Happy March! We have a lot going on this month!
This week kicks off our "Readafun" Reading Challenge, which is a great way to encourage reading and raise money for our school! If each class reached its goal, they will get the chance to slime me at our April School Meeting! This Wednesday, as a part of our kick off, we have guest readers coming in, including police officers, fire fighters and former All Star high school students! On Thursday our students will enjoy an assembly with author and illustrator Roxie Munro. Friday is "Dress Like a Book Character Day"!
Next week we are celebrating New Jersey SEL Day on the early dismissal day. We will have a school meeting, time with buddy classes, and the chance to purchase snacks again!
With all of these wonderful events, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank the Stony Brook PTO, led by President Laura Bowen. We truly appreciate their time, planning, support and fundraising to provide these wonderful experiences for our students. Thank you, SB PTO!
Sincerely,
Nicole Gianfredi
The week of March 4 is Read Across America Week, and will kick off our All Star Reading Challenge! More information will be shared soon, but here are a few important dates:
March 4 - Introduce the Reading Challenge
March 6 - Guest Readers
March 7 - Author Visit with Roxie Munroe, including a chance to have lunch with the author for students in grades 1 - 5
March 8 - "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character" Day
What is a Reading Raiser?
It's a fun way to encourage reading and raise money for our school! Your child can log books into their personal online platform and see what their friends are reading, all on a site that’s designed for easy use by kids!
Key Information
- Your child's private online account information was sent home. Use the provided login/password at https://app.readafun.com/ to log reading minutes!
- Parent and student instructions on how to use the website are also in the video linked below.
- All students can participate! Your child can read at home independently or you can read to them. Log the time spent reading to the online account.
- Students can answer questions about their books to earn extra points, can interact with friends through the platform to chat about books, and can customize their Owl avatars.
- Sponsors can make one-time donations or pledge an amount per time spent reading. It's a great way to support literacy and earn money for our school!
Our school-wide reading goal is 100,000 minutes and our fundraising goal is $4,000!
If we meet our reading goal, the kids get to slime Ms. Gianfredi!
Not sure how to use the site or need more info? Click on Mrs. Thomas's informational video below!
The Stony Brook Student Council will be sponsoring a school-wide “Bedtime Bag” collection for the children at Millhill Child and Family Development Center in Trenton. Our Thanksgiving Food Drive was such a huge success that we want to continue helping those in need who live close to us.
Our goal is to give each child at Millhill a drawstring "Bedtime Bag" that consists of a new picture book, a toothbrush and toothpaste, fun socks, and hot chocolate. The children receiving these bags range in age from 3 to 5 years old. Imagine the smile on each child’s face when they receive these bedtime essentials!
In order to successfully collect enough items to assemble these bags together, we need your help! If you are able to, please donate items from your child’s grade level below. There will be collection bins in the hallway near the front entrance. We will be collecting NEW ITEMS beginning on February 26th and ending on March 12th.
Pre-K and Kindergarten: Boxes of hot chocolate
First Grade: Fun/cozy socks!
Second Grade: Fun/cozy socks!
Third Grade: Toothbrushes (individually packaged) and toothpaste
Fourth Grade: Children’s picture books
Fifth Grade: Children’s picture books
*If you need ideas of where to purchase books, Scholastic has many great options!*
Thank you so much for your support and helping to change the lives of children! If you have any questions, please email sarahmarion@hvrsd.org or nancyking@hvrsd.org.
Sincerely,
The Stony Brook Student Council
To observe our NJ Social Emotional Learning Day:
- Send your child to school wearing an All Star shirt!
- We will start the day with a school meeting focused on the next Character Strong trait: Honesty.
- We will spend time with Buddy classes. The older and younger students love to spend time with each other. Ask your child about their Buddy class!
- We have a special snack time planned. The PTO will be selling chips, pretzels, popcorn, juice and water. Each item will be sold for $1.00, and each child can buy one snack and one beverage. Our students will have their snack with their Buddy class. There is more info in the flyer below. If you choose not to purchase a snack, you can send one in with your child. It's going to be a great day!
Does your family celebrate Ramadan? We would love your help with morning announcements!
Would you like to help educate our Stony Brook Community about this special holiday? We are looking for families who can share information (photos, videos, cultural facts) about Ramadan in March, as well as Eid al-Fitr (in April). This information will be shared during our daily morning announcement videos, which are viewed by our entire school community. Our students look forward to them daily. Your child would have a chance to be on morning announcements to share the slides.
If you are interested or would like more information, please email me at nicolegianfredi@hvrsd.org by Monday, March 4th.
Kids Heart Challenge for the American Heart Association -Students will start various activities for the challenge next week in wellness class. Please see the FLYER and INSTRUCTIONS for more information. If you decide to participate, everything can be done online. Paperwork was also sent home with each student.
- Reading Challenge Kicks Off in Morning Announcements
Tuesday, March 5
- Spring Picture Day
- Guest Readers
- Author Visit - Roxie Munroe
- Hopewell Valley Night Off - No Homework
- Dress Like A Book Character Day
- End of Trimester
- Ramadan Begins at Sundown
- Day Light Savings
Wednesday, March 13
- Early Dismissal at 12:45 pm
- School Meeting - Wear SB Spirit Gear
- Special Snack Purchase
