High five to everyone for the best first week of school! It has been a terrific week and we are grateful for all of the excitement, good cheer and patience parents have had while we all get used to new routines (particularly arrival and dismissal)!

This Friday eblast has tons of new information about upcoming events and ways to get involved. Please be sure to scroll down for information about our Percy Priest Dancing in the Street Fall Family Picnic and our first major fundraiser, the perennial fan favorite Tiger Cup Golf Tournament!

A huge THANK YOU to Osborne State Farm, Hoover Learning Group, Mathnasium of Green Hills and Brentwood, and Berns Therapy Solutions for sponsoring all of our Back to School activities. Sponsorships help us underwrite the costs associated with things like kindergarten totes, new family yard signs, the popsicle party and the Family Picnic, and we are so grateful for the support of our sponsors!

If you or your company would be interested in sponsoring the PTO event or fundraiser, please contact Jackie Osborne (jackieosborne710@gmail.com).

Important Dates

• August 17 – Open House & Invest Kickoff
  5th, 4th and 3rd Grade: 5:00 p.m.
  2nd, 1st and Kindergarten: 6:00 p.m.
• September 1 – No School
• September 4 – Labor Day, No School
• September 8 – Fall Picnic
• September 11 – Tiger Cup Golf Tournament at Old Natchez
• September 12 – PTO Meeting @ 6:00 pm in the Library
• September 21 – Percy’s Vintage Closet Sale
• September 28 – Songwriter’s Night

Upcoming School Events

Open House (Parents only)-August 17

Save the date for this year’s Open House, on Thursday, August 17! Hear important information from your child’s classroom teacher, school leadership, and the PTO regarding what’s ahead for the school year.

• 5:00 – 3rd through 5th grade parents will meet in their classrooms
• 6:00 – Kindergarten through 2nd grade parents will meet in their classrooms

PERCY PRIEST DANCING IN THE STREET– September 8th 

Guess who’s back….back again. It’s everyone’s favorite (and hottest) day of the year. The Percy Priest back to school picnic!  Let’s boogie on the blacktop with the musical stylings of Mr. Steve (remember him from Lightning 100)! Box dinners will be available for pick-up (link to order coming next week) and dessert trucks will be dishing up cold, sweet treats.

When: Friday, September 8 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Questions? Erin O’brien and Amanda Woods.

Check back next week for dinner ordering options and volunteer opportunities to make this picnic our best yet!

Tiger Cup Golf Tournament – September 11th – REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Percy Priest PTO’s Tiger Cup Golf Tournament is Monday, September 11 th at Old Natchez Country Club in Franklin and registration is now open. Enjoy 18 holes of golf with PPE friends, family and/or neighbors. Register individually or with your foursome by clicking here to register. Registration for this year’s event will close on Friday, August 25th. Registration this year includes a Tiger Cup Golf Polo!!!! To get you the size that you request, we must place orders by this date.

We Need Sponsors!  We also need your help to sponsor this fabulous event. Special thanks for Pinnacle, MGM Industries and Osborne State Farm for committing to sponsor within our first week. Sign up to sponsor clicking sponsorship opportunities. Please sign up today!

Ladies ~ Not a golfer but want to learn more? We have 15 spots remaining! Sign up for Mamas and Mimosas today by clicking here to register. Please help us make this event a success by volunteering at the event or helping with prep by contacting tigercupppe@gmail.com for more details. There is a Save the Date in today’s Friday Folder with a registration link as well. ~Kass Johnson and Kimmy Peterson, Co-Chairs

Information about Transportation

Bus Riders

If you live more than 1¼ mile from school, you should receive information from the MNPS Transportation Department that details your child’s bus route number and pick-up and drop-off times and locations. This information can also be accessed here.

There is also the Remind App that helps parents keep up with their bus. To join, send a text message to 81010.  The content of the message should be as follows:

• For Route 1 Pink Bus please text @ppebus1
• For Route 2 Orange Bus please text @ppebus2
• For Route 3 Blue Bus please text @ppebus3
• For Route 4 Purple Bus please text @ppebus4
• For Route 5 Yellow Bus please text @ppebus5

Walkers – Updated Information for 23-24 School Year

Arrival – Students who walk to school will enter the school through the front doors and front entrance.

Dismissal – As we prepare for the beginning of construction of our new building, we will no longer have a separate walker dismissal from the rear exit.  Walker dismissal will be from the front of the school.  If you walk to pick up your student, you should have a car rider number and report your number to Ms. Cathy or school staff in the front loop.  The preferred dismissal method for non-bus riders is the car rider line.  If you are a walker family, but drive to pick up your student, please use the car rider line for dismissal.

Car Rider Protocol – Arrival 

Drop off begins at 7:40am, and students must exit out of the passenger side of their cars. The front doors close at 8:00am, so students are encouraged to arrive between 7:45 – 7:55am. After 8:00 am, parents will be required to walk children in, and sign them in at the front desk.

In order to prepare your child to exit your car, please have them ready with tote in hand, and goodbyes finished, once you cross the first Tiger Paw. Remember – parents, grandparents and other caretakers, please do NOT exit your car during drop off.

• Please use the following map to guide your approach to Percy Priest. EVERYONE MUST APPROACH THE SCHOOL FROM PRIEST ROAD. From Priest, turn right onto Otter Creek.
• Please use the right margin of Otter Creek as you approach the school entrance (your right tire should nearly be in the grass!).
• If you cannot pull up to the Tiger Paws, PLEASE WAIT ON OTTER CREEK. Turn into the loop only when cars begin to move. If your vehicle can fit within the first set of tiger prints, you may enter the circular driveway. If not, please remain on Otter Creek Road and to the far right of the shoulder to allow buses and other vehicles through.
• While you are in the loop, please stay as far left as possible to leave room for buses.
• NEVER PASS A CAR!
• Please do not park on the Percy Priest Campus unless you wait in line and use a marked parking space. DO NOT PARK IN THE GRASS ALONG OTTER CREEK. There is no safe path for your child to enter PPE if you park in the grass; kids must walk between cars if they do not enter from the pickup line.
• We want to be good neighbors at PPE! Otterwood and Hounds Run have asked that we not park in their entrances. Neighbors living on streets adjacent to Percy Priest have also asked that we not park in their yards. Please represent PPE well by respecting their wishes.

Car Rider Protocol – Dismissal

Dismissal begins promptly at 3:00pm. Parents, grandparents, and other caretakers are encouraged to begin lining up before 3:00pm along Otter Creek and Priest Road. Cars may not enter the Percy Priest circle until dismissal begins and Ms. Cathy waves cars into the circle.

** Have your car rider number ready to go and visible. This number is used to call your child out front. The PPE staff will enter your car rider number information into an app which displays in the classrooms.  When seeing their car rider number, your child will exit the building at their assigned door and make their way to your car.

Place your car in park, step up from your car door and when you see your child walk out, wave to indicate your location (please do not walk up to the front steps to retrieve your child).

Once the lane of cars is safely within the two sets of paw prints and in parked position, and the car rider numbers have been called, the students will be released as ONE group to then walk to their respective cars.

Once all students are safely within their vehicles, all cars will be dismissed from the PPE staff at the end of the line.

Round One Dismissal – The first group of cars lined up in the semi-circle will resemble the graphic included in this document, including buses in the third row.

Rounds Two, Three, and Four Dismissal – The first round of cars and the buses leave the semi-circle, and Mrs. Cathy or another school representative will wave your car in when it’s your turn. Cars will be lined up in three rows between the Tiger Paws. Once you are in your spot, please put your car in park and wait for students to be dismissed to your car. You will be able to exit your car at this point to let your child know where you are in line. Teachers will dismiss children to cars by turning a STOP sign to GO or SLOW.

General Announcements

First Day Forms – due August 25th 

At the beginning of each school year, we send home several documents that MNPS requires parents and caregivers to review, sign and return. These forms have been sent home and need to be returned to homeroom teachers by August 25th.

Parents must also complete certain required MNPS forms online through the MNPS “Permissions Portal”. To do so, visit the MNPS Student-Parent Handbook page. Scroll halfway down the page and you will see the “Permission Forms” section and a blue button to the right that says “Permissions Portal”. Click there to begin.

Grandparents and Special Friends Email List

We know there are many grandparents, family and special friends of PPE students who would like to be involved. You can keep up with the latest news by signing up for the PPE Grandparents, Family & Friends List here.

Workroom Volunteers Needed

Calling a few good grown-ups to help print and flyers for Friday folders! The front office could use help on Thursday mornings throughout the year and would love to have a dedicated, small team who does this all year long. If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out to Libba Alden (libba.alden@gmail.com).

Unicycle Donations

Families, we’re a UniCycle School! That means you can donate your students’ outgrown school clothing items in the collection basket on the PPE front porch, and we’ll fill our UniCycle Closet so that it’s ready to be used by any student here who’s had a summer growth spurt or could use an extra shirt or two. If we collect more than we need, we send it to @Unicycle.nashville and they get it to another school closet or direct to a student experiencing homelessness in the @mnps_hero program. Keep your closets cleaned out and we’ll make sure your items go on to live their next best life – it’s a win-win for all!

PPE Buddy Program

Please let us know if you are new to Percy Priest and are interested in having a returning family serve as a “buddy” to help you get acclimated at the school by filling out our Buddy Request Form. Buddies serve as friendly faces, resources for questions you may have, and connectors as you begin at our school. Tell us about yourself and we’ll match you with someone who would love to know you!

PPE Girls Running Club

Calling all 4th and 5th grade girls!  We are so excited to offer the Girls Running Club again this year!

We will meet every Wednesday after school until 4 PM starting August 23-September 27.  We will stretch, do a fun activity, cheer, and RUN!  We will also provide a snack AND this year an official PPE Girls Running Club t-shirt that they can wear every Wednesday to school!  Cost is $40, please venmo @justinmbryan.  Email Grace Bryan gracebryan516@gmail.com with your daughters name, grade, and if they go to Tiger Club after.  Fun Run will be September 27.  Can’t wait to see your girls!

Coach Sarah, Coach Christina, Coach Grace, and Coach Kristy

Dad Bod Run Club

When: Saturdays +/-6:45am

We know it’s early, but your kids will be up at 5:07am anyway.

Who: All ability levels are welcome! In the past, we’ve even been accompanied by strollers, pets, and brothers-in-law, too. Sometimes (not always) Clay brings coffee for post-run recovery.

Routes: We run in one or two groups along the following routes:

+/- 3 miles to Radnor and back to PPE

+/- 5 miles through Radnor and back to PPE

Interested? Join us for Happy Hour Aug. 23 at 5pm at 1200 Vintage Pl.

Download GroupMe App & join: PPE Dad Bod Run Club 

Questions:  Lewis Agnew at Lewis.agnew@gmail.com or 615-712-4318

The Roar Store is a wonderful way to show Percy Priest Spirit. Students can wear Percy Priest Spirit wear shirts any day to school in place of collared shirts. They can wear the spirit shorts/skorts on Fridays. This gear, along with PPE accessories, can be purchased through the Roar Store. The Roar Store shop will be open on the following back to school days:

• August 17 – Open House
• September 8 – Fall Picnic

Small Fundraisers Spotlight

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

PPE friends and families, get the school year started off on a great note by purchasing labels for your child’s clothing, accessories and bags so anything they lose is easily returned to them!  Order your labels from Mabel’s Labels and the PTO will receive 20% of all proceeds raised. Simply go to www.campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for Percy Priest Elementary PTO. Purchase your labels and they will ship directly to your door!

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.

The funds raised from this event will be used to support the PTO budget which provides our school with additional staff, software and supplies to our school.

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.

We particularly need returning parents who are willing to be “buddies” for new Percy Priest families, simply serving as a friendly face and a point of contact. 

If you have questions of any kind, please contact us at presidentsppe@gmail.com. Thank you!

Volunteer Spotlight

Name: Renee Lewis
Children: KK (2nd grade), Dorothy (4th grade), Charlotte (6th grade)
Volunteer Role: New Families Co-Chair
Why PPE: PPE is not only a wonderful school for our girls, it is also an amazing community for our whole family! Serving this community fills my cup! I love to welcome new families to PPE by giving tours and helping with all things Back to School. Being part of the PTO is always fun and fulfilling!

Name: Hannah Wright
Children: Maddie (6th grade), Liza (3rd grade), Andy (Kindergarten)
Volunteer Role: New Families Co-Chair
Why PPE: I’ve loved the PPE community ever since I was a Percy Priest Tiger over 30 years ago! One of my favorite things is the feeling and camaraderie you get from going to a neighborhood school. When you go to the same school as your neighbors, those relationships can’t help but grow and deepen. Of course, I couldn’t mention PPE without talking about the incredible faculty and staff. The passion they have for loving and teaching our children goes beyond anything I could have expected. It is this staff that makes serving with the New Families Committee and giving tours to prospective parents such a joy for me. There is nothing better than getting to boast about your amazing school and the people at the heart of it.

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