🐻🧡💙 Congratulations to our MBES Teachers of the Year!

We are proud to recognize four outstanding educators for their dedication, hard work, and commitment to our students and school community!

🏆 K–2 Teacher of the Year: Jami French – 2nd Grade

🏆 3–5 Teacher of the Year: Dr. Ryan Moulden – ESL

🏆 Specialist Teacher of the Year: Ashley Baxter – PE

🏆 Rookie Teacher of the Year: Amber Kitts – 1st Grade

Each of these educators will now represent Mary Blount Elementary as they compete for Blount County Schools Teacher of the Year in their respective categories. The top four finalists in each district category will be invited to a special recognition banquet next month!

Please join us in congratulating these deserving educators! We are grateful for the difference they make in the lives of our students each and every day.

We are proud to call them MBES Bears! 🐻🧡💙

🎓🐻 BCS Parents Informational Night – UT FUTURE Program!

Blount County Schools families are invited to learn more about the FUTURE Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville!

The FUTURE Program is a postsecondary education program designed to help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities build valuable life skills, prepare for employment, develop independence, and successfully transition into adulthood.

🌟 Program Opportunities Include:

College classes

Internships and job skills

Student organizations

Independent living skills

Vocational certificate upon successful completion

📅 Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026
🕕 Time: 6:00–7:00 PM
📍 Location: 831 Grandview Drive, Maryville, TN 37803

Guest Presenter: Eden Krumholz

Come explore how the FUTURE Program helps students build skills, gain independence, and prepare for exciting opportunities beyond high school!

💙🧡 We encourage interested Bear families to attend and learn more about this valuable program.

#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

Please be aware of several changes to bus routes that will impact students at our school. These changes will be in place until further notice.

The Scholastic Book Fair gets kids excited about reading and earns funds for our school.

Your child is cordially invited to attend our Book Fair on November 4-11! Get them prepared by visiting https://www.scholastic.com/bf/maryblountelementaryschool , where you can also create a Book Fair eWallet.

It’s gonna be the Best. Fair. Ever!

#ScholasticBookFairs

📸🐻 Say Cheese, Bears! Group Picture Day is Coming! 🐻📸

Mark your calendars! Group Picture Day is Thursday, October 15th!

📋 Order forms are being sent home today, so be sure to check your student's backpack!

Here are the important details:
• 📅 Date: Thursday, October 15th
• 💲 Cost: $15.00
• 💳 Payment Options: Online, cash, or check (checks should be made payable to Lifetouch).
• 🌐 Order Online: https://my.lifetouch.com
• 🔑 Picture Day ID: EVTQZQ8TF

Please note: All picture orders and payments are handled directly through Lifetouch.

We can't wait to see those smiling Bear faces! 🐻💙🧡 #mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

🧡💙🐻 Happy Custodian Appreciation Day! 🐻💙🧡

We are incredibly grateful for the hard work our custodial crew puts in every single day to keep our students healthy and our school clean, safe, and welcoming.

So much of what they do happens behind the scenes and after hours. Their work may often go unseen, but the results are noticed every morning when we open our doors and welcome our students and staff into a building that is ready for another day of learning.

Today, we want to say a special THANK YOU to LeeAnn Hurst, Nikki Helton, Chris Maddox, and Chris Maples for the pride and care they put into Mary Blount each day.

We appreciate you and all you do for our MBES family! 🐻🧡💙

The Turkey Trot is coming up soon! MBES has been one of the biggest recipients of grants from BCEF over the past few years. Sign up to run in a fun face and support MBES at the same time!

⏰🐻 FINAL Cookie Dough Fundraiser Reminder

If you still have cookie dough orders or money to turn in, everything must be submitted to the school **TODAY by 1:00 PM**.

Please remember that this is a prepaid fundraiser. All orders must have payment turned in in order to be processed. **Any orders without payment will not be placed.**

Thank you for making sure all remaining order forms and payments are turned in by the 1:00 PM deadline.

We appreciate the support of our Bear families! 💙🧡🐻

🎉🐻 **Our Final Fundraiser Winners!** 🐻🎉

We wrapped up our fundraiser with our final two plushie drawings today!

Congratulations to Tyler from Kindergarten, who took home our BIG Seagull, and Maddie from 4th grade, who won our BIG Axolotl! 🎉

And an even BIGGER thank you to all of our Mary Blount families for your incredible support throughout our fundraiser! Whether you placed an order, shared the fundraiser with family and friends, or helped your Bear collect orders, we truly appreciate your participation and support. 💙🧡

Thank you for helping make our fundraiser a success, and congratulations again to Tyler and Maddie! 🐻

#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

🍂🐻 Hello, October! 🐻🍂

October is almost here, and there’s plenty happening at Mary Blount! Our October Newsletter is ready with important dates, upcoming events, school reminders, and more to help our Bear families stay connected and informed throughout the month.

Take a few minutes to check it out and see what’s coming up! 🍁📅💙

#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

The Scholastic Book Fair gets kids excited about reading and earns funds for our school.

Your child is cordially invited to attend our Book Fair on November 4-11! Get them prepared by visiting https://www.scholastic.com/bf/maryblountelementaryschool , where you can also create a Book Fair eWallet.

It’s gonna be the Best. Fair. Ever!

#ScholasticBookFairs

🎉🐻 Celebrating Our BCEF Grant Recipients! 🐻🎉

A big Bear congratulations to our Mary Blount educators who were selected as Blount County Education Foundation Grant recipients!

These grants help turn great ideas into meaningful learning experiences for our students, and we are excited to see how our teachers put them to work in their classrooms. Their creativity, dedication, and commitment to helping our Bears grow and succeed continue to make Mary Blount a great place to learn! 💙📚✨

Thank you to the Blount County Education Foundation for investing in our educators and supporting opportunities that make a difference for our students.

Congratulations, Bears! We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life! 🐻💙

#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

🐻 Fundraiser Reminder

Just a reminder that our fundraiser is a prepaid fundraiser, which means all orders must be paid for when they are submitted.

All money and completed order forms are due tomorrow.

Please be sure to send both the order form and payment with your student. Thank you for supporting Mary Blount! 💙🐻

#mbesbears #great2beabear

🐻 DOUBLE the winners, DOUBLE the fun! 🎉

Congratulations to Garon and Xander, both from 2nd grade, our latest plushie drawing winners! Garon took home the BIG badger 🦡, and Xander won the BIG elephant! 🐘 Way to go, Bears!

But wait… there’s more! 👀

🌊 Our next BIG plushie is ready to swoop in! The seagull will be up for grabs in Monday’s drawing! 🐦🍟

And we have some exciting fundraiser news: the deadline has been EXTENDED through Tuesday! 🎉 Families have a little more time to turn in money and orders, so keep those sales coming!

🎥 Be sure to watch today’s video for the latest fundraiser updates:
https://youtu.be/lVmqh87bfL0?si=5NCVdn8XY6T5m7IF

Thank you for continuing to support Mary Blount! 🧡💙

#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

🍂 Fall Closet Cleanout! 🍂

Cleaning out closets as the seasons change? Don’t forget about our school’s Clothes Bin! 👕👟

Families can donate:
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Bags & belts
• Towels & bedding

Please place all donated items in a bag before putting them inside the bin.

It’s an easy way to clear out items your family no longer needs while supporting our school! 🐻🧡💙

#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

Congratulations to our first set of 25 point earners for being on the BEAR WAY at MBES. These 4th and 5th grade students exhibit excellence with their behavior in all areas of the school! Way to go Bears!

🐾 Our first BIG plushie has found a home! 🐯🎉

Congratulations to Lucy from 4th grade, today’s plushie drawing winner! She took home our first BIG plushie—the tiger! 🐯🧡💙

But Bears… there are more BIG prizes ahead! 👀 Tomorrow’s drawing features our woodland friend, the badger! 🦡

Keep those fundraiser sales going, and don’t forget to check out today’s fundraiser video for another update and challenge!

🎥 Watch today’s fundraiser video
https://youtu.be/F63Rd6fDzgE?si=jakI7LHxO-ddlMps

Thank you for helping make our Fall Fundraiser a success! 🐾
#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears

📚🐻 Curriculum Night is this Thursday!

We’re looking forward to welcoming our Mary Blount families for Curriculum Night this Thursday evening! 🧡💙

To help our teachers prepare enough materials for everyone attending, please complete the RSVP form using the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kpTxOjXWtguc3nz_CrHkCvzlxTKG9MCQ5VTecL2C4i8/edit

Thank you for helping us prepare. We look forward to seeing you Thursday! 🐻

#mbesbears #great2beabear #GoBears