The Twain Times
Mark Twain Elementary School 
October 20, 2015 

  

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Dear Parents,Mark_twain_pto_logo

The Spooky Spaghetti Fall Carnival was held last Saturday and it was a grand success. The weather was perfect, the food delicious and the children seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. I would like to thank the chairpersons Frankie Sartin and Annette Rodriguez for organizing this event. They had plenty of help from a dedicated group of parent volunteers - working together resulted in a fantastic fundraising event.

We started the week by participating in Read Across the Globe. Participating schools had parent volunteers read the same book. Schools will submit data from the event, hopefully in record numbers, to qualify the event for the Guinness Book of World Records. Stay tuned!

On Monday, October 26 we will host a SPARK Park Community Meeting at 7:00 pm. Join us and be a part of the planning process for the new park. If you are unable to attend but have any suggestions or questions, please contact me at mpatin@houstonisd.org.
  • Wednesday, October 21 is the next PTO meeting at 8:15 am in the cafeteria.  Join us to learn how the PTO Board is working to support our school and about plans for the coming months.
  • Wednesday, October 21 - IB Parent Night - an opportunity to learn about our IB program from our resident expert, Kathleen Blakeslee
  • Wednesday, October 28 - Early dismissal at 12:30 pm. Parent/teacher conferences will be held during this time. If you are unable to attend on Wednesday, please contact your child's teacher to schedule a time convenient for both of you.
A gentle reminder.
  • Please refrain from bringing dogs on campus. We have had reports of our canine friends visiting the kindergarten playground and leaving behind some evidence. We have also had reports of dogs being chained to the fence and barking at families as they come to school. Thank you.
Have a great week,
Melissa Patin, Principal
IB Parent Night
A Day in the Life of an IB Student  
Wednesday, October 21
6:30 - 7:30 pm at Mark Twain  
 
The community is invited to Mark Twain for interactive sessions to experience how we guide students through inquiry based instruction using the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) key concepts and the PYP trans-disciplinary themes.
 
Babysitting will be provided for children 3 years old and older. If you have a student at Twain, please let your classroom teacher know if you will attend. Contact Kathleen Blakeslee, IB coordinator, at kblakesl@houstonisd.org for more information. 

Pershing Middle School Coffee 
Friday, October 23 at 8:00 am
At the home of Jennifer Fernandez 
3814 Merrick Street, Houston 77025 

Pershing Middle School's principal and current parents invite you to an informational coffee to learn more about your middle school. This is a wonderful opportunity to have your questions answered and find out why Pershing may be the best choice for your child.

Alice in Wonderland, Jr.
Friday, October 23 at 6:30 pm and 
Saturday, October 24 at 2:00 pm
in the cafeteria  

Mark Twain students are working hard on a theatrical production of "Alice in Wonderland, Jr." to raise funds for Twain's Odyssey of the Mind program. Their goal is to raise $2,500 by Oct. 24.

Click here to purchase your $5 tickets online and/or give a donation to support the Odyssey of the Mind program. Tickets also are on sale in the rotunda before and after school.  Buy your tickets early. Both shows SOLD OUT last year. For more information, contact Amy Haight at amyzeehaight@yahoo.com.


Red Ribbon Week is recognized nationwide to address Anti-Bullying/Drug Prevention.  During this week, we will focus on being an "Up-stander" instead of a "By-stander," making Positive Choices, Respecting our School, Administrators, Teachers, and Peers. Morning announcements will focus on how children can identify and report bullying and how to peacefully resolve conflicts.   We have created 5 theme days to ignite fun and creativity. 
  • Monday, Oct 26: Wear red and "Stand Against Bullying" 
  • Tuesday, Oct. 27: Wear mismatched shoes and "Kick Out Bullying"
  • Wednesday, Oct. 28: Wear jeans to say "I'm A JEAN-ius, Not A Bully"
  • Thursday, Oct. 29: Wear crazy socks and "Sock It To Bullies"
  • Friday, Oct. 30: Wear a college/team shirt and "Team Up Against Bullying"
Let's Make it a Fun and Positive Week!
Djuna Prater, Mark Twain Counselor
Save the Date for the
Dad's Club Camp Out
Friday, November 6 at 5:00 pm
The Mark Twain Dad's Club hosts this annual event - one of the most popular traditions at Twain.  Pitch a tent on the Mark Twain playground, grab some pizza and enjoy the activities and a movie. If you do not plan to camp, please join us for the food and fun. 

Registration MUST be done online - no on site registration will be available. Please click here to register and for more details. Contact Mike Feighl at twaindadsclub@gmail.com for any questions.

Huckleberry Park  
Community Meeting
Monday, October 26 at 7:00 pm
at Mark Twain Elementary 
 
Please join us for a community meeting at which Kathleen Ownby, Executive Director of SPARK, will speak and playground consultant Halycon Reese-Learned, PhD, will gather feedback for Huckleberry Park.
 
Yard Signs
Have you seen the Huckleberry Park Yard Signs?  If you'd like to have one of your own and support the park, please visit huckleberrypark.org.   
 
If you have any questions, comments, or want to help, please contact Elaina McNulty and Linda Barcot at huckleberrypark@yahoo.com.

Mark Twain PTO Friends and Family Campaign

Thank you to all the parents and teachers who have generously contributed so far to the PTO Friends and Family Campaign. Each of you has strengthened our school for years to come.

The items you will receive based on the level at which you joined will be available for pick up in the front rotunda between Tuesday, October 27 and Friday, October 30 from 7:45 - 8:15 am.

Journeyman ($100), Reporter ($250) and Cub Pilot ($500) Levels: Pick up on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and Wednesday, Oct. 28

River Pilot ($1000) and Mark Twain ($2000) Levels: Pick up on Thursday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Oct. 30

Thank you for supporting our school! You can still contribute. Please click here to give online or learn more. For questions, please contact Megan Rose at meganrose72@gmail.com.

Pershing Middle School: First Look 
Tuesday, October 27 at 6:00 pm
Pershing Middle School 
3838 Blue Bonnet Blvd, Houston 77025 

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 ilserassin@gmail.com.

 
Click here to print this flyer.

Mark Twain's
Annual Middle School Forum
Thursday, October 29, 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,  contact Deanna Sheaffer at deannasheaffer@yahoo.com.


Add a description
Late on a Friday afternoon at the end of a school year, a mother fired out an extremely negative email to an entire grade level of parents furthering a rumor she'd heard about a tough teacher instructing their kids for an upcoming, second, consecutive year. Mother after mother weighed in and piled on throughout the weekend -- while the majority stood by, watching the cyber-drama unfold.

As there was no established forum for addressing these kinds of questions and concerns, the provocative voices took the lead and the negativity escalated, ultimately oozing out into a very public space, making it very difficult to contain and address.  

On what kind of energy does your school community run?

Ideally, the ideas and concerns of all stakeholders are respected and considered throughout the year. That doesn't mean everyone gets their way all the time. Leaders, after all, are elected, appointed, or hired to make decisions. Decisions, by design, often leave some people disappointed.
 
To build a sense of positive community, it is important to create a clear communication system that builds mutual trust by sharing important information in a timely manner and providing ongoing opportunities for people to be heard. Key to an effective communication structure is the expectation that people will talk to people and not about people and do their best to speak up in a positive way with the community, not just with themselves or their child, in mind.
...................................................................
JOIN THE +MOVEMENT: www.positivethinkingworks.org

 
Community Information


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.