Amazing Air and Opinions to Share

Two different kinds of celebrations occurred at Horace Mann on Friday.  First, we marked the end of another successful quarter of being safe, respectful and responsible with a fun, yet educational, assembly.  Thank you to our PTA for sponsoring the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Amazing Air performance.  Our visiting scientist Courtney demonstrated lots of interesting experiments using good ol' air!  Star students for the month of March had a special treat as helpers.  Below are a few pics to give you the flavor:




There was also a 1st grade writing celebration on Friday.  Students have completed their persuasive writing pieces (isn't it cool that 1st graders have persuasive writing pieces?) about books they have read.  Mrs. Harkness and Mrs. Cramer brought their classes together in the library to share their writing with friends from the other class.  It was great to watch and hear the conversations as students listened with interest and had conversations about the books, too.  Again, we have PTA to thank for making our library such an inviting, kid-friendly space!

Congresswoman Visits Horace Mann to Celebrate Women's History Month

During March, we've been celebrating Women's History Month, learning about contributions made to all facets of our world by women from many different generations.  Posters in our library provide easy-to-access photos and important facts about these women, and have raised our awareness and appreciation.  We even have a special display provided by our Speech Therapist, Ellen McCafferty, with artifacts about her grandmother, a professional basketball player!

Mrs. Sloan's kindergarten class had a special treat on Friday afternoon when Ohio Representative Nicki Antonio read to them during their usual story time.  Our Congresswoman showed off her teaching background--and her love of children--as she gathered them around and read picture books about Nadia Comaneci and other ground-breaking women.  We think Representative Antonio is a pretty special woman in history, too :-)

Many thanks to all who helped organize our Women's History acknowledgements.  I've heard there may be a "local edition" in store for March 2018...

Author Brings Sooper Yooper to Horace Mann

Like other 5th graders across Lakewood and Ohio, Horace Mann students and their teachers have been working hard to learn about many science topics in preparation for the state AIR test at the end of April.  The environment is a major topic in the curriculum. For example, students will be asked questions about threats to our environment, such as invasive species in the Great Lakes.

Well, Sooper Yooper to the rescue!  Author Mark Newman was invited to our school and led an in-depth--and entertaining--discussion with our 5th grade students about many aspects of our Great Lakes.  But what is this Sooper Yooper, you ask?  Well, he is a superhero who protects the Great Lakes from his home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (sometimes knows as the UP...get it?!)

Mr. Newman emphasized that it is all of our responsibility to protect and enjoy our freshwater treasures, and he talked with students about what they can do.  I know their natural activist sensibilities were tapped by this session, and they have been hounding Mrs. Morris in the library for Sooper Yooper books since they were introduced.

We are grateful that Mr. Newman is funded through a grant from the Wege Foundation, making his visit free to schools in any of the Great Lake states.  If you want to learn more about Sooper Yooper and his adventures, check out the website:  http://www.sooperyooper.com/

Horace Mann Students Tell About Favorite Teacher

Teachers and kids love to integrate technology in their everyday learning.  Last week, a group of 1st and 2nd grade students here at The Mann culminated their week of opinion writing in a fun way.  Several students chose to write about who has been their favorite teacher (in their long educational career ;-).  Then they used iPads--and an app called Chatterpix--to narrate, customize and animate their opinion.

We are so grateful for the availability of iPads and Chromebooks for our students to use in the classrooms.  These devices are highly engaging for students--as we all know!  There is no question in my mind that the integration of technology not only helps students overcome barriers in their learning, but can open pathways for creativity and initiative-taking.
Here is a link to the students' videos about their favorite teachers:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFx8vHX9dpyEBKwf-DwZkNJ53an-boBW6.  Enjoy!

Mrs. Kehn's 4th Grade Stages a Debate

Before I describe the debate, I must mention the incredible week we had.  It was filled to the brim by Reading Spirit Week, GRANDS breakfast for special adults in kids' lives, Book Fair and Spring Party.  Thank you to our fantastic kids, staff and families for making our school such a fun place to learn!  Be sure to check out lots of great photos on the Horace Mann Elementary PTA Facebook page to see lots of smiles :-)

In other Horace Mann news, Mrs. Kehn's 4th graders morphed convincingly into the Patriots and Loyalists in their rendition of a Second Continental Congress debate.  Each student had researched their role (George Washington, King George, etc.) and took a turn at the lectern to make his (some of the men were played by girls, of course) point.  After point and counterpoint about specifics like the Boston Massacre and taxation without representation, Mrs. Kehn drew students back together to conclude on the big picture.  Students were incredibly well-prepared and had made props to make it all seem more real.  Many of them had impressive stage presence, too!

Congratulations to Mrs. Kehn and her students for experimenting with a high-impact mode of learning and finding a way to enjoy themselves in the process.

Growing Reading Workshop

At Horace Mann, we (along with the educators in the other six Lakewood elementaries) are continuing to grow our practice with the Reading Workshop model from Teacher's College at Columbia University.  We are in our second year of implementation for grades K-2 and it is the inaugural year for the intermediate teachers in grades 3-5.

This is a rich--and therefore, complex--curriculum.  As we develop expertise, we are very fortunate to have embedded professional development provided several times during the year with staff from the Columbia Teacher's College Reading & Writing Project.  While we recognize it is a sacrifice for teachers to be out of the classroom, we believe the carefully-planned instruction, observations at lab classrooms (Horace Mann teachers go to Lincoln to observe) and debriefing the modeled lessons taught by the trainer are well worth it.

Last week, our teachers in grades 3-5 had sessions, and in the week to come, our K-2 teachers will be involved.  We also are pleased that there will be additional professional development for teachers in advanced week long workshops provided locally during the summer of 2017.

We thank you for learning about Reading Workshop with us, getting to know new things such as what your child is working on as a reader and the various genres the curriculum covers.  We always welcome feedback and questions, and appreciate you as partners on this important journey.

Of course, we have a focus on reading next week, too...Reading Spirit Week! We hope to see you at one of the events and look forward to the fun outfits we'll be sporting according to the daily themes :-)

Valentine's and 100th Day @ The Mann

Tuesday, February 14th was quite a day at The Mann!

Due to our two snow days, Valentine's Day and 100th Day ended up sharing space on the calendar.  In Kindergarten, this meant two very important--and fun!--things happening in one action-packed day.  The kindergarten teachers (Mrs. Rini and Mrs. Sloan pictured) dressed up, along with many of their students, predicting how they will look when they are 100 years old.  It was a day of canes, half-moon glasses and baby-powdered hair :-)  Next year, we might all dress up like we're 100...what do you think?






Of course, PTA volunteers were on hand to make Valentine's Day special for everyone.  Before school, there was Starbucks coffee and homemade baked goods brought to classrooms for staff members on a coffee cart.  Great way to start the day!  At the end of the day, classic Valentine's classroom parties were held, with valentines,  treat bags and age-appropriate activities for all classrooms.  Check out the pictures of Mrs. Cramer's and Mrs. Harkness' classes.

Special events like these make it fun for me to come to work...and I see lots of smiles on kids and grown ups' faces, too.  Thank you to everyone who helps make these activities possible, all the while helping us keep the energy level within reason for school.