Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone had a pleasant and re-energizing April Vacation, and returning with the energy and enthusiasm to finish the school year strong. Our family stuck around for the break and took care of a few items that we’ve been pushing off for way too long (translation: three trips to Home Depot), folded in a couple of family activities and trips to the movie theatre, and had other moments where we gave ourselves permission to do nothing at all. Then, of course, there were the two days where xxxxxdaesaerasdfadfadfasd and asdfafadfasf alongside xcxvxcvxvasfas except for when my son turned to asdfdsfasdfasand unfortunately when he said asdfasdfasdaf, I obviously had to asdfaksdfaksdfakl. before anything else happened. Does the visual appearance of the last sentence look all-too familiar? I don’t include the above (fake) redactions with the goal of offering any political commentary nor to make light of a divisive issue. Instead, it’s a quick nod to how the visual appearance of online texts that have chunks of blacked out lines and excerpts has become a bit of a shared experience for all of us, and a more commonplace aspect of American popular culture and discourse. To be sure, the parts of a certain report that was released last week that weren’t redacted already offer plenty to consider and debate, so the blacked out portions of that document simply add to the existing drama in a way that reminds me of the scene from an episode of the Simpson’s when Chief Wiggum says with some exasperation, “what is the fascination with my forbidden closet of mystery?” Here’s some good news, though - most articles that were published last week don’t have redacted portions, and many of them are worth reading and discussing! Here’s a couple that I came across that I thought might be worth passing along to all of you in case the subject matter resonates. For Harry Potter aficionados, perhaps you have long been aware of how Quidditch is (and has been since 2005) a real-world game and many US colleges and universities sport competitive teams. Here’s an article about the intensity found within the Quidditch at the University of Maryland, and a separate NPR article about how the intensity and fierce competition that’s evolved on the field has led to more significant injuries - which some might argue is inevitable in a game that involves “bludgers”. On the subject of athletics, here’s a more serious article in The Atlantic entitled, “Why Are So Many Teen Athletes Struggling with Depression?” We often (appropriately) associate athletic activities and exercise as a positive contributor to overall health and even mental health, so I read with great interest new reports suggesting that the “professionalization” of youth sports and specializing in a single sport (or even single position) at younger ages is often leading to an increased susceptibility to negative emotions, stress, and anxiety. On the subject of anxiety, here are two separate articles, one from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and one from NPR, that both highlight recent work at Yale University that focuses on providing training to parents of children with anxiety as the key strategy to developing effective supports for the children themselves. As one reported noted, it’s one of those “so old it’s new” ideas that acknowledges the central importance of how parents respond when their child’s anxiety presents itself, and practicing strategies that shift from approaches that might provide immediate comfort, to ones that help their children develop over time the skills to overcome challenging situations. Finally, here’s a piece from the Washington Post that offers families some suggestions for helping their students develop more effective study skills. Most of you likely won’t be surprised that emphasizing routines that can lead to the development of specific habits is central to a lot of the suggestions that are made. While none of the suggestions are particularly earth-shattering, they provide some general ideas that might reinforce some goals and strategies that you’re trying to establish at home.
Here’s some calendar-related reminders for you to keep in mind as we return from the Break:
All families in Acton-Boxborough recently received a note from the District about the rise of vaping and use of electronic cigarettes by adolescents, and the efforts both locally and nationally to provide important education to parents and guardians about this trend. One goal of that note was to provide an update about statewide efforts to address this concern, as well as invite families to attend an event in our community featuring Mary Cole, Program Coordinator for the Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership. This presentation will be held on Tuesday, April 30th at 7:00pm in the Junior High auditorium. In addition Kimberly Manning, Program Coordinator at Boston Children's Hospital, will be available before the presentation with a variety of helpful vaping resources for families.
This Spring we will again be a drop-off site for the annual Spring clothing drive that benefits Open Table Food Pantry, which helps provide over 200 families each week with groceries, along with serving 200 meals and feeding 75 children each week. The clothing drive runs from April 13 through May 13 and the donation box is stationed in the school lobby. Drop off locations for this drive can also be found at other town sites including, but limited to, the local town hall, the Acton and Boxborough town libraries, and other schools in our District.
An important reminder to families about the upcoming Challenge Success student survey that is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, April 23. All families received a communication from the District before the break with information about the survey, including the scope and purpose. Please also keep on your radar our District’s plans to send a separate (and related) survey to parents and guardians, also developed by Challenge Success, in an effort to capture perspectives and insights from the parent/guardian community. 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.
This week is a busy one in terms of our engagement with current 6th grade families whose children plan to join us at RJ Grey in September. We have our Information Night scheduled for this Wednesday evening, and then we have a day (Thursday) where we offer tours to parents and guardians; and then on the following Monday, the PTSO is hosting an event where families can engage directly with current parents to discuss the transition process and the strategies, advice, and reassurances that our parents are most equipped to offer to incoming families. If you have friends and/or neighbors who are joining the RJ Grey community for the first time this Fall, please encourage them to attend some of these programs, as we look forward to welcoming them (and their children) to our school.
Finally, I want to acknowledge that Passover is taking place this weekend for those of you who observe that holiday, as well as a Happy Easter to families who may be gathering and/or observing that holiday. I hope whatever activities and gatherings were part of your celebration were enjoyable and meaningful.
Have a great week, everyone. Welcome back.
Cheers,
