News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events
Monday, 4/8
Tuesday, 4/9  5th Grade Class Picture (wear 5th gr t-shirt); Kids Care Shoe Drive begins
Wednesday, 4/10  Prospective Parent Tour, 9:00 am
Thursday, 4/11
Friday, 4/12  Rice Baseball Bash, 6:30 pm (order tickets in advance)
Monday, 4/15
Tuesday, 4/16  Pershing MS Tour for 4th gr Parents
Wednesday, 4/17  Name That Book Competition
Thursday, 4/18  SDMC Meeting, 3:30 pm
Friday, 4/19

Need details on calendar events?  Check the Roberts website at www.robertselementary.org


Many Thanks!
WOW!  BIGGEST COMMUNITY NIGHT EVER!  Many thanks to Esther and John Pastore and all the extra hands that made Saturday night such a huge success!  Our community really came together, with the greatest turn out in community night history.  It was wonderful seeing everyone there!

Lunchtime at Roberts

I have heard recently that there may be confusion about our lunch policies.  We have not changed any of our policies about parents having lunch with their children.  You are welcome to join your child for lunch.  You will need to check-in at reception and get a visitors badge.  You will meet your child in the Cafe, and we ask that you get a folding chair to sit next to your child.  When its time, please say goodbye to your child in the Cafe so that the classroom routines are not disrupted.

If you are bringing lunch to your child but don't intend to stay, you may leave the lunch at reception, or you may come when your child is going to lunch and may take the lunch to the Cafe.  Please let your child know if you are leaving lunch at reception so they pick it up on the way to lunch.  

Communication Expectations

It is important to us that when you have questions or concerns we are prompt in responding.  HISD and Roberts uses a 48-hour communication policy.  When you email your child's teacher, you should get a response within 48 school day hours.  In other words, if you email on Monday, you should get a response no later than Wednesday.  If you email on Friday, you should get a response no later than Tuesday. 

If you find that you have not received a response within the allotted time, please send the email again, but also include me on the email (rgraves1@houstonisd.org).  I will follow up with the teacher to ensure you get a response. 

Rarely, parents may feel like the answer they have received from a teacher isn't just right, and need another opinion or additional support.  The school administration is on hand to assist in those situations.  Please feel free to email me if you are not able to solve a challenging situation with your child's teacher.

Spotlight on IB:

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

excerpt from Toward a Continuum of International Education

 

For the sake of clarity the approaches to teaching and learning are described under three headings:

• learning how to learn  (last blog post)
• structured inquiry (this blog post)
• critical thinking  (more on this in upcoming post)

In reality these categories overlap and describe complementary approaches.

Structured Inquiry

The IB learner profile states that IB learners strive to be "inquirers", describing the process as developing natural curiosity together with the skills needed to enable them to become autonomous lifelong learners.  Inquiry involves an active engagement with the social and physical environment in an effort to make sense of the world, and consequent reflection on the connections between the experiences encountered and the information gathered.  Inquiry involves synthesis, analysis and manipulation of knowledge.  Structured inquiry describes the strategies and supports that teachers use to facilitate student inquiry that is purposeful and production. 

Depending on the context, students are expected to explore significant issues by formulating their own questions or seeking answers to prescribed ones.  All three programmes (PYP, MYP, DP) expect students, in an age-appropriate way, to be able to:

• design their own inquiries
• assess the various means available to support their inquiries
• proceed with research, experimentation, observation and analysis that will help them in finding their own responses to the issues and in solving problems.

The starting point is students' current understanding, and the goal the active construction of meaning by building connections between that understanding to a new and deeper level of understanding.  This often involves many of the following activities:

• speculating, exploring, questioning
• making connections between previous learning and current learning
• researching
• developing and testing theories
• collecting data, reporting findings and constructing explanations
• clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events
• identifying assumptions
• taking and defending a position
• solving problems in a variety of ways
• analysing and evaluating
• considering alternative explanations

The approach to inquiry between the programmes shifts from a transdisciplinary model (content areas integrated) in the PYP to a more disciplinary approach (emphasis on content areas in isolation) in the MYP and DP.  Students must be taught the skills, strategies and knowledge needed to be effective inquirers, in developmentally age-apropriate ways, throughout the continuum. 

Intent to Return
By now you should have received your child's intent to return.  Please help us plan for next year by returning it with a current electric bill. 

+Works Parent Survey
Each year we want to evaluate the effectiveness of our work in a variety of areas.  We contracted with +Works last year to help us develop a community-wide approach to reducing bully-type behaviors.  Part of their work is to help us gather information and develop priorities for our school improvement plan.

Last year many of you took time to give us feedback on our work toward reducing and eliminating bully behaviors by encouraging students to be upstanders.  Students in grades 3-5 will be completing our annual +Works survey at school this week.  Please take some time to give us feedback on the work we've done this year and the effects of that work.    https://www.research.net/s/2013robertsparentguardian
Let me remind you about some things that took place this year as part of our work:

• Two week IB planner to set classroom culture at the beginning of the year
• Implementation of the Bullydozers Student Coalition to identify and impact areas of concern
• Identification of hot spots for bullying, shared with teachers for better monitoring in bathrooms and recess
• Peace rally and bullydozer pledge
• Designation of peace bench at recess

Have a great week!