Hi Everyone,
A few years ago I introduced to Grey Matters readers my youngest son’s love of bacon, his request for a “box of bacon” for Christmas, and all the bacon-inspired presents he did receive from relatives, including the infamous Bacon Bowl. What I thought at the time was going to be a one-time reference to Parker’s love of the greasy breakfast meat evolved into a 6-month dialogue with families about all things bacon. Apparently, there was and is a large contingent of families in the Acton and Boxborough communities who share my son’s fixation with bacon. Assuming that’s still the case, I wanted to pass along the news that Ohio State University has installed its first bacon vending machine, and has gained such popularity that it has to be restocked four or five times a day. Along with that quirky piece, I also came across a few other articles that I thought would be useful to pass along to families and perhaps a bit more relevant to school, learning, and parenting. First, here is an opinion piece in the New York Times by psychologist Adam Grant called “What Straight-A Students Get Wrong” and offers a particular perspective about learning in school (primarily college), and what he sees as the gains and losses of a culture and system that is built around measuring achievement primarily through traditional grades. Those of you who choose to read the article may or may not see application of those ideas in a middle school/high school setting, but at least perhaps offers some food for thought the day before Fall Trimester report cards are emailed home (more on that below). Second, the Boston Globe just posted another article regarding the issue of vaping in schools. While this article focused heavily on how a number of schools are installing sensors that are supposed to be able to detect vaping activity, it also offers additional data and stories about this issue in general. Since the time a few weeks ago when I wrote a more elaborate message about this in Grey Matters, vaping activity at RJ Grey this year has still not (fortunately) emerged as a significant concern, though we are being cautious and avoiding being lulled into a false sense of quiet in this arena. Similarly, I would encourage parents and guardians to continue being somewhat vigilant about your child’s exposure to vaping.
Finally, an article that I share more for fun and camaraderie than anything else, though I actually can see appropriate links to the first article I shared about measuring achievement primarily through grades and some of the unintended outcomes of that approach. The Washington Post just published a piece about how common it is for adults to have dreams where they are back in college and realizing they have a final exam for a class that they never attended the whole semester - and the panic that it generates. Until I came across this article, I believed that this exact dream that I have about two to three times a year was a creation unique to my overly neurotic brain. Apparently it’s a much more common dream narrative, and so I wanted to pass this information along to all of you should you also connect to this particular brand of dreaming.
Besides reading the articles that I shared above, I also attended Saturday evening’s performance of Annie and as always it’s immensely enjoyable to watch a performance featuring our students as they showcase a whole different dimension of who they are, and the many talents they possess. The moment shortly before the curtains rose when a parent told me about how great an experience the musical has been for his child was an added bonus for me. Along with the many parents and guardians, families and staff who attended the musical, I was again heartened to see a large contingent of current and former RJ Grey students in attendance and cheering loudly for their classmates and friends. Planning and preparation for a production of this magnitude starts in the summer, and involves a high level of commitment and focus for the first three months of the school year - auditions, rehearsals, costume making, set building, and more rehearsals. Congratulations and many thanks to the student cast and crew, RJ Grey staff and parent volunteers who were part of this year’s musical production.
Some reminders for this week and next, as we head towards Winter Break:
Fall Trimester report cards are being sent to families Monday afternoon. Please remember that report cards are now emailed to directly to parents and guardians. Any email address that is listed in a student’s Emergency Card as belonging to a parent or guardian will receive a copy of the report card. If you experience any issues with receiving the report card let me know and we can generate another copy to email you.
The first of three parent-teacher conference days is scheduled for this Thursday, December 13. All (Junior High) students will have an early release day, and dismissed at 11:06am. All bus routes will be available after school, and a friendly reminder to families to have a quick conversation with your child about plans and expectations for where they should be going once school is dismissed. For those parents and guardians who have meetings scheduled on Thursday, please double check your assigned times. You would have received that via an email message from either Katy Frey (7th grade) or Anne Spalding (8th grade).
I want to provide a friendly reminder and plug for Rise to the Challenge, which is our way 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].
We are nearing the launch of our annual, and quite popular, Cooking Club at RJ Grey. The tough part about Cooking Club is that it’s limited to 12 students to ensure an appropriate setting that prioritizes safety and supervision. The good news is that this popular club will be offering two rounds/offerings of the Cooking Club which will allow 24 students to participate. This club is for students with all levels of cooking experience and will meet from 2:50-5:00 PM after school on the scheduled meeting dates in the Cafeteria Kitchen. Registration will be based on the order in which registration forms are turned in. Click here for the Cooking Club registration form (which also includes meeting dates and times). Questions and forms can be directed to Deb Rimpas (Health Teacher) at [email protected].
Finally, as we near the Winter Break, I also want to take a moment to include this annual reminder about guidelines for giving gifts to school staff members. First and foremost, please know that no family should ever feel that gift giving is expected. My experience has been that simple expressions of thanks that are sent along to teachers by students and families are “gifts” that are greatly appreciated by our staff. For families who choose to provide a gift to a member of the RJ Grey staff, I do need to direct your attention to state ethics laws that limit the gifts that teachers, coaches, and staff are permitted to receive. There’s actually a whole series of details about this (because it tends to get a little complicated at the elementary levels with class gifts, etc.), but to keep things simple for us: staff can not accept gifts from a single family that exceeds $50 in value for the entire school year. For those who send in homemade desserts and treats and want to know what monetary value is placed on those, the answer is of course priceless. I share the above info about gift giving as a friendly reminder about important guidelines that we’re obligated to follow and to take this opportunity to thank all RJ Grey families for the many ways that each of you supports the school and our teachers throughout the year.
Have a great week, everyone.
Cheers,
