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. Past issues can be found at mann.spps.org.

You can help the process of planning for the 2025-2026 school year. In April, teachers will begin setting up class lists for next year. Please help us by completing one form per child by Friday, April 11. Here is the form.

All families are invited to attend a virtual presentation on the school budget and staffing plan for 2025-2026. You will get an overview of the District budget. You will get an overview of the school budget and plans. You will have an opportunity to give feedback.

Change from Last Week. Please consider joining on Wednesday, April 9 at 6:30pm. Horace Mann School 2025-2026 Virtual Budget Presentation

• Video call link: https://meet.google.com/eca-jbcq-qum
• Or dial: ‪(US) +1 470-735-3388‬ PIN: ‪540 050 828‬#

If you are unable to join, you can watch the meeting recording and respond to the survey. A link and survey will be shared in the April 11 Perspectives.

The Board of Education will host a special meeting to hear from the community about the budget on April 29 at the SPPS Administration Building, 360 Colborne Street, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and will be live streamed at spps.eduvision.tv/LiveSched.aspx.

The Board will vote to approve the budget on June 10, 2025. Please visit spps.org/fy26budget for more information about next year’s budget, including FAQs, videos, additional resources and a feedback form.

Spring is right around the corner and Horace Mann is preparing for an upgrade to our outdoor learning spaces.

Please save the date for our Spring Clean-Up event! On Saturday, April 12th, the Horace Mann Garden Committee and the PTA's Landscape Committee are joining forces to host a grounds cleanup AND raised garden beds building day!

We are looking for many volunteers and would love for your family to join us. Please click here to see if there's a task or two you can help us with.

Bring the whole family and let's work together to get Horace Mann ready for spring!

We’re excited to announce an additional Discovery Club location opening next fall at the Community Education Hub in the JJ Hill building at 998 Selby Avenue! Discovery Club is a high-quality, fee-based school-age care program serving kindergarten through fifth-grade students. This new site will provide an after-school care alternative for families at Horace Mann and Randolph Heights in an attempt to address the waitlist.

Who can enroll? K-5 students from Horace Mann and Randolph Heights.

Is transportation provided? Yes, youth will be bused from their home school. Families are responsible for completing these arrangements with their home school.

How/when do we register?

• More information and a link to register can be found at www.spps.org/discoveryclub
• Open registration begins April 21st at 9:00 am
• Families will register for their attending school’s Discovery Club location (Horace Mann or Randolph Heights). A question will be asked during the registration process to indicate interest in the Community Education Hub option. Our office will follow-up with those who have interest within 14 days.
• Enrollment is first-come, first-served

Please contact the Discovery Club office at 651-632-3793 or Discovery.Club@spps.org with any questions.

K/1

The April 15 concert is just over the Spring Break horizon! To help students enjoy the experience as much as possible, we are explicit about mistakes being part of learning, and we've been watching short video clips of many kind 2nd-5th graders sharing strategies that have helped them manage stage fright. Sometimes we can make small changes to help a child feel more comfortable. If you're concerned about your child's level of worry, please reach out. We want children's early performance experiences to strengthen their confidence.

Gr 2/3

Second and third graders have been adding levels of complexity to their ensemble work, using instruments to assemble overlapping 8-beat repeating patterns before they start building their own patterns and pieces. Some of this involves improvisation, and some of it involves notation, and all of it involves focus and teamwork. It's extremely gratifying when 'noise' clicks into 'music' after some practice: eyes light up with recognition and it reinforces the class motto that practice makes progress.

Gr 4/5

The cheery earworm songs for "Wizard of Oz" are in our pocket. Next we will begin rehearsing scenes. Because our production values are centered on student growth, every student who volunteered for a speaking or crew role has one. I'm so pleased that more students volunteer for this each year! Also, that makes for a cast of 92. That's not a typo. Our sets, props, and costumes will be simple to account for the complexity of incorporating all the brave actors. If you are a person who enjoys musical theater and would like to be part of the production in any way, send me a note! Lastly, some students already volunteered to make a prop or set piece: as a parent I know sometimes a school project becomes a parent project, so please don't feel obligated to make it happen. We can use our imaginations to fill in all the blanks!

Sincerely,

Ms. Bowron, Horace Mann Music Teacher

Stephanie.Bowron@spps.org

Head over to the website hgra.org to register for kid's leagues in Soccer, Track, Baseball and T-Ball. Sign up at the link: HGRA 2025 Registration Link.

Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is not sponsoring, endorsing, or recommending HGRA activities/events and no SPPS student will be turned away due to inability to pay.

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

Friday, March 28

• No School- Spring Conferences 8:00am-12:00pm

Monday, March 31-Friday, April 4

• No School - Spring Break

Monday, April 7

• 2:00-3:45pm Extended Day for Learning (EDL)

Tuesday, April 8

• 7:15-7:35am School Store
• 2:00-3:00pm Language Sprouts Spanish

Wednesday, April 9

• 7:45-10:45am Author/Illustratror Rick Chrustowski Residency with First Grade
• 2:00-3:45pm Extended Day for Learning (EDL)
• 6:30pm Virtual 2025-2026 Budget/Staffing Presentation for Families

Thursday, April 10

• 8:40-11:00am Gr 2-3 Field Trip to Highland Park High School for "The Little Mermaid"
• 2:00-3:00pm Language Sprouts Spanish
• 2:00-3:10pm Spring Community Education Classes Begin

Friday, April 11

• 7:45-10:45am Author/Illustratror Rick Chrustowski Residency with First Grade
• 12:45-1:40pm Kdg & Gr 1 Music Concert Rehearsal in Holleran Hall

Monday, April 14

• 10:45, 11:25, 12:10 Lunch Concerts by 2nd Year Band
• 12:50pm MCA Parade
• 2:00-3:45pm Extended Day for Learning (EDL)
• 6:00-8:00pm Special Education Advisory Council at 360 Colborne

Tuesday, April 15

• 7:15-7:35am School Store
• Grades 3-5 MCA Reading Test (Gr 3 & 5 8:15-9:45am, Gr 4 9:15-10:45am)
• 1:00pm K-Gr 1 Music Concert for the School in the Gym
• 2:00-3:00pm Language Sprouts Spanish
• 6:00pm K-Gr 1 Music Concert for Families in the Gym

Wednesday, April 16

• Grades 3-5 MCA Reading Test (Gr 3 & 5 8:15-9:45am, Gr 4 9:15-10:45am)
• 7:45-10:45am Author/Illustratror Rick Chrustowski Residency with First Grade
• 2:00-3:45pm Extended Day for Learning (EDL)
• 5:00-8:00pm Somali Parent Advisory Council at 360 Colborne
• 5:30-8:00pm Hmong Parent Advisory Council at 360 Colborne

Thursday, April 17

• Grades 3-5 MCA Reading Make Up Testing (Gr 3 & 5 8:15-9:45am, Gr 4 9:15-10:45am)
• 9:30-11:30am Doenges' & Glass' Field Trip to MIA
• 2:00-3:00pm Language Sprouts Spanish
• 2:00-3:10pm Spring Community Education Classes
  

Friday, April 18

• No School- Teacher Professional Development

Perspectives Submission Deadline: Thursdays by 8:00am

Email: jim.litwin@spps.org
Website: https://mann.spps.org/
Location: 2001 Eleanor Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55116

Phone: 651-293-8965
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPPSHoraceMannSchool/

A big thank you to everyone for their participation in this year's auction - with your help, we raised over $66,133 (…and counting!) to help the PTA continue to provide support for enrichment programs, supplies and equipment for classrooms and fun opportunities for our school community to connect throughout the year.

Please enjoy the wonderful video below created by Horace Mann dad Riley Conway.

Coloring contest winners will be announced after Spring Break. 6 students will win a prize from Bricks & Minifigs!

Missed out on an auction item but still want to make a donation? There's still time! Donate through the auction website.

Great Gathering events and Horace Mann mugs will remain available until sold out!

Thank you so much to the businesses and individuals who donated items for the auction, volunteers, Great Gathering hosts and all of you who participated through online and live auction bidding, event attendance and generous donations to make this year's auction a great success.

A special thanks to the auction planning committee: Co-Chairs Allison Deep, Sarah Haley and Virginia Ryan. Committee: Amy Kortuem, Allison Broughton, Karen Vander Sanden, Catherine Guglielmo, Carly Anderson, Cara Gustafson, Katie Bliss, Justin Fleming, Jennifer Duda Butwinick and Mariyam Nayeri.

Cheers to our sponsors & partners!

• Swor & Gatto

• Bricks & Minifigs Highland Park

• Butwinick Law Office

• VanGo Auto

• 401k Plan Professionals

• TJW Property Service

• Lake Monster Brewing

• Deneen Pottery

Questions? Contact the auction committee at auction@hms-pta.org

There are many Great Gathering events still available. They will remain open for registration until sold out so there is still time to sign up to enjoy one (or two or three) this year!

Great Gatherings Spotlight

Basketball and Beverages on Thursday, April 10th, 6:00-8:30PM.

Hosted by Principal Litwin, enjoy a little post-March Mann Madness basketball! Play pickup basketball in the Horace Mann School gym. Afterwards, head over to Tiffany's where the first round of beverages will be courtesy of Principal Litwin. Adults only, please.

Deneen Pottery Tour on Friday, April 11th from 5:00-6:30PM.

Come and tour Deneen Pottery with the owner and president Niles Deneen. This after-hours tour will allow you to see firsthand how each mug is created from a hapless piece of clay into a beautiful finished mug. Each guest will receive a free mug of their choice from the samples room and the tour will conclude with a free beer from the Urban Growler Brewery. Adults only, please.

5th Grade Flag Football on Saturday, April 12th from 9:30-11AM.

Rookie or seasoned player - all 5th graders are welcome in this annual game! Join your classmates at Mattocks Park for a round of flag football (like the Pro Bowl and the 2028 Olympics - no tackling) and a treat. Hosts: Everett Peterson, Harlan Feliciano and families

Check out the other April Great Gatherings that still have spots left:

• April 24- Oula Exercise Dance Class
• April 25- 5th Grade Parents Whirly Ball

Thank you families for your enthusiasm and support on a very successful presale of plants! The Plant Sale made over $17,740, of which a portion will directly benefit our students. We are looking forward to watching our school garden beds come to life and wish you all happy gardening. We will be in touch as we approach our plant pick up date of May 10th on those details.

Thank you to Committee Co-chairs Brigitte Koepke Smith and Ann Olsen-Samms along with Catherine Polacek for her artwork and website building. If you are interested in volunteering with us on May 10th please reach out to hmplantsale@gmail.com.

President: Grace Hanson, president@hms-pta.org

Vice-President: Gina Corradi, president@hms.-pta.org

Treasurer: Alex Stuart & Sam Smith, treasurer@hms-pta.org

Teacher Reps: Amy Kortuem & Mark Lindskoog, teacher-rep@hms-pta.org

Communications: Lisa Ortmann, communications@hms-pta.org

Volunteer Coordinator: Christine Holloway, volunteer.coordinator@hms-pta.org

Recorders: Andrea Gleckner & Sarah Liuzzi, recorder@hms-pta.org

Check the HMS PTA website for the most up to date information about meetings, latest forms, announcements, contact information, volunteer opportunities and more. Click on the “Treasurer’s report and Budget” to see this year’s budget. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please email web-admin@hms-pta.org.

Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is not sponsoring, endorsing, or recommending the activities/events announced in the PTA Section and no SPPS student will be turned away due to inability to pay.