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Principal Message 3/11/24

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE:

 

Good Evening, Stallion Families!

If you were able to spend any time in our building this past week, I am sure your spirits were lifted.  What a fun week of silly socks, mismatched clothing, crazy and cool hats, and favorite team gear!  I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our students and staff who engaged in our Read Across America Spirit Week.  Thank you for reminding me once again why Stough Elementary School is THE place to be!  🙂

 

Upcoming Events

  • March 11, 2024- Teacher Work Day

  • March 12, 2024- Last Day to shop for books at the Stough ES book fair

  • March 12, 2024- Stough Spirit Night at Chipotle

  • March 12, 2024- Stough PTA Meeting (see information below)

  • March 19, 2024- Parent Information Meeting- 5th grade Field Trip

  • March 21, 2024- P2 Assemblies (Invitation given to families of students receiving awards only)

  • March 25-29, 2024- Spring Break!

 

Shout outs!

  • A big shout out to the 29 students in our 3rd grade Chinese Immersion program who participated in the 2024 National Chinese Talent Contest organized by the Chinese Language Association of Second- Elementary Schools.  We are so proud of you for putting forth your best efforts!  Congratulations!  Mr. Liu and Ms. Melendez- we are grateful for your leadership and support with our 3rd grade Mandarin students.

    •   Of the 29 Stough students who participated:

      • 6 students won FIRST place

      • 3 students won SECOND place

      • 10 students won THIRD place

      • 10 students won Honorable Mention

 

Positivity Project: March 11-15 Other People Matter: Identifying and Appreciating the Good in Others

  • Identifying and appreciating the good in other people helps you see the world through a more positive -- and less threatening -- lens. If you’re constantly seeing the negative traits of people, you’re going to think the world is comprised of bad people -- and you’re going to operate from a defensive posture. This isn’t to say that we should be naive or see the world, and its people, through “rose-colored glasses.” It’s just that we should strive to understand people’s intent. If you see the good in another, they are likely to see the good in you.

  • Family Newsletter for the week of March 11-15



Parent/Caregiver Information Meeting- 5th grade field trip to the Outer Banks

  • If you are a parent/caregiver of a 5th grade student who is choosing to attend our 5th grade field trip to the Outer Banks, you are invited to attend a virtual meeting where information will be shared with time for questions/answers.  We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Single Subject Acceleration (SSA)

  • The Test Request window for Single Subject Acceleration or SSA at Stough will be open April 1-12.  SSA allows students to show mastery of content in select elementary or middle school courses. Students who prove mastery do not have to take the course and may move on to the next level.  Parents may request testing for their child to skip a grade level of content in either English Language Arts or Math. Testing will be April 22-May 6.  No requests for testing will be honored prior to April 1. Please email Mrs. Cecconi-Roberts at lcecconi-roberts@wcpss.net for more information.

 

Spring is Here!  Let’s talk about dress code.

  • One of the best measures of how much your child has grown over the winter is the fit of their clothing come springtime.  All of the sudden, shorts and shirts that fit last summer are too short, too tight, too small.  I know how busy and hectic morning routines can be.  I want to remind you to be intentional about looking at what your child is wearing, especially if you have an older elementary student.  Please make sure students are appropriately covered with no exposed undergarments or bare midriffs, even when they remove layers of clothing like hoodies or jackets.  Thank you!

 

Cell phones

  • We are beginning to see an increasing number of students using their cell phones during the school day.  The expectation is that students do not have cell phones on campus.  With that said, I do understand they are needed for safety reasons in some situations.  Please speak to your child about cell phones expectations.  We are not going to search for cell phones.  If a cell phone rings during class, or if a student has a cell phone out of their book bag during the school day, we will follow protocol:

    • First offense- teacher confiscates a cell phone and turns it into administration.  Cell phones will be returned to students at the end of the day.

    • Second offense- teacher confiscates a cell phone and turns it into administration.  Cell phones will be returned only to a parent/caregiver.

    • Third offense- teacher confiscates a cell phone and turns it into administration.  Cell phones will be returned at the end of the school year.

 

EOG Testing

  • End-of-Grade Tests will begin on May 30, with the last day of testing on June 12.  Please plan accordingly.  

 

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.

 

Stough Magnet Elementary PTA

  • PTA Communications: 

    • We endeavor to email a newsletter every one to two weeks. You can find our newsletter for the week of March 8 here. Not getting our newsletters? You can subscribe here. 

    • Want to see the latest in your browser instead of your inbox? The Stough PTA Events & Updates page is a great place to see what's going on at the moment. There you can scroll through our current announcements, see links to volunteer signups, event dates, and more! 

    • Like always, we continue to post the highlights here in the Principal's Weekly Message.

 

  • Book Fair Ends Tuesday, March 12

  • Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped make the Book Fair a success! We wrap up the book fair on Tuesday, March 12. Many of our teachers created online wish lists and you can find those here and on our Stough PTA Book Fair page. 

  • Family Night at the Book Fair was lively this year and it was truly wonderful to see so many students and their families exploring and reading books. What special moments!

  • PTA General Membership Meeting Tuesday, March 12 @ 7:30 pm.

    • We hope you'll join us online for our Stough PTA general membership meeting on Tuesday. We'll update you on what we have coming up this semester and ways you can get involved from home or at school.

Meeting ID: 889 4993 8594

Passcode: 444799

  • Stough Spirit Night @ Chipotle (Pleasant Valley) Tuesday March 12,  5-9pm

  • Grab dinner for your family at Chipotle on Glenwood Ave. on Tuesday! Show a link to our FLYER in the restaurant or order online for pickup using code YLV9F6B. Chipotle will give 33% back to Stough PTA for purchases from 5-9pm.

  • We're pulling out a few designs from the vault in April for a vintage Stough T-Shirt Sale in April. Stay tuned!

  • Interested in helping us design some fresh Stough Spirit Wear? We need you! Email stoughpta.com. 

 

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Jodi Lay 

Principal, Stough Magnet Elementary School