Eye on the Junior High



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Good afternoon,


I’ve spent part of the last three Sundays running as part of a road race series. The series started with a 3-mile race, followed by 4 and 5-mile runs on the subsequent Sundays. The race series was a lot of fun and gave me a good goal to work towards as I’ve picked up running again over the past few months. Beginning many years ago, I’ve made running a part of my life, on occasion. Over those years, there have been seasons with lots of miles, including running in several half-marathons and even a marathon. There have also been periods of months or years where I haven’t run anywhere! I have enjoyed getting back out there these last few months, and I know it has had a positive impact on combatting the stress that comes with being a principal. As Spring slowly arrives, I hope you find some way to reconnect with something that feels good in hopefully beautiful weather! 


We had a great turnout for our March Madness event last Friday afternoon. We watched many hard-fought 5-minute basketball games. Even our most skilled players had a hard time with the circumstances, including a highly overinflated basketball that was tricky to dribble and shoot! As we expected, our student audience was well-behaved and boisterous as they cheered for their friends. We owe a huge thank you to the PTSO for helping to organize the small gym, which was food and drink central. Specific thanks go out to Durga Nirgudkar, Liz Gutler, Alok Nemani, Katie Raymond, Majda Tanovic, Archana Barry, and Soula Stratakias, who kept the snacks and drinks flowing. And thank you to all families who donated said food and drink for the event. 


Our March Madness Advisory events continue this month. Yesterday, we had 70+ “plate game” competitions during Advisory. Tomorrow, each Advisory will partner up and compete in several Minute to Win It-style challenges. If you don’t follow us on Instagram (@rjgreyjhs), you should, and you’ll see some pics and videos of the plate game from yesterday. As we continue to work on building a joyful, inclusive community of engaged learners, this month’s Advisory calendar has really highlighted the joyful community present every day at RJ Grey!


Upcoming Dates

  • Mon, March 18: Early Release at 1 pm

  • Wed, March 20: Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered to 8th graders

  • Thurs, March 21: Trimester 2 Report Cards Emailed (if not earlier)

  • Tues, March 26: MCAS 8 ELA

  • Wed, March 27: MCAS 8 ELA

  • Thurs, March 28: Trivia event after school

  • Fri, March 29: No School, Good Friday

  • Mon, April 1: Library closed to students after school

  • Tues, April 2: MCAS 7 ELA

  • Tues, April 2: School Council at 7 pm

  • Wed, April 3: MCAS 7 ELA

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Mar 14, 2024 at 12:48 PM
  

Good afternoon,


My umbrella didn’t seem like quite enough protection during the morning drop-off this morning! My shoes are just about dry, and it’s 12:21! I hope you’ve all fared well with our dreary weather these last few days.


Tomorrow afternoon, we will host our annual March Madness basketball tournament. We expect that lots of our students will stay to watch their classmates compete in a tournament of back-to-back games. A few things make this event ideal: it’s immediately after school, it’s wrapped up before dinner time, and doesn’t have the social pressure of a dance or an evening event. If your child is joining us, I know they’ll have a great time! We also welcome you to pick them up at 4:30. The pick-up can get pretty busy, so my advice is to park in our lot and let your child know where you are, rather than trying to drive through the front circle. Major thanks to everyone who has volunteered to donate snacks for the tournament!


March Madness means several things at RJ Grey this year. When we planned for our second year of Advisory, we wanted to do something fun and different for the month of March. During each advisory session in March, we are planning school-wide activities where individual advisories accrue points for their group. On Tuesday, we played head-to-head Pictionary with two teams competing in a single classroom. My group tied (21-21) with Ms. Nielsen’s group. Today, each group participated in school-wide Trivia. This message will go out after our game, so I feel okay sharing a few questions:

  • What number do you get if you take the number of keys on a piano, and subtract the number of strings on an acoustic guitar? (82)

  • In which state was Taylor Swift born? (Pennsylvania)

  • What color sits directly opposite blue on the color wheel? (Orange)

  • When Jason Kelce just retired from the Eagles, what was his jersey number? (62)

It was fun to see which students had an expertise and confidence in certain questions! In my small group of 8, we scored 8 correct out of 14. None of us knew the combined (rounded) populations of Acton and Boxborough from the 2020 Census…30,000! 


We administered an iReady Reading diagnostic to our students yesterday. We use iReady as a way to check in on our students’ progress in reading and math two times during the year. I used the morning announcements to encourage students to do their best work so that we can see how much they’ve grown. I also told them that since it’s a dynamic assessment, the test is designed for them to get 50% of the questions wrong! We share this info so that students don’t spend hours on a question that is well beyond their current grade level. I am pleased with the effort that students put into their work yesterday, and we’ll repeat this on Tuesday for our math assessment.


Upcoming Dates

  • Fri, March 8: Trimester 2 Ends

  • Fri, March 8: Sports Jersey Day

  • Fri, March 8: March Madness Basketball Tournament, 3 - 4:30 pm

  • Tues, March 12: iReady Math assessment for all students

  • Mon, March 18: Early Release at 1 pm

  • Wed, March 20: Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered to 8th graders

  • Thurs, March 21: Trimester 2 Report Cards Emailed (if not earlier)

  • Tues, March 26: MCAS 8 ELA

  • Wed, March 27: MCAS 8 ELA

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Mar 07, 2024 at 2:22 PM
  

Good afternoon,


Happy Leap Day to you all! I hope your February vacation week was enjoyable. I was able to tackle some projects that I’ve put off for a bit, and I read a few novels, as well. I am particularly pleased that the light in the morning and later in the afternoon is stronger, leading me to know that Spring is definitely on its way.


Our second trimester of classes will end next Friday, March 8th. If your child has any remaining work to complete, or an assessment to take due to an absence, this is the final push before grades close in on-team classes next week. As is our typical process, you’ll receive report cards by email about 2 weeks later. This gives our teachers time to finalize grades, add comments for each of their students, and it gives us time to verify everything before distributing report cards. 


Aside from the light changing in our mornings and late afternoons, another indicator that Spring is coming is that we start to prepare for MCAS here at RJ Grey. We’ve actually been preparing for quite a while behind the scenes, but below, I’m sharing the dates that we’ll be administering the tests this year. 


At RJ Grey, students in both grades take MCAS tests in English Language Arts and Math. Our 8th graders take a Science/Technology Engineering assessment, too. This year, a cohort of our 8th graders will take a pilot test in Civics; I will be in touch with families of students selected for that test. I thank you in advance for helping to make sure your child is present on testing days. We will always do make-ups for students who miss tests, but they then end up missing other classes as a result. So if you’re forced to make orthodontic appointments or physicals during the school day, I’d ask you kindly to avoid these dates:


  • Tues and Wed, March 26 and 27: 8th grade ELA

  • Tues and Wed, April 2 and 3: 7th grade ELA

  • Tues and Wed, April 30 and May 1: 8th grade Math

  • Thurs and Mon, May 2 and 6: 7th grade Math

  • Tues, May 7: 8th grade Science/Technology

  • Tues and Wed, May 14 and 15: 8th grade Civics Pilot


Upcoming Dates

  • Mon, March 4: Early Release at 1 pm

  • Mon, March 4: Library closed to students after school

  • Tues, March 5: Ski/Board Club #6

  • Tues, March 5: Presidential Primary voting at RJ Grey

  • Tues, March 5: School Council meeting at 7 pm

  • Wed, March 6: iReady Reading assessment for all students

  • Wed, March 6: 6th to 7th grade transition night for families of students on IEPs, 7 pm

  • Fri, March 8: Trimester 2 Ends

  • Fri, March 8: Sports Jersey Day

  • Fri, March 8: March Madness Basketball Tournament, 3 - 4:30 pm

  • Tues, March 12: iReady Math assessment for all students

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Feb 29, 2024 at 11:14 AM
  

Good afternoon,


We are one day away from our February vacation week. If you have plans to be out of town next week, I hope they bring you to a warm location. I was excited to see a stretch of warm (40 degrees) weather next week, with bright sun for several days. Though, as was the case with this week’s “storm,” we know the weather pattern can change quickly! On my to do list next week are a bunch of things that just don’t fit into the typical work week - making dentist appointments, getting my car inspected, and fixing a few loose door knobs that have been loose for the 12 years we’ve lived in our house. Sometimes enough is enough! I hope you and your families have a great week.


When school was cancelled on Tuesday, it interrupted our Ski/Board Club plans. We’ve worked with Wachusett to extend our season (again). The final two weeks of the season will be on Tuesday, Feb 27 and Tuesday, March 5. Since we’ve pushed out our season so long, group lessons will not take place on March 5, but students will still be able to use the mountain. 


We are getting closer to spring, which means spring sports will start up at the end of March. We offer Baseball, Softball, Girls Volleyball, and Spring Track. Our list of tryouts and practices is posted on our website. Please note that any student interested in trying out for a sport needs to have a recent physical on file in our Health Office, and families must complete Family ID information before tryouts. Separately, we are seeking a softball coach. If you are interested in applying or learning more, please be in touch with Jon Duclos ([email protected]), our JH Athletic Director. 


Tomorrow is our annual Blue and Gold Day celebration. If your child leaves the house in atypical attire, and they’re dressed in combinations of our two school colors, they’ll be in good company. Each grade level will have an assembly during the afternoon with performances by our band, chorus, and orchestra. Our cheerleaders will perform and we’ll have a student Musical Chairs competition. This assembly is one of the few times we gather as a whole grade, and it’s something I always look forward to. You’ll be able to check out some highlights on our Instagram account after the fact! 


For those keeping track, with two snow days, our last day of school is currently Tuesday, June 18, with an 11:10 early dismissal at RJ Grey.


Upcoming Dates

  • Fri, Feb 16: Blue and Gold Day

  • Mon, Feb 19 - Fri, Feb 23: Vacation Week - No School

  • Tues, Feb 27: Ski Club Session #5

  • Mon, March 4: Early Release at 1 pm

  • Mon, March 4: Library closed to students after school

  • Tues, March 5: Presidential Primary voting at RJ Grey

  • Tues, March 5: School Council meeting at 7 pm

  • Wed, March 6: 6th to 7th grade info night for families of students on IEPs, 7 pm

  • Fri, March 8: Trimester 2 Ends

  • Fri, March 8: Sports Jersey Day

  • Fri, March 8: March Madness Basketball Tournament, 3 - 4:30 pm

Take care and have a great week!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Feb 15, 2024 at 11:44 AM
  

Good afternoon,


I was able to watch the first half of our 7th grade girls’ basketball game yesterday afternoon. Our players did a great job against an older team from Sudbury. The final score wasn’t in our favor, but I saw a really confident group of RJ Grey players playing strong defense and making some great shots, too. Our final games for both 7th grade teams are this Friday. Our 8th grade teams have wrapped up their season. Our 8th grade girls’ team went undefeated this season. To end 10-0 is quite a feat and we are proud of our players. Our boys’ team finished 8-2 and had a really strong season, as well. Congrats to all of our players, coaches, and families who supported this season!


Our RJ Grey 7th grade boys’ team was the recipient of a very generous gift from an anonymous donor. The donor outfitted our team with a new set of uniforms to replace uniforms that were slightly younger than me (!). I am very appreciative of the donor that went out of their way to work with us and offer a gift that will be part of our program for many years. 


At school council this week, we talked a bit about school attendance. As you know, we are required to have 180 days of school per year. In a state with compulsory attendance, we are required to track the number of absences and report back to the state about our daily attendance. The state reports back to us how many of our students are deemed “Chronically absent,” which means they’ve been absent at least 10% of the year (18 days). When looking at the data, there is a marked difference in these numbers pre-Pandemic and post-Pandemic. Certainly there needs to be recognition that Covid quarantines and mandates about isolation are at play in our numbers. RJ Grey and the District will be spending more time looking at attendance and trying to get to the root cause of what is causing this dramatic change. In March, the School Committee will likely talk about attendance as part of our Student Opportunity Act Plan.


I wrote about attendance back in October, around the time that our first set attendance letters were sent home. I figured it would be good to write about it again. When students are absent two times per month, each month, they reach at least 18 absences for the year. It is actually quite easy to reach 18 absences without knowing it when you factor in the viruses and other ailments going around! We emphasize good attendance for students so that they are comfortable in their classes, have time learning directly from their teachers, and have time to be social and interact with peers their own age. If you think that your child has too many absences, or if you need some strategies to support better attendance, please be in touch with us as we would like to help.


Upcoming Dates

  • Sat, Feb 10: Budget Saturday, 8:30 - 3:30, Admin Building and on Acton TV

  • Mon, Feb 12: Early Release, 1 pm

  • Tues, Feb 13: Ski Club Session #5

  • Thurs, Feb 15: End of Round 3 for PE/Health classes

  • Fri, Feb 16: Blue and Gold Day

  • Mon, Feb 19 - Fri, Feb 23: Vacation Week - No School

  • Tues, Feb 27: Ski Club Session #6

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Feb 08, 2024 at 2:16 PM
  

Good afternoon,


Happy February to you all! Each morning, I leave the house with my two youngest daughters. On the way out the door this morning, my 5-year-old  asked if we could go sledding soon. She’s right - we haven’t gone to any local hills to sled yet this year. I am hopeful the sun will return this weekend to be able to enjoy a bit of the snow before it’s gone. And I am hopeful that with one more year under her belt, she can walk back up the hill on her own to avoid me carrying her!


Our Ski and Board club is halfway through its season. With cold enough temperatures and some natural snow, they’ve had better conditions than recent years. If you drive your child to school, I am ever grateful for your patience on Tuesday mornings. I know our regular drop-off routine can get slowed down by all the gear that gets brought into school on those days. We have considered alternative drop-off strategies to keep things moving, but we worry those will actually make the impact worse and slow down traffic even more. If you do drop off, regardless of the day of the week, please pull as far forward as possible (up to the car in front of you, or as far forward as Mr. Zhang!) to allow additional cars to pull in behind you. If you stop right at the stairs or even earlier, we prevent at least 3 or 4 cars from pulling in. 


Next week is National School Counselor Week. We have four excellent counselors here at RJ Grey, plus three great school psychologists. They are all busy this week and next with teaching lessons on the Signs of Suicide in 7th grade classes. If you have had experience working with our counselors, next week, or really any time, is a good week to thank them!


As I noted, we started SOS this week. I taught the lesson to Ms. Kulkarni’s homeroom on Tuesday morning. It’s only on rare occasions nowadays that I get to teach full class periods. My class was great - they were all interested in the topic, asked great questions, and had thoughtful responses. The main focus of our SOS work is to have students remember a simple acronym, ACT: Acknowledge, Care, and Tell (a trusted adult). I find that the acronym is universal to lots of situations but is highly applicable to a situation when an adolescent is concerned about a friend who might be feeling depressed, upset, or in the worst case, suicidal. We talk with students about the differences between sadness and depression, we alert them to warning signs for depression, and we ask them to think about who a trusted adult is for them. While we hope all RJ Grey students have at least one trusted adult at school (89% report they currently do), we know that almost all of them are more likely to have someone they trust in their homes (93% report that they do). One of the vignettes presented in the SOS video is between two middle-school aged boys. And while one of the boys is resistant to talking to his own mother because she has so much going on, the friend offers up his own mom as someone who could help. Please know that many of you may be a trusted adult for kids who aren’t even in your own family! Kids certainly know who they can trust, so please be open if a student needs to talk to you about something important.


Next Wednesday, February 7th from 6 - 7:30 pm, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School is hosting their annual Transition to ABRHS Night for parents and caregivers of current 8th graders. The high school administrators, department leaders, and students will talk about life at the high school. Our 8th graders already met with reps from the high school in the fall, and we’ll take them for a tour later this spring. Please mark your calendars for this important event.


Upcoming Dates

  • Mon, Feb 5: Library closed to students after school

  • Tues, Feb 6: 7 Red SOS Lesson

  • Tues, Feb 6: Ski Club Session #4

  • Tues, Feb 6: School Council Meeting at  7 pm

  • Tues, Feb 6: Cartwheel Care Seminar

  • Wed, Feb 7: Transition to ABRHS Night for 8th grade families

  • Thurs, Feb 8: 7 Green SOS Lesson

  • Sat, Feb 10: Budget Saturday, 8:15 - 3:30

  • Mon, Feb 12: Early Release, 1 pm

  • Thurs, Feb 15: End of Round 3 for PE/Health classes

  • Fri, Feb 16: Blue and Gold Day

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Feb 01, 2024 at 2:25 PM
  

Good afternoon,


We’ve had some great student events recently at RJ Grey. Last Friday, we hosted hundreds of students for our annual Summer Fun in Winter event. Students had pre-registered their 6-person volleyball teams to compete. Most were complete with themed uniforms, and all had plenty of spirit. While not everyone played in a game, many more students and staff came to watch and have a good time. Huge thanks to our Student Council Advisor, Ms. Ahl for pulling off this event. And another huge thanks to all of the families who donated food and drinks, along with those that staffed the small gym, which served as snack central! 


Last night, we had an awesome Chorus and Orchestra concert. The 7th and 8th grade Choruses and Orchestras all performed 2 - 3 pieces each. With another packed house and enthusiastic crowd, the students were well supported by their families and friends. To check out a few clips of last night’s performances, check out our RJ Grey Instagram page (@rjgreyjhs) to see videos posted later today.


Trimester 2 Interim Reports were emailed yesterday. As a reminder, not every student receives an Interim. We reserve these reports for students whose averages fall below a C-, or for another reason that a teacher deems necessary. As both a principal and a parent, I don’t like surprises. We ask our teachers to err on the side of caution and send communication if homework, participation, or other areas need improvement. If you have any question about the Interim after speaking to your child, please be in touch with the classroom teacher. Trimester 2 ends on Friday, March 8, so there is plenty of time to make any adjustments for the remainder of this term.


There is a Cartwheel Care seminar coming up on February 6 for any interested caregiver. This month’s session is titled: Recognizing and Treating OCD and Tic Disorders in Children and Adolescents. See the information below if you’re interested in learning more:


Cartwheel Care Webinar: Recognizing and Treating OCD and Tic Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Time: 7:00-8:00 PM

Registration: LINK

Tics can be the tip of the iceberg of other co-occurring conditions (including OCD, anxiety, and ADHD) that may affect children’s ability to live to their full potential. Join Cartwheel and Erica Greenberg, MD to learn how OCD and tic disorders present in youth, how symptoms can be impairing (or not), how to seek professional help, and best practices for treatment. 

 

Can't make it? Register and we will email you a recording of the session. This virtual event is part of Cartwheel's free webinar series for our community's parents, caregivers, and school staff. English, Spanish, and Portuguese flyers here.


Lastly, we have an early release this Monday (1/29/24). You’ll note that we haven’t had an early release Monday since the beginning of December. We took feedback from families last year that in the months with an already choppy schedule, it was difficult to manage additional early release days. As a result, the Junior High reduced the number of these early release days to ten. Our staff uses these days to work collaboratively on curriculum, family communication, and other topics to best plan for your children. The remaining early releases are listed here:


  • Monday, January 29

  • Monday, February 12

  • Monday, March 4

  • Monday, March 18

  • Monday, April 29

  • Monday, May 20


Upcoming Dates

  • Mon, Jan 29: Early Release at 1 pm

  • Tues, Jan 30: 7 Gold SOS Lesson

  • Tues, Jan 30: Ski Club Session #3

  • Thurs, Feb 1: 7 Blue SOS Lesson

  • Mon, Feb 5: Library closed to students after school

  • Tues, Feb 6: 7 Red SOS Lesson

  • Tues, Feb 6: Ski Club Session #4

  • Tues, Feb 6: School Council Meeting at  7 pm

  • Tues, Feb 6: Cartwheel Care Seminar

  • Wed, Feb 7: Transition to ABRHS Night for 8th grade families

  • Thurs, Feb 8: 7 Green SOS Lesson

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Jan 25, 2024 at 9:24 AM
  

Good afternoon,


If you were at the Band Concert last night, I’m sure you’ll agree that it was a great show! I was hugely impressed with our Jazz Band, and our 7th and 8th grade Bands. They were totally ready to put on a great show. My oldest child is in the 4th grade and is learning to play the flute. We encourage her to practice but sometimes other activities are preferred. It was obvious to me last night that our students practice at home! We have more than 130 students who take Band at RJ Grey. They, along with their teachers Ms. Dye and Mr. Soo made us proud last night!


You’ve likely gotten emails from our Yearbook publisher about signing up for a yearbook. If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook for your child this year, please make sure to sign up now. While books aren’t delivered until June, the orders are placed now. Please don’t miss out!


Last week, I shared a few of the answers from our recent student survey. This week, I’m sharing a few more that relate to students’ feelings about their teachers and our school. Overall, we are pleased with the results that came through because they affirm the work we’ve been doing.


We asked students to rate their response to “I feel a sense of connection and belonging with my team.” Students could choose an answer somewhere between Strongly Disagree and Strongly Agree. 94.9% of students Agree in some way, broken down in this way: Somewhat Agree (23.3% ), Agree (41.7% ) or Strongly Agree (29.9%). You know that we are organized into 8 teams at RJ Grey. We feel that the team model helps our large school feel smaller for our students. As a result, we get to know our students well, and we make easier connections with our students’ families, too. We also know that students form close relationships with their teammates. These are the students that they attend classes with, eat lunch with, and study with. We value our team-based model at RJ Grey.


We asked students if they have a trusted adult at RJ Grey - 89% said “yes.” 77.5% of students identified that one or more of their team teachers is a trusted adult for them. This makes a lot of sense to us. Students see their team teachers every day and have plenty of time to get to know them and have positive interactions. While others in the building, including off-team teachers, advisors, counselors, and administrators play a role in forming relationships with students, none of us have the regular everyday interactions that team teachers have.

Finally, for those keeping track, with last week’s snow day, our last day of school is currently Friday, June 14. I share this now because some families may be thinking about summer plans. If we have additional snow days, the last day of school extends further out based on two holidays in June. If we are still in session, we will not have school on Monday, June 17 (Eid al-Adha) or Wednesday, June 19 (Juneteenth). With another snow day or two, we could be extending our year by more than just a calendar day or two. The ABRSD calendar is located here if you have any questions as you make plans for the summer.


Upcoming Dates

  • Fri, Jan 19: Summer Fun in Winter event, 3:00 - 4:30

  • Fri, Jan 19: Hawaiian Shirt and Bright Colors Day at RJ Grey

  • Mon, Jan 22: Last day for Quarter 2 and Semester 1 classes

  • Tues, Jan 23: Ski/Board Club Session #3 after school

  • Wed, Jan 24: JH Winter Chorus/Orchestra Concert,  7 pm

  • Mon, Jan 29: Early Release at 1 pm

  • Tues, Jan 30: 7 Gold SOS Lesson

  • Thurs, Feb 1: 7 Blue SOS Lesson

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Jan 18, 2024 at 3:39 PM
  

Good afternoon,


I hope you all fared well with the wild weather over the past week. With significant snow and a surprise snow day, lots of rain Tuesday night, and temps in the 40s yesterday, it was refreshing to be dry and simply cold at this morning’s drop-off. 


This morning, I sent a message to all 7th grade parents/guardians about our Signs of Suicide (SOS) program. That message includes all of the important information about  the program, so please check it out. There could be a chance you are reading this Eye on the Junior High message and you’re wondering why you’re a 7th grade parent and didn’t yet receive the SOS message. It’s likely because you either haven’t set up your Parent Square account yet, or you have preferences that default to sending messages as a “digest” late in the day. If that set-up works for you, great. If you’d rather see messages from the school in more real-time, I encourage you to explore Parent Square a bit. Please reach out if you need us to resend an invitation to your account.


In December, we had our students spend a few minutes taking a survey about their RJ Grey experience. Hearing from students only helps us, and in many cases, confirms that what we’re working on matters. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share a few of the response results.

You know we care very much that each of our kids has an adult they can trust at school if they need help with something. Last year, we ended the year with 81% of our students saying they had a trusted adult. This December, 89% of our kids reported that they have a trusted adult. We are very pleased with the increase this year. 


 

We also ask students if they have an adult outside of school, and as predicted, that number is higher. It is clear that a strong majority of our students feel supported by adults both in and outside of school. 




The third item to share today, and one that I will keep to show 6th grade families in the spring, is that 97% of our students report making new friends this year. While we are certainly focused on learning content, skills, reading, writing, and critical thinking, we also care that kids come to school and make strong connections with peers. Our students clearly told us that they’re making friends, which I hope you hear about at home!


I hope the graphs above help show that the work we do at RJ Grey every day matters. We feel very lucky to be able to work with our students and their families every day.


Upcoming Dates
Monday, Jan 15: No School, MLK Jr Day
Tuesday, Jan 16: Ski/Board Club Session #2 after school
Wed, Jan 17: JH Winter Band Concert, 7 pm
Fri, Jan 19: Summer Fun in Winter event, 3:00 - 4:30
Fri, Jan 19: Hawaiian Shirt Day at RJ Grey
Mon, Jan 22: Last day for Quarter 2 and Semester 1 classes
Tues, Jan 23: Ski/Board Club Session #3 after school
Wed, Jan 24: JH Winter Chorus/Orchestra Concert,  7 pm

Take care and have a great weekend!

Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Jan 11, 2024 at 2:14 PM
  

Good afternoon,


Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and healthy holiday season. My family had a great Christmas, mostly spent close to home. At some point during the week, every one of us had one virus or another, and from what I hear from kids and teachers, the same is likely true in your house. Aside from eating too much throughout the week, I read a book for fun (!), went running a few times, and listened to a great podcast, too. The Big Dig is a 9-episode podcast from WGBH, detailing Boston’s decades-long major infrastructure project through the city. I know I’m not the only nerd who liked it, as it’s rated quite highly. I listened throughout the week as I cleaned the house, made dinner, or performed other mindless tasks. If you like Boston history from the last few decades or if you wonder how major projects get completed, I recommend giving it a shot!


Later in January, we’ll be using our Advisory to have students push “reset” on their year. I’d encourage you to ask your RJ Grey student if there are areas where they might focus some attention in the new year. For some students, it’s remembering to bring their charged Chromebook. For others, getting to school on time is where their area of focus needs to be. If your child’s goals are to work harder, perform better in a class, or read on a more regular basis, please let us know how we can offer support. 


I want to thank our PTSO, and subsequently, all of you, for offering a kind token of thanks before the December break. The PTSO gave each of our staff members a gift card to Dunkin’, along with a few candies. We are so grateful to be remembered throughout the year by our PTSO. They have financially supported us this year with our student plan books, Revolution t-shirts, and student council events. If you haven’t yet financially supported the PTSO this year, feel free to do so on their website. They’re a great partner and we appreciate their support!


Upcoming Dates

  • Monday, Jan 8: Library closed after school

  • Tuesday, Jan 9: Ski/Board Club Session #1 after school

  • Tuesday, Jan 9: School Council Mtg in RJG Library, 7 pm

  • Monday, Jan 15: No School, MLK Jr Day

  • Tuesday, Jan 16: Ski/Board Club Session #2 after school

  • Wed, Jan 17: JH Winter Band Concert, 7 pm

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim






Posted by jmarcotte  On Jan 04, 2024 at 1:09 PM
  
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