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Greetings from Julie Craven
Dear RAUC Families,
Happy start of the second semester! Hard to believe we are half way through the school year. And Happy Lunar New Year to our Chinese and Asian families celebrating the Chinese lunar calendar. May everyone experience happiness and good fortune in the new year!
I am delighted to announce the appointment of our new Family Partnership Coordinator, Julia Ho. Julia’s first day was actually yesterday. The interview committee was honored by an incredibly talented applicant pool, but chose Julia for her particular experiences that expanded our staff capacities. She has worked with diverse communities, primarily in immigrant and ESL support and her skills and experiences are directly transferable to our needs. She speaks Korean, Spanish, and has a degree of proficiency in Hindi, Urdu, and even rudimentary Turkish. Her references are glowing. She is drawn to our mission, compelled by our equity work, and excited to join our RAUC community. We know it is a challenge to start half-way into the school year and thank you for your support and patience as she settles into her role. She hopes to be at our Unity Concert on Thursday.
I will end with a reminder about the Unity Concert. Again, the concert is this Thursday from 5-7PM. We invite everyone to join us for a community dinner in the cafeteria 5-5:45PM (student performers need to be done eating and “on stage” at 5:30PM). The concert is 6-7PM in the gym.
As we have noted in earlier emails, we are excited by new features for this year’s concert:
–We invite families to bring a dish from their culture or family to share as a way to celebrate the beautiful diversity of our community.
–NOTE: The school will also provide a full meal of pasta, salad, and bread!
–All our performing ensembles (band, orchestra, chorus, ukulele) will perform together, in a true display of musical unity.
Please come whether you have a student performing or not! Food and music bring us together, and this is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy both in good company. I hope to see you there!
Best,
Julie Craven, Head of School
District Family Engagement Survey Starts This Week
This annual survey helps the school and district hear concrete and actionable feedback from families. The results also help the school and district set goals for strengthening the partnerships between schools, students, and families. An email containing a link to the survey will be sent out by the district soon. We will also have paper copies available at the Unity Concert. The district is giving the survey out earlier this year so that we will be able to report school results back to you before the end of the school year.
RAUC was Honored by Ambassador Jenkins’ Visit Friday
Our 6th graders did a lot of work preparing for her so they were ready on Friday. They were a respectful audience with many thoughtful questions to ask her. Our model UN students then met with her in a small group for more in-depth conversation. We are excited that Ambassador Jenkins was so impressed by our students that she is already in conversation with Ms. Saillant about how to continue this connection in future years. Thanks again to Laura Grego, parent of a sixth grader, whose professional connections made this visit possible. We love this kind of partnership with our families!
Social-Emotional Tip of the Week
A helpful way to get your student to calm down is through deep breathing. If they are frustrated or upset, encouraging them to take a deep breath can reduce their agitation, decrease stress, and help them focus. Asking them to take 5-10 deep breaths before continuing your conversation can help them feel more at ease as they work through their thoughts and emotions.
If you have any stories of how you have used one of our SEL tips with your own child, please share them with Maggie MacLennan, Ms. Boadu’s intern, at [email protected]!
8th Grade Civics Teacher Tom Trainor Presenting at Harvard Today
 Civic education has taken a front seat in the state of Massachusetts with new history frameworks and a state law mandating that every 8th grade complete a student-led civic action project. Last year, the Cambridge Public School History & Social Studies Department, in partnership with the Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP) at Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics, co-designed an agency-centered, thematic curriculum. This curriculum is being piloted in all 8th grade classrooms in Cambridge and incorporates student-led civic engagement projects.
During the design process last year, Tom Trainor, 8th grade civics teacher, volunteered to be the first to pilot the six-week unit on student-led civic action projects. He met weekly with the DKP team and modified curriculum to best suit students’ needs. Students identified an issue that mattered to them, connected this personal concern to the collective, gathered wisdom from crowds, and considered voice and influence. After the pilot, many students reported that they felt more confident as civic agents and knowledgeable about how to use levers of civic power. Students wrote letters, called representatives, and submitted ideas for the city's participatory budgeting process.
Tom and his former students were invited to present their experiences at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Civic and Moral Education Initiative on Tuesday, January 28th, in the Eliot Lyman Room. Three of the student projects from last year will be featured: changing the mental health curriculum for students, gender wage gap, and police brutality/#BeLike Cambridge. Students will be sharing about the lessons they learned about how the local government works, how to pursue voice or influence, and how to define success in their their civic action projects.
Photo: 8th graders piloted a civics on-line game this year; here they are participating in a Zoom conference to give their feedback to the video producer.
Friday's Dance RAUC'ed
Shout out to all the family volunteers who donated time to plan, decorate, sell concessions, run arts and crafts and a photo booth, and then clean up! Thanks also to the sixth grade students who helped as well. We also appreciated our Gately partners who came to help chaperone -- the students always love to see them. It was a fun evening that also raised over $800 for Families of RAUC that will be used to support community trips for all our students.
8th Grade Learning Previews
See what's happening in our 8th grade classrooms!
Learn more >>
Out of School Opportunities
All flyers and registration forms are available at the RAUC Out of School Time (OST) Board or by contacting Mr. McNulty @ [email protected].
Cambridge Youth Lacrosse (see flyer)
When: March 30th - mid-June
Where: Boys Practice @ Russel/ Girls Practice @ Danehy/ Both Leagues Play @ Danehy Park
Grades: 1st-8th
Cost: $175/ Scholarships and Financial Aid Available
Contact: http://cambridgeyouthlacrosse.org/registration.html
Email: [email protected]
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