NewsNotes October 23rd, 2016

International Night 2016!

Update on Staff PD: In each edition of NewsNotes, I will share some details about the small group work teachers are engaging in around issues of equity and connectedness.  This week focuses on a group focused on building strategies for those who look and act differently.  The conversation in this group has focused on Building capacity for empathy amongst our students by... Teaching more typical students skills to interact with all students regardless of disability. Creating a buddy bench (you can read more about that here).   Conducting whole class lessons that are developmentally appropriate at each grade level. Providing classrooms with a question jar so that students can safely ask things that they are curious about. I will provide more details about our efforts in this group as well as others. Flu Clinic -  This is a reminder about the FREE FLU CLINIC at the Horace Mann School.  Our flu clinic will be held this Friday, October 28th beginning at 8:30 am.  Parents may sign up to receive the flu shot at no charge by returning consent and screening forms to the school nurse.  The forms are due October 26th.  Forms and additional info are available online at www.newtonma.gov/flu or in the school nurse’s office.  School Council - School site councils are a mandated initiative created by the State of Massachusetts created as a way to ensure that staff, parents, and community members have a chance to engage in discussions about important school issues. At Horace Mann, we have used the group as a way to advocate for building improvements, to organize evening events and parent coffees, to survey the community about a variety of issues, and to review the school improvement plan.  We typically meet 5-6 times per year and meetings generally last about an hour.  We have several parents who have committed to participate this year, but the meetings are open to everyone.  If you are interested in attending, our first meeting is this Tuesday, 10/25 from 6:15-7:15 pm. PARCC Scores- Over the past couple of years, Massachusetts has been in a state of flux regarding our standardized assessment system.  That trend will continue this year, as 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will again be taking a new test in Math and Literacy.  The new test is being called the Next Generation MCAS exam.  I will provide more information on this later in the year.  I did want to mention that during the 2015-2016 school year, the City of Newton participated in the PARCC exam, and results were recently sent to current 4th and 5th grade families.  If you have questions about PARCC or about the results, please let me know.  As a school we are not putting much emphasis on the results, in large part because we rely on our own internal assessments to stay informed about student progress and related instructional decisions.   Please see the important information below!!!!

Ahoy Readers! Next week is the Horace Mann Book Fair! New Location! New Format! This year our book fair is TWO DAYS ONLY! It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27 in the Gym. *Breakfast with Books BOTH days – 7:30-8:30 a.m. October 26 & October 27 *Family Night – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 27 Online Book Fair! Can’t find your favorite book? Can’t make it to the fair? Want to get a jump-start on your holiday shopping? Visit the ONLINE BOOK FAIR Open from October 19-October 31. Books will be delivered for FREE to Horace Mann. Family Night Bring the whole family, order a pizza, and visit the famous Day After Day Haunted House! For $1, visit as many times as you like, both scary and non-scary options. Proceeds benefit the DAD scholarship program. There will be plenty of Games, Crafts, and Good Times! You MUST pre-order you pizza on-line by noon on Wednesday. ORDER HERE.  Show your Book Fair SPIRIT! Wednesday, October 26 — Matey Mix and Match Day! Mix and Match your craziest patterns! Thursday, October 27 — Bookaneer Bandana Day! Grab your bandanas buccaneers! All proceeds benefit the Horace Mann and Classroom Libraries.  Shop anytime between 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27, or go ONLINE. What AAARGH you reading, Matey?

Directory In the next two weeks we will be rolling out our new on-line directory and communication system, My School Anywhere, which was created by parents for parents. Thousands of parent associations and schools have chosen MySchoolAnywhere to manage their organization and go "paperless". Day Middle School and Newton North use this system so your data will follow you as you graduate to the next school! Our school directory is just a few clicks away and on-line data management, shopping and volunteer signups update the system instantly.  This new system uses the highest level of industry standard security to make sure your information is protected. It also reduces errors because you enter your information yourself, you can be guaranteed that it’s what you want. You will be receiving an email in the next two weeks with directions on how to log-in and update your information.  Whether you are travelling, trying to sign up to Volunteer or looking to find the address to your child’s playdate, MySchoolAnywhere will get you there. PTO Dues Thank you to families that have paid their dues to date—we are off to a great start!  Almost half of HM families have contributed their dues and we appreciate it!  As a reminder, dues fund many of the programs integral to the school’s curriculum (Creative Arts & Sciences, e.g.).  We ask that each family contribute $50 per child at HM as your annual contribution to PTO dues.  There are many ways to do this easily—website (horacemannpto.com—click on ‘support’ button), personal check, or any PTO Board Member can take credit cards. Gift Wrap Fundraiser Thanks to all of those who participated in our Charleston Gift Wrap fundraiser! Sales were more than $5,000!  We hope you love the Charleston products and enjoy using them this coming holiday season.  You can expect your order right before the Thanksgiving break. Any questions, please contact Sarah Arcese at arceses@gmail.com. International Night—A success! A special thank you to Manisha Trivedi and Kristen Gleason for organizing such a celebratory evening!  Once again, the display of diversity and culture was amazing—well done! Mystery Dinner—November 5, 2016—Invitations are out! Our 2016 Mystery Dinner is Saturday, November 5th—coming right up!!  An evite has been sent and the first 70 people that rsvp will be able to attend.  Those of you who have been a part of the Mystery Dinner in previous years know how much fun it is.  It's a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old acquaintances, meet new friends, and connect with other HM parents; all while enjoying delicious food and supporting the school. Hope to see you there! Social Action Committee We are starting back with a "Social Action Committee" for 4th/5th graders.  It has been a few years since this existed at HM and we are hoping to garner parent/child interest to get it going!  This small effort can make a BIG impact for local organizations we support PLUS the involved students see directly how their efforts can make a BIG IMPACT for others in our surrounding communities. It starts this month with our Book Fair.  Scholastic matches our donation up to $1million nationwide with the "All for Books" Program that we collect for during our Fair. Patrons can donate change/dollars directly during purchase at the Fair or the kids on this committee will have Bins for loose change to be collected.  We then add up these dollars at the end of Fair and directly purchase NEW books to be donated. We chose a great local charity that provides desperately needed books to kids without.  Martha Eliot Health Center is a community satellite of Boston Children’s Hospital. They serve the inner city of Jamaica Plain, primarily low income population. They have a strong Reach Out and Read program at their site, and work closely with the Massachusetts Reach Out and Read team. They give books out from infancy through early/mid adolescence with a strong mission of increasing academic success and enjoyment of reading. After this Fall effort, we will be looking for a few parents to help out with two more efforts, Winter and Spring.  Together, we will find other local organizations in need and mobilize in an effort to help. We want to teach/send home the message that we ALL need to make a difference no matter how small to help out others.