Mark Twain Elementary School Newsletter

School Year 2013 - 2014

Online Fundraising Links

http://www.amazon.com/?tag=bkben0013-20

Mark Twain will receive 5% of your purchase price if you use these links to make your online purchases. No private information is transmitted to Mark Twain, just a check every quarter based on 5% of the collective purchases you make using the links above.

Join Our Mailing List and Calendar

December

2 - 12 Toys For Tots Drop Office in School Office

6 - 13 Kindergarten Stanford Testing

11 PTO Meeting 8 AM

11 Bashby Committee Meeting

12 4th Grade Music Program, 8:30 AM K-2nd, 9:30 AM 3rd-5th and 7 PM Parents

13 Deadline to submit Privacy Code Form

13 Last Day to Find Your Things In Lost & Found

16 Strings Concert 5 - 7 PM

16 K-2 NTB Qualifying Tests

16 Jump Rope For Heart Collection Envelopes Due

16-20 Take/Adopt Things from Lost & Found

16 Opera for Kinder

17 NTB Meeting for students who Qualified

18 1st Grade Holiday Party

19 Field Day K-2 8:30-11 AM

19 Field Day 3-5 Noon-2:30 PM

20 Extended Day Pickup by 4:30 PM

20 Free Dress Day

20 4th & 5th Grade Bashby Contributions Deadline

20 Monthly Staff Appreciation/Holiday Breakfast

20 Lost & Found Items will be removed and disposed.

23 - Jan 6 Winter Break - No School

January

6 Teacher Work Day

7 Students Return To School

8 PTO Meeting 6:30 PM

February

14 The Great Bashby!

In This Issue

PTO Meeting

Toys For Tots

HISD Privacy Code Form

Lost & Found

Strings Concert

Field Day

Extended Day - Spring Registration

Extended Day Early Dismissal

Name That Book

Jump Rope For Heart

Online Magnet Application Info

Parent Enrichment

Box Tops For Education

Pick-Up Soccer Tournament

The Great Bashby!

Bashby Baskets

Bashby Deco

Bashby Wine & Whiskey Pull

School Store-Regal Cinema Cards

School Store-Gift Cards

Online Fundraising

Twain Triathlon

Twain Library Heroes

School Directory

Yearbook Orders

Locks of Love

Child Find

Be A Cheerleader For A Day

Girl Scouts

+SNAX

Rice University-Study Participants

WUSA

WU Little League

Calendars and Other Info

Thank You To Our 2013-2014
Corporate Sponsors

Platinum Level

Gold Level

EBANKS, HORNE, ROTA, MOOS

Silver Level

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

December 10, 2013

Dear Mark Twain Community,

The phrase "too many irons in the fire" comes to mind during the month of December as we are struggling to balance our many "to do" lists. It is a glorious time, yet fraught with timelines, events and special activities. As adults we feel a lot of pressure to be everywhere and everything to everyone. Take a moment and look into the eyes of your children. There you will find the true meaning of the season. I know that no matter how stressed, overworked and overextended I may feel, once I enter Mark Twain I feel joy and gratitude that you bring your children to Mark Twain and entrust them to us.

Last week I sent out a brief explanation of the Strategic Planning Committee and asked for comments and suggestions for using PTO funds. The feedback included the following items.

Playground improvements
Science/Math programs enhancements and materials (we purchased StemScopes this year)
Additional bike racks for the front of the building
Repairs to the fence along the perimeter of the playground
Technology improvements including a new V-brick which allows us to broadcast to the classrooms, new computers for student use and a television monitor that will provide pictures and Mark Twain news in the front rotunda.

An issue that continues to resurface is parking on the streets around Mark Twain. A neighbor called the school again and this time, the recycling truck was unable to pick up the recycling due to parked cars. Please, do not move recycling bins or trash cans in order to make a parking spot! I met again with the city and there are plans to improve traffic flow and parking signage.

Melissa Patin

Principal

Important Dates:

Thursday, December 12th - Fourth Grade Music Program 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 19th - Field Day

Winter Break - December 23rd-January 7th

PTO MEETING
PTO Meeting today, Wednesday, December 11th at 8 AM. Back to Top

TOYS FOR TOTS
Toys for Tots Houston Independent School District December 2 - 12, 2013 Toy Drop Off Location Mark Twain Elementary Front Office If you have any questions, please contact Denise Rodriguez at drodrigu@houstonisd.org

HISD PRIVACY CODE FORM

State law requires the HISD to maintain an education record for each student attending its schools. Certain information about HISD students is considered directory information and will be released to anyone who follows the procedures for requesting the information about the student.

If you do not want to release directory information regarding your child without your prior written consent, please complete and sign a Privacy Code Form and return it to the Mark Twain Elementary School Office by December 13, 2013.

Click Here for the HISD Notice and the Privacy Code Form.

HISD Notificatcion y Formulario del Condigo de Privacidad en Espanol.

LOST & FOUND

Lost & Found

LOST AND FOUND CLOSET IS FULL!

Please come and check the Lost and Found closet located in the school cafeteria before Friday, Dec 13th. The clothes rack is set up in the hallway outside of the cafeteria temporarily this week.

You are welcome to take/adopt anything left in the Lost and Found closet or on the rack during the week of Dec 16th, the last week before Winter Break.

Any items left behind will be removed and disposed on Friday, December 20th, the last day of the school.

STRINGS CONCERT

The Winter String Program will take place on Monday, December 16th from 5-7 PM. Please make sure your child practices the music that has been sent home.

Dress Rehearsal

Kindergarten Dress Rehearsal on Friday, December 13th at 2 PM.
1st - 5th Grade Dress Rehearsal on Friday, December 13th from 2:30 - 3:30 PM.

Instruments

Kindergarten students should bring their instruments Thursday, December 12th and Friday, December 13th.
1st-5th Grade student should bring their instruments on regular lesson day(s) and on Friday, December 13th.

Performance Day

Kindergarten will perform first and then they will be quietly dismissed to sit with parents.
Please arrive by 4:40 PM to unpack and set-up.
Please wear "Sunday Best" concert attire.

For additional information contact Ms. Aceret MACERET@houstonisd.org or Ms. Cabral ECABRAL@houstonisd.org.

FIELD DAY-DECEMBER 19th

Field Day Communication Committee

Field day is coming, December 19th, and fourth grade couldn't be more excited! The parade of classes will begin at 8:15. It's always a blast to see the stream of happy children parading around the track. The games begin for K-2 at 8:15 and will end at 11:00. Third through fifth graders will compete from 12 to 2:30. As in the past few years, cooperation is key. Points will be awarded not only for performance in events but also for cooperative play. We're looking forward to a fun day! Ms. Marroquin's Class

Nutrition Committee

Students should eat healthy food so they can perform their best at field day. You should eat fresh fruit and vegetables. You should stay healthy! If you eat unhealthy foods like chips and ice cream, you can get sick. Granola bars and apple slices can help with that. If you want to provide nutritious snacks for field day, drop them off at the stage. Ms. Murdoch's Class

Welcome Committee

Jump Rope for Heart Donations will be collected on Field Day. A minimum donation of $3 will receive a jump rope for heart duck. Ms. Clayton's Class

Safety Committee

Field Day Safety! It is important to stay safe on field day. Here are some ideas to keep in mind. Please wear the appropriate clothing. If it is cold, wear long sleeves and pants, but if not, you can wear short sleeves and shorts/capris. Always wear tennis shoes! Avoid wearing jewelry or dressy clothes. Make sure to wear sunscreen so that you don't get a sunburn. Following the rules and not interfering with the game are keys to having a safe and successful field day. You should stay with your class and in designated areas at all times. Drink water to stay hydrated and eat healthy snacks so that you can be active. Remember to always have fun and stay safe!

From, The Safety Committee Ms. Chapin's Class

Facilities committee

Let's Keep Mark Twain Clean on Field Day 2013

Field Day has finally arrived! It will be held at Mark Twain Elementary on Thursday, December 19th. We hope that you all can attend. It's going to be a fun filled day with many exciting events. To ensure that our campus remains beautiful, we are encouraging everybody to recycle and throw away your trash in the appropriate containers.

Where ever you are on campus, whether it's inside or outside, there will be containers for recyclable items and trash. If you can't find one, just ask one of the Mark Twain students. Please, please, please do not litter. Again, we want to make sure our campus is clean and tidy, and left exactly as it was before Field Day began.

Many thanks, Mr. Bonn's Class

EXTENDED DAY - SPRING REGISTRATION
Spring Registration Registration forms and payment for the spring semester Extended Day is due by December 20th, if you need care starting on January 7th. You may find forms in the main office or at www.houstonisd.org/twaines. Email Stacey Karr at skarr@houstonisd.org if you have any questions. Back To Top

EXTENDED DAY EARLY DISMISSAL
Pick up your Son/Daughter from Mark Twain Extended Day Care by 4:30 PM Friday, December 20th. Back To Top

NAME THAT BOOK

Name That Book K - 2 NAME THAT BOOK (NTB) NEWS

The qualifying tests for the upcoming HISD K - 2 Name That Book (NTB) Event has been postponed until Monday, December 16th.

The test will be given after school in Ms. Jo Vamvakias' first grade class room, adjacent to the library. The qualifying test should take approximately 45 minutes. Test results will be e-mailed to the parents the evening of December 16th.

There will be a brief meeting after school on Tuesday, December 17 with those students and their parents who qualified for the K - 2 team. The location of the meeting will be announced later. Should you have any about the December 17th meeting, contact Amudha Sree amudhascreej@yahoo.com or Glenn Deering, gdeering@houstonisd.org.

The K - 2 NTB event will be March 3 - 7. For more information about the Name That Book reading incentive program please click on the following link http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/93027

Look for information about the 3-5 NTB contest in the Twain Times or on the Mark Twain Media Center Blog at http://marktwainmediacenter.weebly.com/

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Event Site and Book List www.houstonisd.org/Page/96206

Click Here for K - 2nd Grade NTB List

3rd - 5th Grade Event Site and Book List http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/93279 Click Here for 3rd - 5th Grade NTB List

For questions, email Kyrsten Crawford at kyrsten.crawford@gmail.com or speak with our Librarian, Mr. Deering.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

It takes heart to be a hero!

On November 22nd, Mark Twain began participating in the annual Jump Rope for Heart campaign! Students will join millions of other children across the country in a meaningful opportunity to learn how jumping rope is good for the heart and to help save lives.

Help your child get involved! If deciding to participate, help your child raise money to help others who have cardiovascular disease, including kids. You can start now and visit americanheart.org/jump to set up a Web page and e-mail friends/family to make secure donations. Or use the collection envelope your child will receive. Whether or not you and your children decide to participate in the fundraising portion of this "event," all students will have the chance to participate in jump rope activities during Physical Education class at the end of our Jump Rope for Heart campaign.

Special Notes:

Your child will receive thank-you gifts based on the donations he or she collects (or you can elect not to receive them.)
Our school will also earn physical education equipment.
For the safety of our children, we ask that your child not go door-to-door or ask strangers for donations.
Collection envelopes are due December 16th and are to be turned in to Coach Jody.

Contact Coach Jody at JBourque@houstonisd.org for more information.

ONLINE MAGNET APPLICATION INFO
Online Magnet Application information is available at http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/75072. Deadline for Magnet Application is December 20, 2013. Back To Top

PARENT ENRICHMENT

Wondering what to read over the Winter Break?

Please mark your calendars for the next Parent bookclub on Thursday, January 9th at 8:15 AM in the cafeteria. We will be discussing: "Duct Tape Parenting" by Vicki Hoefle.

There's a new set of 3Rs for our kids-respect, responsibility, and resilience-to better prepare them for life in the real world. Once developed, these skills let kids take charge, and let parents step back, to the benefit of all. Casting hover mothers and helicopter parents aside, Vicki Hoefle encourages a different, counter-intuitive-yet much more effective-approach: for parents to sit on their hands, stay on the sidelines, even if duct tape is required, so that the kids step up. "Duct Tape Parenting" gives parents a new perspective on what it means to be effective, engaged parents and to enable kids to develop confidence through solving their own problems. This is not a book about the parenting strategy of the day-what the author calls "Post-It Note Parenting"-but rather a relationship-based guide to span all ages and stages of development. Witty, straight-shooting Hoefle addresses frustrated parents everywhere who are ready to raise confident, capable children to go out in the world.

For more information, contact Tonya Crombie at tonyacrombie@comcast.net for more information.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

Click Here for Box Top Collection Sheets.

On November 25th a Mark Twain BTFE Supporter won 1,000 eBoxTops ($100) for Mark Twain Elementary through the BTFE Nature Valley Great Outdoors Giveaway!

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

Click on Image above to enter. One (1) Entry per person/email address per day through 12/31/2013.

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

Please register at btfe.com to support Mark Twain Elementary in Houston Texas! Visit Kroger's RewardYourSchool.com to see bonus offers and Randall's 2Ways2Earn.com to see more bonus offers.

For more information, contact Jacqueline Leggington at btfe.marktwain@yahoo.com.

PICK-UP SOCCER TOURNAMENT

soccer_ball The Dual Language Program at Mark Twain would like to invite everyone out to a friendly pick-up style soccer tournament has been postponed until after the Holidays.

Twain family and friends will be divided into teams depending on their ages. K-2nd grade, 3-5th grade, and parents (Co-ed).

Tournaments T-shirts and snacks will be sold, and all profits will go to the 5th Grade Gift Fund.

For more information contact Rita Garcia-Prats at ritagarciaprats@gmail.com.

THE GREAT BASHBY!

Please mark your calendars for a roaring good time and join us at The Great Bashby, Friday February 14th!

Committee Meeting

The next Bashby Committee Meeting is December 11th, 6:30 PM at the home of Claudia Christin.

Facebook

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

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.

BASHBY BASKETS

4th And 5th Grade Baskets

We are accepting monetary donations of cash or check. You can give them to your room parent or leave a check in Madonna Bauch and Liz Sander's PTO box in the PTO workroom. All money due by December 20th.

We will use the money to purchase airline gift cards to complement get-away/trip donations. No gift cards, please. Please Contact Liz Sanders for questions: lizsanders7777@sbcglobal.net

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd And PALS Baskets

Parents and Twain Supporters,

We would love for you to donate to any of the boxes located in the rotunda. Please bring NEW items only. You may donated to any box even if it's not your assigned grade level box. We have already received a few great donations! Thank you!

Monetary donations can be put into Madonna Bauch and Liz Sanders box located in the PTO workroom just off the rotunda.

Below are some ideas per grade level basket assignment. They are just our ideas so please feel free to use these or your own ideas. Please also keep in mind the Leggo Box, as the PALS class only has one class to help with donations. We could really use some help collecting extra donations to help recognize this class. Liz and I will do our best to take donations as they come, so don't be surprised if the boxes are empty.

Kindergarten Crayola Basket:

Markers
Paper
Wonder Art markers and paper
Sketcher Projecter
Widescreen Light Designer
See-Thru Light Designer
Color Wonder� Stow & Go Studio™
Crayola� Washable Window Mega Markers - 4 Ct.
Crayola� Glow Station™

First Grade Barbie and Action Hero Basket:

Barbie Disney Princess Dolls
Barbie Fashion Dolls
Barbie and Pet sets
Barbie playsets
Action Figures

Star Wars
Power Rangers
Ninja Turtles
Spider Man, Super Man, Batman
Transformers

2nd Grade "She's a Soccer Mom" We already have a fabulous pink foldable chair!

Gift card to the Kolache Factory
Gift Card to Starbucks Coffee
Travel Coffee Mug
Travel Water Cup
Soccer blanket for chilly games
Soccer ball
Score Pads
Gift Card to Athleta
Sports Spray mister for hot days

3rd Grade "A Tisket a Tasket a Literary Basket": Award wining books. Below are examples of awards children's books may receive. Accepting books for Elementary aged children.

CALDECOTT MEDAL books
Newbery Medal Winners
(Mildred L.) Batchelder Award
(Theodor Seuss) Geisel Medal
Laura Ingalls) Wilder Award

PALS CLASS Lego Basket

Character Legos from Star Wars, Sponge Bob, to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Basic boxes of Lego Bricks

Please contact Madonna Bauch madonna5@comcast.net or Liz Sanders lizsanders7777@sbcglobal.net

BASHBY DECO

Twain Families,

The amazing transformation of the Bayou Event Center last year from a ballroom to a western ranch was primarily due to you and all of your wonderful donations and items on loan! The decorating team is hoping that you will be able to help us again this year as we go over the top with elegance in the form of the Great Gatsby! We are looking for the following items and greatly appreciate any help you are able to provide!

Silver or brass picture frames of all sizes***

Square glass vases (approximately 6x6, 8X8)***

Tall Trumpet glass vases***

Vintage pieces such as cameras, fans, phonograph, luggage, etc...

White feathers (all sizes)

Strings of faux pearls or crystals

Silver or Mirrored Chargers

4 men's vintage hats (Fedora, boaters, gangster, etc...)

Furniture to be borrowed for a Speakeasy lounge area (couch, chairs, small round tables (bistro) and chairs

Faux or real topiaries that are portable

Large green ferns

***We need as many of these as we can get!***

If you have any of these items, please contact:Monica Agosta at magosta69@gmail.com.

THE GREAT BASHBY WINE & WHISKEY PULL

Back by popular demand...the Wine Pull with a Gatsby Twist!

This year we are including Whiskey to go along with the theme. We are looking for donations of wine and whisky (preferably $15 value or higher) or simply donate cash/gift cards for purchasing. During the Bashby event you will be able to pay Pay $20 to get an unrevealed bottle of wine or whiskey. You may drop off your donations during the next PTO meeting, to the home of Chastiti Horne (3606 North Braeswood) or contact Dan Crowder for pick up.

Contact Dan Crowder for more information dfcrowder@thecrowderlawfirm.comor 713-503-5308.

SCHOOL STORE - REGAL CINEMA GIFT CARDS
Let's go to the movies and support Mark Twain! Get your Regal Cinemas gift cards at the school store. See attached for movie flyer. Click Here for Flyer! Back To Top

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 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.
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?

TWAIN TRIATHLON

Twain Families,

A big thanks to all of you who registered for the Twain Triathlon last week! The excitement is certainly building and as a result, not only do we already have 80+ participants, we are going to have another round of registration at onset of the New Year! In order to compete among grade levels, not just individually, encourage other families to join. Each class needs 5 participants to develop a team!

As you head into the holidays, we would like to remind you to not only focus on the cherished time with family and friends, but also on ways to stay healthy and active! With the abundance of food and delicious treats at hand, we encourage you to get outside and ride your bikes, go for a walk or run, engage in a game of football rather than just watching it on TV, or just dance!

Also, don't forget to take your sponsorship forms to your family members while you visit and ask them to help support you and your school in what will be a great accomplishment! Extra sponsorship forms may be found in the drawer labeled Triathlon in the parent workroom if needed!

Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving,

Your Triathlon Team

The Triathlon will take place on Sunday, March 9. For questions contact Monica Agosta at magosta69@gmail.com.

TWAIN LIBRARY HEROES

Adopt A Mark Twain Elementary 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

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.

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

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

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. 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

Little Freshman. Big Voice.

She waited in the school parking lot much longer than usual. As the rush of cars, kids, teachers, and parents began to thin, she began to worry. Finally, her daughter appeared. By the way she walked toward the car, it was clear something was up.

"Hi sweetie," she said to her daughter. "How was your last exam?"

Silence.

"Are you OK?" she pressed, now concerned. "Mom, something happened that I need to tell you about," she replied with a look on her face her mother had not seen before. "You know how they put all grade levels together in the cafeteria for final exams?"

"Yes," the mom replied. "Why?"

"I was taking my English final and saw two junior boys cheating," her daughter said, clearly still in disbelief.

"That's terrible," said the mom. "What did you do about it?"

"I sat there a long time thinking about it. My friend saw them cheating, too, but told me to keep my mouth shut. But it's wrong. Cheating is wrong, and we sign our names on every test that we are honest and doing our own work. It really made me angry, so I told a teacher. And now, I am sure those boys are going to try and get even with me."

It was the longest winter break their family could remember. When classes resumed, the two athletes were suspended for cheating and weren't allowed to compete with their teams for several games. The freshman girl avoided the upperclassmen as best she could, but in a small school like theirs, encounters were inevitable. One day at the end of the term she found herself alone in the tunnel that connected the lower school to the upper school. One of the boys entered the tunnel. Her heart racing, she tried to avoid eye contact as she angled quickly for the exit.

He called out to her, "Oh, it's the snitch! Do you have any more people to rat on?!? You'd better be careful. I'm watching you." It was terrifying and humiliating.

That night, her phone buzzed with a text message from an unfamiliar number:

TEXT: I want to ask you something. Why did you turn me in? I knew it was wasn't right, but I wasn't hurting anyone. Why'd you have to tell?

TEXT/RESPONSE: I disagree. The honor code means something. We sign our names that we are doing our own work. Your name is who you are.

Four years later, the now college-bound freshman was at a graduation party when a young man approached her. She recognized him instantly. "Hi there," he said nervously. "I want to tell you something. Remember when you turned me in for cheating? I want to thank you for doing that. You did the right thing, and now I can tell you how much I learned from you. I was always afraid to speak up. And now, any time I feel that way. I remember a little freshman girl with a big voice.

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

REFLECTION: What are we doing as parents to encourage our children to internalize the core values our schools are working hard to instill in them?

�2013 +Works

http://www.blog.positivethinkingworks.org

For more information, visit www.positivethinkingworks.org.

RICE UNIVERSITY - STUDY PARTICIPANTS

The Human Factors Research Lab at Rice University needs participants for a voting research study. Participants will be asked to vote with different voting systems, answer questions about them, and complete surveys. The study will take approximately 2 to 3 hours to complete, and participants will be paid $40.00 for completing the study. To be eligible you must be 18 or older, a U.S. Citizen, and have normal or corrected-to-normal vision. If interested in participating in the study, either e-mail Dr. Philip Kortum at hfresearchlab@gmail.com or call 713-570-6807.

WUSA

West University Softball Association It's Time to Play Ball for WUSA.

WUSA spring softball registration is now open for all girls age 4-15. This will be another exciting year for WUSA beginning with its annual Father/Daughter Dance and Opening Day Parade and Carnival.

Players are encouraged to register early. Deadline is January 7, 2014. Tryouts will be held on January 11, 2014. All registered players will be placed on a team. To learn more or register, visit wusa.org. Come out and join in the fun!

WU LITTLE LEAGUE

Registration is now open until January 1st.

Registration is open to all boys and girls who are ages 5-16 on or before April 30, 2014, and live within the WULL boundaries (click here for boundary map). View the boundary map to see if your child is eligible, and get more information at westull.org.

Scholarships are available.

For more information contact Tara Sondock at tara@sondocks.com or 832-347-7074.

CALENDARS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO

2013 - 2014 Mark Twain Academic Calendar

December (Green) 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 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 - send information to our PTO President, Tony Houck at tvhouck@msn.com for approval, copy twaintimes10@yahoo.com.
For Staff - send information to Ms. Patin for approval at mpatin@houstonisd.org, copy twaintimes10@yahoo.com.
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.