December Calendar of Events

• December 7th (Thursday): PTA Meeting (7:00 p.m.)
• December 8th (Friday): Family Fun Night, "Make It Take It Night"
• December 12th (Tuesday): Staff Meeting (3:00 p.m.)
• December 13th (Wednesday): Site Council Meeting (5:00 p.m.)
• December 20th (Wednesday): Holiday Instrumental & Vocal Music Performance (1:30 p.m.)
• December 22nd (Friday): Last Day Before Winter Break
• December 25th-January 5th: Winter Break
• January 8th (Monday): School Resumes

BOOK FAIR A HUGE SUCCESS! Due to great volunteers and eager buyers, the book fair was a tremendous success resulting in $7500 in sales, 189 books donated to children in need, and lots and lots of books for the library! The cash profit, catalog vouchers and free books from the sale totaled over $3000.00. Thank you for supporting your school!

THANK YOU HORAC E MANN FAMILIES FROM CHRIS AERTS, CHAIRPERSON The book fair was a success because of great volunteers! Thank you to all who created and decorated our rain forest, to children who shared jungle toys or created animals, to children who decorated leaves, and of course to the adult volunteers who organized volunteers, set up, sold, took down and supported me throughout the project. You should all be pleased with our results! Thank you: Sarah Ryan, Kelly Trewartha, Deb Johnson, Kristi Pohl, Sarah Johnson, Clare Lubar, Tom Youness, Jennifer Solon, Susan Lawrenz-Smith, Sheila Dicke, Betty Haley, Diana Kaardal, Jean Schroeder, Lois Johnson, Renate Amann, Jolie Fredrickson, Laura Schurhammer, Janet Kruger, Pam Larson, Andi Chang, Dondi Kazukewicz, Catherine Leimbach, Rosalyn Segal, Tracy Taubert, Nancy Wagner, Jonathan Eisenthal, Nancy Famuso, Jordana Lipscomb, Heidi Tamlyn, Andrea McGee, Tracy Lane and Anne Rutherford.

THANK YOU MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA Horace Mann School was the recent recipient of a $250.00 grant for a new tree. Most of you are aware that the beautiful oak tree in front of our school died last year. As a result of this grant, we will be replacing the oak with a white pine tree this spring. Our thanks to the Modern Woodmen of America organization and to Cynthia and Cecil Ferguson for their assistance in obtaining this grant.

FALL CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE FIGURES Fall conference attendance at Horace Mann School was once again highly successful! The attendance rate by parents at each grade level is as follows:

Kindergarten 97%, 1st Grade 96%, 2nd Grade 94%, 3rd Grade 100%, 4th Grade 98%, 5th Grade 95% and 6th Grade 97%.

How does this compare to previous years? The average conference attendance rates over the past 5 years are as follows:

Spring 2001 83%, Fall 2001 91%, Spring 2002 91%, Fall 2002 93%, Spring 2003 91%, Fall 2003 95%, Spring 2004 95%, Fall 2004 97%, Spring 2005 95%, Fall 2005 96% and Spring 2006 96%. Way to go Horace Mann families!

PTA PLAYGROUND UPDATE Watch us climb to our school playground goals! Today we took the first small step toward a new playground and full support of building programs. How are we doing? We have raised $15,000.00 but have many steps before we can slide into a completed playground. How can you help? Write a check, support our fundraisers and volunteer. If you have questions please call Susan Lawrenz-Smith at 651-291-8898 or email at slawrenz99@hotmail.com.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Thank you so much to all the families that donated hats, mittens, gloves and scarves for the people of Taos Pueblo. A BIG BIG thank you to Girl Scout Troops #269 and #155 for their generous donations of awesome handmade scarves! Together we filled 3 boxes with warm wear that will be greatly appreciated!

PIZZA PARTY AT MAKE IT & TAKE IT!!! Please join us for a pizza party at this year's Make It & Take It! Pizza, chips and sodas will be available for purchase during this fun filled evening. Last year the demand for pizza was so great that we ran out of pizza. This year we are doubling our order of pizza. Please join us on Friday, December 8th, 2006, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Horace Mann School gym. If you are interested in helping, please contact Deanna Olson at 651-603-1630. See you there!

PTA BYLAW VOTE ON DECEMBER 7TH A vote to adopt bylaws will take place at the December 7th PTA this Thursday. Please contact Melissa Kestner at 651-690-0021 or crawkestner@aol.com if you would like to review the proposed bylaws before the meeting.

LOST & FOUND PICK UP SET FOR DECEMBER 8TH 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 full! Our first donation to Goodwill Industries will be made on December 8th.

REVIEW THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S NEW DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN AT UPCOMING MEETINGS For the past few months, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and school district staff have been developing and revising a new strategic plan, which outlines how efforts and resources will be prioritized to accelerate student achievement in the Saint Paul Public Schools through 2009.

Your feedback on the draft plan is important. Please plan to attend one of the five meetings, which will be held from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. on the dates listed below, to find out more about the draft plan, ask questions and offer feedback:

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Monday, January 22, 2007

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Thursday, February 1, 2007

The locations for these meetings is still being confirmed, but each one will take place in a different region of the city?the West Side, the East Side, Highland Park, North End/Como area, and the Summit/Dale area. Staff and families can attend whichever meeting is most convenient for them.

Watch for more information about the draft strategic plan coming soon from Saint Paul Public Schools and on the district website, www.spps.org.

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. Lewis Scott, Principal

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.

WE ARE STILL IN 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!

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 the 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!

OLD TENNIS BALLS NEEDED FOR GYM CLASS Do you happen to have old tennis balls at home? If you are looking for a way to rid yourself of this item, please send them to school with your child. Our gym teacher Mr. Gorman is looking for old tennis balls for his physical education program. Thanks for your help!

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