APRIL 30, 2024 | ISSUE 31 | PTO | CONTACT

Blooms in the Roberts International Garden.

IN THIS ISSUE

From the principal: last day of STAAR; request characteristics, not teachers
2024–2025 student enrollment open. Currently enrolled Roberts students need not apply; enrollment will automatically roll over.
Teacher of the Week: Mrs. Lewis (kindergarten)
Parents RSVP: IB Portfolio Picnics, May 20–23
PTO meeting Friday, May 3, 8 a.m.
Photography vendor survey
2nd and 4th grade Art Show, May 16: sign up to volunteer
Seeking 2024–25 committee chair volunteers!
Run in Coach A's final Mustang Rally May 17—register by May 1
Cub Scouts Pack 505 events
iKids 2024–25 onsite after-school care registration
HISD Wraparound Services can provide food, clothing, and school supplies

FROM THE PRINCIPAL: LAST DAY OF STAAR, TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS

STAAR thank you!

Today 3rd through 5th grade students took the last STAAR test of the school year. Thank you, parents, for ensuring that students arrived on time for testing and for communicating any illness. While we won’t have the scores for several weeks, we appreciate your support in helping to ensure our students were STAAR ready!

Teacher characteristics, but no requests!!!

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, it is not uncommon for parents to send requests for a particular teacher. While I welcome requesting a teacher with certain characteristics that you think would be beneficial for your child, please note that we do not accept teacher requests. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

TEACHER OF THE WEEK

Mrs. Nicole Lewis, Kindergarten

My name is Nicole Lewis and I have been at Roberts for four years. I have taught kindergarten all four years. I taught kinder for two years at a Harmony School in Sugar Land. Before that I taught pre-K for 12 years while my own girls grew up.

I was born and raised in Houston; I even live in the same house! I have been married for 27 years and we have two daughters. Ashley is 23 and just graduated from Marymount Manhattan. She still lives in NYC. Megan is 21 and goes to a small college in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytech Institute (RPI). She is a junior and is studying chemical engineering and economics. But don’t worry, we still have a full house with three dogs (Duke, Elliott, and GG) and two cats (Mikey and Pete). They keep us busy.

I love reading, tending to my plants, being near the water and unfortunately scrolling on my phone. I love to teach kindergarten. I love to introduce the students to the love of learning. Learning is a lifelong process and if they are not taught and encouraged at a young age their lives may not be filled with joy and curiosity. My goal is to encourage their love of learning by creating a safe and encouraging environment, so the child feels safe to explore, imagine and thrive for many years. I am glad to have the chance to be part of a school that has the same goals.

STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE AND PORTFOLIO PICNICS (1ST–5TH GRADES)

May 20–23, 2024

Roberts' annual Portfolio Picnics offer a chance for students to share their IB portfolios and reflections on the school year with parents and loved ones. Please make a date with your child and bring a picnic lunch and blanket to share to the front lawn of Roberts. This is a special opportunity for parents and their children to eat lunch together and review the students' IB portfolios. We are hoping every parent will be able to attend this very special event! We are also offering one evening Portfolio Picnic on Thursday, May 23 from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. If you have multiple children, we encourage you to attend the evening picnic!

All parents must RSVP by May 17.

Picnics take place over your child's lunchtime. Please refer to the table below and sign up for either Block A or Block B.

LAST PTO MEETING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR: FRIDAY, MAY 3

Please come to the Roberts Café for our 8 a.m. meeting. Check-in starts around 7:30 after drop-off. If you can't make it in person, please join us via Zoom (click here).

Meeting ID: 953 7202 6034
Passcode: REPTO23

Action items at the meeting include voting to approve the budget and voting to approve the nominees for the Financial Review Committee.

Per Article 9.7 of the PTO Bylaws, the proposed 2024–2025 Budget for the Fiscal Year starting July 1, 2024 is available at reception to review. Please direct any questions to budget@robertspto.org.

Financial Review Committee nominees:
• Violett Chiwaura
• Keith Nelson
• Amanda Voie

PICTURE RETAKES AND VENDOR SURVEY

Spring picture retakes are scheduled for Tuesday, May 7. If you are not satisfied with your child’s spring pictures, please return the entire package to your child’s teacher on Tuesday to have pictures retaken. If your child was absent or was not enrolled March 5, they will automatically be pulled for pictures.

Photography Vendor Survey

Our current photography vendor is Photo Texas Photography. We are exploring other school photography vendors for the upcoming school year and would like your feedback so we can make an informed decision! Here is the survey link: https://forms.office.com/r/wCrnUBTqAy. Survey will close on Friday, May 3rd.

2ND AND 4TH GRADE ART SHOW MAY 16

Please join us to honor the 2nd & 4th Grade students at the annual Art Show. This special event takes place at Roberts Elementary on Thursday, May 16, from 6–7:30 p.m. Get ready to be dazzled by our amazing students!

To put this event on, Mrs. Jenkins needs a lot of volunteers on the day of the art show. Can you help?

Volunteer for the Art Show

BE A PTO COMMITTEE CHAIR 2024–25

Seeking 2024–25 committee chairs to direct PTO programs and events! Most committees will have at least two co-chairs. Please sign up if you are interested in helping direct our volunteer energy. Your leadership and time will make a huge impact. For questions or assistance selecting a committee, email volunteer@RobertsPTO.org.

EIGHTH ANNUAL MUSTANG RALLY MAY 17

The Mustang Rally is an annual quarter-mile footrace hosted by the Roberts Running Club and open to all Roberts students. Register for Coach A’s farewell Mustang Rally by May 1st to ensure your student receives their desired shirt size! Come out to see how fast you can run and celebrate Coach A!

Friday, May 17 at the Rice University track and field stadium
Gates open at 4:00 p.m.; races start at 4:30 p.m. and will run through 6:30 p.m.
Races by grade and gender—1 lap around the track (400m/0.25 mile)
$20 per entry (includes a Mustang Rally t-shirt and medal)
Runners must be accompanied by an adult

Registration will stay open until May 10th, however, registrations after May 1st will not be guaranteed their shirt size due to late registration.

E-mail Esther Sung at runningclub@robertspto.org for more info or to volunteer!

CUB SCOUTS SERVICE PROJECT

Pack 505 had a service project at the Houston Food Bank on April 20. The Cub Scouts volunteered their time sorting and packing food donations that are delivered to various food pantries throughout the Houston area. Join Cub Scouts: https://www.houstonpack505.org/.

MEMORIAL DAY FLAG CEREMONY

Cub Scouts Pack 505 invites you to join a Memorial Day flag ceremony:
Roberts Elementary Flag Pole
Monday, May 27th
9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.

This is a solemn occasion and a great opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the holiday before spending time with friends and family.

Photo shows Owen Moffett (2nd grade) and Sarah Dluhy (2nd grade) at the 2023 flag ceremony.

iKIDS ONSITE AFTER-SCHOOL CARE 2024–25 REGISTRATION OPEN

Introducing iKids U at Roberts Elementary School for the 2024–25 school year! iKids U is an on-site, all-inclusive, and customizable after-school program. Students will have the opportunity to select an optional “enrichment” activity, one-on-one instruction, or just “stay and play” with friends. iKids U offers a variety of after-school selections from 1 to 5 days per week with part-time and full-time options. There is something for every child, including Art, Robotics, Science, Sports and more! Registration is now open.

For more information, please visit www.ikidsinc.com, call 713-665-5200 or email support@ikidsinc.com. We look forward to seeing you after school in iKids U!

Find out more about what wraparound services can do or fill out a student assistance request form. If you have any questions, or need assistance getting the form filled out, please contact the Roberts Wraparound Resource Specialist, Audrey Jefferson, at Audrey.Jefferson@HoustonISD.org, or call 713-295-5272.