October 9, 2009		From Greg’s Desk
Upcoming
Every Tuesday Pretzel Sales $1.00 After school Front/Back Lobbies Ongoing Monday, October 12 Columbus Day – no school Thursday, October 22 Early Release Sunday, October 25 HM Road Race & Fall Fair Friday, November 13 Mystery Dinner Next Edition: October 23		Dear Families, The Horace Mann spirit was clearly evident a week ago Wednesday at the annual PTO Barbeque! As I looked across the playground on that chilly fall evening, I was thrilled – and inspired to see several hundred parents, kids, teachers, and family members dancing to the music, eating burgers, and enjoying each other’s company. Between bites of veggie burger and chips, the thought occurred to me, This is what community is all about! My hat is off to the organizers of this unique event; it is clear that a great deal of work went into the planning, the setup and the cleanup. As far as I could tell, everyone at this multi-generational jamboree had a great time! Speaking of cleanup, special thanks to Day After Day Director Diane Erba, who led a group of Day After Day students in ‘litter patrol’ the day after the barbeque. Thanks to the efforts of these young volunteers our playground and fields have been restored to their pristine pre-barbeque condition! (Congratulations to Diane, by the way, who was fêted by friends and students Saturday night for 30 years of service to Day After Day!) Building Community Among Students One way that we build a sense of community among our students is through Assembly. On the first Friday of every month, students meet in two large groups (K-2 and 3-5) to sing, perform, and celebrate. Last Friday K-2 students and their teachers met in the Day After Day area next to the music room, from 8:45 to 9:05. During this time we sang "Happy Birthday" to all October birthday friends, honored each of the students who helped Mrs. Erba patrol the grounds after the barbecue, listened to fifth graders from Mr. Feldstein’s class read excerpts from their lovely, "I Am From" poems, and concluded by singing round after round of "The Horse with No Feet", under Mrs. Dragalla’s artful direction! Students in grades 3-5 met from 9:10 to 9:30, and, judging by the smiles and laughter, had just as much fun! Not surprisingly, students have already approached me with ideas for next month’s Assembly!

		From the Staff
Congratulations, Miss Hart!		Miss Hart would like to extend an invitation to all students (past, present, and future!) to her wedding ceremony. It will take place on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 2:00 p.m., Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church on Trapelo Road in Waltham. Miss Hart respectfully requests that all students attending the ceremony sit with an adult during the ceremony. Miss Hart looks forward to celebrating with the Horace Mann community!
		From the PTO

PTO Annual Dues Drive Successful BBQ! Box Tops Fundraising Campaign		Thank you, to all the Horace Mann families who have returned their PTO dues envelopes! If you haven’t made your contribution yet please do so at your earliest convenience as we are trying to finalize our budget for the Creative Arts and Science Programs that are such an important part of our children’s education. The BBQ was a huge success! How wonderful it was to see so many families celebrating together. We are so grateful to all the volunteers who made it such a special event. A special thank you to Peter Greene and Bill Brady for all their hard work. Starting this month the PTO is launching a new fundraising campaign collecting Box Tops. As many of you know it's a wonderful way for families to raise money for our school by simply cutting the labels off your household groceries. This year we are offering each class an incentive to collect the MOST box tops. Each student will be given a project sheet to help them with their collection. On the back of each project sheet is a list of the household products that carry the Box Top Coupons. The Box Top can either be taped or glued onto the sheet. Please NO staples. Each month we hope to announce which class has returned the most Box Tops and which class is in the top standing. We will also post results in Newsnotes. The class with the most Box Tops will be rewarded with a prize at the end of the year. The students will be coming home with project sheets periodically during the year. It will be important to return each project sheet by the due date. Thank you for all your help and having fun clipping!! If you have any questions please contact Diane Claflin at Lochct@aol.com

Radnor Printing Company		THANK YOU! to Radnor Printing Company, 334 Watertown Street, Newton, for donating the printed envelopes for the Horace Mann Dues Drive.

		Also From the PTO

6^th Annual HM Family Fun Run and Walk October 25^th, 2009 We have events for the whole family! Pumpkin Dash Miler HM 5k Raffle		Start your training now! This day is about spending time with family and friends while being physically fit. The proceeds benefit Fitness For Life and the PTO general fund. For ages 6 and under, the Pumpkin Dash is an under.3 mile sprint down Albemarle Rd. All runners get a prize! If you’re looking for more of a challenge, try the Miler. This one mile run takes you in a loop around Cheesecake Brook along Albemarle Rd. It will be timed and it’s for all ages. Ribbons to all who run. Everyone is welcome to take on the HM 5k. Run or walk along our certified 5k course through the neighborhood surrounding Horace Mann and through Fessenden School. This race will be professionally timed with mile splits, a water station, and awards to the top finishers. NEW THIS YEAR! Spend some time together as a family and you could win a prize! Runners that train together as a team, gain confidence, and have more motivation. Who is more of a team than your family? This year families can sign up to run the HM 5k as a family team and be entered into a raffle drawing where you could win fabulous family fun prizes. Family teams must consist of 3 or more individuals from one or two families. At least one participant must be an adult and at least one a child 14 or under. Participants may run or walk – just get moving! Registration forms are in the lobby and online at www.horacemannroadrace.com Questions? Contact us at hmroadrace@yahoo.com or call Katie Slocum 617-527-2653

Horace Mann Fall Fair is on October 25th		The Horace Mann Fall Fair is right around the corner on Sunday, October 25. The fair will run from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Highlights include: Bouncy Houses Dunk-A-Teacher Pumpkin Decorating Games and Prizes -- and more Come join us for a day of fun and help support the Horace Mann school! Volunteers needed- please contact Jacqi Mullowney jmullowney9571@comcast.net Maura Bresnahan mbresnahan@comcast.net

		From the Newton Public Schools

Flu Shots		Two different types of flu vaccine are available this year, and each one comes in a shot or intranasal spray. The seasonal flu vaccine provides protection against the seasonal flu only. H1N1 vaccine provides protection against H1N1 influenza only. Both types of flu vaccine are recommended for children. More information about the flu and flu vaccine is available at www.newtonma.gov/flu or e-mail Maureen Rowley, RN, BSN, the school nurse, at maureen.rowley@newton.k12.ma.us

Out-of-District Policy Statement For Enrollment into Newton Public Schools		Out-of-District placements for students who wish to attend a school in Newton other than his/her district school are limited. Such placements are made on a space available basis only. Newton families, as well as members of Units A, B, C, D, E, NESA, Custodians and Boston parents of students in the METCO Program, should call the Elementary Education Office (grades K – 5) at 617-559-6105 or the Deputy Superintendent’s Office (grades 6 – 12) at 617-559-6115 for information. Students who receive acceptance for Out-of-District placement must remain in the school selected for the duration of the school year. Applications for the following school year must be submitted on forms which will be available beginning November 2 in the Elementary Education Office (grades K – 5), Room 218, or the Deputy Superintendent’s Office (grades 6 – 12), Room 214, at the Education Center. If necessary, a lottery will be implemented to determine the order in which placements will be made. Completed applications, signed by the in-district principal, can be submitted no earlier than January 4, 2010 and no later than March 31, 2010. Applications submitted after March 31, 2010 will not be included in the lottery. Class size in a given grade, in a given year, in a specific school, may preclude any placements including siblings. Parents will be responsible for transportation. Tuition Free Enrollment is limited to the per pupil cost of regular education.

Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education		Meeting: Wednesday, October 21^st, at 100 Walnut Street, Newtonville, Room 210, at 7:30pm to discuss this year's theme, "Inclusive Technology". We will plan this citywide celebration for the week of December 7th to 11th, 2009. Our goal is to have all schools represented at this event. The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education serves as a resource for parents and as a liaison between parents and the school administration. All parents, teachers, specialists and others are welcome. http://www.inclusiveschools.org/node/1767 or Contact info@newtonpac.org

Come Ride the Walking Bus!		In conjunction with a grant received by the Newton Public Schools, Horace Mann is participating in Safe Routes to School, a program offered by MassRIDES, the Commonwealth's travel options service of the Executive Office of Transportation. The Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program promotes walking and/or bicycling for school trips, to improve the environment around school, and improve the health of children, while making it safer. Your children can gain a sense of freedom, have fun, and establish a healthy lifestyle! Thanks to all who have already registered, but at this point, we do not have enough parent volunteers for the Walking Bus to be a safe activity. We need parent "bus drivers" to guide the walkers along the different routes. If you are interested in having your student(s) participate or if you are interested in being a parent "bus driver," please fill out the form available in the school lobby and return it to your student's classroom teacher. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Ferland, Horace Mann's Walking Bus liaison, via email at Julie_Ferland@newton.k12.ma.us. Thank you!

		From The Community

Mayoral Candidates Forum at NCSC!		Newton Community Service Center will host a mayoral candidates forum on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30 a.m., at NCSC (492 Waltham Street, West Newton). Moderated by Brooke Lipsitt, the forum will focus on Ruth Balser’s and Setti Warren's visions for providing a safety net to Newton citizens. For more information or to RSVP, please call 617-969-5906, extension 300 by October 9. Walk-ins are welcome.

CAP Volunteers Needed		Newton’s Child Assault Prevention Program (CAP) is seeking volunteers who can make a commitment of six hours per month for one school year. Training begins October 23. Interviewed positions. Candidates must successfully pass a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) screening. For more information, contact Gail Sommer, Director, 617 969 5906, x 143 or gsommer@ncscweb.org

Community Preservation Committee		The CPC will meet on 21 October 2009 at 7 pm in the City Hall Cafeteria (basement). For more info contact Alice Ingerson at aingerson@newtonma.gov , 617.796.1144, or view the webpage at www.ci.newton.ma.us/cpa

Newton Community Education Classes at Horace Mann		Open for fall registration! There are openings in the following classes at Horace Mann: Girls Science Club on Mondays, Chess on Tuesdays, Woodcrafts on Wednesdays, Manga (Japanese Cartooning) on Thursdays, and Mad Science on Fridays. Check the website at www.newtoncommunityed.org for more information on family programs this fall. Call 617-559-6999 to register.

Halloween Writing Competition for All Ages! Children FREE.		Winsor Music, Inc. is sponsoring a Halloween writing competition for all children. The winner will win the chance to read his/her story at the Winsor Halloween Concert on Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 2:00 pm (repeated at 4:00 pm) at St. Paul’s Church, 15 St. Paul St., Brookline. The concert program will feature pieces played on the theremin (an eerie-sounding electronic instrument) with piano accompaniment, which will also serve as the background music for the winning story. Dare to be wild and enter this competition today! E-mail your spooky Halloween tale to info@winsormusic.org. Adults $10.

Annual Pumpkin Patch Oct. 4^th – 31^st		The United Parish of Auburndale is hosting its third annual Pumpkin Patch. Pumpkins large and small, gourds and baked goods will be for sale. The proceeds help the UPA support a number of programs in the New England area. Don’t miss this fun family outing! Pumpkin Patch hours are: M-F, 10am-6pm; Sat, 9am-5pm; and Sun, 11am-6pm. For more information, please contact the UPA at 617-964-8516.

'A Streetcar Named Desire'		This classic Tennessee Williams play, best for mature audiences, will be performed by the Newton North High School Little Theatre. Show times: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 15, 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $7. Directed by Inez Dover. More information at 617-559-6406 or www.theatreink.net

All Newton Music School Special Needs Drama Troupe		All Newton Music School is offering a theater class for kids with special needs ages 10-13 yrs old, Mondays from 4:00 – 4:45pm. Drama David, a teacher for the past 16 years, offers a class where students of varying needs can feel successful and confident on stage. The class will focus on movement, projection, reactions and stage cues. Call 617-527-4553 or go to www.allnewtonmusic.com for more info. If you have any questions, email David Gaita at david_gaita@newton.k12.ma.us

New Art Center Registration is Ongoing		Classes for children include Ceramics, Draw Fantasy & Manga, Artistic Architects, Play-n-Clay Clay Creatures, Adventures in Art, and Young Artists. New Art Center also offer a Saturday Drop-In Art Class for grades K-5 from 10:00-11:00 with a different project each week. For more information or to register, visit the website www.NewArtCenter.org, or call 617-964-3424.

Historic Newton		The Jackson Homestead on Washington Street in Newton is now officially a non-profit called Historic Newton. Events are planned throughout October. For a listing and more information, check the web page at www.historicnewton.org

Newton Girl Scouts		Newton Girl Scouts is now open for registration of new members. All girls in grades K-12 and adult volunteers are welcome. For more information, contact Newton Girl Scouts at newtongs@gmail.com or leave message at 617-671-1223.

Newton Touch-A-Truck Day		Get on board with trucks of all sizes at Newton South High School, on October 18th, from 12:00 pm-4:00 pm. Come explore more than 30 trucks of various sizes for just $7 per family (or $5 and a canned good). Proceeds go to support non-profit organizations in Newton helping children and their families. Sponsored by the Newton Partnership.

Sheryl Franks Creative Skating Academy		The Sheryl Franks Creative Skating Academy 2009-2010 season is starting. Each session offers lessons & practice time, USFSA badge testing, as well as a session and ice show where the skaters will showcase their skills learned during the session, complete with guest skaters. For every Horace Mann student that enrolls, 5% of the tuition will be donated to the Horace Mann PTO at the end of the year. Lessons and practice times are held at The Fessenden School/Coffin Sports Center, 250 Waltham Street, W. Newton on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. For more information call 617-699-4736 or www.CreativeSkatingAcademy.com.

NAA Basketball Association (NAA)		On-line Registration is now open for the 2009-10 NAA basketball season. The NAA is a non-profit volunteer-run organization that organizes and administers basketball leagues in Newton for boys who live in Newton or attend school in Newton. Our leagues are for players from the third grade through high school. For registration/information, go to: www.NAAbasketball.org. Registration deadline is October 20.

Newton Girls Basketball Association (NGBA)		Join this recreational league for Newton girls; all levels welcome! All Games on Saturdays beginning December 5th into mid-March; for Grades 3-8 practices are 1-hour long, one evening in the week (Mon-Thurs). No weekday practices for Grade 2 and High School. Registrations are due by Tuesday, October 20th, for Grades 2-8, and Monday, November 30th, for High School. Scholarships are available based on need. Pre-season clinics for players and coaches for grades 3-6 will be on Sunday, October 25th, and Sunday, November 22nd. For more details see: www.ngba.net.

Scandinavian Living Center FREE Community Event		The Scandinavian Living Center at 206 Waltham Street in West Newton will host a free children's event for kids 7-12 years old on October 25th from 2-4 pm. The event features Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen. Children will play games and listen to stories written by Andersen, such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid". Please feel free to come dressed up as the Little Mermaid or any other Hans Christian Andersen character.

*“The Great MacGrady”* WGBH Special TV Screening		Sunday, October 18^th from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, WGBH is conducting a special invitational screening of The Great MacGrady, followed by a panel discussion entitled "When a Child Knows Someone with Cancer: Helping Young Children Cope with the Cancer Diagnosis of a Loved One". Free resources and effective strategies for supporting young children cope with cancer of a loved one will be provided. This event is limited to guests over the age of 16. For more info: www.wgbh.org/arthurscreening, or call WGBH at 617-300-4200.

Newton Community Service Center Volunteers Needed		Parent-Child Home Programs of Newton Community Service Center is looking for volunteers to provide home visits to low income families with toddler children. Home visitors bring free literacy tools (books and toys) to the families and model ways to increase positive verbal interactions in the home. Training and weekly supervision is provided. Commitment is for 6 hr/week during the school year. Please contact Debbie Brush at 617-969-5906 ext 113 or at dbrush@ncscweb.org

Classifieds
BOWEN COOPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL: Now enrolling for 2010-2011. Bowen embraces the whole child with a developmentally appropriate, play-based curriculum. For more information about this and other programs at our school, please call 617-332-3923 or visit our website at www.bowencoop.org. CELLO LESSONS: For all ages, all levels, Suzuki, Traditional Classical, and Contemporary Folk Styles. Seven years of private teaching experience. Ariel Friedman is a graduate from Northwestern University in 2008 in cello performance and a winner of ASTA's 2009 Alternative Styles Award. For more information or to set up a trial lesson, please call 617-835-9151 or email ari.afriedman@gmail.com KIDS' KARATE: Free uniform for those who enroll. For grade 1 - 5. Cost per 7-Week Session: $79 for once-a-week or $99 for twice-a-week. Located at Trinity High School, Newton. Please contact (617) 527-8052 or go to kids-karate.org for more information. ACTIVEMINDS TUTORING, LLC: Your source for in-home tutoring. Effective, Personalized and Convenient. All grades/all subjects, including test preparation (MCAS, SAT, SSAT...). Sign your child up for academic success and receive a free lesson! Call: (617) 663-5700 during business hours, or (617) 227-2225 Eve/Wknds. Please us at www.activemindstutoring.com. TUTORING: Newton Public School teacher with Masters in Elementary Education and 9 years teaching experience. Available this year to tutor students in grades K-6 in all subject areas (reading, writing, math, etc.). Call 617-875-6870 or email aliciakeat@aol.com for more information. RESOURCE FOR KIDS WITH FOOD ALLERGIES - The No Biggie Bunch has landed in Newton with their latest title: TRADE-OR-TREAT HALLOWEEN. The No Biggie Bunch Children's Book Series helps to start the food allergy conversation in positive ways giving the opportunity for kids to creatively cope with their food allergies in social situations. Meet the bunch and order books at www.nobiggiebunch.com. Author readings available upon request. Reach us by email at info@nobiggiebunch.com DROP-IN PLAYGROUP: For children from ages 12 months, with an adult. Located at Burr Park in Newton Corner. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10:00am-12:00pm. $10 per visit for a family. Visit www.exploreandmorelearning.com or contact Mary Beth at 1-800-360-1821 for more information. Y3K TUTOR IN YOUR HOME: Tutor for special ed. such as ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s, Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, and gifted. Also tutor for regular ed. and test preparation. All subjects and ages. Parents can now receive 25% off the first lesson. Call 781-492-8700 or log on to Y3KTutorInYourHome.com. PIANO INSTRUCTION: Berklee & New England Conservatory graduate with 30 years teaching experience has several openings in studio. Beginners Welcome. Learn Jazz/Blues/Classical, theory, sight reading from a patient, caring teacher. Gloria Jasinski, phone: 617.566.9704, email: piano566@comcast.net
	Newsnotes Information
	Editors: Melissa Dilworth, Gina Mulvaney, Maura Harrington, Adriana Powderly Bauza, Susanti Sugianto, Deb Randall. Newsnotes is the main vehicle of communication at Horace Mann School. Newsnotes is published by the PTO bi-weekly. Please email items of interest to hmnewsnotes@lists.neighborhood.net. Deadline for submissions is 5:00pm on Tuesday the week you want the items to appear. Classifieds from the Horace Mann community are free. Classifieds from non-community members may be charged a nominal fee.