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:
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Wednesday, 12/14: Last day of PE/Health for Rotation 2
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Wednesday, 12/14: Trimester 1 Report Cards emailed home
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Friday, 12/16: Formal Dress Day at RJ Grey
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Monday, 12/19: Early Release, 1 pm
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Friday, 12/23: Last day before vacation, 2:36 dismissal
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Tuesday, 1/3/23: Schools reopen after vacation
Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim