Good afternoon, RJ Grey Families:
I hope you are doing well. I have had the privilege of getting to teach in the classroom over the past week. When we had an unplanned vacancy in a Spanish classroom one morning last week, I decided that I could take on teaching three classes for the day. Those three classes have morphed into me teaching for the last week, with several more in front of me. I haven't been a full-time teacher since 2008! Some staff members have asked me, "Did you need to study up on your Spanish?" Luckily, no, I can handle the alphabet and introductions without a review. But what has caught me off guard is all of the things that teachers regularly use to supplement their instruction that were not even created in 2008! I had someone show me how to make a Google Classroom for each class. Someone else got me signed up with an IXL account and showed me how to assign activities to help students practice skills. And I have relied on my colleagues to share neat YouTube videos to reinforce what I'm teaching. In many ways, teaching in 2025 is similar to 2008. Our students are still fun, funny, curious, hardworking, and overall great. But in many ways, teaching and all it involves has changed quite dramatically over the last 18 years. For as long as I'm able to keep doing this role, while also being the principal, I'll try to soak in and appreciate all that our teachers do for our kids on a daily basis. They are all far surpassing me with their skills at this moment. All that said, if you're appreciative of the way a teacher has helped your child adjust to this new school year, please let them know!
Our athletic teams have formed for the fall season. Our musical is holding auditions. Our clubs and activities are starting up. All is right at RJ Grey in terms of extracurriculars. If your child is joining one of our clubs, we now have a $50 Activity Fee that helps support the costs of running our extracurricular programs. If your child has already joined a club, you can send a check for $50 (made out to Acton-Boxborough Regional School District) that they can drop off at the Main Office. You can also pay online here. If your family is in need of financial assistance, please submit a request for financial assistance according to the instructions on our District's website.
Back to School Night
You are invited to RJ Grey's Back to School Night on Thursday, September 25. The event starts at 6:45 pm and ends by 8:30. If you are able to come, I encourage you to plan ahead and time your commute well, as our nearby parking lots fill up quickly. You are free to park in any of the spots at RJ Grey, the Parker-Damon Building, and the High School.
BTSN is one of my favorite events at RJ Grey. There is excitement in the air as parents and guardians navigate our halls and bump into their own friends! You will follow your child's Day 1 schedule, and you'll be able to spend 10 minutes in each of your child's classes. This adults-only event is a good opportunity to see your child's teachers, put a face to a name, and know more about what your child will learn this year. Our Back to School Night provides general information about your child's courses and does not include time for individual conversations about your own student. You can always feel free to email the teacher or set up a team meeting for a particular conversation if that feels necessary. Your child will bring home their specially-created schedule after Monday, September 22. We will also have hard copies of student schedules in the lobby that evening. I hope to see many of you on September 25!
School Council Nominations
Every year, I recruit interested parents or guardians who would like to serve on the RJ Grey School Council. The School Council meets with me six times during the year to talk about school-related items, the School Improvement Plan, and ideas to make our school an even better place to be. I am seeking two parent/guardian reps from the 7th grade. Anyone interested should send me an email with a brief bio and why you're interested. If I hear from more than two parents, we'll hold a virtual election later in September. Thank you for stating your interest by September 18th. You should feel free to view past meeting notes on our School Council website.
SBIRT - 7th grade families only
In March of 2016, the state legislature enacted H4056, commonly called the “STEP Act.” This legislation is in direct response to the opioid crisis and is an effort to provide tighter controls on addictive drugs and additional education about substance abuse. As part of the educational component, this legislation requires all public school districts to utilize a screening tool approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and to conduct the screening annually to all students in two different grade levels. At Acton-Boxborough, students in 7th and 9th grade will participate in the screening.
Our 7th grade Health program currently includes a brief unit that introduces topics related to substance use and abuse, and discusses issues related to the use and consumption of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana. Our plan is to include the screening tool during the final lesson of the unit, and involve our counselors and nurses in the delivery of the lesson and completion of the screening tool. Students will be asked to complete a written version of the screening too, which includes a series of questions about exposure and use of specific substances. For your review, I am including a copy of the screening questions with this letter. The screening form will be reviewed by the counselor and nurse, and students may be invited for a follow-up conversation if they indicate an interest in meeting or if their responses meet a set of criteria that the District has established. Please know that parents/guardians of any student who participates in a follow-up meeting for any reason will be contacted by the nurse or counselor. As for when this might take place for your child, students are scheduled to be enrolled in Health class (as part of the Physical Education program) at different points in the year. Some are currently in Health, others may not attend until later in the Spring.
Families will have the right to opt their child out of participating in the screening portion of the SBIRT lesson. If you wish to opt your child out of the screening portion, please email Assistant Principal Elizabeth Broadwater (ebroadwater@abschools.org) and submit that request. Regardless of when your child is scheduled for Health class, opt-out requests need to be submitted by September 26, 2025.
Take care,
Jim
Monday, Sept 15: Early Release at 1 pm
Tuesday, Sept 16: iReady Math Diagnostic for all students
Friday, Sept 19: School Picture Day
Tuesday, Sept 23: No School, Rosh Hashanah
Thursday, Sept 25: Back to School Night at RJ Grey, 6:45 pm
Monday, Sept 29: Early Release 1 pm
Thursday, Oct 2: No School - Yom Kippur
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