The TWAIN TIMES
a weekly newsletter of Mark Twain Elementary School
09.08.09
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September Events
Sept. 7th Labor Day Holiday No School
Sept. 8th Coffee with the Principal (2nd-4th grade), 8am
Sept. 8th Los Tios Night, 4-9pm
Sept. 9th Room Parent Meeting, 8am
Sept. 10th All Parent Meeting, 6:30pm
Sept. 15th OPEN HOUSE - K, 2nd,4th 6-7pm
Sept. 15th OPEN HOUSE - 1st,3rd,5th 7-8pm
Sept. 17th International Pot Luck, 6:30pm
Sept. 18th Monthly Staff Appreciation Luncheon, 10:30-12:45pm
Sept. 23rd Coffee w/ the Principal (5th grade) 8am Fall Fundraiser Sally Foster began Sept. 1st!The fundraising effort also includes Entertainment Books and magazines. Published by the PTOEditor: Chris DobsonEmail: weekly-nl09@sbcglobal.net


WELCOMEFrom the Principal
First, I want to thank all of the families of the Mark Twain community who have made me feel so very welcome. I am truly excited and fortunate to be part of such a great organization. The start of school has been extremely smooth. Thank you, parents for helping make that possible! I hope that all our parents can make it out for Open House on September 15th. Kinder, 2nd, and 4th will be from 6:00 to 7:00 pm and 1st, 3rd, and 5th will be from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Come to learn more about your child's new teacher and what will be happening in their classroom this year! HISD has a new grading program that allows parents to see their children's grades online in real time. This program is called Gradespeed. Come learn about Gradespeed at 9 am on Tuesday, September 22nd or at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, September 30th.

From the PTO President
Dear Mark Twain Families, It has been a exciting and smooth start to the new school year. We are committed to continue to support the efforts of our principal, Mr. John Baker, the teachers and the staff at Mark Twain. We are a strong and united PTO and I hope that all of you have had the opportunity to join the PTO by registering online at www.marktwainpto.org. It is free to join your organization, and when you do you are showing your support of our children, teachers, staff and administration. In addition, you will receive a free Student Directory. Please join today. We are excited about this very first newsletter, which will replace the past Red Folder in which we sent home individual flyers. This is a collaborative effort of the PTO and the school. You will receive this interactive newsletter each week rather than flyers regarding each event. This is an effort to communicate effectively, but also to "Go Green" and reduce our use of paper. We appreciate your support and welcome feedback. We need to extend a special thanks to Janet Schwind and Chris Dobson, PTO Communication Co-Directors, for their efforts to make this happen. This is another great example of how the parents of the PTO support the schoolto allow them to focus on creating a great learning environment for our children. I look forward to serving with you this year in many ways, and to seeing you out and about the halls of our school.
Fondly, Jill Herrera

MARK TWAIN FIESTA NIGHT AT LOS TIOS Tuesday, September 8 Join Mark Twain students, parents and teachers for Mark Twain Fiesta Night at Los Tios in Meyerland, an evening that benefits our school! Mark Twain will receive 20% of the proceeds from the night (excluding alcoholic beverages). In order for Mark Twain to receive credit, please present the attached form FIESTA NIGHTwhen paying your final bill. Gather a group of families and join the fun!

All Parents' MeetingThursday, September 10th Mark Twain Cafeteria 6:30 pm Please plan to attend as Mr. John Baker, Principal and Jill Herrera, PTO President will present important information about the plans for the school year including exciting information about the school Outdoor Classroom. Babysitting is provided - Children must be potty trained *A Free Dress Pass per child will be given to every parent that attends*

Sally Foster and Entertainment Book Sales Kicked Off Last Week Get Ready - up to 50% of every purchase goes directly to our school! Our fundraiser featuring Sally Foster® giftwrap and gift products is underway! You'll find premium giftwrap (value-priced), gifts for everyone, and chocolates so good they've been served at the White House! And, everything is $20 or less! We are also selling Entertainment Books and magazines. This is a wonderful way to buy great products and support our school! If you have any questions, please contact Kris Edelheit at 713-666-9404 or BOSCHEP@aol.com.


Grow Your Mind in the Outdoor Classroom You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. ~Clay P. Bedford We are well on the way to seeing our Outdoor Classroom come to fruition! Last week we had a successful presentation of our proposed plan to the teachers and at the PTO meeting. There is a link that shows the exciting and creative layout that was so kindly created through lots of hard work by Brad Cowan.In other exciting Outdoor Classroom news, we are going to start a Name the Outdoor Classroom space T-Shirt Contest. It begins September 8 and ends September 18, when we will select a winner.Please check out the link to the Mark Twain PTO website if you are interested in making a donation so that all of the great ideas planned for our new outdoor space can be implemented.http://www.marktwainpto.org/fundraising

Student Directory
Attention Parents: Please go online at to provide your information for www.marktwainpto.org the Student Directory (or opt out of having your contact information included) and become a member of the PTO. There is no cost to join the PTO and members receive a FREE Directory. Deadline - September 18! Parents, help underwrite the cost of printing the Student Directory by purchasing a parent or company ad for your business. Please complete the attached form www.onlineregistrationcenter.com. Deadline for submission is September 18, 2009.

International Potluck Dinner
Come celebrate our diversity and meet your Twain community at the International Potluck Dinner on Thursday, September 17 from 5:30 - 7:30pm in the cafeteria. Taste foods from here, there, and everywhere. The only entrance fee is to bring a dish for 8-12 people to have a sample, sharing tastes from around the world. Questions or to help with set up please contact Janet Schwind at 713-724-3800 or janetschwind@sbcglobal.net
International Flags
Our Twain cafeteria is decorated with flags of all of the countries that people have come from through the years. View the flyer of counties that are represented and let us know if you would like to donate $15 to purchase a flag for your native or ancestral country if we do not have it listed. Click here for the flyer International Flags Questions? Contact Janet Schwind at 713-724-3800 or janetschwind@sbcglobal.net.

Friends & Family Campaign
Please consider making a monetary donation through the Friends & Family Campaign. This year, as a PTO, we will fund the new Discovery Garden and Outdoor Classroom as well as many other exciting things listed on our website. Please click here to donate - www.onlineregistrationcenter.com/register.asp?m=216&c=21Corporate Campaign
If you would like more information on our Corporate Campaign, please check the website for the flyer. Support from our business community is an important part of our fundraising efforts as we continue to build and strengthen our wonderful school.

Cell Phone Use Prohibited in School Zones
HB 55-- a new Texas law that takes effect Sept. 1 -- amends the state's Transportation Code, Section 545.425 to prohibit the use of a wireless communication device (WCD) while operating a vehicle within a school crossing zone unless the vehicle is stopped or the WCD is used with a hands-free device. An exception allows the use of WCDs to make emergency calls to specific organizations listed in the law, including police, fire and emergency medical services. Signs will be posted on September 1st to notify motorists of the new law.

Parking Courtesy
The school welcomes and encourages parents to park and walk their children into school each morning. Please remember to show courtesy to our neighbors by adhering to the following guidelines regarding parking on the street and in school parking lots.
Please make sure your car does not block a driveway
Please refrain from parking in any driveway
Please refrain from parking on the sidewalk
Please do not park in any reserved parking spaces in school parking lots. Each teacher, the principal, the assistant principal, the magnet coordinator and the PTO President have an assigned spot. These spots are reserved 24 hours a day, so please refrain from parking in these spots at any time.

Strategic Planning Committee
Last year a Strategic Planning Committee was formed to receive feedback from PTO parents about how to best spend funds donated to the organization. This committee, formed by the PTO President, was made up of nine parents, a teacher representative and the school principal. This committee worked diligently to determine the areas of need at Mark Twain. Once the need was identified, the PTO Board approved the projects and allocated the funds for completion. 2008-09 Projects
The two projects approved for the 2008-2009 school year included Phase I of the Playground Project and a school Recycling Project. Both projects were led by Ann Radtke and we proudly announce that they were both completed. We thank Ann for her leadership. In total, $42,000 was allocated for both projects. The Playground was in much needed repair as there were major effects from erosion and heavy usage. This project also included the addition of new drainage and sod. Retaining walls, patio and Astro Turf were also added by the stairs to fix the constant presence of mud. The leaning fence was also fixed.
The Recycling project included the purchase of recycling bins and trolleys to increase the availability and visibility of recycling. The 4th Grade Recycling Rats will be enhancing these efforts this year. Please recycle!!! A big thanks to our Strategic Planning Committee who worked diligently all year. The members were: Shannon Hayes, Patrick Wolf, Ann Radtke, Karen Hill, Diana Nathan, Jon Levitt, Maira Perez-Schroeder, Gary Johnson, Jill Herrera and Frieda Fromen.

YEARBOOK NEWS 2009-10 YEARBOOK - PRE-ORDER YOURS TODAY!
Order your 2009-2010 Yearbook Now. It's a wonderful way to treasure your child's elementary school memories.Order on-line at www.myyear.com. All orders received before 9/30/09 will receive free name personalization (a $5 value).
YEARBOOK COVER CONTEST
Student competition to illustrate this year's cover design for the yearbook starts today. Must incorporate this year's theme "The Story of Twainland". Submission Deadline 9/25/09. See attached flyer.2008-2009 YEARBOOKS AVAILABLEWe have a few extra of last year's yearbooks available for sale. Purchase one at the school store.

What: Spooky Spaghetti
When: Saturday, October 24thTime: 4:00-8:00 pmWhere: Mark Twain ElementaryDetails: Please make plans to attend the Mark Twain annual spaghetti dinner and carnival!! Games, inflatables, DJ and more! Wear your costume and have a "Spooktacular time!"Questions: Contact the 2009 Spooky Co-Chairs-- Allison Diano adiano@sbcglobal.net & Mark Levine levine@employ-law.com