New from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events

Monday, 9/29
Tuesday, 9/30  Progress Reports Go Home
Wednesday, 10/1  School Tour, 9:00 a.m.; DeBakey HS Community Mtg, Cafe 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, 10/2  Fall Picture Day; PTO Meeting, 8:10 a.m.
Friday, 10/3  Fall Holiday - NO SCHOOL

Monday, 10/6
Tuesday, 10/7
Wednesday, 10/8
Thursday, 10/9
Friday, 10/10  Altered School Day - Dismissal 12:30; International Festival 3:00-6:00

Spotlight on IB:  What is Action?

excerpt from Making the PYP Happen...

Action: how do we want students to act?  In the PYP, it is believed that education must extend beyond the intellectual to include not only socially responsible attitudes but also thoughtful and appropriate action.  An explicit expectation of the PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process...

Action as Service.  The action component of the PYP can involve service in the widest sense of the word: service to fellow students, and to the larger community, both in and outside the school.  Through such service, students are able to grow both personally and socially, developing skills such as cooperation, problem solving, conflict resolution, and creative and critical thinking.  Moreover, these actions are ways in which the students exhibit their commitment to the attributes of the learner profile and to the attitutdes that we seek to engender within the PYP classroom.  In fact, the actions that the students choose to take as a result of the learning may be considered the most significant summative assessment of the efficacy of the programme. 

Is it possible for students to identify appropriate action in which to engage?  In the PYP it is believed that not only is it possible for students to identify appropriate action, but also that teachers have a responsibility to enable them to choose their action carefully, to facilitate this action, and to encourage them to reflect on the action they undertake.  This is viewed as an important part of the students' active participation in their own learning. 

Effective action does not need to be grandiose.  On the contrary, it begins at the most immediate and basic level: with self; within family; within the classroom, the hallways and the playground.  Even very young children can have strong feelings about fairness and justice, and teachers can facilitate positive expressions of these opinions.  Effective action can be a demonstration of a sense of responsibility and respect for self, others and the environment.

Roberts Family Service Day, Saturday, Nov. 8
As part of our regular curriculum, teachers and students look for opportunities to participate in informed, responsible action each year as they develop through the Primary Years Programme.  But we also want to give families an opportunity to act together in service of our wider community.

We invite your family to participate in Roberts Family Service Day.  Choose an action of your own, or join us at Books Between Kids, as we help sort books for distribution to children who otherwise would have very limited access to books.  

"Books Between Kids is a non-profit organization founded in 2012 to serve Houston’s at-risk children by providing them with books to build their own home libraries."  You can learn more about Books Between Kids at http://www.booksbetweenkids.org/

Please sign up for Roberts Family Service Day at Books Between Kids!

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/23RmC3
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

School Communication Policy
Last week I was asked to share our policy and thoughts on how best to communicate between home and school.  

When parents have questions or concerns, the best source of information is your child's teacher.  The relationship you build with your child's teacher is the most important relationship you will have each year.  Your child's teacher will have the information you need, or can easily get an answer for you. 

Most teachers prefer email as the best method for communication.  District policy sets the expectation for a response within 48 school day hours.  For instance, if you email on Tuesday afternoon, you should expect a response no later than the same time on Thursday.  If you email on Friday afternoon, you should expect a response no later than Tuesday afternoon.  Most teachers are able to respond much sooner than 48 hours, but remember, I expect their time during the day to be focused on instruction, rather than answering email.  

There may be times when you have a concern, maybe about something your child tells you, or you may have questions about grading.  Whatever the issue, the very first place you should start is with your child's teacher.  Always assume good intentions and know that our teachers really want the best for your children.  If after meeting with your child's teacher, you feel like the concern has not been resolved, please email me directly.  

Staying connected through the classroom blog, this blog and Parent Student Connect (online grade book) is a great way to know what is going on at school.  

News from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events

Monday, 9/22
Tuesday, 9/23
Wednesday, 9/24 Early Dismissal, 12:30 pm
Thursday, 9/25
Friday, 9/26

Monday, 9/29
Tuesday, 9/30  Progress Reports Go Home
Wednesday, 10/1  School Tour, 9:00 a.m.
Thursday, 10/2  PTO Meeting, 8:10 a.m.
Friday, 10/3  Fall Holiday - NO SCHOOL

Friday, 10/10  Altered School Day - Dismissal 12:30; International Festival 3:00-6:00


Many Thanks...
As always, the Roberts community has come out strong to support the incredible things that happen everyday in our classrooms.  We had a remarkable turn out last week at our first Spirit Night fundraiser at JerryBuilt, and 20% of the receipts that night will go to our 5th grade fund for exciting 5th grade promotion activities at the end of the year.   Teachers enjoyed a really yummy lunch on Friday at the Staff Appreciation Lunch, hosted this month by the PTO Board and organized by Christine Robins.  And, wow!   The RE community is breaking records with more participation and more funds raised through the 100% Participation fundraising drive to raise money that goes directly to support classrooms, instruction, professional development and technology upgrades on our campus. Thank you for being partners with us in enriching the educational experience your children have every day!


Early Dismissal
This week we will have our first early dismissal this year.  We will be dismissing 815 students all at the same time.  We are working on plans for making this as safe and as efficient as possible.  Tomorrow, you will receive a request for information regarding your child's plans for going home on Wednesday.  We need that information no later than Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, in the weekly folder, you will receive a detailed plan for dismissal to help you plan accordingly.  We expect the dismissal process to take longer than usual.

You will be asked to choose one of the following four options:

1. Bus Rider - HISD bus service or private day cares will pick up at the early dismissal time.  Your child must already be served by bus service.
2. Independent Walker - Children identified as independent walkers will be released to walk home alone.  This option is not for parents who are picking up their children. You should be confident that your child can navigate traffic and can get home safely with no support.  You must already have information on file with the main office to choose this option.  Children in Kinder and 1st grade are not eligible for this option.
3. Pick-up: Car Rider Line - You will have your assigned car tag hanging and visible in the windshield. Your child will be called and loaded in your car by a Roberts teacher.
4. Pick-up: Parent Walks up - You are walking from home or parking in the area and walking to the defined dismissal area to get your child.  Your child will not be released until you arrive.

On Tuesday, we will review the information you provide and develop a dismissal plan.  We are considering a staggered dismissal and potentially varied dismissal locations.  You will get information about the plan in the Tuesday folder.  

Stamina, The Glue for Reading Development

For a long time reading teachers talked about the Five Pillars of Reading (Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension), the five areas that we must develop to grow strong readers.  I wrote about those five pillars in The Principal's Page long before we moved to the digital format.  Although the work we do with children hasn't changed, they still need the same skill work to develop as strong readers, we have learned more about a component missing from the pillar structure, stamina. 

We now define the work of developing reading skills under the CAFE framework.  It is easier to understand, and because the skill areas are all taught within the context of authentic reading, children can own their improvement as readers.  They know what they do well, and what they need to do to improve.  They have a menu of strategies to support their improvement.  The CAFE framework (and related work, The Daily 5) touches on stamina as a component, and I believe it is critical to the work. 

Whether discussing the Five Pillars, or discussing CAFE, the same foundation is necessary for building the capacity to be a strong reader, and what we know is that each pillar, or skill area, is interdependent on the others.  It is a cycle.  As a reader develops accuracy, their comprehension is improved, they learn more vocabulary and their fluency increases, making them more ready for more challenging texts. No one develops as a strong reader with only one of these skill areas.

Readers must be able to decode words with accuracy, they must understand that letters are symbols and that these symbols often represent more than one sound.  They must be able to fluidly move between sound options and identify the word within the text.  There are a variety of skills necessary to do that well, beginning with phonological awareness, or the ability to identify and manipulate units or oral language, and then move that understanding from the context of oral language to written language as they begin decoding (reading) and encoding (writing).

After children have the skills to read words accurately, they must make sense of the words they are reading.  That is where the development of comprehension skills and vocabulary play a critical role. Under the CAFE system, students are given the opportunity to add skills and strategies to their reader's tool kit for developing these skill areas.  

Fluency is sometimes the most time consuming of the skill areas for reading development. There are no quick tricks of the trade, it just requires practice.  Building fluency takes time and effort.  Readers must recognize words with automaticity, and must use the context to anticipate what will come next. Fluency is important because transitioning to more difficult text requires that readers are efficient with their work.  A voracious reader will power through Harry Potter in short order, but a slow reader will often give up when the joy of reading is overwrought by tedious and painful word-by-word decoding.  

Now some readers have well developed decoding strategies (accuracy), they have a ready toolkit of strategies for ensuring strong comprehension, have a deep vocabulary and read with fluency, but they still wouldn't be categorized as a voracious reader.  I believe that is about stamina.  Stamina for reading is the ability to stay focused on the reading for longer periods of time.  Stamina, just like physical strength, is developed over time as we practice.  It is not a skill we practice in isolation, though.  Building stamina to stay focused on the text gives readers an opportunity to get hooked on the reading.  It allows readers to become enveloped by the story. As we build stamina, we set into motion a cycle that allows accuracy, fluency, vocabulary development and strong comprehension to flourish.   Stamina, in my opinion, is the glue that keeps the cycle of reading development going.  

Learn more about how we are developing stamina on Ms. Rivers' blog at http://carivers.blogspot.com/ 

Name That Book, Grades 3-5

What is Name That Book (NTB)?

NTB is an academic competitive team that reads 30 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 Ms. Heemer (4th grade), Ms. Proch (3rd grade), Ms. Berens (5th grade), Ms. Ballard and Ms. Miller.  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.  Our first Reading Day will take place this week, Friday, 9/26.

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 beginning October 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 will be available during Reading Days from Mrs. Graves.

News from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events
Monday, 9/15  
Tuesday, 9/16  Roberts Night @ JerryBuilt, 5:00-8:00 pm
Wednesday, 9/17
Thursday, 9/18  SDMC, 3:30 pm
Friday, 9/19  Staff Appreciation Lunch, hosted by PTO Board

Monday, 9/22
Tuesday, 9/23
Wednesday, 9/24  Early Dismissal, 12:30 pm
Thursday, 9/25
Friday, 9/26

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.

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 up to 5-10 minutes to call your child to meet you at reception.  We will not call your child from class before you arrive.  Please also note that if your child is in an ancillary class they will not be able to go back to the classroom for their things.

Please also note, at 2:50 p.m. we will no longer call for children for early pick-up.  After 2:50 p.m. you will need to go to the dismissal area for your child.


State Accountability
Last week at our Annual Curriculum Night, I provided an annual school update that included information on our 2014 State Accountability Rating.  Roberts Elementary met standards, earning 6 of 6 Distinction Designations for Academic Achievement in Reading/ELA, Academic Achievement in Mathematics, Academic Achievement in Science, Top 25% in Student Progress, Top 25% in Closing Achievement Gaps, and in Postsecondary Readiness.  You will receive an overview of our State Accountability report this week in the Tuesday Folder.

News From Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events
Monday, 9/8
Tuesday, 9/9  Curriculum Information Night, K-2, Cafe 6:30 pm
Wednesday, 9/10
Thursday, 9/11  Curriculum Information Night, 3-5, Cafe 6:30 pm
Friday, 9/12

Monday, 9/15
Tuesday, 9/16  Roberts Night @JerryBuilt, 5:00-8:00pm
Wednesday, 9/17
Thursday, 9/18
Friday, 9/19  Staff Appreciation Luncheon, hosted by PTO Board


Curriculum Information Night **This Week**
Please join us this week to learn more about the curriculum your child will be learning this school year.  We will begin in the Cafe with a short update on Roberts, and then meet your teacher in the classroom.  This is a parent-only event.  No childcare is provided.


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). After approval, the school improvement goals are shared with the full school community. Later this month the school improvement goals for the 2014-15 school year will be shared with you. It takes the whole community working together to continue to improve.


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

Welcome to the Principal's Page!  You can follow this blog by entering an email address in the right sidebar.

Upcoming Events

Monday, 9/1  Labor Day Holiday - No School

Tuesday, 9/2  100% PTO Membership Drive Begins; First Day of Specialties; First Day of Musical Theatre, 4th grade

Wednesday, 9/3

Thursday, 9/4  International Festival Planning Meeting, Cafe 8:10 am

Friday, 9/5  PTO Meeting, Cafe 8:10 am

Monday, 9/8
Tuesday, 9/9  Curriculum Information Night, K-2, Cafe 6:30 pm
Wednesday, 9/10
Thursday, 9/11  Curriculum Information Night, 3-5, Cafe 6:30 pm
Friday, 9/12

Curriculum Information NightWhat is Curriculum Information Night?  Its an opportunity for you to hear directly from your child’s teacher about what you can expect this year.  Beginning at 6:30 p.m on either September 9th  (K-2) or September 11th (grades 3-5) you will first go to the Café to learn more about our school performance data and school improvement plan, and then report to your child’s classroom.  The teacher will outline the daily schedule, discuss the  curriculum, and tell you what to expect this school year.  You will learn how best to communicate with your child's teacher, and how to access the classroom blog and your child’s gradebook online. This is a great opportunity to get to know your child’s teacher, and lay the foundation for a strong partnership.  I do hope every child will have someone in attendance. This event is designed for parents only.  Later this school year students will have the opportunity to share their work with you in a student-led conference.

What's in the Ancillary Rotation?
Ancillary classes are offered daily for 45 minutes, on a six day rotation.  Here is the bite-size description of what your child is doing at school during ancillary.

Art 

Ms. Herrick has a scope and sequence that allows students to build art skill from year to year with work in 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional art forms.

Music 

Ms. Sauer will continue to teach students to read music, use tone and pitch for choral music, and learn the recorder in upper grades as a transition to an instrument at the middle school level.  New this year, all students in grades 3-5 will participate in a musical stage production, learning the music of the chorus in the music ancillary class.

PE 

Coach Alexander and Coach Montoya will offer two days of PE in each 6-day ancillary rotation.  We are thrilled to be able to again offer more time for physical activity to improve student health. 

Academic Skills Lab (ASL)

Ms. Anderson and Ms. Loeri work together to provide an opportunity for students to learn keyboarding and basic computer skills, but it is not only about learning to use the computer.  The ASL is an opportunity for students to use technology to learn other disciplines.  This allows teachers to differentiate and give children more time on task for critical areas specific to each student.  A student who is struggling with automaticity of math facts can spend time working on Think Through Math, First in Math or DreamBox, while a GT student may spend more time on Renzulli.  These are just a few examples of the differentiation we can provide through the ASL.  Most technology instruction is done in the classrooms, integrated in the IB Planner through research, collaboration or product.

Spanish
New to our faculty, Ms. Brandon is providing Spanish instruction for all Roberts students. Students are learning listening, speaking, reading and writing in the Spanish language.


Science Lab, Grades 1-5
This year, our Science Lab will be on a five day rotation for grades 1-5.  This ensures more time for hands-on Science learning in the lab setting for our students.  Ms. Masood is new to Roberts and comes from a family of scientists.  She is an experienced Science teacher, joining us from a charter school system.  She will be engaging your children in some exciting scientific investigations, and will support classroom teachers to ensure alignment between lab instruction and classroom instruction.  Ms. Masood will also be supporting Kindergarten teachers to provide engaging science instruction in the kinder classrooms.

Enrollment
We have had a increase in enrollment this year.  We have seen the increase in enrollment in area schools over the last few years, but this is the first year it has impacted Roberts.  The increase in enrollment is manageable at the classroom level, but we are working to find teaching assistants to help with our largest classrooms. 

The increase seems to have the greatest impact at this point on our schoolwide resources. Many of you have noticed the impact at dismissal.  More students means more adults, and the space in the dismissal area is limited.  We expect it to be more manageable this week, and are hopeful that we can go back to the original dismissal plan.  I ask that you support our efforts by being kind to our staff as they work to ensure the safety of all of our children.

Note From Our Webmaster:

Hi Roberts parents,

If you'd like to access the parents-only areas of the school website and don't yet have an account, please email roberts.info.services@gmail.com with your full name and your child's name and grade. You'll receive a return email with instructions for signing in.

This work is done by parent volunteers, so please be patient!