Family Newsletter
1/24/21
Choose Joy
I hope that you and your family are all doing well and staying safe. I'd like to share the quote above because it reminds me everyday to choose joy. The circumstances of the world can weigh heavily on us and it is easy to get down in the dumps. Day after day may seem like groundhog day- and we may not have truly adjusted to a "new normal" nor may you want to.
However, when I get down, I get out of my head and follow my heart. You may wonder where my heart leads me, and it is always to your children. Walking in the halls, stepping into classrooms, having conversations with your children brings me great joy and pulls me out of my funk every time. I am so thankful to you all for sharing your most precious gifts, your children, with us. We hear their laughter, witness their wonder, and find humor in many of the things they share- and they are the greatest respite from Covid, our political climate, and the negativity that exists beyond our walls. Within our school we have JOY- every day and we are grateful for the children who make each day unique and special. Thank you!
Please reach out if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, or if we can provide support in any way. Thank you for your partnership in keeping the Robinson community safe.
Take Care-
Angeline
This Week's Schedule
Link to our school webpage calendar
Week of January 25th
This week is a C week
Monday, January 25th
Students in person learning
Tuesday, January 26th
Students in person learning
Equity & Inclusion in the Yearbook Conversation- Need At Home and In Person families to attend- Join via zoom
Wednesday, January 27th
Wacky Wednesday Theme- Bring a stuffed animal
Students in person learning
Thursday, January 28th
Students in person learning
Supporting Literacy in the Home- see information below
Friday, January 29th
Students online learning
Saturday, January 30th
Please see Robinson Equity Facebook Page for Learning Opportunity
Kindergarten Registration Information
To register, visit the District’s website at kirkwoodschools.org/register. For online registration, it is recommended that a laptop computer, desktop computer, or tablet device be used to complete your child's registration. Registration using a smartphone is not recommended.
Robinson Equity Group February Meeting Information
Here's the preview:
We know American public schools do not guarantee each child an equal education. Two decades of school reform initiatives have not changed that. But when Chana Joffe-Walt, a reporter, looked at inequality in education, she saw that most reforms focused on who schools were failing: Black and brown kids. But what about who the schools are serving? In this five-part series, she turns her attention to what is arguably the most powerful force in our schools: White parents.
Yearbook with Lens of Equity and Inclusion
Our next meeting will be on January 26th from 6:30-7:30. The focus this time will be on the layout and ensuring inclusion of all students in the candid sections of the yearbook. We encourage our online families to participate in the conversation as well. It is important that all of our Robinson students be included in our yearbook. We look forward to our discussion and planning.
Join via zoom
Valentines' Parties at Robinson
REACH Information- Message from Dr. Bailey, Assistant Superintendent
COVID, along with virtual instruction, and the need for multiple quarantines, has impacted our ability to conduct our normal gifted program screening process in the fall for 1st grade students. We are adjusting our normal screening process to ensure an equitable opportunity for all 1st grade students to participate. The REACH team will wait until the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year to screen the current 1st graders as 2nd graders. This process would begin the first or second week of school, and then the team would resume normal screening timelines for next year’s 1st grade students.
We know this will impact multiple students, but we wanted to ensure that we are able to screen students appropriately and in a manner equitable to all. If you have additional questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Matt Bailey, assistant superintendent, Elizabeth Lock, MTSS Coordinator, or your school REACH teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Moore.
Quarantine Q & A
A: Send an email to alicia.stowers@kirkwoodschools.org, sue.french@kirkwoodschools.org, and your classroom teacher to notify them. The classroom teacher will load asynchronous work into Schoology. They will join their class synchronously via Zoom on Fridays. They will not join the At Home Program during their quarantine.
Q: My child is quarantined and their class is quarantined. Now what?
A: Their classroom teacher will zoom with the kids each day following their Friday schedule and work in Schoology.
Q: I have multiple children at home, one is quarantined due to being a close contact and does not have any symptoms. Can my other child go to school?
A: Yes, your other child may return to school as long as your quarantined child does not develop symptoms or become positive.
Q: My child's teacher is quarantined, but the class is not. Now what?
A: Your child's teacher will likely teach remotely from home via zoom into the classroom (if they are feeling well enough to do so) and a substitute teacher will be in the classroom to facilitate the instruction that the teacher is doing from home.
Q: My child carpool's with someone who has been quarantined due to exposure or positive test. Now what?
A: Please email alicia.stowers@kirkwoodschools.org and she will go through an interview with you to determine if your child is a close contact and needs to quarantine.
Information below is repeated from previous newsletters
Great Free Learning Opportunity for All Students
More than ever, learning how to code is a crucial part of understanding how the world works, no matter what you do or where you’re from. Not only is coding a useful skill to develop, but the employment of computer and information research scientists is projected to grow 15 percent by 2029.
Codivate is a completely student-run nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids develop their computational thinking skills and teaching them how to create practical programs with code.
All too often, students turn to traditional coding programs that place emphasis on the nitty-gritty language-specific details of it all. Codivate uses the dynamic combination of hands-on activities and a carefully curated curriculum to make learning coding as fun as it can be, as well as tutors who are just as excited to teach as students are to learn.
Spring Courses:
-Intermediate Block-Based Programming in Snap!
-Introduction to Programming in Python
-Intermediate Programming in Python
-Introduction to Algorithmic Programming in Java
Classes begin Saturday, February 20th. Sign up today on this form: http://bit.ly/SP2021Code
**Registration closes on February 12th- sign up now to reserve your child's free slot!
Kits you can check out to guide your conversations
These themed kits each include 4-6 books along with a folder of discussion questions and other resources, all packaged up nicely in an easy to carry canvas bag. To check out a kit, please email kristin.davis@kirkwoodschools.org and note which kit you’d like (see the choices below).
We’ll send it home with your child or leave in the curbside bin if your family is virtual. When returning the kit, please verify that all materials are included. They are listed on a tag attached to the bag.
Also, I’d love to see these in use! Please email photos or feedback as well. For more information on We Stories check out http://www.westories.org/.
Free Webinar to Learn more about our Literacy Resource and how you can support literacy at home
Thursday, January 28, 1-3 PM Eastern Time
Join expert Teachers College Reading and Writing Project staff at our upcoming workshop day for parents and caregivers of students in grades K-8. Learn more about ways to support your child’s literacy education at home, what or how they are learning in school, how to best engage in home literacy projects, and more.
These days are typically 2-3 hours long, composed of a series of 15-minute small-group presentations. Parents and caregivers can choose the workshops that match their needs and are free to come for one workshop or many. The schedule of workshops will be made available prior to the event. These sessions are offered live and are not recorded for later viewing.
Click the link below to register.
https://tcrwp.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIudu-orzMrGdUN0IyGUGksRGCvS2Sjp9E5
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Robinson Yearbooks and Yearbook Ads go on sale this week through March 12th
You can order yearbooks and ads online via our website:
https://shop.yearbookmarket.com/robinsonelementaryschool
or by paper order form which will be going home at the end of the month.
Our ad prices help to reduce the total cost of the yearbooks for families from $13 down to $10. Our add prices are $15 for 1/8 page, $25 for 1/4 page, $50 for 1/2 page and $100 for our full page ads. You may purchase and create your ad through our website link above. This is the first year that the website lets you fully design and create your ad with the layout, fonts, and colors that you prefer.
If you have never seen our yearbook before, watch this quick informational video about our yearbook and see pages from last year's edition.
If you want help navigating our ordering website and want to see where to click to purchase a yearbook, watch this short video.
If you want help navigating our ordering website to purchase an ad, please watch this short video.
Fifth grade families using the dedication ad builder will need to enter a code upon check-put to receive the 1/8 page ad for free. The code is JR5K8ICQ20 and it is also included in the description of the 1/8 page ad when they are adding it to their cart.
Thank you to PTO for creating and overseeing our yearbook program! We are excited to have the yearbook to remember this historic year. Please reach out to
robinsonelementaryyb@gmail.com with any questions about our yearbook or ads.