Robinson Elementary School
Principal's Newsletter - September 5, 2025

Family Portal
Spirit Days ~ October 29th & 30th
On October 29th, we welcome our Robinson and Roland Green students to celebrate Comfy Cozy Day by wearing their most coziest clothes of all! Please ensure that all comfy clothing is appropriate for school and will create a distraction-free environment for your student and others.
On October 30th, we have a special spirit day for our Robinson students and welcome them to celebrate Fall Colors Day by wearing clothing that reflects the colors of fall.
Please note that if you celebrate Halloween - costumes, masks, props, etc. are not permitted in the building.
Early Literacy Letters ~ Grades 1 & 2
We are writing to share information about one of the ways your student in grades K-3 will be assessed in reading this year. Our teachers have many ways to check your student’s reading development and growth, including an early literacy universal screening assessment. Early literacy screeners are brief assessments that provide information about your student’s early reading skills. Screening makes it possible to see if a student is at risk of developing reading di culties, including risk of dyslexia. Screening does not diagnose dyslexia or other disabilities, but it does help us to understand which students may need additional support to be successful readers. We are required to assess students in grades K-3 at least twice a year consistent with Massachusetts Regulation 603 CMR 28.03(1)(f).
Our district uses a screening assessment called Fastbridge. It is one of several screening assessments approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Your student will be assessed three times during the school year. The screening takes place during fall (beginning of the year), winter (mid-year), and spring (end of the year).
Following the screening assessment, a team at our school will review all students’ results. If your student scores “high risk/signi cantly below benchmark,” we will contact you within 30 school days of testing, to discuss how we can support your student. A letter will be mailed home detailing the level and frequency of the intervention.
Screening is another step that helps students at our school become pro cient readers, and we are grateful for the continued support and partnership with the Robinson families. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Lifetouch Picture Retake Day ~ November 5th
Please complete the Google Form linked below to let us know if your student will be taking a picture retake on November 5th.
MESA Robinson Food Drive
iCARE Reading Program
Would you like to read in classrooms at the Roland Green preschool and our two elementary
schools in town and at the same time teach kids about their special need peers? Then
volunteering for the iCARE disability program is something you should consider.
The iCARE Disability Awareness program, which stands for Introducing Children to Acceptance
through Reading and Education, is looking for volunteers who can read books about special
needs to all the classrooms in the preschool and elementary schools to help teach our typically
developing kids about their special-needs peers. If you are interested in volunteering, it can be
very rewarding and can take as little as half an hour of your time. The only thing needed for this
job is the wish to promote acceptance in all people. Training to be an iCARE volunteer is
provided.
Readings start in January and follow a 6 week schedule at all three schools so please contact
me now and get started on a very rewarding volunteer experience.
Please contact Kim Piro at kimpiro20@gmail.com or at 781-630-0463
A Message From Our Nurses
🐾Pawsitively Kind Award🐾
Our students continue to work and strive to "be like Bentley and Missy" and demonstrate acts of kindness, safe choices, and responsible behavior throughout our school. We are proud to present this week's recipients. Bentley is our School Resource Officers' assistance dog and makes routine appearances throughout our district. Missy is our school counselor's assistance dog and works at Robinson every day!
Audrey Aronstein- Mrs. Livingstone
"Audrey is so kind and a caring classmate and friend. She makes our classroom and school a better place."
Penelope McCue - Mrs. Robertson
"Penelope is always following expectations in the classroom and throughout the building. She is an excellent role model to her peers."
Brooklyn Harding- Mrs. Conley
"Brooklyn is a very sweet, kind, and caring student. She noticed a classmate feeling sad and invited them over to sit near her on the rug and was kind and supportive to this friend. Keep up the good work, Brooklyn!"
Every Day Matters! ~ Focus on Attendance
Attendance, even at the early elementary level, is critical for students academically, socially,
emotionally, and behaviorally. Chronic absenteeism is defined by the state of Massachusetts as a
student who has missed 10% or more of the school year. This means that by the end of the 180
days of school, the child would have accumulated 18 or more absences. This is equivalent to missing the entire month of November!
Unfortunately, being frequently absent has an impact on a child's ability to make progress with the
grade level curriculum and it negatively impacts growth. There is nothing that we can provide your
child that will replace daily instruction and learning opportunities in the classroom, and while we
always try to catch a child up, once significantly behind, it can be very difficult to do so. Our
teachers and specialists devote incredible amounts of time to working with students who are
absent. While some absences are unavoidable, we are asking parents to closely monitor the time
that your child is missing class and consider ways to improve attendance.
At Robinson, we closely monitor the attendance of our students. There are several periods during
the school year when attendance letters are mailed home. We kindly ask that if you receive a letter,
you try to take steps to ensure your child is in school as much as possible between now and the
end of the school year. Some things you can do to improve school attendance:
1. Avoid traveling outside of school vacation weeks: We urge you to really reconsider removing
your child from instruction to take a vacation. This is puts your child at a disadvantage- even if
they are a higher achieving student- because they will have missed new content and will have
gaps. We do not excuse absences for travel.
2. Get to the heart of school avoidance: Some children need more of a push to get out the door in
the morning. We are working hard to make school a place that children want to be, and we rely
on parents to share worries, fears, and concerns that a child may have that they may not be
showing us. If your child is demonstrating school avoidance, we want to help and support
them so that they want to come to school. Please be in touch with your child’s teacher if you
need help and support getting your child happily to school.
3. Take steps to stay healthy: If your child seems to catch everything that is going around, take
steps to minimize the spread of germs. Remind your child that we will allow him/her to wash
hands whenever they like. Getting sick IS a part of being a young child, and we cannot
eliminate that, but if your child has missed a lot of school this year due to illness, think about
what steps you might be able to take to make him/her less likely to continue to catch illnesses.
📚Curriculum Corner📚
Want to know what your student is working on in math? As we enter into our year 2 implementation of the Reveal Math program, here is a peek at what your student will be learning. Please click on the link below that connects to their grade level and check out the information for the unit they are working on.
Want to know what your student is working on in literacy? As we enter into our year 1 implementation of the Wonders literacy program, here is a peek at what your student will be learning. Please click on the link below that connects to their grade level and check out the information for the unit they are working on.
Whole School Expectations ~ Being Kind, Safe & Responsible
🎯Social-Emotional Target ~ Self-Awareness🎯
The focus in each grade over the next several weeks within our social emotional curriculum will be on Self-Awareness. Self-Awareness is a measure of how accurately learners can recognize their feelings and thoughts and learn to understand how those influence their behavior. . After completing the lessons, students should be able to:
Kindergarten
- Label basic emotions and recognize some complex emotions (e.g., embarrassment, frustration, nervousness)
- Express and share their feelings in a variety of ways including through speaking, writing, drawing, and role play
- Demonstrate confidence in their own abilities
- Begin to recognize that others have different thoughts and feelings
Grade 1
- Label their own emotions
- Realize the passing or changing nature of feelings
- Recognize that emotions can affect their behavior and vice versa
- Label the physical effects of emotions in their body
Grade 2
- Recognize and label their feelings
- Describe their emotions and the situations that cause them (triggers)
- Recognize intensity levels of their emotions
- Recognize how emotions can change
- Recognize how thoughts are linked with emotions and emotions are linked to behavior
🥶Outdoor Recess & Colder/Hotter Weather🥵
Students should dress appropriately for the weather as we try to get students outside for recess as
much as possible. This may include going outside during periods of light rain and/or light snow
when temperatures make it safe to do so. We will reference the chart below to monitor the safety of
the outdoor temperature prior to going outside for recess. In the colder weather students should be prepared with appropriate clothing such as jackets/coats, hats, and mittens/gloves. There are many adults in the cafeteria to assist students with their cold weather gear.
Parent / Guardian Volunteers
A reminder that all parent/guardian volunteers must have a current CORI on file with Mansfield Public Schools. It is important to note that volunteer CORI checks are now good for 3 years.
- When filling out the new CORI Form, please click on the link CORI Form
- Bring your completed form with your photo ID to any school office or the Human Resources office at the Town Hall during business hours.
- An approved staff member will verify the application to the ID of the applicant. We can no longer accept a completed form sent in with a copy of your ID, this must be done in person by the applicant.
- Please allow at least 2 weeks processing.
Massachusetts Literacy for Families
🥛Robinson Lunch Menu🥪
Mental Health Resources for Students & Families
MESA ~ Mansfield Elementary School Association
What's Happening Around Town...
Community Event
Join Us for the 1st Annual Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics All Treats, No Tricks!
We created this special event for children who may find traditional Halloween celebrations overwhelming because of loud noises, flashing lights, crowds, or scary decorations. Our goal is to provide a fun, festive, and comfortable Halloween experience where every child can participate at their own pace. Before trick-or-treating begins, children will have the opportunity to enjoy a few simple games and activities. Then, they’ll make their way from “house” to “house” (our exam rooms) to collect treats. All treats will be non-food items.
Please sign up here.
We can’t wait to celebrate Halloween with you and your little ones!
~ The Boo Crew at Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric Associates
⚡Inclement Weather Information☔
K-2 DELAY SCHEDULE:
If there is a 1-Hour delay, school will begin at 10:00 AM
If there is a 90-minute delay, school will begin at 10:30 AM
If there is a 2-hour delay, school will begin at 11:00 AM
🎉Robinson & Roland Green Spirit Days🎉
📆Important Dates✅
November 3rd ~ NO SCHOOL (Professional Development Day)
November 11th ~ NO SCHOOL (Veteran's Day)
November 25th ~ Early Release for students (Thanksgiving Break)
November 26th & 27th ~ NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)
December 3rd ~ Early Release for students (afternoon and evening parent conferences)
December 4th ~ Early Release for students (afternoon parent conferences)
December 24th-January 3rd ~ NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)
January 4th ~ Students return to school from winter break
January 18th ~ NO SCHOOL (Martin Luther King Day)
January 27th ~ Early Release for students (Professional Development Day)
School Start Times & Early Release Times
School Hours:
All Grades - 9:00 AM - 3:10 PM
Student Supervision
Breakfast - 8:45 AM (Cafeteria)
Walker Dismissal Times:
Kindergarten - 3:10 PM
Grade 2 - 3:11 PM
Grade 1 - 3:12 PM
Half Day Dismissal
9:00 AM -12:15 PM
Lunch is served on half days
Half Day Walker Dismissal Times:
Kindergarten - 12:15 PM
Grade 2 -12:16 PM
Grade 1 -12:17 PM
Office Hours:
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Employment Opportunities at Robinson
- Per-Diem Substitute Teachers - felicia.frank@mansfieldschools.com
- Per Diem Substitute Paraprofessionals - felicia.frank@mansfieldschools.com
Robinson Administrative Team
Mr. Ryan Gentili, Principal
ryan.gentili@mansfieldschools.com
508-261-7513
Mrs. Felicia Frank-Souza, Assistant Principal
felicia.frank@mansfieldschools.com
508-261-7510
Mrs. Melisa Foster, Director of Elementary Special Education
melisa.foster@mansfieldschools.com
508-261-7513