Family Newsletter
1/10/21
A Reflection on the Week
We welcomed students back to school this week. I saw some tired kids at dismissal on Wednesday and some sleepy faces Thursday morning:). We will all get back in the swing of things this week with a full week ahead. It was great seeing the kids and staff again. We also welcomed our new 4th and 5th grade teachers and a new ESC. I have heard lots of positive feedback and they are rocking and rolling.
With the return of students in person we have the return of quarantines. We now have rapid tests that are kid friendly (don't go so far up the nose) that our nurses have been trained to administer with guardian permission. This week we had a positive test on Wednesday and Thursday at the very end of the day right at dismissal. This made dismissal and notification to families tricky. When there is a positive case at the building, we will keep the class quarantined in their classroom and will not let students get on buses or go to the gym for parent pick up. Hopefully, this doesn't happen at dismissal time again, but if it does, I apologize it can't be helped. We cannot let these students co-mingle with others due to their exposure. I appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to learn from each experience. Please be sure to check your email and phone calls from me.
I need to acknowledge the events from this week both at at the capitol and in our Kirkwood community. As our children grow, we need to make sure that we don't shelter them from the world, but teach them about what is going on in our community. It is important that they learn about social justice and injustice, even at an early age they can pick up on feelings and have their own emotions and ideas about what is happening. I heard many teachers having conversations with classes about the current events and how kids were feeling. We are teaching our children to have a voice and do what is right. I am proud of our staff and students for working through things and supporting one another. I will put some resources below of information that staff may have used to support these conversations and that you may use as well to help navigate these topics with your child.
Robinson is a diverse school community and we embrace our differences and celebrate what makes each and every one of us unique and special. We will stand together and be #RobinsonStrong. We will not let hate drive us apart, but will come together with love for one another.
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 10th
This week is an A week
Parent-Teacher Conferences via Zoom
Monday, January 10th
Students in person learning
Tuesday, January 11th
Students in person learning
PTO Meeting is cancelled due to Parent Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, January12th
Wacky Wednesday Theme- Better Together- Dress in your favorite group attire (team, band, school, etc)
Students in person learning
Thursday, January 13th
Students in person learning
Food Pantry 6:00-7:30- See information below
Friday, January 14th
Students online learning asynchronous on Schoology
Parent-Teacher conference time slots in the morning
Teacher Professional Development in the afternoon
Monday, January 18th
Martin Luther King Jr. Day- No School - see flyer below
MLK Day Book Giveaway- for all students- must preregister
Every child will get a free book and snack
Amigos food truck will be there
See flyer above for your child's time slot for book pick up
Location: 1220 Stonecrest Place- Kirkwood, MO
Resources to support conversations with children
Below are a list of resources that staff had access to help guide conversation this week:
Teaching Tolerance - When Bad Things Are Happening
Education Week - Caring for Students in the Wake of Traumatic Events - PDF
Education Week - Insurgency at the U.S. Capitol: A Dreaded, Real-Life Lesson Facing Teachers - PDF
Resources for Teachers on the Days After The Attack on the U.S. Capitol
Larry Ferlazzo - Ways to Teach About Today’s Insurrection
Larry Ferlazzo - Incredible Tweets About Today’s Insurrection At The U.S. Capitol
Peaceful Transfer of Power Infographic
NPR - Now is a Good Time to Talk to Your Kids About Civics
National Geographic - Talking to Kids About the Election
NewsCompare: Comparing news from different sources side-by-side
PBS - Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories
ASCD - Classroom Discourse as Civil Discourse
Facing History and Ourselves - Responding to the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
NCSS Twitter Chat #sschat & Resource GoogleDoc (with ongoing additions)
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 Equity Group Meeting January 20th
Join via zoom:
https://kirkwoodschools.zoom.us/j/91436746239?pwd=UjAxY1NjWVBMY3dyYTFJMFdWU25TZz09
All current parents who are involved in the REG, and new parents interested in anti-racism work towards building equity for all students at Robinson and in the KSD are welcome to attend. The agenda will be published on the REG Facebook page (@RobinsonEquity), along with a link to the Zoom meeting. Please contact robinsonequity@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Food Pantry- Thursday 6:00-7:30pm
2020-2021 Pantry
When: Thursday, January 14 with additional dates below
Time: 6pm - 7:30 pm
Where: Trinity Presbyterian Church
1110 S. Glenwood Lane, Kirkwood, MO 63122
(Please use the Sanctuary Entrance located in front of the circle drive -- this entrance is handicap accessible)
MASKS MUST BE WORN INSIDE
Doors will open at 6 PM, not before
Families will enter the Sanctuary room (please be mindful of other families who are present and distance when possible)
There is a pass-through window to the kitchen. Families can approach the window one at a time and Trinity Church volunteers will “shop” for the items you request (this will help limit exposure for everyone)
A “Menu” of available items will be posted near the window
Quantities for each family may be limited, items are subject to availability
Food items offered (meat, frozen meals, bread, breakfast cereal, and limited quantities of milk, eggs, fruits, and vegetables)
There will also be household cleaning items and personal care items.
If you are unable to make it to the pantry you may fill out this form and Robinson Cares volunteers will “shop” for you and deliver your items to your home (food and household items only)
Form will be available January 8-January 13; Deliveries will be made after January 14
Future Dates:
Friday, February 19, 2021
Friday, March 19, 2021
Friday, April 9, 2021
Friday, May 21,2021
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.
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.
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
Report Card Information
Report Cards are now available to view on Infinite Campus. We will not send paper copies home with students. Please complete this form if you need to create an Infinite Campus parent account or recover your username/password for an existing account. For other questions or issues with Infinite Campus please contact icportal@kirkwoodschools.org.
Parent-Teacher Conferences January 11-15
I'm also happy to meet with families if needed- please email or call to schedule this. My door is always open (figuratively right now due to Covid) and I am happy to meet with families at any time (it doesn't have to be during this week).
For those families who will have a new teacher 2nd semester, their parent-teacher conference will be with their previous teacher and the new teacher- still via zoom.
BIPOC: What Does it Mean?- KEES January 19th
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Register: kirkwoodschools.org/keess
Contact: Roberta.McWoods@kirkwoodschools.org
BIPOC: What does it mean?
Panel discussion with people that identify as Black, Indigneous and People of Color (BIPOC) and how BIPOC leaders are seeking to leverage their own identities as well as resources, tools and networks to advance anti-racist change. Panelists will also discuss the radicalized dynamics that happen that originate in childhood that last through adulthood. Insights on how to build a relationship between BIPOC students and their teachers will also be discussed to help the student, parent and teacher forge a strong relationship.