Celebrating Our Horace Mann 5th Grade Graduates!

 Like many schools, we have fun and meaningful events to close kids' years at Horace Mann.  Our 5th graders not only enjoy their own Field Day and picnic lunch, but many of them also act as coaches for the younger students' Field Day activities. 

Our generous PTA throws a party for them at the Women's Pavilion at Lakewood Park.  It is an informal time for students and families to enjoy food, music and a variety of entertainment one last time as a class.  My favorite part is seeing the kids' baby/toddler pictures - so cute!



The last rite of passage is our 5th grade Recognition Ceremony.  This student-led program highlights the accomplishments they've made and activities they've participated in.  Watching proud parents' faces as their students receive their award certificates is a great feeling - knowing we've been good partners in children's elementary school years.

To wrap up the day - always the last day of school - we do the Horace Mann Clap Out.  Have you ever been part of a clap out?  Staff and students line the hallways, cheering and giving high fives (and a few hugs from special friends) to the 5th graders as they go by.  There is so much energy in this culmination of six years' hard work 😎

As principal, I am honored to address the class of rising 6th graders before they receive their certificates of recognition.  This year was particularly sweet since this group of kids is the first I've had since they were in kindergarten.  I used my time to share three phrases for success in middle school and beyond:  Calm down.  Get focused.  Be happy.  Our Horace Mann grads are well-prepared to move on with the skills, abilities and habits of mind they've practiced in their years here.  And now, onward, toward graduation from Lakewood High School in 2026.  We'll miss them, but we know they are ready to fly up 💜💛💜💛

One School One Book: Biography of Albert Einstein

For several years, Horace Mann has joined other Lakewood elementaries - and other schools across our nation - in an activity called One School One Book (OSOB).  The core of the activity is that every student in the school has the opportunity to read the same book at the same time.  The goal is to get everyone reading, talking about what they've read...and to have some fun, too!

This year, for the first time, we selected a non-fiction book:  National Geographic's biography of Albert Einstein.  For 9 days K-5 students read a chapter at home (with help from siblings, parents, etc., since the book is at roughly a 3rd grade level) and answer a comprehension question on a ticket provided.  Each day, a grade level prize winner was drawn and announced as an extra motivator to keep reading.

Our 2019 OSOB culminated last week with three special treats.  On Mon-Tue-Wed, kids brought in books for our first-ever Book Swap.  Additionally, based on books donated from the Savers in Rocky River, every student was able to take home a new book in addition to the kids who brought in books to swap.  On Thursday, students created their own mini-Einsteins using toilet paper tubes - too cute!  Finally, on Friday, we had a little assembly where we re-capped all the great reading we did over 2 weeks, judged our Einstein look-a-likes and chose big prize winners for each grade level based on participation.  Congratulations to look-a-like winner Noah Sloan (1st Grade) and reading comprehension winners Evelyn Lucko, Noah Sloan, Allen Norton, Jack Burens, Ken Baus and Justin Lewis.

This wonderful experience couldn't have happened without the tremendous effort by our Title I staff Mrs. Heather Philips and Mr. Max Plevyak.  Furthermore, our PTA (especially Mrs. Beth Bratko and Mrs. Amy Lardi) provided essential support, as they so often do!  We really loved the science-themed prizes for our winners to go along with the Einstein theme.

So, we are heading into into summer reading with plenty of energy (did I mention Lakewood Public Library also visited last week to share their summer reading activities?!) We absolutely plan to do OSOB again next spring... I wonder what book it will be?  📚🙂💗

Lakewood Elementary Battle of the Books

A year-long project culminated yesterday - and what an exciting exhibition it was!

The Lakewood Elementary Library Media Specialists were awarded a grant by the Lakewood Ranger Education Foundation (LREF) to develop an activity for 5th graders across the district.  They called it Battle of the Books.

The Battle engaged students from all 7 Lakewood elementary schools in reading several different books in book clubs throughout the school year (I didn't catch all the titles, but one of them, Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly,  is a recent personal favorite).  Then the district librarians worked with the children's librarians at the Lakewood Public Library to stage a Jeopardy-esque event.

It was my first venture into the Auditorium space at the Lakewood Library - WOW!  The stage, screen and lighting created the perfect mood for the competition.  Each team played two rounds and then the top two point-getters were paired for the final round.

Congratulations to Lincoln for coming away the top winner, and to Harrison for being runners-up.  Although Horace Mann didn't finish at the top, they played a strong round against Hayes, giving me plenty of chances to cheer for our participants:  Nathan Bruwer, Karleigh Estep, Rian Fetting, Kelsey Karban, and Lauren Lamparyk.

I hope Battle of the Books will become another great Lakewood tradition.  It has all the right stuff:  kids, books, and community partnership 📚💜💛😊

Excellence in Education Awards for Horace Mann Student and Speech Therapist

We had two Horace Mann-ers honored at the Annual Excellence in Education Awards for Students with Disabilities, Peers, and Educators through the Region 3 State Support Team (Cuyahoga County) last Friday.  This is a perfect place to share the honors received:

Louis Van der Kuil (Peer Achievement Award) - nominated by Cristina Smith and Maureen Crane.  Louis currently volunteers his time in multiple capacities to serve as a peer model to students with significant special needs.  When working with his peers with disabilities in CHAMPS Cafe, he demonstrates a natural respect for, and true understanding and acceptance of, his differently-abled peers.  Louis' positive attitude and generous spirit make him a pleasure to have in the classroom and a joy to have as a peers model.

Ellen McCafferty (SLP)  Outstanding Educator Award- nominated by Jen Frank.  Ellen is an exceptional speech language pathologist because she impacts not only her caseload of 50 students with mild to severe speech language needs, but she also influences almost every classroom at Horace Mann Elementary.  She has implemented weekly speech lessons that include students with and without speech needs and her program integrates technology to tell stories, play games, complete projects, and create art.  Ellen's innovative teaching methods provide a rich language experience for all of her students.  

Pictured are all Lakewood folks  (including a group from Garfield Middle School) at the awards ceremony (from left:  Mr. Van der Kuil, Jen Frank, Lisa Bruening, Ellen McCafferty, Edan and his parents, Louis and his mom, Cristina Smith, Robin Beavers, Merritt Waters, Patricia Witri and Liz Rogel).

Ranger Pride 💛💜💛💜

Release the Butterflies!

We love opportunities to engage students in learning with real-life applications.  That's why we were especially pleased when the parents of kindergarten student George S. donated a Caterpillar to Butterfly Kit of Painted Ladies!

Mrs. Sloan's class cared for the caterpillars and watched them as they moved through their stages. This is right in tune with Ohio's Life Science standard for kindergarten, focusing on observing, exploring, describing and comparing living things in Ohio. 

This week the creatures emerged from their crysalises and were ready to fly free.  The children were considerate and appreciative observers as the colorful butterflies took flight from the basket one by one.  Our students hoped the pretty insects wouldn't fly too far right away so they could see them again during recess 😎

This fun experience was a memorable home/school collaboration.  Thank you to George's parents, Mrs. Sloan, and all the children for their interest in Ohio's natural wonders!

Mrs. Sloan and her students prepare to open the basket

Spring Music Showcase Hits All the Right Notes

On Friday, April 26th, Horace Mann Elementary School offered its 2nd Annual Spring Music Showcase.  While students in all grade levels perform at the Winter Concert in our gymnasium each December, this performance takes on a different feel.  It features our students in music ensembles including Band, Orchestra, Choir and Singers.  By situating it on the stage in our cafeteria (with professional-grade light and sound), the vocal and instrumental music can really shine!

The hard work and talent of our students and music teachers took center stage as kids gave their best in both morning and afternoon concerts for loved ones.  We are grateful for family support, as well as the considerable effort of our music teachers:  Mr. Aaron Waryk, Mr. John Blaskom and Ms. MaryJo Mallchok.

If you would like to view the show, you may do so using this link:  www.tinyurl.com/hmesconcerts

Please see below for the program and pictures of each group. 

🏀 Mrs. Carney's Sweet 16 🏀

While there's no question we work hard at Horace Mann, I hope it is also clear from this blog that we think having fun at school is important, too.  We believe that if school is a place kids enjoy, they'll feel comfortable and confident to be the best they can be!

One recent fun event was Mrs. Carney's Sweet 16.  Room 203 is blessed to have just 16 students this year, so it was a natural for Mrs. Carney to make the connection to the recent college basketball tournament.  Just like so many workplaces around the U.S., Mrs. Carney's students picked teams with a prize at the end.

Grey S. was the big winner with Virginia, and he chose from a few options for a class reward.  The class enjoyed their lunches in the classroom with Mrs. Carney and watched part of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 as their "winnings."

Talking with Mrs. Carney and co-teacher Mrs. Frank, they were interested to gain insight into their students pop culture knowledge while talking about the NCAA tournament.  Some kids knew all about brackets, while others weren't clear on how they were advancing when they weren't playing basketball themselves.  It is good to be reminded of the different backgrounds of our students, as that aspect surely plays into their everyday learning and doing.

Thank you, Mrs. Carney, for bringing real life to the classroom as a way to bond together 🏀

Think Green - A Healthy Planet 🌎

Recycle!  Reduce!  Renew!  Reuse!

These four words formed the message presented to our Horace Mann students in a fun assembly last Friday called Think Green - A Healthy Planet.  The performer used a few simple props, an adorable ant puppet, some magic tricks, and plenty of student participation to get his message across.

He encouraged kids to recycle, reminding them that it can include glass, plastic and paper.  Using light bulbs and running water as examples, he encouraged them to reduce their own consumption of precious natural resources. By renewing areas, we beautify them and make them more appealing (such as cleaning up trash in our neighborhoods).  Finally, we can creatively reuse materials that would otherwise be thrown away.  

Some people have given "reuse" a catchy name:  upcycling.  This means taking things that might seem spent and finding a creative use for them.  Paper, containers, broken things, you name it.  Keep this in mind, as you may be reading in a future blog post about low-tech makerspace ideas for Horace Mann and other LKWD elementary schools...

We want to thank PTA for sponsoring this fun, interesting and socially-aware assembly!  We often talk about kindness at our school, and hope to see increased kindness toward Mother Earth...especially with Earth Day approaching on Monday, April 22nd.

Comfortable Cafeteria - New & Improved!

If you ask a current (or former!) elementary student about their lunch time, you're likely to get some pretty emotional language.  We hope they love it, but sometimes they don't.  And then there's the tricky concept of adults helping kids find the right balance between having fun and getting too loud and rambunctious.  As part of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework at Horace Mann, we are gradually implementing the Comfortable Cafeteria to help all of us enjoy positive and pleasant mealtimes.

I've blogged about this before.  We first tried the Comfortable Cafeteria in the Spring of 2018 with our 3rd graders.  We learned a lot!  Back in the fall of 2018, our 5th graders went through the 6 week curriculum, led by our intrepid Occupational Therapy team.  We'd implemented some ideas based on our prior experience..and learned still more!

The lead OT on this project, Suzanne Scott, suspected the lessons taught in the cafeteria, itself, would be more effective if kids and teachers knew more about them ahead of time.  So, she worked with 5th grade teachers and their students to produce short videos of our 5th graders talking about the Comfortable Cafeteria.  So, now that we are doing the curriculum with our 4th graders (who also experienced it last year in 3rd grade), we have a system where the 4th grade classroom teachers introduce the lesson topic with the video before it happens.  Of course, we still send information home to parents, too.

Last week, our OTs hosted Comfortable Cafeteria Jeopardy, with each table competing to answer questions in categories linked to the program.  It was great to see their enthusiasm and to hear their high quality answers, too.

We look forward to the next five weeks and the skills our students will grow.  Hopefully families will even see some of the skills transferring to home and community, as well!  Here's the link to the program if you'd like to learn more  https://everymomentcounts.org/view.php?nav_id=1

We 💛 Kids Love Musicals!

Since the program's inception, Horace Mann students have enjoyed residencies with teams from Kids Love Musicals.  Many readers of this post will have heard stories of the fun times provided by visiting artists - using music and simple costumes - bringing popular children's musicals to life. 

With the generous support of our PTA, Horace Mann students in grades K-4 had the opportunity to enact musicals like Peter Pan.  In the pictures, you can see kids with capes on, practicing their "flying" skills and moving like pirates.  In addition, we thank the PTA volunteers for being on hand to assist Mr. Waryk and KLM staff with organization of props and anything else that's needed!



In addition to being playful with music, I watched Brighty, Trinity and other KLM staff engage our students in other meaningful ways.  I noticed that they initially called on students who raised their hands during the story-building phase of the experience, but also prompted shyer students to contribute.  Their belief in the "I do, We do, You do" gradual release method we use in academic instruction was also evident in their scaffolding of children's practice with movement.  And, since listening is such an important part of theater, kids honed their attention skills in a version of Simon Says.  The teaching artists used humor to keep all students on track.

The Kids Love Musicals residencies have become a rite of passage at Horace Mann.  I hope it whets kids' appetites for all the musical and theatric opportunities available to them in the great Lakewood community in years to come!

Honoring Ruby Bridges at Horace Mann

Our nation recently celebrated its 110th Black History Month in February 2019.  Did you see the Cleveland.com article on what that looked like at Lakewood's own Harrison Elementary?  Here's the link if you missed it:  Harrison Celebrates

Given that International Women's Day has just passed by (March 8th), there is a twofold reason for me to feature the activities Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Crane's students engaged in around pioneering civil rights activist Ruby Bridges.  Ruby was six years old when she was the first African-American child to desegregate an all-white school in Louisiana in 1960.  Although she was afraid, she and her family bravely persevered, furthering the cause of equality in education for all Americans.

Our students read books and discussed the story of Ruby Bridges, then created their own summaries of her story.  The attached pictures show how the work was customized for students of varying abilities to express what they learned (some wrote sentences independently, others wrote phrases, and some dictated for adults to put on the paper.  The students enjoyed following directions to make cute Ruby frames to hold their written work :)
                                               

Advocates like Ruby Bridges hold a special place in our heart here at Horace Mann.  Our namesake was a federal legislator and cabinet member who fought for the cause of education for all, starting in the early 19th century.  Efforts of people like Horace Mann--and Ruby Bridges 100  years later--eventually lead to rich, inclusive schools like the one we have here at 1215 West Clifton Boulevard.  We are grateful for the determined people who paved the way for what we have today!

Reading Ropes and Reading Spirit

We just can't get enough of reading at Horace Mann!  Last week, in particular, we celebrated with a few reading-centric things in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2nd.

Big thanks to our PTA for running an especially lovely book fair and sponsoring the "special someone" GRANDS breakfast...and to the adults who came to school with the readers in their lives.  We loved Mrs. Morris' reading of Peter Reynolds' Say Something.  If you weren't able to be there, please find a way to check out this VERY special book!



Another favorite part of the week were the dress up days.  The very best of the best was Book Character Day on Friday.  Lots of kids enjoyed coming in costumes...and grown ups did, too.  There are several pictures in our Educator newsletter for March 2019, and here's a photo of 5th grade teacher Mrs. Robinson dressed as The Paper Bag Princess.


Even more lasting than the fun that comes with a Reading Spirit Week are the skills our teachers are helping our kids build each day.  We want to be sure parents know how to help at home, too, since you are your child's first and most important teacher.  One great tool for our early readers is called the Reading Rope.  Students (in first grade in this case), learn that a good story retell includes setting, characters, the problem in the story, a beginning, middle, end and how the problem is solved.  By moving down the rope, kids practice including all the important bits.  It is easy to see how this tool teaches a skill that will be useful in lifelong reading.

Reading Spirit Week was great, and we look forward to our annual One School One Book activity in May.  In the meantime, keep on reading!

Lemonade Stand at Horace Mann

We might think of lemonade as a summer beverage, but it's not just for warm months here at Horace Mann!  Thanks to our Kiwanis K-Kids, students had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of the delicious drink during lunch on Thursday, February 21st.

"Why" you ask?  As you may know, our K-Kids group meets monthly, and each time, they designate a service project.  The kids (about 30 of them) work with their advisors to select a group or cause to devote their efforts to.  They learn about our world and access their altruistic spirit (which I believe runs strong in every child) to practice doing good.

This month, the K-Kids helped our whole school put our efforts towards research for childhood cancer.  They partnered with Alex's Lemonade Stand, a foundation that started with the idea of one young child, to do a little fundraiser.  If you'd like to learn more, check out their website:  https://www.alexslemonade.org/

K-Kids Leadership team hosted a table during all lunch periods, offering cups of lemonade for donations.  We haven't managed to count the proceeds yet, but we feel proud that we'll be able to send a healthy amount based on small, but mighty, student body of 300 students 😊  It is a cheerful reminder to have the donations posted in the gym hall (see picture).

Many thanks to Mrs. Schwind (HMann Family Resource Coordinator), Mrs. Diemert (Parent Volunteer) and Mrs. Bacho (Kiwanis Volunteer) for facilitating K-Kids every month.  Our students, our school and our community benefit from this socially-conscious group.  I see a future in volunteerism and service work for these boys and girls, and it warms my heart!

Mrs. Bacho and some lemonade-loving 2nd graders

Welcome Rangers

When you were a student, did you ever transfer to a new school?  Or maybe you remember a new student arriving at your school?  Even if our memories aren't vivid from our school days, we all know the feeling of uncertainty that comes with a new experience (like the last time you started a new job).  When new students and their families join the Horace Mann Community, we have a routine designed to help everyone feel comfortable, right from the start.

After families enroll at central office, we set up a tourl with me for the student and family members.  This allows us time for questions so we can get to know each other a little bit, and lets me show off our beautiful building (the murals PTA painted in the library are always a big hit)!

During this visit, I share that the student will have one or more "Welcome Rangers" assigned.  Welcome Rangers are kids in the same class who were recommended to be ambassadors based on their good communication skills and citizenship at Horace Mann.  The Welcome Rangers wear buttons designed by our own Mrs. Manthey and have a checklist to guide them through helping the new student learn about the "wheres and hows" of our school.  This process also helps the students get to know each other to break the ice.

Lastly, parents receive our Family Handbook, an explanation about our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and various flyers about how to get involved or what is going on at school.  If needed, they meet with our health aide to explain medical needs.  The opportunity to do so always makes everyone feel more secure.

On the first day, the teacher meets the student and family in the office about 15 minutes before other children come in.  They go to the classroom and find the child's locker and desk.  New parents and kids like this process, as they have time to check out the space before meeting new friends.

Many thanks to Mrs. Frank, intervention specialist, for facilitating the annual training for our Welcome Rangers and to our whole office team (Mrs. Rochford, secretary; Mrs. Egut, health aide, and Mrs. Schwind, family resource coordinator) for collaborating in this process.  We are proud Rangers and always love to bring new members into the Horace Mann family 💛💜💛💜

Carnival Time at Horace Mann

It has become a wintertime tradition for the PTA to stage a carnival for our Horace Mann students.  Leading up to it, we emphasize that it this fun event is a reward for kids' efforts to follow our school expectations:  Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Kind.

This is one of those times when kids 💟 the simplest things!  In the gymnasium, PTA sets up tables for bead art, face painting, tattoos, sack races, ping pong ball and ring tosses, snack and, of course, balloon art (swords are the big favorite).

While the carnival has been in place for years, we added a twist this year that was very successful.  Building on the wonderful success of 5th grade/Kindergarten Book Buddies, we grouped Grades 5, 3 and K together on one session, and Grades 4, 2, 1, and PK in the other.  It was terrific to see our older students rise to the challenge of being good role models and watching out for our younger students even as they let loose a little...

We couldn't do any of this without the PTA volunteers who run the whole show.  There are too many to name, but we did get them to pose for a "before" picture this year (see below).  We were glad to see other family members drop in to enjoy the party with their kids, too!

Playing together is a very important part of a healthy school culture.  This carnival was proof positive that we are in good shape as a community, ready for adventures and learning ahead.

Horace Mann Heroes at PTA Reflections

Anyone who reads this blog knows that Horace Mann a school with a strong PTA partnership.  We appreciate the generous volunteer work they do not only on the fundraising level, but also on a direct level, giving students direct access to plenty of fun, and all kinds of enriching, worthwhile experiences.

Local Winners with Work Going to Ohio PTA Level

This week, we're celebrating the PTA Reflections Program, a local-state-national partnership where K-12 students submit creative work in a wide variety of areas (check out the website to learn more at https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections).  All students who enter are recognized in their school district, and the best pieces are submitted to the next level.

Horace Mann has a long tradition of participating in PTA Reflections and this year's theme (Heroes Around Me) prompted 5 students to submit visual arts pieces.  A big "thank you" to Beth Kiraly-Bratko for organizing a session with our art teacher, Diane Westerburg, supporting our kids' projects!

Last week, all 5 Horace Mann student artists (in addition to artists from the other schools in Lakewood) were recognized at a ceremony at Garfield Middle School.  There were quite a number of dignitaries there, including City Council members, Board of Education members, and our own Superintendent, Dr. Michael Barnes.  The kids got some practice with shaking hands :)  Please join me in recognizing:

Amos D'Agostino (KG) - Advancing to Ohio PTA competition
Evelyn D'Agostino (2nd Grade)
Hesi Gjuzi (3rd Grade)
Addie McCarter (3rd Grade)
Fiona Radke (5th Grade)

Submissions were due to the Ohio PTA at the end of January, and the National PTA will select winners on May 1, 2019.

Reading with the Principal at Horace Mann

During the summer of 2018, I was VERY fortunate to attend a week of professional development sessions focused on our district's Reading Workshop.  I learned so much from the knowledgeable and enthusiastic presenters at the training.  Because I attended with Emerson Principal Denice Leddy, I had lots of great opportunities to learn from her, too.  

We attended all kinds of sessions, some of the geared specifically toward building administrators who wanted to understand our role in the work.  How do we support teachers?  Students?  Parents?  The goals of Workshop are lofty, and we know our best collaborative effort is needed!

In particular, I wondered how I could encourage students while becoming familiar with the detailed work kids need to do in the different text levels.  Mrs. Leddy had a great suggestion - Why not read with individual students, doing an informal mini-conference to praise their effort and skill?

Well, a mission for me was born!  I had comment cards printed and set out a schedule for the year.  If I was going to read with almost 300 kids, I would need a plan...

Fast forward to the present, halfway through the year.  I'm thrilled to report that I've read with half of our student body (I started with 5th grade and am working my way to Kindergarten, giving them time to build their reading skills).  My time doing this with kids has been all I hoped and more - the "more" is that it is SO MUCH FUN!

I encourage kids to show their compliment cards to their teachers and parents, so I hope many of you have seen them.  I welcome any feedback and also ideas about a possible mission for 2019-20 🙂

I'll be starting the primary grades in February (2nd, then 1st then K), so keep an eye out for your child's card!  I hope you are enjoying reading with them at home as much as I am at school.  If we can provide any support to make it more fun, please let us know.

Horace Mann Sticks Together

Be Kind® Stick Together® is a FREE, character education program offered to schools and youth organizations by Project Love® and Duck Tape® in an effort to provide a fun and different way for students to explore the important social-emotional learning concepts of kindness and sticking together to combat bullying and negative behaviors.

As part of our ongoing positive behavior instruction and supports theme of developing kindness, four Lakewood High School/West Shore Career Tech students presented this program to Horace Mann 3rd - 5th graders today. Thank you Abbie, Emily, Safiya, and Sophie (and their teacher Emily Stephenson) for leading these great mini-assemblies!

Kids thought about how kindness makes them feel, and unkindness (referred to as bullying in this program...even though there are important distinctions), too. They had the opportunity to use a magic wand to change something about how people act and wrote a personal commitment about doing their part to Stick Together. The highlight of the program was writing their names on Duck Tape and sticking them to a big banner, indicating they are on board!









The Stick Together program has a different activity for younger kids, and we worked with them today, too...with our own Horace Mann spin. The children's book Bomba the Brave tells the story of a rabbit named Bomba who started brave, had trouble with some friends at school, got help from a friend, and then made up with the bully bunny. The book was illustrated by Kim Soderberg, parent of two Horace Mann students. We are grateful to Mrs. Soderberg for joining us today to read the story (written by Denise Dufala), talk about its lessons and show us how to draw Bomba. We hope kids had fun coloring their very own picture of Bomba afterwards. Thank you Mrs. Soderberg for sharing this sweet book and character with us, and to Mrs. Megan Milanich and Mrs. Debbie Baker for helping out, too. We really do hope there will be a Bomba sequel :)








Mrs. Soderberg reads Bomba to our PK and 1st graders







...and then shows us how she draws him from circles!