Happenings

Meet Your School Board Member: Erin O’Hara Block

Hi Sylvan Park families! I’m Erin O’Hara Block, your elected representative on the Metro Nashville Board of Education for District 8—and a proud parent of a freshman and a sophomore at Hillsboro High School. I’m a longtime education policy leader and advocate for strong, equitable public schools.

As a school board member, I work with other board members and Dr. Battle to help shape district policy, oversee the MNPS budget, and aim to ensure every student has the support they need to thrive. Parents can reach out to me when district or state policy is affecting their child’s school experience, if there are facility needs or safety concerns, or if support from the district or city services could make a difference for their family or school. I’m always eager to hear from you—whether you have a question, concern, or great idea.

I’ll be around at school events this year—please say hello and introduce yourself! You can also reach me anytime at erin.block@mnps.org. Hope you have a great start to the 2025-26 school year!

August 7: Spirit Night @ SuperNormal

SuperNormal Celebrates Sylvan Park Elementary!
Thursday, August 7th from 5:00-7:00 PM

Visit SuperNormal on Thursday, August 7th from 5:00-7:00 PM, to celebrate the start of the school year, and enjoy griddled burgers, hot dogs, fries and soft serve. 25% of net proceeds of all purchases benefit SPE! And for a little extra credit, anyone wearing SPE spirit wear gets a free soft serve with their meal!

Tears & Cheers: August 5 at 7:30AM

Come cheer on students (and maybe shed a few tears) as they begin a new school year. Snacks, photo ops, and tissues will be provided outside the front doors of the school beginning at 7:30am.

Hillsboro Cluster Back-to-School Bash: Thursday, July 24

It’s time to get ready for back-to-school! Join our school cluster for a Back-to-School party, complete with games, music, food trucks, a staff kickball game, and giveaways of school supplies and backpacks.

Location: Hillsboro High School

Date: July 24

Time: 4 – 6 p.m.

Meet the Teacher: Monday, August 4

On Monday, August 4th, from 8:00am – 9:30am, parents and students are invited to the school to meet their teacher, drop off school supplies, and see their new classroom! Light refreshments will be served. See you soon!

Family Work Day: Saturday, August 2

Please sign up to join us for our annual Family Work Day at Sylvan Park Elementary on Saturday, August, 2nd from 9am – 2pm.

Family work day is a chance to build community, help our teachers and staff get ready for the first day of school, and see your child’s classroom!

Please plan to come for an hour shift to do some light cleaning and organizing, and get the school ready for the new year!

Sign Up Here

Kindergarten popsicle party is Sunday, July 27, from 4-5pm at SPE playground

Sylvan Park! Kindergarten Popsicle Party

Incoming Sylvan Park Elementary Kindergarten families! Join us on the Sylvan Park Playground on Sunday, July 27 from 4 p.m.-5 p.m. for a fun popsicle party where your child will get to meet, run, and play with their future classmates.


This is a fun and informal way to beat the heat and kick off your child’s Sylvan Park journey. Siblings welcomed!

We can’t wait to meet all of our future Panthers — hope to see you there!

Welcome to Sylvan Park! Kindergarten Popsicle Party 5/18

Sylvan Park! Kindergarten Popsicle Party

Incoming Kindergarteners are invited for popsicles, playtime, and new friends on May 18!

We’re excited to welcome our newest Sylvan Park Panthers! Join us for a Kindergarten Popsicle Party on Sunday, May 18th, from 3:00–4:00 PM on the Outdoor Field at Sylvan Park Elementary (4801 Utah Ave, Nashville, TN 37209).

Incoming kindergarten students and their families are invited to enjoy popsicles, meet classmates, and connect with other Sylvan Park families. It’s a fun and informal way to kick off your child’s Sylvan Park journey!

Event Details:

Location: Sylvan Park Elementary Outdoor Field. (4801 Utah Ave, Nashville, TN 37209)
Date: Sunday, May 18, 2025
Time: 3:00–4:00 PM
Hosted by: Sylvan Park PTO

We can’t wait to meet our future Panthers — see you there!

Spring Fling Photo Booth

Spring Fling Photo Booth 2025

Thanks to everyone who attended the 2025 Sylvan Park Elementary Spring Fling this past week!

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on the social and auction. And thank you to everyone who attended and bid on our specialty items. We raised a lot of money for our school… even more than last year!

Check Out all of the PhotoBooth Pics

Mayor Freddie O’Connell delighted Sylvan Park Elementary School kindergartners as Ms. Williams’ “Mystery Reader”

Mayor Freddie O’Connell delighted Sylvan Park Elementary School kindergartners as Ms. Williams’ “Mystery Reader” on Friday, March 7. He read Lulu & Rocky in Nashville, taking the children of Ms. Williams, Ms. Maynard, Ms. Brodak, and Ms. Knight on a literary adventure through the city’s sights and sounds—from the iconic Country Music Hall of Fame to the sweet treats at The Goo Goo Shop.

You’re Invited to the Sylvan Park Paideia Elementary Science Fair March 6th

Sylvan Park Paideia Project Fair

📅 When: Thursday, March 6, 2025
📍 Where: Sylvan Park Gym
(Enter and sign in through the back parking lot gym doors)

What is a Paideia Project?

A Paideia Project is a unit of study that combines teacher instruction and student learning around a specific topic. It includes a seminar and a student project that captures the ideas and values explored during the seminar.

This year, we kicked off our seminar with a school-wide discussion on the book Ada Twist, Scientist—a story about a young girl with a head full of questions! The themes of perseverance, curiosity, and imagination guided students as they created science projects exploring topics they learned about.

Join Us at the Fair!

Families are invited to visit during their child’s grade-level tour time:

  • 2nd Grade: 8:05 – 8:45 AM
    (Entering from the rear of the building will not impact morning arrival, allowing for an early start time.)
  • 1st Grade: 9:00 – 9:40 AM
  • 4th Grade: 9:50 – 10:30 AM
  • 5th Grade: 10:40 – 11:15 AM
  • 3rd Grade: 11:30 AM – 12:10 PM
  • Kindergarten: 1:00 – 1:40 PM

We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating our students’ hard work! 🎉

Sylvan Park 2024/25 Yearbook Available for Purchase.

Yearbook

Capture Your Memories in this year’s Sylvan Park Paideia Elementary School Yearbook

Customize Your 2 Free Pages

Add photos from your computer, Facebook, Instagram, Google Drive & more.

Answer fun Memory Questions to help remember the year.

The 2 Custom Pages are FREE and are printed ONLY in your book. Want more pages? Each additional 2 pages is just $1.99.

To Purchase & Customize Your Yearbook

  1. Go to: www.treering.com/validate
  2. Enter your school’s passcode: 1015257004414640

Regular price: $17.39

*Does not include sales tax, if applicable

Create Custom Pages by: Mar 31 .** If you order past the date, you can still get a yearbook, it will just be sent to your house instead of our bulk order coming to the school.

2024 INVEST Campaign and Fun(d) Run

Sylvan Park Invest 24

Sylvan Park’s 2024-25 INVEST Campaign kicked off this past week!

UPDATE: We are halfway to the end of our INVEST Campaign and have raised over $35K, 30% towards our goal of $120K! We are coming up on our final push to secure funds for our much needed Interventionist and we still very much need your help! 

With 16 days left in the campaign we are announcing POPSICLES FOR PARTICIPATION. This event is our effort to secure 150 INVEST donors by the end of this week! POPSICLES FOR PARTICIPATION is an all inclusive, school wide celebration. If we reach 150 donors, your child will receive a popsicle during their scheduled recess hour on Monday, September 23rd. Already donated? Share with a friend or family member! Thank you!

Our annual INVEST Campaign is dreaming BIG for the 2024-2025 school year as we strive to reach our goal of $120K!

Learn More About INVEST

The Fun(d) Run

INVEST is the actual fundraising campaign. The Fun(d) Run was created a few years ago as a way to get the kids excited and celebrate by doing a run around the track at the end of the campaign. They’ll get a “Fun Run” T-Shirt , another popsicle and pride for lots of laps around the track. And a great playlist curated by our very own Coach Scott for a dance party to boot!

Volunteer for the Fun Run

Thanks to everyone who came out to support Parnassus, SP Elementary, and the joy of Reading!

Parnassus Books

Thank you to everyone who joined us in supporting Sylvan Park Elementary while indulging in the joy of reading. Your contributions help make a difference for our school, and we are truly grateful for your generosity.

From 3-6pm on April 20, 2024, the Sylvan Park PTO received 10% of all sales made at Parnassus Books. Whether you were searching for books for your kiddos, yourself, or some amazing signed editions for gifts, it was the perfect time to visit. We hope you took advantage of this opportunity, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated. Your support means the world to us!

Parnassus Books, located in Green Hills, is an independent bookstore beloved by our community. Founded in 2011 by novelist Ann Patchett and her business partner, Karen Hayes, Parnassus offers an extensive and exciting selection of books, including fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, local interests, and the arts. We hope you found some wonderful reads to enjoy.