Principal’s Message

HORACE MANN EDUCATOR

During our 40-minute reading intervention/enrichment time each day (often referred to as “I/E Block”), students work in groups at their own reading level—in addition to the regular reading instruction they re-ceive in the Common Core Standards at their grade level every day. All classroom teachers and many interventionists work with the reading groups, providing instruction targeted to kids’ needs. When students have more intensive needs, the group size is smaller. We assess students’ progress very frequent-ly, so groups may change during the year. During this time, your child may be working with someone other than his or her classroom teacher. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions.

Although all students work in small groups at their reading level each day, this instruction is part of Lake-

wood's plan to meet the requirements of the Ohio Third Grade Reading Guarantee. School districts must

develop plans to ensure that students performing below grade level who are not “on track” to pass the state

tests in the spring, receive the support needed to improve literacy skills. These plans are called Reading

Improvement Monitoring Plans (or RIMPs). If your child qualifies for a RIMP, you will receive more in-

formation at Parent-Teacher Conferences in November.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for November 4-6. Plan to meet with your child’s teacher then

to discuss progress, strengths, and areas for improvement. [Wednesday (11/4) 4:00-8:00, Thursday (11/5)

12:30-8:00, Friday (11/6) 8:20-10:50] If you have not yet signed up, please call the Office to schedule a 20

-minute conference. As always, you are welcome to call 529-4257 if you would like a meeting prior to

Parent-Teacher Conferences, or if you have questions, comments, or information to share.

OCTOBER 2015

Horace Mann Elementary School 1215 West Clifton Boulevard

Lakewood, Ohio 44107 (216) 529-4257

Attendance line (216) 529-4307 Merritt F. Waters, Ph.D., Principal

http://lakewoodcityschools.org/

2 Book Fair, 3-8 pm & Family Dance, 7-8 pm

13 PTA Meeting, 7 pm, Library

14 All Pro Dad breakfast, 7:45 am, Art Room

16 NEOEA Day, NO SCHOOL

23 Dancing Wheels Assembly 1:30—3:00 pm

Families Welcome!

4-6 Parent-Teacher Conferences, NO SCHOOL

on Nov 5 and Nov 6

“Every addition to true knowledge is an addition to human power.” Horace Mann

SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE:

While I am proud of each and every one of our students that put in the hard work to advance their academ-ic achievement, it is a nice bonus when some of our students earn recognition beyond our District for their accomplishments. I would like to congratulate our Class of 2016 academic stars who have been recognized as National Merit Semifinalists: Amanda Cabot and Jonathan Pizzo. Amanda and Jonathan were among the top 1% of scor-ers in the state of Ohio for the PSAT test they took as juniors. Just behind them in scoring are our Com-mended Scholars: Rose Beisel-Linn and Fox Milenski. They scored in the top 5%. Congratulations to all! Also being recognized this month are junior Ryan Detwiler and senior Jimmy Toner, who will represent Lakewood High as members of the National All-Honors Orchestra at the National Association of Music Educators’ conference in Nashville later this month. Finally, I am kicking off a series of Superintendent Chats this

month. I will be at the Ranger Café at Lakewood High on Oct. 15 at

6:00 p.m. to listen to what you have to say. Join me if you can!

Jeffrey W. Patterson Superintendent

October 2015, Page 2

Lakewood Board of Education

Emma Petrie Barcelona, President Tom Einhouse, Vice President

Linda Beebe Edward Favre

Betsy Bergen Shaughnessy

Horace Mann Elementary School Website

While reading our monthly newsletter, the Horace Mann Educator, be sure the check out the other entries on our webpage. It is filled with information to help you and your stu-dent make each school day the best you can. Here’s what you can find on our site using the tabs on the left side of the webpage:

A School Calendar under School Events

The Breakfast and Lunch Menus

A monthly Principal’s Message

Links galore on the Library page to help with reading and research

A Photo Gallery of various school events and subjects

Individual Teacher Web Sites including special Music and Orchestra pages

The current Educator Newsletter

A link to the Horace Mann PTA

Nurse and Health Center information

The Supply List and much more!

The bonus is that it’s in too! Take a look!

Superintendent Chat On Thursday, Oct. 15, Superintendent Jeff Patterson will hold the first of a series of Superintendent Chats he has scheduled for this school year. The chat will take place at 6 pm in the Ranger Cafe, located

near the front entrance of Lakewood High School. No reservations are needed, just show up with your questions and comments! Light refreshments will be provided by Ranger Catering, run by the Culinary Arts students of the West Shore Career-Technical District, housed at LHS. See you there!

Assume that your children will have studying to do every night. Ask your children to show you their homework after the teacher returns it, to learn where they’re having trouble and where they’re doing well. See if your children did the work

correctly. Stay in touch with your children’s teachers. Ask about their classes and what they are studying. Ask their teachers how you can support what they are studying (flash cards, spelling, etc.). Remember, you and their teach-ers want the same thing – to help your children learn. Contact the teacher if you or your children don’t understand an assignment or if your children are having a great deal of trouble. Almost all parents run into these problems, and teachers are glad to help. Don’t do your children’s work for them. Help them learn how to do it themselves. Show your children that you think homework is im-portant. If you are at work during homework time, ask to see their work when you get home. Praise your children for effort as well as success. Make praise a habit. Maintain a portfolio of “best pieces.” Ask your school about tips or guides for helping your children develop good study habits. Help older students organize their assignments by recording them on calendars or planners, along with due dates, dates turned in, etc. National PTA National Education Assoc 330 N. Wabash Ave. #2100 1201 16th Street N.W. Chicago, IL 60611-3690 Washington, DC 20036 (800) 307-4782 (202) 833-4000 www.pta.org www.nea.org

October 2015, Page 3

HOMEWORK HINTS

Horace Mann students enjoy our playground daily at recess. Stu-dents have been in-structed in Playground Rules. The rules are:

1. Keep hands and feet to yourself.

2. We don’t chase or play tag. 3. Use both hands and feet when climbing on

equipment 4. Climb up and down from equipment – never

jump 5. Leave nature on the ground

LUNCH/RECESS SUBSTITUTES We could use your help! If you are interested in or know someone who might be interested in being a classified substitute for our lunch and recess program which runs from 11:15 am to 1:30 pm, the first step is to fill out the online application at our website.

You can locate that form at www.lakewoodcityschools.org, under the Departments tab choose Human Resources and click on Job Opportunities in the left-hand column. Thank you!

October 2015, Page 4

WHEN TO KEEP YOUR ILL CHILD HOME

In order to prevent the spread of illness to others, it is suggested that your child stay home for 24 hours from the onset of:

● Vomiting ● Diarrhea (three or more watery bowel movements in a 24 hour period) ● Fever (temperature over 100.4°)

If your child is ill before school, keep him/her at home until your child is symptom free for at least 24hours. These guidelines are suggested for the good of all students. A child who returns to school before being completely well runs a greater risk of infecting others. Exposure to common illnesses could be life threatening to immunocompromised students. We strive to keep all children healthy. With your help school can be a healthy place for all.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, a physician must evaluate a suspected Communicable disease:

● Bacterial conjunctivitis (pink eye) ● Staphylococcus infections (impetigo, MRSA) ● Streptococcal infections (strep throat) ● Tinea (ringworm)

If prescribed, your child must complete at least 24 hours of appropriate prescription therapy prior to returning to school. A physician's note must be provided for reentry to school. Please see the Health Center web site for more information on communicable diseases: http://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/content_page.aspx?cid=774 If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school nurse. *Emerson, Grant, Harrison, Hayes, Lincoln, Roosevelt Peggy Brown, RN, BSN, MEd, LSN 216-227-5129 *LHS, Garfield, Harding, LCA, HMES, Kathleen Corrigan, RN, BSN, BSED, MS, LSN 216-227-5395

Arrival and Dismissal – For the safety of ALL our students, please travel very slowly in the parking lot and be sure to observe entrance and exit STOP signs. Many cars ar r ive each morn-ing and afternoon to transport many children to and from school – for everyone’s safety - please be patient! The West Clifton driveway is reserved for students with significant special needs and childcare transportation only – please use the Webb Road parking lot for arrival and dismissal.

Morning Arrival Please pull all the way up along the curb to drop off students. Please keep the car line moving - Do not wait in the car with your child and do not park in that lane. Please time your arrival for no earlier than 8:45, since there is no supervision before school.

Afternoon Dismissal Please pull up along the curb and remain in your car. Staff will assist your child into your car. Please do not block the Webb Road parking lot entrance and exit driveways. AT THE ENTRANCE AND EXIT, WATCH FOR STU-DENTS WALKING ON WEBB ROAD SIDEWALKS. Please do not block the side streets off Webb Road and do not park on Webb Road.

Dismissal begins at 3:05 and is usually completed by 3:15. Timing your arrival in the car line for 3:05 will ensure a very short wait in the line.

North Clifton Drive is a private street and traffic is limited to residents only. PLEASE DO NOT USE NORTH CLIFTON DRIVE AS A ROUTE TO HORACE MANN. Many children live on the street and non-resident traffic creates a significant safety concern. Thank you.

Hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather! We had many fun PTA events in September to get the year started. Thank you to Sandy Najarian for planning a great Mitchell's Ice Cream Social, and to Katie Stallbaum for two great days of Doughnuts with Dad, as well as the many volunteers who volunteered to help make these events such a success at bringing our Horace Mann family together.

October brings more fun events, including an expanded Book Fair, now with several days of shopping for your convenience, from Wednesday September 30 to Friday October 2. From 9/25 to 10/15, you'll also have the opportunity to shop online at book-fairs.scholastic.com/homepage/horacemannelementary. Tell your friends and family to shop, too! Money raised from the book fair helps purchase books for classroom libraries and provides books to children in need.

On Friday, October 2, join us in the gym for our Family Sock Hop! From 7:00 to 8:00 pm, dance to the tunes of DJ Frank Koening. Bring new socks and underwear to help Horace Mann K Kids, who are collecting these essentials to benefit area fami-lies in need. You can also buy Campbell's popcorn for $5 a bag, and take a chance on the 50/50 raffle! Funds raised help the PTA support our school. You'll be able to browse the Book Fair before and after the dance.

Our Parent Helper group meets in Room 202 every Wednesday to help prepare classroom materials for our busy teachers. We've helped create picture matching folders to promote language development, prepared Box Tops for Education for donation, and we recently started a project labeling classroom books with the proper reading level to make it easier for students to choose the right books. We've had as many as 15 volunteers come to help -- join us!

Do you want to enjoy these events even more? Sign up to volunteer! Helping out with PTA activities makes it easier for you to meet other parents, learn more about what is going on at school, and show your kids the importance of community service. If you are interested in helping, email PTAHoraceMannElementary@gmail.com and we'll help you find a volunteer opportunity that fits your schedule.

Thank you to everyone who attended our September PTA meeting. We were happy to have some new members join us! Mark your calendar for our next meeting on October 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the school library. Lakewood's H2O volunteer group will provide babysitters for the meeting to keep the kids busy. If you have not already sent in your PTA membership, please do! We currently have 73 members, and we want to welcome even more parents, teachers, and staff members to our ranks! Your involvement and support help us continue to host fun, educational events as well as support the work of our teachers.

Mark your calendar for the following PTA Events in October:

10/2 -- Family Dance & Book Fair 7:00-8:00 p.m. Gym 10/2 &10/17 -- Lakewood Early Childhood PTA Babysitting Course 10/13 -- PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m. School Library 10/14 -- All Pro Dad's Breakfast 7:45 a.m. Art Room 10/17 -- Lakewood PTA Council Fundraising Dinner - Georgetown 10/23 -- PBIS First Quarter Reward Event

Nora Katzenberger

PTA President, Horace Mann Elementary, PTAHoraceMannElementary@gmail.com

October 2015, Page 5

Lunch Reminders: Horace Mann’s lunch monitors are a dedicated team who work to be sure our students eat their lunches and stay safe during this more-relaxed time of day. Please support them by 1) not sending items such as toothpicks, knives (including butter and plastic knives), skewers, and toothpicks in lunches, 2) sending lunch money to school in a sealed envelope with the student’s name on it, and 3) reminding your child that sharing food and money is not permitted at school. Thank you for your support as we strive to keep the cafeteria running smoothly!

October 2015, Page 6

QUIET ACTIVITIES NEEDED! Our recess program is

in need of new or gently-used board games for

days when the weather will not allow us to go out-

side for recess. We would greatly appreciate do-

nations of games such as Sorry, Connect Four, or

other quiet sit-down games. Thank you again!

This month we are spotlighting classroom work created by our Pre-School classes.

Aren’t they great?

October 2015, Page 7

As we begin the second quarter of the school year, students at Horace Mann will have Art class with Mr. Vargas instead of Physical Education class. There are sev-eral ways to keep kids moving and active even as we approach the cold winter months. Using the YMCA, city parks, and/or getting involved in the recreation de-partment are wonderful resources. Working around the house, raking leaves, shov-eling snow, or going on a brisk walk are activities that incorporate exercise and can be done as a family activity. As always, feel free to visit my website. I have posted a couple of websites that offer several more ideas to stay active!! One of my favor-ites is kidshealth.org.

Brad Karabaic Lakewood City Schools Physical Education Visit my website!

NOTES FROM THE GYMNASIUM

Horace Mann music classes are off to a great start this year! Students are actively cre-ating music every day. The beginning of the school year brings many music activities. Kin-dergarten and First Graders are learning about changes in music and ways to show those changes visually. Second and third graders are learning about multi-beat notes, mixed-beat groups, and dynamics (the louds and softs of music). Fourth graders are just getting started playing recorder. This week they are learning to play their first song, Hot Cross Buns. Once they can play that song they will earn their first Re-corder Karate belt. Fifth graders are off to a great start in Band with Mr. Blasko and Mrs. Tabaj, and Orchestra with Ms. Mallchok. The fifth grade students who are not in band or or-chestra are learning guitar skills in general mu-sic.

In addition to music during the school day, over 40 fourth and fifth grade students have joined the Horace Mann Choir for this school year! We are starting off the singing season with some spooky music for the Board of Edu-cation Meeting on October 19th and the Pump-kin Palooza on October 24th. After that you can join the choir at Light Up Lakewood for some holiday tunes on December 5th. I hope you’ll join us for some of our musical activities throughout the year! The Horace Mann Winter Concert with all grades performing will be December 17th at 1:30pm in the HMES Gym. See you then!

-Mr. Aaron Waryk

Music Teacher Horace Mann Elementary School Follow HMES Music on Twitter! @HMESMusic

https://twitter.com/HMESMusic

MUSIC NEWS