If you want to check email but not get audio notifications, check out G-Profile. It's a free utility that gives you the ability to set up profiles (sound options including volume, mute, vibration, and even changing rints, backlight settings, radio settings including phone, bluetooth, wifi, etc.) based on all sorts of different criteria (day, time, cell tower ID, various calendar properties such as free or busy, whether a headset or charger is plugged in, etc.)
You could easily accomplish your goal using G-Profile.
http://www.ageye.de/index.php?s=gprofile/about