Weekly Stony Brook Update

Dear Stony Brook Families,

It was a short, but busy week at SB! On Tuesday, our third graders attended Children's Wellness Day at the Byrnes Health Education Center. Last night was Reading Night and today our third graders will enjoy a science assembly. Next week is another short week. The students have a half day of school on Thursday and no school on Friday due to Parent Teacher Conferences. If you haven't signed up for a conference yet, it is not too late. Please see the directions below. Sign ups will close on Tuesday at 3:00PM. We would love to see you there!

Thank you to all of our families who participated in our ROAR Fest Fundraiser. I don't have an exact total yet, but we met our goal of raising $11,000! Our whole school will now get to have a glow party. We will share the date once it is planned. Prize winners will be announced starting next week, and I will provide the total amount of money we raised next week. Thank you so much for your generosity.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Kelly Harper, Ed.D.

Principal

Each month, Stony Brook honors two Students of the Month. The Students of the Month are chosen not only for following R.O.A.R., but also for demonstrating our district's core values of character, perseverance, accountability, community, and excellence. This month I am pleased to announce our October Students of the Month - Carmelo Brown and Anaily Colon Paonessa.

Carmelo is a third grader who is a friend to everyone. He's the kind of kid who can find a way to work with anyone. He has a quiet, friendly demeanor and a contagious smile to go with it. Carmelo's willingness to lend a hand to classmates and eagerness to learn make him a valuable contributor to the classroom community. He is a hard worker and very much cares about the quality of his work. Congratulations, Carmelo!

Anaily is a wonderful and hard working second grader. She is always eager to help her classmates. The way she supports her peers is truly admirable. She is respectful, responsible, and kind. During math lessons, Anaily is an active listener and regularly raises her hand to share her thoughts. She perseveres while tackling challenging math problems. Recently, her teacher has observed a growing confidence within Anaily. Anaily is a wonderful example of progress over perfection. Way to go, Anaily!

Last Friday, our third graders participated in a cardboard challenge. The Cardboard Challenge all started with Caine's Arcade. Third graders worked through the design thinking process to create arcade and carnival-type games out of cardboard. On Friday afternoon, the third graders set up their games outside and the whole school took turns playing these games. Some of the students' creations included claw machines, an obstacle course, whack-a-mole, dance dance revolution, and bowling. We have some very creative third graders!

The temperatures may be getting cooler, but we still try to get our students outside for recess as much as possible. Please make sure your child comes to school dressed appropriately for the weather and that he/she has a coat for colder weather. I recommend that your write your child's name inside every sweatshirt, sweater, or coat he/she wears to school. As much as we try to remind them, it is common for kids to forget their sweatshirt or coat in the gym, on the coat hook at breakfast, or even outside at recess when they get hot. Writing your child's name inside each piece of clothing will help us return items when they are found. If you need help providing a winter coat for your child, please contact Dr. Harper or Mrs. Frey. Thank you!

Sign-ups for parent-teacher conferences is now available. Conferences will be held on October 24th & 25th. This is a time for you to meet individually with your child's teacher to learn how he/she is progressing in school. We encourage all families to sign up for a conference. Sign-ups take place in Skyward. Directions are below. If you are having trouble accessing your Skyward account, contact familyaccess@cysd.k12.pa.us .

Happy Friday SB Families!

On Friday, November 8 Stony Brook will be holding our annual Fall Fest! Each classroom will be having a Fall party, in additional to participating in school-wide activity stations outside and in the gym! Sign up here to help with games, crafts, and other fun activities! https://www.timetosignup.com/ptostonybrook/sheet/1350272

Our PTO will be providing our teachers with dinner on October 24 during a long night of parent-teacher conferences. If you would like to sign up to donate drinks, snacks, or monetary donations towards the teacher dinner, please click here: ­­­­­­­https://www.timetosignup.com/ptostonybrook/sheet/1341967

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.

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

10/24 - Early Dismissal @ 12:30PM

10/24 & 10/25 - Parent Teacher Conferences

10/28 - No School

11/8 - Fall Festival Day

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!