Sunday, March 25, 2018

WONDERful Doors at the Mann!

Thanks to the efforts of Team WONDER, our staff and students, the hallways of Horace Mann have become colorful, fun and encouraging!  As part of our immersion in kindness this month (inspired by the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio) a door decorating contest was held.  Nearly every door burst into creative expression, inviting passers-by to stop and look :)

Students voted on the best door from each of our three floors, and the results are in.  Congratulations to Mrs. Axford, Mrs. Frank and Mrs. Cali for their winning doors (shown below)!  Although these were the winners, there are SO many that are amazing.  I think my favorite sentiment is "Spread kindness like confetti."  Isn't that a great image?



Special thanks to kindergarten teacher Mrs. Rini for organizing this spirit-building activity.  Although the contest is over, I don't see the decorations coming down anytime soon...

Friday, March 16, 2018

The Energized Guyz at Horace Mann

Through our Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) framework, we recognize students' safe, respectful, responsible, kind behavior with an end-of-the-quarter celebration.  We had a blast at the carnival put on by PTA at the end of the first semester, and invited the Energized Guyz (sponsored by the Illuminating Company) to entertain--and teach--us this quarter.

Riley and Jessie from the National Theater Company made us laugh with their silly costumes and corny jokes as they explained how energy is made, how it is wasted and how it can be conserved.  Between shows, the performers noticed that our audience included parents, and they thought that was pretty cool :)

We were able to have two separate performances, one for PK-2 and another for grades 3-5.  Here are a few action shots to give you a sense of the show:


Part of this performance is an opportunity for parents to receive a free energy saving kit from the Illuminating Company.  I hope you will take advantage of this resource.  Who doesn't like to save money and help the environment at the same time?