June 5, 2025 
Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:

We are closing out a busy week here at RJ Grey. Many of our 7th grade families joined us yesterday to see our Civics Fair in action. I had a chance to walk through our fair throughout yesterday and today, where I heard passionate students talk about their projects. Their deep understanding of complicated issues is impressive. And their ability to talk to unfamiliar adults about their work is brave! We had a state rep join us, many members of the Select Boards and School Committee, along with Central Office administrators and various teachers. Our students learned lots through this process about a specific project, but they were also able to practice their communication skills. A special thanks to members of the League of Women Voters of the Acton area for their ongoing support. And major thanks to our social studies teachers who guided this work over the past months to culminate in a great civics fair!

Tonight, we'll also witness another showcase of student work. If you are free and wish to join, come by between 5:30 and 7:30 tonight for our Empty Bowls event. You'll see student artwork on display, our select choir will perform, and you can take part in the ice cream social. Proceeds from the ice cream purchases will be donated to the Acton Food Pantry. This is always a fun event that many families can enjoy. We hope you can come!

Last Friday, we hosted our 8th graders for their end-of-year celebration. The overwhelming sentiment from the adult chaperones is that this was our best dance in years. The students looked great, had a ton of fun, danced from the start, and were very well behaved! I hope you heard that your kids really enjoyed themselves. We owe a special thanks to our family community for helping to pull this off. Many of you made or purchased snacks, drinks, and sweets for our students. The small cafe was filled with sustenance to keep them going for two hours. Thank you to everyone who donated food and drinks. Other parents, under the direction of Molly Shoaf, transformed our cafeteria spaces into a beautiful venue complete with lights, balloons, posters, and a selfie station. We rely on your help for major events and memories like these, so thank you to all of those people who helped decorate and clean up after: Jennifer Sun, Majda Tanovic, Imara Dole, Soula Stratakias, Dereka Young, Jaime Roberts, Robin Dodson, Sandra Wellinghoff, Claire Draper, Shantha Angadi, Pauline Schenk, Carien Veldpape, Anna Gorska, Stirmante Virball, Kalpana Viswanathan, Quintin Yang, and Deepika Prakash.

I recently met with the new leaders of the Acton-Boxborough Student Activities Fund (ABSAF). Donna Harrington and Jehan Wren are looking to bolster the ABSAF organization, and they are looking to reach current 8th grade families with a deal:  

Graduation Special - Save $25 on an ABSAF Pass!
Start your student’s high school journey strong! The ABSAF Pass gives you and your family free admission to regular season high school home games, theater productions like Proscenium Circus and the RJ Grey musical, and funds student activities in academics, arts, and athletics — the entire school year! Whether it’s cheering under the lights or applauding center stage, the Pass pays for itself in just a handful of visits. Show your school spirit and set your rising freshman (or 8th grader!) up for a great year—get your ABSAF Pass today! Exclusive offer for RJ Grey students only. $150 now through June 20th (regularly $175). Click Here: ABSAF PASS to snag this deal!

Finally, while we do not currently have teaching openings at RJ Grey next year due to our reductions in staffing, we do have several teaching assistant openings. Teaching assistants generally work with students on IEPs. They attend classes to offer support based on the IEP, they help students in the Learning Centers, and perform other invaluable tasks. If you, or someone you know, has experience working with kids, or maybe you have taught and have taken some time off, this is a great re-entry to working in schools. And we're a great school! Please check out our posting and apply. And be in touch with any questions!

Congratulations to all families who have a senior graduating tomorrow night! Let's hope the weather cooperates for a beautiful evening!

I hope you have a great weekend! 

Jim
Posted by jmarcotte On 12 June, 2025 at 8:29 AM  

 
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