Happy Veterans Day and a big thank you to the men and women who have served or are currently serving our country.  Your service does not go unnoticed and the Percy Priest community truly appreciates all of the sacrifices you have made.

Please mark your calendars for December 1st for our annual Art Show.  Dr. A and our volunteers are working hard to showcase our children’s artwork.  It will be another great event and you do not want to miss it!

Our school will be participating in the Kids Heart Challenge through the American Heart Association. There will be information coming in Friday Folders, so please be on the lookout.

Don’t forget to send $1 bills with your children next week for our pop-up Used Book Sale. Details below!

Lastly, we know many of you have questions about 5th grade next year. Erin Block, our School Board Representative, has put together FAQs that we’ve shared at the bottom of this newsletter. Scroll down for that information and note her upcoming office hours if you’d like to stop by and chat with her.

Have a nice weekend!

Upcoming School Events

• November 15-Family Skate Night at Brentwood Skate Center
• November 23-25: Thanksgiving Break
• December 1-Art Show
• December 16- Half Day/Class Holiday Parties
• December 17-January 9th- Winter Break

Upcoming Field Trips

• November 16 – 1st Grade trip to Glen Leven Farms
• December 8 – 3rd Grade trip to the Tennessee State Museum
• December 8 – 4th Grade trip to the Clay Lady

American Heart Association-Heart Heroes – through December 7th

We are proud to announce that PPE will be participating in the Kids Heart Challenge this year for the American Heart Association. We kicked off the event on Navigator Day, November 10th and it will run through December 7th.

Please look for more information in your child’s Friday folder on how to register your child through the app or by visiting heart.org/KHC.

You will also find a page that states “I carry the torch for…” and a heart. Please talk to your child about family or friends that have been affected by heart issues and write those names on the heart before returning it to school. We will be hanging them throughout the school during the event.

Our goal is to have 100% of students register and learn hands-only CPR!

Thank you for helping your child register and participate in this important event!

Family Skate Night – November 15th

Help us raise money for Percy Priest Elementary PTO and enjoy a night of fun with our wonderful community. Brentwood Skate Center will give 50% of all admission fees on 11/15/22 from 4:30-7:00 PM back to the PTO. These funds will be used to support the PTO budget which provides the school with additional supplies and staff. Thank you so much for your support, we can’t wait to see you there!

Celebration of Schools Parade and Fair

Join us for a free and fun-filled Celebration of Schools Parade and Fair. Schools and students will parade down Titans Way – with lots of music and fun – and will bring us all to the Fair, where in addition to food, giveaways and activities, you will have the chance to meet educators representing their schools. The Fair is a great way to enjoy a day of community, plus learn more about our schools and about MNPS school options.

For more information, visit: https://www.mnps.org/parade

Save the Date for the Percy Priest Annual Art Show – December 1st, 5-7pm

Mark your calendars and clear your schedule for our annual art show! You can support this event by becoming a Friend of the Event here for $150. More details to come!

Fundraisers

Holiday Greenery Sale – Nov. 15 deadline to order

Friends and family, let PPE help you prepare for the holidays all while supporting our school! 24” Fraser Fir Wreaths are priced at $27 and Premium 24” Fraser Fir for $60. Wreaths will be available November 22nd at Percy Priest Elementary after school until 4:00. If you are unable to pick up at this time please email MeganLCallender@gmail.com to make other arrangements. Anything not retrieved by 11/23 at 5PM will be donated.

Shop Now

Pop Up Used Book Sale-November 16 & 17

We have recently acquired a number of gently used books.  We will be holding a pop up used book sale November 16 & 17 during lunch. Every book costs $1. Please send cash with your child to school on these days if you would like for them to purchase a book (or two). This is a separate sale from the big used book sale we will do in February.  Please DO NOT send in any book donations yet.  We will ask for those after winter break.  Reach out to Tabitha Witherow tabiguy@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Holiday Flower Bulb Sale – Dec. 15 deadline to order

Purchase beautiful Amaryllis and PaperWhites as holiday gifts or for yourself! These flower bulbs are all top quality, an excellent value, and are guaranteed to grow. 50% of all orders placed using our website will go back to the school. Visit our Personalized Website by December 15, 2022: http://PercyPriestElementary.fpfundraising.com

Minted – 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

General Announcements & Community Events

J.T. MOORE & MOORE THEATRICS invites all students, parents, families, staff and friends of our community to see our first production of the 2022-2023 season, THE LITTLE PRINCE.

If you are interested in attending, tickets can be purchased HERE. Visit www.mooretheatrics for more information.

Mom’s Thrive – November 18 from 9:00-10:30 a.m.

All PPE Moms are invited to attend this non-school-sponsored parenting talk. Mom’s Thrive is 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. This month we will be hearing from Sarha Beth Flippo, a Clinical Mental Health Counselor based in Nashville. Contact gdolezal@gmail.com with any questions.

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

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.

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!

Volunteer Spotlight

Volunteer: Natalie Lucas

Children’s names: Kate, 6th grade PPE Alumna; HR, 3rd grade; McKeel, Kindergarten

Volunteer Role: Roar Store Chair

Why Percy Priest: Being a part of this community is a blessing in every way.  Teachers, staff and parents make Percy the special place it is and we want to be a part of it in every way. The Roar Store is a fun way to raise needed funds for the school, but also give the children cool gear to wear!

Volunteer: KC Hutchinson

Children’s names: Dudley (4th) Hendon (2nd) and Campbell (future Tiger)

Volunteer Role: Roar Store

Why Percy Priest: We love PPE so much!  The community of families is incredible, and I love how everyone helps out and pitches in.  We have hands down the most amazing teachers and staff and I am so grateful for each of them!  Working in the Roar Store is so fun and meeting many of you during in person shopping this year has been so great! We love seeing the kids in the spirit wear we’ve designed – this community has incredible school spirit and my family is certainly proud to be Tigers!

Small Fundraisers Spotlight

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

Mabel’s Labels will donate 20% of all proceeds generated by label orders for your child’s clothing, accessories and bags, so anything they lose is easily returned to them. Simply go to www.campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for Percy Priest Elementary PTO. Purchase your labels and they will ship direct to your door. This is a perfect way to keep your child’s outwear out of the PPE Lost and Found this winter!

5th Grade FAQs

5th grade transition for J.T. Moore feeder schools

Principals at our four Hillsboro cluster elementary schools that feed into J.T. Moore communicated in early October with families in those schools that through Metro Schools ReimaginED, those schools – Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, and Waverly Belmont – would transition to have 5th grade in the 2023-24 school year. Below are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions about this transition.

Will all the Hillsboro cluster elementary schools that feed J.T. Moore transition to grades K-5 in 2023-24?

Yes. Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, and Waverly Belmont will all have grades K-5 beginning in the 2023-24 school year. This also means that J.T. Moore will only have grades 6-8 beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

If my student is currently enrolled (either in-zone or out-of-zone) as a 4th grader at Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, or Waverly Belmont, will they continue to be enrolled at their current school for the 2023-24 school year? 

Yes. Students that are currently enrolled in 4th grade at Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, and Waverly Belmont will maintain enrollment at their current school for the 2023-24 school year. This includes students that are enrolled in these schools from outside the school zone.

Will the middle magnet and optional schools – Meigs, Head, Rose Park, and John Early – still have 5th grade enrollment in 2023-24?

Yes. The middle magnet and optional schools will continue to have 5th grade students enrolled until all MNPS elementary schools have transitioned to K-5, which will occur in the 2024-25 school year. If you are interested in an academic magnet or other optional middle school, the district has suggested that you consider applying for 5th grade seats in the 2023-34 school year as MNPS cannot guarantee 6th grade seats will be available in the 2024-25 school year. The optional school’s application process will open later in January 2023.

Will Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, and Waverly Belmont have enough physical space for students in grades K-5 starting in 2023-24 without the use of portables?

Yes. The principals at Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, and Waverly Belmont have worked with the student assignment and facilities offices at the MNPS support hub to ensure that the schools will have enough physical space to accommodate grades K-5 without the use of portables.

Will there still be a new Percy Priest Elementary building? Will there be a need to change zoning for any of the elementary schools that feed J.T. Moore – Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, or Waverly Belmont?

Percy Priest will remain on the capital needs list for the district and pending the allocation of capital needs funding, there will be a new building at Percy Priest. The district does not currently anticipate any need to change the zoning for Glendale, Julia Green, Percy Priest, or Waverly Belmont. As the district is continuously evaluating enrollment, capacity, and facilities needs across all schools, there is always a possibility for zoning and facilities updates, however there does not seem to be a need in the near future.

Erin Block’s Office Hours

Where: Community Room, Green Hills Library

When:

Tuesday, November 15 – 5:30-7:00 pm

Monday, December 5 – 5:30-7:00 pm

Tuesday, January 17 – 5:30-7:00 pm

(February – May dates TBD)

What: Anyone with questions or concerns is free to come join Erin in person, or if you can’t make it in person, email Erin – erin.block@mnps.org – to set up another time to talk

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