R.J. Grey Junior High School

Hi Everyone,

The newly released Avengers: Endgame film grossed a record-breaking $1.2 billion this past weekend, and my wife Melisa and two of our kids participated in the hype last Thursday night.  Reports from Melisa are that our youngest son had a smile plastered to his face for 95% of the movie which is unsurprising given how much of his time (and our money) he has devoted to the Avengers franchise.  I have enough of a familiarity with the storyline to understand the “big picture”, but was very appreciative of this recent Washington Post piece that provided a guide to the sequence of events that were portrayed in the previous 21 Marvel films, and the role that the many characters played at different points in time.  Knowing quite a while ago the date of this film’s release, we made sure to reserve seats at a nearby theatre a few weeks in advance. While probably a bit different in feel and flavor, that feeling of anticipation that our son Parker had for this weekend’s movie release might be comparable to some of the growing excitement that students and families are having for the Spring and the end of the school year.  As temperatures increase (hopefully soon, and above this recent stretch of wet and raw weather), and we enter the month of May, the conclusion of the school year -- and Summer vacation -- definitely starts to feel like it’s within arm’s reach. That’s especially the case this year given that we only had one snow day (hallelujah).  Our last day of school is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19 and prior to that date we still have some important teaching and learning planned, and then we will be hosting a series of annual events and activities for students to mark the conclusion of another school year.  For 8th grade families, a very brief “save the date” for the annual End-of-Year Celebration for 8th grade students.  It will be held the evening of Friday, June 14th, so mark it on your calendars.  Within the next few weeks I’ll share a bit more about the event, and also the role that families play in making it a great event to finish off the year (and one’s time at RJ Grey).  I also want to provide 7th grade families with their own “save the date” for a 7th grade social/dance that we are planning for Friday, May 31st.  Stay tuned for more details later this month.   

Here are some reminders and updates for the next few weeks:

Interim reports for this current Spring Trimester will likely be sent via email towards the end of this upcoming week, or at the very beginning of the following week.  If your child receives one or more from his/her teachers and you have any questions about those interims, please start a dialogue with your child’s teacher.  

A friendly reminder for families whose children participate in our Band, Strings and Chorus programs.  The Spring concerts are coming upon us.  The Band’s Spring concert is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15 at 7pm, and the Chorus and Strings Spring concert is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21 at 7pm.  Please stay tuned for updates from your kids and/or Mr. Arsenault (band), Ms. Green (Strings) or Mr. Charig (chorus) about details for those evening festivities.  

This week we continue to take a pause on MCAS testing and then the following week we move to the Mathematics portion with 8th grade scheduled for that Monday and Tuesday, and then taking the 8th grade Science and Technology portion on Wednesday.  7th grade students will take the Math portion of the MCAS between that following Thursday and Friday. Students who are absent on days where they are scheduled to participate in MCAS testing will be scheduled for make-ups during the following week.  Here again is the MCAS schedule.  A friendly reminder to please help your child get some nourishment in the morning before they leave for school.  

I want to be sure to also acknowledge the upcoming start of Ramadan, which for our Muslim classmates, neighbors and friends will begin this year on the evening of May 5 and continue through early-June.  Thank you to the students and families who continue to find opportunities to share with us their experiences and what, for them, serves as the most important and impactful aspects of Ramadan. In previous years a number of our students who were fasting during Ramadan had conversations with teachers about options and choices for their daily lunch period.  There will be some students who are fasting who may still want to be in the cafeteria so they can spend some downtime with their friends. For students who would prefer to be in a space other than the cafeteria, our teams have started to identify some supervised rooms that can be available during lunch.

For both 7th and 8th grade students, the last part of MCAS testing falls within the first week of Ramadan (Wednesday, May 6 through May 10).  During the MCAS testing window, we often send reminders to families about the benefits of students having something to eat before they arrive to school and we also make small snacks (granola bar, etc.) available to students who might need something when they first arrive to class.  For our students who will be observing Ramadan during this time, I wanted to acknowledge that this particular testing schedule could feel a bit harder for them if they are fasting. If your student plans to fast during that week, I wanted to offer a friendly reminder and suggestion to, if possible, plan a pre-dawn meal (I believe it’s called sehri) for your child on those days in particular so they may have a bit of food in their stomachs as they begin MCAS testing later that morning.  We will continue to work with each of our teams to offer messages to our students about the choices that are available and the standing invitation to speak to us about anything they’d like us to keep in mind as they and their families continue to observe Ramadan this month.  

Starting three years ago the English Department began sponsoring a friendly contest for students who had an interest in reading an original poem during our end-of-year assembly.  We’re pleased to be including that feature again this year as part of our annual send-off event. Called, “The Final Verse”, current 8th grade students are invited to submit an original poem that speaks to one of a few possible themes (such as life lessons, memories, endings/beginnings).  One of the submitted poems will be selected and the student author will be invited to read it as part of the year-end celebration. 8th grade English teachers will share more information directly with students, and students who submit a piece must make sure to give it to their English teacher by May 21.  

Finally, this past week I met with our fifth group of Everyday Leaders, who joined me for some pizza and conversation, as the students caught me up on how the school year has gone.  Congratulations to the following students whose teachers included them in this cohort of Everyday Leaders: Kaelyn Greene, Maddy Primiano, Tanvi Sistu, Vaishnavi Murthy, Fiona Fagans, Lila Stanton, Mihir Nagarkatti, Katharine deBethencourt, Jialin Chen, and Griffin Bentley.   

Have a great week, everyone.  

Cheers,

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone had a pleasant and re-energizing April Vacation, and returning with the energy and enthusiasm to finish the school year strong.  Our family stuck around for the break and took care of a few items that we’ve been pushing off for way too long (translation: three trips to Home Depot), folded in a couple of family activities and trips to the movie theatre, and had other moments where we gave ourselves permission to do nothing at all.  Then, of course, there were the two days where xxxxxdaesaerasdfadfadfasd and asdfafadfasf alongside xcxvxcvxvasfas except for when my son turned to asdfdsfasdfasand unfortunately when he said asdfasdfasdaf, I obviously had to asdfaksdfaksdfakl. before anything else happened.  Does the visual appearance of the last sentence look all-too familiar?  I don’t include the above (fake) redactions with the goal of offering any political commentary nor to make light of a divisive issue.  Instead, it’s a quick nod to how the visual appearance of online texts that have chunks of blacked out lines and excerpts has become a bit of a shared experience for all of us, and a more commonplace aspect of American popular culture and discourse.  To be sure, the parts of a certain report that was released last week that weren’t redacted already offer plenty to consider and debate, so the blacked out portions of that document simply add to the existing drama in a way that reminds me of the scene from an episode of the Simpson’s when Chief Wiggum says with some exasperation, “what is the fascination with my forbidden closet of mystery?”  Here’s some good news, though - most articles that were published last week don’t have redacted portions, and many of them are worth reading and discussing! Here’s a couple that I came across that I thought might be worth passing along to all of you in case the subject matter resonates.  For Harry Potter aficionados, perhaps you have long been aware of how Quidditch is (and has been since 2005) a real-world game and many US colleges and universities sport competitive teams. Here’s an article about the intensity found within the Quidditch at the University of Maryland, and a separate NPR article about how the intensity and fierce competition that’s evolved on the field has led to more significant injuries - which some might argue is inevitable in a game that involves “bludgers”.  On the subject of athletics, here’s a more serious article in The Atlantic entitled, “Why Are So Many Teen Athletes Struggling with Depression?” We often (appropriately) associate athletic activities and exercise as a positive contributor to overall health and even mental health, so I read with great interest new reports suggesting that the “professionalization” of youth sports and specializing in a single sport (or even single position) at younger ages is often leading to an increased susceptibility to negative emotions, stress, and anxiety.  On the subject of anxiety, here are two separate articles, one from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and one from NPR, that both highlight recent work at Yale University that focuses on providing training to parents of children with anxiety as the key strategy to developing effective supports for the children themselves.  As one reported noted, it’s one of those “so old it’s new” ideas that acknowledges the central importance of how parents respond when their child’s anxiety presents itself, and practicing strategies that shift from approaches that might provide immediate comfort, to ones that help their children develop over time the skills to overcome challenging situations.  Finally, here’s a piece from the Washington Post that offers families some suggestions for helping their students develop more effective study skills.  Most of you likely won’t be surprised that emphasizing routines that can lead to the development of specific habits is central to a lot of the suggestions that are made.  While none of the suggestions are particularly earth-shattering, they provide some general ideas that might reinforce some goals and strategies that you’re trying to establish at home.  

Here’s some calendar-related reminders for you to keep in mind as we return from the Break:

All families in Acton-Boxborough recently received a note from the District about the rise of vaping and use of electronic cigarettes by adolescents, and the efforts both locally and nationally to provide important education to parents and guardians about this trend. One goal of that note was to provide an update about statewide efforts to address this concern, as well as invite families to attend an event in our community featuring Mary Cole, Program Coordinator for the Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership.  This presentation will be held on Tuesday, April 30th at 7:00pm in the Junior High auditorium.  In addition Kimberly Manning, Program Coordinator at Boston Children's Hospital, will be available before the presentation with a variety of helpful vaping resources for families.

This Spring we will again be a drop-off site for the annual Spring clothing drive that benefits Open Table Food Pantry, which helps provide over 200 families each week with groceries, along with serving 200 meals and feeding 75 children each week.  The clothing drive runs from April 13 through May 13 and the donation box is stationed in the school lobby. Drop off locations for this drive can also be found at other town sites including, but limited to, the local town hall, the Acton and Boxborough town libraries, and other schools in our District.

An important reminder to families about the upcoming Challenge Success student survey that is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, April 23.  All families received a communication from the District before the break with information about the survey, including the scope and purpose.  Please also keep on your radar our District’s plans to send a separate (and related) survey to parents and guardians, also developed by Challenge Success, in an effort to capture perspectives and insights from the parent/guardian community.  Once the surveys are completed, the results will be shared with families through a variety of forms and forums, and will hopefully serve as a springboard to ongoing community-based conversations that bring together educators, parents and guardians, and other community members invested in the well-being of our students.

This week is a busy one in terms of our engagement with current 6th grade families whose children plan to join us at RJ Grey in September.  We have our Information Night scheduled for this Wednesday evening, and then we have a day (Thursday) where we offer tours to parents and guardians; and then on the following Monday, the PTSO is hosting an event where families can engage directly with current parents to discuss the transition process and the strategies, advice, and reassurances that our parents are most equipped to offer to incoming families.  If you have friends and/or neighbors who are joining the RJ Grey community for the first time this Fall, please encourage them to attend some of these programs, as we look forward to welcoming them (and their children) to our school.  

Finally, I want to acknowledge that Passover is taking place this weekend for those of you who observe that holiday, as well as a Happy Easter to families who may be gathering and/or observing that holiday.  I hope whatever activities and gatherings were part of your celebration were enjoyable and meaningful.  

Have a great week, everyone. Welcome back.

Cheers,

Hi Everyone,

About six years ago a friend of mine started including me in her tradition of attending the Banff Mountain Film Festival, an event that comes to the Somerville Theatre every February.  The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition which involves an annual presentation of short films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, and the environment and typically involves activities that lead most of us to say, “you’re doing what?!” This year, one of my favorite selections was a 6-minute film that documented 97-year old runner George Etzweiler’s annual participation in the Mount Washington Road Race, a 7.6 mile race up almost 4,700 feet, where he continually breaks his own record each year for oldest finisher.  Called, “For the Love of Mary” (click to watch), my favorite line from the film is when George notes, “I don’t keep track of my heart rate, I have a pacemaker that takes care of that.” And then there’s yours truly who yesterday decided to scrap a planned morning 4-mile run because I felt that it was a bit too windy for my liking.  With the Boston Marathon taking place a week from tomorrow, I wanted to cheer on any of our members of our community who may be preparing to run that race, and to share Mr. Etzweiler’s story as a bit of inspiration and encouragement.  

On the complete other end of things (at least from my perspective), I am highlighting here a series of recently posted articles that offered competing views of the growing world of e-sports and video gaming - a subject that we’ve explored in the past and is likely a topic of interest for a number of our families.  Here’s an op-ed piece in the New York Times by a columnist/parent who has bought into the Fortnite phenomenon, and a recent Washington Post piece that provides an update about a competitive esports league, in the Sports section, similar to the kinds of news and notes that many of us read regarding the latest updates on the Red Sox and Celtics. While still a very new phenomenon for many of us, this is a world that is becoming more commonplace and the norm for a growing population. Offering a very different perspective, this piece in the Boston Globe highlights a number of stories that suggest that Fortnite has had a damaging impact on the lives of many young people and their families - socially, physically, and emotionally.  Along with therapists and pediatricians in the area who were quoted in the Globe, a new voice that has emerged in this debate belongs to England’s very own Prince Harry who recently declared that the game should be banned.  Jus

This year’s MCAS testing begins tomorrow with 8th grade students taking the English/Language Arts portion.   We hope you will encourage your kids to get a good night’s sleep before they are scheduled for an MCAS test day.  We of course hope you encourage a good night’s sleep every night, but maybe place additional emphasis on it knowing they’ll be taking some assessments that are longer than what they typically experience.  A good breakfast always helps! If your child is absent for one of the testing dates, there are a number of make-up dates that we have already scheduled, and we will coordinate those make-ups with students.  

All families in Acton-Boxborough recently received a note from the District about the rise of vaping and use of electronic cigarettes by adolescents, and the efforts both locally and nationally to provide important education to parents and guardians about this trend. One goal of that note was to provide an update about statewide efforts to address this concern, as well as invite families to attend an event in our community featuring Mary Cole, Program Coordinator for the Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership.  This presentation will be held on Tuesday, April 30th at 7:00pm in the Junior High auditorium.  In addition Kimberly Manning, Program Coordinator at Boston Children's Hospital, will be available before the presentation with a variety of helpful vaping resources for families.

We hope that the 8th graders who attended last Friday’s dance had a fun evening together.  Many thanks to the PTSO volunteers who made sure that everyone had plenty to eat and drink throughout the event: Tracey Estabrook, Mindy Fox, Fabienne Woolfolk, Donna McEnery, Sheila Bauer, and Mai Nguyen.  Each year when we host this school dance in April I use it as an opportunity to encourage parents and guardians to spend ten minutes listening to one of my favorite episodes of the NPR program This American Life.  First aired in October of 2011, “Middle School” includes a number of stories about this particular stage of adolescence and schooling, including a hysterical look at middle school dances. This examination was not exactly a scientific study but certainly hit on some themes and concepts that ring true for many who remember those complicated adolescent years, and certainly for those who for some reason decided to make it the setting of their professional careers.  For me the best part of the section focusing on middle school dances is when two students were describing the rules and expectations that their school articulated to them in advance of a dance, some of which were shared as written guidelines that included, “No Petting.” To which the students expressed serious confusion wondering out loud, “do people sit at dances and pet other people? That’s weird.”  If you are interested in listening to this episode, click here. 

Finally, April Vacation is next week.  Please note that Friday is a full day of school.  If your travel plans involve your child missing some school we would appreciate your letting us know ahead of time so we can manage the attendance process a bit more easily.  Secondly, I wanted to continue offering a reminder and encouragement to use the vacation period to prioritize “playtime” and/or downtime for your kids. Remember, there’s no homework assigned over the vacation periods, and that’s so families can comfortably attend to other activities and interests.  

Have a great week and a nice April Vacation, everyone.

Cheers,