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September
18 |
Picture Day |
|
September
21 |
Sally Foster/Entertainment Book/Otis Spunkmeyer
orders due |
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October
10 |
ROE Fun Run |
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November
6 |
Fall Frenzy |
From the desk of Mrs. shenker
We have an amazing staff at
I am forwarding a chart that shows memb= ers of the administrative team and their respective functions. I am very thankful = to work with such a talented staff. Please feel free to contact us as needed.
Remember that if you are planning to volunteer with our school in any capacity, you must register with the district. Please check with t= he front desk if you are unsure whether your registration is current.
HISD recently conducted a traffic surve= y for our school. Once the results = are in, we will use this information to guide our long-range plans for traffic flow. I appreciate the assistance of Robert Mock in this effort.
Please help us during dismissal by prev= enting the return of your child to the building once they are in your care. Also, children may only be p= icked up by car in the circular drive and the Avalon loading areas. If you have parked your car and wi= sh to meet your child on foot, please meet your child at the walkers’ area.= I appreciate your continued efforts in creating a safe dismissal process. Hav= e a great week!
ROE Fun Run
Calling all Runners! The FUN RUN is soon
approaching! In 4 Saturdays we will be lining up and taking off.
We are still looking for volunteers! We=
need
at least 30-40 people to make this a great event. From set up, to clean up =
crew
to handing out water, we need you.
= &nb= sp;
Sally Foster
This is the last week to sell Sally Fos= ter, Entertainment books, and cookie dough. All orders are due <= /span>next Monday, September 21st. Please return to the Sally Foster locker at t= he end of the Kindergarten hallway. There is = a link on the ROE PTO website for Sally Foster under Activities, <= /span>http://roepto.org/sally-foster-fu= ndraiser/. Hopefully, this can answer most of your questions. If not, please contact m= e, murphtak@comcast.net.
Also, you do not need to collect tax on= any of the items. Make checks payable to ROE PTO. Payment is due at the time you turn the order in. -Laura Fertak
Fall Frenzy – Auction Donatio= ns Needed
The Fall Frenzy is back and right aroun= d the corner. This fundraiser makes it possible for ROE PTO to purchase supplies = and services to benefit your children.
We need your help with donations of all= kinds for the silent and live auctions.
-Do you know a business that wou= ld like to make tax-deductible donations of items, gift certificates, or servi= ces? You’d be surprised how many say yes.
-Do you have a connection to som= eone that would offer a unique experience for a family or child? It can be ge= eky…geologists, artists, marine biologists. Or, sporty…first pitch, sailing ra= ce, meet an NFL player. Maybe, even daring…skydiving, rock climbin= g.
-Do you have connections to stay away camps that offer off-season activities? How about a vacation home or cabin? Or fun day trip activities?
-Do you have terrific tickets to
theatre or sporting events/ Access to cooking, language or exercise classes=
?
If you can think of it, we need it! Use= the donor form coming home this week for your submissions. Please contact Franc= es Moore-Jones with any questions: fmj@TranslatedPhrase.com .
Flu Update from nurse petner
We are all coughing into our elbows and washing our hands every chance we get. We have had two presumed cases of fl= u that were not confirmed by culture.
If your child has flu-like symptoms (fe= ver of 100 or above, body aches, sore throat, lack of appetite, weakness, headache, coughing or chills), we are asking you to keep them home. They may return to school when they are fever free for 24 hours without the aid of a fever-reducing medication. Student’s temperatures will be checked upon return to school.
The HISD Health Department is tracking = cases in the district, so if your child is out with the flu (either seasonal or H= 1N1), please call or email me with the following info:
· Date of flu onset
· Was the child in school at the time of onset= ?
· Child’s name and DOB
· Parent’s name, Address, Zip, Phone
· Name and address of doctor
· Was case confirmed by a physician?
My email address is jpetn= er@houstonisd.org or you can reach me by calling the school.
roe art news
Thanks to all parents/caregivers who ha= ve brought so many talented students into our Art classes this year. I am hear= ing more and more about art that they are involved in before and after school, = and their summer activities and travels have really enriched them. We are all f= ull of energy and making as many connections through visual art as we= can with the IB POI (unit planners). Watch for: portrait photography from 5th g= rade students, self-portrait ceramic masks from 4th graders, 3rd grade: original board games, including themes of Rights and Responsibilities; 2nd grade: illuminated lettering and profile (positive attribute words) on handmade sk= etch journals; 1st grade: Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover (handmade "book"), of course; and our very "hands outstretched" a= nd open minded Kindergarten with drawings about Community Helpers and vis= ions of peace in the world.
Calling all summertime ROE artist= s:
HISD Central District needs finished ar= twork ASAP!! If any of our incredibly talented ROE students have finished (matted= and framed in black or silver frames: up to 24" x 30"), flat artwork completed over the summer, I would appreciate your bringing it to me (Ms. Lieber) in the Art room one morning this week, by Sept. 24th . I must select the artwork and give it to our principal, Mrs. Shenker, who will view the work and deliver it to the new Central Region Visual Arts Gallery.= The artworks will hang in the gallery there for the entire semester so they wil= l be viewed by hundreds of people. Additionally, I will need a signed (by a pare= nt) photo release that I will provide for you for the artwork that is selected = and will be on view through early January, 2010. That artwork will be returned = to ROE and a second exhibit will be from mid January through May. Any work tha= t is not selected for Central District will be displayed at ROE for the following months.
Calling all 5th Grade Artists= :
In order to honor the great talent that= will be leaving ROE at the end of this school year, plans are in the works for a showcase of artwork in December at Ms. Lieber's home gallery. Each 5th grade student who submits a hangable (framed) drawing, painting, photograph, etc.= of their own work will be invited to a holiday time show and sale (with refreshments, certainly!). Students who sell their work at the gallery will keep the money from the sale as an incentive to produce more art! Special invitations to those students who are participating (and their families) wi= ll be sent out in November. The show will be photographed so that we can share= the exhibit with our ROE families.
Don't forget about International Day of Peace, Monday, September 21st. Weather permitting, we will have some Pinwhe= els for Peace on display on Circle Drive!! Thanks and keep your eyes on ART!! - Ms. Lieber
R.O.E Odyssey News
The Odyssey of the Mind (=
OotM)
engine is revved up and ready to go at ROE for 2009-2010. Last year, nine of
our teams made it to State Finals, and five teams advanced to World Finals =
in
These next few days Miche= le Dahlquist will visit 2nd to 5th grade classrooms, describing the kind of fun the children can expect by joining OotM. Look for information and a sign-up sheet in the green folder. And if you are new to = the Odyssey program, please plan to attend one of the two Parent Awareness Meet= ings on Friday, Sept. 18th, from 8:00-9:00 a.m. or 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Questions? Feel free to ask any co= ach from last year, but also talk to Michele Dahlquist (mdahlquist@hisd.org) or OotM volunteer coordinator, Sarah Slemmons= (sslemmons@yahoo.com). You may enjoy looking at the official OotM international website at www.o= dysseyofthemind.org. If you already know your child wants to join OotM, just email the specifics= to Michele.
Calling all Parents to= Coach!!! Odyssey of the Mind can’t operate without coaches. Each year there are more children = interested in joining a team, and not enough parents that coach. Sadly, some children don’t get the chance to join. The only way to guarantee your child is= on a team is to coach! See below for ways to find out more!
Coach Awareness: An Introduction to OotM: Tuesday, September 22, 6:30-7:30
New This Year: Coach Workshop!!!Saturday, October 3rd at ROE 9:00-12:00
Odyssey of the mind World News
All Five ROE Teams Placed in Top 12!=
!!!
Congratulations to all five River Oaks
Elementary teams who advanced to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in
Problem #2: “Teach Yer Creatur=
e”
- Fifth Grade Team -
Problem #3: “Lost Labors of
Heracles” - Fifth Grade Team
Problem #4: “Shock Waves”=
; -
Fourth Grade Team
Problem #5: “Superstition̶=
1; -
Fourth Grade Team -
Problem
#5: Superstition - Third Grade Team -
Birthday Party Policy
As our students’ birthdays approa= ch, we know many of you want to provide a way for the children to celebrate at sch= ool with their classmates. In keeping with the state’s continuing efforts= to provide guidance on school nutrition, we would like to ask that birthday tr= eats for sharing please be non-edible choices. Please send in pencils, party fav= ors, etc. rather than food. We have many students with severe food allergies and edible treats can present complications. If you do send food items, they MU= ST be individually wrapped and they will be sent home with the students for pa= rent approval, not consumed in school. We love to celebrate this special day with our students, so please help us follow our state guidelines by limiting foo= ds of minimal nutritional value.
Words Their Way
Words their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction
I’m sure you have looked at your child’s spelling when he/she is writing and lamented at the invented spelling that you see being used. These errors, however, contain much information that can be used as diagnostic tools to determine exactly what your child understands about spelling words in the English language.&nb= sp; The research on spelling instruction indicates that these attempts a= re not random, but follow distinct patterns of using and confusing the convent= ions of our language. Over the pas= t couple of weeks, our teachers have been administering spelling inventories, analyz= ing their students’ spelling patterns, and carefully observing each child= ’s writing to determine the stage of spelling instruction in which they are functioning. We are cur= rently in the process of forming instructional groups based on these tools.
Words Their Way, or Word Study, as this method of spelling instruction is called, is based on three decades of rese= arch on orthographic development. According to this research, there are distinct developmental stages students and adults go through to move from recognition of letter/sound correspondence, to elements of alphabetic patterns, to word meaning. Instea= d of all students having the same list of words and merely memorizing them each week, the students are placed at their developmental level and move forward from that entry point. They e= xplore and examine their words to discover the patterns, regularities, and convent= ions of our language. The children= will each have their own sets of words to sort during the week. In this way, they are using a hand= s-on, manipulative approach to comparing, contrasting, and making generalizations about whole groups of words and their similarities. Examining the patterns in sounds a= nd single syllable words provides the necessary foundation for analyzing larger words as we go along, just as studying math facts builds the foundation for higher level mathematics studies.
This is how it will work: Each week, every group will be giv= en a different set of words, based on the needs of the group and designed to fol= low a scope and sequence that allows them to systematically include every patte= rn of spelling in the English language as they move through the stages across their years in our school. St= udents will categorize their words in sorts, as categorizing is the way our brains make meaning. Sorting allows = the students to engage in the active process of comparing, contrasting, and analyzing – all higher order thinking skills. The students will organize what th= ey know about the words and form generalizations that they can apply to unfami= liar words they encounter in their reading and writing. Rather than simply memorizing the week’s words for the spelling test, which they often promptly forget, they have the opportunity to construct meaning for themselves that can be applied to both reading and writing. =
Finally, for this program to be truly meaningful, students will use these words to link spelling instruction to phonics and vocabulary in the actual texts they are reading in school and at home. This provides the best possible connections in order to develop accurate recognition of words in reading and production of words in writing. Becoming fully literate is depende= nt upon the quick, accurate recall of words in texts and quick, accurate production of words in writing so that readers can focus their full attenti= on on making meaning.
Our teachers are working hard to put th= is program into place. As with a= ny new endeavor, we will be working together as grade level teams and across the grades as well to develop our routines.&nb= sp; Students will be asked to do sorting at home to practice. I want to reiterate that this is n= ot just about memorizing words and bypassing the sorting. That is where the connections are made. Our kindergarten teache= rs are exploring the beginnings of the program and are determining how it will fit into their curriculum. Spelli= ng instruction, per se, has not typically started at the kindergarten level at our school, = but this program has such a strong literacy base that it dovetails beautifully = with what kindergarten already does. Our fifth grade is piloting the Spelling for Writers kits. This program is also research base= d and differentiated for different levels of learners. They have received focused directi= on on the implementation of this program from the Great Source company representa= tive who will continue to engage in ongoing communication as they have questions= and comments about the kits. Our continuing action research on the needs of our students will help drive the= ir use of this program. Thank yo= u for your support as we organize ourselves for developmentally appropriate spelling instruction.
RIVER OAKS ELEMENTARY
“Where Discovery is Elementary&=
#8221;
September 15, 2009