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ABRPTSO
Weekly Chatter
RJ Grey Junior High School
May 15, 2022
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"Creating a community of thinkers, learners, and responsible citizens." |
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Table of Contents
- Calendar of Events
- PTSO General Body Meeting
- In. An. Instance.
- 8th Grade Dance
- Book Club
- Lost & Found
- Project Graduation 2022: Please Volunteer (Also Clambake & Ice Cream)
- Upcoming Community Ed Program
- Calling All Douglas Elementary Alumni!
- AB Cares Gun Buyback Program
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Monday, May 16: Early Release, 1pm
Monday, May 16: School Council on Zoom, 7pm
Tuesday, May 17: PTSO General Body Meeting, 7pm
Friday, May 20: 7th grade Celebration, 7 - 9pm
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PTSO General Body Meeting
May 17th, 7pm (Room 115N, High School)
We hope you can join us at the next PTSO meeting on Tuesday, May 17th. We will be discussing the budget for the 2022-2023 academic year. We also anticipate having many open positions on the Board. We hope you will be able to volunteer some of your time to help us support the students at the Junior High and High School.
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In. An. Instance.
“As you look back upon your life, the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others.” -Anonymous
Seems like a fitting quote after seeing our Seniors volunteer all over the place doing community service. The school grounds look great, and it must warm your hearts to know that your work has brought such joy to so many. Thank you! Have you personally volunteered any of your time? Want to try to start off with something small, as simple as just listening? We can help. The ABRPTSO is always looking for ideas to help our students, staff, parents/guardians. We support you, but we need a little support sometime too. Why not check it out for yourself at our next meeting on Tuesday, May 17th in Room 115N at the High School. Meeting begins at 7pm. Hope to see you there!
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8th grade Dance - June 10th
Save the date for our end-of-year 8th grade dance! The celebration will be Friday, June 10th from 7pm until 9pm. A SignUpGenius will be going out soon -- we need a bunch of parent volunteers to help with decorating, food donations, etc. The kids will hear about how to purchase tickets in their homerooms soon after Memorial Day. More details to follow.
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Book Club - Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 26th
The RJ Grey Book Club has chosen its next book! We will be reading an action-packed, historical fiction title: The Girl in the Blue Coat. It tells the story of a Dutch girl who makes a living making black market deliveries while trying to stifle painful memories of her dead lover. When one of her customers asks her to find a missing Jewish girl, she is drawn into a web of mystery, tragedy and impossible choices that will change her life.
Come get a copy of the book from the library and join us on May 26th for a discussion.
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Lost & Found
There are lots of coats, hoodies, water bottles, lunch boxes, ski poles, and other miscellaneous items. Please come collect your items before they are donated next week. Tables are in lobby!!!
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Project Graduation 2022: Please Volunteer (Also: CLAMBAKE AND ICE CREAM)
Just a few weeks to go until the Class of 2022 dons their caps and gowns. We've got a lot to cover, so let's get at it!
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Volunteers needed! Calling all parents of kids in lower grades: we need YOU to VOLUNTEER AT THE BIG PROJECT GRADUATION EVENT on Friday, June 3. Parents of seniors are not allowed to volunteer at Project Graduation. Someday, that will be you! But right now, you can pay it forward. We need YOUR help—as chaperones, food servers, and entertainment helpers—to run the all-night, substance-free party that all grads will enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives. Click through to the GIGANTIC PG2022 Main Event SignUpGenius today! It's so big because we need so much help. Thank you! We are still collecting gift cards to be handed out as prizes, which the kids love. Here is a separate SignUpGenius for gift card donations.
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Henna artist wanted! We're still on the hunt for a henna artist. If you are a parent with henna art skills and you'd like to volunteer your time at this year's event, please send us an email.
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Time to get tickets! We promise that Project Graduation is a night to remember! Seniors should purchase their tickets online at this link (which is also a button on our website). They cost $20; there will be tickets at the door for $25.
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Now for something completely different: A CLAMBAKE RAFFLE! Our pals at Twin Seafood in West Acton have cooked up an amazing treat. Head over to Twin and enter to win a DELICIOUS clambake for four, including four one-pound lobsters, steamers, clam chowder, corn on the cob, and coleslaw. Tickets are $10 and the drawing takes place Tuesday, May 31. Twin Seafood will donate the proceeds to Project Graduation!
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And just down the block from Twin Seafood is the fabulous locally-owned purveyor of homemade frozen goodness, West Side Creamery. They will generously donate 20% of their take on this Wednesday, May 18! YUM.
As always, thanks so much!
Jennifer Mabardy and Jennifer Philion
AB Project Graduation 2022 Co-Chairs
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Upcoming Community Ed Program
Community Ed is offering a myriad of teen and college prep courses this spring and summer. Visit our website or sign up for our email list to receive updates regarding new classes. You can reach our office at 978-266-2525 with questions or to register.
Early College Savings for Parents of Young Children with Jared Hoole, Lakeside Financial, Wed. June 8
There are a myriad of options that exist when it comes to college savings plans; however, not all plans are created equal. In this workshop you will learn the pros and cons of each savings plan and why a simple bank account in your child’s name is probably not a good location for their college savings. Learn how to legally shelter your assets so you can qualify for the most financial aid. And for those of you that think “I have plenty of time”, we will talk about why it’s so hard to “catch up” later in life and the benefits of saving early. Course Code: SAVINGSSP22
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Calling All Douglas Elementary Alumni! - RSVP TODAY!
The C.T. Douglas Elementary School PTO is hosting a Farewell to Elm St Party on June 1st from 5pm-7pm. Our entire Douglas Community (alumni too!) is invited to party together and give Elm St. the send-off it deserves before we move over to the Boardwalk Campus. Picture warm weather, food trucks (BYO option too), yard games and just plain hanging out with people…it’s going to be FUN! *Held rain or shine
RSVP HERE by Sunday, May 15 as we need a headcount for our food trucks/vendors to prepare. Those who RSVP by the deadline will be entered into a gift card raffle announced at the party!
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AB Cares to host Safer Homes, Safer Community: A Community Gun Buyback program to be held Saturday, May 21st, 2022
Acton-Boxborough, Mass. – May 1, 2022 - AB Cares is once again partnering with the Acton and Boxborough Police Departments and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office to host a gun buyback initiative on Saturday, May 21st at the St. Matthew’s Methodist Church located at 435 Central Street in Acton. The event will run from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Individuals turning in unwanted firearms are asked to transport them to the site unloaded and in the trunk of their car. Ammunition will be accepted as well. No ID required, no questions asked - and each person turning in a firearm will have the option of receiving a gift card to a local grocery store. All firearms and ammunition will be handled by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office and will be destroyed by the Massachusetts State Police.
This event was first held in 2021. While it was our community’s first gun buyback, the results exceeded our expectations, and those of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office. We collected a total of 34 firearms and an assortment of ammunition last year. Many of those who turned in firearms expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to do so in a safe manner. In addition, most participants opted to “pay it forward” and donate their grocery gift cards to low-income residents of Acton and Boxborough, allowing us to not only take a step towards improving the safety of our community but help needy residents at the same time.
Gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the U.S., causing more than 38,000 deaths and nearly 85,000 injuries each year. Gun violence is an epidemic, and public health measures such as gun buyback programs are necessary steps to help address this crisis.
“This event is incredibly timely; we know that mental health across the lifespan has suffered as a result of the pandemic; in fact, some now refer to the “dual pandemic” of suicide and COVID-19. AB Cares is committed to suicide prevention, and helping reduce the risk of suicide by firearms is a good place to start,” said Deborah Garfield, LICSW Director of The Eliot Center and member of the AB Cares coalition.
“We know that nearly 6 out of every 10 gun deaths in Massachusetts are suicides, and firearm is the most lethal mean of suicide, with 22% of all suicides by firearm. This event will provide residents the opportunity to safely, securely dispose of unwanted and unused firearms to make our homes and our communities safer by reducing the chance of accidental discharge, self-harm, and theft,” said Katie Neville, Acton-Boxborough United Way Communications Manager, and member of the AB Cares coalition.
“This event will allow individuals to discard unwanted firearms in a simple, non-judgmental way. It is a tremendous public safety initiative that could prevent unwanted guns from ending up in the hands of someone that may wish to do harm to themselves or others,” said Acton Police Sargent Scott Krug, member of AB Cares.
“The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office is glad to be assisting the Acton-Boxborough community and our law enforcement partners in this effort for a second year,” said Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian. “Providing residents the opportunity to safely, securely dispose of unwanted firearms makes our homes and our communities safer by reducing the chance of theft, self-harm and accidental discharge.”
The initiative is funded through the generosity of numerous organizations including Acton-Boxborough United Way, Danny’s Place Youth Services, Minuteman Senior Services, West Acton Baptist Church, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District and the towns of Acton and Boxborough. Many local organizations have also stepped up to support this event as partners, including the Acton and Boxborough Police Departments, the League of Women Voters – Acton Area, the Acton Council on Aging, NAMI Central Middlesex, the Boxborough Well-Being Committee, and St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church.
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AB Cares, a community-based collaborative, seeks to prevent suicide across the lifespan and support all who are impacted by suicide. AB Cares aims to support community-wide conversations, awareness, and connections across Acton and Boxborough in order to prevent suicide.
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For more information, visit bit.ly/ABcares, or contact the AB Cares coalition at abcarescoalition@gmail.com or Katie Neville at 978-263-1777.
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The Weekly Chatter is distributed each Sunday. If you have a submission you'd like to include in the Chatter, please email it to chatter@abrptso.org by noon on Friday. The Chatter was created solely for the purpose of communicating school-related events, groups and forums to parents and students.
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