We hope everyone enjoys the long President’s Day weekend and comes back ready for some great PPE events!  Please be sure to scroll down for details on all of these amazing events happening next week:

• Used Book Sale (Tuesday-Thursday)
  • All books cost $1 on Feb 21 and 22, and $0.50 on Feb 23. Please send cash to school in a ziplock bag with your child’s name on it.
• Navigator Day (Thursday) – submit your pet pictures by Monday!
• Parenting Series with the School Counselors (Thursday)
• Hillsboro Cluster PAC Meeting (Thursday)
• Read-A-Thon Kickoff (Friday)
• Parent Coffee Hour with special guest Erin Block (Friday)

Lastly, have you gotten your ticket to this year’s auction-Back to the Neon?  Grab them while they last!  This is a fun party you don’t want to miss!

Upcoming School Events

• Feb 20- President’s Day- No School
• Feb 21-23 – Used Book Sale
• Feb 24-March 8 – Read-a-Thon
• March 4 – Spring Auction at City Winery
• March 10-Half day of School-3rd Quarter Ends
• March 13-17 – Spring Break – No School
• March 23 – Math Night
• March 29 – Mr. Lincoln visits PPE
• April 6 & 7 – Spring Holiday- No School
• April 20 – Author Visit
• April 21 – Tiger Tennis Social
• May 1-5 – Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 1 – NPL Puppet Truck- Puss in Boots (2nd & 3rd)
• May 2 – NPL Puppet Truck – Tomas (K & 1st)
• May 5 – Cinco de Mayo & Field Day (*May 9 Rain Date*)
• May 7 – Incoming Kindergartener Popsicle Party
• May 12 – Spring Picnic
• May 19 – Spring Sing

Spring Field Trips

• Feb 17 – 2nd Grade @ Travellers Rest
• Feb 21 – 1st Grade @ TPAC
• Feb 24 – 2nd Grade @ TPAC
• April 12 – 1st Grade (Acker / Wall) @ Warner Park
• April 14 – 1st Grade (Brumleve / Faison / Hartsock) @ Warner Park
• May 11 – 2nd Grade @ Nashville Children’s Theater

School Events

It feels good to be the cat’s meow, right?  You’re doggone right it does!

The next Navigator Day is February 23, and the 4th grade House Isibindi will be informing students on how to be responsible pet owners. Isibindi would love for you to submit photos of students with their pet/s to the Dropbox folder. We will make a slideshow of all the pets to watch during our lunch times. Please upload Pet Photos by Monday, February 20.

Another way to help is by donating an item to the Nashville Humane Association’s Amazon Wishlist.

Let’s show our love for our pets and those pets searching for a forever home!

Used Book Sale – February 21–23 – Chapter Books Needed!

The used book sale returns next week and is the best way to get your readers excited about Read-A-Thon, which begins next Friday! All books cost $1 on Feb 21 and 22, and $0.50 on Feb 23. Please send cash to school in a ziplock bag with your child’s name on it.

We are still welcoming donations through Monday, including books that are appropriate for Kindergarteners through 4th graders. Chapter books are particularly welcome. Donation bins are on the PPE front porch!

Read-A-Thon – Feb 24-March 9

The 2023 Read-a-Thon is right around the corner! We want to transform the library into a farmyard/country fair and need some help! If you have decorating or carpentry skills and want to be a part of the read-a-thon magic please let Miss Stuart know (emily.stuart@mnps.org).

• Large Farm Animals (stuffed animals)
• Hay bales
• A wooden platform (needed for our barn photo booth)
• Any other ideas that fit the theme!

Be a Friend of the Read-A-Thon and help make it better than ever! Visit www.percypriest.org/get-involved/sponsorship/ and select your desired level of participation.

*We also have sponsorship opportunities for Field Day (May 5) and Spring Family Picnic (May 12) if you’d like to support those Community Events.*

Percy Priest Parenting Series – February 23rd

Interested in learning more about anxiety and perfectionism from our amazing Percy Priest counselors, Mrs. K-B and Mrs. Twitchel? Join them with Dr. Jenn Stewart via Teams on Thursday, February 23rd from 7:30pm – 8:30pm as they talk about “The Endless What Ifs— Parenting an Anxious Child.” This will be the first of several sessions in their new Parenting Series this spring. The Teams link will be sent out through room parents via Teams so check your email for those details!

Coffee and Conversations in the Cafe with Erin O’Hara Block – February 24th 

Bring your travel mug of coffee to the morning drop-off line and stay to mingle with our MNPS School Board Representative, Erin Block, and Percy Priest parents on Friday, February 24th. We’ll be in the Cafe from 8:00-9:00. Join us for all of part of the hour!

Spring Auction – March 4

The 90’s party is only 2 weeks away and we can’t wait to see you there. We are building an incredible silent auction catalog (check out the item preview in the Friday Folders!) so come support the school with a night of familiar songs, friends, and the best school community in town.

Buy your tickets now!

Need a ride?!

Buy a bus ticket on the one and only Redneck Comedy Bus for $45 round trip! This supports our fundraising and gets you to and from City Winery in a fun, safe way. Only 40 spots available!

Need a babysitter?!

Ms. Maddie Martin is happy to help put PPE parents in touch with her fellow Lipscomb sorority sisters to help with babysitting needs for the evening of March 4, 2023! Once you submit your information, she will be in touch via email and/or text with a sitter’s information! Fill out the form to get started.

Silent Auction Opens Soon!

Hot-ticket items like Teacher Outings, Grade-Level Parties and Parent Parties open early for bidding or purchase next Friday, February 24.

Other awesome items and baskets open Friday, March 3, through the 90s Party on Saturday, March 4.

Can’t make the party? Whether you’re attending the 90s party or not, you, your family, and friends can sign up for a CausePilot account to get in on the auction and support PPE!

Yearbook – Feb. 26 order deadline

Order your yearbook today! Order your PPE 2022-2023 yearbook ($25) here. Yearbooks will be delivered at the end of the school year.

Community Events

Hillsboro Cluster PAC Meeting Next Thursday

Join PAC representatives and Cluster parents next Thursday, February 23 from 6:00pm-7:30pm in the Hillsboro High School Community Room. Guests from MNPS and our local legislators will join the meeting to discuss feedback on the LEA Plan and advocacy efforts regarding the 3rd Grade Retention Law. All parents are welcome. The agenda is below. Questions? Please contact PPE parent, PAC rep and interim Cluster lead Mary Claire Dismukes at dismukesmc@gmail.com.

• Welcoming Ritual (Dr. Yolanda Jackson)
• Introductions (Mary Claire Dismukes, Percy Priest rep and interim cluster lead)
• LEA Plan (Josh Wright, MNPS)
• Advocacy Efforts (Erin O’Hara Block, Rep. Caleb Hemmer)
• Cluster PAC Rep nominations or elections (Tremeta Norman)

Moms Thrive will meet on Thursday, Feb. 23, with special guest Megan Croft. She’ll talk about developing emotion and power as a mom. Moms Thrive is a non-school-sponsored group put on by fellow PPE moms who want to help develop community and encourage and equip moms with tools that lead to grace-filled parenting. Please note all speakers will be coming from a biblical worldview.

Kindergarten Registration for the 2023-24 school year will kick off on Monday, January 30th.  If you or someone you know has an incoming kindergartner, please encourage them to complete registration as early as possible.  For information regarding enrollment requirements, please visit https://earlylearning.mnps.org/kindergarten.

Kindergarten Readiness Camp: July 18-19

Calling all Rising Kindergarten girls and boys for 2023-2024 school year.  Save the Date for July 18-19 for our Kindergarten Readiness Camp.  Join Miss Murray Benson & Mrs. Bitsi Condra to get a “Sneak Peek” at a day in the life of a kindergartner!  Your child will have the opportunity to meet new friends, engage in hands-on learning experiences, Tour the school, playground, visit ‘kinder’ classrooms, and so much more!  Registration HERE!

General Announcements

Green Tip from the PPE Green Team

Don’t idle in the pick-up line! Turn off the car and open your windows. Letting your car idle is detrimental to the modern automotive engine, wastes gasoline, and causes environmental damage. Exhaust from idling vehicles can pose health risks, such as lung and respiratory problems, asthma and allergies. Carbon dioxide emissions from exhaust also contribute to climate change. For an even greener option, send your kids on the bus and save the trip altogether.

Volunteer Spotlight

Volunteer: Marcy Burridge

Children’s names and grades: Lynlee-4th; Greer-1st

Volunteer Role:  Small Fundraising 

Why Percy Priest: Percy Priest is such a special school.  You can’t beat the leadership, teachers, staff and parents that make this school great.  This school has done so much for my girls and I give back in hopes that other families will have the same experience with this special community.

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 here.

We need your help to make this spring the best 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.

Box Tops 4 Education will donate $0.10 per label to the Percy Priest Elementary PTO for each qualifying box top that is turned in. To participate, download the “Box Tops for Education” app and then simply scan your receipt and the app will identify any box tops you may have purchased. These will automatically go towards our school’s total.

Earn additional money for the PTO by shopping online at the Box Tops Marketplace, with over 70 participating vendors, including Lands’ End, Target, Gap, and Pottery Barn. See the Box Tops website for details.

If you shop for groceries online or have e-receipts, you can now submit your email receipts from select retailers to earn Box Tops for your School. Visit the app or website for more details and to see a full list of participating retailers.

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