• November 3rd (Tonight):  Geckler Fundraiser Pickup and Ice Cream Social 4:30-7:30 p.m.)
• November 6th (Monday):  Get Out The Vote Student Rally (See Information!)
• November 8th (Wednesday):  Site Council Meeting (5:00 p.m.)
• November 9th (Thursday):  Early Release Day (Students dismissed at 12:50 p.m.)
• November 10th (Friday):  Conference Day (No School for Students)
• November 14th (Tuesday):  Staff Meeting (3:00 p.m.)
• November 16th (Thursday):  Evening Conferences (3:30-7:30 p.m.)
• November 17th (Friday):  Scholastic Book Fair (See Details Below!)   New Recycling Assembly (9:25 a.m.)
• 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 Date)

ICE CREAM SOCIAL IS TONIGHT!
Please join us TONIGHT for an ice cream social! This event will take place
in the Horace Mann School gym during the Geckler fall fundraiser pick up.
FREE ice cream will be served from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. This event is
sponsored by the Horace Mann School PTA. See you there!

THE LOST & FOUND HAS A NEW HOME
Are you aware that the lost and found has moved and is now housed by the
kindergarten rooms at 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!

GET OUT THE VOTE STUDENT RALLY SET FOR NOVEMBER 6TH
November 6th, 2006, at 1:00 p.m., will be a very special day for 5th and
6th grade students attending Horace Mann School.  Students at these grade
levels are working hard in their social studies class in preparation for
Election Day, November 7th, 2006.  They are excited about their "Get Out
The Vote" project.

As you are aware, the teaching model for this project is from Kids Voting
USA.  Kids Voting USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that teaches
students about the concepts of citizenship, civic responsibility, democracy
and the importance of political participation.  The design of this program
simulates an authentic voting experience to help students gain knowledge,
skills and confidence to be active citizens.  What makes the program truly
unique is that students have the opportunity to cast a Kids Voting ballet
on Election Day, voting on the same candidates and issues as adults.  This
year our students will participate and pilot a new on-line voting system.

The culmination of this student driven project will be a Get Out the Vote
Rally program which will be held on Monday, November 6th, 2006, in the
Horace Mann School gymnasium at 1:00 p.m.  The program will include
speeches by Horace Mann students on the importance of voting, patriotic
songs and a discussion with area politicians on "The Importance of Voting
In Our Republic."

Participants in the program will include Horace Mann School students as
well as Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Senator Mark Kennedy and candidate Amy Klobachar State Senator Richard Cohen, Christine Van Tassel, State Representatives Michael Paymar and Emory Dively, and Attorney General Mike Hatch/representative.  Parents and community members are invited to attend. Please circle this important date and time on your calendar.

A HALLOWEEN PARTY TO REMEMBER!
All at the annual Halloween party had a good time last Friday. Thank you so
much to all the 5th and 6th graders and their parents who worked the games
and the haunted house. A special thank you to the following individuals for
their assistance with chairing committees, creative ideas, set up and clean
up: Janet Zylberberg, Lou Glad, Clare Lubar, Heidi Gunderson, Lynne
Lindholm, Maggie Strutzel, Shelly Malecha-Wilkes, LB Buchl, Lynn
Butterfield, Jean Schroeder, Sam Greenblatt, Liz Krelitz, Mark Glad, Kathy
Christensen, Lauri Jones, Andrew Lubar, Johanna Toninato, Jim Johnson,
Mariana Tennyson, Judy Browne, Margie Trojan, Trevor Gunderson, Patsy
Kuznia, Evangelina Aguilar, Mary Sue Barry, Bob Kuntemeier, Norrah Bawazir,
Rachel Glad, Sue Lee, Jim Trushenski, Mary Ciagne and Katie Sterns.  The
total amount of funds raised was $2,552.50. All of the proceeds raised will
go towards the 6th grade spring trip to Eagle Bluff. Thank you to the
entire Horace Mann community for your support!

Deborah Jopp and Rosalyn Segal, Halloween co-chairs

WARM THEIR HEADS AND HANDS, WARM YOUR HEART
We are collecting hats, gloves, mittens and scarves for people of the Taos
Pueblo Indian Tribe of Northern New Mexico.  Yes, it does get cold there!
All sizes are needed from infant to elders.  Boxes for your donation can be
found in the Horace Mann office from Monday, November 6th through Friday,
November 17th.  If you have questions feel free to call Leanne Jerusal at
school (651-293-8965).

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 BEGINS ON THE 16TH
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:

Thursday, 11/16             3:00 ? 8:30
Friday, 11/17                   3:00 ? 6:00
Monday, 11/20               3:00 ? 6:00
Tuesday, 11/21               3:00 ? 8:00

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

HORACE MANN SITE COUNCIL
Seeking one New Member for the 2006-07 School Year
The Horace Mann Site Council has a one-year parent/community member vacancy for  the  remainder  of  the  2006-07  school  year.  In order to fill this
vacancy, the Site Council will hold a school-wide election.

What is the Site Council?
The Horace Mann Site Council is a 15-member committee made up of the school community  (principal,  teachers,  staff,  parents  and  community members) charged  with  working to improve student achievement, define school goals, shape  school  policy and solve problems.  Among other steering activities,
the  Site  Council  participates  in  the  development of the annual School
Continuous  Improvement  Plan  (SCIP)  and  provides  input on the school's
budget administration.

What do we ask of Site Council members?
We  ask members to commit to a term (usually 3 years) and to attend the ten
monthly meetings each year (September to June).  Meetings begin at 5 pm and
normally  run  1.5  to  2 hours.  The only quality required of members is a
desire  to  work  hard on behalf of Horace Mann School and the interests of
the students.

How do I nominate myself or someone else?
Describe  in  1-2 paragraphs why you would like to serve on the Horace Mann
Site  Council.  Include any qualities or experiences you would bring to the
Site  Council  and  feel  would  be of particular benefit to the group.  If
nominating  someone  else,  please  talk  with  them  first  and gain their
permission before submitting a statement of intent.

How to nominate yourself or another individual:

1.    Parent/community members wanting to become members of the Site
Council will need to provide a statement of intent addressing why you would
like to serve on the Horace Mann Site Council (1-2 paragraphs), and submit
it to the school office by Friday, November 10th, 2006.
2.    If there is only one nomination received, the decision to hold or
cancel the election will be made by the Site Council.
3.    If there are more nominations than the vacancy, the contents of the
candidates' submitted statement of intent will be presented to the Horace
Mann School parent community via the school newsletter on Friday, November
17th, 2006.

Please  contact  Paul  Meekin  (parent  co-chair) at 651-224-7739 or Bonnie
Schwartz (staff co-chair) at 651-293-8965 if you have any questions.  Thank
you.