Perspectives

This newsletter provides updates, information and event details for Horace Mann School, the Horace Mann School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), and Saint Paul Public Schools. It is published weekly and distributed through email. Current and past issues can be found at spps.org/mann or directly by clicking here.

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Are you looking for summer childcare? Registration is now open for Discovery Club summer program (Camp DC). Camp DC runs from June 17-August 27 (closed July 5) at Horace Mann, Randolph Heights and Rondo schools. Click here for more information.

This year Horace Mann School staff are focused on conferences. The conversation with families provides better information and is clearer than progress reports. Our teachers have worked very hard to determine where students are at and how they are progressing, but it is much easier to convey in conversation.

The teachers worked hard on progress reports in January. Right before we moved back to in-person school, every teacher had to grade the students who would be changing classes. Many teachers chose to enter graded areas for all their students. Then our office staff had to re-roster students into new classes.

This had never been done before in Saint Paul Public Schools on this scale. The student information system wasn't designed to do this work. The technicians created strategies to work around the problem. Unfortunately, there were technical problems. Some teachers lost all or parts of their grades.

The student information system was also connected to Seesaw and Schoology. In January, there was a last-minute effort so parents could archive student work. Many families did not get the message in time and weren't able to save the work. When we re-rostered students, another unanticipated side effect was that teachers also lost the student work that had been completed for any child who left their classroom.

This means that we lost the grades and work for some of our students. We have no way to recover some of it. Teachers may be unable to complete a formal progress report or their evaluation may be based on their best recollection.

Please know that our staff will continue to assess, monitor, and work with students. By the end of the year, we should have all technical issues resolved. The end-of-year progress reports will represent the best picture of how your child has performed and their academic/social/personal progress for this year.

Next week we will send an email to families to explain our conference plan so those important conversations can be scheduled.

Saint Paul Public Schools Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) members are parents, grandparents, guardians, community members and staff.

SEAC meetings:

• Bring different perspectives to the table, foster connections and allow learning from each other to make a difference for students with disabilities
• Provide information and resources families can use to support their child with a disability.
• Happen on Mondays on April 12, May 3 and June 7 from 6 - 8 p.m. via Google Meet. Meetings are open and guests are welcome.

For more information see the SEAC website that includes meeting information, membership application, meeting minutes and resources.

For questions, please contact jackie.kelly@spps.org.

Given the high level of COVID-19 spread in our communities, any unnecessary travel is highly discouraged. If you must travel, do what you can to protect yourself and your family.

Before you decide to travel, think about:

• How much COVID-19 is spreading where you are going and how much it is spreading in your local community.

• Whether you or someone you are traveling with could get very sick from COVID-19.

• How easy or difficult it will be to keep 6 feet between people.

• Whether you would be able to miss work, school or other activities if you get sick.

For international travel, follow federal guidelines. Visit U.S. Department of State: Travel and CDC: COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination for more information.

Effective January 26, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require all air passengers entering the United States (including U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents) to present a negative COVID-19 test, taken within three calendar days of departure or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days​. Please see CDC’s FAQ for answers to questions about the new requirement for proof of negative COVID-19 test or recovery from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving in the United States.

It has never been easier to get students tested. Testing is provided at no cost to you. The latest recommendation is to get students tested every two weeks.

• COVID-19 Community Testing Sites: You can now schedule appointments for the whole family at the same time. For more information, visit COVID-19 Community Testing.
• COVID-19 Test at Home
• Find Testing Locations at local hospitals and clinics or contact your health care provider.

We are still unable to schedule Lifetouch and other external providers.

In March, we are able to bring back internal partner organizations. Reading Corps and Math Corps are moving back into the building to provide service. Emma (Math) and Thore (Reading) will still provide service to VLS students too. Our Nystrom therapist, Tracey Andrus, will start providing service within the building. If you are interested in counseling or therapy, please email cori.boehm@spps.org for more information.

Next PTA Meeting

Our fourth HM PTA meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 1st, 2021 at 6:30 pm: http://meet.google.com/svu-aumf-zgn.

Call for Family Fun Night Volunteers

The Family Fun Night Committee is looking for new volunteers as several “graduate” this year. In the past, the committee has hosted free family events such as movie or bingo nights 2-3 times each year. Please contact president@hms-pta.org if you are interested.

PLANT SALE 2021! 🌱🌷🌸🌵🌼

Select beautiful plants, flowers and veggies and start planning your spring and summer garden! Support our school and pick up your lovely choices from the school front lawn on Saturday May 1st, noon to 6pm.

Click Order Plants to Support Horace Mann and feel free to forward to all your contacts!

You have until April 8th to make your choices – have fun and contact mayamissaghi@gmail.comail.com with any questions!

Auction Committee - 1 week to go until event night!

Thank you to everyone who has been registering to participate in the PTA auction and program coming up on the evening of March 12, and a special shout out to all of the local businesses and Horace Mann School families who have donated items to this year's catalog and sponsored this important annual fundraiser.

Still need to sign up to participate on 3/12? Click HERE to visit the event website, sign up & consider making a gift to help us toward our goal! Please feel free to share the link to the event site with grandparents and extended family!

Everyone registered to participate (no donation or other purchase required) by 7:30pm on Friday, March 12 will be entered into our door prize drawing to win one of two prizes:

1. $25 Giftcard to Kowalski's Market
2. A pair of limited edition Horace Mann branded pint glasses boxed with locally made treats AND you become the official keeper of a 9.5" miniature version of the Horace Mann gnome for 1 year. Take good care of him, name him, and maybe send some pictures of what he’s up to while in your care. Then come next spring, pack his bag, because he’ll be going home with another lucky family after the 2022 auction!
   

Questions about the auction? Email auction@hms-pta.org or call or text co-chair Allison Broughton at 651-328-9062.

Seeking a 4th/5th Grade Band Director for 2021-22

In the hopes that all will return to normal in the fall, the search is on to find a 4th/5th Grade Band Teacher for 2021-2022. This position in the past has been shared between SPPS (EDL) and the HMS PTA. Here is the job description from 2019-2020 to show what the position may look like in 2021-2022. If you know of anyone who might be interested in the position or have questions, please have them email jim.litwin@spps.org.

For in-person school, the staff is feeling safer with the vaccine, but there still is a level of anxiety and concern. All of our staff have now been offered the vaccine and we have also begun the second round of doses. The vaccine is hitting some staff hard and we have been having staff out without subs. You may hear that the principal or others were the teacher for the day.

All of the students are doing their best with masks an social distancing. The younger students do have more trouble with keeping masks on properly or with needing a change of masks, but nothing different than normal developmental expectations. The older students are great role models. Social distancing is very difficult with the number of students in the building. We do our best.

The first days back in the room were smooth. Any anxious energy has quickly dissipated as the students connected with friends old and new. They have reviewed rituals and routines. The learning takes place in a safe and friendly environment. The teachers miss some of the strategies like gathering on the carpet or buddy classrooms, but are creating new routines to try to re-capture that feeling of regular teaching. We are seeing a little more work needed on social issues, probably because students are out-of-practice working in large groups.

For both VLS and in-person, the students have been joyful, enthusiastic, and hard-working. It is amazing to see how much they have grown in the last year, physically, socially, emotionally, and academically. The students are resilient.

Our staff appreciates an opportunity for creativity and re-invention. We are able to look at all of our practices and traditions. We are able to pick and choose to find the best fit.

We have worked out challenges with the new systems for reporting and health. We are seeing some differences in work quality for in-person students compared to when they were virtual. Family members have been respectful of calling in and buzzing to get children. Nutrition Services and the lunch operation are working well. We have 3 additional adults which makes a huge difference.

So far so good!

• VLS has Physical Education.
• Simmons, Jalonack, Vincent, Witt & Kortuem have Science.
• Rice, Boos, Commers, Lindskoog, Kacky, & Pickart have Art.

Pick-up and Return Dates and Times

• Monday-Thursday 8:00am-1:00pm. Ring the Main Office doorbell.
• Monday-Thursday 4:00-5:30pm. Ring the DC doorbell.

Student Check-out Process

• Complete the VLS Book Checkout Form or Grade 3-5 can place a hold in Destiny on iPad.
• Ms. Lynda will email when the books are ready.

Student Pick-Up & Return Process

1. Come to Door 1 (the red doors on Eleanor Ave)
2. Ring the doorbell
3. We will bring the books to you or pick up the books from you.

Bookmark our school calendar. It can be found at the top of our website. Here are some highlights.

Spring Conferences To Be Announced (TBA)

Monday, March 8-Friday, March 12

• Tues, Mar 9: 6:30pm Silent Auction Committee - To receive your link, please email auction@hms-pta.org
• Fri, Mar 12: 6:30-8:30pm HMS PTA Silent Auction

Monday, March 15-Friday, March 19

Main School Number: 651-293-8965.

Office Hours for Virtual Appointments: 7:00am-3:30pm

• Horace Mann School PTA has a Facebook group for our families. You can click https://www.facebook.com/groups/432804370448748/ to request to join.
• Our Kindergarten families have their own FB group. You can click on https://www.facebook.com/groups/288609065742830 to request to join.

Email: jim.litwin@spps.org
Website: https://www.spps.org/mann
Location: Horace Mann School, Eleanor Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 612-314-5187
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPPSHoraceMannSchool/
Twitter: @SPPS_PrinLitwin