Mark Twain Elementary School Newsletter

School Year 2013 - 2014

April 15, 2014

Online Fundraising and
Calendar Links

Calendar as of April 15

Join Our Mailing List

In This Issue

Friday, April 18th

Fit Friday

Soles 4 Souls

Library Media Center

Houston Astros

School Store Volunteers

Bingo Night

Teacher Appreciation Week

Birthday Grams

Lost & Found

5th Gr Recorders

District UIL

International Festival

Extended Day Payment

Strings Program Payment

Locks of Love

BTFE

Weekley YMCA Fundraiser

Parenting Today's T(w)eens

Dance & Hip Hop Clinic

Cub Scout Camp

ADDventure Summer Camp

HOLA Water Polo

+SNAX

Vivaldi Music

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

Candelaris

Candelaris.com

Dear Mark Twain Parents and Families,

I hope all got to come out on Saturday to enjoy the International Festival. Once again Fabia Hill and her team, did an outstanding job, educating many of us Texans, on the ways and treats from around the world and are represented at Mark Twain. It was a fabulous event.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Nominating Committee - Camora Kuo (chair), Linda Barcot, Megan Rose, David Edwards, Jenny Clymer, Lindsay Colvin, and Sara Iqbal- for their hard work, thoughtfulness and dedication throughout the first phase of the nominating process. They have prepared the 2014-2015 PTO Executive Slate which will be voted on by the current PTO Board at the April 16th meeting. The ballot will be coming home in the Red folders today for a vote by the entire parent community. I encourage you to please review the Executive Slate and support the new leadership team by sending in your vote by Friday, May 2nd. The Nominating Committee will present the slate of PTO Directors at the May PTO meeting. I also want to thank those of you willing to serve and dedicate your time and efforts to benefit the children of Mark Twain Elementary.

The Blood Drive for Andy was a huge success, so much so that not everyone was able to give. If you were unable to give, you can always set an appointment at Bill T. Teague Neighborhood Donor Center located at 1400 La Concha Lane. Thank you for looking out for one of our own.

Whew...busy weekend; the Odyssey of the Mind teams represented Twain well at the State meet with a fourth place and 2 fifth place finishes. Kudos to them. We were also well represented at the Houston Kids Triathlon, the largest kid's triathlon in the world, with over 50 Twain participants. Way to Go Twain Tigers!

Finally...a Note from Mrs. Patin:

As you all know Friday we will be having a full day of school. We will start the day off with Get Fit Friday on the track at 7:30 AM. All students and faculty are encouraged to wear "sporty" clothes. We are planning some fun activities throughout the day, some of which will be sports themed. There will be no Extended Day on Friday.

We have provided a link below to an explanation regarding absences for Good Friday. Please read carefully and make sure that you send a note explaining the reason for the absence. All absences require a note from parents, so regardless of the reason, please send a note to your child's teacher or Denise Rodriguez, Twain's Attendance Clerk.

The Shared Decision Making Committee met last Friday - minutes will be posted on Community Board by the end of the week!

This week.....

Mon, April 14	Blood Drive honoring our own Andy Allen - Thanks To Everyone!
Wed, April 16	All Parent Meeting 8 AM

Next week.....

Tues, April 22	STAAR - Grade 3 & 4 Math
Wed, April 23	STAAR - Grade 3 & 4 Reading, Grade 5 - Science

Enjoy the beautiful week! I cannot thank you enough for all that you do for our school, children and community!

Tony Houck

Mark Twain PTO President

tvhouck@msn.com

FRIDAY, APRIL 18TH
Links Regarding Absences on Friday, April 18th: English Espa�ol Việt No Extended Day Care on Friday, April 18th There will be no After-School program on Friday, April 18th. Please plan to pick up your Twain Tiger by 3:15 pm on April 18th.

FIT FRIDAY
Fit Friday will be held on Friday, April 18th! All students, faculty and parents are welcome to jog or walk the track before starting their day! The fun starts 7:30 in the morning!

SOLES 4 SOULS

Shoe Drive Soles 4 Souls Mark Twain will be participating in the program Soles 4 Souls.

We will be collecting

New or Gently-Worn Shoes

These shoes will then be donated to the citizens of Haiti who are unable to obtain shoes without our help. We are asking each student to put their donated shoes in the box by their grade level hall. All shoe sizes and types are needed. We plan on continuing this program for the next two weeks.

LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER
Effective immediately, the Library Media Center will be open to students, teachers and parents for returns and checking out books on the following schedule: Mornings Monday - Thursday from 7:30 until 7:45 Afternoons Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 3:15 - 3:30. For more information, contact Mr. Deering at gdeering@houstonisd.org.

HOUSTON ASTROS

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The Houston Astros are inviting students to come out to the ballpark to watch the home team play this season. Mark Twain has received 100 tickets each to 8 different games in April, May and June and we are giving them away to students, parents and staff for FREE!

If you would like to attend a game, please fill out this form and return to Coach Jody before your requested 1st game.

Families can receive up to 5 tickets to each game, and tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Only requests for April games will be taken at this time. May and June game requests will be taken beginning in May.

This is an exciting time for the Astros, as it is a good chance to see the team's future stars start to develop on the big league team! Enjoy a fun time at the field. Complete and return a ticket request form to Coach Jody today!

The games are as follows:

Tuesday, April 15 (vs Kansas City Royals)

Wednesday, April 16 (vs Kansas City Royals)

Thursday, April 17 (vs Kansas City Royals)

Tuesday, April 29 (vs Washington Nationals)

Wednesday, April 30 (vs Washington Nationals)

Friday, May 30 (vs Baltimore Orioles)

Wednesday, June 4 (vs Los Angeles Angels)

Wednesday, June 11 (vs Arizona Diamondbacks)

Click Here for Form.

For more info, contact Coach Jody Bourque at jbourque@houstonisd.org.

SCHOOL STORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDS

BINGO NIGHT
BINGO Night April 25th! We look forward to seeing you then for lots of BINGO fundraising FUN! If you are interested in helping the BINGO Night team, please contact Laura Bumgarner at Laura.L.Bumgarner@wellsfargo.com

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

Teacher Appreciation Week is April 28-May 2.

Please make sure your teachers and the staff at Mark Twain know how much we appreciate all they do for our children! The PTO will sponsor "treats" each day of the week. We encourage you and your child to make cards, bring flowers from your garden, share baked goods, or something that is special to your teacher! The "Hearts of Appreciation" will be coming home in your student's Tuesday Folder, and is Linked Here as well.

Please fill out as many as you wish, don't forget your favorite ancillary teacher or support staff member at the school!

Hearts can be brought to the PTO workroom. Please do not forget to cut out your hearts before sending to school! Hearts can be sent anytime before Teacher Appreciation Week begins.

If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Hyman at jennyhyman@gmail.com.

BIRTHDAY GRAMS
Parents: Please submit requests for Birthday Grams through the end of the school year now. Click Here for Order Form or pick one up from the PTO workroom. You can pay by check, cash, or credit card at the school store. Also, online orders are accepted. Thank you so much for supporting 5th grade! Rachel Ezell & Leslie Strug. Questions: rpezell@yahoo.com

LOST & FOUND

Parents,

please come and check the Lost & Found closet located in the school cafeteria. The clothes rack is set up in the hallway outside of the cafeteria.

There are several non-uniform items in the closet and on the rack. All items will be removed and disposed off in the next couple of weeks.

5TH GRADE RECORDERS

5th Graders are starting their unit on learning to play the instrument called the recorder. Your child may purchase a recorder at the school store. They are $6.00.

Contact Mrs. Bardin, jbardin@houstonisd.org if you have questions.

DISTRICT UIL

Help Twain Compete for a District UIL Title!

All students welcome to participate. Events of all types - academic, writing, and speaking. Twain Tigers, please email Jennifer Dennis (jdennis3@houstonisd.org) or Shelley Rota (srota@houstonisd.org) to register for the open spots we still have for the District Meet.

10:30 - Section B
Art (4/5th Gr.) - WE HAVE AN OPEN (1) SLOT HERE

12:00 - Section C
Music Memory (5th Gr.) - WE HAVE TWO (2) OPEN SPOTS HERE

The District Meet is May 3 at Windsor Village Elementary. Students may compete in 1 to as many as 4 events. You can come for your event only or stay the day and support our team. Events usually last about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who hosted a country booth, practiced with the children, or helped in any other way to make the International Festival a big success! Back To Top

EXTENDED DAY FINAL PAYMENT
Extended Day final payments were due April 4th. If you have any questions about your balance, please e-mail Stacey Karr at skarr@houstonisd.org .

STRINGS PROGRAM PAYMENTS DUE

Violin Friendly Reminder:

Strings Program Payments Are Due!

Please send in your payment for Guitar, Cello, Violin.

Please contact me directly for current balance at vsanche7@houstonisd.org.

I will also be sending out individual reminder emails during this week.

Vicky Sanchez

Mark Twain Elementary

LOCKS OF LOVE

Locks of Love Event Coming To Mark Twain

EVENT COMING END OF MAY

Our Locks of Love event is here!!!

Hairdressers will be coming to Mark Twain to measure and cut hair. Please join us for this amazing event as Mark Twain students, teachers, moms, sisters, and friends join together in making a HUGE difference in a child's life.

It is TIME TO COMMIT!!

Please email Ilse Rassin (ilserassin@gmail.com) or Luisa Puerto (alpuertogomez@gmail.com) to sign up to join the Locks of Love team. We need to know how many participants we have to ensure we have enough hairdressers so please email us if you are planning on participating.

Make a difference in a child's life and 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? The exact date will be given out soon. We are planning for after school in late May

How? You will need 10" of hair to make a donation (or close to that)

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. There are ways to help even if you choose not to donate hair so send us an email if you'd like to help.

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.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

Click Here for Box Top Collection Sheets.

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 4/30/2014.

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.comto see more bonus offers.

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

WEEKLEY YMCA FUNDRAISER

Sprint for Spring on SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014 in the same beautiful community its YMCA supports. Register individually or save when you register as a team of five or more!

All proceeds fund the Weekley Family YMCA Annual Campaign which provides scholarships to local families in need of valuable YMCA programs.

RACE OPTIONS:

5K, Competitive
5K, Non-competitive
5K, Family Fun Run
1K, Kids' Fun Run

Register in person at the Weekley Family YMCA
Mail registration form & waiver to:

WEEKLEY FAMILY YMCA
c/o Sprint for Spring Fun Run & Walk
7101 Stella Link
Houston, TX 77025

*Last day to register: April 25, 2014

The course is shown here.

PARENTING TODAY'S T(W)EENS
Flyer

DANCE & HIP HOP CLINIC

Pin Oak Middle School will be hosting a Junior Dance and Hip Hop Clinic for boys and girls in grades PreK - 5th. They will learn dances, play games, get a T-shirt, and a snack on Saturday, April 26th from 9am-noon. The cost is $25.00.

The Junior Clinic Dancers are invited back to perform in the annual Spring Show! Please contact Misty Wagers for registration information mwagers@houstonisd.org.

CUB SCOUT CAMP

ADDVENTURE SUMMER CAMP

ADDventure Summer Camp

When:
June 9-27, 2014
12:30 pm - 4:30pm
Where: St. Francis Episcopal Day School
335 Piney Point Rd

Is your child struggling with ADHD? Pre-registration now open at www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/ADDventure

The Dan L. Duncan Children's Neurodevelopmental Clinic is launching its first annual ADDventure Summer Camp! The camp is geared toward children in grades 1-3 diagnosed with ADHD.

Campers will work with experienced psychologists and trained professionals in learning to follow instructions, complete tasks, develop problem solving skills, and improve self-esteem by developing competence in interpersonal, recreational, and academic tasks. Arts & crafts, sporting events, and individualized academic interventions will provide a blended mix of fun and learning.

Click Here For Flyer

HOLA WATER POLO

Want to become a stronger swimmer?

Develop a team spirit?

Bask in the glory of scoring the game winning goal?

Then come join HOLA Water Polo! After one season with HOLA Chupacabras, you will be as strong as an ox and as fast as a shark! For our spring season we have teams for 10 Year Old and Under, 12 Year Olds and Under, and 14 Year Old and Under.

We practice at Lamar High School from 6-8pm on specific dates. For more information email Coach Eamon Kelly at ECKelly90@gmail.com. We'll see you there!!

+SNAX

Way in the Back

Wanting to be sure there was a parent present at the party, she walked her teenagers up to the house and rang the door bell.

The father who owned the house answered the door.

"Oh good," she said, somewhat awkwardly. "I came by just to make sure there was an adult here."

"Oh yeah, and don't worry," he said with a wink. "The keg is way in the back."

The problem was, he wasn't kidding.

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

JOIN THE +MOVEMENT:

�2013 +Works

www.blog.positivethinkingworks.org

For more information, visit www.positivethinkingworks.org.

VIVALDI MUSIC ACADEMY

Dream Big. Be Creative. Play Music.

Vivaldi Music Academy is a new music school in the Bellaire/West University area on Gramercy Street. Our school is owned and operated by a renowned Houston Symphony violinist, Zeljko Pavlovic.

Vivaldi Music Academy offers private instruction in piano, violin, guitar, cello, voice and more, group lessons in guitar and choir, ensemble lessons in jazz ensemble, classical ensemble and rock band, and early childhood music development classes with Kindermusik in ONE location! Whether it's Kindermusik for your toddler, a performance-driven program for your teen, or something in-between, the exceptional staff at Vivaldi Music Academy can instruct, nurture, and help instill a passion for music that leads to academic and social success.

Click Here to learn more about our music programs.

For questions, contact Courtney Park, Suzuki Program Director at courtney@vivaldimusicacademy.com or 713-858-9617

CALENDARS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO

Revised 2013 - 2014 Mark Twain Academic Calendar

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

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

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

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

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

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 twaintimes@gmail.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 twaintimes@gmail.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 twaintimes@gmail.com on your request to have something published in the Twain Times. It is your responsibility for sending the posting and attachments to twaintimes@gmail.com . It is not Mr. Houck or Ms. Patin responsibility to forward emails to twaintimes@gmail.com.
Provide text for your listing in the email or in a WORD document.
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 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 Saturdays by Noon 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.