Robins K-8

Hello Families of Robins K-8 students,

If you have not heard the NEWS! We are a “B ” school. We are immensely proud of our students and teachers, and we could not have done it without YOU our parent/family support. Congratulations to us all! We do not want to stop here; we want to CONTINUE to reach for that “A.” We will continue to host informative parent meetings share with your our curriculum and instructional practices.

We are always looking for parents to work with our students in reading and math in a small group or with one or two students. If you are interested in providing this type of tutoring/academic support, please send me an email, stop by the office, or give me a call.

We are in the last month of autumn! It is a very quick month of school as we have three days in which there will be no school, they are November 10th for Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving Break on November 23rd and 24th . A special “Thank YOU” to our veterans for your service for our country and communities!

We have lots of upcoming activities and events. We will be sending out information about our upcoming Award Assemblies to acknowledge our students achievements, our National Junior Honor Society along with PTO will be sponsoring a specific food drive to support our families and community.

Did you know that November is National American Indian Heritage Month? Our school will be celebrating and learning about this culture during the month of November. We will also begin by including land acknowledgements during our Monday morning announcements. We have partnered with our district’s Native American Student Services (NASS) department and their director, Roxanne Begay-James. Her department will be providing enriching cultural lessons during this month. Our teachers will continue featuring this culture all month long just as we have done with our other cultural celebrations (Hispanic Heritage Month, Italian American Heritage Month, and Filipino American Heritage Month).

November is a short and quick month, but ACTION packed, so please check our website for any updates and changes so that you do not miss a thing!

Lastly, we will be acknowledging two specific days in November. November 14th for Ruby Bridges Walk to School National day (see info below) and November 16th is the designated day worldwide for International World Tolerance Day! This day became an annual event, sponsored by the UNESCO (United Nations; Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Our school participates in “Teaching Tolerance” by hosting a “Mix It Up” day at lunch. Mix It Up at Lunch Day is an international campaign that encourages students to sit with someone new and get to know other students. We will be holding one of these Mix It Up at lunch days this month.

Our TUSD schools participate in this event each year and this year Robins K-8 will participate as well. We will hold a few activities for students to do during their lunch time if they choose. We ask that you send your child to school wearing PURPLE to acknowledge the day and a bonus is that it's our school color! You can find more information about this national event at Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day - AAA School Safety Patrol

Hello Roadrunner Families,

Announcements from the Counseling Department:

· Small groups will be starting next week. If you would like your student to participate in the next group starting in January please let Ms. Walters know. Currently, there is a wait list so contact me as soon as possible. Groups are:

Managing Emotions: Kinder/1 only

Building Confidence: 2-8

Changing Families: 2-8

Grief: 2-8

· In the coming days, National Junior Honor Society will be inviting qualified 7th and 8th grade students to apply for membership. The completed application will be due back on November 17, 2023.

· Robins K-8 Counseling Department’s next virtual parent workshop, Cyber Safety, will be on November 14. Email Ms. Walters to register.

· Other workshops offered this year are:

Cyber Safety: 11/14/23 @ 5:00pm (virtual)

Human Trafficking: 2/6/24 @ 5:00pm (virtual)

Juvenile Law: Poor Choices your Good Kid Makes: April 2024

· Update: TUSD's Talk Space program has been discontinued.

· If you need counseling services for your student under 13 years of age, your school counselor can refer you to the Talk It Out program through TUSD and University of Arizona. You can also refer your student directly by going onto the TUSD website and clicking on the Promoting Mental Health tab.

· If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Rachael Walters, Counselor, at 520.908.4322 or by email.

Article from our friends at Scholastic:

Children Need Reading Role Models: Here's How You Can Be One

You can easily show your commitment to reading, even if you don’t regularly dive into novels yourself.

Children don’t become avid readers overnight. To grow curious about the world and develop an appetite for learning, it’s essential that children be immersed in reading behaviors and material at home. After all, children spend the majority of their waking hours outside the classroom. So it’s up to those caregivers who “bookend” the school days to foster a literacy-forward environment.

“Families, communities, childcare programs all need to serve as reading role models for children,” says Jenni Brasington, national director of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) at Scholastic Education. “The more we strengthen families’ capacity and confidence to support literacy development at home, the better outcomes will be.”

The good news is, it’s easy to be a reading role model for your child with these three strategies.

Read, read, read — even if it’s not always a book.

Children learn from modeling. Setting an example for your child as a lifelong reader will leave a vast impression.

“When children see adults reading a variety of books in the home, they are more likely to mirror that behavior,” says Judy Newman, executive vice president and president of Scholastic Book Clubs.

Don’t worry if you’re not picking up a book every day. Your children can learn vocabulary and comprehension skills through materials like newspapers, magazines, or even cereal boxes and recipes!

“I never saw my dad read a book, but he read the newspaper every day and always shared the comics with me,” says Brasington. “To this day, the first thing I reach for when I get a newspaper is the comics. The point is, parents can find a way to see themselves as readers — even with non-traditional literacy materials — and share or model this with their child.”

Use books as an opportunity to bond with your child.

Discuss your child’s interests, which are constantly changing, and guide them to books that speak to these interests.

Parents of frequent readers are 50 percent more likely than parents of infrequent readers to tout reading books for fun as important, according to the Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report. And children sense the encouragement: More than 82 percent of frequent child readers ages 6 to 17 say nearly everyone they know reads, versus 34 percent of infrequent readers who can say the same.

This active participation in your child’s reading life may mean the difference between a frequent or infrequent reader down the line.

Provide access to books.

As children grow and begin to read independently, they will explore different types of reading formats, like chapter books and graphic novels. It’s important to provide your child steady access to a variety of titles as their curiosity guides them.

“Reading books from different genres aloud can only strengthen a child’s interest in varied types of texts,” Newman says.

Similarly, your young reader may choose a book that is just above their reading level. No problem: Seize the moment and carve out time for a read-aloud.

“If your child chooses a book that is above their reading level, you can support them by reading it orally,” Brasington says.

However you model reading engagement for your child, remember that reading can be practiced anywhere.

“It’s not so much about quantity, but how often we utilize the books and other literacy materials we have,” Brasington says.

Looking for more tips? See all expert advice about establishing reading routines at home, including the best books to read as a family.

I want to introduce to you again Mr. Vega, who is our behavior intervention monitor. He is our direct support to students and to the classroom teacher for support of positive behaviors as well as working with students that have made an unfortunate choice that requires his intervention. He works with all students and supports all classrooms as needed. If you receive a call from Mr. Vega, please know that he is working to support your child's behavioral growth.

We want to welcome our new NURSE , Maggie to the Robins K-8 health office. An reintroduce you to the health assistant, Mrs. Armenta. The health office is requesting donations of clothing for students that may need a replacement garment. We are looking for gently used bottoms for boys and girls all sizes. Just a reminder if you are not feeling well, it's best to stay home and notify the school of your childs absence.

Hey, scholars! October was a great month. As promised, I put out some new books. If you haven’t seen them, right when you walk in, they are on top of the shelf to your left. Keep in mind, I still have more I will be putting out.

I had a student request “Who Would Win” books, so look out for those. Who do you think would win between a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a Velociraptor? You might be surprised. I sure was! We also have “The Binder of Doom,” books 1-4. It’s a spin-off from the “Notebook of Doom,” series that I know you scholars like so much.

Starting this month, I will be displaying an Author of the Month. So, watch for those books as well.

You all have been really good about picking up at least one chapter book, instead of two graphic novels. Keep up the great work!

Also, we are still celebrating Italian American Heritage Month, and Filipino Heritage Month. I’ve got some great stuff on display from the EMC, so check those out when you can.

November is going to be a great month, and thank you for taking care of, and bringing your books back on time!