Palma Sola Elementary

The School District of Manatee County is closed on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, to proudly honor and thank all veterans for their service, sacrifice, and dedication to our nation.

We join together to celebrate our graduated students, teachers, staff, families, and community members who served in the Armed Forces. Thank you for protecting our freedom and strengthening our community.

Happy Veterans Day from the entire School District of Manatee County family! #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

Meet Shawn, one of our dedicated School Safety Guardians in Manatee County. A proud local, Shawn’s roots run deep in this community. He attended Oneco Elementary School, Harllee Middle, and graduated from Bayshore High School.

After an impressive 30-year law enforcement career, beginning with the Bradenton Police Department and concluding with the Tampa Police Department, Shawn returned home two years ago to continue serving—this time, protecting students and staff.

Every morning, Shawn can be found at Palma Sola Elementary School, greeting students with high-fives and smiles during drop-off. It’s his favorite part of the day, and it shows. His caring nature and connection with students make a lasting impact, especially on those who need a little extra support.

When asked about the best part of being a guardian, Shawn shared a story that speaks volumes about his heart:

“The other day, I helped a little boy put his shoe on, and he remembered me from about a month ago. You don’t often get a lot of responses out of children with special needs. After I put his shoe on, he grabbed me by the hand and led me to the swing because he remembered me pushing him before. It’s little stuff like that.”

Outside of school, Shawn is eagerly expecting his first grandchild in January, and it’s clear that family means everything to him. In fact, education runs in the family; his brother is a PE teacher at another elementary school in the district.

Thank you, Shawn, for your dedication, compassion, and commitment to keeping our students and staff safe. You are a true hometown hero! #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews #GoodNewsGuardians

ESE Agency Fair on November 19th! Join the School District Of Manatee County as we welcome families of students with disabilities to explore support and services within the community, designed to help meet the needs of the ESE population. The ESE Agency Fair is taking place on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, from 5:30-7PM, at Harllee Center, 6423 9th Street East in Bradenton. More than 45 vendors from the community will be available to meet with parents and caregivers, including agencies, therapy providers, and specialized services targeting students with special needs. There will be resources, prizes, and fun as we also celebrate the grand opening of The Soar Lab - a a special place, built for all young learners (primarily ages infant to 3rd grade) and their families to grow. #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

Mark your calendar and make plans to attend the 2025 Advanced Learning Expo! Join us at Manatee Technical College (Main campus) on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, from 6–7:30PM, for a glimpse into the advanced learning programs and opportunities for K-12 students across the district. Come check out the elementary school interactive, hands-on, learning stations. Visit with staff and student representatives from every middle and high school showcasing their advanced academic programs, clubs, and extracurricular opportunities. Connect with many community partners ready to challenge and engage your student! There is undoubtedly something for everyone to explore at the Advanced Learning Expo! This informative and interactive family event takes place before the school choice application window opens for the 2026-27 school year, offering an opportunity for families to engage with school-based teams and explore the K-12 gifted programming and advanced learning opportunities available. Don’t miss the Advanced Learning Expo…it’s not just for gifted students anymore!

Being a school principal is sometimes a dirty job, but somebody AWESOME has to do it! On Friday, Principal Jennie Grimes (front left) and Asst. Principal Heather Sills became human ice cream sundaes in the spirit of school fundraising.

A member of the Palma Sola Elementary School family recently wrote this about Jennie Grimes:

“Mrs. Grimes is the heartbeat of our little community school. She wants the best for all of her students, supports her staff, created an environment where they’re thriving with active construction on campus, and is always willing to be fun and goofy for the students! She keeps parents informed, is a great communicator, and exemplary leader on campus.

She is accessible, kind, and innovative - always striving towards improvement and new ideas for our PSE community. So lucky to be a Panther! 🐾 💙 💛”

We couldn’t agree more! Thank for all you do, Mrs. Grimes. #NationalPrincipalsMonth #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

On Friday, Palma Sola Elementary pulled out all the stops to celebrate their beloved crossing guard, Maggie Pappa, on her 92nd birthday! 🎂💐 The devoted matriarch and lifelong Pittsburgh fan also stays active and healthy by being a fixture at LECOM Park during Pirates’ spring training and the Bradenton Marauders’ baseball season. More than two decades and running! See how the community came together to honor her kindness and spirit at https://www.manateeschools.net/goodnews We love you too, Ms. Maggie! 💛🖤

Today marks one month since Dr. Laurie Breslin officially stepped into her role as Superintendent, and we’re proud to recognize this milestone!

In just a few short weeks, Dr. Breslin has already begun building strong connections, listening closely to school communities, and championing the success of every student and staff member. Her commitment to excellence shines through in every conversation and decision.

As we look ahead, we’re excited about the vision, experience, and heart Dr. Breslin brings to our district. Please join us in celebrating this first month of leadership and welcoming the many great things still to come.

#ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

✨ A perfect day to celebrate Grandmas and Pop Pops, Nanas and Abuelos! ✨ Palma Sola Elementary School held their annual Grandparents Day luncheon on Monday, bringing families together from Michigan to Lakewood Ranch. This heartwarming tradition is a beautiful opportunity for grandparents to spend quality time with their grandchildren #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

✨ A perfect day to celebrate Grandmas and Pop Pops, Nanas and Abuelos! ✨ Palma Sola Elementary School held their annual Grandparents Day luncheon on Monday, bringing families together from Michigan to Lakewood Ranch. This heartwarming tradition is a beautiful opportunity for grandparents to spend quality time with their grandchildren #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

Our first SAC and PTO meeting of the year will be this Thursday evening beginning at 6pm. The meeting will be virtual only - and we invite anyone and everyone to sign in and join us! You can scan the QR code or click on this link to join the TEAMS meeting! https://bit.ly/45Xask2

Palma Sola Elementary is celebrating Color Days all month long in support of our pre-K and kindergarten students learning their colors! On Wednesday, the whole campus was decked out in red. This year’s school theme ties in with campus construction: “Building Memories, One Brick at a Time!” 🧱✨

Shoutout to Paul (right) and D (left), a pair of dedicated school district plumbers with nearly 60 years of service combined! They were hard at work at Palma Sola Elementary School on Wednesday, keeping things running for students and staff. #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

Messages may come as "Potential Spam" and we don’t want you to miss any important updates! You can view the messages in your Focus app or in the Focus Parent Portal.

Please let us know if you have any questions - we’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

https://www.manateeschools.net/o/sdmc/page/mysdmc-focus-app

Registration for Palma Sola Elementary School’s Panther Care (EDEP Program) will be on Wednesday, July 30th from 9:00 – 11:00 AM. Registration requires completion of the registration packet by the enrolling parent/guardian (all items must be initialed and signed). Payment of the nonrefundable registration fee is required plus the first week’s payment.

Space is limited per grade level, and we will place your child’s name on a waitlist on a first come first served basis once all seats are filled. For more information, please visit https://www.manateeschools.net/o/palmasola/page/panther-care-extended-day-program

Security Screening at Secondary Schools – Beginning Monday, August 11, 2025, all students and visitors at district middle and high schools will be screened each school day using a high-tech security scanner system. For more information on this enhanced security screening procedure, visit https://www.manateeschools.net/securityscreening.

School Board Seeks Civic-Minded Citizens to Join Audit Committee – The School Board of Manatee County is seeking civic-minded citizens to serve as members of the Audit Committee. The Committee, which meets six times a year, recommends the appointment of the internal and external auditors; reviews the scope, plan and reports of the internal and external auditors; and assists in maintaining open communications between the selected auditors, the School Board and the District’s financial management. The Committee also reviews the collection and proper use of the funds raised through the one-half cent sales surtax for school capital outlay expenditures. Membership on the Committee requires an average of five-to-eight hours per month, with meetings scheduled every other month for three hours. The term is approximately three years. Those interested in serving must: • Live in Manatee County. • Be a CPA (active or retired) or had employment experience in school district financial operations. • Submit a letter expressing interest, provide contact information and provide a brief summary of their work experience. Responses must be sent to the Manatee County School District, Attention: School Board Agency Clerk, P.O. Box 9069, Bradenton, Florida 34206-9069. Interested individuals may obtain additional information about the Committee by emailing the School Board Agency Administrative Associate at cox3l@manateeschools.net.

The Florida Department of Education released the Florida Value Added Model (VAM) Fiscal Transparency Tool, a web-based fiscal transparency tool that identifies public schools and districts with high academic achievement based on the ratio of classroom expenditures to total expenditures. VAM is intended to help taxpayers evaluate the financial efficiency of a school district with other similarly situated school districts. View the VAM for the School District of Manatee County at https://floridavam.org/e/vamPublic.html?w4=54#/entityId=262385.