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Mr. Corey's Weekly Message - 1/31/25

 

CONNmunity!  Here is your weekly Principal Message.  Please read to the end as there is a lot of important information below.  

 

Shout-Outs and Thank You’s

Huge thanks to our amazing PTA for sponsoring an engaging Cultural Arts Assembly! Shout-out to our staff for preparing students and ensuring smooth transitions—despite the tight turnaround, students showed P.U.R.R. pride in the hallways!

Thank You to the generous Oakwood neighborhood families who came together and donated snacks and supplies to each grade level and delivered them this morning.  Below is a picture of the card that was enclosed with the goodies and our teachers would like to express their immense gratitude.

 

Way to go! 🎉🙌

 

Volunteer Opportunities!

Virtual Volunteer Training will be next Tuesday, February 4th from 9:30-10:00. Here is the Google Meet link. 
 

 

Thank you to those who have signed up to volunteer. We need about 2 more volunteers for a new opportunity to support students at Conn!  We will be participating in Level Up Literacy, a partnership with Read and Feed and Wake Ed Partnership to support students in 1st - 3rd grade with building foundational reading skills. We are looking for at least 5 volunteers who can commit to working one-on-one with students for a total of 2 hours per week during the school day. Training and materials are provided. If you would like more information about this opportunity, please reach out to Jenny Smith at jbormannsmith@wcpss.net. 

Safety Update

As I shared in a school message yesterday, we conducted an unannounced lockdown drill to practice our safety procedures. Lockdown drills are an essential part of our emergency preparedness, ensuring that students and staff know how to respond in unexpected situations. While these drills are not pleasant, being prepared saves lives.

Our first lockdown drill in the fall was announced in advance to provide a low-stakes practice opportunity, and our students and staff handled it exceptionally well. As principal, I felt it was important to assess our systems and processes under more realistic conditions, so I approved an unannounced drill. Once again, our school responded exceptionally well, with only minimal areas for improvement.

I understand that some may have differing opinions about this decision. However, our top priority is the safety of our students and staff. I would rather be overly cautious than risk being unprepared. Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school a safe place for all.

 

Conn PTA Updates

Conn PTA Advocacy Committee presents CONNversation Night: Money Talks Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 5:30p-7:30p Conn Magnet Elementary School 1220 Brookside Ave, Raleigh 27604 Public school advocate Susan Book presents School Funding 101 Wake County School Board District 4 Member Toshiba Rice answers your questions Free Trophy pizza and child activities!  
RSVP REQUIRED: Click here to RSVP

Conn Cougar 5K + Run Club

We welcome your student(s) to join fellow Conn students for Run Club in preparation for the 2nd Annual Conn Cougar 5K! Run Club will meet every Wednesday morning starting February 12, 2025, from 7:50 AM to 8:40 AM. If your student is excited to get moving, we would love for them to join us! Interested in participating? Please complete this Google Form to sign up. We also welcome volunteers to help make this a great experience — let us know if you’d like to get involved!

 

The 2nd Annual Conn Cougar 5K Event, hosted by Conn's PTA, will take place on Saturday, March 8th, 2025 @ CONN! Race starts promptly at 9 am! -- Registration is now open!

 

A few key pieces of information:

  • Conn Cougar 5K and Youth 1 Mile Fun Run registrants receive a special Conn-themed finisher medal!

  • Student-designed t-shirts can be purchased through registration or PTA's givebacks store.

  • We are in need of volunteers to ensure smooth execution! Please visit https://www.connpta.org/events/conn-cougar-5k for more information on the event as well as to sign-up to volunteer!

  • PTA does not want cost to be a barrier to participating in this event, use code RUN4CONN for no cost race registration (open for use by Conn families and staff).

Do you work for a business, own a business, or know of a business that should support our school? Conn PTA offers businesses several ways to support--from in-kind donations to cash sponsorships. In exchange, businesses are recognized as sponsors and gain marketing exposure within our CONNmunity. Learn more here or contact Ginger at fundraising@connpta.org for more information. Learn more by going to our Business Support section of our website.

 

Announcement from PreK Regional Programs

Click here for more information concerning upcoming enrollment for Preschool (for typically or non-typically developing children)

 

Chorus @ Ligon MS

Is your rising 6th grader interested in chorus and attending Ligon MS? 

Please review the Ligon GT Chorus Placement Audition Information link. 

 

YES, there are two dates to keep in mind for families. 

1. If the student knows they are attending Ligon next year as a neighborhood/base student, the due date is February 21st. 

2. If the student does not know yet due to the Magnet Application process, the due date is on or before March 19th. 

 

Illuminating Connections for Alignment,

 

Mr. John Corey

Proud Principal of Conn Magnet Elementary

 

Important Dates to Remember/Reminders 

  • February 3rd - 7th is National School Counselor Week.  Please join us in recognizing the hard work of our two school counselors, Ms. Jermyn and Ms. Burton.

  • February 10th - 14th is National Bus Driver Appreciation Week.  Please join us in recognizing the hard work of our bus drivers.

  • February 13th - Kindergarten Field Trip to Marbles Museum

  • February 13th - NC State STEM Night at Conn from 

  • February 17th - Teacher Workday (No School)

  • February 19th - 1st Grade Field Trip to NC Zoo

  • February 26th - Quarter 3 Interim reports will be sent out