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Robinwood Elementary presents daily 30‑minute 'ROAR' block and multi‑grade PLCs to Franklin board
Summary
Robinwood staff showcased a daily 30-minute ROAR instructional block planned through vertical professional learning communities (PLCs); presenters described data sources, fluid groupings, cross-grade mentoring and supports for students with disabilities.
Robinwood Elementary principal Lydia Sessing and staff presented to the Franklin Board of Education on Feb. 18 to describe a daily 30-minute instructional block called ROAR and the vertical professional learning communities that plan and staff it.
Linda (district staff) introduced Sessing and said Robinwood’s last-year report listed an enrollment of about 437 students, 14.2% students with disabilities, 8.7% open enrollment and roughly 23% economic disadvantage. Sessing’s team emphasized that ROAR time is planned to meet individual student needs through multi-grade groupings and frequent reflection by teachers.
Teachers explained that vertical PLCs bring together adjacent grade levels (for example, 4K–K–1, 2–3, 4–5) at least monthly to pre-plan ROAR groupings so multiple adults (regular classroom teachers, CrossCat staff, interventionists, ELL teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, school psychologists, social workers and instructional coaches) can provide targeted supports. Staff said they use AIMSweb assessments, grade-level diagnostics and SBAC/Sabre screener SEL data to create fluid groups, and that groups often shift as student needs change.
Presenters described peer mentoring programs in which older students read with younger ones and applied the model to math, enrichment clubs and advanced problem solving. One teacher recounted a mentoring moment as “so emotional” when a student said, “I can’t wait to tell my parents,” after serving as a mentor. Students in short videos and on-stage Q&A described practicing fluency, answering comprehension questions and growing pride in their progress.
Board members asked whether the 30-minute ROAR block is districtwide; staff said most elementary schools operate some form of MLSS/flex time at grade level, but Robinwood’s vertical multi-grade PLC model is unique to a few schools at present. Staff confirmed students with special needs are included in ROAR groupings and that cross-cat teachers and related services participate in planning and delivery.
The board did not take action. Members praised the program’s student leadership and data-driven approach and photographed the Robinwood team before proceeding to the meeting’s business agenda.
