Dear Parents,

Last week we had a small fire in one of the classrooms that resulted in our evacuation to Pershing. It occurred at 8:00 a.m. when students were still arriving. Initially, we did not know that we would need to evacuate nor did we know for how long we would be out of the building. The children behaved beautifully in a difficult situation and the staff was exceptional.  I would like to thank all of the parents that were still on campus Wednesday morning and accompanied us on our walk to Pershing.

The smoke was from an electrical sensor associated with the air conditioning. No flame was ever observed, but smoke did travel to most parts of the school via the air ducts. Large units to clean the air were placed in the fourth grade wing and classrooms.  The AC system in the affected classroom has been shut down and is being replaced. Portable air conditioners were delivered to keep the temperature at a comfortable level.  HISD has been very responsive and things are back to normal.

The Safety Committee met last Friday morning to review our procedures in an effort to improve in the event of another emergency. I did receive a lot of feedback from parents that has been helpful as we review and revise. Thank you for the support and for understanding that during an emergency our first priority is Safety.

Have a wonderful week!

Melissa Patin

Principal

mpatin@houstonisd.org 

Twain School Website www.houstonisd.org/Twaines 

STAAR administration for grades 4 & 5 is April 1 & 2!

Testing begins immediately following announcements so please make sure your child is here with enough time to get settled for the day.  

Dear Mark Twain Parents and Families,

The fire is out and the smoke has cleared!!!! What an exciting and stressful Wednesday we had. I could not be happier with the way the staff, Dr. Mouton (Mrs. Patin's boss), Pershing and HISD staff handled the incident last week. They were all calm, professional and, most importantly, made sure our kiddos were safe. Mr. Lucky went above and beyond, and was at the school 36 hours straight, working to get the school ready to go the following day. If you get the chance, tell him (or any other staff member), "thanks!!". The smoke was from an electrical sensor associated the air conditioning. No flame was ever observed, but smoke did travel to most parts of the school via the air ducts. The A/C is functional, but HISD maintenance will inspect the entire system to make sure we do not have another incident.

I would like to invite you all to attend the next PTO/All Parents Meeting on Wednesday, April 16th at 8:15 AM in the cafeteria to learn more about current happenings at Mark Twain Elementary. It was originally scheduled for the 9th, but had to be postponed due to an HISD principals' meeting which Mrs. Patin will attend.  Please forward me any questions or concerns that you wish Mrs. Patin to speak on, and I will make sure she gets it prior to the meeting.

Thanks to Heather Barrow for another outstanding book drive. She and the community do such a great job every year helping those in need.

April Dates to remember:

12th International Festival

14th Blood Drive at Twain

16th PTO/All Parents Meeting 8:15 AM

25th Monthly Staff Appreciation Luncheon 10:30 AM - 12:45 PM   

25th Bingo Night 

26th 2nd Annual Rocket Launch

April is a very busy, busy month! Please remember to enjoy time with your children and family. The days really seem to fly by.

Tony Houck

Mark Twain PTO President

tvhouck@msn.com  

Twain PTO Website: marktwainpto.org