News from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming This Week
Monday, 9/30
Tuesday, 10/1  5th Grade, Houston Food Bank; NTB Reading Day; Progress Reports Go Home
Wednesday, 10/2  Magnet Tour, 9:00 am
Thursday, 10/3  Fall Picture Day
Friday, 10/4  PTO Meeting, 8:10 am; NTB Reading Day

Monday, 10/7
Tuesday, 10/8  NTB Reading Day
Wednesday, 10/9
Thursday, 10/10
Friday, 10/11  NTB Reading Day; Family Camp Out (ticketed event)


eBooks
Has your child utilized our new eBook resources?  To access the eBook collection, use The Launching Pad link on the Roberts website, www.houstonisd.org/robertselem.  Use the eSEBCO link under Research.

ID: hisdroberts
PW: password
Student ID Number/Employee Number

How Does Attendance Impact School Funding?

Regular school attendance is critical.  Missing just 10% of a school year may make it more difficult to learn read.  I don’t want any child to miss important instruction.  But, as the State continues to reduce school funding, I wanted to take a minute to offer a quick explanation of how attendance impacts budget. 

The state sets a per pupil funding amount.  School funding is determined by multiplying the number of students by the average daily attendance, and the product is multiplied by the per pupil allocation.  Simply, we only get 97% of the funding we are entitled to, if we only have 97% in average daily attendance. 

So how much is each percentage point of average daily attendance worth?  One percentage point of the per pupil allocation is worth about $26,137.    Everyday counts in keeping every dollar we are due.

I ask you to partner with me in ensuring we get every dollar possible to provide your children with the educational programs they deserve.  Our attendance goal this school year is 98%. 

1% = $26,137

Spotlight on IB
What is a Transdisciplinary Program?

An excerpt from The Primary Years Programme: A basis for practice...

The PYP acknowledges the importance of particular subject areas: language; mathematics; social studies; science; arts; personal, social and physical education.

...However, the PYP also recognizes that educating students in a set of isolated subject areas, while necessary, is not sufficient.  Of equal importance is the need to acquire skills in context, and to explore content that is relevant to students and transcends the boundaries of the traditional subjects. “To be truly educated, a student must also make connections across the disciplines, discover ways to integrate the separate subjects, ultimately relate what they learn to life” (Boyer 1995: 82).  Ernest Boyer proposed that students explore a set of themes representing shared human experiences such as “Response to the Aesthetic” and “Membership in Groups”.  He referred to these as “Core Commonalities”.  In the PYP, this idea of human commonalities shares the transdisciplinary themes.  Each transdisciplinary theme is accompanied by the extended description that explains what students will be inquiring into under this theme. 

An excerpt from Developing a Transdisciplinary Programme of Inquiry…

The programme of inquiry is a matrix made up of the six transdisciplinary themes running vertically, and the age groups running horizontally.  Organizing the curriculum around the six transdisciplinary themes contextualizes the learning for students.  It enables them to experience a balance of subject-specific knowledge, concepts and skills in order to develop an understanding of the transdisciplinary themes.

The Six Transdisciplinary Themes

Who we are—An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.

 

Where we are in place and time—An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.

How the world works—An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of the scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

How we express ourselves– An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

How we organize ourselves– An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Sharing the planet– An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming This Week

Monday, 9/23   

Tuesday, 9/24   NTB 3-5 Reading Day, lunch times

Wednesday, 9/25  Early Dismissal, 12:30 pm; NO AFTERSCHOOL

Thursday, 9/26  

Friday, 9/27  NTB 3-5 Reading Day, lunch times

Monday, 9/30

Tuesday, 10/1  Progress Reports go home; NTB 3-5 Reading Day, lunch times

Wednesday, 10/2  Magnet Tour, 9:00 am

Thursday, 10/3  Fall Picture Day

Friday, 10/4  PTO Meeting, 8:10 am; NTB 3-5 Reading Day, lunch times

Name That Book, Grades 3-5

What is Name That Book (NTB)?

NTB is an academic competitive team that reads 35 books each year from the published list, and competes to identify the source of quotes read aloud.  This year, Mrs. Graves will serve as the team sponsor, with the support of Mrs. Whitehouse (4th grade) and Mrs. Khan (5th grade parent).  All students in grades 3-5 are invited to prepare, and then participate in the qualifier test for a place on the competitive team participating in the District Competition in the spring.

What are NTB Reading Days?

Reading Days are designed for students to check out books and read quietly while they eat.  Reading days are in the Principal's Office, and students stop in with their lunch on the way to the Cafe.  Students will not miss class time for Reading Days.

What is NTB Book Talk and how does it work?

Book Talks are opportunities for us to talk about the books on the NTB list.  We will discuss characters, plot, significant events, things that make the book unique, and similarities between the books.  Book Talks are not required, but it is highly recommended as preparation for the qualifier test and the official competition.  All Book Talks will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays between October 21st  and January 31st.  To participate, students must have parent and teacher permission, and must make up any work missed while at Book Talk.   We will eat lunch during Book Talk, so students should bring a lunch, or get one from the cafeteria.  The Book Talk schedule and permission slip is attached to this blog post email, or can be picked up from the office.

Bullying or Not?

Through our work with +Works, we have been able to offer parents a handy resource for helping a child who is struggling with a classmate, +Parenting Guide.  You can find the guide on the Roberts website if you don't have a copy.  We are often quick to term any social struggle as bullying, but it is very important that we help differentiate behaviors to help our children resolve occasional conflicts with peers and friendship issues on their own.  

I am attaching the article, There are No Bullies, Just Kids Who Bully, from the recent edition of Teaching Tolerance, in which the author explores bully behaviors.  Bullying is repeated, targeted behavior, and is defined in the article as:

For behavior to qualify as bullying, two conditions must exist:

• The aggressor must intend to hurt or intimidate someone less powerful.
• The behavior must be repeated.

Take a few minutes to read the article attached to the blog post announcement email, or download the full magazine at tolerance.org .  

Don't forget to check out a new resource made available by +Works:

- +SNAX,   https://blog.positivethinkingworks.org

RE Blogs That Educate
Several of our faculty members are maintaining blogs to help you learn more about their areas of expertise. 

Want to learn more about social and emotional development?  Visit Ms. Nobles' blog at http://swroberts.weebly.com/blog.html

Want to learn more about reading instruction?  Ms. Rivers explains assessment and goal setting is her two new blog posts.  http://carivers.blogspot.com/

News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming This Week
Monday, 9/16
Tuesday, 9/17  New Kinder Class Welcome Party; +Talk I: +PlayWell, 7:00 pm
Wednesday, 9/18  5th Gr Day of Service at Houston Food Bank
Thursday, 9/19  PTO Staff Appreciation Luncheon; SDMC Meeting, 3:30 pm
Friday, 9/20

Monday, 9/23
Tuesday, 9/24
Wednesday, 9/25  Early Dismissal, Professional Development, 12:30 pm
Thursday, 9/26
Friday, 9/27

+Works Mini-Documentary featuring Roberts Elementary
Entering our third year with +Works, we have seen a great improvement in how our children respond to the hurtful behaviors of friends and classmates.  Our Student Coalition made real strides last year in learning how to speak up, and how to empower others to speak up against bully behaviors.  We are confident their work will reach more children this year.

Have you had an opportunity to find out how +Works is impacting Roberts?  Take a few minutes and watch the mini-documentary filmed last spring that highlights the work of Roberts and Kolter.

Raising +Children 

Raising +Voices 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Works/113377495365084

http://www.youtube.com/user/PositiveWorksVideo



+Talk I: +PlayWell
Tuesday, September 17th, 7:00 pm
St. Vincent de Paul

What is the School Improvement Plan?
Each year we complete a comprehensive needs assessment to determine areas of strength and areas in need of improvement.  Each year we identify a goal for improvement in reading, math, attendance and safety. With the implementation of the district wide survey last spring, we will also be considering areas for improvement related to the perception of effectiveness by stakeholders (students and parents).

The School Improvement Plan is reviewed and approved by the Site-based Decision Making Committee (SDMC) and the PTO leadership.  After approval, the school improvement goals are shared with the full school community.  Next week the school improvement goals for the 2013-14 school year will be shared with you.  It takes the whole community working together to show the most improvement.

Spotlight on IB:

What is the IB Learner Profile?

An excerpt from IB Learner Profile Booklet…

The IB learner profile is the IB mission statement translated into a set of learning outcomes for the 21st century. The attributes of the profile express the values inherent to the IB continuum of international education: these are values that should infuse all elements of the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme and, therefore, the culture and ethos of all IB World Schools. The learner profile provides a long-term vision of education. It is a set of ideals that can inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.

IB programmes promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth through all domains of knowledge.  By focusing on the dynamic combination of knowledge, skills, independent critical and creative thought and international-mindedness, the IB espouses the principle of educating the whole person for a life of active, responsible citizenship.

IB learners strive to be:

Inquirers.  They develop their natural curiosity.  The acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning.  They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning with be sustained throughout their lives. 

Knowledgeable.  They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance.  In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers.  They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators.  They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication.  They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled.  They act with integrity and honestly, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.  They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.  

Open-minded.  They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feeling of others.  They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers.  They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies.  They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced.  They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective.  They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience.  They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

News from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events
Monday, 9/9
Tuesday, 9/10  K-2 Curriculum Information Night, 6:30 pm
Wednesday, 9/11  3-5 Curriculum Information Night, 6:30 pm
Thursday, 9/12  +Works Coffee or Brown Bag Lunch (get details on the website)
Friday, 9/13  Fall Holiday - No School

Wednesday, 9/18  5th Grade Service Day - Houston Food Bank
Thursday, 9/19  PTO Staff Appreciation Lunch; SDMC Meeting, 3:30 pm

Wednesday, 9/25  Early Dismissal, 12:30 pm - Professional Development


Are you a registered volunteer?


To chaperone a field trip, or assist in the school, you must complete this process.  It takes 2-3 weeks, so please help us by taking care of it as soon as possible.  Here is how:

How can I become a VIPS? All volunteers must register online and pass a criminal background check before they can participate as a volunteer. Please follow the steps below to become a VIPS:

Step 1:	Register online at www.houstonisd.org/vipslogin.
Step 2:	Once you have registered, you must go in person to the school of interest and show proof of identification.
Step 3:	Identification information will go into our database for processing by the Volunteer Coordinator at each campus.
Step 4:	The criminal history background check can take 2-3 weeks to complete.
Step 5:	Once you are CLEARED to volunteer, you are eligible to volunteer throughout HISD.

What type of identification is accepted?
● Texas Driver’s License
● Official Passport
● Texas Identification Card
● Official U. S. Military ID
● Driver’s License (issued by any state in the U.S.)
● Matricula Consular
● Identification Card (issued by any state in the U.S.)
● Resident Alien Card

If you were registered last year, skip step 1.  Bring an acceptable type of identification to the Main Office and we will do the rest.  You can check with Ms. Niksch approximately 2-3 weeks after you bring in identification to make sure you are eligible to volunteer.


Spotlight on Homework
What Should a Parent Expect?
Homework is an opportunity for your child to practice important skills they are learning at school.  At Roberts, homework should generally take 10 minutes each night for every year your child has been in school, plus 20-30 minutes of nightly reading.  So, a first grader may have 10-20 minutes of homework and additional reading each night.  A fifth grade student would likely have one hour of homework plus nightly reading.

How Can Parents Help Establish Strong Habits?
Set a routine for homework.  Decide with your child when homework will be done each night, and find a location that is free from distractions.  Make sure your child understands what to do, and then check the work when it is complete.  

Why Isn't Homework Graded?
For many years the policy at Roberts about homework has been that while it should be checked, it should not be graded.  Many parents wonder why.  Homework is an opportunity for students to leave the safe confines of the classroom and practice what they learned independently.  Children need the repeated practice to firmly root new learning.  Teachers need to know whether students could complete the new learning with accuracy.  Often times, students need support at home when they can't remember how they "did the work" at school.  When you sit with your child and help with homework you are supporting their understanding.  The confusion comes when students return with work completed accurately, but they actually could not do the work alone.  The best way to support your child when they are struggling with homework is certainly to help, but make a note on the assignment for the teacher.  If you helped with questions 3 and 5, the teacher will want to know that.  A strong line of communication with your child's teacher will let her know what reteaching needs to be done during the next class period.  

Our goal is to ensure your child is proficient with the work.  When homework is graded, often the focus shifts from independent practice, to a focus on getting everything correct for the best grade.  This will often work against us because the teacher won't have a clear picture of what your child is doing well, and what she is still learning.  

When Is It Done?
an excerpt from the article entitled, Avoiding Homework Wars by Diana Browning Wright

For some kids, right after school is the perfect time to do the work because the assignment is fresh in their minds. Others need a break before they can tackle more school work.

Sometimes team sports, a parent's work schedule, or other activities interfere with doing homework immediately after school. With your child's input, you may need to develop two plans: one for the usual day and one for unusual events. When you agree on the plans, write them down.

If your child usually resists homework, make sure it doesn't immediately follow an interesting, rewarding activity (e.g., skateboarding with friends, playing a computer game). That can make the task look even more distasteful. Instead, transition her from fun activities to activities less enjoyable but also less difficult than homework. For example, ask her to bring in the mail, then ask her to set the table, and follow that with a request to help you tear lettuce for the salad. This is called "behavioral momentum," getting your child to do tasks that are not hard and are rarely resisted before you ask her to do something challenging. The idea is to create a distance from the fun activity to the more difficult one by inserting small, neutral tasks. Resistance is less likely if the momentum of compliance is built first.

Have you registered as a user for the Roberts website yet?

Email our webmaster for your parent ID and password today!
roberts.info.services@gmail.com 

News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, 9/3  First Day of Specialties
Wednesday, 9/4
Thursday, 9/5
Friday, 9/6  PTO Meeting, 8:10 am, Cafe

Monday, 9/9
Tuesday, 9/10  K-2 Curriculum Information Night, 6:30 pm, begins in Cafe
Wednesday, 9/11  3-5 Curriculum Information Night, 6:30 pm, begins in Cafe
Thursday, 9/12  +Works Coffee or Brown Bag Lunch (see flyer for details)
Friday, 9/13  Fall Holiday - No School

Wednesday, 9/18  5th Grade Day of Service - Houston Food Bank

Building a Strong Relationship With Your Child's Teacher

Experts will tell you that a strong  partnership between parents and teachers will benefit your child.  As parents, you should feel like you sit on the same side of the table as the teacher, and the teacher should feel similarly. 

You can start that important work by attending next week's Curriculum Information Night.  You will learn about the teacher, the curriculum and the critical work of the new grade level.  You will also learn how best to communicate with your child's teacher.  

I think the trap we fall into most often is that we try to guess about why a teacher says or does something, or why a teacher assigns a particular activity, or even assigns a particular grade.  Many times it feels safer to reach out to another parent or even a former teacher.  The only person who can really tell you the answer though is the teacher who made the decision.  When we reach out to others, at birthday parties, on the playground or even via facebook, we damage the parent and teacher partnership.  Go directly to the teacher. 

Maintaining a strong relationship takes work on the part of the teacher and work on the part of the parent.  PBS Parents gives good advice on building and maintaining a strong relationship.  It’s worth doing!  

Spotlight on IB:

International Mindedness in the PYPAn excerpt from IB PYP Basics for Practice…
There is one compelling component that stands out from the common ground that represents good practice in all IB World Schools offering the PYP.  That is, the kind of student we hope will graduate from a PYP school, the kind of student who, in the struggle to establish a personal set of values, will be laying the foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish.  The attributes of such a learner are listed in the IB learner profile, which is central to the PYP definition of what it means to be internationally minded.


The IB learner profile is consciously value-laden, for this kind of learning is what the IB supports, and is the embodiment of the IB’s philosophy of international education.  The attributes described in the learner profile are appropriate to, and achievable by, all primary years students.  The teacher needs to interpret these attributes in a manner appropriate to the age and development of the student.  Schools should be aware that part of the adaptability and versatility of the programme lies in what these attributes may look like from one school culture to another.


As well as presenting schools with a philosophical perspective on what international education may be, the PYP prescribes a curriculum framework of essential elements:  knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action.


Each of these is reflected in the learner profile and is a reference point for the construction of a school’s curriculum.  One of these essential elements, highly congruent with the IB learner profile, is a particular set of attitudes — appreciation, commitment, confidence, cooperation, creativity, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, integrity, respect and tolerance. These attitudes should affect deeply the learning environments and the personal interactions that occur within them.


Through acknowledging and struggling to meet the diverse needs of the student — physical, social, intellectual, aesthetic, cultural— PYP schools ensure that the learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant.  What adds significance to student learning in the PYP is its commitment to a transdisciplinary model, whereby themes of global significance that  transcend the confines of the traditional subject areas frame the learningthroughout the primary years, including early childhood.  These themes promote an awareness of the human condition and an understanding that there is a commonality of human experience.  The students explore this common ground collaboratively, from the multiple perspectives of their individual experiences and backgrounds.  This sharing of experience increases the students’ awareness of, and sensitivity to, the experiences of others beyond the local or national community. It is central to the programme and a critical element in developing an international perspective, which must begin with each student’s ability to consider and reflect upon the point of view of someone else in the same class.

Safety First!

We are noticing many parents engaged in cell phone conversations while dropping off and picking up.  Please remember that it is illegal, and dangerous, to use a cell phone while in a school zone and/or the drop-off and pick-up zones.





Early Pick-up
Please make every effort for your child to attend school each day for the entire day. When your child leaves early, they miss instruction.  When you must pick up your child early, please remember that it may take a few minutes to call your child to meet you at reception.  We will not call your child from class before you arrive.
Please also note, at 3:00 p.m. we will no longer call for children for early pick-up.  After 3:00 p.m. you will need to go to the dismissal area for your child.

Have a great week!