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The Twain Times
A weekly newsletter from Mark Twain Elementary School |
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Mark Your Calendar |
September
9/20 - Spooky T-shirt Design deadline
9/20 - Berryhill Spirit Day - All Day
9/21 - Chess classes begin
9/22 - Yearbook cover contest deadline
9/22 - Kinder Pizza Party, 5:30-7:00pm
9/22 - Deadline for Great Gifts Fall Fundraiser
9/22 - Workroom Volunteers Meet
9/26 - Art a la Carte meeting for K-2, 8:00am
9/27 - All Parent Meeting, 6:30pm
9/28 - Art a la Carte meeting for 3-5, 8:00am
9/29 - Entertainment Book Sale begins (ends 10/4) |
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Thank You to Our
2011-2012
Corporate Sponsors | |
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 | September 20, 2011 | |
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Dear Parents,
This week will hopefully bring us some cooler weather and with the drop in temperature jackets and sweaters come out of the closets!! We received a call last week asking if the dress code applies to outerwear. We prefer sweaters to be red, white or blue since they are worn inside the building. Jackets may be whatever color or style you would like. Remember, the last Friday of the month is Free Dress Day and students can wear event t-shirts every Friday. On the days that your child has PE, please make sure they are wearing appropriate shoes for physical activities.
This Wednesday, September 21st is the International Day of Peace. Peace Day was first established by the United Nations in 1981. Schools across the country will be participating in some way on Wednesday. If you were at Twain last year you may remember the beautiful Peace Wall that each class contributed to. We will be doing the same activity this year. You can find out more about the International Day of Peace by going to www.internationaldayofpeace.org. If you are interested in doing a follow up with your child Wednesday evening, I have listed several books that you may want to get to facilitate that conversation.
"Can You Say Peace?" by Karen Katz
"Peace on Day" by Jeremy Gilley
"The Peace Book" by Todd Parr
If you were able to attend Open House last week you received some information about field trip donations. Each grade level has determined an amount that will cover entrance fees and buses for the year. If you would like to make a donation, please see your child's teacher. I look forward to seeing all of you at the All Parent Meeting on Tuesday, September 27th.
Have a great week!
Melissa Patin
Principal
mpatin@houstonisd.org
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| Message from our PTO President | |
Dear Mark Twain Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend (and the rain) and was able to make the International Dinner last night at Mark Twain! By now your child's class is probably planning the class "get to know you" party where parents and children gather and meet to build community within the classroom. It is a wonderful tradition and one that really helps jumpstart what sometimes turns into lasting family connections.
We also have the All Parent Meeting next week (Tuesday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m.) where Principal Patin and I will be presenting on the state of the school and PTO. This is another opportunity, in addition to the monthly PTO meetings (on the first Tuesday of each month), to learn about what's going on at Mark Twain Elementary for the 2011-2012 school year and how the PTO operates to support the school. I do hope to see many of you at this event. Childcare will be provided (for potty trained children over the age of 3).
This is also one last reminder to turn in your Gift Queen personalized item order forms this week. There are many great gift ideas and you can see samples in the rotunda display cases. As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Tonight is also our Berryhill Spirit Night! Come and join us at Berryhill at 5110 Buffalo Speedway at Westpark and all day a portion of the proceeds will benefit Mark Twain Elementary. Click here to print out the flyer to bring with you, go to our website or mention Mark Twain Elementary when ordering.
Thank you for ongoing support whether through volunteer hours, monetary donations and/or helping to ensure our children are successful in their educational endeavors. It is greatly appreciated!
Best,
Deanna Sheaffer, President
Mark Twain PTO: United We Build Community
deannasheaffer@yahoo.com
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| TODAY is Spirit Day at Berryhill, September 20th | | |
 Come and join us ALL DAY TODAY at Berryhill at 5110 Buffalo Speedway at Westpark. ALL DAY, Tuesday, September 20th a portion of the proceeds will benefit Mark Twain Elementary. Click here to print out the flyer to bring with you or mention Mark Twain Elementary when ordering. Visit online at www.berryhillbajagrill.com or call 713-667-8226.
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| Great Gifts Fall Fundraiser Coming to a Close! | | |
 Don't be left holding an empty bag! Don't delay, sale ends this Thursday, September 22nd! There are great gifts for everyone on your list for the upcoming holidays and birthdays! The best part is it supports Mark Twain PTO!
5th Grade Parents, the traveler bag (aka dopp kit) on the fundraiser makes a great bag for your kids to take on the camp out in October! Perfect for travel anywhere - camp, slumber parties, vacations, the gym, etc...they make great gifts too! Be sure to indicate on your order form that this is for the 5th Grade Camp Out so that you'll have it back in time for the camp out.
Completed order forms and payments can be turned in to the parent workroom. All orders will be delivered to your child's class in November before the Thanksgiving break.
Samples of many of the items are now on display in the library windows near the front office. Check them out and order today!
Still have questions? Contact Kris Edelheit at GiftQueen@aol.com or 713.666.9404.
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| Kindergarten Pizza Party, Sept. 22nd, 5:30pm | | |
All Kindergarteners and their families are invited to join us for a Pizza Party on Thursday, September 22nd from 5:30-7pm. Cost is $4 per person (which includes a slice of pizza, drink and dessert; additional slices can be purchased for $1). Siblings are welcome!
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| Workroom Volunteers Needed - Everyone Welcome | |
We would like to help our teachers in the workroom with tasks such as laminating, cutting, gluing etc. We will meet each Thursday at 8:00 am in the teacher workroom. A big thanks to all who came last Thursday. The teachers really appreciate the help! Contact Shelley Rota for any questions at shelleyrota@hotmail.com.
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| Art a la Carte Meetings | | |
Please join me in the cafeteria for an informational meeting regarding our parent driven art program! Get involved in your child's classroom and have some fun as well! The first meeting will focus on kindergarten-second grade and will be held on Monday, September 26th at 8:00 am. The second meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 28th at 8:00 am and will look at the third-fifth grade lessons. Samples of lesson products will be shown. If you have any questions, please contact me, Suzy Brown, at brown.suzy@comcast.net.
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| Spooky Spaghetti is October 22nd, 4-8pm | | |
 The t-shirt design competition is underway! Students may enter their artwork to help design this year's Spooky Spaghetti t-shirt. There will be prizes given to the overall winner, as well as, a winner for each grade level. Competition deadline is TODAY, Tuesday, September 20th at 3pm and the winners will be announced on Friday, September 23rd. Guidelines for the t-shirt design are as follows:
There is a limit of one design submission per student, using markers or bold crayons with a maximum of five colors. Please include your name, grade and teacher on the back. If you would like it returned to you, write "return" on the back.
 A special thanks goes out to The Chocolate Bar for providing the prizes for the winners of the t-shirt contest.
Pre-order your tickets, wristbands and t-shirts to avoid the lines at the event beginning September 26th.
Please look for your class booth volunteer sign up sheet outside your classroom. Parent volunteer participation is an integral part of the event's success so please sign up early.
Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to volunteer and to everyone who has offered your generators for the event.
For other volunteer opportunities and generator loans, please contact Jenny Hanks at j_hanks@att.net or Allyson Plummer at allysontplummer@yahoo.com.
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| Yearbook News for 2011-2012 | |
Yearbook Cover Contest - Win a Free Yearbook
It's competition time! The student competition for this year's yearbook cover design starts now. We need your artwork so the Contest Committee can choose the most creative and unique artwork that best demonstrates our theme:
- Twain Tales: Artwork should show our school and what it means to you, other students and the community.
- Deadline: Entries must be received by 9/22/2011 by 3:00 pm. Please place entries in the brightly covered box in the front hallway.
- Artwork: Must be on 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper in portrait orientation. Artwork should be bright and colorful and reflect our theme: Twain Tales. You must put your name, grade and teacher's name on the back of the artwork.
- Questions?: email: marktwainyearbook@yahoo.com or call 713.256.0852
Yearbook News: Free Personalization offer is now over
The cost of the yearbook is $28.00 and if you would like it personalized, it will be an additional $4.00. We have already sold more than half of the yearbooks, don't be left out. Order yours today!
Back to School Photos Needed!
Did you take pictures of your kids first day of school? Please send them to the yearbook directors at marktwainyearbook@yahoo.com or you may copy them to a drive or cd and place them in the yearbook box in the parent workroom.
Photos throughout the School Year
Remember, in order to have a great yearbook we need your pictures. Please send them throughout the year. When submitting photos, please advise us of the grade and teacher. Thank you.
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| Chess Classes Start This Week...Still Time to Join | | |
Register for Chess Classes today! Fall Chess classes begin this Wednesday, September 21st:
Parents must call Stephen Jacobs to register. Call the SJ Chess School at 832-582-0007.
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| Entertainment Book | |
 Entertainment Books will be sent home to each family on September 27th. Each book costs $25 and contains hundreds of money saving coupons. 50% OF EVERY PURCHASE GOES DIRECTLY TO MARK TWAIN! If you would like to buy the entertainment book, the purchase instructions will be attached. If not, please send the book back to the school by October 4th.
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| Name that Book (K-2 or 3-5) | |
Students interested in trying out for the Name that Book Teams (K-2 or 3-5) should begin reading the books! Book Lists for both teams are available in the Library. Competition will be in the spring (dates TBA). Interested students will take a qualifying test (7 students per each team) in November or December (exact dates TBA). Additional information can be found at http://marktwainpto.org/files/2011/07/NamethatBookTeamFAQs.doc.pdf.
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| HISD Library Resources for Your Child | |
Every year Houston ISD provides online resources for students to use at school and at home. These resources provide access to magazines, journals, books, reference materials, videos, activities, maps, images, and audio files. Click here to view the logins and passwords to access most of these online resources from home.
The passwords work for the following Online Resources: World Book, EBSCO, NetTrekker, WilsonWeb, Proquest, Thompson Gale, Teaching Books and Brain Pop. Many resources offer Spanish language materials. You can access all online resources at: www.hisdlibraryservices.org/online_resources.htm
Or here: www.houstonisd.org -> Parents -> Online Resources
Contact Mr. Deering for further information.
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| Art Fundraiser Comes to Twain!! | |
 Back by popular demand, our children will be creating special works of art with Ms. Cowan during their Art ancillary period from Sept. 8 - Sept. 23. Square 1 Art will be transforming your children's artwork into a diverse selection of incredible custom products. Order forms will be distributed the last week of October, so keep a look out for them. If you have any questions, please contact Tracey Bailey at twb42701@yahoo.com or 713-857-3731.
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| Sign up for Marathon Kids Today! | | |
Marathon Kids:
- Is a FREE running and nutritional program that promotes the development of a healthy lifestyle in your child!
- Challenges children to run/walk 26.2 miles over six months, in quarter or half mile increments.
- Helps your child feel a sense of accomplishment and pride by tracking progress on a mileage and food intake log, while earning free rewards along the way!
- Can help parents, children, and families develop life long healthy habits when they participate in the program together.
Click here to print out the registration form. Return registration forms to Coach Jody by Friday, October 7th. * Please include an email address on the registration form if possible.
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| Box Tops for Education | |
 As you are getting breakfast ready and packing lunches, don't forget to clip the Box Top coupons found on hundreds of participating products. Each coupon is worth $.10 and will earn cash for our school. Last year, Mark Twain received over $2,000 from the Box Top coupons that were collected throughout the year.
The goal for the 2011-2012 school year is for each student to turn in 30 Box Top coupons,which is a total of 21,600 coupons. You can help by simply cutting the coupons and bringing them to your child's classroom or PTO workroom. There will be a designated Box Top container in both locations. Don't forget to get the kids involved in finding and clipping the Box Tops and by asking family and friends to save the coupons as well.
Not sure where to find Box Top coupons? Look on General Mills cereal, Pillsbury products, Betty Crocker products, Hefty products and more. Click here for a complete list of products.
The class that collects the most Box Tops throughout the year will win a pizza party as their reward! Thanks for helping and keep clipping! It's a free and easy way to earn money for our school. |
| Corporate Sponsors | | |
Thank you so much to our list of Corporate Sponsors for 2011-2012. Our Corporate Campaign is an important part of our overall PTO fundraising program. This is the sixth year we have partnered with businesses in our community to raise funds for teacher, student, classroom and technology support, curriculum enrichment, staff appreciation, facility enhancements such as the new Huckleberry Park (garden and outdoor classroom) as well as our playground project (phase II) and much more as we move into the new school year.
We invite you to become our corporate partner and enrich the educational experience of each child by making a tax-deductible donation to the Mark Twain PTO. Click here to view the Corporate Campaign letter. Click here to view the giving levels, associated benefits and form to become a 2011-2012 Corporate Partner.
Support from our business community is an important part of our fundraising efforts!! If you would like more information regarding becoming a corporate sponsor, contact Jennifer Castillo at: castillojeneric@sbcglobal.net.
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| IB at Mark Twain: Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions | |
"When students know how to ask their own questions, they take greater ownership of their learning, deepen comprehension, and make new connections and discoveries on their own."
This sounds like the writer visited Mark Twain and walked our halls! However, it's a quote* from the Harvard Education Letter that justly affirms how and what we are teaching our students!
The PYP includes several tools to teach students to ask questions and develop their inquiring minds. One of the Transdisciplinary Skills, Research, identifies a set of sub-skills that includes formulating questions; and observing, planning, collecting data, and interpreting data. All our students - kindergarten through 5th grade - learn and practice these skills in our lessons.
The Key Concepts, another important component of the PYP, help structure and guide the student's inquiry process. These Concepts identify generic question categories, such as: Function - how does it work? Connection - how is it connected to other things? The students learn to use different kinds of questions to gain different levels of understanding.
If you would like a copy of the article or have questions about IB, please contact Ms. Blakeslee KBLAKESL@houstonisd.org. Thank you!
*Rothstein, Dan and Luz Santana. Teaching Students to Ask their Own Questions, Harvard Education Letter, Volume 27 Number 5, Sept/Oct 2011.
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| Order your Birthday Grams Today! | |
 Do you want to make your child feel special at school on their birthday?
Then sign up for a Birthday Gram to be delivered to their classroom! Forms are available in the Parent Workroom or may be completed online. Click here to order online now! (Please allow 4 days notice if ordering online.)
Questions or interest in helping to deliver B-day Grams please contact: Bea Davies at (713) 667-4644, beadavies@yahoo.com OR Marta Fonseca at (713) 667-3394, ed-n-marta@att.net.
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| Rewards Programs | | |
Help with Fundraising through Rewards Programs. The PTO is grateful to participate in programs which reward our school based on the customer loyalty and patronage of our families. A percentage of the proceeds spent are donated back to the school! For detailed information, visit our PTO website rewards page at: http://marktwainpto.org/fundraising/rewards-programs/
Here are some highlights:
- Box Tops - Clip these box tops and turn them in; see related article in this week's Twain Times.
- Kroger Rewards - Link your Kroger card to Mark Twain Elementary
- Randall's - Designate Mark Twain as a beneficiary on your Remarkable card
- Target Rewards - Go online to link your Target card to Mark Twain #98794
- School House Partners - Use a School House Partners home maintenance service provider and designate Mark Twain as your school. This local owned business connects homeowners to dependable, pre-screened home maintenance providers; painters, plumbers, landscapers, most everything pertaining to home maintenance. Schools receive 20% of what SchoolHouse Partners earns from referrals fees paid by the home maintenance provider.
- Office Depot - Link the Twain Elementary code #70097851 to your Office Depot reward card and the school gets 5% back.
- Bouquelle Cleaners - For the month of September, 20% of the purchases made by Mark Twain families and Staff will be donated to Mark Twain Elementary PTO. Bouquelle Cleaners, (Schnelle Family) has been providing dry cleaning and laundry services for 14 years in the Bellaire area located at 5118 Bissonnet (HEB Shopping Center); Bellaire, TX 77401 or call 713-666-3450.
- Drink Pouch Brigade® - Volunteer needed in order for us to participate in this program. Every year BILLIONS of drink pouches end up in dumpsters and landfills across America. TerraCycle, Capri Sun® and Honest Kids® are working together to put an end to this awful loss of resources. As an eco-friendly innovator, TerraCycle converts the drink pouch material into unique from tote bags and pencil cases to plastic lumber and pavers! TerraCycle is proud to team up with the largest producer of drink pouches in the country, Capri Sun, and a young organic entry into the market, Honest Kids, to help address this problem! Together with your help we CAN make a difference!
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