Dear Robles Elementary School Families,

As we usher in the month of April, I wanted to reach out to you with some important information regarding the upcoming Arizona's AASA testing for students in grades 3rd to 5th. These assessments are crucial in providing insight into your child's academic progress and help us tailor our teaching methods to better support their growth. Not only is it meaningful for your students but the results of these assessments determine the letter grades that are assigned to schools.

The AASA testing will be conducted throughout the month of April, and it is essential that your child is adequately prepared. To ensure success, here are some suggestions on what parents can do at home to help their children on test day:

Establish a Consistent Routine: Encourage your child to establish a consistent study routine at home. A good night's sleep is crucial for optimal cognitive function and concentration during the exams. Then, get up early, so they do not have to rush in the morning to get to school, as this sets a tone for their day.

Encourage Healthy Habits: It is important that they are eating their breakfast, lunch, and dinner; they need that fuel for their brains. Here at school we will provide them with breakfast and lunch.

Stay Positive and Encouraging: Offer words of encouragement and support to your child throughout their preparation. Remind them that their best effort is what truly matters, and reassure them that you believe in their abilities.

Additionally, I want to remind you about the Arizona Move On When Reading Requirement. This initiative aims to ensure that all students are proficient in reading by the end of third grade. If your child is currently in third grade, they will complete the AASA Reading Fluency Assessment, in April. We will be notified of their results in early May, and will reach out if your child did not meet the requirement.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the AASA testing or the Move On When Reading Requirement, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or our school administration. Your partnership is invaluable in supporting your child's academic journey.

Thank you for your continued support, and together, we will ensure the success of all our students.

Warm regards,

Dustie Gunn-Ader

Dustie Gunn-Ader, MAED; MBA
Principal
Robles Elementary School

4th Graders Learning New Skills

Ms. Hannah Chiong & Ms. Nibsa Esquer

In fourth grade, our focus for English Language Arts has shifted from learning how to read into reading comprehension skills. Our students have taken on the challenge this year, learning to analyze point of view, identify main ideas, and understand text and graphic features in an informational text, among many other important skills. Students have also been learning how to write more complex sentences with colorful language and how to plan a paragraph. They are putting all of the reading and writing skills they’ve learned to the test through reading comprehension and writing.

In math, students have learned a wide variety of topics. This year, we learned about measurements, area, and perimeter. We also worked with multi-digit mathematical operations, including addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Students were introduced to long division, and then came back to geometry, where we learned to measure angles, identify lines, and classify triangles. We are deep into fractions, learning about finding equivalents, comparing the size of fractions, and performing mathematical operations with them.

In addition to Math and ELA, we are learning about lots of exciting topics in Science and Social Studies. For Science, we have learned about animal adaptations, energy and magnets, Earth’s systems, natural disasters, the water cycle, and more. In Social Studies, we have learned about American history starting in prehistoric times. Students learned theories of how the earliest people reached the Americas, studied Native tribes, and learned about the Age of Exploration. We will finish the year out with the colonies, and leave the students prepared to learn about the American Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States in 5th grade.

This school year has flown by, and we are having a great time in fourth grade! We are excited to continue learning new skills and topics, and reviewing those that students have already learned as we near the end of our school year.

Robles 5th Grade Students

Ted Walker Youth Day Review

Written by our 5th grade gifted students

On Jan. 25, 2024, we went to Old Tucson for Ted Walker Days. One of the attractions we went to was the Iron Door Mine, another was Phoebe’s candy store. We also watched the Annie Can Can-Can Show, it’s a really funny play. There was a gun show where they shoot each other with fake guns, they also jump off buildings and they don’t get hurt. It’s very cool.

After that, we went to the gift shop and bought our stuff, then we went to lunch. We had to wait for the rest of the groups. For lunch, we had ham and cheese sandwiches, vegetables with ranch, and fruit punch. After lunch we waited for the guy to call our school and then went on the buses. The bus ride back to school was super fun. Overall, the field trip was very fun and historically educational because of the different booths that you can visit.

We think schools should attend this event because it was a very enjoyable and exciting experience for us. We are sure if you asked 3rd and 4th grade they would agree this was very enjoyable too. We are sure that younger grades will love this experience. We really hope our school continues to participate in this exciting  and fun event.

By Amanda V., Aliza B., and Camden P.