Welcome to a New School Year at Rindge Avenue Upper Campus!
Dear RAUC Students and Families,

Happy September! I hope you are having a wonderful summer, full of exploration, relaxation, and great conversations with family and friends. I know that the beginning of August can sometimes feel as if the summer will end too soon. I need to remind myself that there are still several weeks left to try something new, go somewhere I have wanted to go, and read that book that is calling to me. I look forward to hearing about your summer highlights when the school year starts September 6th.

I have taken advantage of summer to do some traveling and relaxing myself. A highlight has been a trip to southern Spain and Morocco to explore the cultural, artistic, intellectual, and economic connections between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities during the 9th – 15th centuries, and to see the ways those connections continue to play out today. This history reminds me of how a community is enriched and strengthened by the diversity of its members. That reminder is especially relevant today as I listen to the news in our nation and abroad and I think about ways we can all learn together and from each other. 

I have also been getting excited about beginning my journey with you as RAUC’s new principal. Teresa Sanchez, our assistant principal, and I have been at school working with our wonderful math and literacy coaches and other school staff to make sure we are all set to start a successful new school year. We have put together this letter and attachments to help you feel prepared as well. Here you will find the following: a supply list (grade 6 | 7 | 8), a list of dates for RAUC events, and an overview of Families of RAUC (FRAUC) for 2016-17. Your school schedule was recently mailed out to you and is also live on Aspen, the district online student data system, so those of you familiar with Aspen can access it there as well. If you have not yet received a schedule, DON'T WORRY! Just come to the office on the first day of school, and we will direct you to your advisory teacher, who will have a schedule for you. For those not yet familiar with Aspen, don’t worry—we are setting up a time for Aspen training in early September and will send out information about that once plans are set. Please rest assured that teachers will make sure to explain the schedule to students on the first day of school and there will be lots of folks to help students who are not sure where to go! You can also see a school year calendar by clicking here. 

One goal of middle school is to support students in learning to advocate for themselves. If a student has a concern about their schedule, we encourage them to make an appointment with the guidance counselor during the first week of school. If you have a pressing concern or question about a student schedule, email Teresa Sanchez after August 22.  

I will end with an introduction and thank you. The introduction is to our new staff: Sara Carhart (math coach), Megan Martin (school psychologist), Nayson Heywood (Structured Academics Aide), Cassie McDonald (music teacher, shared with Baldwin School), andBrittany Phillips (strings teacher). We are delighted to have these talented educators joining our RAUC community. 

The thank you is to all of those who were able to make it to our Back-to-School Potluck Picnic this Wednesday, August 31. Thank you to our wonderful FRAUC officers who helped set up and clean up, as well as all of the others who pitched in. Thank you to staff who were also able to come and connect with old students and welcome new ones. There were food and smiles aplenty! People toured the building and got information on the Washington DC trip and how to start saving for it now, even as 6th and 7th grade families. If you missed the tour and would like to set one up, please check out tour information on our RAUC website. Thank you also to the Middle School Network folks who were also there giving information about out of school time opportunities for students. 

• Our Middle School Network community partners will be there with information about school year activities for students; 
• Our wonderful Families of RAUC (FRAUC) officers will have information about FRAUC and how to get involved; 
• At 5:45PM we will give a tour of the school for new families
• At 6PM there will be an overview of the annual end-of-year 8th grade trip to Washington DC in the auditorium. The meeting is for 6th - 8th grade families, to introduce the trip and explain the fundraising that goes into ensuring that ALL RAUC students may go, regardless of financial situation; to help 6th and 7th grade families start planning now for their student’s 8th grade trip; and to share some dates for this year’s trip.

As I said, the goal of this letter is to help prepare students and families for a successful start to the school year. With support from the district, I have prepared a more formal entry plan in which...to meet those goals. That plan has been shared online (embed link), and has been translated into Amharic, Bengali, and Spanish, also online. (embed links as possible) For now, be well and enjoy the weekend. We can't wait to see students on Tuesday! And families, please introduce yourself as you see me in front of the school. 

Yours in anticipation of a year of learning and growing together,

Julie Craven

View Julie Craven's Entry Plan >>

SUMMER LEARNING TIME
Don't fall for the "summer slide!" Keep sharp with our summer learning resources. Happy summer learning! 

Summer Reading (Gr. K-8) 
Get the scoop on this year's summer reading program. 
Learn more >>

Summer Math (Gr. K-8) 
Find out how to work math into your adventures with our summer math calendars. 
Learn more >>



School Bus Information
Bus letters will be mailed out very soon. If you rode the bus last year, or are pretty sure your child will qualify, you can also look up the current list of bus routes and bus stops here.



Stay Connected
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