Hi all,
October has been a busy month for our family. My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary, we've been busy with volleyball, gymnastics, and cheerleading, and we are gearing up for Halloween later this week. The big news for us focused on our daughter Eliana. We learned last week that she passed both the Math and ELA portions of the MCAS test . After passing Biology last year, she will now be able to concentrate on her high school course work so that she can earn her high school diploma. For those of you who don't know, Eliana has Mosaic Down Syndrome and did not participate in the traditional MCAS all through middle school. Upon entering high school, there were few people on her school team who felt that she could pass these tests. However, with the right supports and lots of hard work, Eliana earned enough points on both tests to pass on her her first attempt. She continues to surprise all of her doubters, and we are tremendously proud of her!
October Assembly - At last Friday's assembly we focused on a few items:
First, Happy Diwali for those of you celebrating today! We shared some photos of this traditional Hindu celebration, which is celebrated primarily in India, but also in several other countries around the world. Hema Rao, one of our Kindergarten aides, kindly shared a few important ideas about the origins and the traditions that are celebrated. Here are a few photos of the light displays that are a big part of the festivals:
 
Second, we talked about our mascot...the Horace Mann Hawk. We shared a little about how the mascot name came to be, and also shared some important characteristics of the hawk, as told by several eastern and mid-western Native American tribes. These characteristics include items in the list below. Hawks are...
Creative Arts and Sciences - Below is a photo of a recent visit from Saadia Faruqi, author of the popular Yasmin series. Saadia talked to the students about the inspiration for her work - her daughter's desire to see characters like her in children's literature. Saadia was informative, funny, and inspirational. Thank you to the PTO and our Creative Arts and Sciences program.
Horace Mann FORJ Book Group - A group of parents have organized an adult book group as one of the activities for this year. The first book being explored is called “Ghost Boys”. You can find a link to the book here: https://www.goodreads.
If you are interested in attending, I have two remaining free copies in my office. Stop by and pick one up. You can also purchase one for a modest price ($6.99). The book discussion is tentatively scheduled for December 1st in the afternoon at the Newton Free Library. I will share specifics as we get closer to the date.
Early Release Wednesday - This Wednesday, October 30th is an early release for all students. Children will be dismissed at 12:30. This is in addition to our normal Tuesday 12:30 dismissal. Classroom teachers will use this time for parent/teacher conferences. Special education aides and BTs will be participating in a series of city-wide workshops on a variety of topics.
Staffing Update - I wanted to share that last Thursday was officially Melanie Chan’s last day at Horace Mann. She’ll be home resting as she and her family await their new arrival. Carolyn Hajte (OT coordinator) will be arranging for Melanie’s substitute. I’m not sure for how long, but OT services will be interrupted until Melanie’s replacement arrives from another Newton assignment.
Facilities Update -
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From the PTO
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Community Meeting about our School
October 28, 6 p.m.
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After meeting with the teachers and staff,
the PTO Board has put together some facts about
the state of our building.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns and plan on attending the community meeting with Superintendent Fleishman at Horace Mann on October 28th at 6 PM.
You may also reach out to the following:
Please continue to share feedback (hmannpto@gmail.com) and get involved with the process. We look forward to seeing you on October 28th.
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Spirit Wear is on Sale Now
through October 31!
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All items are only available in blue. Please note that there are NO refunds and that sweatshirts run very small.
It is available in our on-line Membership Toolkit store.
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Thanks for the flowers!
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Be sure to thank Horace Mann gardeners Ashley Sullivan and Helen Jakubowski who planted hundreds of bulbs over the weekend. We will all enjoy the beautiful blooms this spring!
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Thanks for a great
Arctic Adventure
Thanks to everyone's support we raised almost $16,000 at this year's book fair and put thousands of dollars worth of books in our classrooms. Special thanks goes to Mr. Tynes for lending us his gym during the fair.
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Pay your Dues!
The PTO is looking for 100% participation. Please help us achieve our goal. While we offer suggested amounts ($50 per student, $150 per family) ANY amount is welcome.
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Calendar Highlights
Meeting with Superintendent David Fleishman
Monday, October 28th, 6 p.m.
Early Release
Wednesday, October 30, 12:30 p.m.
School Committee Mtg.
Monday, November 4, 7 p.m., rm. 210, Ed. Center
No School-Veterans' Day
Monday, November 11
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