📨 A Note from Mr. Ruiz
Dear Little Dragon Families,
Welcome back to school! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful summer and found time to make some lasting memories with your loved ones. We at CES are excited about the start of a new school year! Our faculty and staff have been hard at work to build some new and exciting traditions for our students. Last year, many of our teachers traveled to the Ron Clark Academy, an innovative and highly engaging school, where we learned about how a house system can help ALL students feel connected, increase confidence and motivation, and prepare them for the future. We are excited to bring the house system to CES this fall and can’t wait to share more details with you soon.
As a faculty, we also updated our mission and vision, and we are excited to share that with you.
Our MISSION: At Collierville Elementary School we surround our Little Dragons with love, hold them to high expectations, and engage them in rigorous instruction.
Our VISION: At Collierville Elementary School we will forge Little Dragons who demonstrate strong character, a love for learning, and serve as future leaders.
We are excited to welcome some new faces to CES! We will be sharing more about these new Dragons through our social media accounts and through ParentSquare. Be on the lookout!
Upcoming Dates:
- August 8 – First day of school for grades 1-5
- August 8-11 – Kindergarten screenings and stagger week
- August 15 – First day of school for kindergarten
- August 15 @ 9:15am – Kindergarten Coffee (for all K parents) in the cafeteria
- August 18 @5:30pm – Back to School Night
- August 25 & 26 – Fall Pictures
- August 29 – September 2 – House Hype Week!
- September 2 – House Sorting Ceremony!
I consider it a great honor to be serving as the principal of Collierville Elementary School. I look forward to continuing the tradition of academic excellence and creating an environment where our students feel loved and accepted. If I can be of help in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at jruiz@colliervilleschools.org. I am looking forward to another incredible year!
Go Dragons!
J. Michael Ruiz
✉️ Message from PTA President
Welcome back Little Dragon families! We hope everyone had a wonderful summer. For all our new families, we want to extend a warm welcome to Collierville Elementary School — we are so glad you’re here! This is the first of six editions of the PTA’s Dragon Flyer newsletter. We include all important upcoming dates and events to mark on your calendars, as well as showcasing all the fun things the PTA is doing. Be sure to take a look to stay up to date on all the happenings! You can also follow our Facebook page, Collierville Elementary School PTA. Not on Facebook? No worries! We will also send email updates via the ParentSquare app.
We were excited to kick off the 2022-2023 school year by welcoming back all of our teachers with a catered Chick-Fil-A breakfast on July 27th, organized by our Hospitality Chair, Jala Walker. We were thrilled to be able to speak about our Impact Grant program, which through the PTA’s fundraising efforts we were able to provide each classroom and specialty teacher money to purchase things they need for their classroom. And new this year, we were also able to provide each grade level with money to purchase new recess equipment!
The PTA Board of Managers has been hard at work planning for this school year! Please see important dates for August and September below:
August
- 8th: First Day for Students
- 8th-12th: Kindergarten Screening/Staggered Days
- 15th: Kindergarten Coffee in the Cafeteria (for parents of Kindergarteners)
- 18th: Back to School Night
September
- 5th: Labor Day – NO SCHOOL
- 8th: Grandparents Day for last names A-L @ 7:45am on the Football Field
- 9th: Grandparents Day for last names M-Z @ 7:45am on the Football Field
- 22nd: Parent Conferences 4:15-7:15pm
- 26th: Professional Development Day for teacher – NO SCHOOL
- 29th: General Membership Meeting @ 6:00pm in the gym
Be sure to mark your calendars for our biggest fall fundraiser, Dragon Dash, coming up on October 28th! Parents are invited to join their Little Dragons down at the track as they run 4 laps to raise money that directly funds the PTA’s budget. This money as well as the money raised at our spring fundraiser, Fair In The Lair, helps the PTA to put on events such as Grandparents Day, Donuts with Dragons, Walk to School Day, and Memphis in May. They are also used to fund the above-mentioned teacher impact grant program and Wishlist items. Wishlist items are things specifically requested by the school and PTA. More information will be sent home regarding fundraisers later in the year, so be on the lookout!
The beginning of a new school year means it’s time to renew or purchase your PTA membership! Every year, our goal is to have 100% membership, which means there is a membership for every student, staff, and faculty member at CES! If you have more than one student at CES, we encourage you to purchase one to represent each student. Anyone can be a member of the PTA: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors! There are two ways to sign up — via a QR code that will be emailed out (simply scan and sign up online) or the membership form that will be sent home during the first weeks of school (fill out and return back to school with your student with cash/check payment). If you have any questions, please reach out to our Membership Chair, Lydia Farmer via email at membership@mycespta.org
We are looking forward to a great year! If at any time you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact anyone on the PTA board. We are here to help!
Sincerely,
Laura Wiseman
President, CES PTA 2022-2023
📜 Mission, Vision, & Beliefs
Mission
- At Collierville Elementary School we surround our Little Dragons with love, hold them to high expectations, and engage them in rigorous instruction.
Vision
- At Collierville Elementary School we will forge Little Dragons who demonstrate strong character, a love for learning, and serve as future leaders.
Beliefs
- Collierville Elementary School understands the importance of the development of the whole child.
- Educators reflect upon teaching practices for the purpose of professional growth and the continued enhancement of quality instruction as well as engage in on-going professional development and work collaboratively to share the knowledge we acquire.
- All relationships matter and are essential to learning.
- Every learner is different. As educators we meet each child where they are and allow them to be active participants in their learning.
- Each of us must do our part to create a safe, respectful and positive environment that encourages learning and risk-taking.
- A commitment to student success is a shared responsibility among students, parents, educators, staff, and the community.
- Every child deserves to have someone that loves them.
- When you set high expectations, all will rise to the challenge by working hard, taking risks, and persevering.
🎯 PTA Objectives
1. To promote the welfare of children and youth in the home, school, community, and place of worship.
2. To raise the standard of home life.
3. To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
4. To bring into closer relation the home and school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
5. To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social and spiritual education.
💰 Impact Grants
In 2011, the CES-PTA began the IMPACT Grant Program. IMPACT Grants are awarded to CES faculty every year to provide additional support to CES students. Each year the CES-PTA hosts the annual Fair in the Lair/Book-fair along with all Dragonwear sales to provide funding for the IMPACT program.
Great news! We will be awarding IMPACT Grants to CES faculty totaling $20,350 with an additional $6500 that is new this year and will go towards grade level recess equipment. 🎉 These grants will have a profound impact on your students. Thank you for supporting these events and this important initiative at CES.
CES faculty can pick up a reimbursement sheet in the lounge and turn them in to the Treasurer’s PTA box. Please reach out to Heather Summers for more details or any questions. Treasurer@mycespta.org.
Heather Summers
CES-PTA Treasurer 2022-2023
Giving Back Through Kroger 🛒
Follow these simple steps to register your Kroger Plus Card to give back to CES PTA.
1. Go to Kroger.com
2. Create an account or Sign-in.
3. Register your Kroger Plus Card with your account.
4. Click on “My account.”
5. Under “Account Settings” select “Community rewards.”
6. Under “Find your organization” search for Collierville Elementary 1 PTA.
After that you are ready! Now when you swipe your card you are automatically giving back to Collierville Elementary School.
👩🏫 Welcome New Little Dragon Faculty and Staff 👨🏫
- Katie Gabb – Art
- Erica Gilmer – 5th Grade
- Sean Greene – PE
- Natalie Jewell – Occupational Therapist
- Cher Johnson – 4th Grade
- Jennifer King – Kindergarten
- Erika Myers – Nutrition Tech
- Clint Petrowski – Plant Manager
- Melissa Polly – Kindergarten
- Beth Prieur – Parent & Community Involvement Coordinator
- Lauren Pumphrey – 2nd Grade Interim
- Allyson Ruddick – 3rd Grade Interim
- Megan Schubert – Kindergarten
- Katy Thomas – Kindergarten
- Elizabeth Whitby – 5th Grade
- Sherrell Wiseman – Attendance Operator
Transportation Information
Students are allowed on campus beginning at 8:40 a.m. All external doors are locked promptly at 9:00 a.m. After 8:59 a.m. you cannot drop your child off on campus – you must escort your child to the office for check-in. Dismissal will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m. each day.
Car Riders
Car riders enter and exit in the rear parking lot. Returning families, please continue to use your car rider numbers from last year. New families will were assigned car rider numbers on Orientation Day. The car rider line begins on White Road, turns onto Carruthers, and then turns left on Burrows (see map). You will enter the parking lot from there. There is NO LEFT TURN from White Road or Burrows to Burrows during car rider line. Parents, please DO NOT turn left into the line in the mornings or afternoons. Please proceed down White Road and, if necessary, down Hermitage Trail until you reach the end of the line. Interrupting the line will cause a slow down in the process. PTA volunteers will be out to help direct traffic. During drop-off and pick-up please postpone any phone calls while waiting in the car line. During pick-up we are required to place your child in the back seat.
Bus Riders
Bus riders enter and exit at the North side of the building (K-1 Hall).
Walkers / Bike Riders
Walkers/bike riders enter and exit at the end of the building closest to their home, North (K-1 Hall) or South (2-3 Hall). No students should be walking in front of the building on Peterson Lake Road.
PTA Board 2022-2023
If you have any questions about any aspect of PTA we are all are just a click away via our CES PTA emails.
| President | Laura Wiseman | president@mycespta.org |
| Past President | Milly Mount | pastpresident@mycespta.org |
| Vice President | Amanda Cantrell | vicepresident@mycespta.org |
| Secretary | Lindsey Guill | secretary@mycespta.org |
| Treasurer | Heather Summers | treasurer@mycespta.org |
| Parliamentarian | Lindsay Tilson | parliamentarian@mycespta.org |
| Communications | Alyssa Martin | communications@mycespta.org |
| Community Affairs/Events | Andrea McGhee | communityaffairs@mycespta.org |
| Cultural Arts | Cristina Ayala Smith | culturalarts@mycespta.org |
| Dragon Wear | Brittany Streger | dragonwear@mycespta.org |
| Family Events | Autumn Friedel | familyevents@mycespta.org |
| Fundraising Events | Jamie Halupnik/ Michelle Lamansky | fundraisingevents@mycespta.org |
| Fundraising Sponsor | Katie Cockrell | fundraisingsponsor@mycespta.org |
| Health & Safety | Sarah Hight | healthandsafety@mycespta.org |
| Historian | Emily Pinner | historian@mycespta.org |
| Hospitality | hospitality@mycespta.org | |
| Legislative | Gina Johnson | legislative@mycespta.org |
| Membership | Lydia Farmer | membership@mycespta.org |
| Parent Involvement | Beth Prieur/ Jala Walker | parentinvolvement@mycespta.org |
| Special Events | Amber Bach | specialevents@mycespta.org |
| Volunteer Coordinator | Tenoria West | volunteercoordinator@mycespta.org |
| Member at Large | Whitney Thrower | N/A |
| Member at Large | Ashley Wagner | N/A |
| Member at Large | N/A | |
| Member at Large | N/A |
✏️ Box Tops for Education
Participating in the Collierville Elementary Box Tops program is one of the easiest ways to support CES. All money earned from the Box Tops program goes directly to the school. Small amounts can really add up!
No more clipping! No more sending Box Tops to school. All you need is your phone. Download the new Box Tops app, shop as you normally would, then simply scan your store receipts to find participating products. The app will automatically credit our school’s Box Tops earnings online.
CES-PTA Volunteer Opportunity
We are so excited to be back with our Little Dragons! We may be in need of volunteers this school year pending school safety measures and health precautions. Should the opportunity arise, please consider sharing some time with us.
If you or someone you know would like to help out, please click the button below to fill out the online form.
Thanks so much!
👨👩👧👧 CES PTA Membership Form
We need your help. A strong PTA represents involved parents and families who care about their school and their community. Join the PTA today. The cost is $7.00 per membership.
Our goal is 100% membership in PTA, including parents, teachers and any adult who wants CES to be a strong, positive educational experience. The PTA provides many resources that enhance the quality of our students’ education.
You can support CES by buying one or more PTA memberships for each child you have enrolled at CES.
Click the button below to join the PTA today!
⭐️ CES PTA Sponsorship Form ⭐️
The Collierville Elementary School PTA works to assist our school in providing our children with quality educational opportunities. For this to be accomplished, the financial assistance of community members is essential to reach our goals. In order to achieve our fundraising goal, we need your help. Contributions from the Collierville business community have been a tremendous value to CES. We kindly ask for your assistance this year to help us meet the educational needs of our children. Any amount you are able to donate is very much appreciated. Help our school! Help your business!
There are four levels of sponsorship available. Click below for more information about how to support CES with your sponsorship today!
mycespta.org 