May 27, 2014 | Volume 6, Issue 19

Roberts Elementary Newsletter

The FRONTPAGE

Thank you one and all Tuesday, May 27

6:30pm: 5th Grade promotion

ceremony

Wednesday, May 28

3:30pm: Kinder Piano Recital

4th Grade Greek festival

Thursday, May 29

Last day of classes

Report cards go home

8:14am: Roberts Idol Show

3:30-4:30pm: Lost and found

clean-out

Friday, May 30

Last day of school for teachers

Teacher preparation day

Thursday, Aug. 21

3pm: Meet the Teacher

4pm: PTO Ice Cream Social and

Opportunity Fair

Saturday, Aug. 23

9-11am: Kindergarten Playdate

Monday, Aug. 25

First Day of School

8:05am: Welcome Back Coffee

Roberts’ 5th Grade presents

“Aladin Jr.” See page 3.

Dear Parents, Guardians, Teachers, Staff and Friends of Roberts Elementary,

This has been an incredible year for Roberts Elementary and for the Roberts PTO!

Honors have come Roberts’ way, as the #12 highest ranked elementary in the

Children at Risk report, an A rating from Niche, and as the #2 most "selective"

elementary school in Houston, according to General Academics.

I know all the parents are thankful for the wonderful teachers and administration at

Roberts. On the flip side, the Roberts staff, teachers and students are equally thank-

ful for the Roberts PTO. Thanks to your support, the Roberts PTO has had an amaz-

ing fund-raising year. We have been able to give in ways that make the school even

more successful.

At the beginning of the year, we asked you to give time and money and you respond-

ed! We raised more than enough money to fund our budget, and we will be funding

special projects with the library, grounds and technology over the summer. You also

responded with your time -- over 250 hours were contributed on Carnival Day alone!

As we head into the summer, it's worth reminding you of all the PTO (that's you!) has

accomplished. This includes the Welcome Social for Kindergartners, Back to

School Ice Cream Social, grade-level welcome coffees, Roberts Campout, PA-

DRES work days, Community Nights, International Festival, Roberts Auction,

Roberts Carnival, new computers and iPads, landscaping, teacher training, IB

support, magnet enrichment, teacher appreciation lunches, and staff support.

YOU did this! Thank you!

You have provided hours of volunteer work through stuffing Tuesday folders, lami-

nating worksheets, copying homework packets, monitoring the lunchroom, do-

nating auction items, chaperoning field trips, shelving books, pulling weeds,

harvesting vegetables, sewing costumes, organizing class parties, serving

500+ meals at community nights, hauling school supplies, cleaning up after

Carnival, decorating for Auction, and so much more. YOU did this! Thank you!

On a personal note, I'd like to express what an honor it has been to be your PTO

President this year. I'm proud to have had the opportunity to serve the school in this

way. Thanks especially to Philip, Winifred, Harry and Cecily for putting up with a

messy house and lots of frozen food; next year will be easier, I promise! And thank

you to the Roberts administration, the PTO Elected Officers, the PTO Board and the

PADRES for their leadership and support.

The Roberts PTO will be in the most capable hands of Kelly Wehrer, incoming Presi-

dent, and Denise Metry, incoming President-Elect. I look forward to the year to

come, and I encourage you all to be a part of it! Sincerely, Courtney Tardy

The FRONTPAGE

… no, thank you, Courtney A HUGE thank you to Courtney Tardy, our PTO Presi-dent for 2013-14. Her leadership kept us on track and helped us have a very successful year. From preparing over the summer for all the August welcome events and the directory, to fundraising and event planning all year long, lots of meetings and late nights and early mornings, her hard work, extreme talents, and dedica-tion were crucial to ensuring Roberts continues to be a wonderful place to be every day for students, teachers and staff. When you see Courtney this week, give her a high five and say "Thanks!" Sincerely, Kelly Wehrer

And, heck, thank us too!

The PTO would like to thank Front Page Editor Tom Fowler and the Front Page team -- Warren Rawson, Ka-vitha Tamerisa and Jianli Li -- for another amazing year of weekly news and coverage of Roberts events. Tom and his team work weekends to bring parents the latest information about Roberts. It's a full-team effort, and we thank them heartily for their hard work and job well done! Enjoy your summer off, Front Page team! -- Courtney Tardy

Roberts boys take part in symphony Centennial Four Roberts boys sang with the Houston Symphony and other choirs earlier this month as part of Houston Boychoir. Matthew Zhang (5

th), Matin Ibar-

ra (5th), Steven Frisby (4

th) and Leland Gossett (3

th)

sang the Mahler Symphony No. 8 (also called “Symphony of a Thousand”), conducted by the great Christoph Eschenbach, marking the end of the 100

th season of the Houston Symphony. Houston Boy-

choir is the place for boys (8-12yrs) who are interested in music and singing. For audition, please call 281.484.1560 or email info@houstonboychoir.org.

Robert’s Junior Girl Scout Troop 25290 recently celebrated the upcoming end of the school year with a bowling party at Palace Lanes. During this school year the girls completed the Amuse Journey and earned several awards, including the Detective and Camping badges. Next year the troop will focus on earning the Bronze Award, providing community service and earning other fun badges. Pictured first row: Sadie Anderson, Lola Somera, Juliana Pratt and Hailey Higdon. top row: Stella Carleton, Lanie Delgado, Sarabel Weiss,Azeale Gannaway, Olivia

Scott, Dana Bofil, Rosie Vanunu and Gabby Besnard.

Needed: Extra Roberts t-shirts

The front office keeps a small stash of Roberts red t-shirts for kids to borrow for field trip days if they forget theirs. We need more, in good con-dition, sizes Youth Med- Large and adult smalls. So if your child has out-grown theirs, you are moving on to middle school...please consider donating it back to the school. Send it into the front office with a note indicating your donation.

Girl Scout Troop 25294 came out to support Roberts cancer survivor, Regina Verner at the Making Strides Break Cancer Walk at Reliant Stadium on May 10.

PAGE 2

The FRONTPAGE

PAGE 3

A Memorial

Day salute Before school on

Friday, May 23, a

large crowd of

Roberts students,

parents, faculty

and staff gath-

ered around the

flag pole to pay

tribute to Ameri-

ca's Armed Forc-

es. Led by Ms.

Sauer, whose

son US Marine

Corps Lcpl Matthew Sauer Medlicott lost his life in

the service, and Roberts Boy Scouts, the crowd paid

their respects to all those who have devoted their lives

to serving the country.

It’s a whole new world for Roberts Elementary as we closed

our first season of musical theatre productions. “Aladdin, Jr.,”

the grand finale of the season, was presented by all 110

5th graders, who brought adults and kids alike to their feet,

sweeping the audience into an exotic world of daring adven-

ture, classic comedy and timeless romance.

Our adaptation of the Disney film came to life at Rice Universi-

ty’s Hamman Hall on Thursday, May 22, with Pramit

De and Melanie Stanton co-starring as Aladdin and Jasmine.

The two mesmerized the audience with a magic carpet ride

while Ian Dessauer and William Lee delivered brilliant per-

formances as the nefarious villain, Jafar, and Razoul. Luke Al

Jamal as the Genie, and Samantha Kelly as Iago lightened

the mood with perfect comedic timing. Ammon Saha played

Sultan with confidence and poise. Narrators Disha Chatter-

jee, Safia Khan, Maggie Murrey-Ittman, Delia Pas-

tore and Winifred Tardy kept the audiences entranced. The

host of princes, dancers, townspeople, guards and royal party

anchored the show with thrilling and bold choreography, while

the stage crew created a set and costumes that enchanted the

eyes with an explosion of color. Bravo!

The 5th

grade presents: Aladdin Jr.

Editor: Tom Fowler Layout Design: Jianli Li, Kavitha Tamerisa Shenoy Associate Editor/writer: Warren Rawson Published by: The Roberts PTO

The deadline for Front Page items is noon on the Thursday before the Tuesday issue.

Content received after this deadline will be put in the following week’s issue.

Contact robertsfp@gmail.com. Have a date to put on the Web site calendar?

Email roberts.info.services@gmail.com with the details. Published by Roberts PTO.

Thursday, Aug. 21, 3pm - 4pm: Meet the Teacher

This is an important time for your child to have a chance to see their classroom and to meet their teacher. The time spent

in the new classroom will help make the first day back to school a much easier transition for both parent and child. Ancil-

lary teachers will be in their classrooms so that you can meet them. Parents will also be able to take care of many details

to get school started on the right foot. Parents will be able to register as a field trip and school volunteer, pay for lunches,

and update / enter their information in the school directory.

4pm- 5pm: PTO Ice Cream Social and Opportunity Fair

Enjoy a cool treat while you visit the PTO Opportunity Fair under the covered playground. The after school specialty pro-

gram artists in residence will be onsite so that you can visit with instructors and learn more about the opportunities for

your child. Specialty forms will be in your first day packet, but no registration or payments will be accepted that day.

The PTO committees will also have booths set up so that you can learn about the different ways the PTO supports and

enriches the school and hopefully help you find a way to donate your time and talents.

The school store will also be open for you to buy all your Roberts gear and supplies. The afternoon will conclude with an

Ice Cream Social featuring free ice cream and water.

Monday, Aug, 25: First Day of School and PTO Welcome Back Coffee

Drop off your students and then join us in the Roberts cafe for coffee and snacks from 8--9:15am. Whether you mourn or

celebrate the beginning of the new school year, let's do it together!

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 6:30pm: Kinder-Grade 2 Curriculum Information Night

Thursday, Sept. 11, 6:30pm: Grade 3--5 Curriculum Information Night

Curriculum night is one of the most important events for parents to attend. You will learn about the curriculum goals for

the school year, how to monitor your child's grades, and how to access the class blog to stay in touch with what your

child is learning.

Please note that this is a parent only event and no child-care will be provided at the school.

Adopt a bed at the International Garden

Grades K-2 harvested veggies, including lettuce, carrots, kale, beans, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, summer squash and baby melons, after a productive Spring in the International Garden. Why not exercise your green thumb this summer and adopt a bed in the garden? Veggies that grow well in the Houston heat include arugula, basil, beans, cucumber, eggplant and okra. All we request is that you keep your bed tidy and weed free while under your care. Interested or need more information? Email pauline.ward@hccs.edu by June 2.

Some very important Back to School 2014 dates