Roberts Elementary School

As part of the HMH Into Reading program, Ms. Medeiros’s fifth-grade class read and acted out Helen Hanna’s Readers’ Theater, The Miracle of Spring. Students learned about the elements of drama and analyzed how they worked in the play. They also made props to bring the story to life. Readers’ Theater gives students a fun way to build reading fluency and expressiveness and helps strengthen comprehension and teamwork.

October is Fire Prevention Month! To celebrate and learn more about fire safety, our Kindergarten and first grade students had a visit from the Medford Fire Department and their interactive mobile safety smoke house. It was a great opportunity for students to meet our local firefighters and learn about the equipment they wear, fire trucks, and how to stay safe in an emergency.

The 5th grade student council has been hard at work! Ms. DePasquale has been working with students to plan many community-based projects. They’re making fidgets for a fundraiser that will take place during the first week of November to support the Veterans Home. They’re also preparing a skit about assertiveness for the next whole-school meeting. This month's Spirit Day will be held on Friday, October 30th. The theme will be "Fall Fest." Each grade has been assigned a color and the grade level showing the most school spirit will be recognized.

In the moment, managing emotions can feel so overwhelming. These simple tips and strategies will help you navigate these moments with your child, building your child’s capacity to manage their emotions.

• Stay calm- Your quiet voice and calm tone will help your child regulate. Yelling will only escalate him or her further.

• Name and validate the emotion- Oftentimes, your child just wants to be heard. Naming and validating their emotions is a good first step to regulation. (“You look mad. It’s okay to be mad” or “You don’t want to stop playing" or "I hear you.”)

• Guide your child with coping strategies- Some strategies you can try include deep breathing (“smell the flower, blow out the candle” or five-finger breathing), counting to ten slowly, or offering a hug.

• Wait until your child is calm to problem solve, correct, or provide consequences- these steps require more advanced thinking that is unavailable to kids when they are experiencing big emotions.

In addition, make sure that you are modeling these skills for your child. When kids see their parents naming their emotions and practicing positive coping skills, it normalizes the process. You can say, “I’m frustrated right now, so I need to take some deep breaths” or “I’m feeling anxious, I’m going to go for a walk.” You can also develop family “coping cards” with each family member’s preferred coping strategies and keep them in a central location like on the fridge. (For example, “Mom’s coping skills: Listen to music, go for a walk, call a friend”).

Please feel free to reach out to them at any time with questions or concerns. They can be reached by email at counselors-res@medford.k12.ma.us or by phone (Mrs. Fazzina can be reached at ext. 4518 and Mrs. Labelle at ext. 4516).

The Roberts School continues to partner with the Medford Police Department (MPD) to ensure our students are safe during arrival and dismissal times. Please see the Roberts School traffic guidelines below:

• Vehicles dropping students off may only use the designated area on Park Street.
• Students are reminded to enter/exit a car's right passenger side and follow the crossing guards directions.
• PARKING ON THE SIDEWALK IS NOT ALLOWED (Additional signage has been added).
• Please be respectful of our neighbors and DO NOT block their driveways.
• ONLY school buses, approved vans, or those requiring handicap access may use the Court Street bus area for loading and unloading (Additional signage has been added).

• During arrival (8:00-8:45 ) and dismissal (2:15-2:45) the traffic pattern is one way around the school. Court Street (one-way); Park Street (one-way from the Fellsway to Salem Street).
• Tainter Street (from Court to Park) is only accessible to school staff. Vehicles may continue to take a left at Tainter (from Court) to Fulton Street.
• The Park Street loop entrance and the parking lot entrance on Court Street will be closed to all traffic. Parents and guardians MAY NOT park in the Park Street loop with their child, and wait for the bell. This area is designated as staff parking.

Below are the Medford Public Schools Illness Guidelines as a reference for determining whether you should keep your child home if they aren't feeling well.

GENERAL ILLNESS : Students/Staff may return to school/work when:

COVID-19 POSITIVE TEST, SYMPTOMS: Please call your school nurse to discuss your return to school guidance based on the most current district, state, and national guidelines.

FEVER-FREE without medicine for 24 hours.

VOMITING OR DIARRHEA has not occurred during the last 24 hours and small meals are able to be tolerated.

ANTIBIOTICS: 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotics for any physician diagnosed illness, such as an ear infection, pink eye, strep throat, or pneumonia.

School breakfast and lunch will be FREE for all students in the Medford Public Schools. Each student can receive one breakfast and one lunch free of charge. Additional meals are available for purchase. Payments may still be made via check (preferred) or cash submitted to cafeteria personnel in the schools. Or you can sign up for an account at family.schoolcafe.com to manage student meal accounts online.

The breakfast program operates from 8:10 - 8:25 a.m. Students should go directly to the cafeteria upon arrival to school. School breakfast includes fruit or vegetables, whole grains and protein.

If your child requires medical meal accommodations, please contact the Food Service office at 781-393-2241 or meals@medford.k12.ma.us.

We encourage all families to participate in our school breakfast and lunch program this year!

Please keep in mind there is one official way to call in an absence:

(781) 393-2155 then press 1

If you call the absence in this way, we will input this and you can avoid receiving the messages from the school district.

This time of the year can be busy and schedules and routines often change as a result. It is best to try to minimize changes for children, and this also means to keep attendance in school consistent. If dismissal routines are changing for any reason, please alert the classroom teacher.

Our adjustment counselors, Ms. Labelle (slabelle@medford.k12.ma.us) and Mr. DiClemente (mdiclemente@medford.k12.ma.us) are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding your child's attendance.

Walking Wednesdays: Every Wed in Oct

Election Day- NO SCHOOL- November 3

Election Day Bake Sale: Nov 3

Veterans Day- NO SCHOOL- November 11

Picture Retake Day- November 12

The mission of the Rockin' Roberts PTO is to establish a close relationship between the Roberts Elementary School and parents by providing opportunities for the community to be more involved through: communication, family/student programs, fundraising, and opportunities to volunteer​.

PTO Executive Committee

Executive Chair: Rebecca Gutwin

Treasurer: Eric Robinson

Secretary: Krishna Casey

Members at large- Naina Fox, Phil Marathakis

You can contact the PTO via email at Medfordrobertspto@gmail.com

Check out the new Medford Public Schools mobile app, which will help students and families stay up to date with news updates, lunch menus, the school calendar and more. Download the mobile application today from the App Store or Google Play Store.