DECEMBER 16, 2025 | ISSUE 18 | PTO | CONTACT

Roberts Faculty choir spreads holiday cheer (even in the rain!) with carols and candy canes during the third annual Winter Festival. Photo courtesy of DP Photography.

• Reminder, no school December 22nd through January 5th
• Time to get jolly! December Dress Up Days are here
• Science Fair registration open! Deadline Jan. 9
• Donations needed for library's Makers Space
• REmarkable student achievements
• Sprinkle some extra joy on our RE teachers and staff
• Spring semester piano for kinder students
• IB Exhibition mentors needed
• Epps Memory Box, submit your memories
• Global Glam Auction Soirée tickets on sale now
• Exclusive RE discount for Ice Village at Rice Village
• Tours for prospective RE families
• Get involved in the PTO and meet the committee chairs
• HISD School Choice tours and information
• Fundraise and save on holiday cards with Minted
• Support Roberts by shopping at Kroger

Continue to share your holiday spirit as we count down to winter break! December Dress Up Days are ongoing through through this Friday.

Would your 2nd – 5th grader like to participate in Roberts' third annual Science Fair? Please have them see Mr. Coronado to sign up or complete the attached interest form in the packet! Deadline to register is Friday, January 9th.

The Science Fair will take place on Thursday, February 5th. We look forward to seeing what our future scientists have to share!

Questions? Contact Mr. Coronado at jason.coronado@houstonisd.org.

As you wrap up your holiday shopping, don't forget about our Roberts elves tinkering away in the library's Maker's Space! Head elf and wonderful librarian Ms. Nelson has updated the Makers' Space wishlist with new materials and other items for the stuedents' projects. Click the link above or scan the QR code below to access the wishlist. Thank you for your donations!

Congratulations to our REmarkable Roberts students, excelling on the field, on the chess board, and beyond! WE ARE ROBERTS!

Can you spell, S-U-C-C-E-S-S? Great job to all of the spellers who participated in this year’s 2025-26 Roberts Elementary School Spelling Bee! Congratulations to our champion, 4th grader Dia T. and runner-up 4th grader Sudiksha M! Dia will represent Roberts at the HISD Spelling Bee on February 7th.

Roberts Mustangs soccer team took first place in the Final Four Invitational tournament on December 9th, winning the final game 8-1. Congratulations to Coach Montoya and Coach Couvillon on leading the team to victory.

Checkmate! Roberts Chess Team won third place team, in addition to 14 individual trophies at the MIMS Chess Tournament on Sunday. Thank you to Coach Justin and Coach Kacey for your guidance and dedication during a marathon day of matches.

On behalf of the Room Parents committee chairs, thank you to everyone who contributed to the Teacher Gift Fund!

This fund helps us provide holiday gifts for our core Kinder through 5th Grade and ancillary teachers. You are also welcome to show your appreciation individually- your child’s handwritten card, a drawing, flowers, small gift, or a gift card are all thoughtful options. You can find the Roberts Elementary Teacher & Staff Favorites list here.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday season!

Our 5th Grade Exhibition is the culmination of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) journey — a capstone project that allows students to demonstrate their learning, inquiry skills, and action toward making a positive difference in the world. We are looking for Exhibition Mentors!

Mentors play a vital role in guiding students as they explore real-world issues connected to one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Topics range widely — from protecting endangered species to promoting quality education, reducing waste, and supporting equality.

Mentor Commitment:

• About 1 hour per week
• Serve as a guide to support students with brainstorming, refining research, organization, and presentation skills — while students complete all work independently
• You must be VIPS approved for the 2025 – 2026 school year
• Mentors will not be paired with their own child’s group

We welcome parents and community members with experience or interest in any field- science, technology, arts, business, health, social work, education, and more. If you’re interested in becoming a mentor, please fill out this form.

Let’s help our young inquirers make a meaningful impact through their Exhibition projects!

To celebrate Ms Epps' tenure at Roberts, we will be collecting letters and compiling a book of memories for her. For those wanting to participate, we have two options:

1. Write a handwritten letter and attach a photo or memento to be included in her memory book and drop off at one of our Epps Memory boxes. Be sure to sign your name, child's name, and year(s) you’ve been with Roberts community! You can find the Epps Memory box at reception- collections will be taken until winter break in December.

2. Email an electronic letter to 90th@robertspto.org. Please attach a picture or artwork if you’d like! The letter can be a “ Remember when … “ prompt and share a funny, stressful, or otherwise memorable occasion. Your letter will not be public, just compiled into a book and shared with only Ms Epps.

Thank you for participating! Please send any inquiries to the 90th@robertspto.org email.

Thanks to a VERY generous anonymous donor, our Global Glam Auction Soirée will feature a third bar with five select cocktails! NOW is the time to get your Auction Soirée tickets! Discount code earlybird2026 expires on 12/31!

Top 5 reasons to buy your Auction Soirée ticket(s) now:

• Support a RE-juvenation of our building, fixing indignities of age
• 3 bars, one with select cocktails
• Vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals available
• Spend valuable adult time with our Roberts community
• Casino, dancing, and wonderful auction prizes
  
  

Save money, support Roberts, make your 2025 donations now! Find out more about Roberts PTO’s Auction Soirée

Visit the first-ever "Ice Village at Rice Village" November 28th through January 4th - a festive outdoor ice-skating rink experience created to bring holiday cheer and community spirit to Houston.

Rice University invites Roberts students, families, and staff to join in the fun by offering an exclusive 10% discount on skating admission. Just use the code ICEROBERTS when purchasing tickets online at https://rice-village.com/landing/ice-village.

Prospective Roberts' families interested in touring the campus may do so on the given tour dates below. All tours start promptly at 9:00 AM and parents should check-in at reception with a valid form of ID 5 - 10 minutes before the start of the tour. Appointments are not necessary.

Tour Dates:
*NEW* Every Thursday until February 27th, 2026. Additionally, tours will also be held on the following Fridays:

• January 23
• February 20
• March 20
• April 24
• May 15

Tour Agenda:
9:00 AM- Welcome and School Overview
9:05 AM- Tour of the campus
9:45 AM - Q&A Session, Tour Conclusion

Hi, I’m Maryam Tabatabai, your PTO Auction Soirée Co-Chair! I’m so excited for a fun night with our wonderful Roberts community and to help raise funds that support and strengthen our amazing school. I’m a corporate healthcare attorney at Sheppard Mullin and mom to Elias (3rd grade, Ms. Peng) and Liana (1st grade, Ms. Estrada).

Before becoming a lawyer, I taught middle school English- still the hardest job I’ve ever had! I’m a first-generation Iranian and speak both Farsi and English. I love cooking, traveling, and reading fiction. This summer our family went surfing in Cape Town and on a South African safari, and I always love swapping trip ideas if you ever need inspiration!

Give a little time, make a big impact - join a PTO Committee!

Check out the PTO committee descriptions! For all volunteers, 2025-2026 VIPS clearance is required.

Attention 5th grade Parents (and incoming Kinder students not zoned to Roberts), Phase 1 of the School Choice window opened December 9th, 2025 and closes on February 27th, 2026.

If you are planning to apply to a Vanguard/STEM/Fine Arts middle school or any middle school that is not your zoned campus, you will need to complete a School Choice transfer application when the window opens. Please see the attached flyer for a list of School Choice Fair dates to learn more about the different schools and their offerings. For more information on the School Choice process, please visit: the HISD School Choice website.

A student may receive up to three excused absences for attending tours following the protocol below:

• The student must be present at their enrolled campus during ADA.
• The parent must complete the survey at the touring campus and bring back documentation with tour date and time to the student’s enrolled campus upon return the following day.
• Excused absences will only be given for up to three different campuses.
• These excused absences will still be considered in the total number of absences for credit and plan purposes.

Come discover why Lanier Middle School stands out as one of HISD’s premier Vanguard Magnet campuses. Tours available select Thursdays and Tuesdays at 1PM.

Register for a Pershing fine arts magnet tour to hear about magnet opportunities for zoned students as well as accelerated academic pathways. Magnet tours are Thursdays at 1PM starting on November 6th and select Tuesdays at 10AM starting on November 11th.

Minted holiday cards offer a 20% discount and fundraising donation to the Roberts PTO if you use the code FUNDRAISEROBERTSPTO when buying.

Shop at Kroger? Link your Kroger shopper card with Roberts Elementary! Kroger gives the Roberts PTO $100s every year just for doing your grocery shopping through its Community Rewards program. What an easy way to help!