12/18/24

• 12/18 - Progress Reports on ParentVUE
• 12/20 - Winter Celebration, Special Bell Schedule
• 12/21-1/5 - No School
• 1/1/25 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉
• 1/6/25 - School Resumes
• 1/7/25 - Late Start Tuesday

• Click here for the full RGMS calendar

Hey Hey Robert Gray,

As 2024 winds down and we ease into Winter Break, we are having a wonderful week of celebrating our community. This week, we celebrated our Beginning Band students with a Winter Concert. It was amazing to hear the progress Ms Miller's students are making.

Friday is our Winter Celebration during the last hour of the day. Please note, we will not be able to check students out during that time. If you need your student to leave early on Friday, please check them out before 3:00pm.

Robert Gray has the best students ever and we as a staff are super fortunate to have the great humans that make up our school community. We took a minute to ask teachers and staff what they appreciated about our students and collected their thoughts in this video to share with all of you. Hope you enjoy it! Here's the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v67bjbu2S8686syS_oHxdU6XO-H1ATq3/view?usp=sharing

In Community,

Lisa and Robin

Tomorrow morning we are practicing our monthly fire evacuation first thing in the morning. We want to take a moment to rehearse an unusual situation that can offer complications we need to think through and practice.

If your student arrives late to school, it may mean a short wait while we complete the drill. Thanks for your patience!

Winter Break is great time to restock your student's school supplies. Students are running low on pencils and other supplies. Check with your child to see if they need anything to start 2025 off right!

PPS is moving to a new Standards-Based Grading System for all 28 middle schools. The purpose is to provide clearer and more meaningful feedback to students. Some of our middle schools are already using this approach, and research supports its benefits. Our K-5 schools have also made progress in this direction with their report cards.

We invite you to visit our middle grades Standards-Based Grading website at pps.net/sbg. There, you can find updates, resources, timelines, materials, and FAQs.

There will be three family and community engagement events in person and virtually at the Prophet Education Center (501 N. Dixon St.) in the PPS boardroom. We invite all who have current middle grades students or students entering into the middle grades to these presentations where we will provide updates as well as listen to feedback and answer questions.

Family and Community engagement (Virtual and in person)

February 13, 2025 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

March 13, 2025 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

May 8, 2025 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

We believe grades are an important way to communicate with students and families. This new system will make it clearer what students need to do to meet academic expectations.

If you have any questions, please contact Richard Smith at rsmith5@pps.net. Check the website often for updates. We look forward to working with you during this exciting transition.

The Family/Teacher/Student TAG Referral Window is now open. If you believe your child could be identified as TAG, the best place to start is to talk to your child's teachers. See more information on the TAG website.

On behalf of RGMS ADPI we would like to sincerely thank you for your generous support and thoughtful contribution for our first ever Bundles of Joy foster donations. Your help is greatly appreciated and helps make a real difference in our community.

Warmly,

ADPI

Interested in Robert Gray Student Leadership Class, Semester 2?

Student application process opens December 20, closes January 10.

Limited spots available. See link below for details.

RGMS Student Leadership 2nd Semester 2024-2025

Parents and Students: We need YOU to be part of a new committee that will help lead the distribution of philanthropic dollars raised through The Fund for PPS.

We are excited to announce the formation of the PPS Board of Education’s new Parent Advisory Committee (PAC): Distribution of Donations for Staffing. There is just over $1 million to allocate for 2025-2026 school year, and we need representatives from all PPS clusters to serve on the committee plus two high school students.

Apply before Dec. 21: You can learn more and apply at https://www.pps.net/Page/22782. Thank you!

Starting after Winter Break, all RGMS students will be required to wear an ID badge while they are at school. It is PPS policy for all high schools and middle schools to have them at all times when they are on PPS campuses. This is a large part of our school safety plan. Every person who is on our campus has an ID, even contractors and volunteers have to wear an ID.

Right now, we are introducing this idea during Advisory. Students will get their ID Badges (with lanyard) on the day we return from Winter break. We are taking our time to build this important habit for our students. But, we are hoping, by the end of January, that every student is wearing their ID, all day, every day.

Parents, we could use your help by talking to your students about why this important and reminding them before the leave for school in the morning to have it on.

The Board of Education of the Portland Public Schools has a vacancy in Zone 1 effective in January due to the resignation of Director Andrew Scott who was elected to serve through through June 30, 2027. The exact date of when the seat will be vacant is not known at this time.

The Board is seeking candidates for appointment to serve from appointment through June 30, 2025. The position will be placed on the May 2025 ballot for election to the remaining two years of the original term (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027). The person appointed by the Board would be eligible to run for the seat.

All interested candidates must reside within Zone 1 and submit a written application no later than December 20, 2024 at 12:00 pm. The application will be made available on November 25th on the PPS.net website. Further information may be obtained by emailing Rosanne Powell at rpowell@pps.net.

2024-2025 RGMS Family Handbook.

2024 RGMS Student Handbook

Parent Guide to Canvas

Parent Guide to the Remind App

Parent Guide to ParentVue

Remember to give plenty of time when picking up your student early. It takes them time to get from their classroom to their locker and then to the office. You can call the office, 503 916 5676, when you are on the way to give your student time to get all their things.

Only use ParentVue to report absences that are for the full day. That is all ParentVue will let you do. If your student will be absent part of the day or just tardy, please email grayattend@pps.net. Be sure to include your student's full name, date of absence and the reason for the absence.

Dear Families,

As we enter the cold and flu season and spend more time indoors, we want to remind everyone of steps you can take to protect the health and well-being of our Robert Gray community. Please review and follow these recommendations:

• Stay home if your child is sick. Monitor them daily for symptoms, including:
  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Sore throat
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Red eyes with colored drainage
• Notify the school if your child is absent due to illness.

• Return-to-School Guidance
  Children may return to school when:

  • They have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
  • Vomiting and diarrhea symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours.

  I have attached the full return-to-school guidance document for your reference.

• Consider wearing a face covering indoors during the respiratory illness season.
• Stay up-to-date on flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Wash hands frequently and thoroughly.
• If you are contacted to pick up your child due to illness, please do so promptly to help minimize the spread of illness to others.
• Ensure your contact information in Synergy is current so we can reach you quickly if needed.
• Keep the Robert Gray Health Room updated with any current health conditions or medications your child may have.

These simple steps will go a long way in reducing the spread of illnesses and keeping our students healthy. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at jnovack@mesd.k12.or.us.

Thank you for your partnership in supporting our school community!

Use this link to the School Nurse and Health Room Services Webpage for lot's of good information for parents.

Interested in having your student tested for COVID at school? Use this link to access the form. Fill out and return:

• Drop it off in the office
• Email a digital copy to Nurse Jennifer Novack at jnovack@mesd.k12.or.us

Buy your yearbook online by using https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/

Using the Yearbook ID code: 14931525

Yearbooks are just $20

Gray's counselors are Lisa Hyde, A-K & Laureen Held, L-Z.

Lisa Hyde - lhyde@pps.net

503-454-6829

Laureen Held - lheld@pps.net

971-231-4621

You can also contact them through this link: https://bit.ly/2024-25RGMSCounselorHelp

• Save the Date! RGMS Spring School Dance will take place on Thursday, April 3rd from 6-8pm. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities.

• Please join us at our next meeting on Wednesday, January 15 at 6:30pm in the library at RGMS or via Zoom. We hope to see you there! The standing zoom meeting info follows:

• Link to Zoom Meeting

• Meeting ID: 847 8223 9102

• Passcode: 368760

• We are always looking for parents interested in advocating for better funding for public schools to interface with PAT, Oregon PTA and Parents for public schools. Please reach out directly to Kirsten Carr if interested.

• If you’re able, please donate $25 to support our PTA here.

Get text alerts about school closures, delays, emergencies and school events:

Text YES to 68453

Email: lnewlyn@pps.net
Website: https://www.pps.net/gray
Location: 5505 Southwest 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 916-5676
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertgraymiddleschool
Attendance Reporting: grayattend@pps.net