Good afternoon,
Our students, with your support, continue to rise to the challenges we present to them. As you know, we held a Food Drive yesterday for the Acton Food Pantry. I hope many of you have some remaining items left in your cupboards because from the looks of it, we collected most of the food available in Acton and Boxborough! We purposely had the donations come through our Advisory groups as one small way to orient our Advisories into thinking about “community” more often. We are very pleased with our donations, and I’m sure the food pantry will be, as well. Thank you for your support!
 
It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of October! At the beginning of each month, our assistant principals take a look at absence and tardy totals for all of our students. If they see a trend towards absences or tardies that seems important, you will receive a somewhat formal letter alerting you to your child’s current attendance status. This letter is a requirement from DESE. I ask that anyone who receives this letter receives it as intended - it is solely a heads up! We are not sending a letter intending to assign blame or question parental decision related to illnesses, funerals, or other important items that interrupt typical school attendance. We will send letters even if we know your child was out for several days for legitimate reasons. If you receive a letter and have a curiosity about why, please be in touch with the assistant principal, or feel free to share background info if you feel it is relevant to how we best work with your student.
Throughout the last year or so, and in different settings, I’ve talked about attendance - at 6th grade family night back in April, at staff meetings, and through this column on previous occasions. There is somewhat of a “magic number” for us in schools. DESE and therefore schools, look at 10% as an important threshold. Students whose absences exceed ten percent in one year are deemed “chronically absent” by DESE. Ten percent of our school year is only 18 days! And 18 days is only about 2 days per month - so for some families, I think this could creep up without realizing a pattern. We are working on lowering our chronically absent rate - it’s part of our School Improvement Plan. And more than that, we want to make sure kids are in school because being here is how we can help them learn content, how to read and write more clearly, how to think critically, and how to create community with their teachers and peers. So, if at the beginning of November or any future month, you receive a letter alerting you to absences, please take it for what it is - a heads up! But be in touch if you have any questions or need some assistance with getting your child to school on a very regular basis.
We hosted four assemblies last week where representatives from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School spoke to 8th graders. Each 8th grade team was a great audience and showed a great amount of respect for their presenters. Ms. Dean and her team talked to students about types of classes they can take at ABRHS, along with community service opportunities, athletics and activities, and counseling supports available to students. Normally, we arrange for students to meet with the high school later in the spring. This year, we wanted to make sure students had a chance to learn about the high school around the same time they might be considering private or technical school options.
I want to thank our Student Council for organizing to have AB Revolution T-shirts for all of our 7th graders. The back of the shirt displays “Class of 29!” Last year, our current 8th graders (Class of 28) received these same t-shirts. These are just a small nod to our efforts to promote community and school pride! I have been happy to see many of these t-shirts being worn this week.
Upcoming Dates
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Friday, November 3: Quarter 1 (Grey Block classes) ends
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Monday, November 6: Library closed after school, Staff Meeting
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Tuesday, November 7: Election Day
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Thursday, November 9: No School for Students: Professional Day
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Friday, November 10: No School: Veterans Day
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Wednesday, November 22: Early Release for Thanksgiving (11:10 am)
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Thurs/Friday, Nov 23 and 24: No School for Thanksgiving Holiday
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
I was very happy to see many of our students and many of you at last Sunday’s Walk Against Hate. The weather was great for a quick walk from ABRHS to the new Gardner Field in West Acton. We continue the work against hate and bias here at RJ Grey. Starting next week, 28 of our students will be trained as peer leaders by the Anti-Defamation League as part of the A World of Difference Program. After their training, they’ll work together with their advisors to create lessons that they’ll deliver to their peers during the second half of the year. I remain hopeful for our communities because I see how passionate and committed our students and educators are.
Despite our good work and positive intent, we do encounter situations where students make mistakes - on a daily basis! They are middle schoolers and their brains are not yet fully developed, so we understand that mistakes happen. At a moment in the future, you may get a call from a teacher, a counselor, or an administrator to let you know that something happened and that there may be a consequence for your child’s actions. If this happens, it is not the end of the world! We look to partner with you and make sure you understand our goal, which is to make sure the student can reflect and consider how their actions have impacted others and how they can commit to not repeating those same actions.
Over the past year, our admin team has taken a different approach towards typical “consequences.” Last year, our newer admin team debated the value and importance of consequences like lunch detention. Lunch detention is something we’d gotten used to using with students who did something that merited some level of consequence. Lunch detention serves a purpose - removing the fun privilege of being with friends during lunch on a temporary basis. But we didn’t embed a ton of learning into lunch detentions due to their short time frame. At other times in the past, suspensions were also used with students as a consequence.
With an eye towards using more restorative practices and really focusing on what a student could learn from an experience, we shifted our focus to using more time spent after school. “Detention” is a bad name for what we do. My only time serving a detention was in high school when I forgot my student ID badge at home one morning. Detention at Lowell High in the late ‘90s was an after school consequence where I sat in a room with about 15 other students - I’m not sure if their offenses were more serious than forgetting their student ID! We couldn’t talk, couldn’t read, we just had to sit there. We don’t use that version of detention here at RJ Grey. Instead, the student meets with the assistant principal after school, and through either chatting or in writing, the student reflects on what happened for them to end up after school. In that conversation, the AP will likely give some direction and ask some probing questions for the student to consider about how their actions impacted others, and how they could work to make the situation better. At times, the AP might ask the student to create a poster, or a Google Slide presentation on what they’ve learned. Or, they might write a letter of apology to someone, or they may need to talk to a trusted adult about whatever occurred and what they learned from it. Our ultimate goal when a student makes a mistake is for them to learn something, consider how it impacted others or the community, and remember their process of reflections in order to prevent something similar from happening again. That level of conversation and processing doesn’t often fit during the day, so we have students stay after school to do so. We don’t have a ton of students serving after school time, but knowing that middle schoolers make mistakes quite often, I wanted to share this process and our philosophy.
We have a ONE DAY food drive coming up next Wednesday. You likely saw my message earlier this week through email. We are collecting items in Advisory on Wednesday to benefit the Acton Food Pantry. Thank you for supporting your child as they may raid your own cabinets before next Wednesday.
As we approach the end of the month, I wanted to remind you all again that we are not dressing in costume this year for Halloween. This is a shift from past practice at RJ Grey, but is in line with what the elementary schools in our District are doing. So if you hear any excited talk about your child’s costume, please make sure they are referring to wearing it to family or community events, where I hope they have some fun!
Finally, if you have not already done so, please remember to activate your ParentSquare Account! ParentSquare account emails were sent Monday 9/18 to the email address we have on file for you in PowerSchool. Creating your ParentSquare account will allow you to personalize how you get communications from us and use the ParentSquare App. If you did not receive an email to activate your account or need help, please contact [email protected].
Upcoming Dates
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Monday, October 23: Early Release at 1 pm
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Monday, October 23: Round 1 of PE/Health classes end
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Friday, November 3: Quarter 1 (Grey Block classes) ends
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Monday, November 6: Library closed after school, Staff Meeting
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Tuesday, November 7: Election Day
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Thursday, November 9: No School for Students: Professional Day
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Friday, November 10: No School: Veterans Day
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
On Tuesday morning, I shared an announcement with our students that referenced the horrible terrorist attacks in Israel from this past weekend. To all of you who are affected by the ongoing violence in the Middle East, you have my deepest sympathies. Throughout that day I was able to stop into several Social Studies classes to see how teachers talked about the news with their students. In at least two classes I observed, students talked about worrying about family or friends who live in the area or concern that this current violence would spread to other parts of the world. Your children are feeling the effects of this ongoing violence, and I am sure many of you are, too. Our goal at RJ Grey is to support our students. If your child needs some support that they aren’t already receiving, please be in touch with us and we’ll make sure to connect them with a trusted adult.
Over the past few years, our school has needed to talk to students about events that impact their lives in major ways. In only the past few years, we’ve helped students understand the events from January 6th; we’ve talked with them about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas; we’ve also talked with them about the war in Ukraine. I feel strongly that our 7th and 8th graders need to hear from their teachers when current events take over the news cycle. When we do so, our goal is to provide them with factual information as currently known. In many cases, there is a historical context or understanding that can be connected to the current events, too. I deeply appreciate the work our social studies teachers did on Monday to be prepared to teach on Tuesday. Setting aside their own personal impact, they were able to talk to students about concrete events from the previous days.
Today, our 8th graders attended an assembly where they learned about Minuteman High School as one of their options for high school next year. Representatives, including students from Minuteman talked about their school and what it offers. The application process has begun for next year and if your child is interested, they can check out more online and potentially apply. Representatives from our own high school, ABRHS, will give their own presentations to our 8th graders next week. We are still quite a distance from ninth grade (today is only day 29 of school!), but with schools that require an application and acceptance, that process begins in the fall.
Tomorrow is Pajama Day at RJ Grey. I will likely wear a pair of sweatpants to fit in with the relaxed nature of the day. Two years ago, a family asked me if their kids had to wear pajamas on this annual day. The answer, of course, is no! Participation in this type of spirit day is completely optional - we usually have about 50% of students participate. I think I’ll skip my typical shirt, tie, and dress shoes for something a bit more relaxed tomorrow…feel free to encourage your child to join me!
Finally, if you have not already done so, please remember to activate your ParentSquare Account! ParentSquare account emails were sent Monday 9/18 to the email address we have on file for you in PowerSchool. Creating your ParentSquare account will allow you to personalize how you get communications from us and use the ParentSquare App. If you did not receive an email to activate your account or need help, please contact [email protected].
The following updates have been approved by our Superintendent’s office for distribution:
Upcoming Dates
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Friday, October 13: Pajama Day
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Sunday, October 15: Walk Against Hate, 2 pm starting at ABRHS
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Tuesday, October 17: School Council Meeting, 7 pm in Library
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Monday, October 23: Early Release at 1 pm
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Monday, October 23: Round 1 of PE/Health classes end
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
Thank you to everyone who joined us last Thursday for Back to School Night. I was in a virtual meeting with principals from around the state a few weeks ago. The question posed to us was, “Describe a time when you’ve witnessed joy in your school.” I listened to others talk about students, and not wanting to repeat their answers, I said that our annual Back to School Night is always filled with joy! I hope you got a good feeling about how your child spends their days by spending a few hours with us last week.
Next week, our teachers will work on determining which student would benefit from an Interim Report. At RJ Grey, we use interims at the halfway point of each of our trimesters. Not all students receive interim reports. We tend to send them specifically when a grade is below a C-, or other habits including homework completion or studying could use some improvement. The first trimester is always a challenging one to gauge who needs to receive an interim. At this early point in the year, there aren’t a ton of grades yet. But teachers tend to err on the side of caution and alert families when they see something that feels like it could be improved.
It is important to acknowledge that for some of our students, this year will be the first time they receive letter grades in their classes. Whether their previous schools issued standards-based report cards, or had no report cards, I want to share a bit about how things work at RJ Grey. Our teachers design assessments to measure a student’s learning of a particular topic, concept, unit, etc. There will be quizzes, some tests, some writing assignments, speaking assignments and other ways for kids to show their teachers what they’ve learned. A single grade on an assessment will not make or break a term grade for a student. At this early point in the year, there may only be one or two assessments. If one poor grade triggers an interim, all hope is not lost! Our teachers spend time writing a narrative to accompany the interim report so that you can know what has caused the low grade, and how it can be improved. If you receive an interim report for your child, and if you have questions, please be in touch with the teacher directly.
If you are like me, October is one of your favorite months. I’m not used to weather quite this warm in October, however. At the end of October is Halloween. For many years, the Junior High has celebrated Halloween by giving permission for students to dress in costumes at school. Last year, when all of the AB elementary schools moved away from having students dress up at school, we continued for one more year and allowed our students to dress in costume. We are now coming in line with the District practices of not dressing in costume at school. We very much appreciate that our adolescents still want to have fun and join friends in some of their favorite Halloween traditions, so I encourage you to keep those celebrations alive for your children outside of school. My own kids were the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus last year. I’m sure this year’s costumes won’t compete, but I know they’ll still have fun dressing up and going around the neighborhood with friends and cousins. I wish your family fun celebrations, too.
I want to highlight more than just by an attached document that there is a community-wide event on October 15, starting at 2 pm. The New England Walk Against Hate, sponsored by Congregation Beth Elohim Acton and the Anti-Defamation League, New England is an event that intends to join the AB Community in a one-mile walk and rally against antisemitism, racism, and all forms of bigotry. If you are interested in participating, or volunteering, please click the link above. As RJ Grey and other schools work to combat the uptick in bias incidents we’ve seen in the last few years, this is an important community-wide show of support. I hope I see you there!
Finally, if you have not already done so, please remember to activate your ParentSquare Account! ParentSquare account emails were sent Monday 9/18 to the email address we have on file for you in PowerSchool. Creating your ParentSquare account will allow you to personalize how you get communications from us and use the ParentSquare App. If you did not receive an email to activate your account or need help, please contact [email protected].
The following updates have been approved by our Superintendent’s office for distribution:
Upcoming Dates
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Monday, October 9: No School, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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Friday, October 13: Pajama Day
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Tuesday, October 17: School Council Meeting, 7 pm in Library
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Monday, October 23: Early Release at 1 pm
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Monday, October 23: Round 1 of PE/Health classes end
Take care and have a great long weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
I hope you are all doing well. I hope I get to see many of you at tonight’s Back to School Night (please leave some time at the start to find a parking space). I have attended my own daughters’ Back to School Nights over the past week. As an educator, it is so very interesting to see how other schools deliver the same annual events but in completely different ways. At last night’s event in my hometown, a friend who knows my role asked, “Are you ready for your speech?” This was after we listened to the principal of my child’s school talk to a crowd of parents and guardians. My answer was “No - no one wants to hear from me!” And while there’s a bit of humor embedded in there, I do not give an address at Back to School Night. I am serious in my belief that you come to see your child’s teachers, their classrooms, and their hallways for a brief glimpse into their life at RJ Grey. You will likely see me in the lobby, hallways, and popping into a few classrooms. I view this Eye on the Junior High platform and other communications you’ve received from me as more than enough of what I might even consider saying at an event like Back to School Night. But please do stop and say hello tonight!
The District is continuing its use of Cartwheel Care this year. This service is in its second year at AB and allows us to connect students and families to mental health care quickly. If you would like to pursue mental health services for your own child, please be in touch with your child’s school counselor. Cartwheel Care also offers proactive sessions for parents and guardians at AB. The upcoming session on Addressing School-Related Anxiety and School Avoidance looks to be a good one. If you are interested in attending, please click here to learn more and sign-up.
As the construction continues in the area of Kelley’s Corner and Rte 111, we have been asked to share some news with our families. We are requesting that families no longer use the former Kmart parking lot as a cut-through to our campus or to drop off students. We have been informed that this is private property owned by Stop & Shop and they have requested that it not be used by the public. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this shift in practice.
The following updates have been approved by our Superintendent’s office for distribution:
Upcoming Dates
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Thursday, September 28: RJ Grey Back to School Night: 7 - 8:40 pm
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Monday, October 2: Early Release at 1 pm
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Tuesday, October 3: iReady ELA Diagnostic (postponed from 9/20)
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Wednesday, October 4: Webinar: Addressing School-Related Anxiety and School Avoidance
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Tuesday, October 3: School Council Meeting, 7 pm, RJ Grey Library
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Monday, October 9: No School, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
A parent at this morning’s drop-off asked me if I was outside, everyday, helping drivers make their way through our parking lots. My answer was “yes,” and “it’s the easiest part of my day!” While this is true and it is something I can do without much thought, the most enjoyable part of my day is when I can be in classrooms, seeing your students interacting with each other and their teachers. This week, I saw Novice French II students practicing telling time. The trick was that the teacher was using an analog clock, which I bet was also a complicating factor for some students! I’ve seen a Spanish teacher working with Novice Spanish I students on greetings and expressions that we use when interacting with others for the first time. And I saw an 8th grade science teacher working on calculating velocity with her students. In all three of these examples, the students were engaged, connecting with their classmates, and their teacher.
Our counselors are stepping into the classrooms this week and next week to deliver the first of a series of lessons on bullying prevention. I observed a lesson this morning that helped students recognize and identify the terms peer conflict, harassment, and bullying. The students were able to think of scenarios from real life, or from TV and movies, and were able to give examples of how to handle bullying if they see it or experience it. And they also talked about how to act as an ally to others who might be targeted. Future lessons on this topic this year will be connected to our Health curriculum and our Advisory program.
Many of you may have received a message or two from your child’s teachers this week. And if you haven’t yet, you will. At RJ Grey, we believe that it is important to connect with our families early on in the year. If you’ve been asked a question in one of these communications, and time is available to you, please respond! When our teachers ask, “how’s the transition going for your son?” or “what is your daughter most proud of?,” we ask those questions to get to know more about your student. When we have strong relationships with our students, and you’ve provided some insight into what’s important to them, we know that our teaching and their learning will be stronger. This early connection from our teachers is intended to open to the door to future communications throughout the year. Please be in touch with with our teachers and counselors if you have questions or want to share information about your child. The more we know about what’s going on for them, the better off we are.
Each public school in Massachusetts has a School Council. While the composition of each School Council may vary, the RJ Grey School Council is made up of the principal, two 7th grade parents/guardians, two 8th grade parents/guardians, and two RJG staff members. We are looking to elect two new parent/guardian reps - both from the 7th grade (our 8th grade reps are continuing from last year). The role of the School Council is to review and discuss various aspects of the school's activities and goals, and offer advice and guidance about different topics that may emerge during the year. The Council will meet seven times this year, on Tuesday evenings at RJ Grey (October 3 being the first meeting). If you are a parent/guardian interested in serving on the Council, please submit a short (4-6 sentences) paragraph about yourself by noon on Monday, September 25th. Write-ups can be sent to me at [email protected]. Once I have any interested candidate’s info, we’ll do a virtual election, allowing our family community to vote via Google Form.
As the construction continues in the area of Kelley’s Corner and Rte 111, we have been asked to share some news with our families. We are requesting that families no longer use the former Kmart parking lot as a cut-through to our campus or to drop off students. We have been informed that this is private property owned by Stop & Shop and they have requested that it not be used by the public. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this shift in practice.
The following updates have been approved by our Superintendent’s office for distribution:
Upcoming Dates
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Monday, September 25: No School, Yom Kippur
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Wednesday, September 27: iReady Math Diagnostic Assessment
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Thursday, September 28: RJ Grey Back to School Night: 7 - 8:40 pm
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Monday, October 2: Early Release at 1 pm
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Tuesday, October 3: iReady ELA Diagnostic (postponed from 9/20)
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Tuesday, October 3: School Council Meeting, 7 pm, RJ Grey Library
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Monday, October 9: No School, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
I hope you’re all doing well on this beautiful and less humid day. We started the day with a power outage not long after the start of our day, and then we had an ALICE drill. Through both of these situations, combined with what we all experienced last week, I continue to be very pleased with our students’ flexibility and patience. And yet still, I have fingers crossed for smoother sailing going forward in September!
We have school picture day coming up on Tuesday, 9/19/23. We are waiting for the hard copy order forms to come from our photographer. We are hopeful that they arrive before dismissal tomorrow, and we will send them home with students then. No family is obligated to purchase a picture package, though we do have all students get their picture taken so that we have updated photos in our information system, Power School, and they also are included in the Yearbook. If you would like to order pictures, you can order online using this link to Mark Lawrence Photographers, or students can bring the paper order form and check on picture day to give to the photographer. Students will be called to the photographers’ stations by team throughout the day.
Starting Monday, we will be able to issue bus passes to students who wish to take a bus to a friend’s house to a pre-existing bus stop. We ask that parents and guardians contact us through our email address ([email protected]) or by phone if your child is to take a different bus. We will then issue a hard copy bus pass for that day. Please know that at times, we may be alerted to a full bus, causing us to not be able to issue a requested bus pass.
We have lots of clubs and activities starting up this week and next week. If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for our Daily Announcements email. This listserv is the one we use when we postpone a game, practice, or other after school activities. I have been made aware that our announcements were coming at you through text, email, and phone calls recently. I’m sorry for those inundating messages - we’re back on track with how we communicate non-emergency related updates. Thanks for your patience with that hiccup.
Upcoming Dates
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Monday, September 18: Early Release at 1 pm
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Tuesday, September 19: School Picture Day at RJ Grey
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Wednesday, September 20: iReady ELA Diagnostic Assessment
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Monday, September 25: No School, Yom Kippur
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Wednesday, September 27: iReady Math Diagnostic Assessment
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Thursday, September 28: RJ Grey Back to School Night: 7 - 8:45 pm
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Monday, October 2: Early Release at 1 pm
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
Today while I was at lunch duty in our cafeteria, a student asked if she could go to her locker to get her sweatshirt because she was “freezing!” I had to ask, “really?” She was serious and she returned a few minutes later with her sweatshirt! You have likely heard from your student about their experiences with heat this week at RJ Grey. Many of our classrooms do not have air conditioning. This is the result of ours being in a building built in 1957, and renovated in 1966 and 2002. Some areas of our building, including our cafeteria have air conditioning…so maybe the student I mentioned above was actually chilly! Regardless, we are very much hoping for a drop in temperature and humidity over the weekend to make next week feel more comfortable for learning. I tend to lean toward the positive when thinking about our students and teachers, but this week, they’ve gone above and beyond. While heat can make me cranky, tired, and all the typical emotions one feels when sweating, I so appreciate the positive attitudes that our staff and our students are bringing to school this week. They are all doing an amazing job of making the best of a difficult situation.
Today we had our second session of Advisory of the year. This month’s Advisory theme focuses on Belonging. Today, each group practiced a Community Circle, which is a protocol we use when discussing an important topic. Last year we used a few Community Circles when talking about challenging issues we were facing as a school. Today, the questions in the circle were light - “Ice cream: cone or bowl?” And “if you could time travel, where and when would you go and why?” By having these types of light questions now, framed in a pretty prescribed way, we are hoping to have students start to feel comfortable sharing and talking. We know that at some point, we’ll need a Community Circle to deal with something more heavy. Advisory and the work that we do in our classrooms focuses on lots of things, but to start the year thinking about Belonging is intentional. When we intentionally include all kids in various classes, including Homeroom, English, Grey Block, and all the others, we are hoping that all students find a sense of belonging in one or more of those groups. We know life is much more fun when we feel included and a part of something. I hope your student is starting to feel a part of something at RJ Grey.
The Acton Food Pantry has always been a strong partner of the AB Schools. If you or someone you know could benefit from the resources available through the Food Pantry, please be in touch with them. Please see here for some information. Another strong partner of ours is Danny’s Place. They are moving into a new space and having a celebration; please see below for more information.
Join the community celebration for Danny’s Place on Sunday, September 17th, and tour its newly renovated expansive space at 543 Mass Ave in West Acton. The event will begin at 11am with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house! We invite the community to meet the staff and learn more about the exciting upcoming program offerings. At 12:30pm, join the celebration on the Gardner Field lawn for family-friendly activities, music, food and beverage for purchase from sponsors True West and West Side Creamery, and an all-ages cornhole tournament fundraiser. For more information and to register for the tournament, please visit dannys-place.org/cornhole.
Upcoming Dates
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Monday, September 11: Library closed to students after school
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Wednesday, September 13: Ribbon Cutting at the AB Resource Center
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Monday, September 18: Early Release at 1 pm
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Tuesday, September 19: School Picture Day at RJ Grey
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Wednesday, September 20: iReady ELA Diagnostic Assessment
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Monday, September 25: No School, Yom Kippur
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Thursday, September 28: RJ Grey Back to School Night: 7 - 8:45 pm
The following flyers have been approved for distribution by our Superintendent’s Office:
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
You are receiving this email because your email is listed as a parent or guardian for a student at RJ Grey. However, going forward, this version of Eye on the Junior High will only be sent to individuals who request it. If you were signed up in a previous year and haven’t unsubscribed, you’re still on the list. Click here to sign up for the Eye on the Junior High and Daily Announcement emails.
In this weekly memo, I tend to write about things going on at RJ Grey and I often share a bit of an anecdote from the week at school or from my own family. I always end the memo with a list of upcoming important dates. While I happen to think it’s a worthwhile memo to sign up for, I will not feel bad if you choose to streamline the email you receive and not subscribe. If you choose not to receive the email, you can always check out our website to locate back issues of this memo.
I am writing this edition of Eye on the Junior High after we’ve welcomed our 7th graders yesterday and our 8th graders today! So far, we’ve had a really smooth start to the year - I hope the same is true in your home. We are well aware that team placement can be a struggle when students don’t immediately recognize a good friend on their new team. As the parent of a 4th grader, 1st grader, and preschooler, I saw this happen on a smaller scale with my own kids this summer. Because my kids are young and don’t have their own technology, it was left to the parents to text and figure out which friends were assigned to which classrooms. While my own kids were content with their placements and teachers, there was still a bit of trepidation as they went on their first days of school this week. It is completely normal if the same was true for your 11, 12, and 13 year olds!
We’ve already held assemblies with each grade over the past two days. We introduced them to important adults, we reviewed expectations for behavior, the lunchroom, buses, and other items. I talked to them about the value of community and asked them to really go out of their way to welcome students who are coming to school at AB for the very first time. We have new students from neighboring towns here in Massachusetts, but we also have students from different states and different countries. I applaud those courageous souls who are starting in a brand new school this week. I hope you will all encourage your students to be brave and reach out to someone new and include them. Having each student feel like they belong at RJ Grey is a huge goal for us. When you have small moments with your own kids, ask them about some of the students in their classes and encourage them to include someone new. I appreciate your help with this.
During the spring and summer, we did a lot of hiring of teachers, assistants, and office staff. There is a great energy within our staff this week and we are very excited to include our new staff in our ongoing work. A very important person that I need to highlight works in our Main Office. If you were with us over the past two years, you may have gotten to know Eileen Matarese. This summer, Eileen found a different position to meet her needs and we wish her the best of luck in her new role. We are very fortunate to welcome Ms. Christine Hanley to the role of Main Office Receptionist. She is the one who will answer the phone if you call, will write your child a dismissal pass if they come in with a note, and she will welcome students when they arrive after 8:00 am. Christine worked at RJ Grey for many years as a teaching assistant, then moved on to roles at McT and Conant before returning to us this summer. We are very grateful for Christine’s presence and her positive attitude. Please welcome her when you get the chance!
There is a lot happening to start the year, so please read below for important upcoming dates.
Upcoming Dates
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Monday, September 4: No School, Labor Day
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Monday, September 11: Library closed to students after school
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Wednesday, September 13: Ribbon Cutting at the AB Resource Center
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Monday, September 18: Early Release at 1 pm
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Tuesday, September 19: School Picture Day at RJ Grey
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Wednesday, September 20: iReady ELA Diagnostic Assessment
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Monday, September 25: No School, Yom Kippur
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Thursday, September 28: RJ Grey Back to School Night: 7 - 8:45 pm
The following flyers have been approved for distribution by our Superintendent’s Office:
Take care and have a great Labor Day weekend!
Jim
jmarcotte
Good afternoon,
This will be the final edition of Eye on the Junior High for the year. I hope you’ve found it informative and that it has provided a snapshot into the comings and goings of RJ Grey. As we get set to mark the end of the year, there are probably some feelings for your kids about this transition. On the surface, who doesn’t love the feeling that comes when walking out of school on the last day?! I remember my own last days of school growing up. With such anticipation for the year to end, I remember being somewhat disappointed by the few days that followed until whatever version of a summer routine took shape. Going from a predictable, scheduled school year, to nothing can be a shock to the system…for educators, too! While I do work most of the summer, the pace changes and I have some vacation time built in. But if your student is sullen for a day or two, or just not acting normally, that’s okay! Encourage them to connect with friends, read a book, or help pick up the house! Those three tasks are on my own kids’ lists for once school lets out!
Next Friday, our students and staff will gather in the high school auditorium (a location able to hold us all), and mark the end of the year. We’ll give out a few awards, hear from our Jazz Band and Select Choir, recognize our retiring teachers, and watch the end of year slideshow. This tends to be one of my favorite events of the year. I’ll share a few words with the students, and while not yet prepared, I’ll thank them for a great year. They embraced our Advisory program for the first time. They supported each other and their classmate when a tragic accident occurred. They spoke up and showed outrage when offensive graffiti and language were used at our school. They were kind to their peers and teachers and made me and our admin team very proud to know them. We have really great students, really strong teachers, and a wonderfully supportive community of families.
If you are with us next year as the parent of an 8th grader, or maybe your current 6th grader is coming to RJ Grey, we look forward to continuing to work with you. If you are moving on from RJ Grey to the next chapter, I wish you and your children all the best this summer and in future years.
On Tuesday, I sent out an email with end of year dates and responsibilities. I received a few replies that individuals got a blank email, while I know plenty of others received it. Just in case you didn’t see my message, I’m copying that info here to offer one more chance to know what’s happening in the next week.
Upcoming Dates
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Friday, June 9: 8 Red field trip
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Friday, June 9: 8th grade celebration, 7 - 9 pm. 8th grade students must purchase tickets for $5 before the end of the day on Thursday
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Monday, June 12: 8 Blue and 8 Green tour of ABRHS
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Tuesday, June 13: 7th grade field trip to Mel’s Funway
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Wednesday, June 14: 8 Gold and 8 Red tour of ABRHS
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Thursday, June 15: 8th grade field trip to Canobie Lake Park
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Friday, June 16: Last day of school, early release at 11:10 am
If your child is not going to be here through June 16, they are responsible for telling their teachers and returning the items below before leaving for the summer. As parents and guardians, we ask that you let our Main Office know if your student will not be here through June 16 so that we can properly record attendance and student whereabouts each day. Please email us at [email protected] to tell us if your child will not be here through June 16.
Items to Return
All students must return school-owned materials before they depart for the summer:
1. Return the school-issued Chromebook, Charger, and Stylus. If lost, please do not purchase your own replacement as each item needs to be the same model;
2. Return any library books that are due to the library;
3. Return any school-issued textbooks, classroom library books, or other items to teachers;
4. Pay any remaining balance on your child’s school lunch account.
We will send a bill to families this summer for any item(s) not returned. Thank you for helping your child locate any/all of the items listed above.
The following flyers have been approved for distribution by our Superintendent’s Office: NARA Summer Events, Workplace Safety and Restrictions for Youth
Take care and have a great summer!
Jim
jmarcotte
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