Family Newsletter
September 11th, 2022
Woooowhoooo another great week in the books. We are nearing our one month in mark and we are moving and grooving. I am so proud of the way our students have been able to transition into the new year. We did a great job on our benchmark testing and those results will be coming out to families this week. Please see the additional information below. Robinson will host two parent events to provide additional information on our Multi-Tiered System of Support, benchmarking, and intervention process. We hope you can join us!
Our first PTO Newsletter came out this week- click to view. PTO is collecting candy donations for the Greentree Parade this week in the front office. Our first PTO meeting is Tuesday at 6:30 in the library. Childcare is available from our KHS National Honor Society and A+ students. We hope to see you there or join via zoom- Zoom Link
We had our first Fun Friday! Most of the kids enjoyed the time together- though one 5th grade boy did tell me our music was lame- LOL- we can't please everyone:). Thank you to all of the families who were able to stop by. Our next Fun Friday is the 23rd and we will be popping popcorn for all of our students for this one. Thank you to those who have signed up to help out! At the end of 1st quarter, I will put a survey out to collect feedback on Fun Fridays. Since this is a new initiative we'd like to hear your thoughts on what is going well and ways we can improve.
Please reach out at any time to share any questions, concerns, or ideas. I am here to help and support you and your family. Thanks for all you do to help keep our students and staff safe.
Take Care-
Angeline
We have grade level assemblies this week and we are learning about Growth Mindset
Tuesday- B Day- 6:30 PTO Meeting in the library- or join via zoom- Zoom Link
Wednesday- C Day
Thursday- D Day
Friday- A Day
Saturday- Green Tree parade
Benchmarking Information
New for this school year, all K-8 parents and guardians will receive their student’s benchmark screening data. Kirkwood School District is committed to ensuring that our families have a clear understanding of the work we do to monitor and collaboratively contribute to the academic achievement of our students.
For more information about benchmark screening assessments, see the infographic above. Additional information is available at kirkwoodschools.org/assessment. Individualized information will be sent home with K-8 students in the upcoming weeks.
Parent Information Meetings- September 22nd 6-7 pm & September 23rd 8:45-9:45 am
Update on Playground Procedures
We’d like to thank all of our families for their cooperation with our updated playground procedures. We know it has been an adjustment for many and appreciate the understanding of these changes to prioritize student safety for kids in our care.
As we’ve discussed previously, we are continually reviewing our processes. In the first several weeks of school, we have been evaluating our after school routines and attendance patterns. Accordingly, starting on Monday, Sept. 12, we will be able to permit playground usage for our families starting at the conclusion of school until 4:15 p.m. Usage between 4:15-5:30 p.m. will be for Adventure Club students to ensure effective supervision and safety for the students in our care. Playgrounds will be available for public use after 5:30 p.m. This will be in effect on days when school is in session and after school programming is in session.
Thank you again to our families for their flexibility and patience as we fine tune our processes and keep our students' safety top of mind.
Panorama Survey Coming Soon
KSD values your feedback! Starting September 14, we will launch our fall survey window. We will be surveying our families, 3-12 grade students, and staff to gain insight into your perception of our school and district effectiveness.
To administer these surveys, we have partnered with Panorama Education. Panorama safeguards your privacy, keeping your responses
confidential. The survey will be a valuable source of information for us as we work to make our schools and District as good as they can be.
Additionally, we will be asking for your child to reflect on their own mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey they will be completing at school.
The survey content will ask students in grades 3-12 to self-reflect on school safety, sense of belonging, rigorous expectations, valuing of math, self efficacy about math, positive feelings, and supportive relationships.
Our students' responses will provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to their needs. Please notify the school/grade-level office if you would like your child to opt out of taking the surveys by Sept. 14.
The feedback we receive through these survey efforts will help us realize our mission to equip students with the skills, knowledge and understanding to be empathetic, successful, and to value all people.
KSD launched a new tool to make it easier for you to communicate with the district. We’re introducing Let’s Talk, an online customer service solution that provides a convenient way for you to start a conversation with our district.
Let’s Talk is a tool to ensure you receive a timely, accurate response — every time. You can expect a response from us within two business days.
Have a question about Prop R? Concerns about safety? Know a teacher or staff member who should be thanked? Visit the Let's Talk section on the KSD website and select a topic to start a conversation.
If you have an issue or concern specific to our school, please reach out to us directly or our child’s teacher. Let’s Talk is a great tool for district questions and concerns. Thank you!
Repeated Information Below
Attendance at Robinson
When your child hits benchmark absences, 5 days, 10 days, 15 days, 20 days (every 5 days) we will be sending out the attendance letter via email. We are working with our social worker, Dima Shanbaneh, to support families of students who hit attendance triggers. The district has 10 days absence as its benchmark for at risk attendance.
We thank you for your partnership in promoting good attendance with your child. We will be recognizing perfect attendance and improved attendance at each quarter's celebration assemblies. Grade levels and classrooms can also earn rewards for hitting attendance goals each quarter.
Please click the link below to learn more about our attendance practices at Robinson:
K & 1 parent handout- elementary handout- whole school infographic
Next Fun Friday- September 23
Guidelines
- Arrive 15 minutes before your child's lunch shift.
- Buzz in the front door.
- Have your ID ready- we will put it through our Raptor system to print you a badge with your picture on it.
- Once your badge is ready and on, step out into the vestibule to wait for a staff member to escort the group to the cafeteria.
- Siblings are not allowed at Fun Friday- family members who are adults are welcome (parents, guardians, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc)
- You may bring a nut free lunch for your child- please do not bring food for others
- You are welcome to wear something fun and festive for the event.
- Your child is welcome to bring an item in the back pack to quickly put on for lunch on Fun Fridays (the items will go in the lunch tote so they don't go out to recess with the kids, examples- hats, fun glasses, cape, etc)
- We will have fun dress up items for families to choose from to put on.
- Classroom teachers and other teachers are welcome to join in the fun in the cafe and dress up.
- When you get to the cafe you may sit with your child or stand near them if seating is limited (I'm not sure how many families will attend since it is our first one).
- We will eat quietly the first five minutes, once everyone is settled we will turn the music on.
- When the lunch shift is over, you will need to exit out the front doors again.
- Lunch times:
- K: 11:15-11:35,
- 1: 11:40-12:00,
- 2: 12:05-12:25,
- 3: 1:20-1:40,
- 4: 12:55-1:15,
- 5: 12:30-12:50
If you would be willing to pop popcorn - please click here to sign up for a Fun Friday day and time slot. We will be popping popcorn in the morning b/c you can't pop fast enough in between the lunch shifts for everyone. Fun Fridays are posted on the building calendar.
The federal program allowing all children free breakfast and lunch has ended
For the past two years, funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture made it possible for the Kirkwood School District to provide breakfast and lunch free of charge to all students. This funding has expired, which means that free meals will no longer be available to all KSD students (effective May 26th, 2022).
Families who qualify for free or reduced-price meals must fill out an application for the 2022-23 school year in order to receive free or reduced price meals. Even if you have filled out a form in the past, you will need to reapply for the 2022-23 school year.
Filling out a form could result in additional financial assistance for your family. In KSD, those benefits include:
50% reduction in student technology fees
50% reduction in middle school and high school annual activity fee
50% reduction in bus pass fee
KHS students qualify for testing and college application fee waivers
If you are not sure if your family qualifies for free and reduced-price meals, you can see FAQs provided by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education here.
Please click here to view the meal prices and ala carte prices for 22-23
Please click here to view the Robinson breakfast & lunch menus for 22-23
Please click here for information and application for the Free & Reduced Meal Program for 22-23
Robinson Cares Food Pantry
https://www.kirkwoodschools.org/Page/9538
how to navigate Schoology as a parent is here:
how to modify Notifications in Schoology:
Don’t have a myschoolbucks account?
Kirkwood School District’s online payment system used for lunch meals, laptop insurance fees, activity fees, holds, etc. We highly recommend creating an account!
PARENT/GUARDIAN LOGIN: MySchoolBucks
NEW USERS:
Go to MySchoolBucks to create an account for free.
Select: MISSOURI as Your State
Select: KIRKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT R-7 as Your District
Complete your account information and then click on the "Create Account" button.