Hi Everyone,
Some of the best parenting advice I ever got was to use car rides as opportunities to have conversations with my kids. There is no necessity for eye contact, and the kids are a bit more of a captive audience during that time period. When I’ve kept the dialogue pretty casual, I’ve found that they are more willing to have a back and forth conversation, and they have even initiated a few conversations themselves. During a car ride a few weeks ago, my daughter says to me, “Dad, did you know there’s this girl at my school who is Tik Tok famous?” To which I so eloquently replied, “uh… she’s what?”. If I’m not the only parent who is late to the Tik Tok party, here is an overview from CommonSense Media of what I now understand to be a social media app that is wildly popular amongst adolescents (and recently much younger elementary-aged kids). The super quick explanation of Tik Tok is that it’s a free social media app that lets users watch, create, and share short videos that typically involve soundtracks and lip-synching to popular songs. Since my initial conversation with Addie, there have been more articles about the popularity of the platform and its role in youth culture, and the ways its current use has expanded and evolved from its original intent. The New York Times has published a series of pieces on Tik Tok, including this piece from last March that offers a pretty elaborate overview of the app and its use and popularity. More recently, the Times has published two pieces that offer fairly favorable reviews of what Tik Tok contributes in terms of celebrating creativity. First, this piece that asked five New York Times art critics to watch pieces from Tik Tok over a 48-hour period. And then most recently, this story about how some schools and educators are embracing the Tik Tok world, and promoting Tik Tok school clubs as a way to channel and cultivate the creative energies of their students in positive ways that build community. My purpose in sharing these last two pieces isn’t to offer an endorsement of the Tik Tok app. My own kids don’t have the app, not because of any concerns specifically about Tik Tok (as noted above, I didn’t even know what it was until recently) but instead because we’ve made the decision to limit their access to social media apps in general and so they know they not to even ask. Like most social media apps, there’s probably a lot of great features when used thoughtfully, and likely a range of potential problems and complications that exist when used with less-than-noble intentions. My reason for mentioning this app was mostly as an FYI from one semi-clueless dad to those of you who might appreciate a heads up about something that the Shen children have confirmed as something pretty entrenched in youth culture. When I asked my older two kids to educate me on it, they did so pretty willingly and some of you may also find it to be an interesting topic of conversation for you and your kids.
Ok, now for some reminders about the next few weeks:
Halloween is a week from Thursday. A friendly reminder that dressing in costume is optional and that not all students (or staff) participate, so each individual should feel comfortable making the choice that’s right for that student. If your student does choose to arrive in costume, please be sure to review the expectations that I shared with families in last week’s Grey Matters.
We have scheduled a picture retake day for Friday, November 1. Photos taken on the original Picture Day have not yet arrived, but we expect that they will shortly (and certainly before the retake day). If your child ordered a photo package and you would like to retake the photo, please have your child bring in the original package on that day (and to come dressed for the re-take!). If your student missed Picture Day earlier this year, this is also the time for him or her to have a photo taken. Even if you don’t have plans to order a photo package, it is important to have everyone’s photo taken so they will be included in this year’s yearbook.
There is NO SCHOOL on Tuesday, November 5. This is a Professional Day for all staff in Acton-Boxborough, so this applies to students at all grade levels.
Several years ago, we began a small recognition program called “Everyday Leaders” as one way for us to celebrate and put a brighter spotlight on students who, in a variety of ways, demonstrates leadership through daily acts of kindness, enthusiasm, and being respectful towards peers and teachers. Twice a trimester, our teams (and each grade’s exploratory, elective, and physical education teachers) identify a student who they have observed modeling some element of good citizenship within their classes and team. Every year, the cohort of students who are identified by the teachers is incredibly diverse in terms of the qualities that are being celebrated. There are always students whose kindness and contributions present themselves in less obvious and nuanced ways. This past Thursday, I met with our first group of Everyday Leaders for a small lunch in the main office, and enjoyed some good conversation about the start of the current school year. Congratulations to the following students who were part of this first group: Olivia Baytarian, Hazel Burke, Andy Coffey, Mahathi Hariharan, Keziah Kuriakose, Brodie Muyskens, Theresa Nintzel, Molly Norris, Molly Rabin-Marquez, Reka Schneider, and Sam Yanagimachi.
Finally, we had our most recent installment of Poetry Fridays at the end of last week. For those new to RJ Grey, Poetry Fridays is an activity that began seven years ago where every other Friday, a staff member or a student recites a poem during morning announcements. This activity is led by Tim Malloy, English teacher on 8 Red. Last Friday, 8th grade student Emily Stimac read an original poem that she had written and was graciously willing to share with our school as part of Poetry Fridays. Many thanks to Emily! Click here if you’d like to read the poem.
Have a great week, everyone.
Cheers,
