Poplar Grove Post

We have made it to the final month of the ‘24/’25 school year! For our 8th grade students, this marks the last few weeks of their journey through Poplar Grove. Our school is such a unique place in which we all get to know each other and make memories starting in kindergarten and growing through 8th grade. It is my honor to serve this school community while building lasting relationships with the students, families, staff, and other community members. We thank you for all of your support in making this a truly amazing place to be!

5/1 - Spring Choir Concert - 6pm

5/4 - Best Buddies Friendship Walk

5/5-5/9 - Staff Appreciation Week

5/6-5/7 - Girls Soccer Clinic

5/8 - Spring Band Concert - 6pm

5/9 - Pride Time

5/9 - 8th Grade JA Finance Field Trip

5/9 - Mother/Son Dodgeball Event - 5:30pm

5/9 - Friday Night Lights at CHS (see flyer below)

5/12 - Special Olympics

5/12 - Board Meeting at FSD Central Office - 6:30pm

5/14 - Athletic Awards - 6pm

5/15 - 7th Grade Adventure Park Field Trip

5/15 - 8th Grade Canoe Field Trip

5/16 - 6th Grade Nashville Zoo Field Trip

5/16 - Track Meet at Austin Peay State University

5/19 - 6th Grade Parthenon Field Trip

5/20 - Grade Level Awards Day

5/20 - Best Buddies Water Day

5/20 - End of Year Celebration - Shaved Ice

5/21 - Grove Games - 8:15am

5/21 - Senior Walk - 9:30am

5/21 - Spring Carnival Day

5/22 - 8th Grade Celebration - 7:40am

5/23 - Last Day of School - 2 Hour Day

Best Buddies Families,

The Best Buddies Friendship Walk is this Sunday, May 4th at First Horizon Park (Sounds Stadium) in Nashville. The walk will begin at 1:45 with the opening ceremony at 1:30. We will plan to meet up around 1:00 inside the entrance of the park. If you think your child will be attending, please register them using the link below and also let Mrs. Nash know. nashgen@fssd.org. When registering, please select our team Poplar Grove School. Click on this link to register:

https://www.bestbuddiesfriendshipwalk.org/nashville/register/

Special Olympics is on Monday, May 12th at Brentwood High. If your child will be going as a peer buddy to support our athletes, they will be coming home with a permission form. This permission form must be signed by core teachers as well.

Best Buddies water day will be on Tuesday, May 20th. All members who have been active participants this year are invited to join us. We will be serving pizza, chips and drinks. We look forward to a day full of fun!

Thank you for all of your support with our Best Buddies chapter this year!

Sincerely,

Genny Nash

Good afternoon, PGS Families!

First and foremost, THANK YOU to all of the families who have taken the time to contribute to our upcoming Staff Appreciation Week! We are deeply grateful for your generosity and the support received so far.

As you know, we are getting VERY close to our week-long celebration of our amazing PGS teachers and staff, and we need your help to make sure it is a success! The Poplar Grove PTO is hosting an entire week of giving staff extra special treatment from May 5th - 9th. More information will be sent out next week detailing ways in which your student can participate. In the meantime, please see the list below if you would like to contribute:

• Send a check to the school made out to “PGS” and make a note that it is for “Staff Appreciation.”

• We want to make it SUPER EASY, so we also have a Venmo option. Please send a donation to @PGES-TN and 100% of these funds will be used for gifts and purchases for Staff Appreciation Week.

• We could use your help filling volunteer opportunities throughout the week. This is a great way to help out, interact with your child's/children's teachers, and show appreciation to the PGS teachers and staff! Visit this link to sign-up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49A9A92BA7FDC61-56317372-pgsstaff

Thank you for your support and the ways you love our amazing staff! We couldn't do this without you!

PGS Staff Appreciation Committee

Please make plans to join us on Friday, May 9th beginning at 5:00pm for a fun family evening as our PGS Mothers and Sons compete in our Eighth annual Dodgeball Event!! Daddies and Daughters are also welcomed to come out and cheer on their favorite PGS Moms and Sons. A photo booth will be set up to capture the memories of the night and dodgeball games will run from 5:30pm-6:30pm. Food trucks will be available before and after the event, from 5pm -7:30pm.

Who: All PreK-8 PGS Mothers and Sons

When: Friday, May 9th from 5:00pm-7:30pm

Where: Poplar Grove School New Gymnasium

What: An evening of photos, food, fun and of course dodgeball

Josephine Getz has worked for FSD since 2014. She started working full-time at Poplar Grove in 2015. She has thoroughly enjoyed supporting our students, especially those with special needs. She was actively involved in Special Olympics initiatives, securing local sponsorships and donations to enhance the program. In retirement, she is still committed to staying engaged, continuing to support sporting events, and donating to a cause. Her passion for working with children remains strong and she will continue looking for ways to contribute to the community. Congratulations Josephine! We have appreciated all you have done for PGS!

Daniel Perez was our PGMS Night Custodian for 10 years. He is still working part-time for another company. In retirement he has been enjoying some travel. He has traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, and visiting his family throughout the US. Congratulations on your retirement Daniel!

Sandra Woodruff started subbing at Poplar Grove in 2014 and started working full-time in 2017. She added a general education K-5 endorsement so she can work as an interim teacher. Sandra received the Classified Employee of the Year Award in 2020. She has enjoyed working with so many memorable students. In retirement, Sandra will continue working part-time in education, garden, bake, sew, travel, and spending time with her grandchildren. She will miss all her outstanding co-workers! Congratulations Sandra on your retirement. You will be missed!

Mrs. Jeffords’ 7th grade class has partnered with Mrs. Pendleton’s kindergarten class to have biweekly reading partners. The 7th grade will be taking a field trip this month to The Adventure Park in Nashville to investigate forces and motion on the zip lines and ropes courses!

All library books should be returned to the library on or before Monday, May 12th. Please ask your student if they have returned all their library books. If any books are lost or damaged, please submit payment for replacement by May 12th. Thank you!

This year's Volunteer State Book Award Winners have been voted on, and the results are in! The books that received the most votes from students across the state of Tennessee are: in the Intermediate Division: Nugly by M.C. Ross and in the Middle School Division: Hoops by Matt Tavares. Thanks to all PGS students who participated in the VSBA program and qualified to cast their vote this year! See the PGMS 2025 Recommended Summer Reading List for a sneak peek at next year's nominated titles. Get a head start by reading these books this summer. Check them out at the Williamson County Public Library. (include attached image of reading list spreadsheet).

Coach Brian Kelly will be hosting basketball dribble clinics in May. They will be held on May 1, 2, 7, 8, 13, 15, 16, 21, and 22 from 2:45pm-4:00pm in the new gym. This is open to all boys and girls in grades 5th, 6th, and 7th who are interested in playing basketball.

Dribble clinics are a voluntary activity designed to work on dribbling, passing, shooting, and footwork. You do not have to be on the team, nor do you have to try out for the team. There will also be an open gym and conditioning next school year starting in September. Official team tryouts will be held in October, after Fall break.

All participants must have a current sports physical on file. For any other questions, please see Coach Kelly or send him an email at kellybri@fssd.org.

Coach Natalie Horel will be hosting soccer clinics for 5th, 6th, 7th grade girls on Wednesday, May 7th from 2:30pm-4:30pm. You must have a sports physical on file to participate. Soccer Tryouts will be in August. For more information, please email Coach Horel at horelnat@fssd.org.

IMPORTANT: All upcoming 7th graders are required to receive a Tdap booster before the start of the school year. Nurse Ives is reviewing the state immunization database as students register. If your child has not received the booster, you will be notified via email and ParentSquare. Please inform the school once the vaccine has been administered and submit a copy of the updated immunization record to the school office. Students will not be allowed to begin the school year in August without the appropriate documentation.

Hello PGMS Families!

It has been a joy to work with your students this school year. Wishing everyone a fantastic end to the school year and a fun, restful summer!

Thank you,

Colleen Vangelist

Good Afternoon!

We are excited to announce that Centennial High School's basketball team will be hosting a summer basketball camp again this year, and we would love to get the word out to your students looking for something to do this summer!

This camp will provide a fun environment for children to improve their skills and grow their love for the game of basketball. This camp is designed for athletes of all skill levels, whether they’re just starting out or looking to sharpen their game.

If you have any questions or would like additional materials, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bmichelle68@yahoo.com.

We hope to see your students on the court!

Warm regards,

Michelle Vigil
Centennial High School
Basketball Tip-Off Club

5/21 - Kiara Rodgers, Paraprofessional

5/22 - Marti Jeffords,7th/8th Grade ELA Teacher