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 🏀