Good afternoon,
If you were at the Band Concert last night, I’m sure you’ll agree that it was a great show! I was hugely impressed with our Jazz Band, and our 7th and 8th grade Bands. They were totally ready to put on a great show. My oldest child is in the 4th grade and is learning to play the flute. We encourage her to practice but sometimes other activities are preferred. It was obvious to me last night that our students practice at home! We have more than 130 students who take Band at RJ Grey. They, along with their teachers Ms. Dye and Mr. Soo made us proud last night!
You’ve likely gotten emails from our Yearbook publisher about signing up for a yearbook. If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook for your child this year, please make sure to sign up now. While books aren’t delivered until June, the orders are placed now. Please don’t miss out!
Last week, I shared a few of the answers from our recent student survey. This week, I’m sharing a few more that relate to students’ feelings about their teachers and our school. Overall, we are pleased with the results that came through because they affirm the work we’ve been doing.
We asked students to rate their response to “I feel a sense of connection and belonging with my team.” Students could choose an answer somewhere between Strongly Disagree and Strongly Agree. 94.9% of students Agree in some way, broken down in this way: Somewhat Agree (23.3% ), Agree (41.7% ) or Strongly Agree (29.9%). You know that we are organized into 8 teams at RJ Grey. We feel that the team model helps our large school feel smaller for our students. As a result, we get to know our students well, and we make easier connections with our students’ families, too. We also know that students form close relationships with their teammates. These are the students that they attend classes with, eat lunch with, and study with. We value our team-based model at RJ Grey.
We asked students if they have a trusted adult at RJ Grey - 89% said “yes.” 77.5% of students identified that one or more of their team teachers is a trusted adult for them. This makes a lot of sense to us. Students see their team teachers every day and have plenty of time to get to know them and have positive interactions. While others in the building, including off-team teachers, advisors, counselors, and administrators play a role in forming relationships with students, none of us have the regular everyday interactions that team teachers have.
Finally, for those keeping track, with last week’s snow day, our last day of school is currently Friday, June 14. I share this now because some families may be thinking about summer plans. If we have additional snow days, the last day of school extends further out based on two holidays in June. If we are still in session, we will not have school on Monday, June 17 (Eid al-Adha) or Wednesday, June 19 (Juneteenth). With another snow day or two, we could be extending our year by more than just a calendar day or two. The ABRSD calendar is located here if you have any questions as you make plans for the summer.
Upcoming Dates
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Fri, Jan 19: Summer Fun in Winter event, 3:00 - 4:30
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Fri, Jan 19: Hawaiian Shirt and Bright Colors Day at RJ Grey
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Mon, Jan 22: Last day for Quarter 2 and Semester 1 classes
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Tues, Jan 23: Ski/Board Club Session #3 after school
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Wed, Jan 24: JH Winter Chorus/Orchestra Concert, 7 pm
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Mon, Jan 29: Early Release at 1 pm
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Tues, Jan 30: 7 Gold SOS Lesson
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Thurs, Feb 1: 7 Blue SOS Lesson
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim