Robeson Elementary

Enrichment For All

Enrichment for All provides project-based STEM/ STEAM learning opportunities for all K-5 students around science, math and literacy curricula. All projects follow the engineering process.

What are 21^st century skills? They consist of four critical areas for development: collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. These provide a framework for learning by teaching the core social emotional skills needed to be successful in school, work and in life.

Project-based STEM/STEAM provides the ideal environment for learning and practicing these skills on a daily basis. K-5 teachers and I collaborate to identify topics on which to structure our projects.

Examples of projects include:

• 1^st graders were challenged to use a variety of materials to create the safest house for their little pig - after reading several version of The Three Little Pigs - and put it to the test against the Big Bad Wolf (a hairdryer in a wolf costume).
• 3rd grader Westward Expansion STEM in which students were challenged to make temporary shelters, covered wagons and rafts to ford the river for our paper pioneers. We even tested our rafts with the covered wagons and pioneers on top on the open water in Robeson Park.
• 2^nd grade focused their beginning of the year Enrichment on data collection and graphs which has supported their STEM in the classroom as they engineer better designs and test them.
• Fifth grade teams will be challenged to design and create obstacles-using the engineering design probes and their knowledge of simple machines-for a mini golf hole. Together, a fully functional 18-hole miniature golf course will be created and shared with the school.

School Climate

The Robeson staff works hard to make all our students and their families feel welcome and to maintain a positive, supportive school environment.

Each month begins with a school-wide assembly and students strive to be recognized both individually and by class for meeting school expectations. Monthly incentives focus on celebrating community and sometimes include a service project. These are aligned with PBIS, Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support. You may also hear members of the school community refer to restorative practices, more information about this framework can be found at the following websites: IBARJ and IIRP.

The Champaign Unit 4 Student Code of Conduct can be found here. "Champaign Unit 4 Student Code of Conduct"

Student Services

• Robeson uses a multi-tiered system of support that you may hear referred to as RtI (Response to Intervention) or MTSS. This system integrates the student, family, teacher and support personnel to meet the academic, as well as, social-emotional needs of students.

• Tutoring is provided by University of Illinois students in the America Counts program. Kids Plus, the after school program, also offers a homework lab for students who participate in the program.

• Student Clubs & Activities: Band & Strings, Running Club, Drama Club and Really Big Numbers Club (RBNC), just to name a few!

Technology

We are helping to prepare students for 21st Century Learning Experiences and the 1:1 environment that Unit 4 provides. We are a Google district and school. You will see this reflected in the applications students use frequently and the devices we support. Students have access to computers and Wi-Fi Internet access throughout the school. Students in Kindergarten through fifth grade have access to Chromebooks in the classroom. Every second, third, fourth, and fifth grade student at Robeson has an individually assigned Chromebook that they use throughout the school day. All instructional spaces have interactive SMART Boards and document cameras.

Another unique and exciting offering at Robeson is our Spatial-Temporal (ST) Math program. ST Math is the leading program in visual math instruction and represents the highest quality and most effective blended learning math solution in K-12 education.

Created by the MIND Research Institute, a nonprofit organization, ST Math is game-based instructional software for our Kindergarten through 5th Grade students and is designed to boost math comprehension, confidence, and proficiency through visual learning. The ST Math software games use interactive, graphically-rich animations that visually represent mathematical concepts to improve conceptual understanding and problem solving skills. Every student at Robeson accesses ST Math 60-90 minutes per week during the school day. Students are also able to access the software outside of school on any Internet-connected tablet or computer.

Mentoring & Volunteering

The C-U One-to-One Mentoring program is an excellent opportunity for community volunteers to train to be a mentor to one of the selected students. Mentoring is about building relationships of trust between a young person and an adult for the purpose of providing support, encouragement, and guidance. Mentors do indeed make a difference in the lives of young people.

Classroom volunteers are vital to student success here at Robeson. We average over 180 hours of in-school volunteer work each month. We welcome parents, community members, and college students to volunteer at Robeson. We can't do it without YOU!