Another great week at PPE.  Thank you to all who came, volunteered and participated in our classroom Harvest Parties.  It was a day of fun, laughter and too much sugar.

Our GrandFriends Day is less than a week away and our kids have been working hard for their guests.  Grandparents and special friends are invited to watch a singing performance in the cafe followed by a visit to the classroom, shop at the book fair and Roar Store.  Please read below on all the details of the two day event.

Don’t forget, no school next Friday, November 10th to honor Veterans Day!

Important Dates

November 3-9 – Literari Book Fair

November 3 – 1st Grade Parent Party

November 8-9 – GrandFriends Day

November 9 – 5th Grade Parent Party

November 10 – Veterans Day-No School

November 13 – Storyteller Series- African Culture

November 15 – PPE Parenting Series

November 17 – 2nd Grade Parent Party

November 22-24 Thanksgiving Break-No School

December 5– Navigator Day

December 7– Performing Arts Night 5-7 pm

• Blasting is now underway.  We will have two blasts a day (one during school hours between 11-12 and one after school hours between 3:30-4:30)  We are anticipating the blasting schedule to continue through the end of the calendar year (December).
• With the addition of the construction trailer and additional parking needed for members of the construction team, we have limited staff parking in the side lot on Priest Road.  This lot is closed to family parking in the mornings.  If you need to park in the morning, please plan to use one of the front parking lots.
• The MNPS facilities department will also be posting periodic updates at the link below
  Percy Priest Elementary – Metro Nashville Public Schools Facilities (mnps.org)

Upcoming Events

GrandFriends Day, November 8th and 9th

Our annual Grandfriends Day will be held on Wednesday, November 8th for grades K-2nd, and on Thursday, November 9th for grades 3rd-5th. Grandparents and special friends are invited to watch a singing performance in the cafe followed by a visit to the classroom.

To ensure a smooth check in, we ask that you RSVP to GrandFriendsPPE@gmail.com  by Monday, November 6th with your name, child(s) teacher, child(s) grade.

Please see the schedule for your program day and time.

Wednesday, November 8th

• 1st grade program starts at 9 am (check in begins at 8:30 am)
• Kindergarten program starts at 10:15 am (check in begins at 9:45 am)
• 2nd grade program starts at 11:30 am (check in begins at 11 am)

Thursday, November 9th

• 4th grade program starts at 9 am (check in begins at 8:30 am)
• 3rd grade program starts at 10:15 am  (check in begins at 9:45 am)
• 5th grade program starts at 11:30 am (check in begins at 11 am)

Tips for an easy GrandFriends Day experience!

1. Arrival time: Please arrive when the check-in window opens for your designated grade. We have built in plenty of time for check-in, so please don’t arrive early. Arriving at the designated time will help with traffic congestion and departure of other GrandFriends.
2. Parking: Our school is an active construction site, but the front circle and all parking lots will be open. If there is no parking in the front circle or side parking lots, please park along the school side only of Priest Road, being mindful of our neighbors and driveways.
3. Departure: Children will return to classes after your time with them to finish their school day. There will be no early dismissals with GrandFriends.
4. Lunch: In lieu of eating lunch with your child if you have attended in the past, students will be performing some special music for you all in the cafe followed by a visit to their classroom. There will be an opportunity for you to stop over at the Literari book fair in the library with your child and the Roar Store in the cafe.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: A big event can only be pulled off with our wonderful volunteers.  If you are interested in helping out on this exciting day, please click here and select the GrandFriends box.

https://www.percypriest.org/connect/grandparents-family-friends/

*Please have your child in their navigator shirt on the day of their performance

2023 PPE Literati Book Fair – November 2nd– 9th .

IT’S COMING: LITERATI BOOK FAIR!

It’s BACK! PPE’s 2023 Literati Book Fair will run Friday, November 3rd-Thursday, November 9th .

ONLINE Gift Cards: We highly encourage families to use the Literati Book Fair ONLINE Gift cards. Gift cards are a safe and secure alternative to cash. You can add funds to your students’ gift card account. Then, when they come to the fair, we’ll look up their name and use their online gift card. No cash or physical card needed!

Please help us make the fair run smoothly by utilizing this fabulous tool (taking your child’s piggy bank cash and adding it to the online gift card would be especially helpful). Buy gift cards here: Here

Family Night: We will be open for families to shop from 4:30-6:30 on Monday, November 6th. Come one! Come all!

Grandparents’/Special Friends’ Day: The book fair will be open for students to shop with their Grandparents and Special Friends when they visit PPE on Wednesday, November 8th and Thursday,November 9th

Volunteers: Want to be a part of our Book Fair?  We’d love to have you! Please sign up to help make our Book Fair run smoothly.  Please sign up Here!

Online Fair: Can’t make the fair? No worries! Shop for exciting new books online and create student wishlists to share with friends and family.  Start shopping NOW

We can’t wait for our students to experience our upcoming book fair! Thank you for helping to inspire a lifelong love of reading! Don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Stuart (emily.stuart@mnps.org) with further questions.

Invest Update

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who have generously donated to this year’s INVEST campaign.  Your contributions are making a real difference for our children.

For those who haven’t had the chance yet, there’s still time!  Every donation counts, and we appreciate your support.

Don’t forget, many companies offer matching donations, which is a fantastic way to double your impact.  Be sure to check with your employer and make the most of this opportunity.  You can provide them with the following information:

PPE PTO is a registered organization.

Search Name is: PERCY PRIEST PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION

Unique Identifier: 043588824

Thank you for your generosity and helping us write this year’s story.

Check out the latest podcast HERE

PPE Parenting Series

Please mark your calendars for our kick-off PPE Parenting Series Event ! Join us virtually on Wednesday, November 15th from 7:30pm – 8:30pm to learn about “Bullying & Relational/Sibling Aggression” and how we as parents can help. Our discussion will be led by Charlotte Keeney, LCSW MSSW, of Symmetry Counseling.

Dance Club for 4th and 5th Graders

Storyteller Series

Small Fundraisers

Holiday Greenery Sale–  Get ready for the upcoming holiday season by ordering your pre-decorated custom fraser fir wreath ($60) or classic fraser fir wreath ($27) today!  Orders can be placed through the PPE website at the links below.  Deadline to order is Friday, November 17th.  Pick-up date will be Wednesday, November 29th by the school.

https://www.percypriest.org/product/premium-24-fraser-fir-wreath/

https://www.percypriest.org/product/24-fraser-fir-wreath/

Charleston Wrapping Paper Sale

Flower Power

It’s time to order your holiday flower bulbs! We are partnering with Flower Power to sell beautiful amaryllis and paperwhites.  These flower bulbs are all top quality, an excellent value and guaranteed to grow. Visit our personalized website HERE to order by December 15th. 50% of all orders placed will go back to the PTO.

General Announcements

Clorox Wipes Needed

The Cafe is in need of some clorox wipes to wipe down tables and help keep it clean.  If you are interested in dropping some off to the front office, it would be most appreciated.

Order your Yearbook TODAY!

JTM Prospective Parent Open House-November 6th

You can also schedule your tour of JT Moore HERE.

Kids Heart Challenge

Our American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge is fast approaching, and we would like to recognize our students and family members who have been directly impacted by heart disease and/or stroke. Over half of all adults in the U.S. have cardiovascular disease and we want to recognize, honor, and remember those in our school community that have been affected. If you are interested in recognizing or honoring your student or family member who has been impacted during our event, please follow the link and submit the online form NO LATER THAN Tuesday, November 7th, 2023.

More information on this amazing event will be coming home soon in your child’s Friday folder.

https://forms.gle/qrCeeqxdCA5V8AK97

Unicycle Donations

It feels like Winter! When you dig out those winter coats, be sure to send any that no longer fit your student into school. We’ll fill our in-school closet to share with another student here, or send to our friends @unicycle.nashville to be shared with a @mnps_hero student, or to fill another school’s closet. We’ll take “outgrown, not worn out” coats of any size. Let’s share the warmth with our MNPS family!The donation basket is located on the PPE Front porch.

Counselors Corner:

Throughout October & November, the Counseling Department will be leading required safety training in your child’s classroom. The curriculum can be previewed here: Home – Fight Child Abuse

For additional resources, please reach out to our School Counselors: Kristin.Keiper@mnps.org or Diana.Baxter@mnps.org.

Artsonia:

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!

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

1stDay School Supplies

If you ordered your child’s school supply boxes through our PTO fundraiser, it was not only super helpful to have all the supplies in the classroom at the start of school, BUT you also helped raise money for the PTO.  This year, this fundraiser tripled the amount given back to the school compared to the previous year.  Our goal is to organize fundraisers that provide a service, need or product that you will use while also giving back to the school.

For a list of all of our ongoing small fundraisers, please visit our Small Fundraisers webpage.

Small Fundraisers Spotlight

For a list of all of our ongoing small fundraisers, please visit our Small Fundraisers webpage.

Publix Partners will donate $250 to the Percy Priest Elementary PTO for every $37,500 spent cumulatively by our school’s participants. To support Percy Priest, join Club Publix. If you’re already a member, log in to your account and select My Publix Partner to search for the school of your choice. Remember to pay with the Publix app or enter your phone number at checkout each time you make an eligible purchase. Parents do have to re-register annually.

How to Stay Connected

Email Lists

New families – Be sure to sign up for our school newsletter, which includes grade-level information each week. Register today.

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