Weekly Stony Brook Update

Dear Stony Brook Families,

Winter is upon us! I heard so many great stories about your children's snowy adventures this week. One student even tried to convince me that she went ice skating in her back yard on top of the grass. Speaking of skating, we try to take the students outside as much as possible in the winter, but sometimes our playgrounds can be a bit icy after snow storms. That was the case with such cold temperatures after the snow this week. Please be sure to send a warm coat, hat and gloves with your child each day. We will be outside again as soon as we know no one will be ice skating on the blacktop.

In our short time back from the holiday break, students have been busy reflecting and resetting their hopes and dreams for the rest of the school year. It is important for children to have a goal to work towards. Ask your child what he or she is hoping to learn or do at school before the end of the year. We have also been refocusing on R.O.A.R. and our school rules. This week we talked a lot about respect. Our rules tell us that respect is when we take care of ourselves and others. Our friends from Sesame Street helped us learn how to show respect and why respect is important. When we respect others, it allows everyone to feel cared for and important. Check out this video to learn more!

This week students in Mrs. Derfler and Mrs. Shoff's second grade classes went swimming at the high school. The rest of second grade will get to experience this fun way to stay healthy by traveling to the high school next week. Additionally, all students were able to experience a traveling planetarium. Thank you to our Stony Brook PTO for providing this fun and educational event. Stay tuned for photos!

Have a great weekend,

Kelly Harper, Ed.D.

Principal

Dear Stony Brook Families,

I want to thank you for the opportunity to work together with you and your children over the last five months. Your children are absolutely wonderful! I have enjoyed being a part of Stony Brook. It truly is like a family. Stony Brook is an awesome school!

I have been able to see the growth in your children from the start of the year. There will be so much more from January to the end of the year. Your support from home makes all the difference. The key for success is that partnership between home and school.

The Stony Brook PTO does so much for the children and teachers! What an amazing group of individuals willing to give of their talents and time! Thank you for all that you do!

I am continuing to help in the transition to the new assistant principal through the end of January. Ms. Mattern is such a wonderful addition to Stony Brook. She will be there to help the children, parents, and staff in her role of assistant principal.

Thank you! I feel honored that I was able to be a part of Stony Brook!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Snare

Welcome Ms. Mattern and goodbye Mrs. Snare! We were very excited to welcome our new assistant principal, Ms. Mattern, to Stony Brook this week. She was introduced to all of the children on Wednesday. Ms. Mattern is thrilled to be at Stony Brook and has had a busy first few days getting to meet our students and staff. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Snare with us through the end of the month. We will greatly miss her when she leaves, but I have a sneaking suspicion she will visit us from time to time. Please see the letter below from Mrs. Snare. For now, if you have questions for an assistant principal, you can contact either Ms. Mattern or Mrs. Snare.

Great job to all of the students who participated in the Winter Break Reading Challenge!

Every third Tuesday of the month, Central York families are able to go to the Middle School to get non-perishable food items & other household supplies. During the month of January, Stony Brook is collecting items to stock the pantry. Our goal is to collect 500 items since we have approximately 500 students in our school. The following is a list of items needed:

• Canned Vegetables
• Canned Fruit & Applesauce
• Canned Soup
• Cereal & Oatmeal
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Bagged or Boxed Rice, Pasta, Potato Sides
• Pasta Sauce
  

Donations can be sent to school with your child or brought to the main office by the end of the month. Thank you for helping families in CYSD. It is wonderful when Panthers can help other Panthers!

Check out the PDF below from our WIN team to learn more about how you can help your child with reading skills.

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.

The CYSD Diversity Celebration is being held on February 12 from 6:00-8:00 at the high school. This event is a chance to highlight the unique experiences, perspectives, and cultures within our community. The event will feature school and community tables to explore, a selection of international treats to enjoy, and a special presentation beginning at 7:15 PM, where students and staff will have the opportunity to share "their story" through a variety of formats, including performances and spoken word.

This year, the Diversity Celebration Committee is seeking more involvement from students in the K-6 buildings to participate in the celebration by sharing their stories, artwork, and other talents in the celebration of diversity and inclusion. Students and staff can write a story about their specific culture, family traditions, journey to Central, their native language, and learning English as a second language. Participants can read their own stories or choose someone else to read. In addition, students can present their culture-related artwork, songs, and/or dances at the celebration.

Please use this link to sign up: https://forms.gle/VTfgAcmbh6tnmTUS8

Happy Friday SB Families!

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

1/8-1/10, 1/13-1/14 - Swimming for Mrs. Derfler & Mrs. Shoff's Classes

1/15-1/17, 1/21-1/22 - Swimming for Mr. Morris, Miss Kot, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Stank's Classes

1/17 - Family First Dental Visits (must register)

1/20 - No School

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!