Making the Right Choices Children are often delightful. They also can sometimes be deceitful or unkind, bullies or victims. Sometimes the difference can be in the lessons they learn, both at home and at school. Here are some ways to help your children grow up to be respectful and kind, and to have the self-respect they need to make the right choices, both now and in the future.

• Face the mirror. Too many children are very skilled at being angels in front of teachers or parents and the opposite when adults are not around. One of the most powerful lessons we can teach the children is this: The real you is the way you behave when no one is watching. Children need to learn to behave well and treat others well because that’s the kind of person they want to be, and because that’s the only way to respect the person they see in the mirror.
• Stand strong. It is difficult for children to deal with situations in which their classmates, neighbors, siblings, or friends are behaving in a mean or cruel manner. Help them be prepared by role-playing ahead of time—act out situations they might face and see how they’d react. Talk with them about other ways to deal with the peer pressure, and let them know that, while standing up to their friends or peers might temporarily make them less popular with that group, in the long run they will have earned the respect of those whose opinions matter more.
• The golden rule. Teach your children to treat others the way that they, themselves, would like to be treated. Reinforce it at home, by treating your children with respect and expecting to be treated respectfully in return. Reinforce it through your church, synagogue, or temple, or through involvement in community activities that work to help others. And, most importantly, show your children you truly believe it by behaving respectfully yourself.

We are working on these strategies in school as well as other activities to promote a safe, healthy, and positive school climate. Together we can continue to make Horace Mann a school community we can all talk about with pride.

Parent Input Sought for 08-09 Budget I will hold a meeting on Tuesday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. to provide information on the potential changes for next year’s budgets. Our district will be cutting about $7.5 million. Horace Mann’s portion of the cut will depend on our enrollment, but we are facing a budget shortfall. I will have to make changes and want to make choices that will keep the best school for students. Your priorities are important information as I decide what to do. Please come and give me your input. RSVP to Judy at 293-8965 if you are planning to attend.Our Readathon was a Huge Sucess The lion’s share of the credit goes to the students and families for reading and raising the funds. I am especially proud of the number of minutes our students spent reading. After all, that is what is most important. Check out the full story on the News/Calendar page on our website. I would like to extend a hearty thank to our Readathon chair, Julie Schulz. She did a tremendous job once again.

Did you Go Green?  Order forms are due to your child's teacher or directly to the office by Tuesday, April 8.  Forms returned before spring break are greatly appreciated!   Gertens supplies our healthy and beautiful plants – you don't want to miss this great opportunity to buy plants and support our school!  We encourage you to reach out to neighbors, family and friends to order.  Additional order forms are available in the office.  Plant pick-up is just in time for Mother's Day, on Thursday, May 8th in the school parking lot off Kenneth.  If you have any questions, please contact either Kari Chase (karichase@gmail.com / 651-690-4432) or Lois Johnson (Lois.Johnson@fsis.usda.gov/ 651-698-3703).

Minnesota Photos Our Kindergarten through 3^rd graders are preparing for the spring Vocal Music concert. Our theme will be the 150^th birthday of Minnesota. You will notice a large poster of Minnesota outside the office. We are looking to fill the poster with pictures of Horace Mann students at various Minnesota destinations. Please bring in a picture and put it up!

Site Council Seeks Parent Candidates for ‘08 Interested in advising the principal? Like input into school improvement plans? Concerned about policies? Just want to stay connected in another way? Site Council is a great opportunity. The Site Council is an advisory group for the principal made up of parents and staff members. It meets monthly on Wednesday evenings during the school year. The time commitment for the year is about 20-30 hours. There will be three openings next year. Parent candidates will submit a letter of interest to the Site Council by March 28. Letters of interest will be limited to one page and printed in the Perspectives. You can give them to Judy in the office. Election forms will be distributed on April 11 with the Perspectives and will be due April 18. New Site Council members will be announced on April 25 in the Perspectives.

MCA-II Testing Dates Announced Students in grades 3-6 will be taking the reading tests on Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16. The same students will take the math tests on Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23.  Any students who miss a test will complete makeups as we are held accountable both for student participation and proficiency. These tests are made up of two components: multiple choice and written responses to explain their thinking. If you have any questions on testing, please ask your child’s teacher or ask me.

Parent of Gifted Students Support Group The next meeting will be Monday, April 14 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Champp’s on West 7^th. We will be discussing Chapters 4-6 of the book. All parents are invited. The discussion will be rich whether you have read or not. Please RSVP to Judy in the office if you can come.

Poem for the Horace Mann 6th Grade By: Amber
Some things I hate, but Horace Mann is great. The teachers care for you,
The classmates are always there for you.
The atmosphere is happy, even though sometimes life outside school’s not. 
Like stars in the universe, our school is very diverse.
Our classroom is very colorful it’s full of arts and crafts, everyday in our
Classroom we share a lot of laughs.

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