4th Grade Resolutions

Dear Readers,

Recently, Mrs. Rolfe's 4th graders thought about their New Year's Resolutions.  Each student chose a quality s/he wanted to emphasize and then chose three specific ways to make it happen.  Hopefully parents will save these...I'd love to know what my 4th grade self (at Edison Elementary in Willoughby) thought I should improve :-)  Here are a few examples:

 Taking a cue from the kids, let's all try to be happy, calm and healthy all year long!

Horace Mann PTA Grants Teacher/Staff Wishes

There are countless ways that the Horace Mann PTA, led by President Nora Katzenberger, enriches the lives of everyone in our community.  They plan fun events for students, prepare materials to assist teachers, network with each other and with new families/families in need, and so many other valuable roles.  I cannot overstate my appreciation for our PTA, both as an organization and for each of the individual people who bring in their unique personalities and perspectives.  It is a diverse--and fun--group that really knows how to make good things happen!

One example of "making things happen" is the Teacher/Staff Grants program.  For the past several years, the Horace Mann PTA has made funds available to staff members who would like to add something to the students' school experience.  I'm amazed at their ability to find sales, use coupons and even go pick things up to avoid shipping charges in order to stretch their budget.  This year, items totaling about $2500 have been provided to 11 staff members who submitted requests.  There are a few requests that exceeded the budget, and the PTA and I are working together to find resources so that 100% of the grants can be funded.

The items requested are as varied as the students in our school.  They include books for classrooms, storage units, new blocks for preschool, spare clothes for the health center, technology, and sensory items.  Interestingly, several staff members requested carpets.  The one for the library, in tune with the Fantasy & Fairy Tales theme the students chose last year, is particularly fetching:

Many thanks to our Horace Mann PTA for everything they do.  For parents who may not be involved in PTA but are interested, please write to ptahoracemannelementary@gmail.com for information.

Books & Bird Feeders

Here at Horace Mann, we are generous givers and grateful receivers.  In the giving side, our K-Kids club (about 50 kids in grades 2-5) made cards and birdfeeders for area organizations such as police, fire and nursing homes.  These pictures show the fun the kids were having!  Many thanks to Anna Bacho from Kiwanis, parent volunteer Melissa Diemert and Horace Mann Family Resource Coordinator Therese Schwind for setting up the stations and supporting our students' natural altruism :-)

In other blog-worthy news this week, about 1800 brand new, beautiful books were delivered to our school.  These books were purchased by the school district for each of the 7 elementary schools to use in conjunction with the Reading Workshop curriculum.  When the books arrived, they needed to be unpacked, checked in, labeled and distributed to classrooms.  A big job, for sure...

Well, Peggy Morris, our fabulous Library Media Assistant, turned the library into a big workspace and the next morning, PTA volunteers showed up as a force to be reckoned with.  It was a whirlwind of activity, and within 36 hours, all of the books had been properly marked and delivered to their rightful rooms.  The volunteers said the hardest part was not stopping too often to admire the lovely new reading material!  Big, BIG thanks to our volunteers and to Brenda Budzar from Teaching & Learning, too.

The blog will take a brief hiatus during winter break, and we hope to see you at the Winter Concert on December 16th.

Celebrating Mysteries in 3rd Grade

A fun, new unit of study for Reading Workshop was introduced this year in 3rd Grade.  Mysteries!  This genre is very popular in our culture, and has some important  & unique features, so dedicating a unit to it in 3rd grade is a great idea.

Lakewood students are fortunate; when I read mysteries as a kid (oh, boy, was I a big Nancy Drew fan), I devoured and enjoyed them.  However,  I've gained a whole new appreciation for the distinct elements and vocabulary mystery writers use in order to hook their readers,  through observing in classrooms during this unit...and even teaching a lesson myself.  Thank you, Mrs. Cali, for allowing me to take over for a day :-)

Of course, mysteries aren't limited to the printed word, there are many movies and TV shows, too.  As a way to celebrate the end of the Mystery unit, the 3rd graders enjoyed watching a Scooby Doo movie on Friday as a whole grade level.  Are you smiling right now because you liked Scooby Doo as much as I did when you were a kid?

Yesterday after school, I asked 3rd grader Eva Brooks if she enjoyed the Scooby Doo movie and she said she did.  I also asked her if she likes reading mysteries.  She said she loves them, and she didn't know that at all before this unit.   Wow, no mystery here...good curriculum + good teaching  = student engagement and learning.

It's a Read-In at Horace Mann!

Readers all over Horace Mann are setting individual and class goals for books (or minutes) read as part of Reading Workshop.  And what do we do when we reach a goal?  Why, we celebrate, of course!

Fifth grade students reached a class reading goal right before Thanksgiving and they celebrated by (what else?) reading some more :-)  Students were invited to bring their favorite reading and relaxing items from home (pillows, blankets, plush toys, etc.) so they could get really comfy during their extended reading time.  As you can see from these pictures of Mrs. Robinson's students, they totally immersed themselves in the books on topics of their choice at their just right reading level.

I don't know about you, but when 5th graders are enthusiastic about a celebration that involves reading, it makes me proud, optimistic and just plain happy.

I hope everyone spent a little extra time reading over the long weekend.  I know I did!

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Around here, we feel we have had a wonder-FULL school year so far, with lots of learning and plenty of good times, too!  We are so thankful for our community, our students and each other.

Of course, we also welcome the short week ahead and the joys of Thanksgiving with family and friends.  We hope you'll watch the video to see how some of our students worked together--using technology--to tell us about the upcoming holiday.

Honoring our Veterans

Horace Mann Elementary School has a long tradition of hosting a Veteran's Day assembly each year. Our community deeply respects the commitment made by American men and women when they choose to serve in the armed forces, and we are proud to set time aside to pay tribute to them!

On Friday, November 11, 2016, twenty-one military veterans representing the Army, Marines and Navy visited our school.  Each vet has a student(s) at Horace Mann, and each was introduced--along with their student(s)--during the assembly.  Fifth grader Elise O'Donnell broke a record by having three veterans at our program :-)

Fourth grade students take the lead during this assembly, providing the color guard and a variety of readings.  The color guard members all participate in Cub/Girl Scouts (Christopher Mathiaos, Connor Pierce, Azaia Novak, Kaylin Arcuri and Nathan Kopko) and took their role seriously.  Our readers--Isaac Craciun, Ayla French and Emma Kelly--did a great job helping us understand the history and importance of the day.

Big thanks to Mr. Waryk for providing recordings of the songs of each of the branches of the military and for leading the whole group in patriotic songs.  Thanks, too, to PTA for having coffee and welcoming smiles on hand for our vets.