Robins K-8
May Newsletter
A Message from the Principal
Hello Robins preK-8 families,
WOW!!! It is the end of this school year and what a year! Thank you so much for all your support. This month we are celebrating National Asian and Pacific Islander American and Jewish American Heritage Month. Please be mindful of the drop-off and pick-up areas and ensure that students are exiting your vehicles on the passenger sides only and that you are utilizing the crosswalk. We want to make sure that we all pay attention to the details to ensure the safety of all. Attached to this email is also the parent notice regarding our district’s policy regarding the retention and promotion of students. Congratulations to all our 3rd-8th grade students for completing their STATE test! We are excited to report that we had 100% of our students complete the test. Well done and special thanks to YOU, the families for supporting this effort!
I have a few announcements to end our school year:
1. Award Assemblies- May 13th & May 15th - We are hosting our last award assembly for the year in our cafeteria, we will not offer zoom on these assemblies. If your child is receiving an award, your teacher will notify you and send you an invite to attend. We are so proud of all our students! Our 8th grade students will receive their awards during their promotion.
2. Class Parties- If your child’s class is holding a party for the end of the year, please be mindful that we must follow Pima Health Department guidelines regarding food. Those guidelines do not allow for us to have food that is not already individually wrapped by the food source, we are not allowed to accept home-cooked/made foods and we also ask that you do not send sugar items to school. Please select healthy snacks. If you have a question, please check with your classroom teacher. Please know that not all classes will hold an end of the year party, as each class per our district board policies can hold two parties each year, therefore, your child’s class may have already held their two parties for the year.
3. Class list for next year’s teachers will NOT be posted on the windows as we have done in the past. Parents will be able to see next year's teacher via your ParentVue on Synergy in June. Class lists are final. Teacher welcome letters and class supply lists will be posted on our website in June. You are welcome to give us a call during the last week of school to find out your child’s teacher for the next school year.
4. Registration: Please complete/submit your registration for next school year 24-25. We are about 84% with completed registrations. Please do not delay and submit it today:) We WANT all our students to return to us (except 8th grade)!
Please have a safe and healthy summer. We will see students back on August 1st, 2024! It has been my pleasure to serve you and our students this year as your principal. I look forward to being your principal again for the next school year! Go Roadrunners!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Thomas, Principal
Counselor Corner
Hello Roadrunners!
Student Council is sponsoring the 2 nd annual Robins K-8 Talent Show. Auditions have been underway. The show is Friday, May 17. Please come out and support our talented students. Congratulations to our newest NJHS inductees. These students were inducted on April 30. We are proud of these exemplary students! Classroom lessons have focused on teamwork, and schoolwide expectations. These are topics that have previously been discussed, but as we finish out the year students may need refreshers. We are the countdown to summer break and for some students, this may be a stressful time. The transition, break from friendships, difficult family situations, to name a few, may bring out depressive symptoms. Here are a few tips for parents on how to handle this.
Childhood Stress: How Parents Can Help
All kids and teens feel stressed at times. Stress is a normal response to changes and challenges. And life is full of those — even during childhood. We tend to think of stress as a bad thing, caused by bad events. But upcoming good events (like graduations, holidays, or new activities) also can cause stress. Kids and teens feel stress when there’s something they need to prepare for, adapt to, or guard against. They feel stress when something that matters to them is at stake. Change often prompts stress — even when it’s a change for the better. Stress has a purpose. It’s a signal to get ready.
When Can Stress Be Helpful? In small amounts, and when kids have the right support, stress can be a positive boost. It can help kids rise to a challenge. It can help them push toward goals, focus their effort, and meet deadlines. This kind of positive stress allows kids to build the inner strengths and skills known as resilience.
When Can Stress Be Harmful? Stress or adversity that is too intense, serious, long-lasting, or sudden can overwhelm a child’s ability to cope. Stress can be harmful when kids don’t have a break from stress, or when they lack the support or the coping skills they need. Over time, too much stress can affect kids’ mental and physical health. As a parent you can’t prevent your children from feeling stress. But you can help kids and teens cope. You can: Help them use positive stress to go for goals, adapt to changes, face challenges, and gain confidence. Give extra support and stability when they go through stressful life events. Protect them from the harmful effects of too much stress, such as chronic stress and traumatic stress.
What Is Positive Stress? Positive stress is the brief stress kids and teens feel when they face a challenge. It can prompt them to prepare and focus. It can motivate them to go for goals, get things done, or try new things. They might feel positive stress before a test, a big game, or a recital. When they face the challenge, the stress is over. Positive stress gives kids the chance to grow and learn. Here’s an example: The everyday pressure to get to school on time prompts kids to get their shoes on, gather their things, and head for the bus. But if kids don’t know how to use that positive stress, or don’t yet have the coping skills they need, it could mean a hectic race to the bus that leaves both parents and kids upset.
What parents can do: When it comes to handling that morning school prep (or any other moment of normal stress), it's tempting to step in and get everything ready for your child. But that won’t help kids learn how to use positive stress. Instead, teach kids how to prepare without doing it for them. This takes more time and patience, but it’s worth it. This type of positive stress can prompt kids to adapt and gain coping skills they need. It can prepare them to handle life’s bigger challenges and opportunities.
Rachael M. Walters, M.Ed. Robins K-8 Counselor
Curriculum Corner
Summer Slide is what educators call the learning loss that happens for many students over the summer. It has been shown that students can lose up to 20% of reading and math skills over the summer. In order to prevent the Summer Slide there are many things you can do at home!
Read often, read everywhere, read everything! - Read with your children every day. You can also read on trips, take pamphlets and read them together. Take favorite books with you on vacation.
Do math in every opportunity you can find! - Use math when making crafts by measuring and counting. You can use math in recipes while cooking together. You can even do math while at the grocery store.
Go on field trips. - Look into interesting learning opportunities while you travel and when you are in town. Tucson has amazing places to visit where students can practice skills.
Look into summer learning programs. - There are all sorts of online and in-person summer learning programs going on in Tucson.
Use online learning programs - Clever will still be working for students for some time. They can use this to work on IXL, i-Ready, ST Math, and Learning A-Z.
A Message from the Library
Hello, Scholars! It’s been a really great year. Thank you for being so awesome and taking care of your books and returning them. Last day to check out books is May 3rd. All books will be due back May 10th If you still have any books due, please bring them back ASAP so I can inventory them. If you’ve lost a book, please keep looking for them so you can continue to borrow books next year.
The Spring Reading Challenge was a success! So many students participated. Congratulations to our winners for the big stuffed Unicorn and the Bear.
Have a great summer and see you next year in the library!
Spring Reading Challenge Winners
Badges & Backpacks Fun Fiesta
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department wants to invite you, your school staff, students and families to our upcoming Badges and Backpacks Fun Fiesta!
This event is on August 1st, 2024 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center (260 S. Church Ave.).
It will include an array of experiences for the children in our community: jumping castles, character interactions, first responder vehicles and backpack give away. El Rio Health will be present to provide physicals, dental care, vaccinations and vision tests. Tucson Medical Center will be on site giving away bicycle helmets and providing booster seats.
This event is absolutely free!
In an effort to support our local school partners, the top three schools with the highest attendance at the event will receive pallets of school supplies: paper, tissues, hand sanitizer, dry erase markers, pens and pencils! The school with the top attendance will also receive law enforcements demonstrations for their school: a law enforcement working dog demonstration, helicopter landing and explosive ordinance demonstration.
See you there!