Weekly Stony Brook Update

Dear Stony Brook Families,

I am excited to introduce two new staff members to our Stony Brook family. Our new assistant principal, Ms. Mattern, will be starting with us on January 6th. Ms. Mattern and I have been talking on the phone, and to say she is excited to join us is an understatement. A letter from her can be found below. Mrs. Snare and Ms. Mattern will overlap for a few weeks as Ms. Mattern becomes acquainted with our school. I would like to also welcome Mr. Roomsburg! Mr. Roomsburg is our newest instructional assistant. He will mainly be helping with our kindergartners and lunch/recess.

The Holiday Shoppe will be open tomorrow, Saturday, December 14th from 9:00AM-12:00PM. Simply bring your child to the school and they will be transported by our elves to the Secret Santa Shoppe where they will shop independently with our PTO volunteers. We will also have a few fun activities happening during this time.

Have a great weekend,

Kelly Harper, Ed.D.

Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am delighted to introduce myself as your new assistant principal at Stony Brook! I'm excited to join such a dedicated staff and community that makes our school an exceptional place for students to learn and grow.

With 20 years of experience in education, I bring a strong passion for academic excellence, personal growth, and creating a safe and inclusive learning environment. My educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Hood College in Frederick, MD.

Throughout my career, I have served in various educational roles, including middle school Language Arts teacher, K-12 English Curriculum Supervisor, and Assistant Principal at Five Points and Washington Elementary Schools in Bangor, PA.

Outside of school, I'm a proud mom to two daughters, Addison (9) and Emily (6). This year, Addison is learning to play the clarinet, and Emily is excited about her first basketball season. Our family loves animals and maintains a mini farm with a thoroughbred horse named Lettie Lou, a bulldog, a teacup yorkie, two kittens, and four bunnies!

An outdoor enthusiast, I enjoy spending time at the barn and hiking with my daughters. Growing up in Kentucky, I was an avid horse rider and competed as a barrel racer during my teenage years. I'm also a devoted country music fan.

I am thrilled to be joining the Stony Brook team and look forward to meeting you and working with your children. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

Warm regards,

Allison Mattern

The WIN Team would like to congratulate the Turkey Challenge Class Winners. Congratulations to Mrs. Etter's class, Mrs. Druck's class, Mrs. Martin's class, and Mrs. Linsey's class. These classes had the highest number of students in their respective grade level participate in the challenge. Stay tuned for our next challenge that will take place over the holiday break.

You are invited to attend the Stony Brook Gingerbread Shoppe on December 14th from 9AM-12PM. During this time, students can shop for the holidays independently with our PTO volunteers, make a craft, and/or play a game. We are still in need of donations and volunteers for this event. Please CLICK HERE to sign up. Thank you!

Let's count our way to the holidays and ring in the new year with spirit days.

Information about the in-school dental program being offered at Stony brook in partnership with Family First Health (FFH) was sent home with students on December 6th. The first event will take place on January 17, 2025. If you would like to enroll your child int he program, please return the registration form no later than January 3, 2025.

Central York High School has an active Optimist International Club led by two amazing teachers. For the first time, Optimist International is offering a contest to elementary age students. This exciting competition is designed to encourage and celebrate youth visual art skills. The topic for the contest is "Bringing Out the Best". All pictures must by 11x8 1/2 (landscape). Students may submit two entries for the local club and district contest, but with Optimist International there is no limit to the number of entries that may be entered. Please see the PDFs below for more information.

Happy Friday SB Families!

Save the date for our December dine out night- December 30 at Chuck-E-Cheese in East York! More information and coupons will be sent home prior to winter break!

Please note that there is no December PTO meeting- we will see you in January!

If you plan to volunteer for any of our PTO events, you will need to register/renew your CYSD volunteer badge:https://www.cysd.k12.pa.us/our-district/human-resources/clearances

We encourage parents and caregivers to follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/stonybrookpto) as this is where you will get the most timely updates on volunteer opportunities, school events, and more.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Brittany Strine

Stony Brook PTO President

brittanystrine@aol.com

717-858-2104

Annual Notices

Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Free and Reduced Meal Program Forms

Community Flyers

Stony Brook Homepage

Parents and Families

Student Handbooks

Educational Trip Form

Volunteer Information

12/14 - SB Gingerbread Shoppe

12/23-1/1 - No School

1/2 - School Resumes

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

Click on the documents below for more information about Stony Brook arrival and dismissal. If you are driving your child to school, you will stay in your car during drop off. Please have your child practice unbuckling the seat belt or car seat by themselves as parents stay in the car during drop off. If your child is in the walk zone, but you plan to drive your car to the school to pick up your child, your child is now parent pick up and you should follow the parent pick up procedures.

All kindergarten students are required to have an adult pick them up at the bus stop or walk zone. Kindergarten students will not be released from the bus or at the walk zone unless an adult is present to receive them. An adult must meet all kindergarten walkers at the designated crossing guard spot.

For any changes in dismissal, be very clear with your child if they are being picked up early or if they will be parent pick-up when they normally ride the school bus. Any changes in routines or dismissal plans should be communicated to your child's teacher via note or email prior to 9:00AM. If you need to make a change during the day, please call the main office. Our teachers often do not have time to check their email during the school day. The office staff also requests that if you need to change your child's dismissal plan after school has started for the day, please call prior to 2:00PM. It is difficult for our office to communicate to your child's teacher and ensure your child knows about a change if you call after 2:00PM. The school recognizes that sometimes emergencies happen and you need to make a sudden change, but this should be the exception rather than the rule. Thank you!

ABSENCES AND ATTENDANCE IN SKYWARD

Families are encouraged to use the Skyward Family Access Center attendance function to alert the school that their child is absent. This can be done in the Skyward phone app or website. In the event a family cannot log the absence in Skyward, a doctor's note and/or phone call will be accepted as documentation of the absence. If you are unable to mark your child's attendance in Skyward, families should use the school's automated attendance line to alert the school that their child will be absent. This can be accessed 24-7 at (717)846-6789. This number is checked every morning for absences. Families should notify the school no later than 9:00AM on the day of an absence. If we do not receive a call reporting your child absent by 9:00AM, and there is no absence request in Skyward Family Access Center, an automated phone call will be generated via our phone system in order to confirm the whereabouts of your child.

Please note - families have five days by law from the date of a child's absence to report an absence to the district. This may be done in Skyward Family Access Center or by phone on the automated attendance line. Failure to do so will result in an absence being recorded as "unexcused".

All families should be aware that under Act 29, upon a student's accumulation of 6 unlawful or unexcused absences from school, the parent may be referred to Children & Youth Services. Should attendance not improve, the parent may be cited to the district magistrate and could be responsible for fines.

EDUCATIONAL TRIP FORMS

Please be sure to note the policy for educational trips. Approval forms must be obtained from the school office or online through the district website. The educational value and activities of the trip must be stated in detail to be eligible for approval. Thank you for your cooperation with this school policy. For your convenience, click here to download the educational trip form. A reminder that ALL trips MUST be submitted at least 2 WEEKS prior to the trip to be approved.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

Get the jump on obtaining your parent volunteer approval for the 2024-2025 School Year. ALL parents planning to volunteer must re-apply prior to volunteering in our schools. Additionally, all volunteers must also meet with me during a meeting that will be advertised in the near future. Click here for our district-wide Parent Volunteer Manual that outlines how to begin the process of applying to volunteer or, if you are re-applying for another year. We are looking forward to having a record number of volunteers this year!