Horn Notes, Horn Academy

This is a weekly notice sheet for Horn announcements, published by the Horn Academy PTO. To include items in this bulletin, please contact hornnotes@hornpto.org by Thursday 5pm.
Horn Academy PTO website: www.hornpto.org
Horn e-mail group: groups.yahoo.com/group/horn_academy

Last Day of School – May 29
As a reminder, our last day of school is Thursday, May 29. Early dismissal is at noon.

TAKS Scores
Congratulations to all of our students and teachers! Below are our TAKS Scores:
5TH GRADE          PASSING     COMMENDED
PERFORMANCE
READING          99%     79%
MATH               99%     79%
SCIENCE          99%     79%
4TH GRADE
READING          99%     56%
MATH               99%     53%
WRITING          98%     65%
3RD GRADE
READING          100%   64%
MATH                100%   59%

Meet the Teacher Day – August 22
Mark your calendars for our Meet the Teacher Day for the 2008 – 2009 School Year - August 22. Parents and their children will be able to visit classrooms and meet their new teachers. Classes begin on August 25.
9:00–9:30 am             4th/5th grades
10:00-11:00 am           Kinder Welcome in the cafeteria
11:30 am-12:00 pm     1st/2nd grades
12:00-12:30 pm           3rd grade

Pine Street Market – August 22
Before you leave for the summer mark your calendars for the Pine Street Market! Held at the school the Friday before school starts Aug. 22nd at 9 am. Get everything you will need for school!

Horn Good Citizen - March
Congratulations to Jackson Kelso for winning the Good Citizen award for the month of March. Jackson is in Mrs. Clary's class.

Summer Reading Program – Houston Public Library
The Houston Public Library and the Houston Independent School District are working together to ask all children to read at least 5 whole books this summer for the HISD Millionaire Club and 10 whole books for the HPL library. Here are things you should know about Summer Reading Club:

Summer Reading Program – Bellaire Public Library
The Bellaire Public Library is offering the Texas Reading Club Jubilee: 1958 – 2008. To participate in free summer fun at the Bellaire Library:

Horn Good Citizens – April & May
Congratulations to the following students who were nominated by their teacher to receive the Horn Good Citizen Award for the months of April and May. The teachers chose a student with an E in conduct, who is helpful to others, has a good attitude, and is respectful to their Horn Family. The winners for these months are:

Kinder:
Ms. Banks                    Stephanie De La Garza             David DeCamp
Ms. Davis                     Madison Dodson                      Abby Shin
Ms. Gates                    Arielle Nates                            Haylie Sims
Ms. McDonald             Gene Gopon                             Marisa Pena
First Grade:
Ms. Clary                     Andrew Yang               Rachel Burn
Ms. McMahan             Jorge Rodriguez            Sabrina De La Garza
Ms. Reichstein Allison Clarke   Jared Clark
Ms. Wilson                   Richard Falloure           Saige Broadwell
Second Grade:
Ms. Connelly                Kayla Gebauer             Derek Adrion
Ms. Fish                       Hannah Kamouz          Luis Fonseca
Ms. Rath                      Griffin O'Conor            Annika Bohmann
Ms. Ueckert                 Jasmine Lee                  Anna St. Denis
Third Grade:
Ms. Dotan                    Luke Stavinoha             Vedant Chopra
Ms. Jackson                 Edward Davies             Louie Emiliani
Ms. Shapiro                 Panos Kontoyiannis      Taylor Tindal
Ms. Talley                    Grayson McCarley       Melissa Barbosa
Fourth/Fifth Grade:
Ms. Burcham                Elizabeth Golden           Sam Clark
Ms. Garner                   Sydney Williams           Megan Yen
Ms. Lawless                 Courtney Williams        Megan Wu
Ms. Malone                  William Falloure            Christine Lin
Ms. Sledge                   Harrison Lindquist        Erin Parkin
Ms. Stiles                     Audrey Wang               Melissa Sierra
Ms. Weathers               Pierce Davidson           Chelsea Tom

More “Starry Night” Contributors!
The Sounds of Success Fundraising Committee would like to thank Escalante's for donating their delicious tacos al carbon to our "Starry, Starry Night" donor party. We would also like to thank Alice Wu and Methodist Hospital for donating Astros and Texans gear for our door prizes. Also, a tremendous thank you to Kelly Larkin and Bubba Beasley for hosting the party at their wonderful home. And last but not least a HUGE thank you to the following Sounds of Success Committee members who worked so hard throughout the year....Erin Ajdiou, Tassy Beasley, Robyn Harrison, Beth Moorehead and Kim Sisk.

Sounds of Success – Thank You Underwriters!
The Sounds of Success Fundraising Committee and the Horn PTO would like to acknowledge and thank our gracious underwriters. We hope that each of you will acknowledge them too!

TUBA SECTION $1,000+
Dave Clark REALTOR - www.DaveClarkProperties.com
KelSar Exploration
Mike Livingston REALTOR - www.HAR.com/MikeLivingston
Robert and Olivia Pacini

TROMBONE SECTION $500-$999
Mitch Beasley - Your Bellaire Neighbor...Your Bellaire Realtor
Horton Draperies of Texas

TRUMPET SECTION $250-$499
Bellaire Family Eye Care
Cammarata Pediatric Dentistry
Community National Bank "The Friends You Can Bank On"
Greenwood King Properties
GSI Environmental Inc.
Kumon Math and Reading - West U

Horn Habitat Care
The Habitat will need care over the summer and just before school begins. Mark your calendar to join us on Saturday, August 16 from 8:30 am to 10:30 am to spruce up the Habitat and front entrance. If your family and friends would like to work in the Habitat in the cool of the evening during the summer, I can arrange it. I can work with your landscape crew, if you would like to donate their time. We are looking for someone to be Campus Beautification Chairperson for the fall clean up. Thank you to the families who signed up at Pine Street Market and showed up from the beginning to the end. Please email your intent to help and I will send a reminder. Please contact Sharon Young .

Kindergarten Picnic Tables Needed
Kindergarten is looking for gently used Picnic Tables (Little Tykes style) and Lego Tables. If you no longer need/use your table please send it up to Horn and we will gladly use them. We would like to be able to have a variety of work areas for our children.

School Supplies
This is the last week pre-orders will be accepted for the 2008-2009 year. After May 30th, prices will go up and there will be a limited number of kits available at Pine Street Market on August 22. If you've already ordered, please check your child's red folder this week to verify the order. If you have questions, contact supplies@hornpto.org.

School Uniforms
Hate waiting in line? Beat the crowds and pre-order your school uniforms for the 2008-2009 school year. Your order will be delivered to your child's classroom on Meet Your Teacher Day in August - just in time for the first day of school! Look for the pastel green order form in your child's red folder. You can also pick up order forms outside the front office.

Champions After School Homework Assistance Program!
Announcing the Champions After School Homework Assistance Program, coming to Horn Academy in August 2008!

Champions is not your typical after school program. Champions is a well-rounded, fun, academic enrichment opportunity available at the school each day from dismissal until 6:00 PM for students in grades K-5. We provide hands-on activities, homework help, a literacy program and book club, sports and recreation, arts & crafts, and a daily snack.

To learn more about Champions or to find out how to enroll, please contact Jen Vaden at (281) 679-6339. Please note that enrollment is on a first come first serve basis. Early Registration will take place on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 from 3:00 PM until 6:00 PM in the front hall. Register today to reserve your spot in the program!

VIPS Recognition!
Thanks to all of our VIPS (Volunteers in Public Schools)! Our first annual VIPS luncheon was held at Los Tios as a fun way to honor those who have contributed throughout the year. Many congratulations to Diane Sizemore who was recognized as Horn's first VIPS of the Year!

If you are interested in volunteering next year, please contact our VIPS coordinator at vips@hornpto.org.

2008 Spring Poetry Contest
Congratulations to the following students in Shirley Wright's Creative Writing class whose poems for the 2008 Spring Poetry Contest will be published by Creative Communication, Inc.

Jacob Ammons
Ian Arzt
Laura Carlisle
Charlotte Ehlers
Louie Emiliani
Madison Houston
Michelle Lin
Alexander Ling
Alison Newton
Madison Noon
Zoe Pham
Kiley Silva
Barry Waldman
Jeremy Williams
Matthew Wong
Megan Wu
Stacey Yard
Eric Zunker

Reminders from Our Nurse
MEDICATION
For parents of children who had medication kept in the nurse's office this year: please come by and pick up your child's medication this week. You will need to get a new HISD Medicine in School Form filled out by your doctor this summer.
OLD UNIFORMS
If you want to donate Horn uniforms that don't fit your child anymore, please drop them off at the Horn Clinic anytime this week and the month of June.
THANK YOU
It is has been my pleasure and honor to complete my 27th year of taking care of your children at Horn.
M. Bendiksen, RN

May Events
28 - 5th Grade Buckhorn Ranch Day
29 - 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony, 8:15 am
29 – Report Cards, Last Day of School, NOON DISMISSAL

August
22 - Meet the Teacher:
9:00–9:30 am             4th/5th grades
10:00-11:00 am           Kinder Welcome in the cafeteria
11:30 am-12:00 pm     1st/2nd grades
12:00-12:30 pm           3rd grade

Dear Families,

We have had a couple of cases of head lice. It is difficult for me to pick up all the cases when I do classroom checks. If it’s early, I may not find anything on my quick check. I need the help of all parents. Please check your child regularly for any sign of lice or nits.

How do you get lice?
Lice can’t jump or fly; they are usually transmitted by contact with infested persons, their clothing (hats, coats, etc.), their combs, or brushes. It is not true that lice come from unclean people or homes. Daily baths and shampoos won’t prevent transmission from one infested hat!

What to look for.
Lice are small insects about the size of a sesame seed. They are usually light brown, but can vary in color. They move quickly and shy away from light, making them difficult to see, especially in people with dark hair.
Diagnosis is more often made on the basis of finding nits or eggs, which can be seen most easily in natural light. Nits are tiny, whitish-gray oval eggs attached to the hair shaft. The female louse cements her eggs to the hairs with a waterproof, cement-like substance. Thus, nits can’t be washed or brushed off like dandruff. Nits are found throughout the hair, but are most often located at the nape of the neck, behind the ears, and at the crown.

Symptoms of infestation.
The itching that occurs when lice bite and suck blood from the scalp is often the primary symptom of infestation, although not everyone will experience the itching. Children seen scratching their heads should be examined at once. Often bite or scratch marks can be seen on the scalp.

Treatment of Individuals and household cleaning
There are many lice shampoos on the market. Some are over the counter; some are prescription. You might want to consult with your doctor on which brand to use. After treatment, you need to manually remove all lice and nits. This requires a good light and time. There are special lice combs available to help remove lice and nits (eggs).
Bedding and recently worn clothing should be washed in hot water and placed in a hot dryer. Carpeting, car seats, and upholstery should be vacuumed to pick up hair that may have nits attached. Use common sense. Lice only live for a day off of a human head. Pets do not harbor head lice.
The most important part of treatment is to comb or manually pull out every louse and nit.

Prevention
You can’t really prevent head lice. You can check your child frequently to catch a problem early on. Lice don’t jump or fly. They need close contact to spread. Consider pulling long hair back into ponytails or braids. Teach your child not to share combs, brushes, hats or scarves.
If your child has head lice, please inform the school nurse and the parents of your child’s playmates. Continue combing the head with the lice comb once or twice daily until no nits/lice are found. Then comb once a day for another week. Check your child regularly after that for new cases.
Make checks for head lice a routine at home, especially after play dates and sleep-overs.

Your Nurse,

M. Bendiksen, RN
Horn Elementary
713 295-5264 x4; mbendiks@houstonisd.org

Horn Notes - a weekly bulletin Tuesday, May 27, 2008