The Twain Times
Mark Twain Elementary School 
January 27, 2015 

  

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Dear Parents,

 

Last week you received a phone message and letter regarding the recent Board Workshop discussion on class size waivers and overcrowding. On November 11, 2014 letters were sent out notifying you if your child was in a class that exceeded the recommended class size ratio. At this time I have no further information but will notify you via the Twain Times, Living Tree and our school website when I have specific information on proposals and community meetings.

 

Additionally:

  • The kindergarten gates will be opened when the Safety Patrol reports for duty. The entry door by Ms. Sigmon's room will be unlocked at 7:45 am. Before that time you may enter through the front of the building or through the cafeteria doors.
  • The playground and pavilion are used for Extended Day classes every day beginning at 4:15 pm. If you stay after school with your children, the playground will not be available after 4:15 pm. Parents must be outside supervising children at all times. Thank you for your cooperation!
  • Periodically, concerns over bullying are brought to my attention. The Texas Education Code, Sec. 37.0832, which is contained in the HISD Code of Student Conduct, defines bullying as follows:
Bullying, means engaging in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or physical conduct that occurs on school property, at a school-sponsored or school-related activity, or in a vehicle operated by the district and that: (1) has the effect or will have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person or of damage to the student 's property; (2) is sufficiently severe, persistent, and pervasive that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student. It is considered bullying if the previously mentioned conduct exploits an imbalance of power between the student perpetrator and the student victim through written or verbal expression or physical conduct; and interferes with a student 's education or substantially disrupts the operation of a school.  

 

This week we will review procedures used to identify bullying and the reporting process. The teachers do an excellent job monitoring at Mark Twain but it does take a village. Please report any concerns you may have to your child's teacher so that we can work together to maintain a safe and nurturing environment for our children.

 

A reminder that Wednesday, January 28 is early dismissal at 12:30 pm.  Also, please join us for Art Night this Thursday evening  - this is a fantastic event for the whole family! Lastly, the deadline to submit a Bash social or donate an auction item is Friday, January 30. 

 

Have a wonderful week,

Melissa Patin

Principal

Art Night
Thursday, January 29 
5:30 - 7:30 pm

Join us and enjoy working with clay, Paint Like the Artist, origami, Snowflakes and many other fun art activities.

There will be a raffle with art prizes and dinner available for purchase from Curbside Sliderz and Cousins Maine Lobster food trucks.

We need your help to make Art Night special.  Please sign up to volunteer here. We look forward to seeing you for another great night.
Lost & Found
Please claim lost and found items from December and January BEFORE drop-off at 8:00 am on Thursday, January 29 or they will be donated.

Please check today or tomorrow...don't wait until the last minute! The lost and found closet is in the cafeteria. Lunch kits and water bottles are kept separately on a table on the west wall of the cafeteria.

Huckleberry Bash 2015

 

Please join us for the Huckleberry Bash!  Come dressed in your best rock and roll attire and get ready to Rock and Roll All Night!

Enjoy a fun evening with great food catered by BB's Caf�, live entertainment, a master DJ, dancing and open bar sponsored by Audi Central Houston. 

Bid on your favorite items and parties in the silent auction and prepare to outbid your friends on some amazing items in our live auction.  Grab a group of friends (old and new) and purchase a table together - we guarantee you will have a great time.

To purchase a table or individual tickets online, please click here.
Huckleberry Bash Auction Donations
 
We are looking for fabulous auction donations.  Sports or event tickets, unique experiences, vacation homes or condos, jewelry - all would be wonderful additions. Click here to download an in-kind donation form, or find a form in the PTO workroom, or the PTO website.  Contact Chastiti Horne Houck at chorne@ethlaw.com or Madonna Bauch at madonna5@comcast.net for more information. 

Deadline is January 30 for all items. 

Host a Bash Social

 

"Bash Socials" are student or parent social events planned and hosted by individual or group of parents during the year. Once planned, socials are then made available for purchase at the Bash at a set price per person (or per couple) until all slots are filled.   

 

Now is the time to get your group of hosts together, brainstorm ideas for fun adult and kid parties and SIGN UP! As you work out the party details, think about the NUMBER OF PEOPLE and AGE range, choose your LOCATION and select a DATE for your party.    

 

The hosts are responsible for underwriting the cost of the event.  Download and complete the Bash Socials donor form here and return it to Carlotta Ramirez (adult socials) or Holly Lee (kid socials) by email or to the Bash Socials box in the PTO Workroom by Friday, January 30.  

 

Contact Carlotta cramirez@mfah.org or Holly hollyzlee@yahoo.com for more information. Forms are also available in the PTO Workroom or on the PTO website.   

Save the Date :
Math + Science Night
Thursday, February 26
5:30 - 7:30 pm

Math Night and Science Night will be combined this year for one incredibly exciting evening. 

To make it happen, we need volunteer support.  Help us get ready to "Party on the Parthenon"! No expertise required - just a passion for enriching our
students' inherent curiosity, demonstrating that math and science are all around us in so many interesting ways, and planning a night of fun.

For questions, contact Irene Chang at icchang@prodigy.net or Megan Rose at meganrose72@gmail.com.

Add a description From one of our +Teachers:
My First Graders became aware of +Works at the beginning of the school year.  After hearing your presentation, I knew +Works would play an important role in my classroom.

As I established classroom rules and procedures, I told the children that I would be also be teaching them how to be an "up-stander."  We acted out common school situations and came up with good ideas to help deal with hurtful words.
 
I played the +Car video where young football players were criticizing a teammate.  Since most of our boys were on football teams, this was the perfect time of year to show the video! They liked the way the mother defended the boy even though he wasn't in the car! I used her terminology, "That's not okay," and encouraged the students to use it whenever they heard or saw someone being hurt by words. They even requested I put the +Works video on our blog so they could watch it at home.
 
"Up-standing" was slow to catch on.  It was much easier for the children to defend themselves than to come to a friend's rescue. As we continued to role-play, I saw a change in some of the stronger personalities in the class. Apparently, on the playground, certain children were using "that's not okay" to help their friends in hurtful situations.  This let the stronger personalities understand that they couldn't continue their hurtful behavior and not feel pressure from their classmates.
 
I'm really not surprised that +Words has taken a hold of my class. They show me how kind and empathetic they are every day.  They are proud to walk around school wearing their +Works stickers. I am tremendously pleased with my beautiful class of "up-standers!"  They know how empowering it is to say "that's not okay."

Lamar High School
2015 "Skins" Game

Annual Golf Tournament 

Monday, February 23

Wildcat Golf Club

12000 Almeda Road

 

Proceeds benefit ALL of Lamar Athletics including new sports facilities for the redesign of Lamar High School.

 

$150 per player or $600 per foursome

 

Lunch at 11:30 am

Registration at 12:00 pm

Tee Off at 1:15 pm

Happy Hour at 5:30 pm

Dinner at 6:30 pm

 

For more information, please contact any of the following:

Tom Nolen - tnolen@houstonisd.org 

David Munoz - dmunoz@houstonisd.org  

Maynard Holt - mholt@tphco.com  

For more information about Mark Twain Elementary, visit marktwainpto.org or houstonisd.org/Twaines. To receive the Twain Times e-newsletter, please sign-up here. For submission guidelines, visit marktwainpto.org/communications.