Weekly Stony Brook Update

Dear Stony Brook Families,

The holidays are here! Our building was buzzing with energy this week as students anticipate the arrival of Santa in just a few days. In the last week, we were busy with the Gingerbread Shoppe, a visit from middle school students, the creation of gingerbread houses in kindergarten, and some special readers from the high school. Today we will have our final community meeting for 2024.

The start of 2025 is going to be just as busy as our end to 2024. During the first two full weeks of January, our second graders will get to go swimming at the high school. A traveling planetarium is coming to Stony Brook courtesy of our PTO. All students will get to see a presentation in the planetarium. Additionally, our new assistant principal, Ms. Mattern, will be starting with us on January 6th. We have much to look forward to in the new year.

This will be my last newsletter until we return from break. I wish you and your family a wonderful, fun-filled, loving holiday season. See you in 2025!

Happy holidays,

Kelly Harper, Ed.D.

Principal

Some kindergarten friends looked very festive on Candy Cane Day!

On Wednesday, students from Central York Middle School came to SB to teach our kindergartners about different countries or time periods. The kindergartners had fun learning, dancing, and participating in hands on activities. The middle school students did an excellent job working with our little Panthers. I think I even spotted some future educators!

Check out the craft that some of our turkey challenge winners made.

Thank you our PTO and to all of the student and adult volunteers who made the Gingerbread Shoppe possible. The children had a ton of fun shopping, completing a scavenger hunt, eating a snack, and making crafts. It may seem like a small thing to adults, but the children truly enjoyed being like a grown-up and getting to shop on their own for gifts for family members. One of the middle school student volunteers who previously attended Stony Brook said she had been waiting ever since kindergarten to be able to help the kids shop! A great opportunity for everyone involved. Thank you!

Let's ring in the new year with spirit days on January 2nd and 3rd.

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!

Save the date for our December dine out night- December 30 at Chuck-E-Cheese in East York! Information and coupons can be found below.

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

12/23-1/1 - No School

1/2 - School Resumes

1/6 - Ms. Mattern's First Day at Stony Brook

1/6-1/10 - Swimming for Mrs. Derfler & Mrs. Shoff's Classes

1/6, 1/7, 1/8 - Planetarium Assemblies

1/13-1/17 - 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!