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Principal Message 1/22/24

Good Evening, Stallion Families!

Back in July, the Lay household went from a family of two, to a family of three when my niece Kara moved from Ohio to North Carolina to live with us.  This week we became a family of four.  Baby Axel was born on Thursday and we are beyond excited to have a new baby in our lives.  I am going to take some time away from school this week to support Kara as she is learning how to be a Mom.

Ms. Mariella and our administrative support team are fully prepared to support students and families as needed this week.  Mr. Williams will likely be on campus at times to support our community as well.  I will stay in touch with Maggie and will respond to emails when I can.  Thank you in advance for your grace and understanding as I care for my family this week.  I will see you soon!  

   

Upcoming Events

  • January 24, 2024- Teacher Workday: No school for students

  • January 25, 2024- Cultural Arts Event- Magic of African Rhythm

  • January 26, 2024- Stough Elementary School Spelling Bee 

  • February 8, 2024- Stough Elementary Chinese New Year Celebration

 

Shout outs!

  • This week I want to send a big shout of thanks and appreciation to Mr. McCue for showcasing some of our Stallion artwork at the State Employees Credit Union on Blue Ridge Road.  Tuesday evening we had the opportunity to view the artwork and talk with the talented artists.  It was a wonderful evening!  Thank you, Mr.  McCue!  The work will be displayed until the end of March, so families have plenty of time to see it.  

  • In the past two weeks we have had two weather related events that impacted our daily schedule at school.  I want to thank Ms. Joann, Ms. Michelle, and Mr. Mark who work in our cafeteria.  Their ability to flex and change and accommodate new schedules on short notice demonstrated their #StallionsFirst mindset.  We are grateful for them!  Thank you!

 

WCPSS Magnet Office

  • Principals  have been asked to share this information with families:

    • Students in 5th and 8th grade who would like to continue in a magnet school at the next level MUST apply. Apply at wcpss.schoolmint.com. The deadline is January 25

    • Students may apply to any magnet school that is an option for their address (review at wcpss.net/eligible)

    • ENTRY Grade siblings - those rising into grades  K, 6 or 9 - MUST apply and will be assigned with an older sibling who will still be assigned to that magnet school for the 24-25 school year. (NOTE - some siblings have already been assigned

    • Students with magnet status should be selected if they request their pathway school. See pathways at wcpss.net/pathways.

      • Please note - Magnet students at Poe and Partnership have the highest priority at Moore Square Magnet Middle as their pathway school. 

      • Magnet students at Fuller, Hunter, Powell, Underwood, Washington,  Zebulon, and Wiley have the highest priority at the TRADITIONAL CALENDAR GT Magnet Middle school for their address (Carnage, Ligon, Martin or Zebulon) as their pathway school. They have priority 3 in an application for Moore Square and are not guaranteed to be selected for that school. 

    • Please contact Ms. Tamani Anderson- Powell at the central office with questions (tanderson-powell@wcpss.net)

 

Chess Club

  • Stough’s New After School Chess Club will begin in the 3rd quarter!!!  

    • The Chess Club will meet every other Wednesday, 4:15-5:00 pm in the 4th/5th grade Common Area (Dates TBD).  

    • Any 2nd-5th grader who already knows how to play Chess is invited to join the club! 

    • We are looking for gently used chess sets.  If you have one you would be willing to donate to the chess club, please drop it off at the front office or hand it to a staff member in the carpool line.

    • For more information and to express interest, please contact Dr. Cecconi-Roberts through this form. 

    • You do not need to be enrolled in the YMCA program to participate in this club.

 

Stough Wildlife Garden Club

  • The Stough Wildlife Garden Club will hold meetings every other week starting February 12th from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. in Mrs. Rieder's classroom. 

    • Students interested in joining must email Mrs. Rieder at (trieder@wcpss.net). Please include your student's name, grade level, teacher name, and parent contact information. 

    • We welcome all parent and teacher volunteers to participate in our club.

 

Chinese New Year Celebration

  • Mark your calendars! Stough's Chinese New Year Celebration will be held on Thursday, February 8th, 2024 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. All Immersion students and 3rd-5th traditional students will perform. All Stough families are welcome to celebrate the Chinese New Year with us. More information to follow.

 

KidzArt

  • KidzArt drawing classes Session 3 begins on Feb 6 (Tuesday). Every week is a new project and returning students are welcome! Classes meet on Tuesdays at 4-5 pm in the Art Room for K-5th grades students. Your child will bring home a finished artwork that he/she will be proud of each week! For more info contact Chen the owner at cjiang@kidzart.com. To register please visit www.northraleigh.kidzart.com.

 

Substitute Teachers

  • Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  I am excited and grateful!  A good number of you have reached out to me to gather information about becoming a substitute teacher.  Remember, we can use you for any amount of time… as little or as much as you have to give.  To make this process easier, these are the steps to follow.

    • The Wake County Public School System has a process.  You can find it here.  https://www.wcpss.net/subs

    • Once WCPSS has cleared you to sub, and you have gone through orientation, please reach out to our lead secretary, Ann Coventry (acoventry@wcpss.net).  She will help you get set up in the system to accept sub jobs here at Stough.

 

The Positivity Project: January 22-26 Social Intelligence

  • The Positive Project publishes a Family Newsletter each week.  Please use this link to learn more about this week’s character trait, and find some talking points to use with your family. (Social Intelligence)

 

Stough Magnet Elementary PTA

  • P2 Ceremony: 

    • Congratulations to the students who earned P2 awards presented on Thursday.  We honor them, alongside the parents, caregivers and teachers who support them.  PTA is honored to sponsor the Positivity Project for our school to empower our students to become their best selves.  Be sure to check out the Positivity Project newsletter and featured character trait above! 

  • Yearbooks: 

    • You can now order your Stough yearbook! You can use the order form here, the paper copy sent home with students or go to www.ybpay.com and use the yearbook ID code 14638124.  The deadline to place your order is Friday, April 5. 



  • Saturday, Jan. 27: Triangle Area Chinese American Society 2024 Chinese New Year Celebration: 

    • The Triangle Area Chinese American Society (TACAS) Chinese New Year Festival  festival will be held at the NC State Fairgrounds’ Dorton Arena in Raleigh on Saturday, January 27, 2024 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

    • The PTA group ticket order concluded yesterday but you can still  purchase tickets here. Those who ordered tickets through PTA will receive pickup instructions at the email address used in the order form. Email stoughpta@gmail.com with questions! Kids under 6 free. TACAS member, senior citizen (65+) and military with ID $7 (advance and at door). All others $7 in advance (online or local asia market) and $10 at door. Tickets are sold at Grand Asia Market 大亜洲超商 , A&C Supermarket 美亞超市, Today Asia Market 今天超市, Li Ming’s Global Mart 黎明超市 and Raleigh Chinese Language School (RCLS) 洛麗中文學校.

  • Tuesday, Jan. 30: PTA's Second General Membership Meeting: 

  • Thursday, Feb. 8: Stough Chinese New Year Celebration: 



Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Jodi Lay 

Principal, Stough Magnet Elementary School