PTO Newsletter 10/21
We hope everyone enjoyed their time off for Fall Break! This school year is flying by and continues to be filled with exciting and new activities for our PPE Community. Check out our calendar of events so you don’t miss out on any of the fun. And be sure to scroll down for this week’s Volunteer Spotlight and a new section highlighting a Green Tip of the Week!
The temperature in Nashville has cooled and Fall is in the air! ‘Tis the Season for extra layers, so don’t forget coats for your kids!
And lastly, it’s time for another round of Front Sign Trivia. The question is: When was Nashville first called the Music City? Scroll down for the answer!
Upcoming School Events
- October 24–Science Night
- October 28- No School-Parent/Teacher Conferences
- October 31-November 4th-Scholastic Book Fair
- October 31- Class Harvest Parties
- November 2–Percy’s Reading Party
- November 3-Open House for Prospective Parents
- November 3&4– GrandFriends Day
- November 8-No School-In Service
- November 11-Veterans Day: No School
- November 15-Family Skate Night at Brentwood Skate Center
- November 23-25: Thanksgiving Break
- December 1-Art Show
Thank you to all of our families who participated in this year’s INVEST campaign, and a huge THANK YOU to our co-chairs, Chandra Allen and Elizabeth Sherrard. We had a really successful campaign this year thanks to their hard work and the commitment made by so many Percy Priest families to our wonderful school! To date, 85% of our families have joined the effort – WOW!
And, congratulations to the following classes who earned a popsicle party because of their participation levels:
- Mrs. Bell
- Miss Benson
- Mrs. Lester
- Mrs. Allen
- Ms. Wall
- Mrs. Parker
- Mrs. Patterson
- Mrs. Faison
Community Events Sponsorships:
Be a Friend of the Event for $150 and help make our Community Events this fall better than ever! Visit www.percypriest.org/get-involved/sponsorship/ and select your desired level of participation for the events listed below. We really couldn’t do it without the generous contributions and in-kind donations of our sponsors. Thank you to all our sponsors!
- Science Night (Oct 24)
- Percy’s Reading Party (Nov 2)
- GrandFriends Day (Nov 3 and 4)
- Art Show (Dec 1)
Calling all PPE Stargazers – Science Night October 24th
Join us for an OUT OF THIS WORLD science night featuring an Astronomy Roadshow Planetarium presented by Vanderbilt’s Department of Astronomy and Physics in partnership with Dyer Observatory. October 24th in the PPE Gym. Multiple Shows will run from 5-7:30pm. The later shows (6:30 and 7) still have some space, so we are opening up the remaining spots to PPE alums and siblings! Sign up here.
PPE Scholastic Book Fair (October 31st-November 4th)
It’s BACK! Our Scholastic Book Fair will take place in the library from Monday October 31st thru Friday, November 4th . First Day of book fair falling on Halloween…it’s the stuff childhood dreams are made of! The fair will be open for families to shop during Percy’s Reading Party on Wednesday, November 2nd . We still need a few more volunteers. If you are interested, please sign-up HERE. And thank-you!!!
We’re encouraging families to use the Scholastic Book Fair eWallet. The eWallet is a safe and secure alternative to cash. You can create a free account and add funds that will allow your child to select books. When they come to the fair, we’ll look up their eWallet. Again, the eWallet is a great alternative to cash.
Visit our book fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/percypriestelemschool. Students can bring their grandparents’ and special friends to shop at the book fair when they visit PPE on Thursday, November 3rd and Friday, November 4th.
If you can’t make it to the fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will benefit our school as well. Thank-you for your help with this year’s fair! Don’t hesitate to email Miss Stuart with further questions. emily.stuart@mnps.org
Percy’s Reading Party – November 2nd
Calling all book lovers! Mark your calendar for the first annual Percy’s Reading Party! Bring the entire family to the PPE Café for interactive activities, crafts, illustration stations, word games, puzzles, Mad Libs, grade-level raffles, free prizes, and more on Wednesday, November 2nd from 5:30-7:30 pm during the Scholastic Book Fair. We’ll even have a surprise guest author and guest illustrator. Don’t miss out on the fun!
In preparation for the event, we are asking our Percy Priest parents to please fill out a 2-minute survey about reading in your household. We will compile the results and make them available to our school community so we can share tips and ideas. We hope you will participate so we can help our little Tigers become even stronger readers at home and at school!
Thank you to our sponsor: Patterson Intellectual Property Law
GrandFriends Day – Nov. 3rd and 4th
GrandFriends’ Day is just around the corner and we want to be sure you have all of the details. And, we want to be sure you know of some great ways to save money and give money to the Percy Priest PTO all at the same time!
On GrandFriends Day, students are invited to bring grandparents or a special friend to school to visit. GrandFriends are welcome to bring lunch for themselves and their student. The cafeteria lunch will be available for students only.
GrandFriends will also have the opportunity to visit the Book Fair in the library and purchase books for their student. And, our Roar Store with Percy Priest apparel will be available for purchases as well -– perfect for a little early Holiday shopping!
- Thursday, November 3 rd 10:30-11:30 (1st Grade)
- Thursday, November 3 rd 12:00-1:00 (Kindergarten)
- Friday, November 4th 10:00-11:00 (4th Grade)
- Friday, November 4th 11:15-12:15 (2nd Grade)
- Friday, November 4th 12:30-1:30 (3rd Grade)
**All visitors need to bring a government issued photo ID. If possible, please register ahead of
time using the bookings link below to speed up the check-in process. Please plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early so we can get everyone checked in. If you are local to the area, you can also come in any day prior to your visit to get yourself checked in to our system. If you have visited PPE in years past and had your ID scanned, then you are already in the system.**
Registration Link:
Thank you to our sponsors: Travel Stars & Samir Giris Artoul Foundation
Prospective Family Open House-November 3rd
General Announcements & Community Events
Spanish Class News
In Spanish class, your child will be learning about the Day of the Dead holiday which is celebrated in parts of Mexico and Latin America at the end of October through the beginning of November. The students will discover that the Day of the Dead celebration is a jubilant and festive tradition that unites families and establishes a sense of identity.
Please consider attending Cheekwood’s annual “Día de los Muertos” celebration which will be held on Saturday, October 29 – Sunday, October 30 from 9:00am – 3:30pm. It is a fun celebration with entertainment, art activities, exhibits, vendors, food and more!
If you have any questions about the Day of the Dead celebration, please feel free to email me at lisa.trujillo@mnps.org or call me at 615-298-8416 ext.816021. Thank you for taking the time to appreciate what your child is learning and creating in Spanish class.
Join the PPE Green Team
Do you have a passion for environmental stewardship? Join PPE teacher, Mrs. Hartsock, and PPE parent, Denise Bahil, on the green team. No experience or expertise necessary. Please contact Denise at denise.bahil@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.
Future Burros
Our own Dr. A will have both a free hands-on booth and a booth with her own art work as well at the Firefly Artisan Fair! She would love to see some of our PPE families for an evening of fall fun, food trucks, art, art making, shopping and learning with family!!
The PPE community is invited to the 2nd Annual Forest Hills Pathway Party, Wed., Nov. 2, 4-6pm across from school on Otter Creek. Enjoy food trucks, music from DJ Louie, daffodil planting and fellowship as we celebrate our neighborhood’s connector. Questions? Contact Jacob Radford at jacob.radford@gmail.com.
Charleston Wrap – deadline October 31st
Shop online and invite friends, too! Share our fundraiser with your friends and family near and far to help reach our fundraising goal! Our fundraiser features over 2,500 gift items including Ultra-Heavy gift wrap, accessories, exclusive kitchen and home goods, holiday décor, personalization items and gifts, fragrant candles, high fashion bags, delicious gourmet foods and more. To order, visit registercw.com to access your participant dashboard and unlock your participant link. Our organization code is 24825
Minted – October 10 through May 23
Help us raise money by shopping Minted all year long! You’ll get 20% off beautiful Minted products (excluding fine art prints) and Minted will donate 15% of the proceeds from every order back to us. Use our code FUNDRAISEPERCYPRIEST at checkout. Thank you so much for your support!
Roar Store – New Merchandise
The Roar Store is restocked with new merchandise! Please visit the Roar Store to check out all the new items. Order online now at the Roar Store
Green tip of the week
While reducing and reusing (in that order) should always be your first stops, recycling is still an important way to keep usable materials out of the landfills and our soil and water. The City of Forest Hills is hosting a Recycling Clean Out Day this Saturday, October 22nd from 8AM-12:30PM. Click here to find more information on what is accepted and where to take your recyclables.
Volunteer Spotlight
Volunteer: Emily Bristow
Children: Lucas and Kate, 2nd Grade (Williams) and Kindergarten (Benson)
Role: Co-Chair, Songs Under the Stars
Why PPE: This school means so much to our family. The relationships we have developed have made us feel like we are truly connected with others in community as we grow and nurture our kids, whether it’s in the classroom, on a sports teams, the SUS committee, the PTO (and their incredible community events), at the bus stop, in Girl Scouts, or with our AMAZING teachers and staff who go above and beyond every single day. We have made life friends and there is never a lack of opportunities to meet more people, give our kids new experiences, and find ways to celebrate learning. We are so thankful!
Volunteer: Jolene Weaver
Kids: Savannah Weaver 5th (graduate of PPE), Scarlett Weaver 2nd
Role: Co-Chair, Songs Under the Stars
Why PPE: I feel so fortunate to be part of the Percy Priest family. It’s been wonderful to see our girls wake up excited to go to school each day. The teachers and staff have gone above and beyond to make sure they feel supported and loved, while always challenging them to do their best. I’ve made lifelong friends through this amazing community and feel honored for the opportunity to give back to our precious school.
Also, a big thank you to the Song Writer’s Committee for all of their hard work every step of the way. Jolene and Emily feel so fortunate to have had such a strong team by their side.
Songs Under the Stars Committee Members: Megan Gesell, Sarah Bishop, Gillian Stewart, Grace Bryan, Rachel Wierenga, Erin O’Brien, Kelly Terrell, Rachel Schultz
Come Have Lunch!
Parents, grandparents and special friends are welcome to eat lunch with students! To help us with space and accommodating guests, we ask that visitors sign-up to come eat lunch using the bookings link below. Please be sure to select the correct grade level and teacher. When signing-up, we also ask that you only sign-up for one day at this time. Thank you for your help and we hope to see you for lunch soon. Sign up to come eat lunch with your student! Menus can be viewed on the Meal View App or at https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/PercyPriestES
Parent Talents & Resources
We know our Percy Priest family has a wide range of talent and expertise, and we would love to know about you and if you are willing and able to contribute in a unique way to our school. Please share with us so we can get a better understanding of these different talents and resources in our community. Our online form is available here.
How to Volunteer
We need your help to make next year the best year yet at Percy Priest! Dedicated and engaged parents are a key ingredient to making our school the great school that it is. There are big and small volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Please check out our volunteer form and let us know what things interest you. We’ll be in touch with more information.
If you have questions of any kind, please contact us at presidentsppe@gmail.com. Thank you!
Small Fundraisers Spotlight
For a list of all of our ongoing small fundraisers, please visit our Small Fundraisers webpage.
Kroger will donate 4% of the total dollars spent in their stores to PPE. To participate, click on this link, create or login to your account and select Percy Priest Elementary PTO as your Community Rewards Organization.
Front Sign Trivia Answer
According to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., WSM radio announcer David Cobb used the phrase in reference to Nashville on a Red Foley NBC radio broadcast way back in 1950.
How to Stay Connected
Add PPE happenings to your calendar automatically!
You can subscribe to our PTO calendar and have all of our events show up on your calendar, so you never lose track of important dates! Following the links below will prompt you to subscribe to the calendar via your preferred calendar app. Any time the PTO updates an event through the website, it will update on the calendar of all subscribers (how often your calendar pulls updated info will be based on your individual personal settings – every 5 minutes, 1 hour, 1 week, etc).
For Calendar Apps (apple calendar etc), go to: webcal://www.percypriest.org/?post_type=tribe_events&ical=1&eventDisplay=list
For Google Calendar, go to: https://www.google.com/calendar/render?cid=webcal%3A%2F%2Fwww.percypriest.org%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dtribe_events%26tribe-bar-date%3D2022-08-31%26ical%3D1%26eventDisplay%3Dlist