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The Twain Times
A weekly newsletter from Mark Twain Elementary School |
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November
2nd: Friends & Family Sponsor Breakfast 8:00 am
2nd: Dads' Club Campout 5:00 pm
5th - 9th: Magnet Awareness Week
5th - 12th: Fall Food Drive benefiting Kids Meals Houston
7th: PTO Meeting 6:30pm
12th - 16th: Mark Twain Book Fair (Family Fun Night on 15th)
15th: Parent Enrichment 8:15 am - Book Club - "The Happiest Mom: 10 secrets of Enjoying Motherhood"
16th: Monthly Staff Appreciation Luncheon 10:30 am - 12:45 pm
21st - 23rd: Thanksgiving Holiday!!
27th: Dual Language Recruitment Meeting 6:30 pm
29th: Spirit Shopping Day - "Magpies" in Bellaire 10am-6pm
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Thank You to Our
2012-2013
Corporate Sponsors
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Tom Sawyer Level
Huckleberry Finn Level
Samuel Clemens Level
 Aunt Polly Level  
 
Becky Thatcher Level 
 
 
 
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November 06, 2012
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Dear Mark Twain Community,
Last week we had several facility issues that cropped up. On Thursday our air conditioning system was not working in many of our rooms. Once an issue, such as this, has been reported, a work order is submitted immediately by our plant operator, Mr. Lee. HISD responded very quickly to our request but the issues were extensive, so they did have to work into the evening and on Friday to resolve the problem. There were several issues which required new parts and extensive repairs. The issues have now been resolved. If you ever have any questions or concerns about the school facility, please contact me at mpatin@houstonisd.org.
Shared Decision Making Committee: The SDMC is a campus-level planning and decision-making team that includes professional and non-professional staff members, parents, community members and a business representative. The campus based members are elected by secret ballot, the parent members are selected by the PTO, and the community representatives and business partner are appointed by the principal. The committee meets monthly and the minutes are posted on the school website and on the community board across from the school store. The members for the current school year are listed below. If anyone would like to submit an agenda item to the SDMC for review, you can do so by emailing me at mpatin@houstonisd.org .
Campus-based staff: Robert Bonn, Frieda Fromen, Angie Sigmon, Luis Saenz, Blair Brown, Rebecca Zirczy, Lisa Thompson, Pansy Gee, Lienna Dickens, Janet Bardin , Rebecca Reese and Denise Rodriguez.
Parent Members: Mark Levine, Deanna Sheaffer and Sydni Mossman
Community Member - Brenda Blackwood
Community Member - Ann Ainsworth
Business Representative - Rob Clanton
Upcoming Events:
- Ms. Blakeslee will be giving a brief IB presentation at our PTO meeting on Wednesday, November 7th. We are asking all parents to complete an IB survey on Survey Monkey. The survey results will be included in our IB Evaluation Report.
- Magnet Week is November 5-9th. There will be tours everyday but Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
- Next week is Book Fair and on Wednesday, November 14th we will have our Storybook Parade. We encourage students to dress as their favorite storybook character.
- Early Dismissal (staff development)- Wednesday, November 14th
Have a safe and happy week!
Melissa Patin
Principal
mpatin@houstonisd.org
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PTO President's Message
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Dear Mark Twain Families,
I can't believe it is November already! This time of the year, I am so grateful for my friends and family, for the many freedoms we have in this country (don't forget to vote today!) and for the opportunity for my children to go to such a wonderful school like Mark Twain Elementary. In the spirit of giving, please remember to bring canned corn, green beans or shelf sustainable juice for our Thanksgiving Food Drive. All donations will be collected through November 12th and will benefit Houston based Kids Meals.
A few shout outs/ reminders for the week:
- I want to give a BIG thank you to Amy Haight and Dawn Koenig for organizing the Annual Sponsor Breakfast on Friday morning. On behalf of the PTO, I would like to extend our deepest appreciation to all the Corporate Sponsors and Friends & Family donors for your continued support and generous monetary donations. We raised nearly $80,000 through both campaigns which support our IB program, technology in the classrooms, the Outdoor Garden and Track projects, library books and much, much more! You are all part of the Mark Twain family and your commitment makes our school a wonderful place for our children to learn and grow. I also want to thank our amazing teachers for getting the students to participate, and for the beautiful artwork and thank you letters from the kids. Melissa Roetzel (RX Catering) donated all the yummy goodies for breakfast - what a treat, thank you!
- The Dad's Club Campout was a HUGE success! The kids enjoyed quality time with Dad, pizza & s'mores, a visit from the Fire Station, watching the movie "Home Alone" and doughnuts and coffee in the morning. I want to thank Kelly James and all the Dads for your hard work and for organizing such a fun event for the kids (and the Dads too!).
- School Directories are here and look great! Thank you Nicole Shah for all your efforts on putting this amazing school resource together for two years.
- The Square 1 Art fundraiser has been extended to Friday, November 9th. You can order on-line or bring the paper forms into the PTO workroom. Please see details below.
I hope to see you all at the PTO meeting on Wednesday, November 7th at 6:30pm. We will be introducing the new members for the Strategic Planning Committee and Audit and Compliance Committee, reviewing Spooky results and much more! Have a great week!
Sydni Mossman
Mark Twain PTO President
smossman@jbecpa.com
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Square 1 Art Deadline Extended
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 For those who have not submitted orders yet, we have extended Square 1 Art another week!! The deadline is now Friday, November 9. These would make great Holiday gifts for grandparents.
ORDER ONLINE at www.square1art.com/shop Create an account using the unique access code located on your free stickers. You may also contact Square 1 Art Customer care at 888.332.3294 or online chat for your access code.
OR
SEND YOUR PAPER ORDER FORM TO THE SCHOOL. There is a bright yellow box in the PTO workroom for all paper order forms.
You can email Michelle Young at brettandmichelleyoung@gmail.com with any questions. Please spread the word to all your friends!
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Name That Book
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For anyone in grades 3-5, our first informal practice will be TOMORROW, Wednesday, November 7th. Note the location change: we will meet in Mrs. Dennis' room (3rd grade hallway) from 3:15-4:15. These practices will provide opportunities for the students to see what NTB is like and have fun participating in NTB study sessions and activities, whether or not they qualify for the final team.
It is NOT mandatory to have read all the books at this point. Please let Kyrsten Crawford know if your child(ren) will be attending. We need to know who to expect and who will be picking them up at 4:15. You may reach Kyrsten at kyrsten@sbcglobal.net
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Huckleberry Park Friday Afternoon Workday!!
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Friday, November 8th at 3:15 - 4:15
Please bring your garden gloves, clippers and we will have a GREAT time.
If you have any questions, please contact Michele Rawson
Mrawson1@houstonisd.org
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Thanksgiving Food Drive
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Our Annual ThanksGIVING Food Drive begins on October 29th and ends Monday November 12th. This year we are collecting the following three items: canned green beans, canned corn, and shelf sustainable juice. Donations will benefit Houston Based KIDS MEALS. Kids Meals is a Non Profit Organization that delivers 1,400 daily meals to the doors of preschool aged children living in poverty, free of cost, year-round. We will have collection bags in each classroom as well as a table set up in the front rotunda. Kids helping kids is a great way to celebrate this season!
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Book Fair - November 12th - 16th
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Save the Date - Bash 2013!!
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 Each spring the Mark Twain PTO holds The Huckleberry Bash, our annual auction and largest fundraiser. The event features live and silent auction items created and/or donated by students, parents, teachers and the community. The Bash will be held February 15, 2013 at the Bayou City Event Center. The theme for this year is "Deep in the Heart of Twain". Last year, over 400+ people attended and supported our school by purchasing hundreds of auction items and tickets to social events hosted by Twain families and/or teachers. We hope to see even more families participate this year so mark your calendars now!
What is Bash? Click here to learn more about this annual adults only fundraiser.
There are many ways that you may help out with Bash:
- Hosting social gatherings (parties)
- Donating items (or funds for items) anything big or small
- Soliciting donations from businesses that you frequent
- Volunteer for any number of roles necessary to put on the event
Click here to see detailed information in the letter. Click here to print out a donation form.
Completed donation forms can be placed in the Huckleberry Bash box in the Parent Workroom or emailed to us. Questions? Feel free to email us at jnkschultz@sbcglobal.net or kimmarosis@yahoo.com .
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Huckleberry Bash Decorations Request
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Attention Mark Twain Families - With the passing of our amazing fall fund raiser, Spooky Spaghetti, it is time to start looking ahead to our school's spring event, The Huckleberry Bash! This year we are celebrating "Deep in the Heart of Twain" and before you start shining your boots and dusting off your belt-buckles, we are hoping that some of you may be able to help us with our decorations. In order to minimize the cost of transforming the Bayou City Event Center into a western extravaganza, we are asking for you to take a look around your home (or ranch if you or someone you know has one!) for any items that you would be willing to loan or donate that may add to our décor. Some of the specific items that we are seeking include, but are not limited to:
Mason jars (all sizes)
Galvanized buckets (all sizes)
Wood or metal barrels
Burlap material (all sizes)
Horse Saddle
Animal Hide rugs/pieces
Antlers/horns
Old/No longer used cowboy boots and hats
Wrought iron stars or other related items
Wagon Wheels
If you have any of these items or anything else that you think would coordinate with our theme that you would be willing to loan us, please contact Monica Agosta at magosta69@gmail.com. We are currently in the midst of planning and making reservations for the décor, so please don't hesitate to be in contact! Thank you in advance for helping to support the Bash!
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IB Survey
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All parents are being asked to complete an IB survey on Survey Monkey. Please visit www.surveymonkey.com Below are the steps to login to the Twain IB Survey.
- use the Log-in Twain_EL and password TWAIN
- click on "Twain IB Survey" on the left side of the page
- click on the green "Send Survey" button on the right side once the survey is completed
The survey results will be included in our IB Evaluation Report.
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Mark Twain Tigers Track Team
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 Calling all aspiring track and field athletes! If you have an interest in jogging, running, throwing and jumping, come join the school track team. Practices will be held Tuesdays after school from 3:45-4:30 with the goal of competing in an area tournament in the Spring. All interested 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade students, please turn in registration forms (click here) to Coach Jody by November 30th.
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Jump Rope for Heart
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The annual Jump Rope for Heart campaign is here! Together with the American Heart Association, the school will be collecting donations to help fight heart disease and stroke, reverse the growing trend of childhood obesity and Type II Diabetes and congenital heart defects. Information will be sent home with the students in the coming weeks. Participation in the fundraising portion of the campaign is voluntary, while all students will have the opportunity to do jump rope activities in class and possibly on Field Day! Donations can be collected with the envelopes students receive or online at www.heart.org/jump
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School Options Symposium - November 15
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Are you or anyone you know in the process of selecting a new school?
We invite you to attend a discussion about school options in Houston at Rice University on November 15, 2012. The goal of this event is to improve awareness about the many and diverse school options available to parents including private, parochial, public, select public, charter, and Montessori schools. This approximately two hour event will include presentations from the knowledgeable individuals listed below and a "parent lessons learned" panel discussion from a diverse group of mothers and fathers who have already toiled through this process. We will answer questions at the end of the event during a structured Q&A and later during an informal reception.
Hosted at Rice University on Thursday, November 15th at 6:30pm, the symposium will cover the following agenda:
* 6:30pm - Welcome and Overview (Melissa Marschall and Shelby Joe)
* 6:35pm - Introduction to Private Middle and High Schools (Philip Cannon and Shelby Joe)
* 6:55pm - Introduction to Public Magnet and Charter Schools (Melissa Marschall)
* 7:15pm - Introduction to Montessori and Alternative Education (James Moudry)
* 7:35pm - Parent Lessons Learned (Parent Panel)
* 8:00pm - Questions from the Audience
* 8:20pm - Reception and Informal Q&A
Great Lineup of Presenters
* Philip Cannon - Head of Middle School at Presbyterian School
* Shelby Joe - President of General Academic
* Melissa Marschall, PhD - Professor of Political Science at Rice University
* Linda McSpadden McNeil, PhD - Professor of Education at Rice University
* James Moudry, M.Ed - High School Director of the Post Oak School
No Cost to Attend but Please RSVP
This symposium is open to the public, so please feel free to tell anyone whom you think might be interested. There is no cost attend, but we do ask that you RSVP so that we can ensure we have enough space and refreshments for everyone.
You can RSVP and get more information online at: http://generalacademic.com/content/schooloptions
Maybe we will see you there!
Shelby A. Joe
President
General Academic, Inc.
www.generalacademic.com
shelby.joe@generalacademic.com
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TXU Turkey Trot Fun Run
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Thank you in advance for your help in sharing the TXU Energy Turkey Trot benefiting Sheltering Arms Senior Services with your students. This fun run, taking place Thanksgiving Day, November 22, in the Galleria area, is a 20-year Houston family tradition that includes a 10K, 5K and kid's race for a memorable start to the holiday. All proceeds benefit Sheltering Arms, which helps Houston seniors through various programs and services across the city.
Click here for the Turkey Trot flyer and postcard about the event. For questions, contact Renae Virata, Sheltering Arms Senior Services, @ 281-773-2526 or visit www.HoustonTurkeyTrot.org
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Bellaire High School Cheer Clinic
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This year's clinic will be on Saturday, Dec. 1 from 10-2 with a performance of all your future cheerleaders at 1:30 in the school auditorium. Your girls LOVED being a cheerleader for a day. We hope you'll bring them back again this year.
The registration form is attached (click here). To take advantage of the $45 early bird registration special, please return the form by November 5. Remember everyone who signs up by November 5 is guaranteed a cheerleader for a day shirt! SIGN UP NOW!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, Dec. 1.
Please email questions to Gina Taylor @ ginataylor41@att.net
Go Cards!
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St. Andrew's Presbyterian Children's Place
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St. Andrew's Presbyterian Children's Place, located at 5308 Buffalo Speedway in West University currently has openings in our early childhood program in their Infant, 3's and Pre-K classes. We provide daily tours each weekday at 10:00 a.m. Please stop by! No appointment is necessary. We would love to include you in our Children's Place Family! Please call 713-668-9777 for further information.
If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact Nanci Bauerle @ 713-668-9777
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Need to Put Something in the Twain Times?
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If you have information you would like to include in the Twain Times please follow the following procedures:
- For parents - forward information to our PTO President, Sydni Mossman at smossman@jbecpa.com for approval.
- For staff - forward information to Ms. Patin for approval at mpatin@houstonisd.org
- Also e-mail to Kim Reiner, Newsletter Editor at twaintimes10@yahoo.com
- Submission deadlines for all approved articles are Thursdays by 5pm.
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