• November 20th (Monday): 3rd Grade and Special Needs Kindergarten Field Trip to Belwin
• November 21st (Tuesday): 3rd Grade Heritage Feast; Evening Conferences (3:30-7:30 p.m.)
• November 22nd (Wednesday): Professional Day (No School for Students)
• November 23rd & 24th: Thanksgiving Holiday (No School)
• November 27th (Monday): Start of New Recycling Program at Lunch
• November 28th (Tuesday): Staff Meeting (3:00 p.m.)
• November 29th (Wednesday): Lock-Down Drill 1:30 p.m. (Please note Change in Day) December 1st (Friday): Horace Mann School Reading Celebration (1:30 p.m.) Horace Mann School Award Drawing (2:15 p.m.)

THANK YOU VOTERS AND CONGRATULATIONS! Last week, 62% of voters in Saint Paul supported a renewal and expansion of funds for the Referendum for Continued Excellence in Schools. For our school district it means all-day kindergarten at all schools, smaller class sizes, more individual attention for students and better preparation for college. For staff it will mean that essential resources for instruction will be provided. For the city, strong schools mean a strong well educated and safe community. At Horace Mann School, we will continue to raise the bar on learning! We will be accountable for the funds you have committed over the next six years. We will accelerate and accentuate learning, preparing our students for life. All students will be positively affected by the referendum thanks to your support and commitment to education. Thank you for believing in us. We will continue to reach for the stars! Congratulations!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I would like to thank all of the individuals at Horace Mann School who helped pass the Vote Yes for Kids referendum in the recent election. The referendum would not have passed without the hard work of our volunteers. Many people took time out of their busy schedule to door knock in the community. A big thank you to Paul Meekin and Joan Griffin, Ron Gerdes, Nancy Wagner, Julia and Eileen Connelly, Paul and Char Mason, Nancy Hall, and Stephanie Hawkinson, as well as several Horace Mann students. A special thanks to Margy Peterson, Amy Kortuem and Lewis Scott for representing the teachers and administration. Eileen O'Connell-Conzet, Referendum Captain for Horace Mann

ALL INDIVIDUALS ENTERING THE SCHOOL BUILDING MUST REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE OFFICE. THIS MEANS YOU! Given all of the tragedies that continue to happen at schools throughout the United States, it is time once again to examine our school security plan. It is essential and a state law that all individuals entering the building must report to the office. If you plan on visiting a classroom you must also sign in at the office front desk and wear a parent/visitor pass. This policy is designed to protect all students, staff, parents and community volunteers that enter our building each day. If you have questions regarding this policy, please see Mr. Scott.

WAY TO GO 5TH & 6TH GRADE! Monday, November 6th, 2006, will go down as one of the most memorable days at Horace Mann School. Students in 5th & 6th grades completed their hard work on an exciting project entitled, "Get Out The Vote." This program culminated with patriotic songs, testimonials by students on the importance of voting and speeches from candidates Peter Hutchinson, Betty McCollum, Richard Cohen, Emory Dively, Michael Paymar and Christine Van Tassel. Students were featured on channels 4, 5 and 11. Thank you 5th & 6th grade students and staff!

RESULTS OF KIDS VOTING USA - SAINT PAUL Want to know the results of how St. Paul students voted? The results are as follows:

In the U.S. Senate race, St. Paul students voted as follows: Robert Fitzgerald 2,720, Mark Kennedy 3,340, Amy Klobuchar 8,522, Michael Cavlan 661 and Ben Powers 413 votes.  In the Governor's race St. Paul students voted as follows: Peter Hutchinson 2,273, Tim Pawlenty 4,916, Mike Hatch 5,706, Ken Pentel 919, Leslie Davis 582 and Walt E. Brown 1,273 votes. St. Paul students also voted to send Betty McCollum to represent the 4th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The vote totals were: Betty McCollum 8,111 and Obi Sium 4,701 votes. Students also elected DFLers to the state constitution offices. Mark Ritchie was elected Secretary of State. Lori Swanson was elected Attorney General, and Rebecca Otto was elected State Auditor. Breaking with adult voters, St. Paul students elected Bill Finney Ramsey County Sheriff with 8,553 votes to Bob Fletcher's 3,992 votes. Following counting procedures in the official election for the Minnesota State Transportation amendment, students voted 6,924 yes votes and 5,189 no votes. Students narrowly defeated the St. Paul school referendum. A total of 6,125 votes were cast in favor of the measure, with 6,211 votes against.

HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO PARENTS If you are aware of families in need of holiday assistance and who live in Ramsey County, please have them call The Holiday Toys for Tots through Operation Joy (a Salvation Army program). This program provides toys and holiday assistance for parents who are unable to afford gifts. It is a wonderful and generous program. Parents can call to get registered between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday through December 8th. The phone number is 651-746-3595. Families will be asked for the social security numbers of household members.

THE GIVING TREE You might have noticed the tree on the first floor wall near the elevator, and wondered who placed it there. The tree is a very special tree. When Horace Mann staff is in need of materials for their classroom, they simply write their need on a paper leaf or paper apple and attach it to the giving tree. Staff include their name and room number and any other details that may be necessary (phone number etc.) to fulfill a need. Our fantastic parents seeing a request, take the leaf or apple and purchase the item requested. It is that easy! Principal Scott and the PTA have approved this plan, and we hope that you will as well. If you have questions regarding the giving tree, please call Catherine Leimbach at 651-698-2133 or send an email to mleimbach@comcast.net. Once again, we thank you for your support!

IS HOLIDAY SHOPPING IN THE CARDS FOR YOU? Is gift shopping weighing down your November to-do list? Box Tops for Education can help. You can find the latest in toys, electronics and newest fashions easily without waiting in line at the local mall. You can earn cash for your school while getting a head start on your holiday shopping, all from the comfort of your home! Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? It is really just a friendly reminder of how easy using the Box Tops for Education Marketplace can be! Simply visit the Box Tops for Education Marketplace, where you will find links to sixty popular online stores (J.C. Penney, Best Buy, Gap, Lands End, Kohl's, Boden, etc.). Use the links provided to visit these stores, shop and earn cash for your school on qualifying purchases. A gift from the Marketplace gives you the gift of ease and convenience! Get answers to all your questions about the Marketplace in the Box Tops FAQ section. HINT: Find exclusive deals and discounts at the Box Tops Marketplace as well!

OCTOBER BOX TOPS COUNTS ARE TALLIED Ms. Schwartz's first graders brought in the most Box Tops during October. Their contribution totaled $43.50. Second place was earned by Mrs. Kortuem's 4th grade classroom with $32.10, and Ms. Dahl's second graders were third with $29.10. Thank you Horace Mann families!Horace Mann families are asked to collect General Mills Box Tops and Kemp's milk caps and dairy labels to support school fundraising efforts. At the present time, no other labels (Campbells, etc.) or packaging are being collected.

JANUARY TEST WILL IDENTIFY STUDENTS FOR GIFTED SERVICES Saint Paul Public Schools will once again be using the Naglieri Non-verbal Ability Test (NNAT) to identify students who qualify for gifted services within the school district. Gifted Services provide challenging and fast-paced learning programs for students who have the ability to do work at a level above what is expected at their grade in school. Students who have previously been identified as eligible for gifted services are not affected by this test and will continue to receive services. All students in kindergarten and second grade, plus students nominated in grades one, three, four and five will take the NNAT for one hour at their school on one of the following dates: January 16, 17 or 18, 2007. Our school will inform you of which date your child will take the test. Families will be notified of final results before the school choice deadline on March 9, 2007. If you have questions, please contact our school Gifted & Talented Specialist Mariana Tennyson.

THE LOST & FOUND HAS A NEW HOME Are you aware that the lost and found has moved and is now housed by the Kenneth Street door? Just follow the signs and you can't miss it. Please be sure and check the lost and found on a regular basis. It is already full! Our first donation to Goodwill Industries will be made shortly after conferences.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE SILENT AUCTION Our new 2006-07 Silent Auction Coordinator is Tom Youness. Tom may be reached at tyouness@comcast.net or by telephone at 651-690-8985. Tom has shared many fantastic ideas that will surely serve our silent auction event and our school. He is in need of your help as a volunteer to make this event successful. Please contact him at the above email/phone number. The Horace Mann PTA sponsors this event. Thanks again for your support!

MAKE-IT-TAKE-IT NIGHT IS APPROACHING The annual Make-It-Take-It evening is scheduled for Friday, December 8th. The coordinators are: Michelle McCafferty (Michelle.McCafferty@co.Hennepin.mn.us), Christina Middleton (cmiddleton@dungarvin.com), Danica Linssen (dlinssen@gittleman.com), and Anne Rutherford (agrutherford@comcast.net). Please contact one of these individuals if you are able to assist with this family fun night.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR HAS BEGUN How much is $1.00 worth? It can be worth up to 3 books through the Book Fair! New this year is a program called One for Books. It is another earning option for schools plus a way to donate to the larger community in need.

Here's how it works:

For each $1.00 donated through Scholastic's One for Books program:

Scholastic will donate one book to a charity: Toys for Tots, Kids in Distressed Situations or National Center for Family Literacy

Total collected is the total for us to spend at the book fair!

Total collected adds to our total sales resulting in more books, too!

Look for the One for Books display at the book fair at the following times:

Monday, 11/20 3:00 - 6:00

Tuesday, 11/21 3:00 - 8:00

Go wild for Books! See you at the Reading Rainforest!