March 2, 2007

Dear Horace Mann families,

I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome. I am excited and enthused to be at Horace Mann! Please stop by and introduce yourself. I am looking forward to getting to know all of the students and families.

Horace Mann is the fourth school of my educational career. I taught Grades 1-8 at a small Catholic school in Wisconsin. I was a 4th and 5th grade teacher in Saint Louis Park. My last school was Webster Magnet Elementary in Saint Paul where I served as Asssistant Principal and then Principal.

I am originally from Wisconsin (yes I'm still a Packer fan). I came to the Twin Cities in 1985, graduating from the University of Saint Thomas with a B.A. in Elementary Education and Spanish and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction. I have completed my coursework for EdD in Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota. My hope is to finish my dissertation by next spring.

My wife, Janet, and I live in Champlin. We have three great children: a 6th grader, a 3rd grader, and a four-year old. In my spare time (what little there is), I am an avid reader and golfer.

Horace Mann has a reputation for excellence in achievement and climate, strong family involvement, and a caring, dedicated staff. I am committed to maintaining that reputation and building on our strengths. Working together, I know we can set the stage for another 75 successful years of education at the school!

Sincerely,

Jim Litwin

Auditions for A Lion’s Tale: Somali Folktales SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development will be holding auditions for student actors who would like to be in SteppingStone Theatre’s production of A Lion’s Tale: Somali Folktales. Auditions are Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 15 at Higher Ground Academy in Saint Paul. To schedule an audition, or for more information, just call SteppingStonee at 651-225-9265.

February Boxtops Count Now Available Mrs Ames' third graders brought in the most box tops this month with $21.50. Second place was captured by Mrs Ellis and her kindergartners with $14.20 and a respectable third place was earned by the second graders in Mrs Dixon's room with $18.10.  Thank you for all your clipping and saving. Every bit counts!

Dropping Off Students on Eleanor Please be aware of our buses if you drop off your child on Eleanor in the morning. The roads are narrowing with the snow. Please do not block the buses and be considerate of the amount of time to drop off your child. Thank you.

Music of the Middle East, a concert presented by Mann's 4th, 5th and 6th graders, is at 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday March 6. Join us for some wonderful and varied music! Students singing in the concert should wear dark bottoms (preferably black, but brown or dark blue are okay) and solid colored tops that are black, white, bright blue, orange, green or red. These colors are taken from the flags of the countries most represented in our concert--Israel, Egypt and India.

Mark these events...

• 3/6  8:40 a.m....Music Concert- Cafeteria
• 3/6-7...Test of Emerging Academic English for ELL students
• 3/8  8:50-11:00 a.m....Grade 2 SteppingStone Theatre
• 3/8  12:50 p.m....Early Release Dismissal
• 3/9...No School- Conference Prep