1/28/26

• 01/28 - 3rd Q Begins

• 02/03 - Late Start Tuesday, school begins at 9:30am

• 02/11 - Early Release, school ends at 1:45pm

• 02/16 - NO SCHOOL

• Click here for the full RGMS calendar

Hey Hey Robert Gray Community!

Welcome to second semester! We are halfway finished with this school year. It is a great time to talk to your student about things that went well last semester. It is also a GREAT time to talk about the things they want to improve. Is it attendance? Grades? Turning in assignments on time? Joining a club or affinity group? There is a lot of time left in the school year for our young people to 'lock in' and set goals!

With the nice weather we have had the past several weeks, we are seeing an uptick of dogs on our campus, off leash. This is happening all during the day. We have had off leash dogs come up to students during lunch and during outside activities. After school, there is a growing number of dogs running on our field and not all dog owners are scooping after their dogs. We are asking folks to spread the word that RGMS is NOT a dog park, and that the off leash area is located on the other side of our field. We have posted signs, but we would appreciate it if our parent community would spread this information to your friends and neighbors.

One last item, there is no buying or selling of items by students in PPS schools. We have talked to several students about selling candy, clothes, and other items. Please check in with your child to make sure they are not bringing money to school for this purpose or bringing items to sell to friends.

Have a great week!

Robin and Lisa

As you know, this year we have focused on student attendance. We know that students who have 90% or better, have better educational outcomes, have higher grauation rates, and have a better feeling of connection with their peers and school. Plus, we just love seeing your kids at school every day. We miss them when they are not here! Here are our numbers for the month of January.

6th Grade - 76.77%

7th Grade - 71.97%

8th Grade - 65.25%

Watch this space next week for our Gray Games announcement! Click here to see what kids are seeing this week in Advisory.!

Parents Against Vaping is a grassroots community of passionate parents and concerned individuals committed to protecting children from the dangers of vaping and other flavored tobacco use. To help families navigate the stress, confusion, and isolation that can come with youth vaping they are hosting a free parent support group.

Parent-to-Parent Conversations is a private Facebook group - PAVe’s Parent-to-Parent Support Community. These monthly, live Zoom conversations are designed to create a supportive, safe, judgment-free space where parents and caregivers can share their experiences, listen to one another, and access trusted resources.

Inside this parent-only community, you'll find:

• Monthly live Parent-to-Parent Conversations, moderated by Parents Against Vaping staff, where parents can connect and ask questions in real time
• A private, supportive environment focused on lived experience
• Reliable information and resource sharing for parents and families navigating youth vaping and other nicotine use
• Freedom to participate at your own pace. You can listen, ask questions, share experiences, or simply know you’re not alone.

The PTA's January Newsletter is here. Learn about:

• 8th Grade Promotion Planning Meeting Feb 4. - Help Make It Magical!
• Dine Out for Gray at Sasquatch Brewery on February 11th
• January PTA Program Spotlight - School Supplies!
• Kickball for Gray Tournament + End of Year Celebration Planning - Join Us!
• Volunteers Needed at RGMS!
• Join the RGMS Community What's App
• Attend the next PTA Meeting on February 18th at 6:30pm

We are excited to share our 1st Quarterly Newsletter of 2026!

This edition includes updates from our chapter, upcoming events, educator and GSA resources, and ways to stay connected with our work supporting LGBTQ+ youth across Oregon.

To access the newsletter, click here.

Ms Corbitt has listed a project on Donors Choose, so check it out and donate if you are able. Click here to see her project.

If you enter the code LIFTOFF, it will automatically match any donation up to $50.00.

Our 8th graders were forecasting for HIGH SCHOOL last week!?!? We're gearing up for their big promotion, and we need a dream team to make it unforgettable. From planning fun activities to adding those special "wow" moments, volunteers are the magic behind the memories. If you like organizing, celebrating or just making kids feel proud of how far they've come, this is your moment to shine. Join us and help send our 8th graders off in style!

The First 8th Grade Promotion Event Planning Meeting Wednesday, February 4th, 7:30pm Johns Market Place Multnomah Village

Let me know if you're interested- Committee Head; Jen Zwartverwer woodruff.jenn@gmail.com

Save The Date : 8th Grade Promotion June 8th 2026

The Talented and Gifted (TAG) Department wants your feedback. Please take a moment to complete the TAG Family Survey (your student does not have to be identified as TAG to complete the survey). This survey will help PPS better understand the experiences of families with students identified as TAG.

The Single Subject Acceleration - Math process application window begins March 1st. This process is open to 2nd - 4th grade students. The process outlined in the PPS administrative directive on acceleration and on the TAG Website, allows students who qualify to accelerate through the next grade level. This is a rigorous process with only 14% of students qualifying for SSA-M in 2024 - 25. It is important to talk with your students' teacher to determine if your student might be a good candidate for SSA-M. Strong candidates are students who have met the standards of their current grade level and are proficient on a paper/pencil assessment administered at schools under the guidance of the TAG Department. The decision to accelerate students is made by the TAG Department, with input from teachers, a variety of district administered assessments and the paper/pencil assessment. The timeline for SSA-M:

March 1 - 31st applications accepted via the TAG Website

April 1 - 30th evaluation process

May 15th family notification

For questions regarding your student’s potential for SSA-M, please contact your student’s teacher. For questions regarding the SSA-M process, please contact the TAG Department at ppstag@pps.net

The application window for Access Academy Lottery is February 18th - March 15th. Please visit the Access Academy website for more information on the Access Academy Lottery.

"Race a 5k with Ms. Powell at the Shamrock Run March 15th 2026! Any student who can run a faster 5k time than Ms. Powell at the Shamrock Run wins a prize! Anyone is able to sign up and receive a total of $14 off of registration fees, not just students! What to do: When signing up for the Shamrock Run select team member price and then search for and select "Wells Cluster." And then enter the coupon code "SCHOOL" at checkout. The more the merrier so invite your friends and family to run too!"

This morning the counselors from Wells HS came and met with our 8th graders to discuss graduation requirements, ways to get involved during their four years, and how to forecast.

I am attaching a link for the presentation they shared this morning.

https://bit.ly/WellsGrade9info

Highlights for you to know regarding forecasting --

1. Your student received a worksheet for them to write down their ideas.

2. Students are strongly encouraged to use the forecast guide located on the Wells HS website to review class descriptions. https://bit.ly/CourseGuide26

3. Students are to submit their class selections using a google document -- Due: January 20. Fill out the forecasting Google Form with your class choices.

4. Students are asked to discuss all class selections with their parents prior to completing their submission form.

5. Wells counselors will return to RGMS and meet one-on-one with each 8th grade student to review their class selection on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

6. All RGMS students are required to complete their forecasting -- no matter what HS they anticipate attending.

If you have questions about forecasting, please feel free to reach out to Laureen Held.

Wells 9th grade Forecasting information page: https://ibw.pps.net/academics/forecasting-information/forecasting-current-8th-graders

Dear RGMS Community,

The Leadership Yearbook Committee has been working hard all semester to build this year’s yearbook. We are reaching out to solicit your help collecting more photos. Many of the photos needed we will get during school hours. However, there are a handful of photos that are needed that are part of the RGMS school community but not necessarily during school hours and are difficult for our students and volunteers to get.

Examples include:

1. After school activities: Kung Fu, speech and debate, Lego robotics, arts and crafts, drama, etc.

2. Field trips

3. Wells Sports teams: soccer, football, volleyball, baseball, track, xcountry, etc.

If you are a parent taking part (or just able to get or already have photos) in any of these activities or others with students, please consider sending the Yearbook Committee photos. Photos should be of a wife variety of students, fairly close-ups where you can see students smiling faces and hopefully some sort of indication of what activity they do (uniform, equipment, costume, role play, etc). Think photos that students would like to see of themselves in 1, 5 and 10 years.

You can either email: Chelsey.n.chen@gmail.com

Or upload them to the yearbook community upload page (this is a shared community space where committee members have a chance to approve each photo).

https://community.lifetouch.com/invite?code=RGMS_YEARBOOK_PHOTOS_25-26

Feel free to also email with questions/concerns. Thank you for your time and consideration.

RGMS Yearbook Committee

Teen Force at the Southwest Community Center is a free afterschool program where kids can come to have a safe space to play and be creative.

Check out the events this Friday!

Did you know RGMS has several affinity groups for students that meet at lunch! Current offerings include Sol for Latinx students, A Gender and Sexuality Association and a Jewish Student Union. If your student would be interested in participating in any of these, have them look for flyers and meeting announcements.

We would like to increase our offerings, but need parent or community volunteers to make this happen. In the past we have also had an African Youth Community Organization and an Indigenous Youth Club. We also have students who have begun an Asian/Desi/Pacific Islander group but would love additional adult support. If you identify as belonging to one of these groups and would be interested in supporting a student affinity group during lunch (12:45-1:30pm) once a week, or even twice a month, please reach out to our SUN School coordinator Anthony Guzman (aguzman@impactnw.org)

#1 ParentVue Tip: If you can't remember your password, only try twice! The third time your account gets disabled! Then you have to email school office; we have to enable ParentVue; then you have to begin login in and click on "forgot password" to complete the reset. Much quicker if you click "forgot password" before your account is disabled!

If your student will be absent, please email grayattend@pps.net. Email is preferred to a phone call, as phones can be busy during the school day. Be sure to include your student's full name, date of absence and the reason for the absence.

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