It’s March Madness time! We are working as a school to increase our affirmations to students for following our PBIS expectations of: 1. Being Respectful 2. Being Responsible and 3. Being Safe. Our students are doing an amazing job at following our expectations and we appreciate families supporting our PBIS expectations by honoring your child for receiving a purple or teal “Roadrunner rocks” certificate for our K-5 students and Roadrunner points for our middle school students.
This month we are celebrating the National Women’s History Month as well as American Irish Heritage, Greek American Heritage and Persian American Heritage Months. Please stop by our library to check out books celebrating these heritages this month.
Our STATE TESTING: 3rd-8th grades Arizona's Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) will begin at the end of this month. Please ensure that your students have plenty of rest and a nutritional breakfast each morning prior to the test as this will provide them with the fuel and stamina needed to successfully complete the state test. Teachers will send out information on test days for their classroom, it is our tentative schedule as dates can change based on unforeseen influences.
Please find two resources attached below, "Prep List for Parents of 3rd-5th Graders for State Testing" and “WHY STATEWIDE TESTING PARTICIPATION MATTERS TO STUDENTS” attached to this newsletter and/or use the link below to access an overview, practice test and resources for parents click on the link: Arizona Department of Education link
This year we will receive a letter grade from the state for our school based on our students’ performance. We are doing something special for our students! Those students that are in grades 3rd-5th that are taking the state test will be able to participate in the school dance just for them during school hours IF they are present for all of their state testing dates and complete their state test 😊 Middle school students will receive roadrunner points for their participation to be turned in for prizes.
We are currently a "C" school. Last year we were a "B" school and missed it this year by 1.34 points! We are working hard to close that point gap to aim to returning to our "B" status and then to our former "A" status.
It’s ENROLLMENT time! Please log on to your ParentVue account and register your child for Robins K-8 today! Thank you😊 All classes with 100% of students enrolled for the next school year will receive a class prize. Enrolling your child also helps me secure the teachers positions for next school year.
We are also preparing for an upcoming Regional Elementary Track meet at Cholla high school on March 21st @ 9am. In the meantime, practice will continue Monday and Thursday from 2pm-3pm.
Challenge: Students who can remember to tell me that when Pi Day is (3/14) and what it means, will receive a pick from the principal prize box! Let’s promote math! Let me know after Spring Break!
Please do not forget that we have GRADING DAY on March 7th and the start of SPRING BREAK from 3/7 – 3/14. School will be closed and we encourage students to read daily and to utilize our online resources during their break via their CLEVER page.
Please be mindful of the traffic flow and procedures for pick up and drop off to ensure safety of all students. Please do not stop right in front of the school in the parking lot to drop off students, pull up so that you are not blocking the fire lane and flow of traffic.
March Calendar reminders:
- Spring Picture Day 3/4
- Spring Break 3/7-3/14
- Peter Piper Pizza 3/25
- PLD -No school 3/26
Mrs. Thomas
Principal
PTO Corner
Welcome to March! Spring is here and the PTO has got some fun stuff we're working on! 🪻 ☘️
🪻March 3rd at 4:30 is our next meeting in the Robins library! Come join us and bring your kids!
🪙 PENNY WARS on March 1st to April 4th!
1,2,3,4 We declare a penny war! 🪙
Each grade has a jug to fill up with as many pennies as possible! You can subtract points from other classes by placing silver coins in their jug! Each penny is worth 1 point. The grade with the most points at the end will win a Pizza Party from the PTO!
With all proceeds going to the Spring Carnival!
🪅🎈 We are working hard to bring a fun Earth Day Carnival on May 2nd! There will be fun games with our awesome teachers, prizes, drawings for really cool local activities and goods, food trucks, a DJ, many community folks sharing helpful earth day information as well as resources and much more! You don’t have to be a Robins student or parent to come to the carnival and have a great time!
If you or anyone you know would like to help us or volunteer for the carnival it would be greatly appreciated. We can’t do it without the amazing Robins parents!
☘️ Just a reminder the food pantry is in the office available to everyone! So please stop by the office and say hi to the wonderful staff and grab something from the pantry!
💜 The special person dance was a great success and we are so thankful to all of you who came out to dance, eat good food and have lots of laughs! We raised over $600 to help with the carnival in May!
Our next PTO meeting will be March 3rd at 5pm in the library! Please come and share your ideas and thoughts we would love to hear from you!
@robinsPTO23
Student Success Specialist Corner
Hello Roadrunner Families!
As we close out quarter 3, it is very important that all students are at school, every day, and on time. We are entering into State Testing time following Spring Break, and we need your students here at school. :)
Please contact me with any barriers you or your student are having with getting to school on time and being at school every day.
Please make sure you are checking ParentVUE regularly. I suggest checking once per week to make sure you are up to date with your students' grades and attendance. There is an app that makes this very user friendly. If you need support with getting ParentVUE or downloading the app, please contact me.
If you need anything for your family or your student, give me a call and I’ll help you out.
❤️ Mrs. Sheava Craig
Counselor Corner
Hello Roadrunner families
Semester 2 small groups started February 10. As usual, we had an overwhelming response. Because of the number of requests, there was not enough space to have every student participate. If you have an urgent need for support for your student, small groups may not be appropriate. If you need assistance finding outside resources, please let me know. **Because of state testing, groups may not meet consecutive weeks, but they will still meet for 4 weeks.
NJHS parents:
· Students whose grades fall below the requirement of A’s and B’s will be temporarily suspended until they raise their grades. Please check grades on Synergy regularly to make sure your student is meeting the standards of the National Junior Honor Society.
· Please ensure that your student will have their community service hours completed before April 18. Students who have not yet been inducted must complete 20 hours. 2nd year NJHS students must complete 40 hours.
· Several students have not exhibited one of the major tenets of NJHS – Character. I closely monitor my NJHS student’s behavior, and they could be temporarily suspended for this as well.
· Students will not be able to participate in the Induction ceremony on April 29 if they do not meet all these standards – Grades, character, and community service.
· There will be a mandatory 8th grade community service event on Saturday, March 29 from 7:30-11:00am. They will be distributing food and organizing donations at Interfaith Community Service. Please plan accordingly to ensure your 8th grader will be there. If there is a special circumstance preventing your student from taking part, please contact me directly. Students were given a flyer with this information several weeks ago. If you need another flyer, please let me know.
· This is an extraordinary group of students who were selected for membership, and there is great potential for them to be community leaders and individuals who make a difference in the world. They are elite learners, and I hold them to a high standard as an NJHS member. Thank you for reinforcing these standards with your students. Please reach out anytime if you have any questions.
Tucson Magnet High School recently came and completed course registration with 8th graders. Students must complete registration with TMHS even if they will not attend that high school next year. If you have further questions about high school registration contact the high school directly.
All 7th graders took the CogAT test on 2/18 or 2/19. This is one of the entrance requirements for University High School. The district requires all 7th graders to take the test regardless of their interest to attend UHS - unless a parent completes and returns an out-out form to the counselor. Students must meet a certain score to qualify for admission. Test results are mailed out by the district in the summer. Any 7th grader who was not here on the date of testing will make-up the test in March. Opt-out forms will be sent home soon. You can also pick one up from the front office. If a form is not returned prior to testing, your child will be testing.
Please see the attached flyer for a parent workshop offered by the TUSD Family Resource Center. Stronger Together: Supporting Student and Family Mental Health on March 4.
Rachael M. Walters, M.Ed.
Robins K-8
Counselor
Dean of Students Corner
Robins K-8 students are making great choices on campus ! After school opportunities continue to grow with the Gardening Club, Folklorico, Guitar, K-1 Soccer and other choices as well as middle school extracurriculars including Guitar Class, Folklorico and, come January 6th, Co-Ed Soccer
Roadrunners Rock coupons are given by the K-5 teachers and PBIS points in the middle school classrooms. Middle school students have the opportunity to spend these points on various items including mechanical pencils, books and lunch rewards with Principal Thomas or myself. This semester, teachers have given out over 4300 coupons for positive behaviors and acts of kindness.
Please have your to school before 7:37am. Breakfast is served from 7:15 - 7:30 which should give students some time to eat. However, when students are late, they often don't get enough time to finish their meal and food is not allowed in classrooms. Help us to ensure your student gets ample time to eat breakfast.
Please have your student check the lost and found for any misplaced/lost jackets. All clothes will be removed on March 6th.
Robins K-8 students are also following school and district expectations in regard to general behaviors. However, when the seasons change, behaviors often change. Add to that the stress of the holiday season, and students begin to misbehave both in class and among their peers. Showing compassion, grace and patience with your student goes a long way to making positive behavior changes. Continue to have discussions with your student(s) about their school activities, recess time, favorite class activity, etc. Positive speak leads to positive outcomes.
Continue to encourage your Robins K-8 student to Be Kind and follow the three tenets of Robins K - 8:
- Be Safe
- Be Responsible
- Be Respectful
Thank You for All You Do !!
Curriculum Corner
State testing will be taking place after spring break. There are many things you can do in these last few weeks to ensure that your children are prepared for the tests.
3rd grade students will be taking the Oral Readding Fluency test, to help them prepare, they should read out loud to you. Students should be reading 3rd grade level text at about 110 WPM.
Ask teachers which specific areas your child may need support in. They can use i-Ready and IXL lessons to help in these areas.
All 3rd to 8th graders will be writing a multi-paragraph essay that is either opinion or informational. Kids should practice writing and typing often.
Talk to kids about why it is important to try their best and use good test taking strategies.
All students need to bring their fully charged laptops to school daily.
If your child does not currently have a pair of plug-in headphones for testing, please provide a pair they are comfortable in before the end of March.
Thank you for all of your support. If you would like to see what the tests will look like, this link will take you to the practice tests. Students do not log in, use the Mic Test and Sample Tests link below the log in.
Library Corner
Hello, Scholars!
The Book Fair is back from Monday, March 3rd to Thursday, March 6th! It’s open every day after school from 1:50-3:30 pm and before school from 7:45-8:10am. There is a new Dog Man available, so we have tons of copies of every Dog Man as well, along with FNAF, Pokemon, Minecraft, The Food Group, Elephant and Piggie, World Record Books, Science books, Sonic, Mario, tons of graphic novels and so much more. Be sure to have your parents set you up an eWallet, or shop with them after school. There are books for as low as $3.00, so be sure to take advantage of that! Also, don’t forget during the book fair, your teachers will have reading tickets they will bust you with if they catch you reading around campus. Bring them into the library to enter them into a raffle for a book from the fair!
Our Love of Reading Week is from April 28th to May 2nd. Stay tuned for activities during that week. Parents are welcome to come in and read a book to a class anytime during Love of Reading Week!
If you have past due books or lost books, please look for them during spring break.
See you at the library!
