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Principal's Message 5/13/24

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE:

 

Good Evening, Stallion Families!

Let me begin by saying “Happy Mother’s Day!” to all of you who play a motherly role in the lives of our students.  Whether you are Mom, Step-Mom, Bonus Mom, Grandmom, God-Mom, Auntie who is a Mom, Sister who raises siblings, or Single Dad who does double duty… we celebrate you today!  You are seen!  You are valued!  You are appreciated!  You are loved!  Thank you for all you do!

I also recognize that Mother's Day will be a difficult holiday for some of you.  For those of you who have lost your mom, are estranged from your mom, have never met your mom, or are moms who have lost children… we see you too!  Please know we are sending you an extra scoop of love today!  💕

Upcoming Events

  • April 8- May 17, 2024 WCPSS Panorama Family Survey

  • May 16- P2 Assemblies for families with invitations

  • May 20-24 Mental Health Awareness Spirit Week

  • May 22- Art and Music Night

  • May 27- Memorial Day Holiday- No School for Students or Staff

  • May 30- June 7 EOG Testing

  • June 11- Grade 5 Promotion Ceremony

  • June 12- Last Day of School

 

Shout outs!

  • A HUGE shout of thanks to Emily McBrayer (PTA Hospitality Chair) and our Stough Elementary School  and families for the wonderful celebration of teachers and staff last week.  We are feeling loved and appreciated bigger than words can say.  Thank you!

  • To Mathew Hooker and Vina Jordano (PTA Super Kids Lead), we are thankful for all of the time and hard work you invested in Super Kids Day!  What a wonderful day of fun for ALL!  Thank you!  

  •  A shout out to our kindergarten team and all staff members who stayed late last Wednesday evening to welcome our newest Stallions into our family.  We had a packed house at kindergarten orientation, which is wonderful to see!  We are excited to welcome the class of 2037 to kindergarten later this summer.

  • Tuesday, May 14th is Testing Coordinator Appreciation Day!  I want to shout out Ms. Shelly Cox for all of her work with testing in our building.  Shelly is days away from the most challenging time of the year for her, so when you see her, please give her a shout of encouragement, words of praise!  Thank you, Shelly!  We see how hard you work to support testing processes.  Thank you!

  • On Friday, May 17th we are celebrating our Spectacular Speech Language Pathologist, Ms. Laura Lilly.  Ms. Lilly is a valued part of our special education team, taking on the role of team leader this year.  We are grateful for her hard work, her love for our students, and her high level of positive energy that she passes along to everything she encounters.  Ms. Lilly, thank you!  

 

Positivity Project: May 13- End of the Year: Other People Matter 

  • This week and for the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year, we will be reviewing the 24 character strengths we’ve learned as part of the Positivity Project.

  • Please use the following link to access the family newsletter for this week.

 

Safety Concerns- Dismissal for Walkers

  • Please be reminded that walker passes and walker dismissal are for students who are WALKING to and from school.  As I left campus for a school board meeting this week, I saw many walker students loading into cars that were parked in visitor spaces, outside by the loading dock, and in handicapped spaces.  This is a major safety concern, and for that reason, it will not be allowed.

  • If you are not walking to/from school, you need to join the carpool line or have your child ride the bus.  I am respectfully asking you to honor this process.  I do not want to be the principal who stands outside and directs you to the carpool lane.  That conversation feels bad for both of us.

 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

  • In honor of mental health awareness month, our student support services team will be sharing information via our morning news videos.  Please take some time to talk with your family about what they are learning from our team.

  • Our Stough staff is playing Self Care BINGO.  Thank you to Carolyn and Sara for this fun reminder of how important it is for grown ups to practice self care.

  • May 20-24 will be Mental Health Awareness Spirit Week.  For all who are visiting or volunteering in our building this week, you are welcome to join our students and staff in this fun event.

    • May 20- Mental Health Awareness Monday- Wear GREEN for mental health awareness!

    • May 21- Thinking Cap Tuesday- Wear a fun hat to represent positive thoughts!

    • May 22- Workout Wednesday- Wear your favorite sports team, favorite exercise gear, etc. because staying active helps us feel good!

    • May 23- Thoughtful Thursday- Wear tie-dye or something bright and colorful to represent all the emotions we feel!

    • May 24- Feel Good Friday- Wear pajamas to feel chill and lower your stress levels!



Panorama Survey

  • This is the LAST week for families to complete the Panorama Survey.   The Survey runs through May 17. We need your help to ensure we hear from as many family voices as possible! If you haven't already done so, please complete the survey surveys.panoramaed.com/wakecounty/family

 

Art and Music Night

 

Marbles Museum- STEM Club Program

 

Lost and Found

  • We have MANY items in our Lost and Found.  We encourage families to take a look in lost and found the next time you are on campus… you might be surprised to find items that belong to your children.  All items will be bagged and donated at the close of the school year (June 12).  

 

Enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year

  • If your family is currently enrolled at a Wake County Public school, and has moved to a new address, please check here for your base school.

    • If your base school changed, contact the new base school for your next steps.

    • If your base remains the same or your family has magnet status, please submit new proof of residence to your school.

    • This is only for families who have moved to a new address.  🙂

  • If your family is completing a new enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year, complete the online enrollment, follow the steps , then submit an online enrollment.

    • Once the online application has been submitted, Ms. Brunda will reach out for next steps.

    • The online application and enrollment documents must be submitted to get your student ID # activated to apply for other special program schools.

  • If any of your family member will not be attending Stough for 24-25 school year Please let us know ASAP

 

Save the Date- 5th grade promotion ceremony and celebration

  • The 2024 Promotion ceremony for 5th grade students will be held on Tuesday, June 11th in the gymnasium from 10:00-11:00 am.  Each student will be given 4 tickets to the event.  Please plan accordingly.

 

EOG Testing

  • End-of-Grade Testing Schedule for 2024 will be as follows

    • Thursday, May 30- Test for students with 1-on-1 accommodations

    • Friday, May 31- Math test for students in grades 3-4-5.

    • Monday, June 3- Make-up testing

    • Tuesday, June 4- Reading test for students in grades 3-4-5

    • Wednesday, June 5- Science test for students in grades 5

    • Thursday, June 6- Make-up testing

    • Friday, June 7- Make-up testing

 

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.

 

Stough Magnet Elementary PTA

  • Thank You to Our Volunteers!

    • We had a fantastic week of Staff Appreciation and Super Kids Day was our best yet! It was so beautiful to see so many kids and grown ups on the outside campus for super kids day and Mr. Hooker had it all planned out with plenty to choose from!

    • Last week was incredible and your donations of food, snacks and supplies, your time serving our staff or manning stations on the playground, and your support by helping us raise funds so that we can do things on behalf of all makes a huge difference in the lives of many. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! 

  • Stough PTA Online Auction is LIVE! 

    • STOUGH PTA SPRING AUCTION 24!

    • Can we fit ONE MORE THING into May? When it's this good you bet we can! Staycation at the Umstead? Autographed Canes photo? Bourbon tastings? Summer Camps? Birthday Parties? Mini-Golf? Say Yes!

    • The Stough PTA Spring Auction is our second largest fundraiser of the year and helps fund our programs to start next semester strong. The auction runs now through 10pm on May 22 (Art & Music Night).

    • Save this link as we will be adding more items this week, including more staycations, birthday parties, more summer camps and some SPECIAL OFFERINGS from our amazing STOUGH STAFF! You can follow along as we update new items using our socials @ptastough, stoughpta.com or in our PTA member emails!

 

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Jodi Lay 

Principal, Stough Magnet Elementary School