10/9/24

• 10/6-11 - 6th Graders at Outdoor School (see info below)
• 10/11 - NO SCHOOL, ODS Returns ~1:30pm
• 10/15 - Late Start Tuesday, School begins at 9:30am
• 10/16 - Spirit Day - Dress to Impress Day
• 10/16 - PTA Meeting, 6:30pm
• 10/18 - Run For Gray, sign up in PTA article below
• 10/23 - Early Release Wednesday, School is dismissed at 1:45pm - buses run 2 hours & 15 minutes early at dismissal
• 10/24 - Picture Retake Morning
• 10/28 - PTA Clothing Center Volunteers needed, see PTA article below

• Click here for the full RGMS calendar

Hey Hey Robert Gray,

I have some wonderful news to report. Last week, the state released OSAS data from last year. OSAS is the state benchmark test that all schools use to measure progress in schools. Students take OSAS in Grades 3rd -8th and 11th Grade. There are 2 primary tests, English Language Arts and Mathematics. 8th Graders take an additional test in Science. But now to the good news......

72% of our students met benchmark in English Language Arts. This is the highest score of any middle school in all of Portland Public Schools! We were 5th overall in Math (score of 55%) out of all the PPS Middle Schools, which is also something to be very proud of.

Lisa and I both know that this is a result of EVERYONE'S hard work. Our dedicated teaching staff who challenge while supporting our students. The office and building staff who make our building run so smoothly. And to the parent community, who support us as partners in this work. We are extremely proud of our students who work hard and bring their best selves to school. We know Robert Gray rocks, and now, the whole district knows as well!

Cheers to a fantastic day,

Robin Mauldin

You may be wondering what is happening with the workers on the East side of the building. We are getting all new weatherproofing and siding. The project should last 1-2 more weeks, and our building will look very shiny and new from the outside!!!

November 25 and 26 are Parent Teacher Conferences at RGMS. We will have a schedule out soon for signs up. Some conferences slots will be virtual. Others will be in person. Stay tuned as we plan for our time with you and your student to talk about how the year has started at RGMS.

Registration for tryouts for the 2024-25 middle school basketball season is now open!

GO HERE TO REGISTER.

FOR MORE INFO:

BOYS MS BBALL - 2024-25 SEASON OVERVIEW

GIRLS MS BBALL - 2024-25 SEASON OVERVIEW

2024-2025 RGMS Family Handbook.

2024 RGMS Student Handbook

Parent Guide to Canvas

Parent Guide to the Remind App

Parent Guide to ParentVue

If your student will be absent, please email grayattend@pps.net. Be sure to include your student's full name, date of absence and the reason for the absence.

Online Yearly Verification via ParentVUE deadline is 9/30/2024. Parents must submit the Yearly Verification in order to view all information in their ParentVUE. The Yearly Verification takes the place of the old Student Registration form. This is where parents can update their information.

Beginning on 10/1/2024, if parents have not submitted the online Yearly Verification, they will receive the following message upon login to PVUE:

o The Yearly Verification process must be completed to continue. The only options for the parent are to click Begin Yearly Verification or click Logout.

Student leaders have approached Lisa and I with feedback about the backpack/locker policy. We have listened to their ideas and have decided to take them up on some of their recommendations. Here are the two changes:

• Students can go to their lockers during any passing period. We believe this will help them establish good habits in terms of thinking about what they need for each class and being prepared. We are also reminding students to consider how long it takes to go to their locker to ensure they are getting their materials quickly and arriving to class on time.
• Students may also use small tote bags to carry their items around school. Totes are small and do not impact our physical space as much as larger backpacks. We are ordering special RGMS Tote Bags for students to use, if they choose.

The Robert Gray Eco Club is looking for a few parent volunteers. We meet during lunch on Mondays, approximately 12-1:30 (on normal schedule). If you can join even once or twice a month, it would be a big help!

The Eco Club is involved in the RGMS Climate Solutions Fair and other environmentally focused activities at the school. The club is open to all grades and advised by Mr. Bubl (6th grade science); we typically have 15 or so students. This year, the Portland Clean Energy Fund is awarding sizable grants to every school for student-led environmental/climate projects. This is exciting news for the RGMS Eco Club (and our whole school!), and we could really use more adult volunteers to make it happen.

Please contact Linda Nelson (lindaschwallernelson@gmail.com) or Bernadette Rodgers (bernadetterodgers350@gmail.com) if you’re interested. Thank you!

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

The ParentVue trick to not getting your account disabled is to only try passwords twice, then just click on forgot password.

After 3 unsuccessful password tries your account is disabled. When disabled you have to call the school and have the office enable your account. Then to complete the reset, you have to click on forgot password and update your password.

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

What is School Pay?

Throughout the year we will use School Pay as a way for families to pay for a variety of things. Currently, we are asking families to consider making small donations to offset printing costs for student planners, handbooks, class supplies and other curricular tools.

School Pay is a convenient way to pay school donations with a debit card or credit card. Use this link, https://pps.schoolpay.com/, to enter the School Pay site. Set up an account if you don't already have one.

Donation items are grouped by grade level.

• Our next PTA meeting is on Wednesday, October 16th at 6:30pm in the library at RGMS. If you haven’t had a chance to give us your input on topics and timing for our PTA meetings, please fill out this 2 question google form here.

• Our annual Run For Gray is coming up on Friday, October 18th. This is a really fun event and we are still looking for parent volunteers. Please sign up here if you are able to help for ~2 hours..

• PTA Clothing Center Volunteer and Donation Needs

• Monday, Oct. 28th is Robert Gray’s day to send 5-6 volunteers from 9:30am -1:30pm. We need 5 volunteers to help kids receive clothing and sort donations.. Volunteers can be parents, grandparents or community members. If you are able to volunteer please sign up here.

• The PTA Clothing Center is also looking for donations of teen-adult size gently worn/new sweatshirts, hoodies, and warm coats, as they are very low on those items. They also have a need for boys pants, joggers and/or jeans size 4-14. You can drop donated clothes off at the Marshall Campus; 3905 SE 91st, Room B-60.

• The Wells Cluster Equity Group meets regularly to share and discuss diversity and equity opportunities for our school communities. Join other SW parents, family members and PTA members for this year’s kickoff meeting at Salvador Molly’s on Wednesday October 23 at 7pm.

• 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.

• Please consider becoming a member of Robert Gray Middle School PTA and/or donating to our PTA. Your donation funds improvements to the school beyond what PPS provides, such as events (like Back to School Night and the upcoming Run for Grey), special programs, community outreach, classroom supplies, student-serving needs and more. This school year, the PTA’s budgeted expenses are over $46,000- approximately $95 per student. If you’re able, please donate to support the PTA here.

• To join please visit this page on the Oregon PTA website, select Robert Gray MS PTA, complete the form, and make a payment online. If you’re unable to join the PTA online, please contact the PTA secretary.

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