Hi Everyone,
The task of Springing forward and moving our clocks forward by an hour earlier today, and the subsequent “loss” of an hour this morning reminded me of a series of articles I read two years ago about some efforts to eliminate daylight savings and permanently move to the Atlantic Standard Time zone. Here’s an article from that time about a state panel in Massachusetts that endorsed this move, and another that offered a brief history of how daylight savings came into existence. After re-reading these articles I started to wonder if this issue has gained any momentum, and it appears that there’s a growing movement across the nation to do away with daylight savings. Here’s an article from this past Saturday’s New York Times that highlights legislation in both California and New Hampshire on this issue, and here’s a piece in National Geographic that not only provides a great overview of the topic (accompanied by useful graphics), but also introduces us to the term “daylight savings time activist”. Apparently there’s some folks out there that really care about this topic who consider it more than just a mere nuisance. All this talk of calendars and schedules is quite fitting for this week’s Grey Matters given that the rest of this week’s newsletter is chock full of updates and announcements regarding upcoming events, deadlines, and programs. Below are useful updates regarding Spring sports, High School course registration for 8th grade students, and a brief preview of this Spring’s MCAS calendar.
First, a quick note that with our first snow day of the year (and what I personally hope is our only snow day of the year) our last day of school is, as of today, now scheduled for Wednesday, June 19.
Winter Trimester report cards may be sent out this Friday, but may also get changed to Monday because of our snow day and depending on a few variables. Thanks for your patience.
Our tryout and meeting schedule for Spring interscholastic sports - baseball, softball, and girls volleyball has now been set, and can be viewed below. We are operating under the assumption that outdoor fields won’t be ready in time for the start of Spring sports - and if they are, then great. I can confirm that students interested in the Spring Track program should plan to attend a meeting on Monday, March 25 at 3:00pm in the Junior High auditorium. At this meeting the coaches will provide an overview of the season, distribute important paperwork, and review expectations attached to the two levels of participation that I outlined in last week’s Grey Matters. Please remember that families must register on FamilyID for EVERY SEASON that their student plans to participate in a sport. If your child already participated in a Fall or Winter sport and wishes to participate in a Spring sport, they must still register for their Spring sport on FamilyID. Additionally, all payments for spring athletic fees must be paid by CHECK and submitted to the team coach. The Athletics Department will not be accepting electronic payments during the spring season due to technical difficulties. All information related to Athletics can be found on our school website here.
The annual March Madness basketball tournament was last Friday, and was a good deal of fun for the many students who attended. Many thanks to the parent volunteers who staffed the event and continually replenished the snack table: Tracey Estabrook, Mai Nguyen, Lisa Thermidor, Cindy Richardson, Maria Parodos, Karen Finkelman, Hope Rupley, and Kelly Sturniolo.
Don’t forget that the RJ Grey Junior High yearbook is offering you the chance to send your love, pride and congratulations to the graduating 8th grade RJ Grey student in your life. You can purchase one of two advertisement formats to relay a message that your 8th grade student will cherish forever. Ads must be submitted by this Wednesday, March 13. Please click the link for submissions guidelines and instructions. Please contact Marc Lewis ([email protected]) with any questions.
This year, our Project 351 service representatives - Biz Brooks and Marion Stuntz - will be hosting another clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons, and they’ve asked me to pass along this introduction about the upcoming drive: “Every child should be cared for and have access to clothes and all of their basic needs. Cradles to Crayons is an organization that helps accomplish this goal. You can help the over 180,000 Massachusetts children living in poverty by donating new, like new, or gently used children’s clothing, coats, and footwear. We are collecting donations in the main lobby from Monday, March 25th to Friday, April 5th. Clothing should be youth sizes 0-20 or adult small and medium. Shoes, boots, sandals, and sneakers should be infant/child sizes 0-13 and adult sizes 0-10. Socks and pajamas must be brand new. Thank you for your generosity.”
I mentioned last week that on Monday, March 18 the portal for current 8th grade students to register for high school courses will be open. Before that time, students will have met with their current teachers to discuss course recommendations for next year. As you prepare to work with your 8th grade student on his/her/their choices for next year, please be sure to review the materials that have been made available to you and them. Families should review all of the following documents: (1) the High School Program of Studies, which includes details about course requirements and guidelines; (2) the list of 9th grade electives for 2019-2020; and (3) directions for electronic course selections. I would strongly recommend that all 8th grade families review the entirety of the directions - there is information about the process for override requests that must be followed should you wish to pursue that route. Please note that families who might need assistance with accessing the portal should use the high school contact information that is listed at the top of the instruction sheet.
This year, we will be celebrating National World Language Week during the next five days of school (March 11 through March 15). The goal is to bring awareness to the importance of foreign language study through the celebration of languages and cultures. At RJ Grey, we will be observing National World Language Week through morning announcements where students will be greeting the RJ Grey community in a variety of languages. At the end of the week, one 8th grade student will read a poem in English and Spanish for Poetry Friday. Monday through Thursday, students will also read a world language-oriented trivia question during morning announcements and students who would like to answer the trivia questions can pick up ballots from the World Languages teacher on their respective teams, and can enter their completed responses in the Trivia ballot box.
Finally, assuming that we don’t get any surprise snowstorms in April, we begin our MCAS testing this year on Monday, April 8. Last year both 7th and 8th grade MCAS assessments were computer-based. Rest assured that we will again be providing our students in both grades some training on how to engage with the computer-based testing platform prior to April 8. When we get closer to the MCAS testing dates, I will be sharing more information about how we organize the testing days (and constant reminders to make sure your kids eat a good breakfast), along with some thoughts about the role MCAS should, and shouldn't, play in the academic lives of our students. In the meantime, here is a link to the MCAS schedule for the Junior High. If your child is absent for one of his/her testing dates, there are a number of make-up dates that we have already scheduled, and we will coordinate those make-ups with students.
Have a great week, everyone.
Cheers,
