The Twain Times
Mark Twain Elementary School 
September 1, 2015 

  

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Dear Mark Twain Families, Mark_twain_pto_logo
 
I hope you had a restful weekend and were able to recover from the first week of early mornings and making lunches! The first week of school was full of new information, new routines, and new friends. I enjoyed meeting many of you at the first day and grade level coffees. A BIG thank you to Mary Atherton and Tiffany Hawkins for their hospitality at the three coffees.... we all loved the coffee and breakfast treats!
 
I want to remind you to please update/add your contact information to the Mark Twain Directory. While you are on the PTO website, I encourage you to browse through the school news and many helpful resources.

Also, please consider making a donation to our Friends and Family Campaign.  Your tax deductible gift provides services, sponsors events, and helps purchase items not provided through HISD. If you make your donation by September 14, you will be recognized in the school directory. Please know that your participation, whether through membership, volunteer hours, and/or monetary donations, is vital to building a strong community at Mark Twain.

Upcoming events:
  • A room parent meeting is Wednesday, September 2 at 8:15 am in the cafeteria. (see below)
  • Open House is Thursday, September 3

5:30 - 6:00 pm: Specialists in the cafeteria

6:00 - 7:00 pm: K-2 in classrooms

6:30 - 7:00 pm: Specialists in the cafeteria

7:00 - 8:00 pm: Grades 3-5 in classrooms

 

Parents only are invited to Open House. Childcare is not available. If you have more than one child and cannot attend both presentations, then please let the teacher(s) know. They understand and will work with you to receive all information from the presentations.
  • Labor Day is Monday, September 7 and there is no school.
  • The first PTO meeting is Wednesday, September 9 at 8:15 am in the cafeteria. All parents are invited to learn about upcoming PTO events, the budget, and plans for the school year.
  • A University Interscholastic League (UIL) information meeting will be Tuesday, September 15 at 3:15 pm in the library.
September is HISD's Attendance Awareness Month.  Our attendance rate last year was 97.2% which impacts our funding and is factored into our accountability rating. Please bring your child to school, on time and every day.
 
Go Twain Tigers!
 
Jennifer Hyman
Mark Twain PTO President
roomparent
Room Parent Meeting 
Wednesday, September 2
8:15 - 9:00 am
in the cafeteria

Class Room Parents please join Grade Level Reps and PTO Administration for a brief discussion of roles and responsibilities. If you are unable to attend, please inform your Grade Level Rep. She will arrange to meet you at an alternate date.
 
For questions, contact Sarah Callahan Baker, VIPS/Grade Level Director at callahanbaker@hotmail.com.
 

Support your School:
Give to the Friends and Family Campaign

This year, the Mark Twain PTO will celebrate the 25th year of our Literary Development Center and our 10th year as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. By making a gift to Mark Twain Elementary through the Friends and Family Campaign, you will help provide vital support for both of these programs.

To celebrate the anniversary of the programs, we will install  a metal relief LDC and IB Anniversary Giving Tree on the school's exterior similar to the one pictured at right. A gift of $500 or more will provide you with a commemorative leaf on the tree.  Special recognition on the tree trunk is available to donors of $2,000 or more. Learn about donation levels and benefits here.

Ways to give:
You may increase your gift by participating in a Corporate Matching program at your place of work. Learn more.

For more information, please contact Megan Rose at meganrose72@gmail.com.
Parent Enrichment:
Introduction to Simplicity Parenting
Friday, September 11, 8:00 am 
in the cafeteria 
 
All parents are invited to a free introductory workshop by Tricia LaRocca, MEd, CCLS, Certified Simplicity Parenting Coach and Certified Child Life Specialist. In this time of too much stuff, too many choices and not enough time, join us to learn how to make life simple at home. Visit www.simplefamilylife.org to learn more.

Read more about the parent enrichment program or contact Kahla Malinsky for more information or to be added to the Living Tree group for reminders and updates.

Save the date: Friday, October 16 at 8:00 am will be a Book Discussion: How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. 

 
Odyssey of the Mind at Mark Twain Odyssey World Finals
Awareness Meeting 
Saturday, September 12 from 10:00 - noon at Mark Twain Elementary
 
There are many ways for your child to be a part of a "team" outside of traditional team sports. One example of this is a program at Mark Twain called Odyssey of the Mind. This international educational program allows students (K through college) to work together in teams to creatively solve problems, including many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related objectives. The teams may present their work at local, state, and international competitions. Read more. 

The awareness meeting on September 12 will help you learn more about the values and benefits of the program, how teams are formed, who is the coach, and how tournaments work. Contact Zeph Moss at zmoss@me.com for more information.

Pershing Boys Lacrosse Pershing Lacrosse
New Player/Parent team meeting
Tuesday, September 15 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm  
Pershing Middle School Library

The Pershing Boys Lacrosse team is looking for 5th graders to join their Young Guns team.  Since lacrosse is a Club Sport, they can have players from different schools on their team.  Over the past several years, they've had 5th graders from Twain, Roberts, and Trafton playing for Pershing.  Experience is not necessary and there are no try outs.

The new player/parent meeting is for players and parents to meet the coaches and Board Members, learn about the sport and team, and sign-up/register your son(s) to play.  Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Practices are Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 - 6:00 pm at Pershing MS. Practice starts Monday, September 21. The official season is January - April. Pershing will play in several tournaments in November, December and January to prepare for the season.

For more information, contact Coach Nick Ignatiev at nick@intendedweb.com or (713) 539-6222.

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.