Mark Twain Elementary School Newsletter

School Year 2013 - 2014

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In This Issue

PTO Meeting

Math Night Planning

Parent Enrichment

Book Fair

Odyssey of the Mind

Marathon Kids

Yearbook Design Contest

Twain Track

School Store Volunteers Needed

Robotics

Child Find

International Dinner

Art A La Carte

Online Fundraising

Twain Triathlon

BTFE

PTO Website & Online Directory

Cub Scout

WUSA

Movement Workshop

CALENDAR

September

11th PTO Meeting 6:30 PM

11th Math Night Planning

12th Parent Enrichment Book Club

13th No School - Fall Holiday

16th Book Fair Committee

17th Odyssey of the Mind Info

19th Mark Twain Open House

20th Marathon Kids Form Due

23rd International Dinner

24th Yearbook Cover Design Contest Entry Due

26th Odyssey of the Mind Info

27th Monthly Teacher Appreciation Lunch

Thank You to Our
2012-2013
Corporate Sponsors

Tom Sawyer Level

Huckleberry Finn Level

Samuel Clemens Level

Aunt Polly

Level

Becky Thatcher

Level

September 10, 2013

Dear Mark Twain Family & Friends,

Welcome Back to School Twain Tigers! The spirit, enthusiasm and sense of community generated from the Back to School Rumble truly carried forward to the first day of school. It was wonderful to see so many smiling students, teachers and parents coming onto the Twain campus.... and to see the hustle and bustle in the hallways as friends re-united after a long summer break.

I want to extend a HUGE thank you to, Ayumi Sardar and Camora Kuo and their team for all their time and effort this summer to prepare for the School Supply Sale at the Rumble. It was a great success! Not only are our children fully prepared with school supplies and uniforms, but we increased store sales that will directly benefit the school. If you did not get chance to purchase a new Twain Baseball Tee or PYP Attitude T-shirt, please visit the School Store this week! I also want to give a BIG shout-out to the PTO board and all the volunteers at the Rumble for helping with set-up, clean-up, running the check-out stations, manning the volunteer booths, coordinating the food and snow-cones and inviting the Pershing Middle School Cheerleaders and Ms. Michi Aceret and Mr. Fortsen to perform. What a Rumble!!! And finally, a BIG thank you to Holly Lee and Marisa Feighl for their hospitality of snacks and refreshments at the three coffees.

I want to encourage you all to read through the forms in your 1^st Day Packet, as it has information related to the Student Directory, Membership, Friends and Family Campaign, PTO Calendar, Birthday Grams and Yearbook. You can also visit the Mark Twain PTO website www.marktwainpto.org and access the forms to review or complete on-line. Please mark your calendars for the first PTO meeting on Wednesday, September 11^th at 6:30pm in the school library. Childcare is available for children who are potty-trained. At the meeting, Mrs. Patin will give a Principal's report on the happenings at the school and you will learn about upcoming PTO events and plans for the school year.

Please feel free to reach out to me or any PTO board members with any concerns or questions.

Have a wonderful first week of school!

Tony Houck

Mark Twain PTO President

tvhouck@msn.com

PTO MEETING
PTO meeting will be held on September 11th at 6:30 PM in the Twain Library. Free Babysitting provided is provided at every meeting for children 3 years and older. Back To Top

MATH NIGHT PLANNING MEETING

Math Night Planning Meeting - Wednesday, September 11, 6:00pm, library

This year for Math Night, we expect to see A Twain Tiger in King Arthur's Court, so mark your calendars now for Tuesday, October 29, 5:30-7:30 because you won't want to miss this fun-filled event. Our first planning meeting was well attended and we're so excited to develop all the great ideas. For those who wish to know more, we will have an additional planning meeting on Wednesday evening at 6:00pm in the library, just before the PTO meeting. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Irene Chang at icchang@prodigy.net, or if you are unavailable but interested, contact Irene Chang for more information.

PARENT ENRICHMENT

Book Club

Thursday, September 12 8:15 AM: Parenting Book Club returns!

We will be discussing "The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness" by Edward Hallowell. Please join us for coffee, laughs and stimulating conversation!

Guest Speaker

Please mark your calendar for our next event:

Thursday October 3rd 8:15 AM: Patina Sehorn, local author, parenting expert and mother of 3 will speak on Fostering a Positive Attitude and Resilience in Your Child

BOOK FAIR
We are recruiting volunteers for the Book Fair Committee! Please join us for a planning meeting on Monday, September 16th at 9:30 am at Jennifer Fernandez's house (3814 Merrick). The Book Fair is Nov 11th-15th. If you have questions or would like to join the committee, please contact Holly Lee (hollyzlee@yahoo.com) or Jennifer Fernandez (jennifer@newcombscientific.com). Back To Top

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and world level. OM offers kids the opportunity for creative artistic and technical expression, problem solving, teamwork, and increased self-confidence. To learn more, go to http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/learn_more.php

If you are interested in learning about Odyssey of the Mind at Mark Twain, please come to one of the following informational meetings: Tuesday, September 17 or Thursday, September 26 in the cafeteria immediately following drop-off.

If your child wants to participate in Odyssey this year, you must submit this form by Friday, September 27th:

http://marktwainpto.digitalpto.com/files/2011/07/Interest-Form-for-parents-and-children.docx

For additional information please contact Tonya Crombie at tonyacrombie@comcast.net

PLEASE NOTE: We can only have Odyssey Teams if we have Odyssey coaches. Coaching an Odyssey team can be a very rewarding experience. If you are interested in coaching an Odyssey team, please mark your calendar for the Houston-area coaches training session on Saturday, October 5th at Sharpstown International school 8330 Triola Lane Houston, TX 77036. Registration begins at 7:30 AM and the session lasts from 8:00 AM until noon. For additional information please contact Iris Story, Coaches Trainer Chair at info@txodyssey.org

possible.

MARATHON KIDS

Marathon Kids is Back!

This fun activity:

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.

Return registration forms to Coach Jody by Fri, Sep 20^th

^{Marathon Kids Registration (English)}

^{Marathon Kids Formulario de Inscripcion (Espanol)}

* Please include an email address on the registration form if possible. Run month of September

YEARBOOK COVER DESIGN CONTEST

This year's theme is:

The Wonderful World of Mark Twain Elementary School

Our school is wonderful in so many ways. What do you think makes it such a wondrous place? Create a yearbook cover that demonstrates all the wonder within Mark Twain Elementary.

Guidelines for all entries:

You must use an 8.5x11 sheet of WHITE paper.
All artwork must be designed vertically (your paper should be oriented "hamburger style" aka "portrait").
You must include the name of our school: Mark Twain Elementary School
You must include the school year: 2013-2014
You can use colored pencils, crayons, markers, paint etc. Make sure to use a LOT of color! Fill the page as much as possible (avoid leaving the background white). Your submission and all of its elements must be your original creations.
Do not sign the front of your artwork. We want to assure anonymity during the judging process. Winners will be asked to autograph their work at a later date.
Please write your name, grade, and teacher ON THE BACK, preferably on the lower right corner. Please write lightly, but legibly.
Do not fold your paper.
Keep in mind that your artwork will not be returned to you.

All entries must be received by 8 am on Monday, September 24 !!!

Place your entry in the "Yearbook Cover Contest" box - in the front rotunda. First place winner receives a copy of the yearbook!

Any questions? Please contact the Mark Twain PTO Yearbook Director: Laura Solitare: twainyearbook1314@gmail.com, 713-882-8467, or leave a note in the "Yearbook" mailbox located in the parent workroom.

TWAIN TRACK

The Mark Twain Track Team will be returning for the 2013-2014 school year. Let's make this year as successful as the previous one when our boys and girls teams each placed 2^nd at the Spring tournament!

Participation is open to anyone with a passion for running or just staying fit! Slots for the tournament will be decided based on practices. More information will be coming in November and December.

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PTO SCHOOL STORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
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ROBOTICS

The Twain Robotics program is looking for parent coaches for the 2013-2014 school year! Parent coaches will meet with their student teams once a week on a day of their choosing, and help to facilitate the construction and operation of Lego� robots to be used in competitions against other teams. All the building materials and practice space will be provided.

All interested parents including Robotics team coaches from last year must fill out and return this registration form to Coach Jody.

Click here for Robotics Registration Form

**Please include an email address on the registration form if possible.

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CHILD FIND

Child Find is an ongoing process to locate, identify, and evaluate as early as possible all children with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services.

Houston ISD has produced Child Find informational flyers in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The flyers are designed to be disseminated on your school's website or can be printed and shared with parents and others who have a child with a disability or who they suspect has a disability.

Flyers

Access the flyers by clicking on the links below:

English Flyer Spanish Flyer Vietnamese Flyer

INTERNATIONAL DINNER

Come Celebrate Our Diversity &

Meet Other Twain Families

at the

International Dinner

on Monday September 23^rd

5:30-7:30 pm in the school cafeteria.

What to do: Bring a dish for 8-12 people to sample so everyone can share in tastes from around the world. No time to cook but want to come? Order a dish from one of our diverse neighborhood restaurants and join us.

What to wear: Everyone is welcome to dress up for the occasion in your country's traditional outfit/costume or soccer jersey, etc.

Want to help set up, clean up and/or welcome people?

Please contact Fabia Hill at fabia@live.com International Dinner Spoon

Don't forget to bring a serving spoon for your dish!

Plates, napkins, and utensils will be provided.

ART A LA CARTE

Hello, Parents!

Art A La Carte is an art curriculum that was purchased, and is supported by the Mark Twain PTO. It has been a continued success at our school because of the many parent volunteers who teach these art lessons in our children's classrooms from October-May of each year.

By Open House, I hope each class has an Art A La Carte Volunteer Coordinator to help me guarantee the benefits of this program for our children. Let's give our kids a leg up by making the most of Art A La Carte; so when they have the opportunity to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, or other art galleries, they have the tools they need to help them begin to understand the multiple dimensions of what they are seeing.

I will provide 2 general meetings each month, one for for K-2, and the other for 3-5 to discuss general guidelines, teaching tools, lesson plans, and examples of finished artworks.

Remember, AALC is fun and gets our kids learning! thinking! and creating! art in unique ways.

I would be happy to help answer any questions you may have.

Sonal Patel

Arts Enrichment Director

Mark Twain Elementary

240.888.6732

sonalpatel628@gmail.com

FUNDRAISING THROUGH ONLINE SHOPPING

Dear Mark Twain Parents and Friends,

Back to School shopping season is upon us! Mark Twain has partnered with BookBenefits.org to take advantage of cash benefits available to non-profits. Our school will receive a donation of 5% of your total purchases made on sites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Toms, Groupon, iTunes and over 37 online retailers!!!

Instructions

Follow these easy steps to ensure that Mark Twain gets credited for your purchases on these sites:

1. Go to http://bookbenefit.org/marktwain/ to access the site. (Be sure to bookmark your favorite sites with the Mark Twain link.) Since Amazon is such a widely used retailer, please see the specific link for their site http://www.amazon.com/?tag=bkben0013-20

2. Click on the link for the online retailer of your choice.

3. Complete purchases as you normally would.

4. BookBenefits.org will send Mark Twain PTO a check quarterly with our contributions.

Spread the word to your friends and family and encourage them to use the BookBenefits.org links for their online shopping. Supporting Mark Twain has never been so easy!!!

TWAIN TRIATHLON

Mark Twain will be hosting its very own kids' triathlon this coming November for all students! This will be a great opportunity for our children to challenge themselves with physical activity, involve our community, and a fun way to help raise funds for our school!

We will be sending out more specific details as we move into the school year. Encourage and challenge your Twain student to swim an extra lap, ride his/her bike another block, and run for fun!

Triathlon requirements for children ages 6-10 include:

Swim - 100 yards (4 lengths)

Bike - 3 miles

Run - 1/2 mile

We will have a special category for students K-2 who would like to participate, but not necessarily complete these requirements. All other students will be competing in either the K-2nd or 3rd-5th groups.

We hope you are as excited about this new event as we are, and look forward to making this a new tradition at Mark Twain. Stay tuned for more information to come!

If you would like to be on our volunteer list or have any questions please email: Monica Agosta

magosta69@gmail.com

BTFE BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

Great work Twain Tigers, Families and Friends! During the 2012-2014 school year we earned $3,179 from clipped Box Tops and eBoxTops! Our goal this school year is $3,000. Keep clipping those Box Tops For Education coupons from participating products for submission to your Twain Tigers new classroom!

Also, please register at btfe.com to support Mark Twain Elementary in Houston Texas!

Click on the Bonus Sweepstakes images below to enter for a chance to win eBoxTops for Mark Twain. Note that PO Box addresses are typically not accepted for online Bonus Sweepstakes and will be marked void should you win eBoxTops for Mark Twain.

Click on image above to enter.

One (1) Entry per person/email address per Day through 7/17/2014.

Click on image above to enter contest. Limit one (1) One (1) Entry per person/email address per day until September 15, 2013.

Click on image above to enter.

One (1) Entry per person/email address. Sweepstakes entry deadline December 31, 2013

PTO Website & Online Directory

The Mark Twain PTO Website and Online PTO Directory are being worked on and should be ready soon. Please delay signing up using the Online PTO Directory until a note is sent notifying you that it is ready.

We will relay any important notes via the weekly folder or using the Twain Times.

If you received this email by it being forwarded to you, please use the sign-up link at the top of this Twain Times (see above left) to be temporarily added to the Twain Times distribution listing. Thank you for your patience.

CUB SCOUT PACK 34

Join Cub Scout Pack 34 now!

Mark Twain Elementary is the largest source of boys for Cub Scout Pack 34, based at St. Mark's Episcopal on Bellaire (between Stella Link and Edloe). Pack 34 is a very active pack with over 100 families, 4 camping trips per year, pinewood derby, scout fair, and too many other opportunities to list. The Boy Scouts of America teaches skills such as leadership, communication, and organization.

All boys who will be entering 1st through 5th grades in the Fall of 2013 are welcome to join. If you want to join or have any questions please email Cubmaster Sean O'Connor at oconnorhook@gmail.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION

West University Softball Association (WUSA), the largest recreational girls' softball

league in Texas, is proud to announce the opening of the fall softball season. Fall Ball is WUSA's "off season" program. It is less structured than the spring season, and standings are not kept. Fall player registration is available online at wusa.org and will close on September 3, 2013. Players are encouraged to register early. Practices will begin on September 11, 2013. Games will be played Sunday afternoons from September 15, 2013 to November 17, 2013. Fall Ball is for girls ages 6-14. All girls who register will be placed on a team. There is no tryout to participate.

MOVEMENT WORKSHOP FOR KIDS

Pure Body Studio to host Pure Kids Fall Session

Mark Twain students Ben & Oliver (click here for photo) collaborated in the development of a 10-week movement class designed specifically for kids. "We wanted to give all kinds of kids a safe and comfortable way to be healthy as the school year starts," says Ben, aged 10. "This class is for kids who do sports or who don't do sports, who play hard or who read a lot...it's just for everyone to come, move and have fun."

Each class in the 10-week workshop is different, but Ben and Oliver focused on the following components when developing their program: introductions, warm up, breath work, games and stretching. "Since our mom owns a Pilates studio, we've been learning our whole life long about movement and breath," Oliver, 8, says. "We have a lot of great movement games and also fun breath work included in the classes, using pinwheels, fuzzy balls and balloons."

The class started Sept. 5 and goes on for 10 weeks, not counting Halloween. For more information, call Pure Body Studio at 713-660-7873, visit www.purebodystudio.com or contact Laura McAughan at 713-817-6514.

If you have information you would like to include in the Twain Times please follow the following procedures:

For more information check out:

Mark Twain Elementary PTO website marktwainpto.org

Mark Twain Elementary School website houstonisd.org/Twaines

HISD website houstonisd.org

Forward questions to twaintimes10@yahoo.com

For Parents - forward information to our PTO President, Tony Houck at tvhouck@msn.com for approval.
For Staff - forward information to Ms. Patin for approval at mpatin@houstonisd.org
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