Dear JRMS Families,

Another full week at JRMS is in the books! Between Open House, department and team meetings, time with students, a Tiger Telegraph interview, and an evening at Quassy, there were plenty of opportunities to learn, connect, collaborate, and have some fun.

Grades 7 & 8 Open House

It was wonderful to welcome our seventh- and eighth-grade families to JRMS for Open House and complete our second of two Open House evenings.

And…it happened again. Despite reporting last week that I had learned how to keep our screens from going into sleep mode, apparently I did not! During our time together, you also got to see a little bit of “Clumsy Chris” in action. At least I can say our Open Houses have been memorable!

Technical difficulties and occasional clumsiness aside, I truly enjoyed the evening. Once again, I had the opportunity to meet new people, discover similarities and connections to past experiences, and continue putting names and faces together. Thank you for the introductions, conversations, and tremendous turnout at both of our Open Houses.

I am also grateful to our teachers and staff for the time and effort they put into preparing for these evenings. There has been positive feedback on the presentations, particularly sharing who they are and the great work that will take place in their classrooms throughout the year.

Collaboration and Student Growth

All of our departments met on Tuesday, with conversations focused on assessments, curricular updates, and supporting our academic goals. These opportunities for teachers to collaborate help us maintain consistency while continuing to strengthen teaching and learning across JRMS.

I also checked in with our school counselors, met with our instructional specialists, and participated in our weekly special education meeting. While we connect frequently throughout the week, having scheduled time together ensures that we have dedicated opportunities for critical conversations, systemic consistency and improvement, and supporting student growth.

I joined several team discussions as well, which continue to give me valuable insight into our students and the work happening across grade levels.

Time with Students

I continued to block times on my calendar to be with students this week. The more time I spend in hallways, lunch, and other parts of the school day, the more opportunities I have to get to know our students and experience JRMS through their eyes.

I even found myself on the other side of the questions this week when I was interviewed for the Tiger Telegraph! I enjoyed talking with our student journalist and look forward to seeing what she does with my answers. Hopefully they were clear, there were some insightful questions!

JRMS Takes Over Quassy!

A huge thank you to our PTA for organizing JRMS Takes Over Quassy. After some questionable weather earlier in the week, the skies cooperated, and it turned into an exciting evening for our school community.

I appreciated another opportunity to meet and talk with families, but the best part was seeing our students having so much fun together outside of school. I enjoyed a few rides myself - including getting “backed in” in the bumper cars and a Free Fallin' adventure. It was a great evening of fun, laughter, and JRMS community spirit.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the event possible.

A Reminder About Respect

During Friday's morning announcements, I reminded students about the importance of treating all adults in our school - including our substitute teachers - with kindness and respect.

We have received some recent reports of inappropriate behavior in classrooms, particularly when a substitute teacher is present. Our substitutes provide an important service to our school. We want them to feel welcomed, respected, and eager to return to JRMS. I would appreciate your help reinforcing this message at home. Thank you! 

Looking Ahead: Start With Hello Week

Next week, September 21–25, is Start With Hello Week. Throughout the week, we will encourage students to think about simple ways they can help others feel seen, included, and connected within our school community.

Sometimes something as simple as noticing someone alone, saying hello, starting a conversation, or inviting someone to join in can make a meaningful difference.

Please visit the Announcements tab to learn more about Start With Hello and how JRMS will participate throughout the week.

Connection was definitely a theme for the week. Thank you for making me feel welcome and for your continued partnership and support! 

~Chris