The Twain Times
Mark Twain Elementary School 
September 29, 2015 

  

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Dear Mark Twain Families, Mark_twain_pto_logo

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, and were able to watch our Texans win! This time of year seems so busy with practices and games for all the different sports, it is nice to have time to enjoy a football game on Sundays with family and friends.
 
Last week, you should have received an email containing your link to the online directory. The printed copy will be sent home shortly to families that contributed to the PTO. I want to thank Ashley Anthony for working many long hours getting this BIG job taken care of for all of us.

PTO Meeting & SPARK Park Informational Meeting
I want to invite you all to the next PTO meeting on Wednesday, October 14 at 6:00 pm in the cafeteria. This is a change in time, so please note the 6:00 pm start. I hope to see old and new faces. This a great way to stay connected to the happenings at Twain and be part of the community. Following the PTO meeting, there will be a SPARK Park informational meeting at 7:00 pm for the entire community.
 
SPARK Park Survey
The SPARK Park Committee wants your input.  Please click here to complete a brief survey on creating a community park on the grounds of Mark Twain. The goal of the new park is to re-introduce a community space to exercise, engage in creative play, and spend time outdoors with your children all in a secure environment. The SPARK Park Committee looks forward to your feedback and is grateful for your assistance.

Middle School Forum
Mark your calendar's for Twain's Annual Middle School Forum on Thursday, October 29 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm in the cafeteria. Representatives from area middle schools will be on hand to provide information and answer your questions. Students are welcome and encouraged to attend.  For more information, please contact Deanna Sheaffer at [email protected].

 
Have a great week!
Go Twain Tigers!
 
Jennifer Hyman
Mark Twain PTO President

International Potluck Dinner 
Tuesday, September 29 
5:30 - 7:30 pm in the cafeteria
  
Come celebrate our diversity and meet other Twain families. Bring a dish for 8-12 people to sample so everyone can share in tastes from around the world. You are welcome to dress up for the occasion in your country's traditional outfit/costume or soccer jersey, etc. 
 
Plates, napkins and utensils will be provided. Want to help set up, clean up and/or welcome people? Please contact Sumi Ono to volunteer. 

School Store Clearance Sale
Tues, September 29 and Wed, September 30
in the rotunda before and after school 
  
It's time to stock up!  A selection of long sleeve uniform shirts will be sold for $5 and outerwear for $10. 
Spooky Spaghetti:
Fall Carnival and Supper  
Saturday, October 17
4:00 - 8:00 pm at Mark Twain 
SpookySpaghettiCat
Wear a costume, play games, jump and slide on inflatables, sing karaoke, listen to the DJ spin tunes, enjoy a spaghetti dinner from Candelari's and have tons of fun!
 
Ticket presale ends Wednesday, September 30. Purchase your tickets online here or complete an order form and return it to the designated box in the PTO Workroom by September 30. By pre-ordering your tickets, your child is guaranteed his or her t-shirt size and you avoid the ticket lines at the event.

General sales of remaining t-shirts will be October 5-9 in the front rotunda before school. General ticket sales will be October 12-16 in the front rotunda and cafeteria before and after school.

Spooky Boo-tique
We are looking for vendors to be part of our Spooky Market/Boo-tique. We are asking for 10% of final sales.  Vendors participating so far include Tomfoolery Toys and Noonday Jewelry. If you are interested, please contact Elecia Wheeler at [email protected] or 713.825.5993.

Volunteers are needed and appreciated. Please contact Frankie Sartin at [email protected] or Annette Rodriguez at [email protected] to volunteer or for more information.

We need your large coolers.  If we can borrow yours, please label it with your name and phone number and plan to bring it to the PTO workroom on October 15 or 16.

Art a la Carte (AALC) Tutorial
Thursday, October 1 8:15 am in the cafeteria 
  
Calling Art a la Carte volunteers!  If you signed up for the October lesson, please join the AALC coordinators to receive your prepared lesson plan and brief tutorial on this month's art topic. Click here
to learn more.

To become truly immortal, a work of art must escape all human limits: logic and common sense will only interfere. But once these barriers are broken, it will enter the realms of childhood visions and dreams. -Giorgio DeChirico   

For more information, please contact Katie Trowbridge or Kinsey Wall.

Dad's Club meeting
Thursday, October 1 at 7:00 pm 
Red River Ice House
10308 Main Street, Houston, 77025
(on southbound service road of S. Main just north of W. Bellfort)

The Mark Twain's Dad's Club welcomes all Twain Dad's to this year's first meeting.  Join us to learn how Twain Dads help with Spooky Spaghetti and about the annual Dad's Club Overnight Campout at Mark Twain. It is Thursday night football and Kelly James will be cooking burgers for us and will have specials too.  Contact Mike Feighl for more information.
Name That Book
Informational Meeting for students and their parents 
Friday, October 2 at 3:30 pm
in Ms. Gee's room in the library
    

Calling all bookworms! Name That Book is a competition hosted by HISD to encourage students to read a variety of books. Try-outs for the team will be later this semester. Learn more here or email Brandy McDaniel.
Yearbook Cover Contest

The 2015 - 2016 school year marks the 25th Anniversary of the LDC Program at Mark Twain. To help celebrate, this year's Yearbook Cover Contest will be literary themed.

Think books! Think knowledge! Be creative! Students may draw a picture based on this theme for a chance to have their artwork be on the cover of this year's yearbook.  Download a complete list of guidelines here.  Submissions are due by the end of school on Friday, October 9. For more information, contact Liz Sanders or Tracey Reeves at [email protected].
 
Order a Yearbook Today and Save

The 2015-2016 yearbook is on sale now.  Order before October 1 and save $5. Sibling yearbooks are discounted 10 percent. Don't wait! Click here to order online today or download an order form to pay by check. For more information,  contact Liz Sanders or Tracey Reeves at [email protected].

Save the Date:
Pershing Middle School First Look
Tuesday, October 27 at 6:00 pm

Pershing Middle School invites parents of zoned 4th and 5th graders to come see why Pershing is the right choice for your child.  The principal, counselors, teachers and current parents will be on hand to provide information and answer questions regarding the 6th grade curriculum, electives, the fine arts department, athletics, and much more.  Tours of the campus will be given.  For more information, contact Ilse Rassin.


On Monday, October 19, Mark Twain Elementary will join the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation and others in Read Across the Globe - a special day where volunteers will team up to break the Guinness World Record for the number of children read to within a 24-hour period. The current world record is 238,000 children, and the hope is to smash it by reading to 300,000 children across the globe.
 
We need YOU to serve as a volunteer in this exciting event, which will help inspire the love of reading and promote awareness of the importance of literacy across our city and around the world.

We need volunteers to read to each class in 30 minute shifts from 8:00 - 11:30 am. We will provide the book for you to read. To sign up for a shift, please click here.  Please select the "Reader" option. For more information,  contact Michele Rawson at [email protected].

Marathon Kids

Marathon Kids is returning to Mark Twain.  Students who love to exercise and run are welcome to join the Twain Tiger Running Club and try and complete 4 marathons over the course of the school year.  For each marathon completed, students will receive a reward for a total of up to 4 rewards. 

Students in the Twain Tiger Running Club will have the opportunity to run laps on Get Fit Fridays, during recess and PE, and on occasional days after school with Coach Jody and other teachers.  The cost to participate in the program is $15, but scholarships are available.  Please return the registration form and payment to Coach Jody's mailbox in the office by Friday, October 9.
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2015-16:  The Year of BounceBacktion: Building Resilience with Intention/Action

As parents, grandparents, principals, teachers, coaches, business and organization leaders, we all set our "tables" over time. We choose the decor, tone and atmosphere. We make it formal or casual. Relaxed or not. Heavy or light.

When we set our family, school, classroom, team and/or organization table, how does it look? How does it feel? Does it matter?

Is it a table that our people join with joy? Is it a table they leave with confidence?

Is it a table that encourages authentic conversation? That welcomes different points of view? Where accountability and resilience are paramount?

Is there a sense of humor? A sense of respect?

How do we set our table - or tables? Do we set it only for today - or with tomorrow or years ahead in mind?

As we prepare for our children to leave the nest this year, we think about what we bring to our tables, what will be taken away and whom will return. And only time will tell how well we've done.
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JOIN THE +MOVEMENT: www.positivethinkingworks.org 

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