Principals’ Paws

Family Newsletter Published by the Principals of Mary Blount Elementary School

Volume 4, Issue 2

January 9, 2009

Exciting Times in 2009!

 

Mark Your Calendars

 

Jan.

8 -Spelling Bee, 6:30

           @ MHS

12 -Spelling Bee Makeup

16 -Group Pictures

19 -Martin Luther King

            Holiday

23 -Chili Cook Off

26-2/6/0 - Book Fair

Feb

3 -5th Grade Writing

           Assessment

1 -   Progress Reports

16 - Presidents Day

        Holiday

17 -7:30am – 10:30am

        Parent Conferences

 24 -Science Fair, 5 – 8:30

        pm @ HHS

Mar.

5 -   Bear Night, 6:00

16-20 -  Spring Break

 

        Quick Links

MBE Website

www.blountk12.org

 

 

Happy New Year to all our MBE Family and Friends!

It is hard to imagine that 2009 is here and half of our school year has passed!  We are excited at the achievements our students have made as well as looking forward to the remainder of this school year.  Grade cards were scheduled to go home last Wednesday but due to computer software difficulties are being sent today.  I appreciate your understanding and patience!

Our students have worked hard planting red tulips in recognition of the national “Red Ribbon Week” which is the initiative for keeping students drug and alcohol free.  Wm. Blount High School Teacher Mr. Coning and his vocational class came to MBE to prepare the ground for planting and returned to help plant. We certainly appreciate Mr. Lafon allowing them to help us improve the outdoor environment as well as helping provide our students with this learning experience.  It will be exciting to see new blooms on our campus this spring. 

Our adopt-a-school partners at Standard Aero treated us again to a fun “Milk and Donut” day on Nov. 26, 2008. They graciously supplied referees for our Orange and White basketball game on Dec. 19th and presented us with a check to support our ongoing efforts at MBE.  We are certainly appreciative of the continuous support we receive from them!

Once again we want to thank you for patronizing Topper’s Pizza and BOOMERZ BBQ.  They have graciously hosted MBE as fund raisers this year and each time we receive a portion of their profits.  Our budget certainly reflects our struggling economy and every donation is helpful!

The MBE basketball teams represented us well this year and the boys came home with the 4th place trophy!  Jasmine McBrayer, Caelan Evans, and Bradley Boling were named to the Blount County All-Tournament Team!  Congratulations!!!

We appreciate the efforts of the team and their coaches during the season.  

The recent changes in our afternoon pickup are going smoothly.  We appreciate all students walking out to the front bench under the big awning with their teacher!!  We also appreciate all the adults that are following the same procedures. If everyone walks all the way out to the benches it helps teachers know who picks up their students.  Please refrain from leaving the teacher to  walk down the sidewalks off to the sides!  We strive to keep every child safe and this will help!

Please remember to read to or with your student at least 15 minutes every day.  Not only will it improve reading skills, it sends a powerful message that Reading is important to my parent/guardian!

 

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.

 

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

 

 

 

“Making Connections –Bonding Families using the Lifeskills” by Heather Tuck, School Counselor

The Lifeskill of Responsibility means “being responsible for one’s own actions & to do what is right”.  Can you think of anything more important for us to teach our kids than that?  When children learn to take responsibility for their own actions & behaviors, they are then able to make good choices in every area of their lives – from school work, to friendships & even around the house!  As you well know, Mary Blount is taking steps this year toward becoming more “Green”.  We have committed our school to taking on the great responsibility of protecting and preserving our planet in some big ways and small ways.  You can get involved at home by bringing your recyclable cans, newspapers, cardboard & mixed paper to our bins.  Remember, Mary Blount gets money for filling these bins up, so it’s a win-win situation!  And in recycling at home, you will help your children make connections toward being responsible citizens. 

Responsibility also creates good leadership.  Our 5th graders have the opportunity to show leadership by becoming members of the Bear Council.  The Bear Council is our version of student council.  These students will have many opportunities to show Responsibility around our school.  One thing they will be doing is continuing the service project started by last year’ BC.  They are working to raise money toward the purchase of new risers that will benefit our students now and for many years to come.  At last week’s Bear Night, our Bear Council members, along with Mrs. Woods ornament sale, was able to raise $195.71!  That’s fantastic!  This year’s Bear Council members are:  Rasha Aidy, Jarrod Morgan, Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Samantha Wallace, Mia Fernandez, Chase Reno, Yoselin Torres, Sam Taylor, Wesley Harmon, and Mollie Newsome.  I hope everyone will get to know and utilize this wonderful group of kids. 

 

 

 

Keeping Fit, by Ms. Rosemary Jagels, PE Teacher

G-Y-M = Get Yourself Moving

Dear Parents,

I need your help!  I would like to start a tennis shoe recycling program at Mary Blount Elementary School.  This recycling program will help our MBES family.  I am asking that you send me tennis shoes that your child has outgrown.  Please wash the shoes before sending them to school.  The tennis shoes will be place in boxes according to sizes.  When a child needs a pair of tennis shoes for physical education class, he or she will be allowed to select a pair of shoes.  Thank you for helping with this project.

 I am also working on a bulletin board entitled “I Am Some-Body.” The I Am Some-Body bulletin board will contain pictures of MBES children participating in physical activities.  Examples include pictures of your child playing any sport, fishing, sweeping the house, walking a pet, raking leaves, hiking, skating, riding a bicycle, riding a skate board and other examples too numerous to mention. If you have any pictures of your child participating in physical activities that you would like to include in the I Am Some-Body bulletin board, please sent them to me.  I will be sure to return them when the project is concluded.  Thank you for your support of the MBES family!

 

 

Media Center, by Mrs. Bivens

The library now has a page on the Mary Blount webpage with information about library check-out limits, overdues, AR quizzes, and upcoming events.  To get to the library webpage, go to www.blountk12.org/Mbweb/Mary_Blount_Elementary.htm, then choose the Library button on the right-hand side.  Once the page opens, choose the button on the left-hand side that corresponds with your interest.  Happy hunting!

 

Please Volunteer! to help us during the Book Fair Jan. 26-Feb. 6.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Class,by Heather Woods

            As we return from this holiday break, we can reflect on the magic of the Christmas season.  Students have been focusing on their “go green” efforts all year.  We have carried this theme into the art work as well.  To decorate our school in December, each student made a Christmas ornament out of a recycled Christmas card.  We had these on display in the school foyer and in the community.  The students were also very excited about our last Bear Night, as they had made clay wreaths and clay ornaments to sell.  We were able to raise some additional funds for the school risers through that project!  I want to thank all the students who helped me in that effort!  Look for further “green” projects throughout the remainder of the school year!

Mrs. Woods

 

 

Music News, by Mr. Hurst!

Mary Blount kindergarten and 1st grade students ended our second nine weeks in music with a wonderful Christmas Bear Night performance which included singing and playing the colored bells.  Thanks so much to the Mary Blount PTO for providing two additional sets of risers for our school!  The audience could see the children so much better!  In addition, the students' performance was better because they could hear each other and see Mr. Hurst as he directed.  The 1st grade students also had an opportunity to perform the Christmas songs for Standard Aero, our adopt-a-school.  Our 2nd-5th graders studied Indian pow-wow music and then used percussion sounds on our Yamaha Keyboard Lab to accompany authentic pow-wow music.  We also studied the story of "The Nutcracker" and the life of composer Peter Tchaikovsky.  We took a behind-the-scenes look at ballet rehearsals, the costumes, the lights, and the enchanting music as the performers and stagehands demonstrated teamwork to ensure the performance was perfect.  We once again used the keyboard lab to play along with the "March" music from Act I of the ballet.  Hope everyone had a great holiday season and is ready for more musical fun during the second semester!