task the students are asking their teacher to complete on their behalf.  If you think your child may be a bit nervous with this task, you might encourage them to speak with the counselor, who can offer some tips and even help them practice.  Your child’s counselor is also, in general, a great resource for various aspects of the application process.

Our students have done a good job of adjusting to navigating the sidewalks on Rte 111 after school amid the ongoing construction. Some of you may have seen me standing seemingly in the middle of nowhere around dismissal time on several afternoons this week. I only had to remind a few students to head towards the crosswalk on Mass Ave - most did it on their own! While we seem to have the afternoon routines down, I write today about our morning traffic pattern. 

While I’m in the lower lot directing morning traffic, I don’t happen to notice that some families have been dropping their children off on the road that passes by our gym. Students are exiting cars in the middle of the road and then dashing across the driveway. The only safe places to drop off children in the morning is in the lower parking lot, or in the front circle after about 7:50 am. Please do not drop off students on Charter Road, on the driveway in front of our gym, or on Mass Ave. As a reminder to all, the official start of our day is at 8 am. However, 7:55 should be considered the latest that your child can be dropped off in order to be in their first period on time, ready to learn. The recent cold mornings have forced me to start my car a few minutes before I plan to drive it in order to let the defrost do its work. Please help us in making sure our students arrive safely and on time.

As we head into a short week for Thanksgiving,  I want to wish you all a very happy holiday. Thanksgiving tends to be one of my favorite holidays. There are no gifts to buy, my own travels to see anyone in my family extend no longer than 40 minutes, and I happen to love sampling lots of desserts. However you celebrate, I hope you have some enjoyable time with loved ones at Thanksgiving.

Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:

• Wednesday, 11/23: Early Release at 11:10 am for Thanksgiving 

• Thursday, 11/24, & Friday, 11/25: No School for Thanksgiving Recess

• Thursday, 12/1: Oliver, Jr. Performance at 7 pm

• Friday, 12/2: Oliver, Jr. Performance at 7 pm

• Saturday, 12/3: Oliver, Jr. Performance at 7 pm

• Sunday, 12/4: Oliver, Jr. Performance at 2 pm

• Monday, 12/5: Early Release at 1 pm

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good evening,

I hope you are doing well. This version of Eye on the Junior High is going to be pretty short since I shared several announcements by email yesterday afternoon. 

I wanted to let you know that we’ve set our dates and times for upcoming Basketball tryouts. If your child is interested in trying out for a team, please check out the details in this doc. If this is your first time having an athlete at RJ Grey, please pay attention to the requirement for having a current physical exam on file in our Health Office. Every year, we disappoint students and families by not letting a student try out without proof of a recent physical on file. In yesterday’s email, I noted that we were looking for a Cheer coach. We received a positive lead on an interested party today, so we are hopeful that we’ll be able to proceed with a season.

Please make plans to attend our school musical this year: Oliver Jr! The show will run on December 1, 2 and 3 at 7 pm; we’ll have a matinee on December 4 at 2 pm. Each year, I am amazed at both the talent and the commitment that our performers and crew bring to each production. Tickets are available in our Main Office leading up to the show. I hope you make plans to join us!

Finally, Happy Veterans Day to all, and most especially to those who have served or are serving. I appreciate the sacrifices the individuals and their families make.

Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:

• Monday, 11/14: Early Release at 1 pm

• Wednesday, 11/23: Early Release at 11:10 am for Thanksgiving 

• Thursday, 11/24 and Friday, 11/25: School Closed for Thanksgiving Recess

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good afternoon,

Thanks for forgiving the delivery of this message on a Friday rather than my typical Thursday afternoon or evening. As you know, we had a lot to work on yesterday and I knew this message was one I could put off for a bit.

Your kids continue to amaze us. They are so empathetic, compassionate, and responsive to the needs of their peers and adults. We saw lots of displays of compassion and friendship yesterday. We encouraged kids who needed it, to check in with their Counselor or a trusted adult. And today in our short Advisory period, we talked about Junior in the context of when something happens that affects our whole community, we’ll use Advisory to make space to talk. I can only speak to my own Advisory at the moment, but the ten of us all jotted down some things we do to take care of ourselves or others when we’re feeling sad or upset. Everyone had the chance to think and write and several of us shared our answers. Creating community, even in tough times, is one of our goals. If you need to connect with someone about your own child, please be in touch with me and I can connect you with your child’s counselor.

I have found myself choking up at times over the past 24 hours. Anytime yesterday when I had to say out loud, “all the family wants right now is your prayers,” my eyes welled up and my voice cracked. And you might be the same. As uncomfortable as it is, my body reacted physically to the emotion I was feeling. While it’s not my go-to style to be emotional, I’m pretty okay that lots of staff saw that in me yesterday. I hope it showed them it’s okay to be affected by hard things. When you’re talking with your kids about tough stuff, I encourage you to be vulnerable and show emotion as it comes. As parents, we are our kids’ best teachers. They learn from us how to show emotion, how to be happy or sad, and how to react when someone they care about feels a certain way. 

Several of you have asked how you can be helpful to Junior’s family. In my early calls with his family, they have not asked for anything. By next week, we may be more ready to share ways that people can help. For now, continuing to think of and pray for the family is what they’ve asked for.

I want to preview the next few weeks a bit! Next Tuesday, November 8, is the statewide Election Day. Typically, AB holds our professional learning day on Election Day. Not this year, however. The School Committee set the calendar last year that included a Professional Day on November 10. So, we do have school on Tuesday (8th), but not on Thursday (10th)…or Friday (11th) due to Veterans Day. On November 10, our staff will be working on connecting with some families and then working together on curriculum. On Monday, November 14, we have a 1 pm early release. Our staff will continue its work with Lesley University on the effects of Trauma in our classrooms. And on Wednesday, November 23rd, we’ll release at 11:10 am for the Thanksgiving holiday. I know it’s a bit choppy, as has been the school calendar all fall.

Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:

• Monday, 11/7: School Picture Re-takes

• Monday, 11/7: School Council Meeting on Zoom

• Tuesday, 11/8: State Election Voting in the RJ Grey Gym

• Thursday, 11/10: No School for Students - Professional Learning Day

• Friday, 11/11: No School - Veterans Day

• Monday, 11/14: Early Release at 1 pm

• Wednesday, 11/23: Early Release at 11:10 am for Thanksgiving 

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim

Good evening,

We returned to an outdoor lunch option today for the first time in quite a while. With a recent stretch of rain, preceded by some chilly temps, we jumped at the chance to get outside today for some fresh air. It’s not going to last much longer, so we’re glad we had the chance today.

You may have noticed some new gear coming home with your children! One of our goals last year was to start folding some RJ Grey gear into the mix. Pride in your school is an important part of middle school life, I think! In my first year as the principal, that didn’t emerge as one of the things we ended up accomplishing. But when our District came up with a new logo for our mascot, Revolution, it seemed like a great way to recognize that change and give our students something they might look forward to wearing. The idea of putting Class of 27 or Class of 28 on the back came from our Student Council. We are very happy to be able to provide these shirts free of charge to all of our students this year. Our Student Council and our PTSO generously contributed to the purchase of these t-shirts. We’ve already seen a bunch of students wearing them this week! Big thanks to Ms. Ahl, our Student Council Advisor for her work on this.

A sign that we’re getting close to the end of October is that our fall sports teams are wrapping up their seasons. I was fortunate to catch both races in our Cross Country meet on Tuesday afternoon. It was a foggy, wet afternoon but all of our runners did a great job of powering through their laps of the lower fields. I was really proud of their work and determination. Thanks to all of our coaches who committed a ton of hard work to make our fall season a success. 

Our winter season gets going after Thanksiving - we’ll have announcements starting in November about tryout dates. We offer basketball for both boys and girls. We have always offered a Cheer team, too. At the moment, we do not have anyone available to coach Cheerleading. If you know someone who might be interested and has experience with Cheerleading, please be in touch with Mr. Duclos, our JH Athletic Director. If you child didn’t play a fall sport, please be aware that anyone trying out for a sport must have a recent physical exam on file with our health office. There are often several families scrambling on the day of tryouts to line up a physical. If your child plans to try out, please make an appointment soon to avoid any disappointment later. 

Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:

• Monday, 10/31: Halloween Dress Up Day

• Monday, 11/7: School Picture Re-takes

• Monday, 11/7: School Council Meeting on Zoom

• Tuesay, 11/8: State Election Voting in the RJ Grey Gym

• Thursay, 11/10: No School for Students - Professional Learning Day

• Friday, 11/11: No School - Veterans Day

• Monday, 11/14: Early Release at 1 pm

Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim