The Twain Times
Mark Twain Elementary School 
December 15, 2015 

  

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Good morning Mark Twain families,

This is a festive and spirited week at Mark Twain, and hopefully with your families as well. We are all so blessed to have a community like Mark Twain, the staff and families are such a special group.  As we celebrate the holidays with friends and family, we can reflect back on the wonderful memories, new discoveries and enjoy this much needed break together.

We wish you all safe travels and many blessings this holiday season.  Enjoy special time with your children, hug them tight, read stories to them of hope and love and embrace your holiday traditions. 

As we head into the Winter Holiday we have planned theme days that will include students and faculty.
  • Tuesday, December 15 - We will host a school-wide read aloud of "The Hat" by Jan Brett. Students and faculty encouraged to wear their favorite winter hat.
  • Wednesday, December 16 - "Polar Express" Pajama Day with a school-wide read aloud. Students and faculty encouraged to wear pajamas, a robe or slippers.
  • Thursday, December 17 - Keep those winter blues away - students and staff invited to wear a "beachy" shirt.  We will read excerpts from "Iguanas in the Snow - Guanas en la Nieve".
  • Friday, December 18 - FIELD DAY! Wear class t-shirt.
Important reminders:
  • Thursday, December 17: 1st grade music program at 6:00 pm in the cafeteria.
  • Friday, December 18
    • Field Day
    • No Extended Day
    • Magnet and Dual Language applications due
  • December 21 - January 4: Winter holiday. Students return to school on Tuesday, January 5.
  • Wednesday, January 13 - PTO Meeting at 8:15 am in the cafeteria
We will see all the Twain Tigers back in the New Year!

Melissa Patin, Principal
Jennifer Hyman, PTO President

Gugliani's Spirit NightSpirit Night
Wednesday, December 16   
at Gugliani's at 4990 Beechnut  
just west of the 610 Loop

Mark your calendar for the Winter Spirit Night. Invite your family and friends to Gugliani's in Meyerland anytime between 11:00 am and 9:30 pm to enjoy a delicious meal. Please tell you server that you would like to donate to the Twain PTO. Gugliani's will donate 20% of the proceeds to our school.

It's an easy and fun way to give back. We hope to see you all there! For more information, please contact Catherine Hudson at csaul1980@hotmail.com. 

Be on the look out for the Huckleberry Park concept design to be displayed in the rotunda this week.
Save the Date for
Huckleberry Bash 
Friday, February 12, 2016 
7:00 pm - 12:00 am

Mark Twain Elementary
Literacy Development Center 25th Anniversary

Dinner and Auction benefiting students of Mark Twain Elementary

Julia Ideson Library
550 McKinney Street, Houston, Texas 77002

Dress as your favorite author or literary character.

Huckleberry Bash

Please look for a Huckleberry Bash packet in your child's red folder when you return from winter break on Tuesday, January 5. The packet will give you exciting new information, table options, personalized t-shirt choices, and more!
 
Field DayField Day
Friday, December 18
K-2 participate 8:15 -11:00 am 
3-5 participate at 12:10 pm 

Are you ready to see your Tigers have a lot of fun on Field Day? Parents are invited to watch the activities and we look forward to seeing you there!  

There are lots of exciting events this year. K-2nd grade will participate in the following activities: Animal Scramble, Ice-Cream Relay, and Letters, Number, and Shapes. 3rd-5th grade will be be playing, Tug-O-War, Castles, and Feats Of Strength. This year, we will have a Wellness Zone which will include jump rope, yoga/meditation, jogging/walking with pedometers, and a nutrition game.                                                                                                                          
Field Day Tips:
Here is a friendly reminder for what to wear. We suggest shorts or sweatpants with tennis shoes and don't forget to wear your field day shirts. If you want to bring water, bring it in a sports bottle and not a plastic one. If you want, your child can bring healthy snacks. K-2 will have snacks after their games are over, while 3rd-5th will eat snacks before they compete.

Save the Date: Mark Twain Bingo Logo
Mark Twain Bingo Night
Friday, January 22, 2016
6:00 - 8:00 pm in the cafeteria

Get ready for a fun night of bingo at Mark Twain. This is a cash-only event. We recommend that you bring your $1 bills. There will be cool prizes and food for purchase from Luchi and Joey's taco truck and Papa John's pizza truck.

We are looking for volunteers to help during the evening. Shifts of 30 minutes or 1 hour are available.  Stay tuned for more information about volunteer opportunities. For more information, please contact Allison Rudin at alirudin@gmail.com.
Volunteer in the Twain Library

The Twain library has several volunteer slots that just opened up. We need volunteers who can help check out books to classes that visit the library in the morning. It requires minimal computer skills and is an easy way to support reading at Twain. If you can help, please contact Brandy McDaniel at brandymcd@gmail.com.
Support Mark Twain While You Shop

The Mark Twain PTO is grateful to participate in national programs which reward our school based on your purchases of grocery store items, holiday cards, clothes, and more.  These programs cost you nothing but can help Twain earn dollars each year.
 
At smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same shopping as Amazon.com. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, select Mark Twain as your charitable organization. Every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.
 
Are you thinking about ordering from Shutterfly, Nordstrom, Gap, or Target? Start shopping at 4ourschool.com, select Mark Twain Elementary, pick a retailer, and shop as usual. Twain will earn up to 5% in donations from your purchases.  
 
If you have a Target® Visa® or Target® Card, visit target.com/tcoe to designate Mark Twain Elementary #98794. 

Randalls_logoIf you have a Randall's Remarkable card, add Mark Twain Elementary #1085 as your charity of choice by filling out the Good Neighborhood Form. Return the form to any Randall's store or the PTO workroom.

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.