Horace Mann...ALL IN, ALL THE TIME!

If you've visited the main office at Horace Mann in the last week, you may have noticed some new artwork on the wall behind Mrs. Rochford's desk.  In case you haven't stopped by, I've included a smaller version just so you have an idea what we're talking about :-)


Through staff meetings and casual conversations, we've formed our vision for Horace Mann.  We've also talked about the things we need to do and the attitudes we need to hold in order to make our dreams a reality.  A shared vision is a big thing, and it helps to have a snappy saying--or theme--to help keep it in the forefront of our minds as we work.

In choosing Horace Mann...ALL IN, ALL THE TIME! as our theme, we identified that it applies not only to staff, but also to students and families.  We love the positive energy it portrays, and we thank Shawn at Erie DeSign for helping to bring it to life in Ranger purple and gold!

We hope you will partner with us in being "all in, all the time" for the wonderful students we share.  On a fun note, the PTA hopes to offer spirit wear with the logo on it in an upcoming sale.  Wouldn't this look great on a t-shirt?

Keeping Horace Mann Safe!

On Thursday, we focused on safety and had help from both  the Lakewood Fire and Police Departments.

First, as part of Fire Prevention Week, Fire Marshall Dunphy led a presentation about smoke detectors.  Hopefully kids came home talking about changing the batteries to be sure the detectors are functioning properly.  Horace Mann is honored to have two 5th grade students bring home honors in the citywide essay contest (which also includes a fire safety test):  Helen Hylton:  Jr. Captain and Madison Ryback:  Jr Assistant Chief.  The culmination of the event is a fireman climbing to the top of the fire truck ladder with kids watching and cheering him on.  I had another reason to be proud of our school when Fire Marshall Dunphy confided that he always enjoys doing this program at Horace Mann because we have a great school.  I agree!

Then, we had a very special swearing in ceremony for our 5th grade Safety Patrol members.  Our DARE Officer, Patrolman Acklin, led the students in the Safety Patrol Pledge.  We count on these responsible 5th grade students for helping to keep their peers safe.  Please reinforce with your own child(ren) that Safety Patrol members are good people to go to with a concern and that they are there to help students follow the rules.  This year's Horace Mann Safety Patrol roster includes:

Addy Andregg, Rinesa Beqiri, Isaiah Blackshear, Kasey Darnell, Jonas Evans, Samantha Facaros, Helen Hylton, Jeremiah Johnson, Rachel Johnson, Erin Lavelle, Danny Lavelle, Ceci Miller, Lily Monahan, Cameron Robertson (Captain), Maddy Ryback, Joice Salloum, Megan Sulak and Mya Stewart.

Thank you to Mrs. JoAnn Cali for being the advisor for these role model students helping uphold the high standards of Horace Mann!

Star Students for September 2015

It was a big week at Horace Mann, with a 3-day Book Fair, Friday night Family Dance and vision/hearing screenings for several grade levels.  I'd like to thank our PTA--especially Book Fair Chair Debbie Baker and Family Dance Chair Amy Lardi--for all the hours spent on making the events awesome for kids and their families!  Please check the Horace Mann PTA Facebook page for more about the dance.

September Star Students!

In this week's blog, I'd like to recognize the Horace Mann students selected as Student of the Month for September.  Students selected earn several rewards to celebrate their accomplishment:

* Bring a special person to school for lunch
* I'm a Star pencil topper
* Free junior pizza coupon for Hungry Howie's

                                                       * Certificate posted by the gym

September's Star Students are:

Kindergarten:   Julie Salloum, Emma O'Toole

1st Grade:  Jayla Birmingham, Jannah Jacobs

2nd Grade:  Ruby Fraunfelder, Greydon Rosser, Lily Halan

3rd Grade:  Layler Paw, Lucas Irwin, Jasmin Thompson

4th Grade:  Hutch Reed, Akram Ali

5th Grade:  Isaiah Blackshear, Corey Kidd

Keep up the great work, Star Students!

Safety First & Rocky the Puggle

Although most Horace Mann students do not ride a yellow bus to and from school each day, they sometimes take a bus when enjoying field trips.  Because riding a bus is a possibility, students in grades K-3 are required to to bus safety training.  Our kids' sessions took place last week.  In the picture, they are practicing emergency evacuation, showing that safety drills are not limited to the four walls of our school!

Bradon gets a smooch!

While we love having 1st grade teacher Mrs Cramer's therapy dog Stanley at school several days each week, we just can't get enough contact with our canine reading buddy.  So, this week (and hopefully in weeks to come), Rocky the Wonder Puggle visited with Mrs. Finnegan's 3rd graders. Reading to dogs is known to boost students' confidence and makes reading a enjoyable activity.  We appreciate the time and effort of everyone who makes these experiences possible for the students of Horace Mann :-)

Mrs. Finnegan and her class pose with Rocky and his owner, Charlotte.

Donuts, Dads, and "Dear Family,"

What a super week at Horace Mann!  On Thursday, we joined in the county-wide initiative for Fathers Walk: adult men walking their kids to school to show support for their education.  We had a great turnout for this event, as well as for the PTA's annual Donuts with Dad gathering.  The last two days of this week started with smiles and laughter as kids and parents enjoyed glazed, sprinkled and custard-filled donuts along with juice and coffee from The Root here in Lakewood.









Thank you to the parents who came to school with their kids and a big thank you to PTA event chair Mrs. Katie Stallbaum and her crew of helpers.

Mrs. Diemert knows how to note!

Another blog-worthy event occurred in Mrs. Rolfe's 4th grade classroom on Friday morning.  Mrs. Melissa Diemert, parent of three Horace Mann students, provided a lovely lesson on writing thank you notes.  Not only did she explain the reasons why a person might write a thank you,  the most important content of these notes, but she also guided students through the process.  In the end, the students had thank you notes for the special adults in their lives who provided them with school supplies for this year, written on stationary from Paper Trails in Rocky River.  Thank you, Mrs. Diemert, for sharing your expertise with us!

Sweet Fun at The Mann

There were lots of sweet treats this week at Horace Mann.  The big event was the annual PTA Ice Cream Social on Thursday evening.  Everything worked out right for an excellent party!  Thank you to the Horace Mann PTA for the Mitchell's ice cream (yes, Mitchell's!) and raffle for t-shirts and a Mitchell's gift card.  Special thanks to Sandy Najarian for organizing the social, as well as to her crew of volunteers.   Here are a few pictures to give you the "flavor" of the event:

Mrs. Lynch's third grade class capped off the sweet week with making s'mores at Camp Learn-A-Lot (also known as Room 201).  To celebrate their completion of Patricia Reiley Giff's book entitled Ronald Morgan Goes To Camp, the children set up a tent, sang and had a realistic campfire right in the classroom.  Mrs. Lynch shared a great PowerPoint with the parents of her students and some of the kids brought an extra s'more down for me to enjoy.  Here is one picture that captures the scene:

Boom Chicka Boom!

Cool Critters at The Mann!

 

We discovered some interesting critters in and around Horace Mann this week.  First, we had the return of a favorite furry friend: Stanley is back!  As you may know, Stan (named after book character Flat Stanley) is the therapy dog who comes to school with teacher Mrs. Cramer a few days each week.  Stan is pictured here with a new 1st grade friend, and he is ready to be read to and otherwise provide support for our students and staff.








The next guest was quite unexpected...but very interesting!  Right outside the office doors on Wednesday, a hungry praying mantis was discovered.  It was a great lesson in our local ecosystem, and a reminder about predator and prey.












Finally, Rupert the Frog joined Mr. Fakan's Frog-tastic class for the week.  After Rupert secretly stowed away in Mr. Fakan's kayak during a weekend paddle on the Cuyahoga, he also made a trip to Horace Mann.  Mr. Fakan and his students did a successful scavenger hunt right on our school's grounds to furnish Rupert's tank, making him feel right at home.  He looks relaxed and happy, doesn't he?

Critters are a wonderful and important part of the world we live in, and we are lucky to have opportunities to learn about them in school and in our community every day.  The more we know, the better caretakers we can be of nature and our world.