NewsNotes 6/28/2017

Reflections - As we all can attest, June is a month of closure, transition, and quite frankly, insanity…for the Nardelli family, this spring was no exception. Of particular note, Eliana graduated from middle school, and we are now faced with the prospect of finding the right program for her in high school…no easy task for a child who has to work a lot harder than those around her to accomplish what some might consider to be mundane tasks (like riding a bike!)… Moving beyond Eliana, the entire month of June is filled with a variety of culminating events that take place in school and in the variety of activities that our children are engaged in. We scramble like mad to get to sporting events, dance recitals, school concerts, graduations, and a hundred other things. We write cards and offer gifts and say our goodbyes, and it can be a very emotional time for everyone…. And then all of the insanity just stops. I know for me, each year represents a form of loss, and it takes some time to acknowledge the changes that are taking place. Now that the dust has settled a little and I actually have some time to think and breathe, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on the school year: First, I want to offer a tremendous thank you to our PTO Board for their efforts this year. John Oliver, Adam Brown, Sarah Arcese, Jacqueline Freeman, Karen Solari, Sharon Russo, Melissa Vaughn, Jon Mendicina, Susannah Wardly, and Sandy Malec. They’ve all been tremendously supportive, and proactive, and they are staunc advocates for our school. In particular, I want to thank John, Sarah, Karen, Melissa, and Sandy for their efforts over many years to make Horace Mann the strong community that it is. Best of luck to all of you as your children move on to life in middle school. I also want to acknowledge all of the parents who helped in some other fashion: room parents; event coordinators (like the Auction, Mystery Dinner, Talent Show, or International Night); families who donated time (to our library, the Book Fair, field trips, Newton Serves Day, etc); as well as those who donated funds to support programs like Creative Arts and Sciences or technology purchases. Horace Mann is a better place because of the work we do together… We’ve made progress this year in our efforts to become a more culturally proficient school, and we are ready and excited to do more. We will continue to... Insist on the importance of building relationships with students and families to ensure they feel connected and welcome. Build on our efforts to hold family welcome events, workshops and discussions. Modify our curriculum, our classroom/school libraries, and our instructional practices to be more reflective of our diverse population. Expand our efforts through all-school assemblies and school-wide events to create a school culture that fosters kindness and respect for all. Build on opportunities for staff to learn and grow as culturally responsive educators. Persist in our efforts to hire and recruit a diverse staff of exceptional educators. Academically, we have made progress as well. There is emerging evidence that our literacy interventions and our co-taught classrooms are sound practice. Across the board, we have fewer students below benchmark in reading than in any other year since we began this work. Additionally, because we’ve been able to provide supports in a proactive way, we have seen the number of students in special education decline dramatically. Two years ago we had over 100 students on IEPs. This fall, we will have 55 students receiving services in special education. A heartfelt thank you to our classroom teachers and our literacy team for their tireless work. In addition, we are finding success for students who need social/emotional supports. In a year where there was a vast increase in referrals, we are the only school in Newton who did not request support from the district for students who struggled behaviorally and emotionally. In large part, this is due to the work our teachers do to be flexible, the effectiveness of our behavior intervention model, and the innovative efforts of our mental health team. Reading Lists - For this of you interested, I’ve included some summer reading titles that might help you to understand the work we are doing.  First, a list for the children: https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/07/25-ideas-to-diversify-reading-lists-this-summer/# For Adults: Whistling Vivaldi - Claude Steele Dog Whistle Politics - Ian Haney-Lopez The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander Mindset - Carol Dweck An Introduction to Multicultural Education - James A. Banks A Dedication - During the last week of school we celebrated the Newton career of Jenny McGowan as she prepares to move on to the Dedham Public Schools. As a community, we wanted to recognized Jenny’s dedication to inclusion, her advocacy for families, and her deep knowledge of special education. We thought the perfect way to do this would be to dedicate something permanent to the HM community, and we’ve decided to donate something called a Buddy Bench. The idea of the Buddy Bench was started by a student as a grassroots effort. Here’s an article detailing how this idea came about (I should also credit Somchay Edwards for sharing this ideas several years ago): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/04/04/kids-dont-have-to-be-lonely-at-recess-anymore-thanks-to-this-boy-and-his-buddy-bench/ Here's a quick summary of the Buddy Bench idea: Horace Mann will install a new bench, decorated by students, aimed at fostering inclusion during less structured social times. Students can go to the bench for a variety of reasons, including: A student new to Horace Mann may use the bench as a way to signal that they would like to meet someone. A student may want to try a new activity at recess. A student who would like to offer their support to new friends may use the bench to signal their efforts to reach out. Students may use this as an area to meet and brainstorm ideas for an activity. As a staff we’ve connected with other schools who have this in place, talked about how to model appropriate behavior, and talked about how to minimize any potential stigma associated with this concept. More details about that will come out in the fall. For anyone interested in donating to the Buddy Bench and acknowledging Jenny McGowan’s career at Horace Mann, you can send a check for any amount to our address at 687 Watertown St. Checks can be made payable to the “Horace Mann PTO” (please make a note that you would like the proceeds to go to the Buddy Bench). All donations are tax deductable. We will install and dedicate the bench to Jenny in the fall. Thanks in advance for your support. Hiring/Staffing Update - We have several important roles to fill this summer and we’ve already begun the process of doing so. In particular, we are looking to find a new Team Specialist, and new Behavior Interventionist, and an additional Inclusion Facilitator. I will keep you all posted on our progress on those important initiatives. I hope you all have some time to spend together as a family this summer. Read books, get outside, play games, and try to take advantage of a slower pace to life (I hope). I know that I’m already thankful that we don’t have to pack lunches every night, hustle to after-school activities, get homework done, etc. Thanks again for all your support! Best wishes for a safe and healthy summer! Sincerely, Mark Nardelli

NewsNotes 6/11/17

From Mark's Desk

A variety of photos from Fitness for Life, Pond Life (CAS program), and author Suzy Kline (also a CAS program).

Fitness For Life: Thanks once again to David Tynes for another amazing Fitness for Life event. This includes preparing all of the materials, creating new games and challenges, building classroom schedules, organizing volunteers, packing the truck and more...all while fasting!  Thankfully, the weather was cooperative and contributed to a day with lots of smiling faces and few meltdowns.   Thanks also to teachers and assistants for running activities, leading students from station to station, managing conflict, and even joining in on a few events. Finally, thank you to all of the parents and caregivers for being part of this community effort. This includes cheering on the kids, organizing supplies, running the grills, helping with the clean up efforts, recycling water bottles, packing and unpacking the truck, and more. Staffing Announcements: I have a number of things to share with regard to staffing for next year…  As many of you heard earlier this week, Jenny McGowan will be taking a position with the Dedham Public Schools where she will  work to foster inclusive practices within the field of special education. For those of you who have had the opportunity to work with Jenny, you know the loss this represents for our school. As a special educator, inclusion facilitator, and team specialist at Horace Mann, Jenny has been a true champion of inclusion. She has a deep understanding of a wide range of student needs, works extremely hard to foster inclusive practices and set high expectations, and believes that the foundation of our work in schools is to build relationships with staff and families. I will personally miss her sense of humor, her ability to see multiple perspectives in every situation, her common sense approach to problem solving, her emotional intelligence, her thoughtfulness, and her drive to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the best possible programming and are treated with dignity and respect. Please join me in thanking Jenny for her dedication to our school.   Tracey Spence, ELL teacher at Horace Mann for the past four years has decided to take on a new challenge at the Bigelow Middle School where she will use her skills and her innovative ideas to expand programming for a burgeoning ELL population.   I appreciate Tracey’s support for families, her honest and direct approach to problem solving, her ability to collaborate with many different teachers, and her high expectations for students.  Best wishes next year. On a related note, Barbara Kwan, ELL teacher at Franklin the last four years, will be joining our team in Tracey’s place.  Barbara has met our current ELL team, toured the school, and spent some time talking to me.  Barbara is highly regarded within the ELL department and we all feel positive about this addition to our school.   Amy Conley, co-taught teacher in 4th grade, recently shared that she will be moving to Seattle this summer as part of a new job opportunity for her husband. We’ve been fortunate over the past couple of years to have Amy’s contributions; she is caring, attentive to detail, effective in managing a  variety of student challenges, and a wonderful co-teaching partner.   We wish Amy the best of luck in her new start on the West Coast. Directly connected to Amy’s departure was the need to find a new co-taught teacher partner for our 4th grade team.  I am pleased to announce that Lauren Fischer will be moving from 1st grade into the co-taught teaching role.  Lauren and Maureen have worked together in the past and are excited about the chance to collaborate again.  Congratulations to Lauren!   I am happy to say that our intervention work in both literacy and in the social-emotional realm has led to greater success in providing students with the instruction and services they need before getting to a place where they require services through special education.  Unfortunately, because we have fewer students taking advantage of special ed services as a result of our interventions, we’ve had to reduce our learning center allocation.   I am officially sharing that Katie Deehan will be staying on to provide our learning center services.  Her background in specialized instruction as well as her previous experience as an inclusion facilitator gives us flexibility in servicing a wide range of student needs across learning center, inclusion and cohort.  In addition, Lucy Couture, who has provided support and care to a great number of colleagues, children and families over the past 11 years will be moving on from Horace Mann.  Fortunately, Lucy will have the opportunity to bring her compassion, her dedication, and her strong work ethic to the Cabot Elementary School where she will be starting a new chapter as the special educator in a 4th grade co-taught classroom at Cabot this fall.  I know that many of the children will miss Lucy’s warmth, her encouragement, and her genuine efforts to help students succeed.  Best wishes to Lucy at Cabot next year.   The last announcement of this edition of NewsNotes is also significant for our community. Billy Brady has decided to end his tenure working as the night custodian, where he has been for over 20 years.  For anyone who knows Billy at all, you know that he hates attention of any kind and he dreaded having to inform me of this decision.  When he came to me to share his news, he made me promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone about his decision until after his last day.  Obviously, I agreed.   So…unfortunately, I share that Billy’s last day at HM was this past Friday, June 9th.  As you can imagine, Billy does not want a party or public speeches, or recognition of any kind.  Having said that, we will find a way to share our appreciation for Billy in a way that he can manage. Billy will sorely be missed at HM. His good sense of humor, his willingness to stay late or open doors during vacations, his patience, his thoughtfulness, his efforts to do anything for anyone…what more can I say? Billy has a heart of gold and will be very hard to replace... Message from Elissa Matloff, our School Nurse: Medication Pick-up: Parents of students who have medication stored in the health room should pick it up by the last day of school, June 23. All medication (pills, epi-pens, inhalers, etc.) not picked up will be discarded. Please plan ahead to pick medication up so it is not wasted! Medication may not be carried home by the student -- it must be picked up by an adult. School nurses will not be available after June 23 to return medication to families. Medication Order Reminder: All medication orders expire at the end of the school year. If you are visiting your child’s health care provider during the summer, consider requesting a new medication order for your child. All medication, prescription or over-the-counter, requires an order. The Medication Permission Form and the Medication Policy are both available online at  www.newtonma.gov/schoolhealth West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease Prevention: Mosquito and tick-borne diseases like West Nile Virus and Lyme disease occur in Newton residents. Take steps to avoid getting sick! ·      Mosquito repellant not only works for mosquitoes, but helps repel ticks as well. Use a repellant with DEET, and follow label instructions for concentrations appropriate for children. ·      Avoid being outdoors during peak mosquito hours, particularly once West Nile Virus has been detected in the mosquito population. ·      Remove containers around your home (tires, kid pools, pots, tarps) that could allow mosquitoes to breed. ·      Check your body for ticks after being outdoors and remove them immediately to avoid disease transmission. Shoo the flu! Seasonal influenza vaccine will be offered this fall during the school day to students and employees. The flu shot (no FluMist again this year, based on current recommendations) will be available to all students in Kindergarten through grade 12, by parental consent only. Consent and screening forms will be posted at www.newtonma.gov/flu by early September, in preparation for the fall clinics. Insurance information will be requested, but all students are welcome to receive the vaccine at no charge. The flu clinic date for Horace Mann will be October 13th. Forms (available in Sept.) will be due to the school nurse by October 11th. This schedule is confirmed unless the flu vaccine supply is delayed, in which case the school nurse will notify families of an alternative date once the vaccine arrives. Have a happy and healthy summer!

From the PTO

Fitness for Life A special thanks to Mr. Nardelli, Mrs. Mariano and Mr. Tynes for making this such an amazing day! We are SO lucky to have such an extraordinary PE teacher that champions this very special program. And we also appreciate all the teachers and parents that helped and made the day so fun. THANK YOU, too, to Joanna Mantell for organizing our efforts on this event--you are the best!

IT IS TIME TO THANK THE HORACE MANN STAFF for ALL that they do each and every day! Help make this a special event for the staff of Horace Mann School! Please consider a monetary donation, as we would like to cater some food tems to ensure we have enough for everyone. If you prefer to prepare/buy food items, these need to be dropped off MONDAY 6/26 between 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. If you plan to sign up for a main dish please make sure you include a list of ingredients. We want to be sensitive to any allergies or food preferences. ***Please bring all items in disposable dishware and serveware!! NOTE: This year, due to a busy end of school for the Horace Mann Staff, the event will be on a teacher day after school is finished for the year. W To make a contribution or help with set-up or clean-up, please sign up below. HM Staff Brunch Sign Up If you would like to donate $$ to purchase needed items please leave with Rose Mariano in the front office in an envelope addressed to Veronika Lynch Staff Breakfast by Wednesday, June 21st. ***Please contact Veronika Lynch with any questions at Veronikalubbe@aol.com

NewsNotes 5/23/17

From Mark's Desk

Some examples of student generated Community Service Efforts at HM.

Staffing Update: I am again continuing to share significant pieces of news with regard to staffing for next year... Many of you may know that Ricky Paglia has worked as our behavior interventionist for the past several years at Horace Mann.   Ricky supports a great number of students (over 60) through leadership groups, social groups, 1-1 work, and in his consulting work with teachers.   I wanted to share that Ricky has recently been offered a full time position with Parks and Rec as the Program Manager for the City of Newton.  I hope you can join me in offering our congratulations to Ricky as he takes on this new challenge.  It is important to note that Ricky will be starting in his new role before the end of the year.  For the rest of May, he will be doing partial days at HM (roughly 8:30-11:30) with Fitness for Life being his last day.  Ricky will work for the city full time beginning in June. While we are happy for Ricky, this news also represents a loss for our school.  Ricky has been an amazingly patient, flexible, and consistent presence for many of our students, and he has had a positive impact on both individuals and the larger school community.  To ease the transition for students and teachers, we have been preparing Jenna Leavitt (psychology intern) to take over the lion's share of Ricky's student assignments.  She’s been shadowing Ricky over the past couple of weeks and has already taken over the afternoon responsibilities. Jenna knows the students well, has a wonderfully positive attitude, and a lot of energy.  We will think about a longer term solution this spring. In other news, I wanted to share that Maddy Kenyon has recently been offered a position teaching Kindergarten at the Peirce school.  Shana Packer will move to a 3rd grade co-taught at Memorial Spaulding. CAS Visits: A big thank you to Cedar Pruitt for her efforts to organize this year’s CAS events. Of particular importance is the fact that Cedar was been working with the city CAS coordinator to diversify the acts that we bring in to include people of different backgrounds who might have prominent roles in the sciences and arts.  Here are a few examples of the specifics Cedar has been working on: We are reaching out to New England Aquarium, Mass Audubon and Science Discovery Museum about diversifying their presenter roster Jerry Craft visited HM last week - African-American illustrator. Eric Velasquez, African-American author, being booked for next fall as a preview for grades 1-5 Grace Lin, Taiwanese-American author, being booked for next March for grades 1-4 We will be inviting Philip, Native American, from Plimouth Plantation next year for 3rd graders instead of non-Native representations of the culture  Teacher of the Year:  Once again, congratulations to Anne Baseggio on receiving the MATSOL Teacher of the Year Award.  Anne epitomizes what so many of the staff at Horace Man bring to work each day...a genuine willingness to collaborate, expertise in her craft, thoughtful decisions about instruction, and unwavering dedication to her students.  In addition, Anne spends a lot of her time and mental energy building connections with some of our most at-risk families;  she translates tricky and sensitive information, advocates for additional resources (like cell phone cards or transportation); encourages families to partner with our school, and more.  Anne is a wonderful representative for this award.  Congratulations! Teacher Appreciation Week: Thank you to the PTO and the Horace Mann Community for supporting our efforts to recognizing teachers last week.  The team provided pizza, salad and dessert for everyone during the early release day, which was a welcome chance for all of us to relax for a few minutes before the home stretch.  In addition, the PTO funded the purchase of box fans for each classroom.  They couldn’t have come at a better time given the intense heat last week.  Thank you! Assembly Recap: For our May assembly, we focused on work that students have been doing for others.  Several student led groups came up in front of the school to share their efforts.  Here’s a quick summary: As part of their efforts to earn Girl Scout Cadet status, Maddie Cole, Nadia Briggs, Abby Schectman, and Sophie Lubbe-Lynch shared a slide show and talked to our students about how they can reduce their carbon footprint.  They asked everyone to come up with one idea to do something positive for the school community and/or the Earth.  Ideas included walking or biking to school, cleaning up trash, turing off lights at home, eating less meat each week, and more.  Be on the lookout for a pledge sheet next week. Students in all grades have been collecting school supplies for our partner school in Somaliland in West Africa.  Mohamed Adam, one of our paraprofessionals, is working to rebuild and refurbish this school and we are doing all we can to help.  In addition, Ella Russo, Ava Russo, and Janie Blumenthal came up with the idea to sell lemonade during last week’s baseball games and at school dismissal.  They raised over $160 for the Somaliland school! Students in Ms. Lewis’s class cleared weeds, picked up trash, and removed rocks from the butterfly garden so that they could plant Raspberry bushes, Columbine, and Marigold.  Thank you to Nya, Vivian, Karuna, Emily, Gabby, Natalie, Karina, Arielle, Stella, Anna for all of their hard work and creativity; they’ve been working hard each day at recess! Students in Ms. Ferland’s class created a slide show in honor of Earth Day during the month of April.  The recordings can be found here: http://www2.newton.k12.ma.us/~Julie_Ferland@newton.k12.ma.us/?OpenItemURL=S0FCD140A-0FCD140A Ms. Bard’s 3rd graders came up with a poster campaign to encourage people to take better care of our school, including shutting off faucets, keeping bathrooms neat, flushing the toilet, and more! It is amazing to see how motivated our students are to help others.  Thank you for your support at home! Cultural Traditions Survey: I met with a group of 4th grade students this week to talk about how we might gather information about cultural traditions that take place within our school community.  The group decided to create a short survey for where students will tell us about lesser known traditions that our families celebrate. After collecting surveys, we will aim to create a calendar of traditions celebrated at HM.  In addition, we will generate morning announcements, and share traditions at our monthly assemblies.

NewsNotes 4/23/17

Storyteller Len Cabral shares his craft with our second graders.

Life in Ghana - also a 2nd grade CAS program where students learn about everyday life in this West African nation.

*Staffing Update: The following is the first of a few updates regarding teaching assignments for next year.  As you may recall, we are reducing classrooms for next year from 19 to 18. After much consideration and deliberation about what will be best for students, the following are the first round of changes: First, Kate Blanchard will be moving to first grade. Claudia Hoover will leave the co-taught model to have her own classroom in 4th grade.  We will continue to have one co-taught classroom in 4th* and one in 5th*. Here is the complete lineup of classroom teaching assignments for next year:         K: Bonzey, Ferland, Seyferth         1: Blanchard, Chatfield, Gower         2: Bartley, Lewis, Sandison         3: Bard, Harris, Rosen         4: Berardi/Conley*, Hoover, Oldmixon         5: Akdag/Dias*, Feldstein, Moore Because of the reductions and the movement, we are actively trying to find spots for some of our staff who have been displaced. Unfortunately, Maddy Kenyon, Lauren Fischer, and Shayna Packer are in this situation.  I am doing all I can to support them in finding another spot in Newton. I will also have several important updates about our special education programming to announce in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. Cultural Proficiency Curriculum: As I mentioned in earlier editions of NewsNotes, we have spent a good deal of time developing lessons and unites dedicated to being proactive around how and when we teach students about race, ethnicity, gender, disability, etc. At some point soon I will share a couple of the lessons so you can see what we’ve been working on. Teachers will pilot some of the lessons this year, and implement the remainder next year. Our hope is to make our work available to the entire district. Thought provoking article on “Redshirting” : The article gives an overview of what is meant be “redshirting” and talks about the pros and cons in light of some new research.  Enjoy: http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/youngest-kid-smartest-kid3rd Grade Recorder Concert: A couple of weeks back, our 3rd graders performed live for the first time (for both the school audience and for parents).  Ms. Lotz and the students worked hard all year to learn a brand new instrument.  Many children are learning to read notes for the first time, learning various musical terms, as well as learning to perform in an ensemble group.  The progress the students made has been amazing and culminated in this terrific performance. Congrats to this dedicated group of children! Talent Show: Another stellar group of performances were on display Friday night. As I mentioned during the show, I continue to be so impressed by the dedication and commitment of the artists. There is no doubt that they spend countless hours practicing, making mistakes, working through frustration, and getting better in incremental steps. The results on Friday were nothing short of phenomenal. Congratulations to all of the performers. Thanks again to Sudha Maheshwari, Melissa Meyerowitz, Lauren Gallagher, and Adam Brown for their efforts to put this great show together.

May 1, 2017 – With spring finally here, the kids at Horace Mann are back outside enjoying the fresh air and running, jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping and leaping over some rain puddles. Now is a good time for families to prepare to “make time for exercise.” Family hikes, family workouts, or any physical activity that involves the family unit will leave a positive and lasting impression on most children. The following is one of many links that will help you get started: http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/family-fitness-tips What’s been going on in Physical Education? - We have finished our striking and Volleyball Unit. The fifth grade took on some teachers in a great tournament of “Silent Elimination” last week. It was a great way to end the unit. What’s Next? - We have started our massive unit on Fitness, Nutrition and the Systems of the Body with emphasis on the cardiovascular system. We will be focusing on food labels and comparing and contrasting the old and new ones that are soon to hit your grocery store. We will be learning about cells, DNA, and the amazing, incredible human body. The students will be working out with over 25 machines and pieces of fitness equipment. Sneakers - Please make sure your H.M. student brings his or her sneakers on Physical Education class days.  Please no sandals, crocks flip-flops! Student Helpers from North - All year long students from Newton North’s Special Education programs come in to help assist me in Physical Education classes. We have students every Tuesday and Friday. This continues to be an enriching program for our students and for the students from North, as well! Save the Date - Fitness for Life is Friday May 26th! (Rain Date - 6/2) For those new to Horace Mann, this is an event that happens only at our school. We reserve the entire Aburndale Cove for the day and celebrate fun, families, and fitness. This is an event that I encourage all families to participate in. It is a wonderful way to connect with the entire Horace Mann community. You will be receiving a lot of information next week. Parent Helpers – WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are in need of parent helpers to be part of the set up and break down crew on May 26th for Fitness for Life. Please let me know if you are able to help out. SET UP - This involves meeting Mr. Tynes at the Cove to unload the truck and set up the stations. If you are available we will meet at 7:00am. I will have a map, tools, and instructions for each station. BREAK DOWN - At 1:45 we will begin breaking down the stations. We will load up the truck and head back to Horace Mann.  If you have a pick up truck and don’t mind throwing some stuff in the back, this will be a big help. Four Tips for Family Members Who Coach - The students are just beginning to figure out how to use their amazing bodies. At Horace Mann, I encourage all children to give their best effort. As they grow and participate in sports, the right coach can shape, make, or break a child. Make sure you are familiar with child development and what research, data, and science says is best for a particular age group. Try not to punish with exercise (it is not what happens here in Physical Education class). Exercise should be meaningful and fun. Remember - it is about them, and you have a great opportunity to make a lasting impression. Make it fun and “make their day.” In The Sprit of Sportspersonship, Mr. Tynes

NewsNotes 4/9/2017

From Mark's Desk

Earlier this month, a visit from the Museum of Science Traveling Program...experiments for our 5th graders!

Placement Reminder: Each year I offer families a chance to provide input into their child(ren)'s placement for the upcoming school year. The attached letter provides details about the process, as well as an optional form that you can fill out and submit to me. Feel free to print the form out, complete it, and turn it into the main office, OR, you can use the electronic version and email it back to me. Forms are due THIS Thursday, April 13th I've attached a Word version and a PDF version. Please let me know if you have any trouble using these links: PlacementLetter17.pdf PlacementLetter17.docx 3rd Grade Persuasive Writing: This week, 3rd grade students in Ms. Bard’s class shared their persuasive essays with me. The goal of the assignment was for students to choose an issue they were concerned about and then write a compelling argument for why something should change. Students wrote about a variety of issues, including the need for an elevator, better lunch options, improved bathroom facilities, and technology upgrades. I was impressed by the thoughtfulness of the topic choices, as well as the reasoning behind the arguments. Food Service Feedback: On a related note, I am meeting with members of Sodexo this week to talk about food service at Horace Mann. If you have any thoughts you’d like to share please email me (before Tuesday) and I will pass them along. Another option would be to submit your feedback on the website. You can do so by clicking on this link: https://newton.sodexomyway.com/people/feedback.html Technology Use and Limit Setting: For any parents out there who have struggled with setting limits on the use of devices, here is a link to an article with some tips: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/5-strategies-for-getting-kids-off-devices I would also add that at our house, one of the most effective ways that we limit device use is to have designated times (during the weekday and weekend) where devices can be used. For example, the kids get an hour on iPads after homework is done (4:30-5:30pm ish). We also have device free Sundays. In the summer, the kids can use them in the morning and then again at 4pm. Generally speaking, we lock the devices away during the unavailable times, minimizing the temptation! Responsive Home Workshop: Are you struggling with your child(ren)’s behavior at home? Do you want to work towards creating a supportive, encouraging home environment? If so, attend one of Newton’s workshop. The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12th from 6:30-8:30 pm. This will take place at the Ed Center (room 210) MCAS Schedule: ELA (Reading/Writing) Grade 3 - April 25th, April 26th, and April 28th Grade 5 - April 10th, and April 13th MATH Grade 3 - May 4th and May 5th Grade 4 - May 15th and May 16th Grade 5 - May 1st and May 3rd From the PTO Horace Mann Spirit Wear is ready to order! We have a great selection of Horace Mann Hawks spirit wear items that you and your children will not want to miss. Get your Hawks gear in time for our end of the year, school-wide "Fitness for Life" so the kids can show off their school spirit! The order deadline has been extended to April 16 ensure delivery before Fitness for Life. Use the link sent to you by email last week, or Click below to purchase today: https://www.myschoolanywhere.com/cart-new.a5w?cart=HoraceMannElementary107984 Email Jon Mendicina (jmendicina@hotmail.com) or Karen Solari (sksolari@verizon.net) with any questions. Talent Show Postponed! You will have to wait a little longer to see our HM superstars perform their many talents. The talent show will now take place at Newton North High School on Friday evening, April 28th. Showtime will be at 6:30 pm sharp. More details about this move will be forthcoming. Please contact Sudha if this changes your ability to participate in this event (sudham1107@gmail.com). REGISTER FOR NEWTON SERVES AT HORACE MANN It’s time again for community-building through service! Please join us on Sunday, April 30, from 12:30-3:30, for NewtonSERVES at Horace Mann. We will spend the afternoon working on various indoor and outdoor projects at the school including: - mulching - spreading new fibar on the playground - fence repair - barrier installation - painting an office wall If you are able to volunteer, please come! Volunteers can register at http://www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES-volunteer.php and select the Horace Mann School project.  If you have any useful tools such as rakes, brooms, garden/work gloves, etc., please bring them with you. We hope to see you on April 30! Thank you, Ashley Sullivan & Kristy Moore

NewsNotes 3/26/17

Parent Coffee Reminder: Tomorrow (Monday, 3/27) I will host a parent coffee to talk about two topics: First, I will discuss our annual class placement process, which details the steps we take to create classes each year. Second, I will share details about the district’s budget deficit and how the proposed budget will impact Horace Mann. The session will start at 8:30 in the library and end at 9:15.

Cultural Proficiency Curriculum: At last week’s faculty meeting, staff met in three groups (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5) to review a series of developmentally appropriate lessons aimed at enhancing our curriculum relative to issues of identity, culture, race, etc. Teachers were given the task of selecting at least three lessons per grade level to form the core of this curriculum. In April, teachers will compile and publish these lesson and have agreed to teach at least one before the end of the year. I will share the curriculum materials once they are ready to go. On a related note, I’ve included an interesting article in the NY times on this topic:https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/us/north-carolina-school-jacobs-new-dress-book.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0&referer=https://t.co/fo4bMhYZBG

Budget/Staffing for next year: There are several items to mention with regard to next year. Some of it is budget related, while some of it has to do with circumstances specific to our school.
This year, we have four classroom sections in grade 5, and all of these students will soon be moving on to middle school. As this group leaves, we will have just three classroom sections in each grade (K-5), reducing our total number of classrooms from 19 to 18. In addition, Carol Oldmixon, who has been out on leave this year, will return to Horace Mann in the fall. As a result, we are faced with reductions for next year, including one of our co-taught classrooms. Ms. Mikus has shared that she will extend her leave of absence for another school year.
With regard to the budget, changes for next year will include reductions in library, music (chorus), and special education. For library, we will not lose any library classroom time for students, but we will only have a librarian on location for three days (instead of five). We are doing our best to make sure that Ms. Karam stays with us at HM for those days. In Music, we will not be offering 4th grade chorus next year. There will also be changes to our special ed staffing allocations, but the details have not yet been ironed out.
For anyone interested, there is a public hearing on the Budget on Monday, April 4th at 6:00 pm. Here’s a link to the budget information:http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/2959
Playground Update: Last week, I met with the director of Parks and Rec for the city of Newton. We are aware of a few missing components on the new structure that need to be replaced. Safety of the structure is not a concern right now, and repairs will be made soon. Also, with regard to the recall on the older equipment, new slides have been ordered and will be installed once the weather improves.

Responsive Home Workshop: Are you struggling with your child(ren)’s behavior at home? Do you want to work towards creating a supportive, encouraging home environment? If so, attend one of Newton’s workshop. The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12th from 6:30-8:30 pm. This will take place at the Ed Center (room 210)


MCAS Schedule:

ELA (Reading/Writing)
Grade 3 - April 25th, April 26th, and April 28th
Grade 4 - April 3rd, April 5th, and April 6th
Grade 5 - April 7th, April 10th, and April 13th
MATH
Grade 3 - May 4th and May 5th
Grade 4 - May 15th and May 16th
Grade 5 - May 1st and May 3rd




The PTO would like to thank Jess Schiefer, who ran this year's AMAZING spring auction. The Horace Mann Hoedown was both fun and successful, raising more than $18,000. Jess had the help of a dedicated committee, friends, and neighbors, including many Horace Mann families and businesses that donated items to the live, silent and online auction. Please thank them and the following when you see them!



Other Thank Yous:

Montecarlo at Boston
Advance Auto Center, Inc.
Honda Village
The Village Bank
Busy Bee Florist
Manow Thai Kitchen
Megan Anapolle
Seth Anapolle
Sarah Arcese
Adam Brown
Rosa Chiacchierarelli
Anne Cedrone
Bob Daley
Kim Daley
The Deceptive Lemons
Abe Dewing
Somchay Edwards
Ariella Evenzahav
Jacqueline Freeman
Matt Freeman
Tara Furlong
Meg Gallucci
Heather Julian
Sandy Malec
Joanna Mantell
Alison Mirman
John Oliver
Sharon Russo
Cara Salmon
Tim Schiefer
Melissa Vaughn
Billy Walsh








There is nothing common between April Fool's Day and the Horace Mann Talent Show—other than the fact that this year both happen to be on April 1st!

Come join us to see the budding talents in Horace Mann. From Indian and Irish dances to Chinese Yo Yo, comedy to piano/violin/vocal performances, the Horace Mann Talent Show is sure to melt the snow. 

Special performances from Day After Day and a rock band comprised of both current and former Horace Mann students will be the highlight of the show this year.

So mark your calendars and join us at F.A. Day Auditorium on the 1st. The show starts at 1 PM, but come early to get a good spot!

NewsNotes 3/12/17

School Auction: This year’s auction was a fun and new experience for parents. A dedicated committee of volunteers turned the NNHS cafeteria into a beautifully decorated space, with hula hoop chandeliers, hay bale couches, a cornhole court, and a dress up area. There was a stellar performance by the dad supergroup “The Deceptive Lemons”, square dance lessons and even bull riding! Thanks to all of the families who came out to contribute and enjoy the atmosphere. Thanks also to everyone who participated in the online and live portions of the auction. The funds raised will go towards supporting our efforts to enrich the offerings and experiences of the students at Horace Mann.

Blue Zone Improvements: Thank you to families for supporting our efforts to improve the safety of our dismissal time over these past two weeks. People have been much better about staying off of the grass, which is a tremendous help. Please continue to support safe dismissal procedures!

Fostering Conversations Workshop Follow Up - Thank you to all of the families who came out to participate in our Fostering Conversations Event, which served as an introduction to helping families reflect on their role in talking to our children about the different perspectives that we bring to school each day. For those of you who missed it, there are two opportunities to get a sense of what we discussed:

• Monday, March 20th - Morning Coffee with Principal Nardelli. At this session, we will re-do the first activity from the evening event. This will take place from 8:20-9:00am

• Wednesday, March 22nd - The City of Newton is offering an evening event titled: “Talking to Children About Race” from 7-8:30 pm at the Angier School. Mike Feldstein (5th grade teacher at HM) will lead two activities similar to the ones we shared last week. Click on the following link to register: https://goo.gl/forms/eDB56M2MEcUz7aUX2

Responsive Home Workshop: Are you struggling with your child(ren)’s behavior at home? Do you want to work towards creating a supportive, encouraging home environment? If so, attend one of Newton’s workshops. The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12th from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Next Generation MCAS: This year all third, fourth, and fifth grade students will take the new statewide assessment, MCAS 2.0. This will replace PARCC, which students took for the past two years. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is requiring that all grade 4 students take the Computer-Based Test (CBT) with the goal of students in all grades taking the CBT by the year 2019. At HM, we elected to have students in grades 3 and 5 take the Paper-Based Test (PBT) this year.

With the adoption of another new test, we find ourselves in a position of thinking carefully about how we want to prepare students. We feel strongly that the high-quality instruction we provide students with each day is the best way we can prepare them for external assessments. That said, the new exam format and testing situation are different from students’ routine experiences and we have a responsibility to introduce students to the testing environment, the types of questions, and the vocabulary. We know we need to be thoughtful about how we accomplish preparation for the test, as we do not want to “teach to the test” and/or create unnecessary stress or anxiety. Therefore, teachers will spend some time in class teaching strategies to help students feel comfortable and confident during the testing situation. Strategies will include reading test directions, unpacking questions, and using a reference sheet. Teachers will reassure students that throughout the year they have learned the content to help them be successful. To minimize stress, teachers will also share with their classes that the results of the assessment are used for multiple purposes such as, planning for growth in future years and determining if additional shifts in our curriculum are necessary.

As a parent, your role should be to minimize the emphasis on this test as a measure of student proficiency. Given the timing of the results, the uncertainty of the test format and content, and the nature of standardized testing, we encourage you to downplay how important these results are for any individual student.

Here is the schedule of testing for this year:

ELA (Reading/Writing)
Grade 3 - April 25th, April 26th, and April 28th
Grade 4 - April 3rd, April 5th, and April 6th
Grade 5 - April 7th, April 10th, and April 13th


MATH
Grade 3 - May 4th and May 5th
Grade 4 - May 15th and May 16th
Grade 5 - May 1st and May 3rd

FROM THE PTO

These Horace Mann Parents were happy to "Stand by Your Mann" on Saturday at the spring auction and Country Hoedown. Thank you to all of the parents who support the PTO And the school, including Principal Nardelli, who is always up for a wild ride!









2017 Horace Mann Talent Show—APRIL 1, 1pm, FA Day Auditorium!

Registration is Open NOW through March 14! Get your little performers ready--the HM Talent Show is around the corner! Get the kids out of hibernation and have them ready to showcase their special talents-—from piano solos to dances, from martial arts to stand-up comic acts…show us that HM's Got Talent! For non-performers, come and support your classmates—it is always a fun and entertaining day! To register your performers, click here. We will hold previews of all acts on March 17 at 3pm—this helps us understand types of performances and timing so we may develop a strong and well-balanced program.

Spirit Wear—get your Hawks gear, coming soon!

Basketball shorts looking a little tired? Outgrow your flannel pj pants? Need another snazzy hoodie for your collection—we’ve got you covered! We have ordered all your favorite spirit wear items, along with some new additions so you can show off your love for Horace Mann! Very soon, you will see samples in the front lobby and be able to order your items online. Our goal is to get all orders in before April break so that items deliver well in time for Fitness for Life. So, stay tuned for more info and get ready to donate the old and bring in the new!