October – November 2022





National Walk to School Day


Cultural Arts: Reflections Contest

Does your child enjoy art, music, and dance or have an interest in writing, producing films, and taking photos? Then join us and have fun unleashing your inner artist with PTA Reflections! This year’s theme, “Show Your Voice!”, calls for your own unique interpretation through the arts. You can email the PTA Cultural Arts Chair (Cristina Ayala Smith) at culturalarts@mycespta.org to get the submission guidelines and an entry form. For inspiration, visit the Reflections virtual art gallery and learn more about prizes and scholarships  at PTA.org/Reflections/Awards. 


📨 A Note from Mr. Ruiz

Dear Little Dragon Families,

It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up our first quarter of the school year. We kicked off the 2022-2023 school year with a bang by unveiling our new CES House System! Our goal with the House System is to make every student feel like they are a part of a family here at CES. We have also been teaching our students Dragon Scales in our Friday House Meetings. We want our students to not only receive an exceptional education, but we also want to prepare them for the future by helping them be good citizens. We want our students to be kind, empathetic, generous, and to put others before themselves. We want to develop the kind of manners and soft skills that will help them in relationships and future opportunities. We believe in forging dragons that will serve as future leaders.

The first quarter saw the return of many in-person events from our curriculum nights to our PTA membership meetings. Our 5th graders recently gave an incredible performance that highlighted each individual House. We loved having our grandparents join us for Grandparent’s Day. We also have such a wonderful turnout for our family events, and we feel so blessed to have such a supportive community that is truly invested in our students and their success.

Our teachers are doing incredible things in the classroom to make learning fun and engaging for our students! From classroom transformations and expert hours, our teachers are the best of the best! We are who we are because of the people who have dedicated their time, energy, and love into making this school an amazing place to learn for our students.

We are looking forward to an incredible quarter two with Dragon Dash, Donuts with Dragons, and many other events on the horizon. Thank you for your continuous support of our Little Dragons and for the part you play in making CES the best!

Go Dragons!

-J. Michael Ruiz


✉️ Message from PTA President

Hello Little Dragons & parents!

We have had a great start to the school year so far. The schools theme this year is “4 Houses, 1 School” and has implemented the House System with each student being sorted into one of four houses: Altruismo, Amistad, Isibindi, and Reveur. The PTA was excited to be able to help with the sorting ceremony that took place on September 9th. The Students had so much fun getting sorted and celebrating with their respective houses! Keep an eye out for information about different house activities throughout the year.

The PTA was also excited to welcome our Little Dragons and their grandparents for Grandparents Day on September 8th and 9th. The weather was beautiful and our guests were able to enjoy coffee (courtesy of Collierville First Baptist Church)” and donuts with their Little Dragons. If you were unable to attend, no worries! We have Donuts with Dragons coming up on October 20th and 21st!

Our Fundraising Events Chair, Jaime Halupnik, is in planning mode for Dragon Dash, our first fundraiser that will take place on October 28th. In keeping with the school’s theme and for all of you Harry Potter fans out there, the theme will be “Triwizard Dragon Dash”! This will be a fun run for the students and will help raise money for the PTA in the process. Parents are encouraged to attend and run with their child. We will kick off with a pep rally during school on October 7th. More information will be sent home in the coming days.

Congratulations to the class winners of our membership drive: Mrs. Jaffee, Mrs. Argiro, Mrs. L. Green, Mrs. Richards, and Ms. Jernigan! Each class was the first in their grade to reach 100% membership and will receive popsicles for the students and Starbucks for the teacher! No class in 3rd or 4th grade has reached 100% yet. If you have not joined, there is still time! Just click here to join today!

And finally, a huge Dragon Sized Thank You to all of our Corporate Sponsors! We appreciate your continued support and generosity. Without businesses like you, the PTA could not put on the events or support our teachers and students like we do. We appreciate you!

We have so many fun things happening this year! Be sure to follow our Facebook page for information about all of our upcoming events. And as always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Laura Wiseman

president@mycespta.org


House Helper Week: October 3-7


📜 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.

Red Ribbon Week: October 24-28

More info coming soon!

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.


Dragon Dash

October 28, 2022

🐉 Parents are welcome to come!
🐉 More information will come home in your students Wednesday folder.

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.

PresidentLaura Wisemanpresident@mycespta.org
Past PresidentMilly Mountpastpresident@mycespta.org
Vice PresidentAmanda Cantrellvicepresident@mycespta.org
SecretaryLindsey Guillsecretary@mycespta.org
TreasurerHeather Summerstreasurer@mycespta.org
ParliamentarianLindsay Tilsonparliamentarian@mycespta.org
CommunicationsAlyssa Martincommunications@mycespta.org
Community Affairs/EventsAndrea McGheecommunityaffairs@mycespta.org
Cultural ArtsCristina Ayala Smithculturalarts@mycespta.org
Dragon WearBrittany Stregerdragonwear@mycespta.org
Family EventsAutumn Friedelfamilyevents@mycespta.org
Fundraising EventsJamie Halupnik/
Michelle Lamansky
fundraisingevents@mycespta.org
Fundraising SponsorKatie Cockrellfundraisingsponsor@mycespta.org
Health & SafetySarah Highthealthandsafety@mycespta.org
HistorianEmily Pinnerhistorian@mycespta.org
HospitalityJala Walkerhospitality@mycespta.org
LegislativeGina Johnsonlegislative@mycespta.org
MembershipMilly Mountmembership@mycespta.org
Parent InvolvementLydia Farmerparentinvolvement@mycespta.org
Special EventsAmber Bachspecialevents@mycespta.org
Volunteer CoordinatorTenoria Westvolunteercoordinator@mycespta.org
Member at LargeWhitney ThrowerN/A
Member at Large Ashley WagnerN/A
Member at Large Beth PrieurN/A
Member at LargeN/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!