The Twain Times

Mark Twain Elementary School

April 7, 2015

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Dear Parents,

Spring is finally here and with the end of the school year approaching I want to remind you to keep your calendars updated. This week alone we have a bake sale, kindergarten music program, and the International Festival.

The next PTO meeting is Wednesday, April 8 at 6:30 pm at Mark Twain.

I have had a number of questions regarding magnet status. Current magnet students do not have to reapply and will be able to return to Mark Twain for the remainder of their elementary school years. All incoming kindergartners applying for magnet were put on a wait list. If you received a letter from another magnet school, then I encourage you to accept the spot - this does NOT remove you from our wait list. If you do not accept a spot at another school and we are not able to take you from our wait list, you would have to attend your home school. I am not able to give any principal transfers for the upcoming school year.

Summer school will be held at Mark Twain in June for students not meeting promotion standards. In the red folders today, you will find a copy of the promotion standards. If you have questions, please contact your child's teacher.

Have a great week!

Melissa Patin, Principal

Parent Enrichment Meeting:

Friday, April 10

8:10 am in the cafeteria

Happiness and Strengths: Factors that lead to lifelong happiness and clues to identifying your child's (and your own) strengths

Join us for a special discussion with Tonya C. Crombie, Ph.D., founder of the strength's-based coaching practice, Guidance for the Future.

Are there so many educational or professional options open to your bright and talented child that he/she just doesn't know what to choose? Is your high schooler confused about which classes to take to prepare for college or unsure about where his/her focus should be?

Just because your child is able to do something doesn't mean it will make him/her happy. The choices talented children make are often extremely difficult because it seems there are many things they can do well. Join us on Friday to learn more.

For questions or to receive parent enrichment updates via Living Tree, please contact Moya Varner at Moya.Varner@gmail.com or Kahla Malinsky at kahlavet@gmail.com.

12th Annual Mark Twain International Festival

Saturday, April 11

1:00 - 4:00 pm in the cafeteria

Come enjoy a fantastic family event at Mark Twain! Visit displays from countries all over the world. Take part in special activities, sample delicious food, and learn the customs of classmates from near and far. Special performances will take place throughout the afternoon.

We encourage you to host a table representing your country. You can showcase anything you would like to represent your country and culture. Many have used this opportunity to help students learn about a country's specific customs, food, and language.

So far the following countries will be represented: Iran, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Spain. If a country is not listed, it will not be represented at the festival.

To sign up for a performance or to host (or co-host) a country display, contact Shahid Iqbal, at internationalactivitiesmt@gmail.com. There is no cost or charge to host a table at this event. Please include your full name and the name of your country. Shahid may be able to put you in touch with a fellow citizen of your country, so let him know if you need that information.

Lanier Middle School Campus Tours

Tuesday, April 7 at 10:30 am
Thursday, April 9 at 10:30 am 2600 Woodhead

Lanier Middle School will offer campus tours for parents of prospective students on the dates above. For information, contact Charla Carroll Mock at charlacarroll@hotmail.com or visit www.lanierpto.org.

Pershing Family Night for Incoming 6th Graders

Thursday, April 16 at 6:00 pm

Pershing Middle School

3838 Blue Bonnet Blvd.

Please join other incoming Pershing families for Family Night. This is an opportunity for you to:

choose your electives for the 2015-16 class year
buy uniforms
order school supplies
meet the Instructional Specialists and Counselors
get your Summer reading list
meet other Pershing families and more

Don't miss it!

Mark Twain Father/Daughter Dance

Saturday, May 9

6:00 - 8:00 pm in the cafeteria

The Mark Twain Dads Club invites all Mark Twain girls and their fathers to the annual Father/Daughter Dance! Children must be accompanied by a father (or a substitute such as a grandfather, uncle or cousin). This special evening includes a DJ, snacks, and souvenir picture buttons.

Cost is $25 per father/daughter couple and $5 per additional child
4th and 5th grade girls are encouraged to help decorate between 2:00 - 5:00 pm.
Parents are encouraged to drop off snack donations in the cafeteria between 2:00 - 3:00 pm.
Register online today by clicking here.
For more information, contact Kevin Noland at kanoland@gmail.com.

Congratulations to the Twain UIL Team! UIL Texas

The Twain UIL Team competed at Westside High School on March 28. All the competing students did an exemplary job and Twain won the First Place Team Award! Please congratulate these students on their awards and hard work:

Spelling - 5th grade Aditya Markan - 2nd place Jack Rota - 4th place	Oral Reading - English - (Blue Division) Michael Hamad - 2nd place Leo Solitare - 5th place
Art Zoe Moss - 1st place Caitlyn Davies - 2nd place	Oral Reading - Spanish Felipe Riascos - 4th place
Social Studies JD Fuller - 5th place Maps, Graphs and Charts Jack Rota - 1st place Ready Writing - 3-4 grade Grant Smith - 1st place Dictionary Skills Zoe Moss - 3rd place Listening Leo Solitare - 1st place Zoe Moss - 4th place Jack Rota - 5th place First place Art Team Award Oral Reading - English - (Red Division) Olivia Dennis - 1st place Payne Houck - 2nd place Storytelling - English Payne Houck - 1st place Celeste Smith - 4th place	Impromptu Speaking - Spanish - K-2 Pablo Riascos - 2nd place Sarah Nitsun - 6th place Lucas Sanchez - finalist Solo Acting - K-2 Payne Houck - 1st place Impromptu Speaking - English - K-2 Taylor Peden - 2nd place Zoe Fuller - 4th place Impromptu Speaking - Spanish - 3-5 Felipe Riascos - 1st place Impromptu Speaking - English - 3-5 Leo Solitare - 1st place JD Fuller - 2nd place Camillo Riascos - 5th place Olivia Dennis - finalist Morgan Peden - finalist

Back By Popular Demand.....

Hair Donation Event at Mark Twain

Are you interested in making a HUGE difference in a child's or woman's life? If so, please join us in donating to Locks of Love www.locksoflove.org or Pantene Beautiful Lengths www.pantene.com.

We are looking for Mark Twain girls, their moms, sisters, teachers, or staff to donate their beautiful locks for a wonderful cause. You will need a minimum of 8 inches of hair to make a donation so start growing now. We will schedule a "cutting event" in late May.

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

Look for more information as May approaches, but if you have questions now, please email Ilse Rassin ilserassin@gmail.com or Luisa Puerto alpuertogomez@gmail.com.

Wild Geese
by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
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+Reflection: We can only do our best. Learning from and letting go of the shame that clings to past events and decisions is all we need to do. When we dare to share our truth with others, when we feel heard, we experience the peace that is human connection, which helps us to keep going. When we sincerely listen - especially to our children - in a way that validates who they really are, we love.

Click here to listen to the poet Mary Oliver reading Wild Geese:
https://soundcloud.com/brainpicker/mary-oliver-reads-wild-geese
............................................................
JOIN THE +MOVEMENT:
www.positivethinkingworks.org

VISIT OUR +HUB:
http://positiveworks.uberflip.com/h/

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.