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The Twain Times
A weekly newsletter from Mark Twain Elementary School |
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Mark Your Calendar |
October
10/4 - PTO Meeting, 6:30pm
10/4 - Entertainment Book Orders and Books due back today!
10/5 - Art a la Carte meeting for 3-5th, 8am
10/6 - Workroom Volunteers meet to help teachers
10/7 - Dual Language Coffee, 8am
10/10 - Fall Recruitment Coffee, 7pm at 3702 Merrick
10/11 - Spirit Day and Night at Bullritos, 11am to 9pm
10/11 - Square 1 Art Fundraiser begins (ends 11/4)
10/12 - Parent Enrichment, Research Projects at Mark Twain, 8:15am in Ms. Blakeslee's room, G203
10/13 - Workroom Volunteers meet to help teachers
10/14 - Deadline to pre-order Spooky Spaghetti tickets
10/14 - Monthly Teacher Staff Appreciation Lunch, 12:30pm
10/18 - 10/21 - 5th Grade at Camp Olympia
10/20 - Workroom Volunteers meet to help teachers
10/22 - Spooky Spaghetti, 4-8pm
10/25 - Middle School Forum, 6:30pm
10/27 - Workroom Volunteers meet to help teachers |
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Thank You to Our
2011-2012
Corporate Sponsors | |
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 | October 4, 2011 | |
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Dear Twain Community,
October is here and with it some relief from the very hot temperatures! This week we will be welcoming two new members to our Twain staff. Mr. Donavon Miller will join us as a teaching assistant filling the vacancy left by Mr. Francisco Martinez. Mr. Frankie left us to take a position as kindergarten teacher and we wish him well! Mr. Miller may be familiar to some of you as he works as a referee for youth sports in the area. We also recently hired a full time plant operator, Mr. Omar Abdullah. Alphonso Smith, who has been our acting plant operator since the opening of school, will be with us a few more weeks during the transition. He will be sorely missed, but again, we wish him only the best.
I am pleased to announce that all teachers in kindergarten - third grade will be receiving intense training at the Neuhaus Education Center as part of the district-wide Literacy Initiative. This training will provide teachers with a deeper understanding of literacy acquisition and will strengthen our literacy instruction for all learners. In addition to this training, select Twain teachers will attend Kilgo Consulting's Data-Driven Decision Making Workshops. These workshops are intended to prepare teachers and administrators for an effective and successful transition to the new 2012 State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Additionally, the Data-Driven Decision Making workshops will provide a research-based understanding of the relationship between the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), Student Expectations (SEs), and STAAR 3-8, in mathematics, science, social studies, English language arts/reading.
Bits and Pieces:
- Thanks to all of you who attended the All Parent Meeting last Tuesday.
- Stroll the hallways at Twain - the student work is incredible! The Peace Wall located in the C hall is reflects the thoughtful, collaborative spirit that our children possess.
- We are excited to be hosting the Bilingual Writing Symposium at Twain on Saturday, October 8th from 7:30 - 1:00 p.m. A large number of participants are expected to attend this exciting event sponsored by the Multilingual Department
- SmartBoards were delivered to Twain last week. All classroom teachers are now up and running!
- Congratulations to Carlos Rangel. Carlos' design was chosen as the winner of the Spooky Spaghetti Supper t-shirt contest.
- Congratulations to Ellie Marosis. Ellie's design was chosen as the winner of the Yearbook cover contest.
- Breakfast in the Classroom is still going strong and in late October children will be allowed to choose from several items. Reminder - breakfast cards are given out in the cafeteria until 8:05.
Have a wonderful week!
Melissa Patin
Principal
mpatin@houstonisd.org
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| Message from our PTO President | | |
Dear Mark Twain Families,
I would like to invite you to attend tonight's PTO meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the library. Babysitting is provided (for potty trained children over the age of 3). At these meetings, we discuss PTO monthly business and provide reports from the Principal, PTO president and Treasurer in addition to other timely topics. Tonight's agenda includes special reports from our Audit and Compliance Committee, Spooky team and Parent Advisory Council (PAC).
In case you were unable to attend the All Parent Meeting last Tuesday. Click here to access the presentation. I want to highlight some of the key points presented:
- The purpose of the PTO is to foster excellence in education by sponsoring programs for the students, families and community; promoting and providing cooperation, understanding and support among parents, faculty, students and administration; and raising funds to achieve these objectives.
- Our three main vehicles of communication are the weekly Twain Times electronic newsletter, the Tuesday weekly communication folders, and our website. Please make sure you are receiving these and reviewing the information presented. It will keep you in the loop of everything that is going on at Mark Twain.
- Last year the Mark Twain PTO raised $198,000 - this year our goal is $201,000. We reviewed our major "FUN"draising initiatives for the year and where the PTO allocates funding.
- Principal Patin announced that Mark Twain received another 'exemplary status' rating from the Texas Education Association for 2011 and reviewed our impressive testing results from last year on TAKS and Stanford. (Congratulations Mark Twain students, teachers and Principal Patin - this is a wonderful accomplishment!)
- Principal Patin presented school improvement goals for Mark Twain which included increasing the percentage of students at or above grade level in reading and math and reviewed the new STAAR testing (that will replace TAKS).
Mark Twain is a wonderful school and I am so appreciative for the support of our entire community including Principal Patin, the administration, teachers, students, families and neighbors. Your collaborative efforts truly make a difference to our children and I, as a parent and PTO member, am very grateful.
Best,
Deanna Sheaffer, President
Mark Twain PTO: United We Build Community
deannasheaffer@yahoo.com
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| Entertainment Books on Sale! | |
 Entertainment Books were sent home last week. 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 are attached. If not, please send the book back to the school by October 4th.
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| Art a la Carte Meeting | | |
Wednesday, October 5th at 8:00 am in the cafeteria I will hold a lesson planning session for October's Art a la carte lessons; grades 3-5. If you signed up to teach a lesson for October, and your child is in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade, please join me, along with other parents who volunteered this month, as we go over the lesson plans and materials needed.
Questions/Concerns? Contact Suzy Brown at brown.suzy@comcast.net or 713-668-2959.
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| Informational Coffee for Prospective Parents, October 10th at 7pm | |
The Mark Twain Informational Coffee for prospective parents is on Monday, October 10th at the home of Shannon and Patrick Hayes - 3702 Merrick. Check-in is at 6:30 pm and the program will start at 7:00 pm. This is an "adult only" event. If you have any question or would like to RSVP, please contact Allison Diano at 832.723.6523 or adiano@sbcglobal.net. Click here to see attached flyer.
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| Restaurant Spirit Day/Night at Bullritos Oct. 11th | |
 Please join Mark Twain Families for a fun day and/or night out at Bullritos on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 11am until 9pm. 20% of the profits generated by Mark Twain families will be donated to the PTO. Click here to print out the Bullritos Flyer for the PTO to receive credit.
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| Parent Enrichment, Wednesday October 12th | | |
Please join us for our next Parent Enrichment:
Mark Twain Research Plan
Wednesday, October 12, 8:15 am
Room G203 (Ms. Blakeslee's classroom)
Mark Twain students are learning new ways to be inquirers and thinkers through research projects. Parents, become knowledgeable about the new research model our kids are learning to use for their projects. Ms. Blakeslee will communicate to us how Twain students are being encouraged to be risk-takers in their pursuit of balanced and principled expertise.
Also, save the date for +Book Club, November 17, 8:15. We will discuss Raising Happiness by Christine Carter.
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| Spooky Scoop | | |
Spooky Riddle of the Week:
Q: What day of the week do Halloween Monsters eat their Candy?
 Ticket Pre-Sales
Avoid event day lines and sell-outs by pre-ordering tickets, t-shirts and wrist-bands. The deadline is October 14 to submit your order form or order on-line at www.onlineregistrationcenter.com/register.asp?m=216&c=53.
 Pumpkins & Costume Contests
Drop creatively decorated pumpkins in the cafeteria on Friday, October 21 for judging. These submissions will be enjoyed by everyone as centerpieces at the spaghetti dinner. Prizes will be awarded to the most imaginative costumes worn at Spooky so get creative!
Sign up to Serve Up!
 8-10 adult volunteers are needed in the kitchen with dinner service for THREE shifts: 5-6 pm, 6-7pm, & 7-8pm. Please email Iram Ahmed at iram_ahmed@hotmail.com to sign up.
Monstrous Thank You's to:
- Paul Montana and Houston Print Factory for the event broadcasting banners to be posted outside the school.
- Kelly James and Nelson Haight for many hours devoted to constructing decorations for the school and haunted house.
- The Chocolate Bar for the very generous gift cards awarded to t-shirt design winners!
Riddle Answer: On Chewsday!
*Spooky Spaghetti is a Mark Twain Elementary PTO fund raising carnival that necessitates parent participation and is open to the public. "Spooky" is a highly anticipated day for the students and a community building event. Please get involved and invite your neighbors!
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| Trash Alert: Let's Keep Mark Twain Clean! | |
Whether you are walking home from school or attending a classroom party, please pick up your trash. Lately, there has been more trash than normal around our school, let's help pick up and set an example for our students and our community!
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| Attention Shutterbugs! | |
 If you have a digital camera that you no longer use, we would love for you to donate it to the school.
We want this yearbook and all other yearbooks to be filled with pictures but unfortunately there are not yearbook staff photographers or parents in the classrooms at all times to capture such memorable moments. We have spoken with the teachers and they are going to let the kids take pictures of classroom activities. Not only will these be a help to the yearbook staff but most importantly when the kids look through their yearbook they can say "I took that photo". It is also our belief that involving the students in the process will provide them a deep sense of accomplishment and "ownership," while allowing them to tell a story through the eyes of our students. The cameras are to remain the property of Mark Twain Elementary.
If you are missing or would like to keep the memory cards, that is fine, replacing a memory card is much more affordable than buying new cameras. If you would like to purchase a camera for a class (we can get them at Target for about $75.00) that would also be greatly appreciated.
For more information or where to donate a camera, please send an email to: marktwainyearbook@yahoo.com
On behalf of the yearbook team, thank you.
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| Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is Open for Business! | | |
The Mark Twain Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is your resource for submitting ideas, concerns, comments and suggestions about the school. Members of the PAC, who were elected by Mark Twain parents, will review parents' submissions and help direct parents through appropriate channels to resolve their issues.
For those of you new to Mark Twain, the PAC was established in the spring of 2009 based on the results of an Organizational Health Survey that was administered to parents in the fall of 2008. The PAC is a stand-alone group, and is not affiliated with the school district, Mark Twain faculty, the PTO or the Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC).
To submit an issue, parents should fill out a PAC Submission Form and place it in the secure PAC mailbox, hanging on the wall in the school office. Blank forms are located near the PAC mailbox.
Your PAC members commit to serve with objectivity, confidentiality, and enthusiasm toward our common goal of creating long-term win/win solutions that benefit the students of Mark Twain Elementary.
Aaron Roffwarg, Alida Zweidler-McKay, Cory Valdes, Deborah Giannoni, Jennifer Fernandez, Ji Young Yeo, Priscilla Kennedy, Sue Deigaard
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| Pershing Spaghetti Dinner and Showcase, October 20th from 6-8pm | |
Please join us for Pershing Middle School's annual Spaghetti Supper and Showcase of Fine Arts on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 6-8pm. This is a great opportunity for you and your child to visit our campus. Entertainment will be provided throughout the evening featuring our talented Fine Arts students and a delicious spaghetti dinner will be served in the cafeteria. To buy dinner tickets or find out more about this event please visit our website www.pershingms.org.
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| Middle School Forum, October 25th at 6:30pm | |
Mark Twain's Annual Middle School Forum will take place on Tuesday, October 25th at 6:30pm in the Mark Twain cafeteria. Please join area middle schools and dual language middle schools for an informational evening. Confirmed schools so far are Pershing, Pin Oak, Johnston, and Hamilton.
Each school will make a brief presentation and afterwards they will have tables set up with all of their information. Representatives will be available at that time to answer any questions you might have.
Students are welcome and encouraged to attend. For questions about this event, please contact Leslie Roffwarg at lesliegr@alumni.utexas.net.
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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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| Join SchoolHouse Partners for FREE! | |
 SchoolHouse Partners is a local resource for home services and repair needs. Using SchoolHouse Partners supports Twain Elementary at no additional cost to parents. Membership is FREE. Click here to join now. Questions can be directed to info@myschoolhousepartners.com.
When a designation is made Mark Twain will receive 20% of what SchoolHouse Partners earns from referral fees paid by the maintenance provider. When families join SchoolHouse Partners they can make a difference in the world of education.
Questions? Contact Mike Heinzman - 281.555.5586 or Jamil Higley - 713.725.7297 or visit
www.myschoolhousepartners.com
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| Twain Dad's Club Update! | |
SPOOKY: We will need 8-10 volunteers for Haunted House set up on the October 22nd at 10:00 AM. I am working on volunteer lists for Spooky Spaghetti and will have the virtual sign up list posted early next week. We have a couple of veterans that will be there to help guide the assembly, and the set up team will man the HH for a couple hours the night of the event. We will also be asking for Hall Monitors and clean up help. Be prepared to lend a hand and sign up to volunteer. Spooky is a crucial event for the PTO and our club needs to show up big.
CAMPOUT: Don't forget to save the date for November 4th for Dad's Campout.
Questions? Contact, Sam Smith, Cell: 713-240-8282 or samsmith@fnf.com
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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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| Don't Forget to Order your Birthday Grams! | |
Do you want to make your child or a teacher feel special at school on their birthday?
 Then sign up for a Birthday Gram to be delivered to their classroom! Information and 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.)
All proceeds go towards the 5th grade end of year activities. Please support Mark Twain's 5th grade classes this year!
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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| Art Fundraiser Well Underway! | |
 We are almost finished collecting all the wonderful art created by your children. The next step is sending all the artwork to Square 1 Art. Order forms will be distributed the last week of October, so keep a look out for them. You will then be able to order a variety of great items and gifts with your child's unique artwork on it. If you have any questions, please contact Tracey Bailey at twb42701@yahoo.com or 713-857-3731.
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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. |
| 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® - 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! For information, contact Liliana McKean at lmckean1@comcast.net
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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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| Community News and Events | | |
The 2011 Turkey Trot will be held on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2011 (Rain or Shine) at the Dillard's Galleria store Westheimer @ Post Oak. Benefiting Sheltering Arms Senior Services, this race/walk includes a 10K and a 5K Competitive Run / Walk. Deadline for online registration is 7 p.m., Sun., Nov. 20. Click here to see the brochure or visit: www.HoustonTurkeyTrot.org.
Randall's Give Back to Schools promotion: When you go shopping at Randalls these days, precisely from September 19th to October 13th, you receive a code on the receipt that can be redeemed online: http://backtoschools.escrip.com/. Pick Mark Twain to get 10% of your total donated to our school!
Special offer from Scholastic Books and Kellogg's Brand cereals - This fall, give your child the opportunity to choose and own books through a special offer from Scholastic Book Clubs and Kellogg's! Buy two specially marked Kellogg's products at Walmart and enter the 16-digit codes and receive a FREE book or $5.00 off a book order at Scholastic. Visit www.scholastic.com/kellogg for more information about this special offer and to redeem your $5 Book Coupon(s).
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