Cary Elementary-Administration

Rod Stanton, Principal		Jaime Merckle, Assistant Principal
Rod Stanton grew up in a small town south of Buffalo, New York where he earned a degree in business management before getting his bachelor's degree in elementary education at a State University of New York. After beginning his educational career in western New York, he decided to move away from the snow and chose Raleigh where he had several friends and relatives. Mr. Stanton earned his master's degree in school administration at UNC, Chapel Hill. Mr. Stanton was at Cary Elementary several years ago and returned in January 2004 after being the assistant principal at Lincoln Heights Elementary in Fuquay-Varina. Mr. Stanton enjoys playing sports and you may even pass him early in the mornings jogging near his home in Apex, where he and his wife Robin live. They have a daughter, Brezny, who was born in the summer of 2004. When not playing basketball or softball, Mr. Stanton enjoys other outdoor activities like water skiing, golfing, and working in the yard. Mr. Stanton coaches a boys basketball team at his church and thinks Cary Elementary is a very special place.		Jaime Merckle was born and raised here in Cary, North Carolina. She graduated with a B.A. in English and Elementary Education from Wake Forest University. Mrs. Merckle taught at a year-round elementary school in Wake Forest for five years, and earned a master’s degree in school administration from UNC Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to Cary Elementary, she served as an administrator at Hunter Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary in downtown Raleigh. Mrs. Merckle and her husband, Stephen, live in the town of Wake Forest. They enjoy spending time with their two dogs, Lucy and Rooney, and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers. In her spare time, Mrs. Merckle loves to read (particularly Southern fiction), to sing, and to play the piano. She also enjoys running and hopes to complete a half marathon in the near future. Mrs. Merckle is thrilled to be part of the Cary Elementary staff, and is proud of the quality teaching, high student achievement, and warm, nurturing atmosphere we have here!

School News
A Message From the Principal

“Must be Present to Win”

Fall is here and the lower temperatures have been refreshing. I'd like to give a special thanks to the PTA for sponsoring our first Cultural Arts event that featured the musical performance of Roger Day. An afternoon Cougar Pride Parade recognized students who showed the character traits of respect and responsibility. In addition to promoting good character, our parades are a time for us to celebrate our academic successes. Goal setting should be an important part of all our lives, and our parades are a time that we encourage students to celebrate reaching those goals.

At Cary Elementary we spend a great deal of time trying to determine what things are working so they can continue, but also how we can do better. Our staff teams meet regularly to have these discussions and recently talked about something that may seem obvious. If students don’t come to school consistently and on time, they won’t learn as much, no matter how great a program we implement. We have all seen the statement “Must be present to win” on raffles and contests and I believe that also applies to school.

While our morning instructional bell does not ring until 8:30, students can enter their classroom as early as 8:00. I encourage you to get your child here a little earlier so they can get unpacked, situated, and ready to start their day. I think we have all experienced getting somewhere “right on time” but feeling rushed the rest of the day. We know our buses play a big part in this and are working to be sure they are also on time. Tardies can really add up too – if a student is only 30 minutes late one day a week, that can add up to 2 hours of missed instruction each month and 18 hours by the end of the year. Most classes follow the same daily routine so tardies mean missing the same subject each time. This is also true for early sign-outs. As we celebrate responsibility, being present and on time is a great example of a life skill we want to be sure to teach our children. We know situations do arise that create a need for occasional lateness or absences but appreciate all you do to be sure your children are here and ready to learn. This is an example of great school and parent teamwork.

Sincerely,
Rod Stanton
Principal