	Principals’ Paws Family Newsletter Published by the Principals of Mary Blount Elementary School
Volume 3, Issue 2		January 9, 2008
Expect Great Things in 2008
				Mark Your January Calendars 07 –31^st Yearbooks on Sale 09 – Report Cards 18 – Group Pictures 21 – No School (M.L.K. Day) 22 – Feb.1^st Book Fair 28 –County-wide Spelling Bee 31 – Chili Cook-Off *Mark Your February Calendar* 01 – Book Fair ends 04 – Spelling Bee Make-Up Day 05 – No School (Election Day) 07 - Science Fair at M.B.E. 08 – Valentine Day Dance 13 – Progress Reports 15 - 18 --No School-- 21 – Bear Night/Science Fair display 26 – County Wide Science Fair *Mark Your March Calendar* 04 – No School 11 – Spring Picture Time at M.B.E. Academic Olympics at WBHS 17 – 21 No School (Spring Break) 24 - Regular School Day 26 – Report Cards 31 – Parent Conferences 8am-2pm Mary Blount Elementary School 131 South Old Glory Road Maryville, TN 37801 Phone: (865) 980-1430 Fax: (865) 980-1428 Sandra Bell, Principal sandra.bell@blountk12.org Stan Painter, Assistant Principal stan.painter@blountk12.org
We hope you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday and hope you and your family will be blessed in 2008. We are excited to welcome The Foothills Bank and Trust as a new Adopt-a-School partner! We are looking forward to having them in our school and visiting their bank! On returning from Christmas Break they provided teachers with goody bags and cookies that were much appreciated! Our other adopt-a-school partner Standard Aero provided students and staff with milk and donuts on Nov.21^stalong with a $1,500.00 donation to help the PTO with the final playground pavilion. Another thank you goes out to the Exxon Company and Calloway Oil Co. of Maryville for awarding MBE a $500.00 grant toward our reading program! We appreciate the continued support from these local businesses as their contributions of time and money are critical to the successes we experience at MBE! Once again we are collecting old phone books so please send us all the old books you have and can collect. Continue to collect those Mayfield’s milk caps, boxtops, soup labels, Food City receipts, etc. as the money we receive from those programs continue to be beneficial. It all adds up to extra things at MBE for our students! Spring is quickly approaching and we need volunteers to help move 3 mounds of playground mulch! If you have a “bobcat” type machine, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, time, muscles, and are willing to donate any of these , please contact the front office!! We want our playground area to be as safe as is possible! We appreciate your patience and help with the new dismissal procedures. Those of you patiently waiting in your vehicles are allowing teachers to safely get their students out to the pickup area. If you must check out your student prior to the class arrival under the pick-up pavilion please report to the office to handle this properly. It is critical that your child be present every day and on time! Please understand that if a child is tardy they miss out on the plan for their day! Please have your student present and in their class daily from 7:45 a.m. (if they don’t eat breakfast at school and if they eat breakfast at school they should arrive by 7:15) until 2:45 p.m. This will also help your student learn the importance of promptness and dependability! Appreciatively~~Mrs. Bell and Mr. Painter 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.

From the Media Department Ms. Bivens The Book Fair is coming soon! Jan. 22^nd-Feb. 1^st. Ms. Bivens and Ms. Kathy are planning to have another successful book fair in January. Since school will be closed on Monday, Jan. 21 for the Martin Luther King holiday, we will start on Tuesday, Jan. 22nd and close on Friday, Feb. 1st. Since Parent Nights are so popular (and crowded), we're planning to be open for two parent nights this year. One of the open nights will be the same night as the Chili Cook-Off. A definite date for the 2nd Parent Night has not been scheduled at this time, but will be announced as soon as possible. Volunteers are desperately needed. If you would like to work in the Book Fair one morning, an afternoon, or all day, please let Ms. Bivens or Ms. Kathy know when you will be available (980-1430). We need people to run the cash register, help younger students write out their wish lists, straighten tables and shelves, locate books for customers, and conduct "crowd control." We always have loads of fun, but without help, a Book Fair can be overwhelming. Everyone - parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles - is welcome!				From the Art Department Ms. Woods “JOLLEY” LITTLE ARTISTS Accomplished clay artist, Annamaria Gundlach, was able to spend ten days at MBES, thanks to a grant from the TN ARTS COMMISION. During her visit, Annamaria, assisted by art teacher Heather Woods, introduced the students to local TN artists, such as Richard Jolley, Red Grooms, Buford Delaney, and Bessie Harvey. Influenced by the artwork they had viewed, the students then created their own artwork. Projects included clay medallion necklaces, pottery, paintings, and sculptures. Look for our proud display of student artwork at our Blount County Public Library in February 2008!


From the Music Department: Mr. Hurst December was a busy time for Mary Blount music students. Students were given the opportunity to perform for the Christmas tree lighting at the Blount County Courthouse. 2nd and 3rd grade classes performed at McGhee Tyson Airport while 1st grade classes performed at our adopt-a-school, Standard Aero. The 2nd nine week Bear Night featured our kindergarten and 1st grade students singing holiday songs and performing Christmas carols with bells. Our 4th and 5th grade choir members performed a mini holiday concert during the school day for our kindergarten and 1st grade classes. Also, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students enjoyed a visit from the William Blount High School Singers and Cadence groups.

From the Physical Education Department Ms. Jagels One of the requirements for our participation in the state School Health initiatives is to time each 2nd and 4th grade student in a one-mile run (skip, hop, or walk). The Mary Blount 2nd and 4th grade students completed their one-mile run during the month of November. Please give your child a pat on the back for doing their personal best with the one-mile run. I must say, we have some fast runners! Parents, don't forget to send in healthy goodies for your child’s class treats and parties!!			NOTIFICATION: All teachers assigned to Mary Blount Elementary School are highly qualified according to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) guidelines. Parents have the right to check the licensing qualifications of teachers by visiting the Tennessee Department of Education website at http://state.tn.us/education/. All Title paraprofessionals assigned to Mary Blount Elementary School are highly qualified according to NCLB guidelines. Parents have the right to check these qualifications by calling Blount County Schools Personnel Office at 865-984-1212.