Stonehurst Stories

April 2025 Vol. 8

The official Newsletter of Stonehurst Hills Elementary School

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Stonehurst Hills Elementary School

7051 Ruskin Lane

Upper Darby, PA 19082

Principal: Desmond Chisholm

Assistant Principal: Ernest Patrick

MULTICULTURAL NIGHT

Multicultural night was filled with art, music, games, delicious food, and togetherness as we celebrated the many cultures of our families at Stonehurst Hills.

RUNNING CLUB

Our running club is officially underway, and the students have been dedicating themselves each Wednesday in preparation for the upcoming Brad Schoener MusicMan 5K Run. It’s about breaking barriers and igniting community spirit through the unifying power of music. By joining the MusicMan 5K Run & Spirit Walk, you’ll fuel Brad’s mission while opening doors for youth to explore and find their spark in music.

Brad Schoener was a music director in the Upper Darby School District for 25 years. He lost a courageous battle to leiomyosarcoma cancer in 2009, but not before having an incredibly positive impact on the lives of countless students, colleagues, and friends. Brad was loved wherever he went and helped mold the future paths of thousands of children through his passion for music and his ability to bring out that passion in his students.

Please join us Saturday, May 17 at 9:00AM at the Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill.

Register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/DrexelHill/BradSchoenerMemorialFund5K

TEACHER TALKS

Meet Mr. Tarquini!

College: I attended West Chester University with my bachelor's degree in early childhood education.

Years Teaching: This is my first year teaching. I am honored and excited to be part of the Stonehurst family, and to guide all students to learn and succeed!

About Me: My name is Cain Tarquini. I was born and raised in Delaware County in Marple Newtown Township. Hobbies and Interest of mine are coaching and fishing. I am an assistant coach for Maple Newtown High Schools lacrosse team. Along with being the head coach for Dukes Lacrosse 6th grade club team. I spend all my time in the summer in Cape May and Sea Isle where I fish all day long and into the night.

MENTAL HEALTH MONTHLY

Happy April, Stonehurst Family! My name is Mrs. Sanders and I am the School Social Worker at Stonehurst. This is the Mental Health Monthly section of the newsletter. The goal of the section is to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and provide quick tips, information, and resources related to mental and behavioral health. I look forward to promoting and supporting the mental health of the Stonehurst community. Please remember that this content is for informational purposes only and she should not be considered a substitute for professional advice or consultation with mental health professionals. If you need help finding mental health professionals in your community, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. This month’s topic is Understanding Emotions!

NURSE'S NEWS

Important reminders:

All 1st and 3rd grade students are required to have an updated dental exam on file in the nurse’s office. Thank you to those of you who have submitted these forms. If you need assistance with insurance or finding a local dentist, please contact me at CStetler@upperdarbysd.org.

5th Grade Students: Must have an updated physical before entering Middle School next year. Thank you to those who have completed this. If you need to schedule, I advise scheduling as soon as possible as most appointments are booked into the summer months. Please be sure to submit documentation to the school nurse. If you need assistance with insurance or finding a local doctor, please contact me at CStetler@upperdarbysd.org.

Commonly used dentists and doctors in the area:

SPECIAL'S SPOTLIGHT

News from the Library

Donate to our Makerspace: Third graders need your help to collect boxes, clips from bread bags, or toilet paper rolls for our upcoming makerspace project. Students will design, build, and engineer structures using cardboard boxes.

News from the Music Room

First grade has been practicing for their End-of-Year Concert, where they will perform for second grade. Second graders have also been practicing for their performance for first grade. Both grades have also been learning about the woodwind and brass instruments, with second graders learning more details about each instrument.

Third grade continues to practice recorder. Unfortunately, recorders will not go home this year. We will continue to practice in music class and try to play Hot Cross Buns well enough to earn our yellow belts! Their next song will be Gently Sleep, which will earn them their orange belts.

Fourth and fifth graders have been learning to read music in both treble and bass clefs. Now, fourth grade is preparing for their End-of-Year Concert to perform for third grade. Fifth grade is preparing to sing at graduation! They voted for their songs, and they picked “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco and “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors.

Superstar Choir is excited to sing at Multicultural Night, and they are preparing for their Spring Concert. The Spring Concert date has moved to May 8th, which is a Thursday.

Unfortunately, the End-of-Year Concert for grades one, two, three, and four is no longer open to the public. There will be a recording on the Upper Darby School District’s YouTube!

CLASSROOM CHRONICLES

In March, first grade went on a field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo!

Second graders in Mrs. Andrews’ class were so excited to be working on an experiment, observing how beach erosion happens, in Science class.

In Ms. O’s science class, second graders did a hands on activity to model wave erosion.

Mr. Joseph read to his students on teacher-student swap day!

E.L.L. COLUMN

In this issue we are featuring a third grader, Brisnhey!

Brisnhey came to America when she was six years old with her mom and dad.

1. What was the weather like in Ecuador?

Sometimes it would be hot but as the weather changed it started to get cold. It rained a lot and I got sick. That is why my family came to America. We didn't have money for medicine.

2. Did you go to school in Ecuador?

Yes, I went to school when I was in Ecuador. My favorite subject was math. It was different then here because we had to buy our food or our parents had to send us with food.

3. What is your favorite Ecuadorian food?

My favorite Ecuadorian food was fruit salad with apples, bananas, and papayas.

4. What did you do for fun in Ecuador?

My friends and I liked to play with baby dolls.

5. What do you miss most about Ecuador?

I miss my friends the most.

This month our bilingual buddies participated in a flower activity. All students read a book about the different parts of a flower and how they grow. Students learned new vocabulary such as the stem, leaf, and petals. Buddies then helped their newcomer students assemble their own flowers by gluing the stem, leaves, and petals together. Afterwards, the buddies helped the newcomers label the different parts. Newcomers got to take home their flowers just in time for Spring!