Twain Family Newsletter
March 25th to March 29th, 2024
A Message from Principal Gonzalez
Greetings Twain families,
Our week at Twain began with honoring our Student of the Month and Most Improved students during our monthly Scholarly Awards. PTA also held a Fit-A-Thon assembly to announced the prize winners. Congratulations to our students who helped raise over $32,000 for our school community.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday teachers will host parent conferences on March 26th and 27th, both are minimum days with a 1:00 pm dismissal for all students. As a reminder, not all students will need a parent conference. If you received an invitation, your child's teacher will share where your child is academically and if additional supports are needed.
Also, our 5th grade students will be going to Camp Oakes where students discover the world beyond their communities. All 5th grade students will return from Camp Oakes on Thursday, March 28th, at 1:00 pm. Fifth Grade students who are not able to attend the camping trip, will experience Camp Twain and enjoy fun activities throughout the week.
STEM Club will also be returning to Twain, after the spring break. Please click on the link here to register your child. If you child is attending tutoring, please keep the tutoring schedule. STEM will be offered on Mondays (K-2nd) and Wednesdays (3rd-5th).
Next Friday, March 29th will kick off spring break. We hope spring break brings much needed rest and rejuvenation to everyone. Upon returning from the break, our students will be completing their final assessments in iReady, Foundational Reading Skills, and SBAC. We will see you all back on
Monday, April 8th on time.
When we return from spring break, One on One Basketball will continue on Fridays after school. Currently, we have 20 students registered, if you are interested in signing up your child, please use the email below on the flyer or call Ryan, Director.
Please enjoy some pictures below of all the exciting events at Twain this week.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership!
With gratitude,
Mr. Gonzalez
Important Dates and Events
Click here for all of the March activities and celebrations
3/25-Frogtastic Monday!
3/25-3/28-5th grade students to Camp Oakes đď¸
3/25-3/28-5th grade students to Camp Twain đď¸
3/26-3/27-K-5th grade Parent Conferences (select students) 1pm dismissal on both days all students
3/28-Big Smiles at Twain
3/29-4/5-Spring Break
3/31-Easter đ°
4/8-All staff and students return from spring break
4/19-Scholarly Awards đ
4/22-Family Literacy Night (more details to come)
5/6-5/17-TK Parent Conferences
6/13-Promotions TK/K 8:30 am and 5th grade 10:30 am, both on the grass (quad area).
6/24-7/19-Summer SEAL (Invited Twain students will attend at the host site Riley Elementary)
and students who were invited to ESY from the Special Education Office will receive a letter
with the program and site location.
A Message from our PTA President, Mrs. Arnedra Jordan and Lisa Kliman
Fit-A-Thon Awards!
The results are in and we raised a whopping $32,933 at our annual Fit-A-Thon fundraiser. Big congratulations to Mrs. Bassâ 4th grade class as the top fundraiser with $3,750 and to Mrs. Martinez and Palaciosâ TK class who were a close second at $3,677 and were the only ones to meet their class goal!
The top student fundraiser was Zyan Burgonio in Mr. Campbellâs and Mrs. Ferrignoâs 1st grade class! He won Principal for the Day!
Fit-A-Thon Awards!
The results are in and we raised a whopping $32,993 at our annual Fit-A-Thon fundraiser. Big congratulations to Mrs. Bassâ 4th grade class as the top fundraiser with $3,750 and to Mrs. Martinez and Palaciosâ TK class who were a close second at $3,677 and were the only ones to meet their class goal!
The top student fundraiser was Zyan Burgonio in Mr. Campbellâs and Mrs. Ferrignoâs 1st grade class! He won Principal for the Day!
Our big opportunity drawing prize winners were:
- Nintendo Switch Lite - Benjamin Green
- Beats By Dre - Sadie Medina
- Golf N Stuff Passes - Isaiah Morgan
- Lego Set - Kaylee Rosales
- Supersize Item - Ariah Griffin
- STEM Sets - Tamir Davis, Isabella Castro, Ezra Vega, & Xavier LaMarre
- Spirit Wear hoodie - Adrian Carr
Prize envelopes were sent home. This yearâs prizes included some fun experiences. The first was a GoNoodle dance party after the awards assembly. The kids had a blast!
Prize packages have been sent home. This yearâs prizes included some fun experiences. The first was a GoNoodle dance party after the awards assembly. The kids had a blast!
Book fair is coming April 8-12! Flyers went out last week. This year we are launching a new payment option, e-wallet. Find out more at: bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/twainfrogs
Finally, we need volunteers to keep the fair open after school all week. Please sign up at: volunteersignup.org/YQFDQ or email us with your availability.
Win Free Books! Students can win free books at the spring book fair by participating in our bookmark design and essay contests. There will be winners in every class that participates Donât waitâentries are due March 26! You can email or turn in to the office.
Congratulations to the following students who won Scholastic bucks to spend at our book fair during Read Across America Week:
- Reading challenge photo contest winners: Nayeli Nunez ($20), Melanie Cubias ($10), and Clark Roberts ($5).
- Book donation opportunity drawing winners: Aya Seklawi ($20), Alex Klimas ($10), and Elijah McKeller ($5).
Teacher of the Year Nominations due March 26! Do you have an amazing teacher? Parents and students can nominate their teacher for PTAâs teacher of the year contest. Twainâs winner will be selected by an impartial judge, and honored at our May meeting. The winning essay also will be sent to the district level of the competition for an opportunity to win a $200 grant. See flyer for contest rules.
Family Literacy Night - PTA is planning a free event celebrating literacy for all of our Twain community in April, including games, teacher-led workshops, read alouds, author talks and more!
Talent Show is coming! This yearâs talent showcase is scheduled for May 18, featuring a special 5th grade performance and Twain students of all ages who want to share their creativity. Auditions will be on April 30 and May 2 after school in the auditorium.
Twain Day Committee is FormingâHelp plan our end-of-the-year family carnival! Email lbtwainpta2022@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the committee.
A Message from Mrs. Rhoads, SEL Facilitator
Harmony SEL Unit 1: Welcome to Being My Best Self!
Dear Parent, Guardian, or Caretaker,
We are beginning the Being My Best Self Unit of Harmony SEL, our social and emotional learning program. In this unit, students will learn to recognize and name emotions and to understand that emotions, thoughts, and actions are connected. Students will also learn how to use calming strategies when they have strong emotions and learn about the importance of persistence and effort in reaching their goals. Each parent newsletter we will highlight some of the things students are working on in class throughout this unit:
Recognizing Emotions
â We all have emotions that can be pleasant or unpleasant, mild, or strong.
â We feel our emotions in our bodies, faces, and tone of voice.
Linking Emotions and Thoughts
â Thoughts and emotions work together.
â What happens to us and around us affects our thoughts and emotions.
â We can swap unhelpful thoughts for helpful ones.
Home-to-School Connections: Two Tips for this Week!
Your child is learning how to recognize emotions and use calming strategies when they have very strong emotions. These activities provide fun ways to practice these skills at home. The ideas below will reinforce what we are learning in schoolâthere are activities to play, topics to discuss, and behaviors to support. These activities are designed to fit into your daily routine and provide ways to further connect with your child.
Talk about emotions with your child. Act out together what it looks, feels, and sounds like when they experience one emotion versus another. Talk about what they can look for to tell how other people feel. Practice looking for clues to peopleâs feelings by having your child guess what emotion you are acting out.
Talk with your child about situations where they may get angry, sad, happy, afraid, excited, calm, shy, and other emotions you can think of.
o Encourage your child to explain why they may feel that way in that situation.
o Have your child describe the action they usually take in response to the emotion.
Explain that all emotions are valid, but talk about how the way we act in response to those emotions can be helpful or unhelpful. Use examples from your lives.
With gratitude,
Ashley S. Rhoads, M.S.
McKinley/Twain Elementary School
Transformative SEL Facilitator