News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming This Week

Monday, 12/16  

Tuesday, 12/17  NTB Reading Day

Wednesday, 12/18  Community Exhibition, 6:30 pm

Thursday, 12/19  School Exhibition; Last day of Afterschool

Friday, 12/20  PJ Day; Class Holiday Parties, after 1:00 pm; No Afterschool Childcare; Lost and Found Clean Out

Monday, 1/6  Teacher Work Day

Tuesday, 1/7  Students Return

Magnet Application Deadline:  Friday, 12/20

If you have moved out of the Roberts attendance zone, or expect to move during the Spring semester, and wish to stay at Roberts next school year, you may wish to apply for a magnet transfer.  Students are not guaranteed a spot, but can be considered if space is available.  Students who move out of the attendance zone will only be allowed to continue at Roberts with a Magnet transfer.

Spotlight on IB:
Roles in the Exhibition
Role of Parent/Guardian and Community Members

Parents/Guardians and Community members will:

• have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition
• support and encourage students and teachers throughout the process of inquiry
• help students to access resources--people, places, media and information
• provide expert subject knowledge where applicable
• encourage independent inquiry and respect ownership of the process
• support students' action efforts
• have an opportunity to reflect on and give feedback on the exhibition
• celebrate with the students by attending the staging of the exhibition

You are cordially invited to join us Wednesday evening, 6:30-7:30 to learn more about the global issues our 5th graders have been learning about and working to effect change locally.  We will begin with a short video and discussion in the Cafe, then all projects will be on display in the hallways.

Early Pickup

Please remember to plan accordingly if you are picking your child up early for an appointment.  It may take 10-15 minutes to get your child from class.  Please do not call ahead and ask the ladies in the office to call your students before you arrive.  We will not call students from class until you arrive.  

School Safety

Each year HISD tests the safety of campuses with what is called an intruder drill.  During this unannounced drill, an adult in plain clothes attempts to gain entry to a campus without being questioned. I received great praise for the level of safety on the campus and the diligence of our receptionist during our recent intruder drill.  On your next visit to the school, you may want to say thank you to Ms. Brown and Ms. vanRavenswaay at our Reception Office for their vigilance in ensuring a safe campus for your children.

News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming This Week

Monday, 12/9  Kinder Stanford 

Tuesday, 12/10  Kinder Stanford

Wednesday, 12/11  Kinder Stanford

Thursday, 12/12  Kinder Stanford; Student Coalition Mtg, 11:15 am; Piano Recital, 6:00 pm; 2nd gr Winter Show & Art Exhibit, 6:30 pm

Friday, 12/13  Kinder Stanford; Spelling Pre-Bee, 7:15 am; Book Talk, 11:30-12:30; Faculty Caroling, 6:00 pm;

Wednesday, 12/18  Community Exhibition, 6:30 pm

Thursday, 12/19  School Exhibition (watch for schedule)

Friday, 12/20  Book Talk, 11:30-12:30; Class Holiday Parties (after 1:00); Lost and Found Clean Out

What is Spelling Pre-Bee?

All students in grades 3-5 who are interested in competing in this year's spelling bee must qualify through the Pre-Bee.  This will be a written qualifier test using words from the Scripts National Spelling Bee list.  Teachers have copies of the student list.  The Pre-Bee will begin promptly at 7:15 am. on Friday, December 13th.  There will be no late admittance.

Algebraic Principles in Action

Everyday Math, the campus' primary math curriculum, is designed to develop algebraic principles in children as young as kindergarten.  You will find that students are often exploring properties of mathematics that serve as a foundation for the algebra they will learn later.

You may hear us often discuss the complex, multi-step problems children are expected to solve under the newer state assessment system, STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness). A couple of weeks ago we discussed a particular 3rd grade homework problem, that as adults we would solve with simple algebra.  The problem is similar to the problems we may find on STAAR for 3rd graders.  I thought it would be enlightening, and may even be helpful, to share this problem with you, and share the various ways it can be solved.  

Since I don't have the actual problem with me, it goes a little something like this...

Someone is growing vegetables in a garden.  She harvests 26 vegetables altogether.  There are 8 tomatoes. She also harvested peas and beans.  She harvested 10 more beans than peas.  

In this problem you have a total and one addend, with two unknown variables.  Since the value of one variable is dependent on the value of the other variable, we can set up equivalent expressions.   Since 3rd graders don't know how to apply many of the computations required in early algebra, we need to give them strategies for solving the problem in other ways.  As hardworking and devoted homework helpers (yes, you!), you may want to see a couple of grade-appropriate methods for solving problems such as this.

In any method for solving the problem, we want to first identify what we know and what we don't know. For this problem, here is what we know...

Total vegetables = 26

tomatoes = 8

peas = ?

beans = peas + 10

Next, we want to write a number model to explain the problem...

26 = t + p + b

So if we first subtract what we know from the total (26-8=18), it will leave us with a total for peas plus beans.  So if the total for peas plus beans is 18 we can apply a guess and check strategy now...

We can also solve this problem with a unit bar method.  By first subtracting the 8 units for tomatoes, and then subtracting the 10 units we know are beans, we are left with 8 units that are equally divided between peas and beans.  A unit bar method would look like this...

You can find helpful information online in the Student Reference Book at www.everydaymathonline.com. Each child has an ID and password, that can be found on the online password sheet sent home at the beginning of the year. 

Magnet Application Window

The deadline for submitting magnet applications for the 2014-15 school year is December 20, 2013.  For those interested in submitting applications for middle school, please be mindful of the deadline.  You may apply from the main HISD website at www.houstonisd.org 

Have a great week!

News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming This Week
Monday, 12/2
Tuesday, 12/3  NTB Reading Day; 3rd gr Rehearsal Begins - Annie, 3:30-5:30 T&Th
Wednesday, 12/4  Haidian District of China Educator Visit, 8:00 am - 11:00 am); Magnet Tour, 9:00 am
Thursday, 12/5  Student Coalition Meeting, 11:15 am
Friday, 12/6  PTO Meeting, 8:10 am; NTB Book Talk, 11:30-12:30 am; Kinder SAT10 Begins

Just Around the Corner
Monday, 12/9
Tuesday, 12/10
Wednesday, 12/11
Thursday, 12/12  2nd grade Holiday Show and Art Exhibit, 6:30 pm
Friday, 12/13  Faculty Caroling, 6:30-7:30 pm

Much to be Thankful for...
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!  We have much to be thankful for at Roberts. As a community we have accomplished a great many things during this first semester of the 2013-14 school year that brought us together as a community to improve our lives, the education of our young people and to strengthen our sense of belonging.

63 HOURS OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT. 1 NEW IPAD CART. 1 NEW LAPTOP CART. 18 NEW CLASSROOM COMPUTERS. PADRES AUGUST WORK DAY. MEET THE TEACHER & ICE CREAM SOCIAL.  KINDER PLAY DATE.  FIRST DAY PARENT COFFEE. ANNUAL SCOUT FLAG RAISING CEREMONY. NEW KINDER CLASS.  PTO MEMBERSHIP DRIVE. EXPANSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL GARDEN. CERTIFICATION BY THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FOUNDATION AS A CERTIFIED WILDLIFE HABITAT. DAY OF SERVICE AT HOUSTON FOOD BANK.  3 TEACHER APPRECIATION LUNCHEONS. PADRES PHYSIC GARDEN. FAMILY CAMPOUT. INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL. MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT. 9 MAGNET TOURS.  1 CHINESE DELEGATION VISIT. UPGRADED SOUND SYSTEM. ELECTION DAY BAKE SALE. 3-YR IB PYP EVALUATION VISIT. FALL COMMUNITY NIGHT. 4TH GR SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE!  BOOK FAIR. NEW A/C CHILLER. NEW NETWORK WITH WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS IN EVERY CLASSROOM. NEW FRISBEE GOLF COURSE. AND MAYBE, JUST MAYBE... A NEW GAGA BALL PIT.

Kinder Stanford Testing
On Friday, our Kinder students will begin taking the Stanford Achievement Test. Classroom teachers have given students the experiences they need to minimize frustration. This test is used as a baseline, and is not used for any purpose related to course grades or future class placement.

It is not necessary to prepare your child for this assessment, outside of anything your child's teacher may provide.  We do not want the children to worry about this test.

You can help your child by ensuring they are in bed on time, have a good breakfast, and are at school on time.  Students who arrive late will not be able to enter the classroom, and may not be able to make up the section(s) he or she misses.

All other grade levels will take the Stanford Achievement Test in May.