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The Twain Times
A weekly newsletter from Mark Twain Elementary School
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Mark Your Calendar |
January
1/16 - Bash Tickets available online
1/17 - Berryhill Spirit Day and Night
1/19 - Parent Enrichment, Speaking in Tongues
1/20 - Monthly Staff Appreciation Luncheon
1/23 - Bash tickets available for purchase before and after school
February
2/4 - Aeros Night
2/6 - Bash Preview Party
2/7 - PTO Meeting, 6:30 pm
2/8 - +Talk III, Cybertechnology, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School, 6:30pm
2/10 - Huckleberry Bash
2/16 - Parent Enrichment: A Healthy Family on Any Schedule, 8:15 am
2/17 - Monthly Staff Appreciation Luncheon
2/25 - International Festival, 1:00-4:00 pm
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Thank You to Our
2011-2012
Corporate Sponsors
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Tom Sawyer Level
Huckleberry Finn Level
Toni Rodriguez Salon
Samuel Clemens Level
Aunt Polly Level
Becky Thatcher Level
Evans and Mossman CPAs
smossman@jbecpa.com
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January 17, 2012 | |
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Dear Parents,
The holiday weekend got off to a great start with a phenomenal evening at Bingo Night. The cafeteria was filled to the eaves with families enjoying a night out. A special thank you to those that coordinated and worked the event.
- Congratulations to our Spelling Bee winner, Madeline Lewis. Good job to all of the contestants.
- The winner of the Huckleberry Bash t-shirt contest is Haejun Lee from Ms. Thompson's class.
- Tuesday, 1/7 - Spirit Night at Berryhill, 20% of the proceeds come back to Twain
- Thursday, 1/19, Parent Education committee will show the movie - Speaking in Tongues, a documentary
- National PTA to Host "Learn and Earn" Parent Conference January 28
The National PTA's Urban Family Engagement Initiative will be hosting a "Learn and Earn" conference for parents on Saturday, January 28. The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the DeVry University-Houston Campus (11125 Equity Drive, 77041), and parents who bring copies of their children's report cards will be eligible to receive free school supplies. Attendees can learn how to be their children's best advocate in education by attending any of six informative workshops. Click here for details, please see attached flyer (.pdf). To register, visit this website or call 800-307-4782 and dial extension 3418 (English) or 3419 (Spanish). https://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectEnglish/Images/PDF/PTALearnNEarnJan12.pdf
Have a great week!
Melissa Patin, Principal
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| PTO President Message | |
Dear Mark Twain families,
I hope you enjoyed the long weekend that was kicked off by another exciting Bingo Night! Many thanks to Kristen Barker and Nancy Oncken for organizing such a fun event and to Jennifer Castillo for arranging the Papa John's Pizza truck - not to mention all the wonderful volunteers that helped to make that event a HUGE SUCCESS!
Tickets are on sale now for Mark Twain's annual dinner/auction fundraiser, Lights Camera Bash! You can purchase your tickets online at: https://www.onlineregistrationcenter.com/register.asp?m=216&c=55. Next week you will be able to purchase tickets in the foyer before and after school and on the PTO website (www.marktwainpto.org) until Friday, February 3. With the state deficit and impending reduction of funding for public education, now is the time to support your local elementary school. Please reach out to Kathryn Schultz (jnkschultz@sbcglobal.net) and Dawn Koenig (dkoenig@thelittlegym.com) to see how you can support our largest fundraiser of the year.
Have a great week and don't forget today/night is Spirit Night at Berry Hill and the Parent Enrichment documentary screening of "Speaking in Tongues" is on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Mark Twain library. See below for more information.
Best,
Deanna Sheaffer, PTO President
deannasheaffer@yahoo.com
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| Spirit Night at Berry Hill, Tuesday, 1/17 | |
 Come join other Mark Twain families on Tuesday, January 17th for dinner. Berry Hill will donate 20% of food purchased by Mark Twain families back to the school and kids eat free on Tuesdays. If you can't make dinner, enjoy lunch with your friends. Have fun and raise money for Mark Twain!
Click here to view the flyer.
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| International Festival Planning Meeting, 1/19, 8am | | |
Mark your calendars for the 10th Annual Mark Twain International Festival!
Saturday, Feb. 25, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Come celebrate the diversity of the cultures and backgrounds represented in our school with a festival of performances and country displays.
We will have our first planning/informational meeting on Thursday Jan. 19th at 8:00 a.m. in the cafeteria. Please join us!
We are looking for:
- Performers (can be children or adults): share your dancing, musical instrument, martial arts demonstration...
- Country displays (a table displaying maps, pictures, food samples, souvenirs and so on)
- Volunteers to serve on the planning committee
If you have ideas and would like to help organize this wonderful event, please come to the meeting on January 19th or contact Fabia Hill (832-315-4050 fabia@live.com).
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| Parent Enrichment, "Speaking in Tongues", 1/19, 6:30pm | |
 January 19, 6:30 pm
Speaking in Tongues, a documentary
Twain Library
In a time of increasing globalization, is it enough to speak one language? What are the challenges and the benefits of living in a multilingual community? What does it mean to be a global citizen?
Dual Language and Parent Enrichment invite you to contemplate these and many other provocative questions explored in Speaking in Tongues. This excellent documentary follows 4 children on an educational adventure in San Francisco and answers the question, what do we, as a community, need to know in the 21st century? A short discussion will follow the presentation of the film. For more information about the documentary go to http://speakingintonguesfilm.info/
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Hablando en lenguas, un documental
en la biblioteca de la escuela
En una época de creciente globalización, ¿es suficiente hablar solo un idioma? ¿Cuáles son los desafíos y los beneficios de vivir en una comunidad multilingüe? ¿Qué significa ser un ciudadano global?
El programa de "dos vias" y el groupo de "enriquecimiento para padres" los invitan a contemplar estas y muchas otras preguntas que se exploran en el documental "Hablando en lenguas". Este excelente documental sigue a cuatro niños en una aventura educativa en la ciudad de San Francisco y responde a la pregunta, ¿qué es lo que nosotros, como comunidad, necesitamos saber en el siglo 21? Tendremos una breve plática después de la presentación de la película. Para más información sobre el documental puede ir a http://speakingintonguesfilm.info/
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1月19日，6：30pm
说母语，Twain 系列纪录片
随着全球化趋势的增长，只说一种语言就足够了吗？生活在多语言的环境里，会有怎样的挑战和益处呢？做一个世界化的公民是怎样的呢？ "双语言" 和 "家长充实" 鼓励您仔细想想这些问题以及 '说母语' 影片中启发的其他问题。本纪录片跟踪报导了四个小孩在旧金山的成长经历，反映了在21世纪的社会，我们需要学习什么。纪录片结束后会有短的讨论会。如果您想了解更多信息，请访问http://speakingintonguesfilm.info/
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| DATE CORRECTION for Aeros Night | |
Mark Twain Night at the Aeros will take place on SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4, not January 27 as entered on the calendar. Ticket order forms and more information will be included in next weeks Tuesday folder.
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| Event DVDs for Sale | |
Thank you for your wonderful response to the intial offering of DVD's! To make things easier, we're starting to streamline the ordering process. There is now a MTTV mailbox in the PTO/Parent workroom where you can pick up order forms, place orders and drop off payments. You can still order DVD's of "Annie" and the "Winter Strings" series at a cost of $10 each. Please make checks payable to Mark Twain PTO. As always, we would love your feedback! Email us at MarkTwainTV@gmail.com. Look for more info next week in the Twain Times!
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| Order Your Tickets Online for Huckleberry Bash, 2/10/2012! | | |
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+Talk III, Cybertechnology: Catching Up with our Kids!, 2/8/2012 | |
+TALK III: CYBERTECHNOLOGY: CATCHING UP WITH OUR KIDS!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
6:30-8:00PM
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
6802 Buffalo Speedway, Houston 77025
Technology shapes our lives today in a way we could never have imagined as children ourselves. It is an exciting time, although the knowledge gap many of us feel as parents can be daunting! How do we balance our need for our children to be prepared for their future with our desire to keep them safe? How do we engage them in this ever-expanding world and somehow protect their privacy? What are our responsibilities as parents? Why is it important to tune in to, support, and assist our children in developing the critical thinking skills needed to navigate these new waters?
Join us for a presentation and panel discussion that will address the opportunity we have as a community to teach our children the importance of "digital wellness" and digital citizenship and the weighty consequences that can hang in the balance when we find ourselves falling behind our children in this compelling, new digital world. Our expert panel will include:
- AMY ACOSTA, PHD, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine and Licensed Professional Psychologist, Texas Children's Hospital
- LARRY KAHN, Chief Technology Officer, The Kinkaid School
- SPECIAL AGENT AMANDA HOUSTON, Houston FBI Cyber Crime Squad
ALL are welcome! FREE admission to +Works' nine +School members. $5 for other community members.
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| Incoming Kindergartners for Fall 2012 | |
Attention parents -- Do you have a sibling entering Kindergarten next fall (2012)? Click here to print this form. Please fill it out, and bring it to Jackie Black. Do you know of any neighborhood incoming Kindergartners not at Mark Twain yet? Please have them contact Jackie Black as well. Questions? Jackie Black: jblack@houstonisd.org.
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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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Rewards Programs
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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
- Balance Meals To Go - They will give 10% of all purchases made by Mark Twain families back to Mark Twain Elementary. Balance Healthy Meals To Go, is a new store in the Braes Heights Shopping Center on Bellaire Blvd. Balance makes individually portioned healthy meals and snacks for take-away. To ensure Mark Twain receives proper credit, tell the store "I attend/work for Mark Twain!" at the register while checking out. www.balancemealstogo.com Phone: 281.501.1968
- 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.
- Champion Energy Services - Special Rates for You and a $25 Donation to Mark Twain Elementary School. With your switch to Champion Energy for your residential electricity service using the promo code MARKTWAIN, you will receive a special rate. In addition, Champion Energy will make a $25 donation for each enrollment and renewal. Click here: http://www.championenergyservices.com/promo.asp?promo=MARKTWAIN
- Bouquelle Cleaners - A percentage 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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| Community News and Events | | |
Earth Day Houston 2012 4th Annual Art Contest
Earth Day Houston 2012 is Saturday, April 7, 2012 and all third- through eighth-grade students in the Houston area may submit artwork to our office by January 31, 2012. Earth Day celebrates our planet's wonders. Show what you see when you think of clean air, water, and land. Picture how our land and humankind protects and nourishes each other. Use a plain white sheet of paper that is 11 x 14 inches. Put your name, grade, school, and teacher's name on the back. Please mail or take the art to: Art Contest - Air Alliance Houston, 2409 Commerce Street, Suite A - Houston 77003. Prizes will be awarded for the overall winner as well as first, second, and third place winners from each grade. We will return all art to the teachers.
Houston School Choice Rally January 28
You are invited to participate in the Houston School Choice Rally on Saturday, January 28th. It's time to show the public and community leaders how many smart, hard-working, loving parents are choosing HISD magnet schools and other HISD "schools of choice". We are partnering with other schools and reformers to host a city-wide rally for SCHOOL CHOICE. We are inviting school leaders, parents, teachers, legislators, reporters, and community business leaders to demonstrate their support for school choice. Why is it important for HISD parents to attend this rally? HISD is a "district of choice" and we benefit from the many options available to us. It's important to ensure that parents who take advantage of district choice have a voice and a presence at this event! Let your voice be heard and come out to represent your school!
Where and When
Location: KIPP East End| 5402 Lawndale Street | Houston, TX 77023
Event Time: 10:30am - 12pm
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