Amanda Reynolds

PTO newsletters will begin again Tuesday, August 2nd. Mark your calendars for the first day of next school year on August 8th. And ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

Thank you to everyone who bid on the items in our silent auction!  If you won the Kindergarten Basket, we owe you a gift card!  Please contact Theresa Yarber tsyarber@gmail.com to make arrangements for pick up.

Friday’s Field Day was a HUGE success! Thanks to our incredible staff and volunteers for making it a fantastic day for our kids.

We know some of you have heard rumors about the track and fence on our playground. Ms. Goetz, PTO, MNPS and Metro all met last week to discuss this matter. The minutes from this meeting are below.
We realize that this news is extremely disappointing, but know that we are working with MNPS and Metro to not only make the necessary changes but we are going to take this opportunity to make other improvements as well.  We are hoping that the result will be a nicer playground with more amenities and trees!  Stay tuned to learn more about all these improvements coming to a playground near you!

The following were the minutes to a meeting held regarding the property line and fencing issues at Sylvan Park Elementary School, on May 9^th, 2022.

Indications:

• The fence encircling the play area at Sylvan Park was in the process of being replaced. During the replacement it was determined the original fence was located incorrectly as it relates to the correct property line. This particular placement occurred over 30 years ago. No record of how it occurred in its current position was found.
• The Walking path was installed after the aforementioned fence was installed.
• The location of the correct property line was staked and it was determined that a portion of the walking path previously installed was now outside of the new fence location/ property line.
• The new fence location and correct property line was determined from a survey completed in 2001
• To reaffirm that survey MNPS engaged a land surveyor to reaffirm the older survey and to confirm the property lines and the current and correct conditions of the property lines and the location for the 20’ alleyway adjacent to the school.
• The result of this new survey is that it confirmed the property lines of the previous site survey. The previous site survey indicated that the school fence in line with some mature trees.
• It appears that those trees are in the center of the current 20’ ROW of the alley.
• The current gravel drive alleyway serves as the entry way for two residences; one, the entire “property” and home and the other, a double car garage.
• The current gravel drive alleyway traverses adjacent neighbor’s property lines, curving around the trees and then reconnects to the center of the alley once past those trees.

Resolutions

• MNPS will need to reconstruct a portion of the walking path due to a misplaced perimeter fence.
• MNPS will install, as a temporary barrier, a plastic orange construction type fence just outside the current walking path to allow the after school young people to be outside, play and be safely contained. (installed 5/10/22)
• MNPS will engage a Land Surveyor to update the original topo survey with more current contours and amenities that have changed or have been placed in the rear of the school since 2001 (Assigned 5/10/22)
• In order to install the MNPS fence correctly and in the correct location, MNPS will have to relocate a portion of the walking path. That portion to be relocated  is approximately mid-length on the street side and full-length on the alley side. It will be placed approximately 1’-0” inside the new, correct fence location. The path will either be 4’-0” or 5’-0” in width.
• In order to install the walking path, MNPS will engage a Civil Engineer  to design the new location of the walking path as described previously. (Assigned to a CE 5/10/22)
• The Civil Engineer is being engaged for several reasons; one to design an ADA compliant walking path in the new correct location; two, to continue to have a ¼ mile path as indicated by the PTO representative in attendance; three, to re-design the soccer field in the event it can be reconstructed with new sod and a sprinkler system and finally, fourth, to design a set of stairs in the rear of the school to access the soccer field from the playground area if funding is available. This will include access off the ADA compliant walking path.  The Councilmember present indicated she will attempt to secure funding for the stairs and the field reconditioning from Metro Government.
• Once the walking path is installed MNPS will continue with and install the remaining perimeter fencing.
• The discrepancies of the alley-way and the adjacent property owners, if alterations are deemed  necessary, may be pursued by the Metro Councilmember in attendance.

No schedule has been established as of yet for the final fence installation. We will update everyone as we know more.

Because PTO in the Park has been cancelled, we have some unfinished business to take care of. We need the general body to vote on the following issues: Next year’s board, a change to the bylaws, and the 2022-2023 budget. Please click here to take you to the google form to cast your vote.  All votes must be made by Friday, May 20.

Thank you to the following PTO Board reps who are rolling off – your work on behalf of our school is greatly appreciated!

Jennifer Ervin, Russelle Bradbury, Annette Ashley, Matt Grace, Christina Coldiron, Natalie Goldsby

Thank you so much for making our Spring Carnival such a fun night! It was so great to see the students and community members show up to support our school. This event would be impossible without the help of dozens of amazing volunteers, fantastic vendors and generous donations for the auction!
Food trucks: Daddy’s Dogs, ML Rose, Yayo’s OMG, Nashville Chicken & Waffles, Coco’s Italian Market, Retro Sno, Padrino’s Pops
Activities: Big Thunder Events, Bach to Rock; Balloon Artists: Sean T. Hughes and Scott Tripp; Face Painting: Lizzie Williams, Courtney Hobgood, Christa Williams and Carissa Schmidt
Photography: Mackenzie LaRoe – click here for more great pictures from the Spring Carnival!

We had so much fun celebrating our teachers last week with a BBQ lunch, breakfast from Star Bagel, Five Points Pizza and cookies, and a Ben & Jerry’s cart! We truly do appreciate our super hero teachers and staff!

Thanks to those who helped at our garden clean up day – led by Avery de Giron, volunteers weeded the beds and mowed the grass, repaired and painted the shed door and parts of the fence, added fresh soil to some of the bed, and planted some seedlings and plants. 

Ms. Christa Williams’ students took advantage of our beautiful garden area recently and planted beans and sunflowers and watered the plants, and released butterflies they have been raising from caterpillars (pictured above).

Parents are welcome to cheer their kids on at Field Day this Friday, May 13. Please check in with Ms. Yawanda and Ms. Kendra in the back of the school. K-2nd grade will participate from 9am-11am; 3rd-4th grade will participate from noon-2pm.

Field day is this Friday, May 6! Events will take place on the school playground, field, and track. K-2^nd grade will participate from 9:00-11:00 and 3rd-4th grades will participate from 12:00-2:00.

Parents are welcome! Please sign in at the table in back of the school with Ms. Wanda and Ms. Kendra. Parents can cheer students on from the track/stations.

Keep an eye on our social media this week and next for sneak peeks of some of the amazing items we will be auctioning off at the Carnival!

We are selling Spring Carnival t-shirts! Support our school AND use this t-shirt for Standard School Attire (SSA). Click here to purchase a t-shirt between now and Friday, May 6th. We will deliver t-shirts to students at school before the event. 

• Tickets for Spring Carnival are still on sale until Wednesday, May 11th. Click here to purchase for $8 in advance ($10 at the door). Adults and children under 3 are free. 
• Looking to volunteer at the event? We’d love your help! Click here to volunteer.
• For all other Spring Carnival questions, contact Emily Fisher.

Click here to sign up to help at the Spring Carnival on May 13 – we can’t do it without you! Volunteer slots are just one hour, so you’ll have plenty of time to hang out with your kiddos and enjoy the night. Get to know other parents while you’re at it! We love to have our Sylvan Park alums help us, too, so older siblings are welcome to sign up.

Please come help pitch in to get the garden ready for spring time on Saturday, April 30 from 1-3pm.  Items needed if you have: paintbrushes, weed eater, hammer, nails (toolkit).  Email averydegiron@gmail.com if you plan to come. 

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2nd-6th. The PTO will be spoiling our Superhero Teachers all week with meals and treats. Show your teacher how powerful they’ve made you by coming dressed as your favorite superhero on Monday, May 2. Bring a note of thanks to our teachers and staff on Wednesday, May 4 and bring your teacher a sweet treat on Thursday, May 5. Let’s show our amazing staff just how much we appreciate their incredible work this year!