August 8, 2024
Good morning, RJ Grey Families:
I hope you and your family have enjoyed a safe and relaxing summer vacation. If you are like me, you are eager for the return of the predictable school schedule, even while being a bit sad to see the slower pace of summer fade away. I am very excited to welcome your students to RJ Grey in a few short weeks. The school year begins on Wednesday, August 28th for 7th graders and Thursday, August 29th for 8th graders.
This message will provide you with an overview of some important information for the new school year. I encourage you to please view all of the information on this webpage including in the column on the right. We will continue to update this page over the next few weeks as additional information becomes available.
Team Assignments
We are aware that last week, some students had an early preview of some of their classroom teachers by logging into one of the school-based apps we sometimes use - Brain Pop, specifically. This release of information was purely accidental and is the result of this app regularly pulling information from our student information system (Power School). We temporarily suspended Brain Pop when we heard about this issue. The only remaining challenge is that we are still in the process of moving team and teacher assignments, so some students will be assigned to a different team or set of teachers than they may have previewed last week. I detail more about the process for team release below.
As you can imagine, scheduling a school with almost 830 students is a complex process. We build teams that are balanced by sending school, gender, race, world language choices, and special education, Multilingual services, and other academic services.
Given all of these variables, it is virtually impossible to build the schedule around individual team requests. When we received information from families about individual student situations, we did review them and made our best attempt to accommodate situations when possible and appropriate. We are confident that we have built the teams in a manner that will ensure every student has the opportunity to maintain or develop friendships with their peers. We will not be able to adjust team placements after they have been released for any reason other than our own error.
In order to access your child’s team assignment, you need to log into the Power School parent portal. You will first be required to complete your child’s emergency card information and answer some additional school permission-related questions, including specific PTSO permissions. Please note that the parent portal will be closed until August 15th, so you will not be able to complete these forms in advance. Once you complete the required information, you will be able to access your child’s team placement, which is listed in your student’s account.
On August 6, families of returning students received their Power School username and password recovery instructions, to use if necessary. Families of new students received Access ID and Access passwords for the Parent Portal. These usernames are necessary to access the Parent Portal on Thursday, August 15 at 12 pm. At that time, we will post the team assignments via the parent portal.
Should you be unable to access the internet, please call our main office at 978 264-3350, Press 1. We’ll invite you in to complete these forms at school; calling ahead will confirm that someone is there to meet you. This will allow us to assist you in entering the online emergency card information and permissions forms after which we will give you your child’s team assignment.
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In summary, to complete the emergency card, and to access your child’s team assignment online, please know that the parent portal will open on Thursday, August 15 at 12PM.
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Our model of teaming will feel slightly different this year due to reductions in staffing over the last several years. Many students will take a French or Spanish class with a teacher who is not specifically assigned to the student’s team. This practice has been in place over the past few years but will be more prevalent this year due to reductions in world language staffing. Similarly, in 8th grade, students may be taught by a Social Studies or English teacher who is not assigned as a team teacher on that team. For example, students on 8 Gold may have an ELA or Social Studies teacher from another 8th grade team. This is a result of the reduction of an ELA teacher in this year’s budget. We have worked hard to assure that schedules line up and students have access to the grade level curriculum taught by one of our talented teachers. Your students will continue to have a high level of support from all of their teachers despite this change.
Attendance
Over the past few years, we have focused on the attendance patterns of our students. When possible, scheduling appointments, family events, and vacations outside of school hours is helpful. We know that being in school every day is important for student learning, of course, but it is also vital to creating and maintaining strong relationships with supportive peers and adults. As such, you will hear from us if your child’s attendance during the year shows a regular pattern or high number of absences. We hope to partner with you to problem solve if attendance seems to be a concern. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education classifies students who are absent 10% or more of the year to be considered “chronically absent.” Ten percent of our year is 18 absences: this is an easy number to approach if a student is absent only two days per month. If you need help with promoting strong attendance habits, please be in touch with us.
Please also note that our school day starts promptly at 8:00 am. If you drive your child to school, you will inevitably face challenges with traffic, inclement weather, and other barriers. Please work to make sure your child is in school before 8 am every day so that they are on time and ready to learn.
School Calendar
Here you will find a link to the What Day is It Calendar at RJ Grey. This shows our rotating schedule and includes “no school days.” Please note that we will continue to have an Early Release on the ten (10) Mondays listed below. Students leave the building at 1 pm so that our staff can engage in professional learning. Please mark these dates on your calendar:
- September 16
- October 7 and 21
- December 9
- January 6
- February 10
- March 10 and 24
- April 7
- May 5
Information from RJ Grey that is directed to all families will come via Parent Square this year. Please log into Parent Square to set your message delivery preferences. You have the choice to decide if you want your messages to come as an alert via text, or if they come strictly via email and at which time of the day you’d like to receive messages. You have the choice to download the Parent Square app, as well. Please click here to learn more about how to update your Parent Square settings.
The principal’s weekly message, Eye on the Junior High will be sent to all families each week via Parent Square. Later this summer, we will share instructions about how to sign up to receive the email with our Daily Announcements, as well. The Daily Announcements message will not automatically be sent to all family members.
Staff and faculty at RJ Grey can be reached through email or by leaving a voicemail. The format for most staff email is first initial, last name, followed by @abschools.org. For example, my email address is [email protected]. Links to teacher email addresses can also be found on the RJ Grey website. Teachers can be reached through voicemail by calling our main number (978) 264-3350, Press 1, and ask for the teacher’s voice mail. Teachers do their best to respond to inquiries in a timely manner, and will get back to you within 24 hours.
Back to School Night
Please reserve Thursday, October 17, from 7 - 9 pm for our annual Back to School Night!
Intervention
This year, we are planning to take a closer look at our data around student learning and we’ll use our Directed Study period as an Intervention period for a small number of students. Families of students who we identify as benefiting from some temporary supporting in Reading, Writing, or Math will hear from us throughout the year.
Chromebook Responsibilities
RJ Grey students are issued a Chromebook and charger to use during the year. In June, we collect those items and distribute them again the following September. Please know that students will have to pay to purchase a replacement charger if they lose or break it. Chromebooks that are broken out of obvious negligence will also be charged for repair or replacement.
Clubs and Activities
Beginning this fall, students who wish to participate in a club or activity will pay a $50 user fee in order to participate. Students who choose to participate in more than one club will pay the user fee only once and then will be eligible to participate in as many clubs as they choose. Some clubs will have an additional cost associated with them: Ski Club, for example. We will share the process for payment at the start of the school year.
First Days of School
For seventh graders, the first day of school is Wednesday, August 28. Upon entering the school, students will be directed to their Homeroom location. Prior to this day, students will not have (nor need) their individual schedules. Schedules will be shared during the first days of school. The name of your child’s Homeroom teacher will be available on the Parent Portal.
Each team works hard to welcome its students on that first day. They will help students get settled in, will take them on a tour of our building, and help them use their lockers. There will not be a focus on academics on that first day of school - getting everyone into our building and making them feel comfortable is our goal. Students may bring their own lunch or receive a lunch from the cafeteria. There is additional info in the right column related to Food Services at RJ Grey. After lunch, we will hold an assembly where we officially welcome everyone to RJ Grey and begin the school year with some words of encouragement and a preview of what will be a part of their RJ Grey experience.
Any 8th grade student new to the Acton-Boxborough District (those who did not attend RJ Grey as 7th graders last year) is invited to participate in an orientation program on Wednesday, August 28 beginning at 1:00 PM and ending at 2:36 PM so that students may ride home on their regular bus. Students are invited to gather in the lobby where they will be directed to a meeting space. Please click this link to sign up for this mini-orientation.
The first day of school for all other eighth grade students is Thursday, August 29. 8th graders should report to the school by 8:00 AM on Thursday morning where they will be directed to their Homerooms.
Communicating about Absences and Tardies
If your child will be absent from or late to school, please call the absence line at (978) 264-3350, Press 2 before 8:00AM and state your child’s:
1. name
2. team
3. and, briefly, the reason for the absence or tardy arrival.
If you need to call during school hours (8:00-3:30), please call our number and Press 1 to leave a message with a member of our office staff. You may also email the RJ Grey Main Office at [email protected] to send in information.
Our office staff will compare the messages with our homeroom attendance. Students who are marked absent in homeroom but for whom we did not receive a call will be marked as “unexcused” and will generate a call home. Please assist us in this process and remember to call the school if your child will be absent.
If you need your child to be dismissed during the school day, please email us at the address above, or send your child in with a note and instruct your child to bring it to the main office when arriving to school. The main office will issue a pass that your child will use when it is time to be picked up. If your child is not feeling well, your student should visit the nurse, and the nurse will work with your child to determine the next course of action. Students should not use their personal cell phones to make arrangements to be picked up.
To maintain student safety and building security, the doors to the front lobby are the only public entrance to school during the school day (visitors are asked to check in at the Main Office upon arrival). All other doors will be locked during the school day.
Student Cell Phone Use
The video, camera, and real-time text capabilities of cell phones present the difficult challenge of ensuring an appropriate learning environment for students at this age level. In order to maintain the focus on school activities and learning, the use of student cell phones is not allowed during the school day. We appreciate that students wish to have cell phones available before and after school. Students who choose to bring cell phones to school MUST keep their phones in their lockers (and turned off) from 8:00am to 2:36pm. This means that even having a turned-off cell phone in your pocket is not permitted.
School Supplies
In order to be prepared for classes on a daily basis, students and families will need to supply some basic items. The following is a list of items that will be useful in most classes at RJ Grey. Students do not need to bring all of these supplies on the first day of school but should be ready to have them during the first several days of the year. Please note that some teams might recommend additional items once the school year begins in order to be the most productive and organized for the school year.
- One school-sized backpack
- Two 1.5” 3-ring binders
- One pack of 5 subject-dividing tabs for binder
- Two folders with pockets
- One calculator (TI-30xIIs)
- Pencils and pens
- Pencil case
- One multi-subject spiral notebook
- One package of looseleaf lined paper
- One package of thin dry erase markers
- One pair of earbuds or headphones for use with Chromebooks
- Two pads of standard-sized Post-It notes
- One box of tissues (as donation to Homeroom)
We encourage students/families for which any of the requested school supplies presents a hardship to contact us and we can provide those items for them. Please email your child’s counselor or Assistant Principal.
Morning Drop-off and Building Access
Students will be allowed to enter RJ Grey at 7:35 am each day. Access to the building will not be available until that time. Students will exit their buses or their family’s vehicle and will enter the main entrance or through the door at the top of the stairs from the parking lot. There will be no school activities or programs scheduled before the start of the school day. On occasion, extra help meetings may be arranged between a teacher and a student between 7:35 and 8:00am.
If you plan to drop off your child before school, please review our Morning Drop-Off Routines to understand traffic flow and drop locations at RJ Grey.
Building Access After School Hours
Our school day ends at 2:36pm. After 2:50pm, students may be in the building only if they are participating in a school-sponsored activity that is supervised by a staff member, coach or advisor. The most common after school activities include:
- Attending extra help sessions with a teacher/making up a quiz or test
- Participating in a school club or activity (such as Games Club, MathCounts, Green Team, etc.)
- Participating in a school sports program (such as Girls and Boys Basketball, Cheerleading, etc.)
- Participation in a special event/program (such as the school Musical)
- Being in the Library to complete schoolwork and/or reading
Students are welcome to access the Library until 4:30pm (except during once-a-month staff meetings). The Library will be supervised to ensure an appropriate setting for students to be working. Please know that students who are not utilizing the Library for quiet work and study will not be permitted to stay. Except for the occasional sporting event and musical rehearsals, all school activities held inside the school are over between 3:30 and 4:00pm. Students will not be able to remain in the building after 5:00pm. The District currently offers a Late Bus service that arrives at the Junior High at 4:30pm. You can review the Late Bus route(s) on the RJ Grey website.
Athletics at RJ Grey
Information about our Athletics program is found on the RJ Grey website. This includes tryout schedules for our Fall sports programs, none of which begin before the first day of school. Families of interested athletes must review instructions for registering their child and submitting required medical information ahead of tryouts. No student may try out for a fall sport without signing up on Family ID, along with the clearance of our school nurse.
Food Services at RJ Grey
Similar to last year, all students are eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch while at school. You can access the Food Services website for details about our food services program.
PTSO
We are grateful for the annual support provided to us by the Acton-Boxborough PTSO. Over the years, the PTSO has supported our work with grants to help us with student events, student planbooks, furniture, and staff appreciation gestures. We invite any interested family to renew their annual membership to the PTSO. We thank you for your support.