Hi Everyone,
I don’t think it would be a stretch on my part to note that the Congressional hearings about, and sexual assault allegations against, the current Supreme Court nominee captured everyone’s attention and completely dominated news headlines, social media, and dinner and water cooler conversations across the country. I mention this national issue here in Grey Matters not with an interest in exploring varying opinions and views of Mr. Kavanaugh or the state of our political system. This isn’t the forum for that conversation. Instead, I’m thinking more about our students and how it would be terribly naive of us to believe that they aren’t absorbing a good deal of what they see and hear about the allegations, ideas and definitions of sexual misconduct and harassment in general, and making sense of how those ideas may or may not apply to their understanding of teenage behaviors and relationships. The spotlight and sustained attention that these topics are receiving can be viewed as an opportunity for parents and guardians to educate their kids, and the idea of initiating those conversations about romance, sex, and relationships with our kids makes a lot of us a bit queasy. Nevertheless, our children will benefit from discussions and direct guidance from parents and guardians about the power and impact of certain words and behaviors, and clear explanations about what ethical, kind, and respectful behavior looks like in different settings, be it one-on-one interactions, group settings, social events, and on social media. From the harm caused by casual pejoratives to understanding the boundaries they should establish in terms of welcome and unwelcome attention, young people will at certain times, and for certain messy topics, need explicit direction and guidance. I’ve been thinking about this a lot in relation to my own kids, especially as one of them is in 6th grade (my daughter) and another is in 8th grade (my oldest son). And as someone who was raised in a home where everyone was more comfortable pretending that my sister and I were both immaculately conceived and didn’t come close to uttering anything about the topics mentioned above, I could personally use all the assistance and accessible language I can get.
For those of you who are also preparing yourselves and hoping for a bit of support in entering those conversations, I want to introduce you to the organization Making Caring Common, an initiative based at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education that is dedicated to “helping educators, parents and communities raise children who are caring and responsible to their communities.” When I introduced this organization to families last year I included this brief article by Dr. Richard Weissbourd. Focusing specifically on sexual harassment and misogyny this piece offers parents strategies for inviting their children into a conversation that can be tricky to initiate. Making Caring Common now also has a resource page entitled, “Teens and Ethical Romantic Relationships” that includes several resources, handouts and guides for parents and schools who want to help adolescents develop comfort and skill in establishing healthy relationships with peers, romantic or otherwise. If this is a topic that is at the forefront of your minds and parenting priorities, you might want to explore that site. To be sure, not all of what is included may fully resonate with you, but perhaps it offers you pieces that are useful. Along with the work and efforts that many of you are making on this subject, our school’s Health and Life Skills curriculum will continue to evolve and include opportunities to help students navigate what often feels (or is) an overload of information and imagery on the topics described above. As those plans emerge, I’ll make a point of sharing some updates and examples for everyone so we can continue the conversation and support each other in this important work.
Some quick reminders for the next two weeks:
We had plans to conduct our first of two annual ALICE drills last week. Unfortunately, the rainy weather interfered with those plans, and so we made the decision to postpone that drill to sometime later this week. When the exercise is complete I will be sure to provide families with an update.
A reminder to 8th grade families that Minuteman Technical High School will be visiting RJ Grey this Tuesday and Wednesday to provide students with a brief overview of the school and the application process. Because the town of Boxborough is no longer a member of the Minuteman district, there is a different process for Boxborough students and families interested in a vocational route next year. Attending the Minuteman presentation still makes sense for Boxborough students given that it could still be the right option for them, and please stay tuned for additional details about the process and options for exploring additional vocational programs. For any families who want to know more about Minuteman Tech, I would encourage you to email your child's counselors.
Two calendar reminders for this Thursday and next Monday: The Junior High and High School have our first Early Release day this Thursday, October 4, and staff will then participate in professional learning for the remainder of the day. Dismissal for students is at 11:06am at the Junior High and all standard bus routes will be available at that time. Please note that the Late Bus will not be available that day. I would encourage families to discuss and confirm with their child plans for this early release and expectations regarding transportation and post-release activities. Next week there will be no school on Monday, October 8 as part of the Columbus Day long weekend.
Many of you are already familiar with Household Goods of Acton, an organization that provides a full range of donated furniture and household items, free of charge, to help people in need make a home. As they head into the fall season, their supplies of bath towels and hand towels are running low and they are hoping that members of our community can help them collect enough towels to give to 2,500 families this year. RJ Grey is happy to serve as a drop off location for any of you who is able to donate towels. Between October 9 and October 12, you can bring gently used towels to RJ Grey and drop them off in the collection bins located in our front lobby. For more information about Household Goods, you can visit them at 530 Main Street in Acton, or view their website at householdgoods.org.
I hope those of you who attended last week’s Back to School Night found the evening to be informative and valuable. The level of parent and family support that we have in Acton-Boxborough is no secret, and we know that partnering with all of you is central to a successful school year. Along with connecting with teachers by email or phone, please remember that we have a “team meeting” option that is also available to families. Teams have, about once a week, a period where parents/guardians can schedule a 20-minute meeting to connect with their child’s team teachers. This is an opportunity for some families to share information and concerns, and ask questions, and for teachers (and the team counselor) to do the same. The availability of appointments usually ebbs and flows over the course of the year, so during busy periods the next available appointment is a few weeks out. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, you can email our Registrar Lena Jarostchuk ([email protected]) or call her at extension x3330.
I recently highlighted the R.J. Grey Artist of the Month program, an opportunity for 7th and 8th Graders to have an authentic, juried art exhibition experience similar to the process in which professional artists participate. Congratulations to Ana Maranga (8 Blue) who has been selected as October’s Artist of the Month. When Ana was asked to explain a bit about her artistic endeavors, Ana shared: “I've always been passionate about art, and I know I always will be. I also know I'm really interested in robotics and engineering. Art would definitely be useful for designing robots and other mechanical parts.” Congratulations to Ana and you can click here to view her work.
Finally, Poetry Fridays took place at the end of last week. For those new to RJ Grey, Poetry Fridays is an activity that began six 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 week’s selection was “Harlem” by American poet Langston Hughes. Click here if you’d like to read the poem.
Have a great week, everyone.
Cheers,
