Reporter’s Notebook: School starts Tuesday — here’s a few changes

Goodbye summer. Hello, school buses!

Grafton students head back to school Tuesday and — warning — it’s going to be a hot one, with highs around 88 degrees. 

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Good news: There apparently is such a thing as a free lunch, and students at all Grafton schools are eligible for it. Here are a few details.

Of course, kids can still opt to bring their own lunch from home.

Massachusetts lawmakers voted to continue to fund free school meals for all students, regardless of household income, under a one-year expansion of a free federal school lunch program.

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Remember how uncomfortable it used to be to attend Town Meeting at the former Grafton High School? The auditorium at the now-Grafton Middle School got a glow-up over the summer, with an overall renovation that included replacing the old wooden chairs with padded seating.

Bonus: Tearing out the old seats also took out some of the school’s few remaining remnants of the former Grafton Indian mascot.

Meanwhile, over at the now 10-year-old Grafton High School, banners are now in place around the playing fields to remind opposing teams they have entered “The Swamp,” aka home turf for the Grafton Gators.

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Finally: Grafton schools are in need of qualified substitute teachers. In Grafton, substitute teaching candidates must be at least 18 years of age and hold a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. Schools call in substitutes whenever full-time employees get sick, travel, or take personal time.

Every substitute teaching job is different. Sometimes you’ll simply look after a class while students complete an assignment that their regular teacher left for them. Other days you will follow a detailed lesson plan. As a Paraprofessional substitute, you might work with a single student or a small group of students to help them accomplish their assignments for the day. The only consistent thing about substitute teaching is that every day is different. 

To become a substitute in Grafton, email Frank Rothwell, Director of Human Resources, to schedule an appointment for an interview.