September Calendar of Events
September 11th (Monday):  Kindergarten & 2nd Grade Orientations for Parents (6:00 p.m.)
September 12th (Tuesday):  Geckler Fundraiser Kickoff Assembly (10:15 a.m.); Staff Meeting (3:00 p.m.); 1st, 3rd and 4th Grade Orientations for Parents (6:00 p.m.) Primary Election Day
September 13th (Wednesday):  Site Council Meeting (5:00 p.m.) 5th & 6th Grade Orientations for Parents (5:00 p.m.)
September 15th (Friday):  Fall Barbecue (During Lunch Period)
September 19th (Tuesday):  Start of Chess Club (8:05 a.m.); Space Shuttle Astronaut Duane Carey Assembly (9:30 a.m.)
September 26h (Tuesday):  Staff Meeting (3:00 p.m.); After School Spanish Begins
September 28th (Thursday):  Last Day for Geckler Fundraiser
September 29th (Friday):  Fall Picture Day; Horace Mann School Reading Celebration (1:30 p.m.);           Horace Mann School Award Drawing (2:15 p.m.); Family Fun Night Movie Night - (Changed from 22nd due to Rosh Hashanah) More Information to Follow!

START OF THE SCHOOL DAY Just a reminder that students are not allowed in the building until 8:05 a.m. (Students having breakfast may enter the building at 7:55 a.m. and must report directly to the cafeteria).  8:05 a.m. is the contracted start of the school day for teachers, and students are unsupervised prior to this time.  Please keep this time in mind if you drop your child off at school.
Each student must be in their homeroom class by 8:20 a.m. to avoid being marked tardy.  Parents, please remember that students that are absent must return with a written excuse the following day.

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PTA Thursday August 31st was the first PTA event of the 2006-07 school year. The dinner and meet your teacher event was a rousing success!  A huge thank you to Liz Krelitz for her work in organizing, preparing, and serving the fabulous dinner.  Mrs. Krelitz was assisted by: Jill Michel, Kerrin Brelje, Lauri Jones, Eileen O'Connell-Conzet, Kate Kaysar, Nancy Wagner, Julie Schulz, and Paul Meekin.  It was a great way to kickoff the year!!

GREETINGS FROM THE HORACE MANN SITE COUNCIL The Horace Mann Site Council will have its first meeting of the new school year on Wednesday, September 13th at 5:00 p.m.  We've got an enthusiastic group of 7 elected parent members, 7 Mann staff members and our principal, Lewis Scott.  Our role is to discuss and act on the budget, the School Continuous Improvement Plan, and the concerns of parents and community. Our meetings are open to everyone in the Mann community.  We meet on the second Wednesday of every month, at 5:00 p.m. in the school library.  If you cannot make our meetings and have questions or concerns you would like to share with the site council, please contact one of the parent or staff representatives.  Your feedback is important to us as we discuss student learning at Horace Mann School. 

Please make a point to check the school web site and the Mann Perspectives Newsletter for Site Council Information!

INITIAL WORK STARTED ON HORACE MANN PLAYGROUND & GOOD NEWS!
The Saint Paul School District has started phase one of our playground improvement program.  Phase one includes a blow-out of the drainage system connecting our playground to the city sewer line, the removal of a railroad tie retaining wall and replacement with a concrete retaining wall, and the addition of drainage tile to assist with playground drainage.  The district has allocated $10.000.00 for this project. On September 6th, the St. Paul City Council confirmed the Neighborhood Star Grant Committee's recommendation that Horace Mann School will be the recipient of a $65,000.00 Star Grant for playground improvements.  The Horace Mann PTA will also be engaged in raising an additional $30,000.00 toward playground improvements. Work on phase two of our playground will begin sometime in the spring or summer of 2007.  We will keep you informed regarding future playground plans.  The future is looking much brighter for our playground!

EARLY RELEASE DAYS The Saint Paul Public Schools have designated four early release days during the 2005-06 school year.  Students at all grade levels will be released two hours early on the following days:  October 18th, November 9th, March 8th and April 26th. The purpose of early release days are to provide teachers with additional time to work together on planning and developing academic programs that will improve student achievement.  Afternoon buses will travel their usual routes two hours early on these days.  Half-day kindergarten has been cancelled by the district on early release days. By providing this information to you in advance, we hope to minimize the disruptions to your schedules and allow as much time as possible for you to make any necessary child care arrangements.

CONGRATULATIONS JR. GREAT BOOKS 3RD GRADE CLASS OF 2005-06!
Horace Mann School's 3rd grade Jr. Great Books book, "The Odyssey of Helle & Phryxus" was shipped in early August to the Minnesota State Fair's Education Competition, the 3rd Grade Group Writing Project Competition division.  Our 3rd grade students received a 1st place ribbon for their group writing effort.  The good news does not stop here!  In addition to the 1st place ribbon, the 3rd grade book also took the Grand Prize ribbon for best Group Writing Project (Best of Show) among all grades K-6.  Way to go students!

DON'T FORGET TO SAVE YOUR BOXTOPS!
Mann Elementary can earn 10 cents for each box top from General Mills products such as Cheerios, Wheaties, Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-ups, etc. Last year box top money was used to fund various PTA projects and purchases for classrooms.  Box Tops will be collected each month and classrooms with the highest totals will earn a monthly reward.  So, save up your Box Tops and send them to school. If you have questions please contact Nancy Wagner at 698-6783.

DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP MAP ATTACHED
Information regarding our school drop-off and pick-up plan for transported students is attached to this newsletter.  To ensure that students remain safe, please make sure that you follow this plan when dropping off or picking up your child (ren) from school.  Please contact principal Lewis Scott if you have questions regarding this plan (651-293-8965).  Thank you for helping to keep our students safe!