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The Twain Times
A weekly newsletter from Mark Twain Elementary School |
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Mark Your Calendar |
March
3/20 - PTO Nominations Due
3/22 - Pershing Brown Bag Lunch for Zoned Families, 11:30am
3/23 - Picture Day
3/27-28 - STAAR Testing for 4th grade, Writing
3/27 - STAAR Testing for 5th grade, Math
3/28 - STAAR Testing for 5th grade, Reading
3/30 - 5th Grade Parent meeting, 8:00am
3/30 - Dad's Club Golf Tournament, 1pm
April
4/1-30 - Mark Twain Spring Book Drive
4/3 - PTO Meeting, 6:30 pm
4/13 - Monthly Staff Appreciation Luncheon, 10:30am-12:45pm
4/13 - Movie Night
4/19 - Kindergarten Round Up, 8:30am
4/24 - STAAR 3rd-4th Grades, Math
4/25 - STAAR 3rd-4th Grades, Reading
4/26 - STAAR 5th Grade, Science |
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Thank You to Our
2011-2012
Corporate Sponsors |
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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March 20, 2012 | |
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Dear Parents,
Spring Break was the perfect opportunity for all of us to get some much needed rest and to reenergize ourselves. I look forward to the next few months which will be busy, but also full of meaningful, exciting activities and events.
Testing season is right around the corner with next week being the first week of the STAAR administration. If your child is participating in any of the assessments, please make sure that they arrive at school by 7:50 so they have ample time to get settled in before the testing begins. The STAAR test is 4 hours in length and we will begin testing by 8:30 each day. Please send your child with a healthy snack that is easy to eat on testing days.
- A gentle reminder, the instructional day begins at 8:00 a.m. so please make sure that you have left your child's classroom by that time.
- Individual and group pictures are Friday, forms go home today.
- Report cards to home on Friday.
- Gloria Rangel our first grade Dual Language teacher is the Bilingual Teacher of the Year for our cohort! Congratulations Mrs. Rangel!
Testing Calendar
March 27-28 STAAR 4th Grade Writing
March 27 STAAR 5th Grade Math
March 28 STAAR 5th Grade Reading
April 24 STAAR 3rd-4th Grades Math
April 25 STAAR3rd-4th Grades Reading
April 26 STAAR 5th Grade Science
May 7-17th Grades 1-5 Stanford/Aprenda
May 21-23 Grades 1-5 Non- Target Stanford/Aprenda
Have a great week!
Melissa Patin, Principal
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| PTO President's Letter | | |
Dear Mark Twain families,
Welcome back from Spring Break! Hope you are relaxed and ready to get back in the "swing" of things - especially since the Mark Twain Dads' Club golf tournament is fast approaching on Friday, March 30. If any dads or moms are interested in playing, click here or visit the Mark Twain PTO website for more information. It is sure to be a fun event! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Sam Smith, PTO Dads' Club Director at samsmith@fnf.com.
Right before Spring Break, Art Night was a fun evening at the school thanks to our art teacher Ms. Cowan and Suzy Brown, PTO Arts Enrichment Director. And last night, we hosted a Mark Twain Spirit Night at Los Tios which contributed a percentage of money spent back to Mark Twain. I truly appreciate the efforts of Jennifer Castillo, PTO VP Fundraising and Marisa Feighl, PTO Spirit Night Coordinator, who schedule these monthly evenings to help parents with dinner ideas and raise money for our school.
I am also very proud of our fourth graders who are continuing our Adopt-A-Monument commitment to Henry Moore's bronze sculpture "Large Spindle Piece" as they raised $934 and secured a corporate sponsor to provide nearly $3,000 to the Houston Arts Foundation. This is quite an accomplishment and a wonderful way that our students give back to the greater community.
As always, many thanks for all that you do! All these contributions and more make Mark Twain such a special place for our children to learn and grow into responsible citizens of the world.
Best,
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Movie Night Postponed to Friday, 4/13 | |
Our annual family movie night will be postponed until Friday April 13. It is being rescheduled to avoid a conflict with the golf tournament.
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| Group and Individual Pictures This Friday, 3/23 | | |
 This Friday, March 23 is Picture Day! Forms are going home into today's Tuesday Folders.
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| Event Registration for the Annual Dad's Club Golf Tournament, 3/30 |
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 The annual Dad's Club golf tournament is set for Friday March 30th with a 1:00 PM shotgun Start at Wildcat Golf Club.
This tournament is a good way to spend a Friday afternoon in the Spring with a bunch of Twain parents. Individual tickets can be purchased for $95.00 and all players are treated to hot or boxed lunch prior to play, green fees, and open bar after golf for 1 hour.
Hole Sponsor ships are $500.00 and includes a foursome to the event, lunch, open bar after event, hole sponsor sign and event recognition. This is great way to sponsor a team and host new players or for 4 dads to get together and share a foursome.
You can register online at: https://www.onlineregistrationcenter.com/register.asp?m=216&c=57
Please contact me if you want to discuss or volunteer at: 713-240-8282 or samsmith@fnf.com.
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| PTO Nominations for 2012-13 due TODAY, 3/20! | |
We need your help! Here is your opportunity to nominate yourself or someone else for a position on the PTO Board. The nominations committee will carefully study all nominations before presenting a single slate to be approved by the newly elected Executive Officers at the PTO meeting on May 1st. The PTO encourages everyone to be involved in the process by nominating, voting and attending PTO meetings during this time.
Click here to view the nominations form.
Teachers - click here to nominate one of your student's parents.
Information regarding PTO positions can be found on our PTO website at www.marktwainpto.org. Forms also went home in the Tuesday folders.
If you have any questions, contact Shelley Rota (shelleyrota@hotmail.com).
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Pershing Brown Bag Lunch, 3/22 | | | Pershing Middle School PTO invites you to a Zoned Families Brown Bag Lunch, Thursday, March 22, 2012, 11:30AM - 12:30PM, Pershing Library. You will have the opportunity to visit with Principal Robin Lowe, 6th grade teachers, and parents of former, current and soon to be Pershing students!
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Adopt-a-Monument | | |
 Mark Twain is the first school in the HISD to Adopt-a-Monument, a program sponsored by the Houston ArtsFoundation that supports Houston's civic sculptures. In the 2010-2011 school year, Twain committed to adopt "Large Spindle Piece," a bronze sculpture by Henry Moore that you can see along Allen Parkway in Eleanor Tinsley Park. The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for an organization or school to make a difference by making a donation to conserve specific works of art.
This year's 4th graders are continuing the support of "Large Spindle Piece" and worked on the Adopt-a-Monument program through the IB "How the World Works" planner. The 4th graders raised $934 through a Fall bake sale. The funds are used to preserve "Large Spindle Piece," one of the oldest and most valuable pieces in the city's collection.
Mark Twain is honored to have Simmons & Company International join the school as the corporate sponsor for the program. Simmons & Company International generously committed $2,000 to provide the total contribution to the Houston Arts Foundation to nearly $3,000.
The 4th graders will participate in a ceremony at the site of "Large Spindle Piece" along Allen Parkway with the Houston Arts Foundation on May 3. The website currently has a story showing the 4th graders visiting MFAH's sculpture garden: http://www.houstonartsfoundation.org/
Houston has more than 400 works of public art, many in need of maintenance and restoration. Thanks to the 4th grader's hard work and Simmons & Company International's generous contribution, Twain is able to help our city protect and maintain its public art.
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5th Grade Fundraiser Cups - On Sale Now in the School Store | | |
 The 5th Grade classes are selling 16 oz. acrylic cups with lids and straws (BPA Free) with the Mark Twain IB logo surrounded by the ten IB profiles (thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective, inquirers, and knowledgeable).
They are $7.00 each (tax included) and are being sold in the school store. We have them in blue and red. BE SURE TO COME BY AND GET YOURS BEFORE WE RUN OUT!
All proceeds go towards the 5th grade end of year activities. Please support Mark Twain's 5th grade classes this year!
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| Lanier Middle School Spring Tours | |
Lanier will be hosting several tours this spring:
- Thursday, March 22 at 9:00am
- Thursday, March 29 at 9:00am
- Wednesday, April 4 at 6:00pm (school tour and 6th grade teacher meet and greet)
- Thursday, April 5 at 9:00am
- Thursday, April 12 at 9:00am
www.purplepups.org
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Huckleberry Park Workdays! | | |
 Come join in on the fun,the first Friday of the month from 3:00-4:00pm. Bring your garden gloves and your kids. If can't come but you would like to help out, please contact Michele Rawson at mrawson1@houstonisd.org
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| Activity Works | | |
Activity Works is a classroom-based program designed to increase activity levels and healthy eating habits in elementary age children. Its goal is to teach children that exercising is fun and can easily become part of a daily routine.
Several classroom teachers are participating in the program. Usually once a day, students in the participating classrooms engage in a 12-minute, physical activity adventure that encompasses jogging, walking, skipping and more, all while learning school-based subjects!
Research shows that children who are more active do better in school and are healthier. And Activity Works is one way students can reach their daily 60 minutes of exercise!
For more information, go to www.activityworks.com
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| Community News and Events | | |
4th of July Help and Volunteers Needed
Every year the Braeswood Place community hosts a 4th of July Parade and event here at Mark Twain Elementary. This year we are looking for some help to put on this great event. There are a variety of opportunities to help: from co-chairing, to coordinate volunteers, or to just volunteer a shift at many of the booths at the event. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Shelly Katz at shelly.katz75@gmail.com or 713-702-4005.
Summer Camp at Lamar High School
Lamar High School offers a summer camp. Click here for more information.
Old School After School Care and Tutoring in West University
Old School ASC is the best value in Houston. Parents can get quality daily care with the added value of individualized tutoring from Rice University Students who are excellent in Math, Science and Language. Tutors will work with your children daily Monday through Friday of each week. For more information, visit www.oldschoolasc.com.
St. Luke's After School Program 2012-13
Registration is happening now for the St. Luke's After School Program for the 2012-13 school year. The After School Care (ASC) program serves Houston-area children in Kindergarten through eighth (8th) grade and runs during the school year from late August to May, including some HISD in-service days and holidays. Please visit the website for more information at http://stlukessummercampasc.org/after-school-care/.
St. Luke's Summer Camp 2012
St. Luke's is beginning registration for their 2012 summer camp program. Click here for information and click here to view the dates and registration form. For more information, visit www.StLukesSummerCampASC.org.
How YOU can help support policies and funding for public schools
There are many ways to get involved and help raise education and take a stand re: funding for public schools. Take a look at this video from the House Appropriations Committee meeting regarding the funding cuts to public education in Texas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zMuIkjy2oo
Texas Ed Funding is a grassroots, non-partisan collaboration of individuals creating a community of support for Texas public schools. We are not a formal organization, non-profit or PAC. (We just needed to call ourselves something to have an email address and website.) And while our initial purpose was to support the issue of funding during the crisis last spring, we have evolved to collaborate to support other efforts that affect public education in Texas. Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TexasEdFunding.
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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 | | |
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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