PTO Newsletter 1/12
Just like that, it’s a new year. Happy 2024! January is a time for new beginnings, and many students find their “groove” in the spring semester. We hope everyone had an enjoyable winter break and students, teachers and staff are ready for an exciting 2nd semester.
What better way to welcome 2024 than with some fun Percy Priest events! If you like to plan ahead, now is the perfect time to bookmark our events calendar. Many of our wonderful chairs and volunteers are hard at work planning some amazing things for these events, and you do not want to miss out. Please scroll down and mark your calendar for each of them. If you are interested in volunteering, there are many ways you can help big and small.
On Monday, January 15th we honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. This day honors a great leader who dedicated his life to achieving equality for people of all colors. Dr. King’s message of peace and justice touched many Americans. The national holiday that commemorates him is a time to learn history and reflect on valuable teachings that are still meaningful today. Dr. King wrote, spoke, marched, and stood up for what he believed in—and this day is to honor him.
And lastly, let’s give a big PPE Shout out to all of our staff members with a January Birthday.
Important Dates
January 15– MLK Day-No School
January 18 – Papa John’s Spirit Night
January 26- February 8 Order Sugar Drop Cookie kits for Valentine’s Day (Pick-up 2/9)
January 30 – Navigator Day
February 12-16– Teacher Appreciation Week
February 14 – Valentine’s Day Class Parties (parents welcomed)
February 15– Papa John’s Spirit Night
February 19- President’s Day (no school)
February 23-March 4– Readathon
February 20 – Storyteller Series: Mr. Lincoln
February 20– Family Skate Night-Brentwood Skate Center
February 20-22 – Used Book Sale
February 23– Parnassus Book’s Spirit Night
February 29 – Percy’s Reading Party
March 2 – Spring Auction Party-Loveless Barn
March 4– Readathon ends and reading logs are due
March 5– No school
March 5 – Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream Spirit Night
March 8– Book Character Dress Up Day.
- The back drive behind the school/cafeteria is inaccessible. We need help from families, please do not park in the Priest Road Parking lot before school. There is limited parking and we need all the spaces for staff and construction team parking.
- There is a construction camera that provides snapshots every 10 minutes of the construction site. You can visit at any time and see updated photos on progress.
https://app.oxblue.com/open/americanconstructors/percypriestelementaryschool
Upcoming Events
Used Book Sale – February 20-22 – Donations and Volunteers Needed!
It’s time to start gathering your used books for the annual used book sale, happening in February. We welcome books that are appropriate for Kindergarteners through 5th graders, and we especially need chapter books.
This event will happen about a week ahead of the Read-A-Thon so the kids will get excited and have “new” books to read. Donation bins will be on the PPE front steps in January and February.
Sign up to volunteer during the sale here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0848AEA82AA0F94-47161263-used
Please reach out to Gillian Stewart gstewart0707@gmail.com or Avery Van Pelt avery.t.vanpelt@gmail.com with any questions.
Spring Auction-March 2nd at the Loveless Barn
Save the date for the best night in the Spring to Boogie on the Dancefloor. There will be music, food, dancing and fun items to bid on to help support our school.
Auction Volunteers Needed!
Do The Hustle! It’s time to get working on the biggest party of the year – the Percy Priest Spring Auction – and we need you! Please visit our Sign Up Genius link to see all the contributing ways you can help. The descriptions are further detailed on the main page. The more people we have contributing their time to this important PTO fundraiser, the more funds we raise that go back to your child and our incredible school.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A48AFA922A7FB6-47186815-percy
Seeking Auction Items!
Have game tickets or any business services? Maybe you have a relative in a fun city that has something they can donate? All donations are tax deductible with a tax receipt. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.
Please email percypriestauction@gmail.com.
Help Sponsor An Event at PPE
Be a Sponsor of one of our many events throughout the year to help make them better than ever! Visit Here 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!
A Message from Ms. Marchetti:
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I wanted to write to you all and inform you that I will not be returning as the music teacher this spring at Percy Priest. I am taking some time away from teaching to take care of myself and move back to California to be with my family.
I have adored teaching your children and I could not have asked for a better school to start my teaching career at. Thank you for being such a welcoming community and supporting the arts in every way possible.
I wish you all nothing but the best and know that I am sending love to your students and the community!
Thank you again,
Sammie Marchetti
Clubs starting in January!! Be on the lookout in Friday Folders for all of these wonderful clubs starting soon!
Woodland Fairy Club
Teacher sponsor: Stuart
Date: Our club will meet on Thursdays.
Time: Dismissal 4:15
Grade Level: K & 1st grade girls (limit 24)
Wonderful Wednesday
Teacher sponsor: Condra/Dick
Date: We will meet each Wednesday beginning January 17th -March 27th
Time: Dismissal 4:00
Grade Level: K & 1st
Cooking Club
Teacher sponsor: Zeller/Williams
Date: Our club will meet on Thursdays.
Time: Dismissal 4:00
Grade Level: 1st/2nd grades during third quarter, 3rd/4th grades during fourth quarter
Imagination Club
Teacher sponsor: Acker
Date: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Time: Dismissal at 4:10
Grade Level: 1st, 2nd 3rd Grades
Game Club
Teacher sponsor: Mr. Tanner/Tanner
Date: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Time: Dismissal at 4
Grade Level: 1st-5th
STEAM Club
Teacher sponsor: Lester/Strobel
Date: Thursdays January 18- April 4
Time: Dismissal at 4
Grade Level: K, 1st, 2nd
Builder’s Club
Teacher sponsor: Faison/Wall
Date: Tuesdays BC will begin Jan. 16 and end April 23.
Thursdays BC will begin Jan. 18 and end April 25.
Time: Dismissal at 4
Grade Level: K, 1st, 2nd
Podcast Club
Teacher sponsor: Mr. Bray/Williams
Date: Our club will meet on Tuesdays.
Time: Dismissal 4:15
Grade Level: 5th grade
Drama Club
Teacher sponsor: Zimmerman
Date: Our club will meet on Tuesdays.
Time: Dismissal 4:30
Grade Level: 4th and 5th grade
PPE Families, we need your help with yearbook photo submissions!! Let’s document all the extra fun memories we’ve made so far this year! We are looking for pics of PPE students in any school-related activities: classroom parties, clubs, field trips, Tiger Club, lunches, back-to-school, Fall Picnic, Shake Shack night, Art Show, Skate Night or other special events, etc…we love to see those smiling PPE faces! Submit your photos online TODAY by logging into https://images.jostens.com/0F3OL24W-Aum5197YDWafgg. *When uploading, you will be asked for a photo description, but instead, we ask that you list the first and last names of the students in the photo (if it’s a group, you can just identify the class or grade).
We know it’s a busy time of year, but we’d love those photos as soon as possible! This is the best way to be sure your Lil’ Tigers will find plenty of photos of themselves in this year’s yearbook! If you have any issues or questions, contact hannahgwright@gmail.com or erinkaiser2@gmail.com. Thanks for helping to make the yearbook a special keepsake for our sweet kids and school!
Small Fundraisers
Green Tips
Brrrrr… winter weather is here! Keep drapes open during the day to let in the warm sunlight and closed at night to keep out drafts. Turn down your heat at night or when you leave for long periods of time to conserve energy.
Parenting Series featuring Alanna Truss & Katie Lee of Be SMART. Please click below to view their discussion.
Password is Wellness
As a parent of elementary school children myself, I’ve already used the scripts from this presentation to ensure safer playdates and sleepovers. The text message template of how to ask if any/all firearms would be locked/secured/inaccessible to kids was invaluable. I used it in conversation with another Mom and she even thanked me for bringing it up!” -Ms. KB
*All recordings are for the PPE community only. At the request of our guest speakers, please do not share, download or post any portion of the recordings outside the PPE community.
Chess Club-Spots Available
The PPE Chess Program and Team has several open spots. The Program meets on Wednesdays after school until 4:20pm. Please email Coach Igor at igorzhislin@gmail.com for more information.
General Announcements
All-City Mom’s Thrive luncheon
January 25, 2024
11AM – 1PM
West End Community Church
Join Mom’s Thrive for the annual All-City Moms Thrive, “Raising Confident Kids in an Age of Insecurity,” led by Kim Anderson, a licensed therapist (LPC-MHSP), certified professional life coach (CPLC), speaker, and writer. Please register to reserve your spot!
There will be 4 tables for Percy Priest Moms and if we need more that would be amazing! Bring a fellow PPE mom or come solo and meet some new moms while we learn some great parenting tips over a yummy lunch. Register now! $15 includes lunch from Bacon and Caviar and a “Mom’s Thrive T-shirt!”
Register HERE
JT Moore Middle School is hosting an event geared towards helping ALL of our students grow in their mental wellbeing. The event “Wellness Matters: Helping ALL Students Be Their Best” will be on Tuesday, January 30th from 5:30 pm-7:30 at J.T. Moore Middle School.
This event is truly for all parents and caregivers. You will get the opportunity to learn from professionals in their respective fields about topics that we think are most meaningful to you and your student.
Highlights include: grief/loss, anxiety, technology/screen time addiction, and self-confidence. Our librarian, Jenny Winston, and 6th grade ELA Teacher, Julie Brown, will also lead a book talk on “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers” by Dr. Lisa Damour.
Light refreshments will be served. Childcare will be available.
Order your Yearbook TODAY!
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.
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
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 www.percypriest.org/?post_type=tribe_events&tribe-bar-date=2022-02-01&ical=1
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%3D2022-02-01%26ical%3D1
Social Media
Join us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/percypriest/
Join us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ppetigers/
https://www.instagram.com/pperoarstore/