Principals’ Paws

Family Newsletter Published by the Principals of Mary Blount Elementary School

Volume 1, Issue 6

                                              January 10, 2007

Happy New Year…

 

 
       Mark Your Calendars

 

Jan. 10: Report Cards

 

Jan. 15: No School, Martin Luther

               King, Jr. Holiday

 

Jan. 19: Group Pictures, 20-Day

               Review

 

Jan. 22-Feb. 2: Book Fair

 

Jan. 25: Family Book Fair Night, 

              6:00-8:30

 

Feb. 6: 5th grade Writing

             Assessment

 

Feb. 7: Progress Reports

 

Feb. 13: MBE Science Fair (4th/5th)

 

Feb. 15: 20-day Review

 

Feb. 27: Bear Night, 2nd/3rd, 6-8 pm

               County Science Fair, 6-9

               pm @ Heritage High

 

Mar. 2: Spring Pictures

 

Mar. 12-16: Spring Break

 

Mar. 20: Academic Olympics,

               WBHS, 6-9 pm

 

Mar. 21: Report Cards

 

Mar. 23: 20-day Review

 

Mar. 26: Parent Conferences, 9-3

Happy New Year to all Mary Blount families.  We hope everyone enjoyed a restful and peaceful break.  This newsletter is being sent home with report cards.  Please take time to review your child’s progress during the second grading period, and you may contact your child’s teacher if you have questions.

 

We would like to welcome Mr. Rob Hensley, our new first grade teacher, to the Mary Blount family.   Due to overcrowded classes in first grade at the beginning of the year, our class numbers were flagged by the state, and we were able to add a teacher to reduce the number of students in each class.  What a great opportunity for our teachers to further individualize and meet student needs at such a crucial time in their education.

 

On Friday, December 8, MBE students participated in the Scholastic Books Global Read-A-Thon.  Millions of students around the world took time to read for 2006 seconds (roughly 33 minutes).  What a great way to celebrate the gift of reading. 

 

Please remember to refrain from parking in drop off/pick-up lanes or blocking the handicap accessible ramps at the front of the building.  We appreciate your help with this matter. 

 

Please make sure your child’s teacher has updated phone numbers and early dismissal information in case of bad weather during this winter season.

 

Please bring your old phone books and put them in the dumpster that has been placed next to the aluminum can and newspaper recycling bins at the south entrance to the campus.  Collection will go through March 16, 2007.

 

The Central Office is sponsoring two STEP Programs in the coming months:

§         January 16: Language Enhancement for Home and School, 6-8 pm

§         March 6: Effective Inclusion Practices, 6-8 pm

All meetings will take place at Blount County Schools’ Central Office.  Call Judy Wilson at 984-1212 to register. 

 

PTO updates…continue to send in Food City receipts, used ink cartridges, and Campbell’s soup labels.  We also have dumpsters at the south entrance for aluminum cans and newspapers.  January is box tops month—please start collecting today.

 

REMINDER…read with your child 20 minutes each evening.

 

Appreciatively,

Mrs. Bell and Mr. Murrell

 

 

Mary Blount Elementary School

131 South Old Glory Road

Maryville, TN 37801

 

Phone: (865) 980-1430

Fax: (865) 980-1428

 

 

 

The vision of Mary Blount Elementary School is to encourage a love of learning, prepare responsible citizens, develop lifelong learners,

and cultivate a respect for diversity.

 

 

Hats off to…

 

  • MBE Social Studies Fair winners---4th grade: Tabitha Smith and Rachel Cable.  5th grade: Mary Baker and Miranda Heflin. 

 

  • first grade teachers, Jami French and Carol Massaro for writing and receiving a $1200 grant from the Blount County Education Foundation for the first grade theme, A Hiking We Will Go.  The funds will be used to purchases instructional supplies to enrich the 1st grade theme study throughout the year. 

 

  • the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams who participated in the Blount County Elementary Tournament during the first week of December.  The girls placed second overall and the boys placed third overall.  Ami Hartline, Haley Talbott, Chandler Tuck, and Peyton Wall were named to the All-Tournament Team. 

 

  • MBE Spelling Bee Winners—1st: Manal Abbas, 2nd: Tanner Wilson, 1st Alternate: Mary Baker, 2nd Alternate: Victoria Txakeeyang.  Manal and Tanner will represent MBE at the county competition on Feb. 6.

 

  • the MBE Bell Choir for their performance at Hometown Christmas at the Courthouse on Nov. 30.  Under the direction of Mr. Hurst, over 100 students came out to represent our school.

 

  • Kindergarten and 1st grade students who performed at our Bear Night on Dec. 14. 

 

Making Connections-Bonding Families Using the Lifeskills, by Ms. Tuck, MBE Counselor

 

The Lifeskill of Friendship means “making and keeping a friend through mutual trust & caring.”  Friendship is one Lifeskill that most kids have an easy time understanding – they love making & keeping friends! Take time with your child to talk about the kind of friends they like to have. The same characteristics they want in their friends, like trustworthiness, caring and sense of humor, are probably the same things their friends want from them. Talk about ways your child can use these Lifeskills to become a better friend to others. Did you know that Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were not only two of the greatest inventors of all times, but they were also really good friends? Edison, who invented the electric light bulb and the phonograph, suggested to Ford that he should try using gasoline to run his new automobiles. Turns out, good friendships aren’t just good for playing together. Choose the right friend, and he might also help you make history!

 

ART SMART, by Ms. Poppelreiter, MBE Art Teacher

 

The art room has been humming the National Anthem as students worked on their patriotic American collage.  Americana was the theme and students created an appropriate background to go with the symbol of America they chose.  Self-portraits are included in the collage.  The art room used a large quantity of red, white, and blue paint.
 

 

Keeping Fit, by Ms. Jagels, MBE Wellness Instructor

 

Fat is a component in food. Some foods, including most fruits and vegetables, have almost no fat.  Other foods have plenty of fat. They include nuts, oils, butter, and meats like beef.  The name – fat- may make it sound like something you should not eat.  But fat is an important part of a healthy diet. And little kids, especially, need a certain amount of fat in their diets so the brain and nervous system develops correctly.  That is why toddlers need to drink whole milk, which has more fat, and older kids can drink low –fat or skim milk.

 

Types of Fat

Unsaturated fats: These are found in plant foods and fish. These may be good for heart health. The best of the unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, albacore tuna, and salmon.

Saturated fats: These fats are found in meat and other animal products, such as butter, cheese, and all milk except skim. Saturated fats are also in palm and coconut oils, which are often used in commercial baked goods (the kind you buy at the store).  Eating too much saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.

Trans fats: These fats are found in margarine, especially the sticks. Trans fats are also found in certain foods that you buy at the store or in a restaurant, such as snack foods, baked goods, and fried foods. When you see “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils on an ingredient list, the food contains trans fats. Like saturated fats, eating too much can raise cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.

 

 

Please check out our updated webpage at… http://www.blountk12.org/Mbweb/Mary_Blount_Elementary.htm