Hi Everyone,
In 2016, Acton-Boxborough entered a partnership with Challenge Success, an organization based out of Stanford University. Challenge Success (www.challengesuccess.org) is an organization based out of Stanford University that aims to reduce unhealthy pressures on youth and to champion a shift in how success is defined and measured in our schools and communities. They provide consultation, resources, and trainings to schools and communities who wish to pursue strategies for “creating environments that are necessary for children to mature into resilient, caring, and purposeful individuals.” As part of this partnership with Challenge Success, all of our students in grades 6 through 12 completed the Stanford Adolescent Experience Survey in April 2016, which covered topics such as stress, homework, sleep, parental expectations, academic goals and integrity, and extracurricular commitments. The survey results provide a data set of close to 3,000 (then) current AB students and offered a starting point for wrestling with some complicated topics. The data from that survey contributed to subsequent conversations and policy proposals about school start times and homework/workload expectations, and inspired parent/family presentations on topics such as technology and social media, resilience, and anxiety. Three years later, our District is still deeply invested in the aspects of the student experience that were highlighted in the survey, and eager to collect updated information from our students and families about the topics and issues highlighted in the survey. With that in mind, our school district is planning to re-administer the same survey to students currently in grades 6 thru 12. This time around, the District is also planning to send a separate (but related) survey to parents and guardians, also developed by Challenge Success, in an effort to capture perspectives and insight from our parent/guardian community. Right now plans for pushing out the survey are scheduled for the week of April 22 - which is the week after April Vacation. Before that time, families will receive a more formal letter from Acton-Boxborough that provides families specific information about the scope and purpose of the survey, and the voluntary nature of the activity. In advance of that more detailed letter, please know that both surveys (student and parent/guardian) are completed anonymously and you and your child’s privacy will be maintained throughout the process. Once the surveys are completed, the results will be shared with families through a variety of forms and forums, and will hopefully serve as a springboard to ongoing community-based conversations that bring together educators, parents and guardians, and other community members invested in the well-being of our students.
As we enter this Spring sports season, both at school and through community and club programs, I would encourage all of us (me included) to be continually mindful of how to be a supportive and thoughtful sports parent. There is an intensity to youth sports today that can unfortunately dilute the many benefits that would typically be a part of the experience of being on a team and participating in lively competition. Starting a few years ago, I have shared at the start of the Spring season an excerpt of a letter written by the father-in-law of a good friend to the players assigned to the Little League baseball team that he was assigned to coach in the Spring of 1977. As we enter this next season of sports, I wanted to again share a portion of it in case it might resonate with you: “I do not care how many games you win or lose; I hope you win at least one game so that you and your teammates can experience the satisfaction of winning as a team, but I also hope you lose one so that you will experience the shared disappointment of a team loss...The purpose of the program is to give you and your teammates an opportunity to learn something about competition, sportsmanship and team play by actually playing on a baseball team, in the belief that, if well taught, the lessons learned on the baseball field will be valuable to you as you continue to grow up.”
Here’s another really important reminder for current 7th grade families about the scheduling/registration process for your child’s 8th grade year. All 7th grade families received an email that provided an overview of the online registration process, as well as a Registration Worksheet that provides instructions for how to navigate each step. Students were also provided a paper copy of this form. Families must complete the online course registration process by this Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Having all of this information by that deadline is necessary so we can begin the initial steps of ensuring that we have the information needed to assign the appropriate number of sections for different courses.
Here’s some updates and reminders for all of you:
Don’t forget that this Thursday, April 4 is the Junior High’s last early release day, where students are dismissed at 11:06am and staff remain to participate in professional learning. Students will not be able to remain in the building so we ask families to plan accordingly.
Tickets are on sale in 8th grade homerooms for the upcoming spring dance which takes place this Friday April 5th from 7:00 - 9:00 PM in the gym. Tickets are $5.00 each and will not be sold at the door. Tickets will be sold through this Thursday, April 4th.
As we still have about nine weeks of school remaining, I want to remind everyone of the Junior High’s Rise to the Challenge program, which is our way of recognizing student involvement in community service. Students who complete 10 hours of service within the school year will be recognized for their efforts, and it’s definitely not too late to submit that information. 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].
A friendly reminder to our Acton families that Acton Town Meeting starts tomorrow - Monday, April 1 at 7pm in the High School auditorium. Boxborough’s town meeting is scheduled for mid-May.
Congratulations to Vaishnavi Murthy of 7 Red who was named Artist of the Month for this April. Vaishnavi and her artwork were chosen for the month of April and she is posing with one of her pieces in the photo to the right. You can view more of Vaishnavi’s work by clicking here.
One more week until we enter the season of MCAS testing. This year we begin the 8th Grade English/Language Arts portion of the MCAS state assessments on Monday, April 8. Here again is a link to the RJ Grey-specific schedule for MCAS testing for April and May, and for both grades. If your child is absent for one of the assigned testing dates, there are a number of make-up dates that we have already scheduled, and we will coordinate those make-ups with students. As I mentioned in an earlier Grey Matters, MCAS this year will be computer-based for both 7th and 8th graders and we will continue to help students be prepared for that testing platform.
Have a great week, everyone.
Cheers,
