Principal's Message: 4/23/2022

Good Morning Parents and Families: 

There is so much to celebrate as we completed another full week at Stone, so see below for all the features and moments of joy around our school. Each week, I will showcase some of our latest updates to our building as we continue to create a warm and welcoming environment centered on family, student success and growth.  Check out a sneak peek of our new family engagement center; we will have a full feature in next week’s message. Additionally, there are so many upcoming events for students, staff and our families, so we will continue to provide updates to support your planning needs. 

We are always so grateful for the incredible support from you as we prepare for a week (May 2-6)  to honor all of our educators at Stone. Please find a few ways for you to support our leadership students as they prepare a week of special moments for our staff. 

• Recognize a Stone MS Educator to let them know how you appreciate them, what they mean to you, or how they have helped you or your student to feel successful and supported. 
• This form will close by the end of the day on Friday, April 29. Our Leadership Students will create certificates to recognize these excellent educators during Stone's Educator Appreciation Week. 
• Stock the Lounge! Stone Leadership students are organizing and surprising teachers with a fully stocked lounge to show their appreciation for all their hard work and to provide some refreshments, snacks, and a lending library for the remainder of the school year, but they need your help.
• Please consider signing up for some of the items below to help Stock the Lounge!

As always, I am so appreciative of your support. I look forward to our wellness & maker’s week (read more below) and seeing your children throughout this week.

Enjoy the amazing weather this weekend,

Meredith Norris 
Principal
Stone Middle School

Portrait of a Panther
We continue to honor and celebrate our students who demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate skills, whether in their classes, after school or in the hallways. I appreciate our students doing the right thing as they often show improvement and success, while working on their communication, collaboration, growth, resilience and overall engagement. 

Speaker Series #8
We are so fortunate for our FCPS Ignite business partnership with Grace Covenant Church. We had another amazing message from Mr. Sean Clemons as he spoke to hope and resilience after going through his own traumatic experience last year. Mr. Clemons shared, “You are in a great school. Just the fact that they have this show shows that they have the heart to help you process through these things. Singing, writing and journaling are good ways you can get your emotions out. He ended his message with three tips as our students navigate difficult times: 1.  Always seek help from a trusted adult; 2. Forgive others and yourself and 3. Have hope! 

We thank our Panther News crew and our SEL coordinators for creating this monthly speaker series opportunity to support our overall mission of kindness, respect and honesty. 

Panther News Field Trip Feature
Stone's Panther News Crew visited the Nancy Sprague Technology Center to learn more about news production. We used their set, equipment, and what we learned to record our next Panther News Show. 

After School Program 
There are so many opportunities for students to join in the after-school fun, so check out the link above. Additionally, stay tuned for weekly events as our students engage in several competitions.

Month of the Military Child
Our students and staff love a spirit day and a chance to honor and celebrate our military connected youth and families on Wednesday by wearing purple was great! On behalf of our school community, we say thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Autism Acceptance Month
We featured another spirit day yesterday as we honored Autism Acceptance Month. Autism Acceptance Month, previously named Autism Awareness Month, in April aims to celebrate and promote acceptance for the condition that occurs in one in every 54 children as of 2020 in the United States. We continue to promote a community at Stone which celebrates differences, promotes an inclusive school environment centered around respect, honesty and kindness. 

Wellness Week(April 25-29)
Our leadership students have developed another exciting spirit week, this time focused on overall wellness. We will feature spirit days and activities throughout the week. Stay tuned for updates as we continue to promote overall positive social-emotional and physical wellness. 

Maker’s Week (April 25-29)
We are celebrating National Library Month this last week of April with a re-opening of our newly furnished and painted library space. We can’t wait to share with you all the exciting activities that will be happening in conjunction with Wellness Week.

Laptop Chargers 
With SOL testing quickly approaching we are asking students to make sure they have a charger to use during testing. 

If your child has lost their charger, they will need to order a $23 replacement through MySchoolBucks or by sending in a check made out to Stone Middle School before May 6. Once payment is received, they will be issued a replacement charger. 

They will be responsible for turning in a charger with their laptop at the end of the school year.