LET US HEAR FROM YOU

School P= hone: &= nbsp; &nbs= p; (713) 942-1460 = ; &n= bsp;

After Sc= hool Program: (713) 524-8430

Office Hours: &n= bsp; = ; 7:15 am – 4:15 pm

Web Site= : &= nbsp; &nbs= p; http://es.houstonisd.org/riveroakse= s

E-mail:<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:3'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; km= cbride@houstonisd.org

PTO webs= ite: &= nbsp; &nbs= p; http://www.riveroakspt= o.org

CALENDAR ITEMS

Nov 25	2^nd-Grade Play, 1:30 p.m.
Nov 26-28	Thanksgiving Holidays
Dec 8, 9, 11, 12	Magnet Tours
Dec 19	Dismissal at 12:45pm (Buses run at 12:45p.m.)
Dec 22- Jan 5	Winter Break

FROM THE DES= K OF … MS. MCBRIDE

Dear Parents,

It was exciting to see so many of you at the auction. Our school is what it is because of the support of our parents. ROE does not receive federal funding as many schools do. The support from PTO-sponsored events enables us to maintain our high level of education. Th= anks so much to all of the parents who worked so hard to hold this great event a= nd for everyone’s generosity.

Next week brings Thanksgiving break. We wil= l be closed Wednesday through Friday. Tutorials have begun for some students and more sessions will be added in the next two months. Teachers will communica= te with you should your child need this extra assistance.

A caution to those of you who are parking a= t the school— especially in the After School Program. We have had some vandalism and urge you not to leave anything of value in your car.

Fall Frenzy – A Fabu= lous Night!

The Fall Frenzy Auction Party was a great s= uccess and a fun evening! Thank you to all our guests, our volunteers, our donors = and our parents who supported the PTO by attending the event as well as bidding= on our selection of items! We are thrilled to report that we raised $100,000 on Auction night. Approximately $15,000 of this total will be dedicated to the Library building effort. The remaining funds raised support our PTO general operating budget giving us the ability to fund educational tools and progra= ms, enhancements to our physical property, and enrichment opportunities for our children and teachers!

Of course we could not have achieved this g= reat accomplishment without the support of all our volunteers. But I would like = to personally thank several individuals that stepped up to lead our teams of volunteers, making up our Auction Leadership team that kept this effort on track for the past 12 weeks:

Kathy Lipman – Venue/Decorations

Kathy Doyle and Fr= ances Moore-Jones – Donations

<= /p>

Sandra Ahlhorn and= Ann Guerra – Publicity/Ticket Sales

Kristin Helfand &#= 8211; Sponsorships/Underwriting

Mary Lynn Lunn = 211; Checkout/Post Auction activities

Thanks for your support of ROE’s larg= est annual fundraiser! It has been my pleasure to partner with all of you on be= half of our children. – Debra Kenna, PTO President

Missed the Auction?

Even if you missed this year's auction, you= don't have to miss the fun. There are a few spots still available for some Great Gatherings and Teacher Socials. See the flyer coming home today! —Amy Rasmussen

Fall Frenzy Poster Winners!

The auction committee would like to thank a= ll of you that made posters to advertise the auction. The 4th and 5th graders of = the Mini-UN judged them and the winners are as follows:

The kindergarten winner is Kaia Luik.

The first grade wi= nner is Allie Guerra.

The second grade w= inner is Divij Perumalla.

The third grade wi= nner is Elizabeth Awad.

The fourth grade w= inner is Stephanie Chang.

The fifth grade wi= nner is Betsy Broaddus.

Each of the winners received a $5 gift certificate to Amy's Ice Cream.

Brownie Troop Action<= /o:p>

In support of HISD’s relationship wit= h the scouting association, we will be a drop off site for anyone who would like = to donate food for the SPCA. A box will be located across from the cafeteria entrance around the corner from the office door during the weeks of Novembe= r 10–21. All donations of food for dogs, cats, birds, gerbils and hamsters will be picked up and delivered to the SPCA.

March of Dimes Reading Champions Program

The March of Dimes Reading Champions progra= m will conclude on Nov= ember 13, 2008. If your child has participated, please make sure he/she returns the envelope to school by November 18, 2008. All students who read and turn in= an envelope documenting their reading will receive a certificate acknowledging their participation, whether they collect any money or not. HISD Central Re= gion has set a 100% participation goal for every school. Please help River Oaks = meet that goal!

Odyssey of the Mind
Volunteers Needed

Are you curious to know what the excitement= is all about? Would you like to see first-hand how much fun the teams of ROE k= ids are having with Odyssey of the Mind? Do you want to know more about the pro= gram before signing up your child next year?

The ROE Spontaneous Workshop is scheduled f= or Saturday, December 13^th, from 8:30–12:30.

This is a great time to volunteer and be a = time keeper in a classroom while teams try to solve problems creatively for poin= ts. If you are interested, you must be available from 8:00-8:30 for training and 8:30-12:30 for the workshop. Snacks will be provided= ! Please contact Sarah Slemmons at sslemmons@yahoo.com.

The ROE Exploratorium will be going on concurrently in the cafeteria from 8:30–12:30. This is a kind of carnival of creative activities and scientific principles that kids can explore and learn either as a team or alone. Please consider volunteering for this event and find out how much fun Odyssey of the Mind c= an be. Contact Elisa Donovan at elisadonovan@comcast.net.

PYP Parent Night TONIGHT =

We hope to see all of our parents tonight f= or PYP Parent Night— highlighting our partnership with WaterAid America. Representatives from the organization will be here to celebrate and honor t= he work that our current 3^rd and 4^th grade students did = to support WaterAid. Nationally recognized child entertainer, Charlie Williams, will be here to give parents a highlight of the assembly that students will experience tomorrow for World Toilet Day. All parents are encouraged to com= e! Parent Night will begin at 6 p.m. Childcare for school-aged children will be available.

Lost and Found<= /span>

Please check the lost and found for your child’s missing items. We will donate any unclaimed articles to the <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Galveston clothing= drive on Wednesday, November 26^th. Thank you.

Middle School Parent Infor= mation

Magnet and Vanguard applications are availa= ble on the HISD website. Packets of information needed to complete those applicati= ons are being compiled for your convenience and will be sent home on Tuesday, November 25, 200= 8. Please make copies of everything inside for your records before submitting = your applications.

As you know, the students have taken the Na= glieri Nonverbal Ability Test (2^nd Edition) and those scores should be available in mid-December. They will be forwarded to you when they arrive i= n our building.

I know some of the kids were concerned that= there were more questions on the NNAT2 than had been on the previous version. I w= ent to a conference session with Dr. Naglieri last week and got the opportunity= to ask him about that. The reason for the additional items within the same time frame is to allow a larger range of scores and to enable a top score of 160= now instead of 150. It wasn’t a detriment to have those additional proble= ms, but simply allowed for a higher ceiling on the test.

In addition, teacher recommendations for Va= nguard will be completed online. If you are applying to a Vanguard middle school a= nd need a copy of your child’s form, please send a request to md= ahlqui@houstonisd.org after December 8= , 2008. Do not contact your child’s teacher directly for a Vanguard recommendation form. The recommendation will be placed in the required seal= ed envelope, signed, and sent home to you through your child.

Yearbook=

T= he yearbook committee would like to request pictures from everyone from the FU= N RUN or any event that your child has been involved in at school.

So, please submit your pictures (flash drives, cd’s) by dropping them into the Yearbook Locker, or via the website:

https://images.jostens.com?user=3D1190901&pw= =3Dyearbook or feel free to e-mail me at pashalady1@yahoo.com=

Y= earbooks will be going on sale soon, as well as dedications to go into the book, so = look for more information!

Exhibition 2009=

As part of the Standards and Practices of t= he International Baccalaureate Program, in the final year of the program, all students complete a program-specific project that allows them to demonstrate a consolidation of their learning. In the Primary Years Program, that project= is called Exhibition.

At this time we will begin recruiting paren= ts and community members to mentor a small group of students during the inquiry process. Mentors help students with gathering resources, note-taking, plann= ing for and implementing action projects, etc. We invite and encourage all pare= nts to mentor, even if your child is not a current 5^th grader. Howev= er, parents of current 5^th graders are not allowed to mentor in their own child’s homeroom.

Mentors will meet with a small group of stu= dents for at least one hour a week beginning the week after spring break through = the first week of May. If you are interested in being a mentor for the exhibiti= on, please email Liz Goodman (agoodman@houstonisd.o= rg) as soon as possible! You need no expert abilities to be a mentor, just a willingness to support students in their work!

We would like to get the mentors confirmed = as soon as possible. We will have a mentor meeting in January to prepare you f= or the work you will do with our students. Thank you in advance for all of the support you will give to our 5^th graders! –Liz Goodman, IB= PYP Coordinator

From Nurse Petner

Ms. Petner’s mailbox is the place for “found” eyeglasses. Currently I have a pair that is pink framed= and a pair that is brown framed and say “X-Games Super Mudslide.” Please check if you have lost yours.

School Pictures=

There will be no re-takes for school pictur= es this fall. We will be taking individual pictures again in the spring.