Robeson Elementary PTA

Robeson Families –

Welcome – or welcome back – to Robeson! We are writing to introduce ourselves as this year’s PTA board. We are delighted to serve you this year. In general, the PTA supports families and faculty and staff. We do this by planning events, organizing volunteers, supporting student activities, spoiling teachers, fundraising, and anything else we can think of!

How can you be informed?

• Join the Friends of Robeson Facebook page 
• Check this website regularly
• Join the Robeson MemberHub listserv 

How can you be involved?

• Come to meetings! No commitment needed. The PTA is just family members like you who want to be informed and improve the school experience however they can.
• Become a member! Dues are low ($6/person or $10/couple) and help us pay our state dues. Fill out the attached membership form and send it back with your student or bring it to the PTA meeting on Sept. 17. You can also pay online at https://robeson.memberhub.store/
• Join a committee! Some committees in need of assistance are hospitality, fallapalooza, social, book fair, playground, fun day, and more.
• Volunteer on an ad-hoc basis. Look for sign-up opportunities to donate items or time (as little as an hour) as they come up.

What do we have planned?

Here are two upcoming events. Go to our calendar for more events!

• The first PTA meeting is Monday, Sept. 17th; following the Robeson Open House. Open House is 5:30-6:30pm and the PTA meeting immediately follows from 6:30-7:30pm. We provide pizza and babysitting at every meeting. In addition to telling you about the PTA and introducing new staff members, we will be revealing new playground plans and asking for input on a fundraising campaign!
• Fallapalooza, our fall festival, will be Oct. 5, from 5:30-7:30pm. There will be food and games. It is a fundraiser as well as a community building event. Planning and executing takes a lot of hands, so email Kristi if you are able to help out.

Who are we?

Here are your board members this year. Contact us at any time! You also have a number of committee chairs at your disposal! To get in touch with any of the board members or committee chairs, email kristimcduffie [at] gmail.com

President – Kristi McDuffie
Treasurer – Suzanna Coats
Vice President – Karen Shelton
Secretary – Melissa Ames

Click below for a copy of this letter and our membership form:

Welcome Letter Aug 2018
Membership Form 2018

*edited 9/9/18 to reflect change of date/time for Open House and PTA meeting.

The PTA partners with School Kidz to offer School Supply Kits! These are all individually tailored to the teachers’ school supply lists at Robeson and offer parents and guardians an easy way to buy school supplies without running around to stores this summer.

Go to http://www.shopttkits.com/ and enter our school code 6535. Kits are delivered straight to your child’s classroom, so no need to worry about shipping, pick-up, or delivering the supplies.

These orders are due by June 10th – no late orders will be accepted! Be sure to order for NEXT year’s grade, as there are no refunds!

April 30 – May 6^th is Screen-Free Week, a nationwide event celebrated by schools, families, and other community groups each year. Studies show that children who watch less TV are more likely to read well and to be physically fit. Turning off screens also allows for more family time.

The Robeson PTA is supporting this initiative by:

1. Planning activities during screen free week (see attached calendar); and
2. Holding a drawing for prizes for students who are screen-free during this week.

Participating is simple; help your children find activities that do not depend on a tablet, computer, or television! Also, please join us during some of the activities we have planned for our school community.

Then help your child record their successes on the tracker below and return it after May 6^th to your teacher (teachers: please place these in the PTA box). The PTA will hold the drawing on May 10^th and award prizes to students who were successful at being screen-free. No need to be perfect – send in your tracker with all levels of success! School-related activities do not count.

Here is what we have planned:

Mon, April 30, 2:30-3:30pm: Ice cream in Robeson Park! The PTA will hand out small ice cream treats in Robeson Park (just West of the school). Stay and play with your school mates! It’s supposed to be sunny!

Tues, May 1, 4-6pm: Putt-putt at Old Orchard Mini-Golf. Mention Robeson Elementary for group discount of $3.50 per game (regular $6). PTA will hand out a small favor afterward.

Wed, May 2, 3pm-7pm: Enroll for next year! Robeson enrollment for the 2018-2019 school year will take place from 3-7pm, with kindergarten screening from 6-7pm. Stop by the PTA table to sign-up for the digital directory; you can even pay 2018-2019 dues electronically!

Thurs, May 3, 5:30-7:30pm: Fishing Derby at Colbert Park in Savoy. No experience or equipment required (but do bring your own rod & reel if you have them). Parent/guardian supervision required.

Fri, May 4: No planned activities. Ideas include: Read a book! Climb a tree. Ride a bike. Play a board game. Cook for your parents (with their permission)! Write a letter to a relative or pen pal. Play a pick-up game. Make a fort. Have a dance party. Blow bubbles.

Here are other events in the Champaign-Urbana Community:

• Tues, May 1, 7-9pm: Introduction to Model Rocketry at the Springer Cultural Center. Free!
• Wed, May 2, 4-5pm: Mini Kites DIY STEAM Event at Douglass Branch of Champaign Public Library
• Wed, May 2, 7:30-9:30pm: Cheap Skates at University of Illinois Ice Arena, $2 admission, $1 skate rental
• Thurs, May 3, 6:30-7:15pm: Family Yoga Night at Champaign Public Library. Bring a blanket or towel.
• Fri, May 4, 5-8pm: Family Fun Fridays at Marketplace Mall. Free carousel rides and other activities.
• Fri, May 4, 6pm: Illini Baseball Game – Free Admission to Ohio State game. Free BBQ to first 500 fans, free hot dogs, chips, and drinks for all after that. Event includes face painting and inflatables.
• Sat, May 5, 7am-12pm: Urbana’s Market at the Square, Farmer’s market includes numerous kid’s activities. This is the seasonal opening day!
• Sat, May 5, 11am: Llama Llama Loves to Read Story time at Barnes & Noble; play at the train table before story time; often includes a small snack!
• Sat, May 5, 2-5pm: Hessel Park Concert, Edison Middle School Bands. Enjoy the renovated park equipment while taking in the music! Bring a chair and a snack.
• Sat, May 5, 3pm-3:45pm: Elephant & Piggie Party at Champaign Public Library. Celebrate Children’s Book Week with Elephant & Piggie-themed activities!
• Sun, May 6: 1-3:30pm: Artifact Encounters at the Spurlock Museum. Visit during this family friendly event to touch artifacts, see exhibits, and play games.

Contact kristimcduffie [at] gmail.com with questions.

Robeson families and staff! ROBESON APPAREL IS HERE! The PTA is facilitating Robeson shirts for purchase. The link to our own ordering page is below. There is a ton of selection, in men’s, women’s, and children’s styles and sizes. The PTA earns a slim margin of the sales and purchases a shirt for new teachers.

https://stores.inksoft.com/robeson_elementary/shop/home

We want every student to have a t-shirt, so this year we have a new option: Sponsor a T-shirt. If you can, please purchase one or more of the “Donate a T-shirt” at the reduced rate. The school will distribute them to students who would not otherwise have one.

Just a couple of notes and updates!

1. This week concludes a successful Read Across America Week! Robeson had a number of special guest readers on Friday, and handed out free books to every student in the school. The attached flier shows how students celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday week.
2. The spring book fair is approaching! It happens during parent-teacher conferences. Only the spring book fair is BOGO (buy one get one free), so take advantage! Volunteers are needed to help run the book fair. See the calendar for details.
3. To go along with Read Across America, the PTA is introducing a Young Author’s Contest. All students are encouraged to submit. Details are below.
4. Multicultural Night has been scheduled for April 19th! All families are encouraged to get involved! See the newsletter and look for fliers for details.
5. Clubs are in full swing – Running Club, Drama Club, and Really Big Numbers Club. Keep looking for information on Facebook, in student folders, and in the newsletter. Let us know if you have questions!
6. The 5th grade blood drive was a success! Thanks to all who donated to help raise money for the 5th grade field trip (and to generally help the community)!

Young Author Contest

Do you love reading stories? Why not try writing one! This month students are encouraged to enter the Young Author Contest. Students may create an illustrated children’s book or a short story. New pieces or work completed in the 2017-2018 school year are eligible. Students should submit their work by 2 pm on Monday, March 26. The entry must include a cover page with the student’s full name, grade, and teacher. Submissions may be turned in to classroom teachers (teachers – please drop off submissions in the PTA mailbox).

All submissions must be the student’s original work. Peers and/or adults may assist with editing, like spelling and punctuation. All content must be age appropriate and in compliance with Robeson’s student conduct policies. Students may type or handwrite their stories. The entries will be evaluated on creativity, appropriate use of language, and story structure. There will be one winner per grade. If you have any questions or would like to help judge the students’ entries, please contact Melissa Ames at mames [at]eiu.edu.

Announcements!

PTA Meeting Nov. 28th

The next PTA meeting is Nov. 28th (note the change in date), 6-7pm, pizza and children. In addition to the standard business items (approving minutes, monthly budget, etc.), we will hear reports on the Otis Spukmeyer Fundraiser and the Scholastic Book Fair. Our main presentations will be from Principal Gaines on ALICE (active shooter response training) and a presenter from Be Smart For Kids on gun safety. See you then!

Cookie Pick-Up Dates

Cookie Dough will be delivered on 11/20. Pick up will be 2-6pm at Robeson. It arrives FROZEN and needs to picked up & delivered that day. You will receive a list of customers & orders. If your student rides the bus home please make arrangements to pick up the cookies at school unless they can carry it on the bus with them. Likewise, if you are out of town, make arrangements for someone to pick it up for you, as there is nowhere to store it and orders not picked up will be left outside the school that evening.