Hi Everyone,
Happy Father’s Day to those of you who celebrated the event this past weekend. In a 2016 edition of Grey Matters I shared with families my lifelong dream of having an outdoor pergola structure in my backyard, and how I tend to drop subtle and not-so-subtle hints about that dream a month or two before Father’s Day each year. I did it again this year, and was so thrilled to wake up on Sunday morning to some lovely new clothes that my family picked out for me as gifts to celebrate the day. While my dreams for a pergola in my backyard will have to wait, probably forever, there are some exciting changes to the physical space at RJ Grey that is taking place over the summer that I want to make sure everyone knows about. Last Wednesday we closed the gym so we could begin a substantial renovation to that space and have it ready for use before the start of school next Fall. In the gym we will be removing the current hardwood flooring that was original to the building, and installing a new hardwood floor that will hopefully be without the many dead spots where bouncing basketballs go sideways for no apparent reason. There’s only so many times when patching and repairing bumps and creases in the flooring makes sense. The new flooring will also include lines that reflect the different sports that now use that space through our school and community education programs. In addition to the flooring, we will also be installing new bleachers, a gym curtain that can divide the space into two activity spaces, as well as a new scoreboard. As many families know, the gym at RJ Grey is also one of the most heavily used spaces in our community in terms of youth and adult sports (travel basketball, volleyball, adult badminton, camps, etc.), so it makes a lot of sense for the gym renovation to be on the earlier side of our District’s multi-year capital improvement plan that Peter Light has been introducing to the community over the course of this past year. While the proposal for the new twin school for Douglas and Gates deserves the most attention right now in terms of scope, cost, and impact, I wanted to make sure that everyone knows that the other buildings, including the Junior High, are not being ignored. Along with a funding commitment from our District’s capital budget, the renovation of our gym would not be possible without the financial support of our Community Education program and groups like ABSAF. Beyond the gym, some of the other upgrades to the Junior High won’t be as obvious and flashy, such as mechanical upgrades and thermal wrapping, but nonetheless important for the building to function properly. Once this first wave of projects is completed I look forward to beginning my grassroots campaign to fund a heated canopy that would be built over the space where I direct traffic in the morning.
We had over 350 8th grade students join us last Friday night for our annual end-of-year celebration and dance, and we hope those in attendance enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with friends and classmates before we part ways for the Summer. We were fortunate to once again have an army of volunteer parents take the lead on this event. An event of this size is only possible because those parents and families are willing to contribute their time and energy. A big “Thank You” to everyone who helped make the evening a big success - the donations of food from many of our families resulted in a bounty of food that was consumed throughout the evening. Many thanks also goes to Debbie Ahl (8 Green English teacher) and our 7th grade School Council officers for their work. And an extra and ongoing thank you to parent coordinators Carol Chytil, Deb Verner, and Ranjini Reddy for once again choreographing the whole evening, soup to nuts.
Here’s a final list of reminders and notes about this week, please make sure you follow up with your children about anything that might pertain to you:
Class field trips are on Wednesday- rain or shine! The forecast right now for Tuesday doesn’t look great, and it’s suggesting that there may be a bit of rain during the day. 7th graders will be heading to Kimball’s and 8th graders are heading to Canobie Lake - all students will be back in time for the regular 2:36pm dismissal and bus pick up. Parents are also welcome to come and pick up their children.
The Library will not be open after school this week. As a side note, we only have a few more library books to collect, which is great. Thank you to the students and families for remembering to return borrowed items.
Students who ordered yearbooks will be receiving them on Wednesday (the last day) before the Closing Assembly. There are a limited number of additional yearbooks that are currently on sale for $37. Those who are interested in purchasing a yearbook should connect with Mr. Lewis. Many thanks to Mr. Lewis and the Yearbook Club crew for their hard work and efforts this year.
The last day of school is Wednesday and it is a half-day. Our closing activity is an all-school assembly (students and staff only) that will take place in the High School auditorium. Students will be dismissed at the end of the event, and can get on buses right outside the high school (at 11:06am). Parents planning to pick their children up can still park in the Junior High parking lot.
Report cards will be e-mailed to families by early July. If you haven’t seen anything in the mail by mid-July, send me an email and we can get you another copy.
Families of current 7th grade students who are returning to RJ Grey next year (or if you are a family with a student joining us next year from the elementary schools), you’ll receive our summer communication in early August via email. If you are a current 7th grade family who is not planning to return to RJ Grey next year (moving, attending a private school, etc.), we would appreciate hearing from you, as that information will assist us with our scheduling work this summer.
Next year, school starts for students for 7th and 9th graders on Wednesday, August 28. 8th grade students start the next day, Thursday, August 29. Here is a link to the District page where you can access next year’s school calendar.
Because this is the final edition of Grey Matters for the year my intention is to continue the tradition of ending with some words and thoughts that I put together a few years ago and have included at the conclusion of each year. While I always feel a bit of regret that my closing remarks aren’t entirely original and unique to each year, I am also grateful that the experiences and sentiments that I have expressed each June continue to be applicable with another school year coming to a close.
Before we briefly part ways for the summer, I want to thank you, our parent and family community, for your continued support of our school. It does not escape me (or us) the degree to which family involvement and investment changes the landscape of a school, more often than not for the better. We know that parents have high expectations for the school, and that we also have high expectations for the parents. This partnership is indeed what often leads to the positive experiences that so many of our students have at RJ Grey. To be sure, those high expectations also means that there will continue to be moments where we aren’t in total agreement on some things. However, I’ll always take passionate debate and occasional disagreements over apathy and disinterest, especially when it comes from a shared interest in how to help our students (your kids) develop into thoughtful and confident individuals.
As I mention each June, the summer months away from school serve an important purpose for students, families, and teachers. It’s an opportunity to decompress, pursue other interests, and re-charge. Thinking about school 24/7 doesn’t benefit anyone, and we hope that everyone uses these next several weeks to expand their horizons, take some healthy risks and try a few new things, and treasure those moments where time feels like it moves more slowly while you’re doing absolutely nothing at all. It is always remarkable to see the degree to which young people change and grow, even in these too short summer months, and we look forward to reuniting with our returning students, and welcoming our next 7th grade class to RJ Grey. Like last summer, we too will decompress a bit, and spend time dreaming up ways to make next year a good one for our students.
Have a great week, and a great summer, everyone.
Cheers,
