Hi Everyone,
Welcome back from February Break - I hope your time last week included opportunities for a bit of rest as well as some fun activities. For the past few years, our family has used the February Break as an opportunity to disconnect, removing ourselves from work and school and having the good fortune to get away and enjoy warmer weather. This year we went in a very different direction and decided to spend this entire last week moving our family from the home we’ve lived in for the past fifteen years to a new house that we recently bought in another Metrowest community. Prior to living in the house we just left, Melisa and I were childless and living in a small apartment in Cambridge, so my previous experience with moving mostly involved a rented U-Haul and cramming sheets and bedding into the trunks of our cars. Three kids and fifteen years of accumulating many things that I no longer remember why we needed in the first place later, this move was a bit more taxing. Fortunately, we had great movers who braved the snow and sleet on Monday (because of course it snowed on moving day), and also benefited from having a member of our family who was born for these types of projects. During our 18 years as a couple, I’ve become a bit more accustomed to my better half’s need for items in the refrigerator to have their labels be front facing, though her need to always reload the dishwasher after I’ve done a perfectly adequate job of loading it a few minutes earlier has at times been a source of….disagreement. However, I will be the first to acknowledge that when it comes to moving out of one home and into another one, her obsession with attention to detail and disdain for messiness was an invaluable asset. While certainly a very different kind of move and one that is happening only after two years (at RJ Grey), families of our 8th grade students will soon be asked to turn their attention to plans for next year where a bit of preparation now can help make for a smooth transition later in the Fall. During the next few weeks our 8th grade students and families will begin the process of learning about 9th grade courses at the high school. Before the February break, the High School held an orientation meeting for families of current 8th grade students, and provided an outline of the course registration process. 8th grade teachers will also begin individual conversations with students to discuss their recommendations for course and level placement. The actual registration process takes place via the Parent Portal when the portal opens in late March. In next week’s Grey Matters, I will provide more detail and information about the above process, and offer some perspective specifically on the conversation that teachers will have with students about course and level recommendations. For current 7th grade families whose children will be returning to RJ Grey next year for 8th grade, you’ll also be receiving information in March about course enrollment (regarding options involving Math placement, Grey Block choices, etc.) which starting this year will also now be online through the Parent Portal. We’re testing things out right now and looking forward to providing everyone with instructions that will guide you through the process.
Here’s some reminders and updates as we prepare to enter the month of March:
The Winter Trimester closes on Tuesday, March 5 and report cards will be emailed to families on or around March 15.
Don’t forget that the R.J. Grey Junior High yearbook is offering you the chance to send your love, pride and congratulations to the graduating 8th grade R.J. Grey student in your life. You can purchase one of two advertisement formats to relay a message that your 8th grade student will cherish forever. Ads must be submitted by Wednesday, March 13. Please click the link for submissions guidelines and instructions. Please contact Marc Lewis ([email protected]) with any questions.
We have no scheduled early dismissals or days off of school until Thursday, April 4 when we have our next and final early release for staff professional learning.
In the coming weeks we’ll be sharing with students and families the sign up and/or tryout schedule for our Spring sports programs (likely to start in late March/early April). We will continue to have teams for baseball, softball, girls volleyball and Spring track. Stay tuned for more information.
We recently received information from both the Town of Acton and Town of Boxborough about an essay contest sponsored by the Massachusetts Municipal Association for 8th grade students, with a focus on local government issues and civic engagement. For information about the essay contest, click here.
Given this week’s theme about transitions and planning for next year, I thought it would make sense to also provide families with a brief preview of RJ Grey’s plans to establish a 1:1 Chromebook environment at our school starting in September. First, a little bit about the “what” and then a brief overview of the “why”, with plans for considerably more information throughout this Spring. In terms of the “what” - our plans for a 1:1 Chromebook environment is one where a school-owned Chromebook is assigned to each of our students, and would travel with the students during the school day, but does not ever leave the building. In this model, students would pick up the device in the morning during homeroom, and then would return it to the charging station at the end of the day. As part of this approach, students are not asked to purchase the device, nor do they take them home after school. In some ways, it’s similar to the more familiar practice of assigning students a science textbook to use for the duration of the year, except of course that a science textbook can probably survive being dropped a bit more easily than a Chromebook. While a student doesn't pay for and "own" the device, we certainly want students to treat and care for them in an appropriate manner and we’re working to develop routines and habits that assist with the safe travels of the Chromebooks throughout the school day. To that end, I am partnering with 7 Red teachers later this Spring to pilot a few ideas for how to effectively manage the travel of these devices throughout the building, and as just one example, the mechanics of where to have students place their devices when they go to Gym or the Cafeteria. For those of you who have kids on 7 Red, stay tuned for a separate communication from me and the team teachers when we get closer to the time when those plans are implemented.
As for a small bit of the “why,” we now have many RJ Grey teachers who are infusing technology into their classrooms in ways that enable them to enhance and adapt their instruction, and where they serve as a resource for students in ways that go well beyond mere word processing. There is an enthusiasm for the role that Chromebooks have played, and can play, that we want to cultivate and support, but is currently limited by our current model where teachers can’t reliably count on having access to Chromebooks. Instead, they have to compete for access to the Chromebook carts that are shared amongst team teachers. Our shift to a 1:1 environment isn’t done with the expectation or goal of having students use Chromebooks in every class, throughout the day, every day of the school year. Instead, the intent is to have that particular tool more readily available if and when there is an appropriate role that it can serve in the classroom. And while we do believe there are many of those moments where technology can and will improve the student experience, there are and will still be plenty of moments within each class where Chromebooks are not in use and things like pen, paper, lab equipment and face-to-face discussions are at the heart of a lesson or activity, as they should be.
I am predicting that within our parent/guardian community, there might be some diversity of opinion and enthusiasm about this plan and about the thinking I just shared above. I already know that there are many of you who, upon hearing this news, will be thinking, “it’s about time.” There are also others who carry certain reservations about the role of technology in the classroom and perhaps skeptical of its overall value and benefits. My hope is that over the course of the Spring I’ll be able to expand on our plans and reasons for this shift by providing snapshots and highlights of the ways that Chromebooks are being utilized in the classroom right now, along with updates about our preparation for next year.
Finally, in the Grey Matters that I sent before February Vacation, I made mention of our Blue & Gold Day assembly plans for that Friday, and some of the traditions that have become a part of the event, including some form of competition amongst teachers which this year took the form of a rather lively and energetic version of musical chairs. Congratulations to 7 Red Social Studies teacher Mr. Zeese who was victorious in his first-ever staff competition. A big thank you to our Student Council officers, and members of our Band, Chorus, String Ensemble, and Cheerleading squad for their performances and contributions to the event.
Have a great week, everyone. Welcome back.
Cheers,
