Good afternoon,
I hope you enjoyed a nice Labor Day weekend. While Monday and Tuesday provided us with lots of needed rain, the preceding days were perfect weather days to wrap up a great summer. Next week will be our first 5-day week at RJ Grey. It’s only then that we start to feel what it’s really like to be back in school. From our current perspective, it’s been a great return! Our students seem happy to be here, they are excited to be learning and seeing friends and classmates. I’ve seen them interacting with their teachers in classes, having fun in Advisory, and being full of joy (mostly) in our hallways. And with the return of our fall sports tryouts and practices this week, there’s an after-school energy that is exciting, too.
We’ve been intentional about our lunch routines this year. When we returned to school last year, out of the hybrid-remote model 
we had in 20-21, we were caught off-guard by our need to be explicit about expectations for how to behave in shared spaces - hallways, lunchrooms, etc. This year, we were ready! Over several days, and with more specific reminders to individuals, we’ve reiterated expectations (pic at right) for how to use our lunchrooms. Next week, we are going to review some procedures that will allow students to eat outside if they choose. I’m hoping for a continuation of the cooperative behaviors we’ve been seeing.
As a reminder to everyone, all students are entitled to one free breakfast and one free lunch every day. We are seeing many students take advantage of this - and some choose to get one lunch free and buy one! My own children returned to school recently and every day I hear exciting reports of what they ate for lunch. It is the little things in life that keep us entertained, I suppose!
Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:
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Monday, 9/19: Early Release at 1 pm for Professional Learning
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Friday, 9/23: School Picture Day at RJ Grey
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Monday, 9/26: No School - Rosh Hashanah
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Monday, 10/3: Early Release at 1 pm for Professional Learning
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Wednesday, 10/5: No School - Yom Kippur
Take care,
Jim