Hyland and High Notes

     As part of their amazing #LKWDFutureClub experience, many Horace Mann 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders took a field trip to Hyland Software in Westlake.  Not only did they tour the facility, learn about future career options, but they also did actual coding, ate pizza and used the world-famous slide (see below)!  Big thanks to club advisor Mrs. Jaime Chanter and other staff (including Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Olender and Mrs. Lynch) for providing our tech-oriented students with this very cool opportunity.  They even rode RTA to get there, making this a well-rounded real-world morning of learning!

The "high notes" in the blog post title refers to the Horace Mann Choir's sparkling performance at Lakewood Hospital as part of the Light Up Lakewood festivities.  Mr. Aaron Waryk directed the students in a selection of holiday songs.  If you missed the performance at the hospital, you will have another chance to hear our choir at the Winter Program on Thursday, December 17th (doors open at 1:00 pm/music begins at 1:30 pm) in the Horace Mann gymnasium.  Hope to see you there!

DARE and the Dentist

It was a short week at school, so I saved some highlights from past weeks to share...

DARE Graduation:  On Tuesday, November 17th, every Horace Mann 5th grader was recognized for completion of the DARE program.  DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education; however, the focus goes far beyond illegal drugs.  The curriculum, led by Lakewood Police Office Dave Acklin, emphasizes making positive choices in all areas of their lives.

 Horace Mann students earned their iconic black t-shirts with red lettering as well as certificates of completion.  They even received congratulatory handshakes from Lakewood Mayor Summers, the Honorable Judge Carroll and Lakewood Police Chief Malley!  While all students wrote essays as part of the program, four winners were chosen to receive a lapel pin and read their exemplary essays aloud:  Jeremiah Johnson, Alexandra Horton, Joice Salloum, and Megan Sulak. Near the end of the program, the students performed "I Will Dare," a catchy song to help them remember the lessons they learned.  The program had a fun conclusion when everyone enjoyed cupcakes and juice, courtesy of the Horace Mann PTA.

Visiting Dentist:  Earlier in November, a dental team "set up shop" for nearly 3 entire school days  in the same room used for the PTA Book Fair.  With parent consent, students were seen for no out-of-pocket charge, and the dentist provided over 100 referrals (along with x-rays) to outside professionals when follow up (such as a root canal) was needed.  He even called prescriptions in to pharmacies for kids with abscessed teeth!

Many thanks to School Nurse Katy Corrigan for setting up this program here at The Mann, as well as to our Health Aide, Sheila Sabol, for her assistance throughout the process.

Giving Thanks in Tough Times

Wow--Look at all that FOOD!  Horace Mann families are outdoing themselves with generosity this year.  It started with a record number of new socks and underwear for needy families as a joint effort between PTA and K-Kids.  This week, two big charitable projects took place at The Mann.  First, we collected food for the Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation (LCAC).  I don't know how much food we collected, but we know it was a LOT:-)



Then, the K-Kids were back in altruistic action with their latest work:  toiletries for local homeless people.  As you can see in these pictures snapped by Kiwanis' Anna Bacho, kids and adults worked together to create care packages of products our students thought would be welcomed by those on hard times this holiday season.

Turning to a more serious note, I want to share that the Tuesday Project Wisdom announcement this week will address the disturbing images and news students may have seen in the wake of the violence in Paris, France.  The announcement (which does not directly refer to Paris or other specific events) emphasizes that almost all people in our lives are good and kind, even though there are people out there doing terrible things.  It also urges students to talk to someone they trust if they have been upset by what they have seen or heard, and to look around and remember all the good in the world, as well as being good and kind themselves.  We respect that this situation will be handled in unique ways by every family, and it is our hope that addressing it will give children an invitation to talk to someone at home or at school if something is bothering them.

If you have any thoughts or questions about the announcement, you are welcome, as always, to contact me at 216-529-4257 or merritt.waters@lakewoodcityschools.org.

Honoring Our Veterans

     Students, families and staff members at Horace Mann recognized and thanked veterans for their service on Wednesday, November 11th.  This year's program included the whole crowd singing The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America, as well as 4th graders providing a color guard.



More 4th graders did readings, including information about Veteran's Day and some poetry about our feelings for our servicemen and women.  Students from 1st and 5th grade made decorations that were hung up here at school to create the right environment.  Now that our event is over, the visual art has been delivered to a veteran's hospital for their enjoyment.

     PTA was involved this year, too, with a coffee reception for our veterans before the assembly.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make this event a heartfelt occasion, most especially the 24 veterans who attended.  We are proud of and grateful for you!

   

October Star Students of the Month

     Around Horace Mann, we LOVE to celebrate success!  As part of our Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) framework, students earn stars for demonstrating safe, respectful and responsible behavior in all areas of our school.  At least twice each month, students have the opportunity to "buy" a reward of their choice using their stars.  Some examples of rewards are Horace Mann pencils, extra iPad time, and helping in another classroom.

     Each month, we have a Star Student of the Month drawing from all the stars turned in over the course of the month.  Each month, there are 14 star students. Last month was the inaugural month for Star Students inviting a special person to have lunch with them in the cafeteria--SO FUN!

     And now...the Horace Mann Star Students for October 2015 are...

Kindergarten:  Aeron Jones, Jaylen McRae
First Grade:  Jeffrey Stewart, Annabelle McBride
Second Grade:  Nate Lardi, Laila Jacobs, Omar El Sabe, La'Nya Mills
Third Grade:  Jack Baron, Kailyn Arcuri
Fourth Grade:  Elise O'Donell, Nora Germaine
Fifth Grade:  Aiden Parch, Fiona Loudermilk

Congratulations, Star Students--keep up the great work!

Visit to Hale Farm & Village

In conjunction with their unit of study on the settling of Ohio's Western Reserve, the third graders of Horace Mann enjoyed a special field trip last week.  Looking at the picture, you may be able to tell that the children visited Hale Farm & Village, in Bath, Ohio.

They had many wonderful, hands-on learning opportunities during the field trip, and the memories created are sure to last a lifetime.  For my part, I distinctly remember visiting Hale Farm when I was a third grader at Hopkins Elementary in Mentor, Ohio.  I can still taste the maple sap!

If you can't make it out to this local treasure of our heritage, here is a link to a very nice virtual tour:
http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/halefarm/.

Thank you to our third grade teachers, Mrs. Finnegan and Mrs. Lynch, for planning this beneficial--and fun--field trip.  Thanks, too, to parents for providing the fee necessary to learn in the real world.  We hope everyone feels it is well worth it :-)

Dancing Wheels - Amazing!

The Horace Mann community celebrated the end of the first quarter with a spectacularly good assembly:  A performance by The Dancing Wheels Company.  Four dancers (two stand up and two "sit down" [as they call the dancers in wheelchairs])--Kelly, Kristin, Kevin and DeMarco performed several numbers for the entire student body of Horace Mann, as well as the faculty and many family members, too.

The songs ranged from contemporary to classical, and students "oooh'd and aaaah'd" each time one of the dancers was lifted into the air.  Most kids' favorite part (based on the informal exit poll I took) was the silly song where the whole crowd learned animal-themed movements to go along with the song.  Our September Star Students of the Month did a terrific job helping the dancers teach the crowd the choregraphy!

Many thanks to the Lakewood Ranger Education Foundation for a generous grant that funded most of the cost of this assembly.  Special kudos to three Horace Mann staff members who wrote the grant: Mrs. Maureen Crane, Mrs. Jen Frank, and Mrs. Ellen McCafferty. We'd also like to thank the Horace Mann PTA for picking up the remaining cost to bring this program--perfect for our integrated student body here at Horace Mann--here to celebrate kids safe, respectful and responsible behavior all quarter.

If you'd like to learn more, here is a link to the Dancing Wheels website:  http://dancingwheels.org/about-us.asp

...and pictures from the performance, of course!