Inspiring Our Writers at Horace Mann

As I strolled through classrooms this week, it was easy to see that academic teaching and learning is well underway!  I saw kids doing math using various apps on their Chromebooks, learning to form individual  letters, reading leveled books in comfy seating, and creating "All About Me" displays.

Lucy Calkins, TCRWP

How do "All About Mes" fit into this picture?  Well, they form the basis for students' personal narratives, the first Unit of Study in our Writing Workshop.  It is confidence-inspiring to write about something we know--and certainly kids know about themselves--making this a perfect place for writing to begin.

As you may know, Lakewood elementaries have been teaching reading using the Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) curriculum for several years now.  We usually refer to them as Reading and Writing Workshop, based on the large chunks of time given for students to read and write while receiving feedback from their teacher.  This has been proven time and again as the best way for kids to build their English Language Arts skills, and we see plenty of evidence here at Horace Mann.

Lucy Calkins is the founder of the TCRWP, and there is no one more passionate about these topics.  On one of my classroom visits, I was lucky enough to join the children in watching this video of Lucy.  As an aspiring writer myself, it was a happy synchronicity :)  I hope you have 9 minutes to watch the video, too, either with your child or on your own.

Lucy Calkins Speaks to Young Writers

A Fresh Start at Horace Mann

Horace Mann Staff August 2018

Isn't the beginning of a new school year a wonderful thing?  Everyone is refreshed, renewed, and (honestly) ready to get back together again.  And aren't we fortunate to have this beautiful, roomy building to do this work together?  Gosh, so much to be grateful for!

We have what is sure to be a meaningful year ahead of us.  When Dr. Barnes (our new Superintendent) spoke to the whole district staff last week, he laid out 4 Guiding Principles:

1. Never forget why we do this...its for the KIDS
2. It is always about STUDENTS' THINKING and LEARNING
3. Be sure to TAKE CARE of one another
4. Have FUN!

As you can imagine, we were thrilled to hear these core values.  They match really well with our vision statement here at The Mann (The Horace Mann Community is an interconnected whole, rooted in respect, trust and opportunities for all)...and who wouldn't want their leader to say he wants work to be fun?!

Now that we've got all our kids in the door--returning students, new families and pre-K and kindergarteners--let's put our heads and hearts together and make this year the best ever :)

Celebrating Our School Year: 2017-18

We closed out the 2017-18 school year by recognizing talents and accomplishments.  Our Horace Mann's Got Talent show brought out lots of great performances.  Kids sang, danced, played piano, tumbled, showed off their magic skills and even did Kung Fu!  Our whole school - and Ohio School Board member Meryl Johnson  - were highly entertained by our young performers!  Big thanks to Mr. Waryk and Mrs. McCafferty for all their efforts in putting on this event.

We were also proud to honor 11 students who earned perfect attendance this year.  Each child was never absent, tardy or released early for 180 days of school: Ainsley Tracey, Noah Sloan, Abby Dubecky, Olivia Dubecky, MacKenna Muzychenko, Gianna Smallwood, Dominic Smallwood, Elijah Sok-Sepulveda, Colin Moss, Nathan Kopko and Rhianna Mann.  Way to go!

On the last day of school, our 5th graders put on a touching recognition ceremony.  Student emcees kept things moving along as many students shared memories and announced award winners.  Check out the video to watch our whole school "clap out" our class of 2018:

Horace Mann Clap Out 2018

If you watched the video, you could see the joy on kids' faces.  I wish you the same joyful feeling each and every day of the summer ahead!

7 Schools 1 Book Comes to a Fun End

We have had a blast reading Kenny and the Dragon this month, not just as a school but as a whole district!  We culminated our reading quest with kids making dragon puppets (classes of younger and older students were paired) and then sharing them at a whole school assembly to end the day.  Grade levels showed off their creations :)



There are SO MANY people to thank for this amazing extended activity (and I hope I haven't missed anyone):

• Teaching & Learning for writing the grant to get the books and providing the daily comprehension questions
• PTA for bead necklaces for daily chapter participation
• PTA for plenty of prizes for a bit of extra motivation
• Mrs. Phillips for organizing and emceeing the opening and closing events
• Horace Mann library staff for behind the scenes work
• Parents, teachers and students for reading and enjoying the book

I hope this serves as a springboard for reading all summer long.  If you haven't done so already, please head up to Lakewood Public Library to sign up for their summer reading program!

Horace Mann 5th Graders Learn About Wellness

Thanks to a three-part program sponsored and provided by the Cleveland Clinic, Horace Mann 5th graders have some new tools for long-term wellness.  For three consecutive weeks, students enjoyed sessions with Cleveland Clinic chefs and a yoga teacher to learn about nutrition, healthy food preparation and exercise for stress reduction. 

The kids made yogurt parfaits and lettuce wraps in the first two sessions and brought in yoga mats and towels to try out down dog and other poses in week three.  Each time, they were buzzing about their experience - so different from a typical school day!

Many thanks to Program Manager Jenny Evans and the team at the Cleveland Clinic.  Students took pre- and post surveys to assess their understanding before and after the "Food, Fun & Fitness" activities.  Results aren't available yet, but I feel certain they will remember what they learned as they head into summer and up to middle school.

We plan to invite Jenny and her team back to Horace Mann to do the program with next year's 5th grade.  Who knows, there may even be a whole school yoga event in our future...

Seven Schools, One Book - Kenny & the Dragon

 Lakewood elementary schools have joined a nationwide trend of having the entire school read a book together.  It is wonderful to unify and excite the students with literature!  

Two years ago, we enjoyed The World According to Humphrey, and last year's text was The Lemonade Wars.  We hope you've enjoyed having you own copy at home to re-read and discuss :)

This year's selection is Tony DiTerlizzi's Kenny and the Dragon.  After a week of suspense-building clues, we had a fun pep rally on Friday - complete with our very own dragon (whose name is Graeme, by the way) - to introduce the book.  Thanks to the sponsorship of Lakewood Kiwanis, students received a copy of Kenny and the Dragon to keep (or will have access to a modified book if appropriate). 

Seven Schools One Book runs from now until Tuesday, May 29th.  Be sure to read and help your child answer the comprehension question each night.  Courtesy of our PTA, kids who turn in answers to the questions will build a bead lanyard for participation.  There will also be a drawing each day from correct answers for prizes. 

At Horace Mann, we will close out with various classrooms pairing up to make their very own dragons and talk about their experience of the book.  At our end of the project, whole-school gathering, "big prize winners" will be announced.

This should be a blast, and a nice way to end the year.  We welcome your feedback on any aspect of Seven Schools One Book!

Happy Birthday, Horace Mann...and Other Celebrations

Our schools' namesake, Horace Mann (known as the father of public education in the United States), had his 222nd birthday on Friday, May 4th.  He was honored with a blurb on the Morning News and by dressing up his likeness in our lobby.  We are very grateful that he advocated for the education of ALL children, as well as for high quality teacher training programs.

There are plenty of other celebrations happening here at The Mann, as well.  Our 4th graders celebrated their math skills by having a "scratch paper" contest.  Kids were challenged to make the most of their scratch paper as they worked out answers for the statewide AIR math test.  We can't show examples due to test security, but I can tell you these kids know how to show their work.  Great job encouraging them, Mrs. Kehn & Mrs. Rolfe!




The party continued in 3rd grade, where students celebrated the end of a Reading Workshop unit.  In Mrs. Cali's class, kids performed Reader's Theater-style, acting out their recent class read aloud, Because of Winn Dixie.  Mrs. Lynch's class is in on the fun, too, as they work with their book clubs to compare texts in preparation for a gallery walk to check out everyone's good work.


We 💗 these combined learning and fun activities!