Sylvan Park Paideia Elementary School

Support Our Talented Students as They Turn Poetry into Song and Compete for Top Honors!

In the Fall, the 4^th grade ELA classes did optional poetry submissions for Belmont’s annual Poetry Contest in conjunction with our lessons on poetry. We have (4) Fourth grade students who are finalists in this year’s Belmont Poetry Contest in the 4th-5th grade category. 

Congratulations to our finalists:

• Iris Pua – “My Red Maple Tree”
• Patricia Thomas – “Snowlit”
• Nyah Smith – ” Spring, Spring” (*sings her own song)
• Cherish Cole – ” Happiness”

The winners of the elementary school contests will be announced at Family Literacy Day on Saturday, April 12th. The event is free and runs from 1-4pm at E.S. Rose Park & Easley Center. In addition to the awards ceremony, we will have fun activities to celebrate the joys of reading. You can find more information about this year’s event at https://www.belmont.edu/service-learning/events/family-literacy/

For March we stocked the lounge with a nod the the Emerald Isle.

Our Teachers love this show of appreciation and love.  Thank you for all you do to make this possible!

Beginning March 17, 2025, Sylvan Park Elementary will have a new personal technology policy.

 Any “smart device” (“smart device” is any device that can access the internet, wifi etc.) cannot be on a student’s person while they are on school property. If a student must come to school with a “smart device,” it needs to be placed in their backpack, on school mode/ cellular data off/ device off, until they leave school property. 

NOTE: This applies to PNA as well. 

• 1st Offense: Warning and teacher keeps device until the end of the day and returns to student.
• 2nd Offense: Parent/Guardian Notification and administration keeps device until parents can come to school to pick it up. 
• 3rd Offense: Discipline Referral Code 203 (Using a cell phone, electronic device, or the internet for non-educational purposes or without the permission of the classroom teacher or school administrator. A teacher may withhold a student’s phone from the student for the duration of the instructional time if the student’s phone is a distraction to the class or the student. -TCA Title 49, Chapter 2 and Title 49, Chapter 6.)

Thanks, in advance, for your cooperation and understanding as we further minimize distractions to the educational environment.

Our next PTO Interest Meeting is on March 5th at 8:15 AM in the school library

The Sylvan Park PTO is looking ahead to another exciting year, and we need you! We’re looking for parents and caregivers who want to get involved, build community, and support our school in meaningful ways for the 2025/26 school year. Whether you have a little time or a lot, there’s a role for you.

Volunteer chair

Calling all high-energy, in-the-know, social butterflies! 🎉

Love being part of the action? This is the perfect role for enthusiastic go-getters who want to make a big impact—no school-day availability needed! 🙌 Join us at fun monthly meetings and help bring amazing PTO events to life. From rallying volunteers to organizing sign-ups, you’ll be at the heart of making school events unforgettable! 💡✨

💥 What you’ll do:
✅ Create & manage volunteer sign-ups
✅ Staff volunteer tables & connect with parents
✅ Work with teachers to support school events
✅ Coordinate babysitting for PTO meetings

If you’re all about teamwork, community, and bringing people together, we’d love to have you! 

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Teacher appreciation chair

Calling all creative planners & appreciation enthusiasts! 🌟

Want to be a hero to our amazing teachers & staff? This role is all about spreading joy and making sure our educators feel valued all year long! 🎉 If you love being in the school building, organizing fun surprises, and hearing tons of thank yous, this is for you! ❤️

💡 What you’ll do:
🍎 Stock the lounge with snacks & drinks each month 🥤🍪
🍎 Organize meals & treats throughout the year (First Day, Holiday Lunch, Teacher Appreciation Week & more!) 🍽️💝
🍎 Work your creative magic—or follow past plans to keep it simple! 🎨📋

Join us and help make our teachers feel extra special! 💕

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Fundraising co-chair

Love organizing, strategizing, and making a big impact? This is the perfect role for detail pros, night owls, and email wizards who thrive on keeping things running smoothly! ✨ No cold calls, no pressure—just guidance and support for our amazing fundraising event leads.

📌 What you’ll do:
🔹 Oversee and support fundraising events throughout the year
🔹 Explore fresh ideas to boost our current efforts 💡
🔹 Check in with event leads, offering guidance when needed 🤝
🔹 Help make fundraising seamless and successful!

This is a high-impact role—perfect for anyone who loves keeping things organized from behind the scenes.

During the month of November, students participated in our second school-wide seminar using the book, Change Sings:  A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman.  The values and ideas for this seminar were change, tolerance, courage, and dreams.  Students discussed what change they want to be and see for our world.  For the post-seminar writing activity, students completed the sentence, Change is… on a tissue paper square.  The squares were put together to create stained glass windows and hung in the front of our school.  Stop by and check out our display showing what change is to our students!  A BIG thank you to Amy Thompson for creating the stained-glass displays!