Grey Matters, September 10, 2018; Volume 7, Number 2 

Hi Everyone,


At my house last week there were plenty of signs that we were shifting from summer vacation to the start of a new school year - backpacks were lined up on the counter, alarm clocks were back in use, and the next day’s lunches were prepared each night.  And then there were other things about last week that were indistinguishable from the previous weeks of summer, the two most prominent being the soaring temperatures and that the number of moments of sibling bickering in our house remained well above three thousand per day.  This year, my children enter 8th grade, 6th grade, and 4th grade. Let’s all pause here for a moment of silence so that you and I can mentally send our best wishes to each other for the range of interesting and colorful moments we will likely experience over the next several months, with mine certainly shaped by that particular combination of teenager/adolescents.  My experiences last year with my oldest son as he traveled through 7th grade (not at RJ Grey) made for both a personal and professional journey given my role as a middle school principal. Plenty of joyful moments along with stretches of time when my son would argue that my status as a middle school principal actually made me even less qualified to be of help and perspective. As for how consistently I practiced the strategies that I encouraged RJ Grey parents and guardians to consider? Probably 75% of the time, and I could also be unconsciously padding my success rate a bit here.  I expect that this collision of personal and professional worlds will continue as he enters 8th grade and my daughter enters 6th grade, and I look forward to another year of comparing notes and strategies with many of you as we all try and do the best we can in what certainly feels like a world that is constantly shifting underneath our feet.  As we begin this school year, I am including a link to an article in the Washington Post that I’ve shared the past two years that offers suggestions for how parents (and guardians) can stay connected and engaged with their teenage sons.  This has been a favorite of mine as it offered me practical suggestions that I’ve found to be effective (use car rides for conversations) and some important reminders about exercising a bit more patience in certain circumstances, and leaving room for silence.  I hope that you and your kids have had a successful start of this school year and that our 7th graders, and students new to AB, are feeling good about their transition to RJ Grey.   


We just completed our first week of school where start times for the Junior High was pushed back by thirty (30) minutes (and 49 minutes later at the High School) to better accommodate the sleep needs of young adolescents, a topic that our community has discussed and prioritized over the past few years.  Something to monitor is the news that the California legislature just passed a bill that would require all public schools in that state to start school no earlier than 8:30am by 2021.  It’s currently awaiting a response/signature from the governor of California (a title, by the way, that I can no longer read or say without hearing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice).  More locally, Harvard is requiring all of it’s freshmen to complete an online course about sleep before they arrive on campus as part of a push to educate all students about the importance of healthy sleeping habits.   It may take a bit of time for the full impact and benefits of our start time change here at Acton-Boxborough to be understood, and it’s something for us to review and discuss as the year progresses.  For parents and guardians who had students attend RJ Grey and/or the High School in previous years, I hope that even within the first week of school some of the anticipated benefits have presented themselves within your homes.


This year, the Shen family will have four separate Back to School Night events to attend. Our fourth and final Back to School Night later this month is mine - which is also all of yours. RJ Grey’s Back to School Night will be on Wednesday, September 26th, starting at 7:00pm.  For those of you with children who participate in the Band, String Ensemble or Chorus programs, there is an optional meeting at 6:35pm where you can learn more about those programs. Parents should head straight for their child’s homeroom (schedules for that evening will be coming home before that evening) and I am going to travel with all of you to your kids’ classes throughout the evening, and hopefully we’ll have a few moments here and there to connect.  


On that evening, we also ask parents to vote for two 7th grade parent/guardian representatives who will serve on this year's School Council. 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 Monday evenings at 6:30pm (the first will be October 15). We are looking for 7th grade parents who are interested in serving on the Council.  If you have any interest, please submit a short (4-6 sentence max) paragraph about yourself by noon on Friday, September 21st for the ballot. Write-ups can be sent to me at [email protected].


At Back to School Night, you will see a number of tables hosting a few different school-related organizations, including the PTSO. The PTSO is the parent organization that works with both RJ Grey and the high school to facilitate communication between the schools and the parent community, and supports the schools through various volunteer activities and forums.  The JH/HS PTSO is structured a bit differently in that they make a single financial request for the entire year -- a $50 membership donation, and there are no additional parent/guardian fundraisers that take place. You can download the membership registration form by clicking here.  Along with funding a number of projects, events, and equipment at the Junior High and High School, a membership entitles you to a free student directory (which you pick up that night).  This year, the funds that the PTSO provided to RJ Grey is one reason we are able to continue providing every student with a Student Planbook at no charge, and why we have some great new tables and chairs in the lobby outside of the cafeteria. To learn more about the PTSO, you can visit their site by clicking here.  


Here’s a few other scheduling reminders and notes you might want to keep in mind for the next few weeks:


Our annual school picture day is Monday, Sept. 24. In the next two weeks we will be distributing picture order forms to all students. Regardless of whether families order photos, each child will have his/her photo taken so we can include them in the yearbook. If you would like to order photos but the costs associated with the options would present a financial hardship, I would encourage you to contact David Lawrence at [email protected]. Each year, we have worked with our vendor to find ways for any family who wants a set of photos to receive one.


A friendly reminder that this year our school musical will be “Annie” and audition workshops will be taking place this week.  Audition workshops will be held on Sept. 12 (for Music) and Sept. 13 (for Dance), and attendance at both workshops is mandatory.  The auditions themselves are schedule for Sept. 18 and Sept. 20, and attendance is expected for both days as well. Visit our Theatre Arts page for additional details and information.  


Within the next two weeks, most of our after school clubs and activities will have had their first meetings with interested students.  The updated list of clubs and activities is now ready to share and you can review it by clicking here, and we’ll also post it on our website.  This year we will again be offering Fit Club and we do require students to sign up ahead of time (there’s no cost, just need a head count). To sign up or if you have questions about Fit Club, you can email Katy Frey at [email protected].  


Our Cross Country program will host its informational meeting for all interested students on Tuesday, September 11 at 2:45pm in the auditorium.  The Cross Country team does not have cuts, and all interested students are welcome to join. Practice starts on September 12 and are held Monday through Friday starting at 2:40pm.  The head coach for the team is Elizabeth Muff and she can be reached at [email protected].  


Acton-Boxborough will continue to provide a Late Bus option for students at the Junior High and High School.  Here is a link to the memo that provides details about this service (including a link to the list of planned stops), which will begin starting this Tuesday, September 11.  The Late Bus will pick up students at the Junior High at 4:45pm.  


By now I hope most of you have had an opportunity to visit our school website - rjgrey.abschools.org.  We make every effort to keep the site current, and you can access a number of important school documents and connect to individual teacher websites. Every team also maintains a shared online homework calendar that can also be accessed through our school website (7th grade teams here, 8th grade teams here).  In addition, we have a lively active and useful social media presence on both Twitter and Instagram - please consider signing up for one or both!  It may also be something that your students may want to consider following as well.  These accounts will repeat some information that will always be included in our Daily Announcements, and also gives us a platform to share some fun photos and notes about activities taking place within the school.  


I’m pleased to share that the  R.J. Grey Artist of the Month program is continuing this year.  This program launched last February, and is the brainchild of 8th grade art teacher Mrs. Vlajinac.  The goal of this program is to provide 7th and 8th Graders and opportunities to have an authentic, juried art exhibition experience similar to the process in which professional artists participate.  Since this event is supposed to mimic a real world, professional artist experience, not all students that apply will become RJG Artists of the Month. However, Ms. Vlajinac offers this important reminder to students who may have an interest in participating: “If you are not selected to be RJG AofM, DON’T STOP MAKING ART!!  If you are not selected it only means that there were a handful of people that had work that was just a bit stronger than yours…  Not being selected doesn’t mean that you are terrible at art or that we don’t like you as a person.  Quite the opposite actually!  We appreciate that you took a chance and put yourself/artwork out there. Doing that is SUPER BRAVE and you should be proud for even trying! To learn more about the RJG Artist of the Month process click here.


I’m also excited to be sharing with everyone our continued efforts to promote Rise to the Challenge, which is something we started last year as a way of recognizing student involvement in community service.  We know that many students are already participating in service activities outside of school, and we hope to celebrate those efforts along with encouraging more students to become active in service opportunities.  Students who complete 10 hours of service within the school year will be recognized for their efforts. Please visit the community service page on our website that provides all the details for this program. If you have any questions, please email Debbie Brookes at [email protected].  


Finally, a message from our Librarian, Ms. Charpentier: “RJ Grey is holding its first-ever book fair on September 18th, 20th, and 21st. The book fair will feature the newest young adult fiction and non-fiction titles along with a host of award-winning classics. The fair features over 600 titles that are selected to appeal specifically to a junior high audience. The book fair will sell both paperback and hardcover books with the average cost being $10. Students will have an opportunity to purchase a book (if interested) when their English class visits the fair at scheduled times and each day of the fair after school until 3pm.” The book fair will accept cash, checks, and credit/debit cards. As with any program at RJ Grey that may involve a cost to families, we are happy to support any students for whom the cost of these books may present a hardship and will ensure that any interested students can select some books that may interest them.  Students and parents/guardians can address any questions they may have to their English teacher or to Ms. Charpentier in the library.


Have a great week, everyone.


Cheers,

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Posted by ashen On 11 September, 2018 at 2:44 PM  

 
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