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; sgo= lden@houstonisd.org

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

CALENDAR ITEMS

September 1	K-2^nd Open House, 6:30 pm
September 2	3^rd -5^th, Open House, 6:= 30 pm
September 3	Volunteer Expo, 7:45 am
September 4	College Colors Day

From the desk of Mrs. shenker

Thank you to= all students, parents, and staff for the warm welcome to River Oaks Elementary School. What an amazing= place for learning! As I walk the halls of this historic building, I am continual= ly impressed by the quality of instruction and the depth of commitment to children. I look forward to working with you as we continue the tradition of academic excellence.

We already h= ave a reason to celebrate! The Texas Business and Education Coalition designated River Oaks Elementary as one of its Honor Roll schools. This award is based= on the impressive commended performance levels of 2009 TAKS. Congratulations to students and teachers for this accomplishment!

I want to th= ank the administrative team for their leadership in starting the new school year. T= hey worked tirelessly to enable a smooth opening. I am fortunate to work with s= uch a talented staff.

I am very ex= cited about the bright future of our school. I hope to get to know each of you in= the coming months as we share ideas and dream together. Away we go!

From Nurse Petner

CDC’s = new flu guidance for schools applies to any flu virus circulating during the 2009-2= 010 school year, not only 2009 H1N1 flu. The new guidance recognizes the need to balance the risks of illness among students and staff with the benefits of keeping students in school.

Based on the= current flu conditions, students and staff with flu-like illness must stay home at least 24 hours after they no long have fever or signs of fever. This should= be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). This is a shorter time period from the previous guidance which recommended that sick students and staff stay home 7 days after symptoms begin.

CDC and othe= r public health agencies will be monitoring national data on the number of people who seek care for a flu-like illness as well as the geographic spread of flu-li= ke

<= /o:p>

illness in o= rder to advise state and local agencies about the severity level of the flu.

Parents are = advised to be prepared for care of their child with the flu for seven days if it is determined the flu has reached severe levels. For now, join us in teaching = your child about hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers and about learning = to not touch their t-zone (eyes, nose and mouth). Also, remind them to use a tissue for sneezing and coughing. If they don’t have a tissue, they c= an cough or sneeze into their elbow or shoulder, not their hands.

Signs and sy= mptoms of the flu include fever (100°F or 37.8° C or greater), cough, sore throat, a = runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people m= ay also vomit or have diarrhea.

Join us for the Volunteer Expo and Orientation

Looking for a = way to get involved? New to the school?

Or are you already part of the ROE comm= unity but still looking for just the right spot to make a difference?

Here is your chance! Come and join us on Thursday, September 3rd at 7:45 am in the Cafeteria to learn how to get registered as a Volunteer with HISD and to meet many of the Event and Commi= ttee chairs. This is a great opportunity to peruse all the volunteer needs at ROE and find the one that best fits your talents and your schedule.

-Sara Bloome, Volunteer co-chair

ROE Directory

= The deadlines are fast approaching for the ROE Directory! If you want to guarantee a spot for your Spirit Ad or Business Ad, please submit it by Wednesday Sept 2 -- that's tomorrow! We'll = take late submissions through Sept 11 on a space-available basis. Order your ad through the ROE Store and email = your ad to spiritads@riveroakspto.org <= /span>

-Maria Onufrow= and the Directory team.

From the ROE Store

We have notice= d over the summer that many parents have created new usernames at the Store. Please note that wherever we have found duplicate entries for a child, we have kept the latest account, whenever possible and disabled the older one. Only exception to the single-account rule is for parents with two households, th= ey can maintain separate usernames for the same children. Also, accounts that = are not associated with a child. As a result, you may be missing directory entries. The school directory is not only used by all parents, it is used by all teachers and staff as well. Please help us keep it accurate.

Ple= ase login and verify your directory entry, click on My Profile, check that your Directory status is "OK" and that you have added any new siblings that start this year. It takes less than two minutes to verify for yourself. The cut-off for the printed directory listings is now pushed to Midnight= Friday , Sept 4th. For your convenience,= we will print a list of everyone's directory status by class and publish on the PTO notice board in the Kindergarten area, Thursday, Sept. 3rd and Friday, Sept. 4th. Any updates need to be made online. Thank you to all the volunteers who put it together

-Li= lian Wannall = storemanager@riveroakspto.org.

College= Colors DaY

One of the district-wide initiatives of the Houston Independent School = District is to encourage higher education as a goal for all our students and to have events and displays in our schools to remind them that college is something= for which they should all strive. River Oaks Elementary will be participa= ting in College Colors Day to keep college on the minds of our young people! &nb= sp;

College Colo= rs Day, which coincides with both “back to school” and the kick-off of intercollegiate athletics, seeks to celebrate and promote the traditions and spirit that make the college traditions great by encouraging fans, alumni a= nd students to wear apparel of their favorite college throughout the day of Friday, Septe= mber 4, 2009.

College Colo= rs Day strives to promote higher education in the = United States through increas= ed public awareness and celebrates the achievements of colleges and universities, acknowledging their critical and fundamental importance.

We would lik= e to encourage all our students to participate and to wear shirts from their favorite college or to dress in that school’s colors. Our staff will be participating as well, and a prize will be given to the teacher who= is the MOST FANATIC FAN! So let’s all show our spirit and support = for higher education this Friday by participating in College Colors Day! =

Sally Foster Update

The Sally Fost= er parent letter did not make it home with the packets. Please watch for= it in the next few days. Important note, the fundraiser ends and orders = are due on Monday, September 21st.&nbs= p; If you have an online order, the ROE account number is 285670.

.Join = us for the Volunteer Expo and Orientation

Looking for = a way to get involved? New to the school? Or are you already part of the ROE communi= ty but still looking for just the right spot to make a difference? Here is your chance! Come and join us on Thursday, September 3rd at 7:45 am in the Cafet= eria to learn how to get registered as a volunteer with HISD and to meet many of= the event and committee chairs. This is a great opportunity to peruse all the volunteer needs at ROE and find the one that best fits your talents and your schedule.

-Sara Bloome, Volunteer co chair

GT Webinars on Wednesdays!

The National Association for Gifted Ch= ildren is offering a new opportunity for parents and teachers. WOW, or Webinars on Wednesdays, brings high quality professional development to = your desktop. You’ll experience the live WOW sessions via the Internet with the ability to listen, view slides, access handouts, and pose questions to presenters, as well as interact with other participants virtually. Just = visit http://www.nagc.org/wow.aspx to register. Designed for classr= oom teachers, counselors, graduate students, parents, G/T coordinators, and administrators, NAGC’s Webinars On Wednesdays will bring top-notch educational content direct to you. In the convenience of your home or office you will be virtually connected to experts in the field who will share practical advice, as well as updates on the latest issues in gifted educati= on. The seminars are on the 2^{nd
and 4^th Wednesdays and there will be a special Parent Night once=
a
month. The first Parent Night=
will
be September 16^th,}Back to School. Back to Gifted.= with Robin Schader, NAGC Parent Resource Advisor. Registration opens = on September 3^rd for this event.

–Michele Dahl= quist

Please join us for OPEN HOUSE!

Don’t forget that we have Open H= ouse tonight from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. for grades K-2! We will start in the cafeteria so y= ou can meet our new Principal, Susan Shenker, and hear about our state accountabil= ity rating. Then you will spend t= ime with the teachers learning about the programs and routines. Kindergarten teachers will meet to= gether with all parents in the music room after Mrs. Shenker’s short introductory remarks. First g= rade parents will remain in the cafeteria to meet with the first grade team. 2^nd grade parents will = meet in the individual classrooms with their teachers.

We repeat the entire event on Wednesday night (same time, same place) for grades 3-5. After the brief meeting in the cafeteria, all parents will report to their child’s classroom. Please remember that Open House is= not a time for individual conferences. We have only been in school a week and are still getting to know the children! Since there simply isn’t room and seating for all the students and parents at the same t= ime, babysitting will be provided for school age children. Thank you again for y= our continuing support of the educational program here at ROE! We look forward to seeing you! = &nb= sp; -Michele Dahlquist

August Birthdays

10&n= bsp; Debbie McLau= ghlin

18&n= bsp; Ruth Beery

22&n= bsp; Michelle Var= a

23&n= bsp; Paul Rainn

25&n= bsp; Donna Bennet= t

25 Katie Morgan

September Birthdays

15&n= bsp; Christine Pa= ris

23&n= bsp; Megan Henry<= o:p>

26 Leonor Munoz=