Mark Twain Elementary School Newsletter

School Year 2013 - 2014

Twain Video, Mailing List and Calendar

HISD Current Events Featuring Twain Elementary Week of 10/28/2013

November

11th-15th Book Fair

13th PTO Meeting

14th Story Book Parade

14th Family Fun Day

15th End of Food Drive

15th Safety Committee Meeting

15th Garden Workday

18th +Talk 7 PM

19th NNAT for Kinder & 5th Gr.

19th-21st Triathlon Registration

20th Early Dismissal

22nd Dual Language Info 8 AM

22nd Monthly Staff Appreciation

27th - 29th Thanksgiving Holiday

December

12th 4th Grade Music Program

19th Field Day

In This Issue

PTO Meeting

Storybook Parade

School Choice Fair

ThanksGIVING Food Drive

Garden Workday

Twain Triathlon

Dual Language Program

The Great Bashby

School Store-Gift Cards

Online Fundraising

BTFE

Name That Book

Yearbook Orders

VIPS

Be A Cheerleader For A Day

Online Magnet Application Info

Child Find

Girl Scouts

+SNAX

+TALK

Turkey Trot

Calendars and Other Info

Thank You To Our 2013-2014
Corporate Sponsors

Platinum Level

Gold Level

Silver Level

Brochsteins_logo

Texas Citizens Bank logo

Village_plumbing_logo

Community Partners Level

gc3_logo_houston

The Lice Place

TheLicePlace.com

Vivaldi Music

VivaldiMusicAcademy.com

Candelaris

Candelaris.com

November 12, 2013

Dear Mark Twain Community,

The Book Fair is under way at Mark Twain and it is the perfect time to celebrate reading. As a Literary Magnet Program we take great pride in developing a love of literature. The Story Book Parade will be on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and we hope that the children will all participate by dressing up as their favorite character or by carrying a sign or symbol of their favorite book. The Book Fair is a wonderful opportunity to share our joy of reading as a community and I hope you will find time in your busy schedules to peruse the racks!

On Monday, November 18th we will be hosting +Talk II: Everybody's Got Something - Reframing mental health as a +Community with Dr. Marcy Laviage. Babysitting will be provided and I hope that you will join us! Please RSVP to aware@positivethinkingworks.org.

It seems like each week something occurs that is an "aha" moment. This past week several things came up that need clarification regarding cafeteria policies. Parents and family members that visit for lunch should eat with the children at the guest tables which are along the windows. There is not enough room at the student tables for visitors. Students may invite a friend to join them at the guest table. If your child brings their lunch please keep in mind that we do not have the means to microwave food for students.

Thursday, November 14th - Storybook Parade at 8:30 a.m. and Family Fun Night at the Book Fair
Safety Committee Meeting - Friday, November 15th at 8:15 AM. If you have any safety concerns, please contact jwade@houstonisd.org.
Thanksgiving Break - Wednesday - Friday, November 27-29
Tuesday, November 19th- NNAT (Naglieri - Non-Verbal Abilities Test) for Kindergarten and Fifth grade students
December 12th - 4th Grade Music Program
Thursday, December 19th - Field Day
Wednesday, November 20th is an Early Dismissal day and children will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. Teachers will be participating in Staff Development during the afternoon.

Have a great week!

Melissa Patin

Principal

PTO MEETING
PTO Meeting Wednesday, November 13th at 6:30 PM in Library. Babysitting will be provided.

MARK TWAIN BOOK FAIR 2013

"Paws for Reading"

November 11th-15th

Hours:

Monday-Thursday:

7:30 AM - 4 PM

and

Friday:

7:30 AM - 12 PM

Save the Date:

FAMILY FUN NIGHT - Thursday Nov 14th from 5-7 pm

We will have books, games, crafts, animal visitors, Firehouse Subs, raffle items, free dress passes, and much more!

We need lots of volunteers to help with Book Fair and Family Fun Night, please sign up on the link below: Book Fair SignUpGenius

Contacts: Jennifer Fernandez at jennifer@newcombscientific.com or Holly Lee at hollyzlee@yahoo.com

STORYBOOK PARADE
Storybook Parade Thursday, November 14th, 8:30 AM. Twain Tigers dress up as their favorite story book character or carry a sign or symbol of their favorite book.

SCHOOL CHOICE FAIR

5th grade students and parents are cordially invited to the following School Choice Fair:

November 12, 2013

6:00 PM

Roberts Elementary School

6000 Greenbriar

There will be more than 30 middle schools of choice present that night to provide information to your parents and students and recruit them into their schools. Additionally, valuable information will be provided to parents that will help them successfully navigate the magnet process as well as the Vanguard process. We will give students and parents a quick tutorial on the online application option as well.

All students and parents deserve to be armed with information about their zoned school as well as their other fine options in our district.

Contact Janelle Wade JWADE@houstonisd.org for more information.

PERSHING'S FINE ARTS SHOWCASE & DINNER

Pershing is hosting its annual Fine Arts Showcase & Dinner (FORMERLY, the Spaghetti Supper) on Thursday, November 14th. The festivities will be held at the Pershing campus and start at 6:00pm until 8:00pm. The spotlight will shine on the school's showcase of talent which includes Gymnastics, Dance, Cheerleaders, Pep Squad, Choir, Orchestra, Guitar, Drama, and Music Production. Stroll the halls and enjoy the beautiful art created by Pershing students. Admission is free to enjoy this event.

The spaghetti dinner will be catered by Gugliani's.

Tickets are $10 each for the dinner. To order dinner tickets, please visit us online at http://pershingpto.org/events3/ and click on Fine Arts Dinner to get to the order form. All orders must be placed by Wed., November 13th.

To help with fundraising, there will be a cash RAFFLE! The raffle includes Beats by Dre, HP Slate 16GB Tablet + gift card for app store, Kindle Fire, Gift Card Tree, 100 Scratch Offs, and a Meal Booklet from Jerry Built (1 meal per week for a year). Tickets are $5 each or $20 for 5 tickets. Winners will be drawn at 8:00pm. You do not need to be present to win.

If you have any questions, please contact Allison Diano or Ilse Rassin at pershingfineartsshowcase@gmail.com.

We hope to see you there!

ThanksGIVING FOOD DRIVE

Kids Helping Kids at Mark Twain

Kid's Meals Mark Twain's Annual ThanksGIVING Food Drive began on November 4th and will continue through November 15th. We will be collecting all varieties of canned Vegetables benefiting Kids' Meals Houston. Collection will be in the front rotunda and in the classrooms.

Kids' Meals www.kidsmealshouston.org is a Houston Based Non Profit Agency serving 1700 children daily.

According to the Houston Food bank almost 2 million children in Texas live in a home with food Insecurity making Texas ranked #1 in the nation for Food Insecurity.

As a community we can make a difference please consider generously donating to this worthy cause!

GARDEN WORKDAY
Garden workday on Friday, November 15th From 3:15-4:15 Bring your gloves! Contact Michele Rawson, Mrawson1@houstonisd.org if you have any questions. Back To Top

TWAIN TRIATHLON

Open registration for the first ever Twain Triathlon will be held in the school rotunda next week (11/19 - 11/21) during drop-off and pick-up times Tuesday-Thursday! The Triathlon will take place on Sunday, March 9, but we need all who are interested to register and start training and collecting sponsors!

Registration is $25 and will help to cover the costs for the event, your child's race bag, race bibs, timing bracelet, and additional goodies, all to be provided the day before the race. Your registration packet will include a course map, triathlon distance requirements, and more information on how you and your class can win awards as you compete within your grade level and within your age group! You will also have the opportunity to secure prizes with the amount of donations you secure!

In addition, you will be able to purchase your "Triathlete in Training" shirt for $10.

We look forward to seeing you next week!

Your Triathlon Team!

For questions contact Monica Agosta at magosta69@gmail.com.

DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM
Any family interested in the Dual Language Program (Spanish/English) available at Mark Twain is invited to an informational meeting on November 22nd at 8 AM in the cafeteria. For additional info contact Rita Garcia-Prats at ritagarciaprats@gmail.com Back to Top

THE GREAT BASHBY!

Please mark your calendars for a roaring good time and join us at The Great Bashby! If you'd like to join the committee, make a donation or be a sponsor of Bash, please contact Kim Marosis at kmarosis@clearpointco.com or Chastiti Horne at chorne@ethlaw.com.

We'd love for you to "like" the Huckleberry Bash Facebook page so you can get Bash updates and sneak peeks at great donations!

Click Here for Flyer

SCHOOL STORE - GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE
Contact Camora Kuo for more info camora.kuo@gmail.com Back To Top

ONLINE FUNDRAISING FOR MARK TWAIN

Dear Mark Twain Parents and Friends,

As we move into the holiday shopping season; PLEASE take a moment to update your links for your favorite online retailers. 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!!!

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

Go to Mark Twain's Book Benefit Link 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 Mark Twain's Amazon Funraising Link.
Click on the link for the online retailer of your choice.
Complete purchases as you normally would.
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 links for their online shopping. Supporting Mark Twain has never been so easy!!!

Isn't Online Fundraising better than going door-to-door selling or asking co-workers and family to buy something from a fundraising list?

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

Hello everyone. I am Jacqueline Leggington, this year's Box Tops For Education Coordinator. We're going to have a great year. Make sure you don't forget to "Clip those Corners", and your child's class could be this year's winner. The biggest winner is Mark Twain Elementary, the more Box Tops we turn in the more we earn. So let's remember, "Clip those Corners", and "Let's Turn to Earn".

I can be reached at btfe.marktwain@yahoo.com.

Our goal this school year is $3,000.

Keep clipping those Box Tops For Education coupons from participating products for submission to your Twain Tiger's classroom!

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

Visit Kroger's RewardYourSchool.com to see bonus offers

Visit Randall's 2Ways2Earn.com to see more bonus offers..

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. Each eBoxTop is worth $0.10 (10 cents).

Click on image above to enter. One (1) Entry per person/email address per day during through 11/17/2013.

Click on image above to enter. One (1) Entry per person/email address per Day through 7/17/2014.

NAME THAT BOOK

Name That Book Sign-Ups

Sign-ups for Name That Book (NTB) are now available in the library. You and/or your child may go in and sign up for either K-2 or 3-5.

If you have questions about NTB, contact our school Librarian Mr. Deering or Kyrsten Crawford at kyrsten.crawford@gmail.com.

TWAIN LIBRARY HEROES

Library Heroes Adopt A Shelf Anyone who can adopt a section of the library and read the shelves for that section would be a library hero! Take a few minutes a couple of times a week and give it a go! I cannot stress enough how important it is for the shelves to be in order , and this requires requires they be "read'"!

New faces are always welcome! Thank for all of your support! Glenn Deering, GDeering@houstonisd.org, Library Media Specialist, MLS, 713-295-5230

SCHOOL DIRECTORY
The directory is up and running and everyone should have online access. Login to the online directory at https://www.myschoolanywhere.com/directory-login.a5w Login with your mobile device at https://www.myschoolanywhere.com/mobile-login.a5w Questions or issues contact Alva Allen at twaindirectory@hotmail.com Back To Top

YEARBOOK ORDERS
Yearbook Orders being accepted now. Yearbook price is $40 Yearbook with Personalized Nameplate = $45 Order online at: Yearbook Order Link or pay by check (payable to Mark Twain PTO) - attach check to order form and drop in Yearbook mailbox - located in Parent Workroom Back To Top

VOLUNTEER IN PUBLIC SCHOOL

How can I become a VIPS?

All volunteers must register online and pass a criminal background check before they can participate as a volunteer. Please follow the steps below to become a VIPS:

Step 1:	Register online at www.houstonisd.org/vipslogin.
Step 2:	Once you have registered, you must go in person to the school of interest and show proof of identification (see Ms. Cisneros at the front desk)
Step 3:	Identification information will go into our database for processing by the Volunteer Coordinator at each campus.
Step 4:	The criminal history background check can take 2-3 weeks to complete.
Step 5:	Once you are CLEARED to volunteer, you are eligible to volunteer throughout HISD.

LOCKS OF LOVE

Locks of Love Event Coming To Mark Twain

Are you interested in making a HUGE difference in a child's life? If so, please join us in donating to Locks of Love (www.locksoflove.org/).

Who can donate? We are looking for Mark Twain girls, their moms, sisters, teachers, staff to donate their beautiful locks for a wonderful cause.

When? We will schedule "cutting event" in late May.

How? You will need 10" of hair to make a donation so start growing now.

Why? Because there are thousands of children who suffer from long-term hair loss and we have the ability to make a difference. Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hair pieces for these children. So if you have hair and it grows, you can help!

Ready to commit? If you are 100% committed to participating in this event, please email your name, age and phone number to Ilse Rassin.

Interested? Great! You have plenty of time to think about it while your hair grows. Plus, there will be ways to help even if you choose not to donate hair.

Questions? More info to come as the date approaches, but if you have questions now, please email Ilse Rassin ilserassin@gmail.com or Luisa Puerto alpuertogomez@gmail.com.

BE A CHEERLEADER FOR A DAY

Bellaire High School Cheerleaders invite you to a fun day of learning cheers and dances. Lunch, picture with the Cardinal mascot and a party favor will be provided.

$50 Registration Fee

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Bellaire High School, Multi-Purpose Room

5100 Maple Street, Bellaire, 77401

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Performance starts at 1:30 in the Auditorium

Open to all Girls in Kindergarten-8th Grade

Register by Nov. 8 to be sure to receive the cheer t-shirt. Due to ordering deadlines, late registration and walk-ins are not guaranteed a t-shirt. Space is limited and once we've reached capacity we may not be able to accommodate walk-ins. Please sign up early!

Checks made payable to BHS. Please mail registration form(attached here) and check payable to BHS to:

Gina Taylor, 809 N. Third Street, Bellaire, TX 77401.

Forms must be postmarked by Nov. 8 to qualify for early bird discount.

Sorry, no refunds after you've registered. Questions? Contact Gina Taylor at ginataylor41@att.net

ONLINE MAGNET APPLICATION INFO
Online Magnet Application information is available at http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/75072 Back To Top

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

LANIER MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE CLINIC

The Lanier Dance Junior Clinic is a fun activity for children in grades K-6. Kids are invited to Lanier on Saturday, November 16th, from 9:00 to noon to learn an age-appropriate dance, play games, and have a snack. The clinic is $25 for pre-registration and $30 at the door, which includes a clinic T-shirt. At the end of the clinic, participants perform their routines for family and friends.

Pre-registration can be mailed to the address provided on the registration form or dropped at Lanier Office B.

Email Suzanne Barrall suzanne.barrall@gmail.com, Mark Twain Alum Emma Barrall's mom with any questions.

Click Here for Registration Form

GIRL SCOUTS

GIRL SCOUTS WANT YOU!

All girls in kindergarten through 5th grade are eligible to become a leader in our community through Girl Scouts. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The Girl Scouts of Braes Oaks Community hosted a membership rally Monday October 28th at West U Methodist Drummett Building. If you missed this rally, do not despair! You can still join! Please email gsbraesoaks@gmail.com and let them know you are interested in joining Girl Scouts, and they will put you in touch with the right troop leader.

+SNAX

Peopleboxes™

A small group of middle school athletes took a break between tournament games. Visitors to the campus, they entered the ladies room and then their respective bathroom stalls. Some mothers subsequently entered the ladies room, while loudly discussing why the girls' team should not have been invited to the tournament. Not knowing the girls from "that team" were in the stalls, the women continued their group rant about why the girls' school didn't belong.

The girls emerged from the ladies room devastated by the mothers' words. The coach found herself in a situation where she had to explain to her team how sometimes adults fail to model good behavior.

.........................................

Boxes are for things, not for people. Reflect on a time when you used your words to put a person or a group of people in a "peoplebox" based on the school they attend, the country they're from, the neighborhood they live in, the way they look, or what you think they believe. Let's be mindful of the behavior we model and recognize the powerful effect our words have on others.

�2013 +Works

http://www.blog.positivethinkingworks.org

For more information, visit www.positivethinkingworks.org.

+TALK - EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHNG!

We are excited to introduce a new +Talk on mental health.

If we're honest, we all struggle from time to time, yet we don't always talk about it. Let's come together and shine some +Light on MENTAL HEALTH - a challenging issue that keeps many of us up at night. JOIN US for this NEW +Talk II.

RSVP to:

aware@positivethinkingworks.org

Details:

Title: EVERYBODY's GOT SOMETHING! Reframing mental health as a
+Community.
Speaker: Dr. Marcy Laviage, Clinical Psychologist & President, Texas Psychological Assn.
Date: Monday, Nov 18, 2013
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Mark Twain Elementary

Please join us in promoting +Talk II to your +School communities.

Poster Attached Here!

TURKEY TROT

21st Annual TXU Energy Turkey Trot

The 21st Annual TXU Energy Turkey Trot benefiting the Sheltering Arms Senior Services and Neighborhood Centers will be held on November 28, 2013.

More information available at www.HoustonTurkeyTrot.org or by contacting Renae Virata at 713-669-5380 or rvirata@shelteringarms.org

Click here for Flyer

CALENDARS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO

2013 - 2014 Mark Twain Academic Calendar

HISD Lunch Menus: http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/68611

HISD Lunch Payment Online: https://www.parentonline.net/Public/Login.aspx

Join Cub Scout Pack 34 now! The Boy Scouts of America teaches skills such as leadership, communication, and organization. If you want to join or have any questions please email Cubmaster Sean O'Connor at oconnorhook@gmail.com

Grades 3 - 5 LDC Blog: http://wwwmarktwainldc35.blogspot.com

VIPS Approval--need to volunteer or go on field trips: http://marktwainpto.org/membership/vips-approval/

HISD Parent Student Connect Login (daily grades, progress reports): https://psc.houstonisd.org/ParentStudentConnect/Login.aspx

The Mark Twain Track Team will be returning for the 2013-2014 school year. More information will be coming in November and December.

Art A La Carte is an art curriculum that was purchased, and is supported by the Mark Twain PTO. For additional information contact Sonal Patel, 240.888.6732, sonalpatel628@gmail.com

Marathon Kids Challenge - Run/Walk 26.2 miles over six months, in quarter or half mile increments thru March 20, 2014.

UIL is being led by Mrs. Rota SROTA@houstonisd.org and and Mrs. Dennis JDENNIS3@houstonisd.org. Mrs. Rota is primarily coaching 2nd and 3rd graders. Mrs. Dennis is leading the 4th and 5th graders. If you want more information, contact the appropriate coach for your grade level.

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. 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, Tony Houck at tvhouck@msn.com for approval.
For Staff - forward information to Ms. Patin for approval at mpatin@houstonisd.org
Details needed for Twain Times:

Each Volunteer needs to copy twaintimes10@yahoo.com on your request to have something published in the Twain Times. It is your responsibility for sending the posting and attachments to twaintimes10@yahoo.com. It is not Mr. Houck or Ms. Patin responsibility to forward emails to twaintimes10@yahoo.com.
Provide text for your listing in the email or in a WORD document.
Please consider using bitly.com to shorten any web addresses or a URL.
If you want a flyer included, it must be submitted in PDF format.
If you want a logo or image to appear in your listing, provide it in jpg, gif or png format. Go to this link http://bit.ly/1fxcCDH for guidance on logos and images.

If you want the logo or image to be linked to a website, please include the website address for your image or logo in your email.
If you want the logo or image to have a caption, please specify text for caption.

If you want a video link, provide the URL for the video

Submission deadlines for all approved articles are Thursdays by 5pm for the Twain Times that will be issued the following week.
Note that we will not include student full name unless we have parent permission.