The Hillsboro Cluster will have a community health fair Saturday, Sept. 10, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Hillsboro in the main gymnasium. Representatives from the Red Cross and Whole Foods will be present. Additionally, visitors can get eye exams by an optician and $25 flu shots from Walgreens. Other special health services will also be available.

Thursday, Sept. 8, Norman Binkley Elementary teacher Betsy Cate will be featured as the News2 Educator of the Week. See what makes Cate standout in a special segment Thursday night at 10pm or Friday morning between 6 - 7 am.

Hundreds of students at Cole Elementary School were hand delivered books this afternoon. Tennessee's First Lady Crissy Haslam and dozens of faithful bicyclists and literacy enthusiasts made a five-mile trek to the school with the books loaded on their bikes. The special event was made possible by Ride for Reading, a local non-profit started by Cole teacher Matthew Portell. Because of the organization's care for physical and mental education, every student at the school will take home a new book this afternoon and a few lessons about bicycle safety.

The National Folk Festival is coming to Nashville and several artists will be visiting Metro Schools! Friday, Sept. 2, Ozden Oztopak, Eddie Pennington, Dale Ann Bradley, and Oyama and Nitta will visit students at I.T. Creswell, Pearl-Cohn, Dan Mills, and Buena Vista, respectively.

The Virtual School is open and looking for students! Metro Schools’ newest and most high-tech learning experience has 135 open spots for full-time students and several more left for part-timers, as well.

At Virtual School students can take courses online in to receive a quality education in a virtual environment. Students will be taught online by highly qualified, certified teachers.



Full-time students can earn their diplomas by earning up to six credits per year. They must apply and meet the qualifying criteria.

Part-time students can choose from dozens of courses offered at Virtual School. These courses may not be offered at every school, but are available to every student online. These include courses in all core subjects, Health & Wellness, and AP courses like English, English Lit, Biology, Marcoeconomics, Psychology, US History & Statistics.

Students interested in part-time work through Virtual School should contact their School Counselors. Much more information is available on the Virtual School website, www.vlearn.mnps.org.

Time is of the essence. If you want to take advantage of this great opportunity, don’t delay! A whole world of classes is available to every high school student online. Sign up! Take part!

Maplewood High School is off to a great start, with students, staff and parents pumped about the new school year. Under Principal Ron Woodard's leadership the key focus is to raise expectations, raise achievement and show students the opportunities that await after they graduate.

The LP Pencil Box has another great chance for you to help bring school supplies to the students and classrooms who need them. This time it comes with the chance to buy beautiful artisan jewelry, gifts, and home decor from around the world.

Ten Thousand Villages will be donating a portion of its sales to the LP Pencil Box this Sunday, August 21 from noon to 5:00 p.m.

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit, fair trade store in Green Hills that supports artisans across the globe. Their products help these artisans attain a fair wage to pay for for food, education, healthcare and housing.



The LP Pencil Box is a free school supply store for educators in Nashville. Teachers can shop at the Pencil Box and bring supplies back to their classrooms. They rely on donations of supplies and cash to keep their operations going.



Head over to Green Hills this Sunday to support our teachers and students!

From delicious fruit kabobs to how to make the most of your child's health habits at school, check out the Office of Coordinated School Health's August Newsletter.

Who doesn't like pizza?? Book 'em has partnered up with California Pizza Kitchen for this year's "Dine Out for Book 'em," where a slice of your pizza money goes to help kids learn to read. What better deal is there??

You MUST present the Book 'em voucher when buying your pizza. The voucher is available for download here. The voucher is good for dine in or carry out orders. More information on the Book 'em website.

Dine Out for Book 'em
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
California Pizza Kitchen
Hill Center, 4031 Hillsboro Pike
615-460-0192

World-renowned musician Janis Ian has a passion for reading, libraries and education. So her inspiring address at a recent inservice for Metro Schools Librarian comes straight from the heart.

Ms. Ian joined the librarians for lunch at JT Moore Middle School on August 9th. She then closed their full-day session with a speech on the power of books in her life and an uplifting message for librarians everywhere as the new school year begins. As thanks, the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Please take a few moments to read the transcript of her speech. It carries a powerful message about how reading - and the people who help facilitate it - can change lives. Truly worth reading.

When prehistoric man made his first symbols, and connected those symbols with true language, he began a chain of events that would enlighten and ennoble the world. The written word informs us. It challenges us. It drags us to the depths and lifts us to the heavens, in one graceful arc that can only be appreciated by those who can read. Libraries are a hallmark of a civilized culture, and librarians represent that culture to all facets of society. We artists have a great affinity with you librarians, for many reasons, not the least of which is that we exist in large part to educate, and to protect. To make order out of chaos, and to teach others to do the same. To keep the dreams of a nation, of a people, safe for future generations. To make those dreams available to everyone – not just the wealthy or beautiful, not just the people of one race or one color or one religion – but available to everyone who dares to dream of something bigger than themselves.

FULL SPEECH

This summer, two Maplewood High School students interned with the Ciber group at Nashville Electric Service. Check out the article that was included in NES's recent newsletter.

The first day of the 2011-12 school year is one that Martin Luther King, Jr. Principal Dr. Schunn Turner will never forget. That morning, as she was helping students, teachers and staff get settled for the school year, Joseph DeHarde dropped in with a big surprise. The Class of 2011 graduate wanted to "give back to a great school." DeHarde donated $5,000 to the school's track program and $2,000 to the biology program.

Save the Date!

Dupont Hadley Middle School and the Old Hickory Chamber will host their 2^nd annual Taste of the Town on Sept. 8^th from 6-8 p.m. This event will take place at Dupont Hadley Middle school and will feature up to 23 food venders and 22 business vendors, as well as local entertainment! The school is located in Old Hickory at 1901Old Hickory Blvd.

Tickets are:

Adults - $10.00 in advance; $12.00 at the door

Kids under 14 - $5.00

Advance tickets are available at Sonic in Old Hickory, DHMS, Old Hickory Credit Union, and through the Chamber. For more information or to purchase tickets contact Sheryl Wright at Dupont Hadley Middle 847-7300.

Dr. Julie McCargar, executive director of federal programs for MNPS, is being heard around the nation. She was asked to write a blog, which happened to be her very first!, about No Child Left Behind and its impact on schools, in Nashville and across the U.S. Her experience, expertise, and honesty about the controversial topic landed her blog in This Week in Education's "Top Five Blogs." Curious to see what she wrote? Check out Dr. McCargar's debut blog.

Antioch High School has something to cheer about! The school's Academy of Technology and Communications is now officially partnered with Nissan Americas. Check out the news release issued earlier this week by Pencil Foundation, who helped organize the partnership.

LP PENCIL Box is officially back in business! The center reopened August 3. Teachers can shop twice each year, picking up educational and art supplies donated by area businesses, organizations and individuals. To schedule an appointment, visit www.pencilfd.org.