The Twain Times
Mark Twain Elementary School 
March 22, 2016  

  

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Dear Parents, PTO Logo 2010
 
Welcome back! I walked through the hallways on Monday morning and saw the students engaged, happily greeting their friends and teachers.

2015 Texas Honor Roll
We received some good news over the Spring Break. Mark Twain Elementary was named to the 2015 Texas Honor Roll. This honor is announced by the Educational Results Partnership in collaboration with the Institute for Productivity in Education. This honor is presented to schools that demonstrate consistently high levels of student academic achievement, improvement over time and a reduction in achievement gaps among ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. The Honor Roll schools are identified by ERP using the largest longitudinally-linked system of data in the country. Our results can be reviewed here.  
It was a pleasure to see so many Mark Twain families playing on the playground over Spring Break. Our playground has been designated as a SPARK Park and will continue to be open during non-school hours. Currently the gate by the carpool lane will be used as an entrance.

We are creating our SPARK expectations for the area and hope to have signage soon. If you use the space during non-school hours, please help us maintain the area by throwing away all trash, and taking all balls and toys with you when you leave.

STAAR 
On March 29 and 30 we will administer portions of the STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) testing program. The subject areas and grades that will test are: 
 
Tuesday, March 29 - 5th grade math and 4th grade writing
Wednesday, March 30 - 5th grade reading

Extended Day
Balances for extended day are due. For questions, please email Stacey Karr at skarr@houstonisd.org. 
 
Please remember that Friday, March 25 is the Spring Holiday and we do not have school.

Have a great week.
 
Melissa Patin
Principal
  
2016 Twain Triathlon
Sunday, May 1 

LAST TWO WEEKS TO REGISTER
Registration ends April 1

Now in it's third year, the Twain Triathlon is an opportunity for your child to promote wellness in a challenging and fun way.  Each participant will complete events in swimming, biking, and running.

$50 General registration
$60 Non-Twain student registration
Visit twaintri.org to register and for complete information.

We need lots of volunteers to make this a successful event for our kids.  Please volunteer to help us prepare for the event and/or help during the event.  To volunteer please contact Monica Agosta at magosta69@gmail.com or Penny Linsenmayer at plinsenmayer@gmail.com.

Triathlon Training at Weekley YMCA
Thursdays, March 24 - April 28
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Open to Twain students only
Limited to 30 students;
8 spots remain
$50 YMCA members
$60 non-members

Mark Twain has partnered with the YMCA to provide triathlon training leading up to the Mark Twain Tri. The 6 1-hour trainings will go over the 3 disciplines of the triathlon (swim, bike, run). In addition, this will provide an opportunity for participants to practice in the pool, practice transitions, and learn the best practices from a USAT Coach.

Half of the proceeds will support YMCA Youth Scholarship Programs and half will support the Mark Twain PTO. Please register at the Welcome Desk and say you are registering for the "Mark Twain Tri Training". Call (713) 664-9622 for more information. 
 
Mark Twain Camp Out
Friday, April 8 at 5:00 pm 
Mark Twain Playground 

The Camp Out last Fall was rained out but is now rescheduled for April 8, hooray! If you already registered in the Fall, you DO NOT need to register again.

The Mark Twain Camp Out is hosted by the Dad's Club and is always a fun time for all.  Pitch a tent on the playground, grab some pizza and enjoy the activities and movie on Friday night and donuts and coffee on Saturday morning. If you don't plan to camp, just come for the food and fun.  This is an extremely popular Mark Twain tradition!

Cost is $10 per adult and $5 per child. Space is limited. Registration must be done online - no on site registration will be available. Please click here to register and for more details. For questions, please contact Mike Feighl at twaindadsclub@gmail.com.

Box Tops
 
Great job everyone! Thank you to all Classroom Box Tops Coordinators and parents for clipping those Box Tops.   Mark Twain will  receive another check from Box Tops For Education in April for $530.  In total, Twain has earned $950 from clipping Box Tops this school year.

But, please don't quit clipping yet. The class that turns in the most Box Tops by April 1 will win a Popsicle party.  Turn in box tops in your classroom or to the Box Tops drawer in the Parent Workroom.

For questions, please email Dominique Isenhower at disen@flash.net.
Join the Mark Twain Tri Team for the
Houston Texans Kids Triathlon
April 23 and 24
at NRG Stadium

Take part in the Houston Kids Triathlon and participate on the Mark Twain team. When you register, list Mark Twain as your team and our school will receive $10 back for each participant. Last year we had 42 students on our team. Former students and friends can also sign up for the Mark Twain team.

The Junior Division (ages 6-10) will race on April 23 and the Senior Division ages (11-14) will race on April 24. Race age is determined by the age of your child on Dec 31, 2016 so any children born in 2005 or earlier will be in the Sr. Div even if they haven't turned 11 yet.

Free 7 week training program available at various YMCA's for registered participants only. Learn more and register at houstontexans.com/kids/triathlon/home.html.
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.