Sunday, September 24, 2017

NewsNotes 9/10/2017




It has been a pleasure to see all of the excited young faces enter our building each of the first four days last week. I spent much of my time welcoming students each morning and visiting classrooms throughout the day. Based on conversations I’ve had with a sampling of students, teachers, and parents, it seems that we’ve had a successful opening to school. We spent considerable time and energy talking about how we can make the opening of school a welcoming experience, and I am hopeful that we achieved his goal. If not, I am always happy to hear suggestion about how we can improve our practice. Feel free to share your thoughts via email at mark_nardelli@newton.k12.ma.us

In reflecting on our opening, I want to share that as a staff we made a commitment this year to spend the month of September focusing on practices and activities that will foster a welcoming environment. While we recognize that many children truly enjoy summer, many also return to school each September with a renewed optimism and a feeling that they have a fresh start. We are making a concerted effort to capitalize on these feelings by creating opportunities for students to share who they are, to participate in learning activities that are inspiring and engaging, and to build upon the confidence students often feel early in the year. To that end, all classrooms are focusing on identity and community building activities, talking about school values, trying out new inquiry based lessons, and reviewing previously learned material. At Curriculum Night at the end of September, I will expand upon these thoughts and how it relates to our work beyond the month of September.

On a more practical side, here are some details about how to stay in touch during the school year:
NEWSNOTES: You will receive newsletters like this twice per month through our PTO mail system. There will often be important information shared here about school events, staffing, programming, etc. The same information will also be posted to the Horace Mann Blog which can be found here: https://horacemann02460.blogspot.com/

SKYWARD MESSENGER EMAILS/PHONE CALLS/TEXTS (new this year): Every so often, I will share important information about upcoming events (like placement lists or early release days). If you have never received a message from this system, please let us know…
PTO EMAILS: You can expect regular emails about school events, fundraisers, volunteer 
opportunities, etc.
TWITTER: The Horace Mann Twitter handle is @HoraceMann687. While I am not an avid Twitter user, I do post photos and videos of school performances, or articles that I think might be worth reading.
CLASSROOM COMMUNICATIONS: I expect each teacher to communicate with families on a regular basis either in hard copy, through a blog, via email, on a website or some combination. Please let me know if you feel that you are not getting information from your child’s teacher.

Finally, I’m sure that many of you (and your children) are adjusting to new routines, fall activities and crisp, dry weather (hurricanes notwithstanding). Here are a few articles that might provides some tips for managing this transition:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/starting-school/settling-in/

http://www.get-organized-mom.com/family-routines.html


Please read on for some important reminders about events coming up this week!





From the PTO




Hello and welcome to the 2017/18 school year! We hope that everyone had a great summer and is excited about another fantastic year at Horace Mann. One of our main goals is to have many opportunities for families to create connections across our school community. This Fall we have a jam-packed calendar filled with fun and meaningful community-building events. See our latest calendar at horacemannpto.com.

Each year we strive to create a rich experience for our students and families and we need your support to make this happen. Whether it is volunteering for a couple of hours or leading a committee, your involvement makes the Horace Mann stronger as a community school. See our latest Committee/Chairperson list on our PTO website at horacemannpto.com.

Please do not hesitate to contact any board member about getting involved or with questions, thoughts and suggestions. Your voice and involvement will help us build upon our strengths and bring fresh ideas that will benefit all HM families!

Co-Presidents: Jacqueline Freeman and Adam Brown
VPs: Sharon Russo and Jess Schiefer
Co-Treasurers: Megan Anapolle and Jon Mendicina
Secretary: Susannah Wardly
















Specialist/PTO Open House (a new event!)—Tuesday, September 12, 6:15 p.m.
This event was created in direct response to feedback from you! Parents want to know more about what our specialists do as well as how the PTO operates/what we focus on—so we created an event that will do both! Please join staff from Special Ed, ESL, Literacy, and Specialists (Art, Music, PE, Library) to get to know them and hear about their wonderful programming. And PTO Board members will be at the ready to tell you more about what we do and how you can get involved. Look forward to seeing you there!

Back-to-School Picnic—Thursday, September 14, 5-7 p.m.
We hope to see you all at the Back-to-School Picnic on Thursday, September 14 at 5:00pm. This is a casual and fun way to reconnect with old friends and meet some new Horace Mann families. There is nothing formal here--people congregate in the field behind HM with chairs, blankets and dinner for their families. And all will enjoy DJ/games and free ice cream from Cabot’s!

Curriculum Night—Thursday, September 28
After the picnic, our next big school event is Curriculum Night. This is a great opportunity to hear from principal Mark Nardelli speak about the Horace Mann school philosophy, meet teachers and hear more about their classroom environment/curriculum. You will also hear from the PTO Board on programs and events for you to participate in throughout the year. Please come prepared to pay dues that night if not before to be entered into the raffle!






PTO Dues

Dues are an important line item in the HM budget to fund many of the programs integral to the school’s curriculum (e.g. Creative Arts & Sciences). We ask that each family contribute $50 per child at HM as your annual contribution to the PTO. Simply visit myschoolanywhere or horacemannpto.com and click on the ‘Support’ button to pay by credit card or pay by check (to above board members). You will hear more about this on Curriculum Night (below) – we will be raffling off an Apple Watch and tickets to this year's Mystery Dinner and Spring Auction - and all you have to do to enter is contribute your dues by the end of Curriculum Night!