Hey K-8 Parents!

We are gearing up for our annual Spring Auction, and we need your help. Every year some of our most anticipated and hotly contested items are our classroom baskets. We're super excited about the themes this year, but we need your help to make them amazing!

Each grade has a unique theme, and we're asking every parent to contribute one item to their child's basket. You can donate any item you wish within the theme, or to make it even easier, our awesome volunteers have created Amazon wish lists for each basket. We are still in need of donations for our classroom baskets. If you haven’t already done so, please donate today!

Check them out:

K Squishmallow Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3B1R7XPGC2HWN?ref=cm_sw_em_r_un_un_WtaLaBnVjYWvc

1st Grade STEM Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2TNZL9DCMDQW5?ref_=wl_share

2nd Grade Wicked Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2Q7LG8I74FJEI

3rd Grade We Love Our Pets Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/17JXFKONKHTKN?ref_=wl_share

4th Grade One Spoiled Mom Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/O6RL8NQUS2O4?ref_=list_d_wl_ys_list_2

5th Grade Video Game and Gadget Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2O1XLVL6QVM31?ref_=wl_share

6th Grade Cooking and Baking Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/MLEXNGTJYJ1N

6th Grade Teen Spa Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2U3EQBJ2PB6ZA

7th Grade Art for Grown Ups and Art for Kids:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1286QNAD4SWLP?ref_=wl_share

8th Grade Disney Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3E8D1TTMMF8J7?ref_=wl_share

Your contributions will help make these baskets a hit and support our school community. Let's make this auction unforgettable!

Thanks a bunch for your generosity and participation!

Exciting Donation for the Bloom Spring Auction!

We are thrilled to announce that General Shale has generously donated an outdoor fire pit valued at $600 to our Bloom Spring Auction. The Entertainer 75 Fire Pit is perfect for cozy outdoor gatherings, with a rugged stone block design that’s both beginner-friendly for installation and built to last. We extend our heartfelt thanks to General Shale for their incredible support and commitment to our community.

If you or your employer are interested in making a donation to support our event, please contact Amber Bumgarner at usfoundation.fundraising@gmail.com. Your generosity will help us continue to provide excellent educational opportunities for our students.

Thank you for your continued support!

Come celebrate the arrival of spring with a week of exciting and educational activities at the ETSU Renaissance Child Spring Enrichment Program. We will kick the week off on Saint Patrick’s Day by using our engineering skills to build leprechaun traps. The participants will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of seasonally themed science experiments, STEM Fairy Tale projects and creative arts and crafts. We will celebrate Tennessee history by visiting Tipton Haynes Historic Site and learning how to make candles and paper in the old-fashioned way! March 20th is National Absolutely Incredible Kids Day and we at Renaissance Camp will be celebrating our “ Ren Camp Kids” throughout the week with lots of Learning in the Guise of Fun ! Children, ages 6 to 11 will explore and investigate the outdoors. They will create "make-it, take-it" activities, and enjoy field trips throughout the week. The program starts each day at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. Children need to bring a bag lunch and wear "paint-friendly" clothing as well as comfortable walking shoes.

JC Parks & Recreation Camps, March 17 - 28, 2025

Heart of Tennessee Gymnastics Camps, March 21-18, 2025

University School is currently reviewing K-12 Science textbooks/curriculum materials for adoption and implementation during the 2025-2026 school year. Families may preview materials approved by the Tennessee State Board of Education at Washington County’s Midway Center from 9:00-2:00 during the week of March 3-7. Materials may also be viewed digitally at https://www.tn.gov/textbook-commission/textbook-online-samples.html. Comments or other feedback may be submitted using the Google Form link below.

Congratulations to sixth grader Hudson Comstock on finishing third place in his division this past weekend at the 2025 TN AAU State Wrestling Championship. Way to Go, Hudson!

SAVE THE DATE ~ JAM fundraiser, Pickin' in the School-Yard is April 12th from 10am-2pm!!!

If you are interested in being a vendor or host a workshop, please sign up at this link before March 10th: https://forms.gle/C7t1qqBT61TQLbRk6

The second round of the public feedback survey is now open!

The Tennessee State Board of Education has launched its second round survey to collect public feedback on the state’s newly revised K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) Academic Standards. The survey requests public feedback through March 31, 2025.

The State Board of Education is charged in state law to review and approve ELA, social studies, science, and math standards at least every eight years. The K-12 ELA Academic Standards set grade-specific goals that establish what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of a given grade or course. Tennessee’s K-12 ELA Academic Standards are skill-based, including drafting arguments supported by evidence, and vertically aligned from kindergarten through 12th grade to ensure students are postsecondary and career-ready regardless of pathway or profession.

During the two public review periods, the State Board invites Tennesseans to share their feedback on the State’s K-12 ELA Academic Standards through an online survey. Members of the public can review the recommended changes to all sections of Tennessee’s K-12 ELA Academic Standards. The survey includes options to indicate whether a standard should be kept, changed, removed, or moved to a different grade level, as well as space to indicate if a new standard should be added.

The first round of public feedback collected almost 25,000 comments from teachers, education leaders, and parents. At the conclusion of the first survey window, teams of Tennessee educators from K-12 schools and higher education reviewed the public comments, which informed their proposed revisions. These revisions are now available for public review in the second survey window.

Following the second survey, the Standards Recommendation Committee (SRC) — a public body appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House of Representatives — will review the proposed revisions alongside public comments to finalize standards revisions to recommend to the State Board of Education for final adoption. These steps combine public input and expert vetting in a transparent and inclusive way.

Adopting the revised standards kicks off a preparation process that includes educator training, aligned textbooks and instructional materials review and adoption, and aligning state assessments to the revised standards. After these processes are complete, the revised K-12 ELA Academic Standards will be implemented in Tennessee classrooms during the 2029-30 school year.

An overview of the academic standards review process is available on the State Board of Education website. Any questions on the academic standards review process should be sent to tnstandards.review@tn.gov.

March

7 - HS Softball @ Hancock County (5:00 PM)

7 - MS Baseball HOME vs Church Hill @ 5:00 PM (Winged Deer - Huff 1)

7 - HS Baseball HOME vs Sevier County @ Milligan University (5:30 PM)

8-30 - University School Spring Break

8 - HS Baseball HOME vs Boone @ 1:00 PM (Broyles Field)

8 - HS Track & Field @ West Ridge for Alpha Wolf Relays (Time - TBD)

10 - HS Softball HOME vs. Happy Valley (Winged Deer - Huff 2)

10 - MS Baseball HOME vs. Jonesborough (Winged Deer - Huff 1)

11- HS Softball @South Greene (JV after)

11 - MS Boys' Soccer @ Unicoi

11 - HS Soccer @ West Ridge (Time TBD)

12 - MS Soccer HOME vs. Chuckey-Doak (CPA Field)

13 - HS Soccer @ Volunteer

13 - HS Track & Field Elizabethton Early Bird Meet

14 - HS Softball @ Mitchell (NC)

14 - HS Baseball @ Crockett (JV After)

15 - HS Baseball vs. Johnson County (Time & Location TBD)

17 - HS Baseball @ Cloudland (JV After)

17 - HS Softball @ Cherokee (JV after)

17 - MS Baseball HOME vs Chucky-Doak (Winged Deer - Huff 1)

18 - HS Baseball vs. Cloudland @ Home (JV After)

18 - HS Softball vs. Unaka (JV after)

18 - MS Baseball @Jonesborough

20 - HS Softball @ I.A.M. (JV after)

20 - HS track & field DB Opener @ KPT

20 - HS Baseball @ DB (Time TBD)

21 - HS Baseball vs. Hampton (Time & Location TBD)

24 - HS Baseball vs. Unaka (Location TBD) -JV After

24 - MS Softball HOME vs. Providence (Winged Deer - Huff 5)

24 - Teachers Return from Spring Break

24 - 28 - Teacher Professional Development Days

25 - HS Baseball @ Unaka (JV After)

25 - MS Softball HOME vs. Cloudland Middle (Winged Deer - Huff 5)

27 - 29 - HS Softball @ Sweetwater (Overnight)

27 - 29 - HS Baseball Clinch River Class @ Knox West

28 - HS Track & Field Hardin Valley @ KNOX

28 - HS Soccer vs. Carter HS Tournament (Location TBD)

29 - HS Soccer Tournament vs. Gibbs HS (Location TBD)

31 - Students Return from Spring Break

31 - D&D Club @ 3:15 PM in Mrs. Doran's Classroom

31 - HS Baseball vs. North Greene (Location TBD) -JV After

31 - HS Softball HOME vs. Mitchell, NC (Winged Deer - Huff 2)

31 - MS Baseball HOME vs Happy Valley (Winged Deer - Huff 1)

31 - MS Softball @ Hampton Elementary

31 - MS Soccer HOME vs. Unicoi (CPA Fields)