Weekly Stony Brook Update

Dear Stony Brook Families,

What a great start to the new school year! The first few days have flown by quickly. The children have been doing a great job settling into the new school year. Yesterday was the first full day for kindergarten. The children came in wide-eyed and curious about their new setting. Our older students were great role models for our little ones showing them what it means to be a "R.O.A.R.ing success". One of the most precious moments I saw yesterday was a big sister showing her little sister where to go on her first day of kindergarten. Big sister was absolutely beaming as she ensured that her sister got breakfast in the cafeteria then found her kindergarten teacher.

We will continue to learn routines next week, but will also have our first intruder and fire drills. During safety drills we use very child-friendly language. I will explain that an intruder is a person who is not supposed to be in our school. We will review the phrase, "we're not scared, we're prepared". I will explain to the students that just like we practice reading or sports to get good at them, we must also practice safety.

Next week we will also have grade level gatherings where we will talk about our hopes and dreams for the year then learn what we can do to make these hopes and dreams come true. We will review our school rules and R.O.A.R.

I hope you have a great weekend. The first few weeks of school can be exhausting for our students, so hopefully they can get some good rest. They will need lots of energy for the full week of school next week.

With warm regards,

Kelly Harper, Ed.D.

Principal

BUS INFORMATION

Bus/van assignments are available through the Online Bus Portal. The link is also available on our District Website on the Transportation page.

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!

UPDATE EMERGENCY CONTACTS IN SKYWARD

Please update your child's emergency contacts in Skyward. Students may only be released to parents/guardians and emergency contacts listed in Skyward. In the event of an illness, injury, or other emergency, it is important that we have additional adults we can contact in case we cannot reach you.

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

Please click HERE to learn more about student meals, cost, and free/reduced meal applications. Free/reduced meal applications can be completed online. These applications must be re-submitted each school year. Please talk wth your child about whether they should eat breakfast at school or at home.

CHANGE OF CLOTHES

I am encouraging ALL families of children in K-3 to bring in a change of clothes for their child to keep in the classroom. Even if your child has never had an accident at school, we sometimes require a change of clothes if clothes get extra dirty from recess or if a child gets a scrape and gets blood on his/her clothing. Please consider sending in a change for your child.

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

8/21 - First Day of School (Grades 1-12) & Kindergarten Orientation

8/22 - Kindergarten Begins

9/5 - Back to School Night 6:30-8:00PM

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!