The Stinging News

Principal: Jack Yates

Secretaries: Alice Leahy, Cassie Kurtinaitis

Custodians: Jen Persh, Jake Kapelanski and Daniel Powell

School Nurse: Jessica Kightlinger

Security Officer: Rick Jackson

Therapy Dog: Suzie

2026-27 Hornung Teaching Staff and their Outside Door Numbers

Jr. Kindergarten:

Nicole Dakhlian #23

Heather Lewis #22

Kindergarten:

Abbie Grimm #25

Nicole McCullough #26

Holly Ramage #24

Alyssa Rochford #27

1st Grade:

Ashley Brenneman #20

Adriana Davis #18

Karissa Superczynski and Samantha Hoard #21

Lauren VanSlambrook #19

2nd Grade:

Kayla Darkowski #32

Kelcie Mitter #31

Melissa O'Connor #29

Dawn Straight #30

3rd Grade:

Natalie Doherty #13

Sophia Garner #12

Arin Giannandrea #14

Kristen Incarnati #11

Nikki May #10

4th Grade:

Micaela Bertolin #39

Lisa Geise #38

Brittany Roesler #37

Jen Schaibley #36

Media Center: Scott Turner, Melanie Linske (assistant)

Art: Sandy Cavallaro

Music: Bethany Chernich

Physical Education: Carly Anderson

Steam: Libby Barton

Instructional Coach: Brandy Ward

ELL Tutor: Gina Henig

Resource Room: Lisa Kocab, Kaitlyn Lawrence, Clee Walker

Educational Assistants: Andrea Buck, Nancy Cullen, Marianne Fleer and Natalie Liogghio

Paraprofessionals: Sarah Dery, Kate Georges, Amy Preston and Jill Sullins

LESA/Ancillary Staff: Marie Blair (Social Worker), Alexis Paquette (Speech),

Allison Rochowiak (Speech), Cheryl Root (Occupational Therapist)

School Counselor: Susie Robertson

School Psychologist: Sara Ryan

Student Nutrition: Diane Smith, Rochelle Huntsman, and Vanessa Smith

Lunchroom Supervisors: Emily Calhoun, Katie Eaton, Nicole Gill, Rachel Loch and

Deb Whiteman

Building Subs: Amber Herbeck and Maddie McBride

ABCD Schedule – Art, Music, Physical Education and STEAM classes will be offered on a rotating basis. All students will attend one Specials class (art, music, pe, STEAM) each day. Teachers will inform students/parents which Specials class is assigned to an A, B, C or D day for their class. Please send gym shoes for physical education.

Attendance - There is a helpful feature in Parent Connect that allows you to enter your student’s absence. Simply log into parent connect and click on the link Report Absence. The Report Absence link will open a screen for you to complete. If you have more than one student check the name of the student for whom an absence is being submitted. Add the applicable dates. If you check the All Day flag attendance will be submitted for the am and pm periods. If you do not check the All Day flag times must be entered and attendance will be submitted for whichever periods meet during the time range (based on period schedule). If you use Parent Connect to report your child's absence you do not need to call the attendance line.

You can also call Hornung's attendance line at 810-299-4454 when your child is absent. As a safety precaution, there will be an automated call for any parent who hasn’t called into our attendance line to report an absence. It is important for students to arrive on time. However, if a student arrives late, the parent(s) must sign the student in using the QR code or IPad by the Main Office Entrance.

Bus Information - Bus information is viewable on Parent Connect. If you have any questions about bus route/stop information, you should contact BAS Transportation Department at 810-299-3890. If your child is to be picked up at or dropped off at a location different than their normal pick up/drop off location, an alternate destination form must be completed. These forms are available by clicking https://www.brightonk12.com/departments/transportation . Staff will escort bus riders to buses at the beginning of the school year.

Drop off Lane…

1) In the drop off lane in front of Hornung, parents should not be getting out of their vehicles to assist their children…The problem it causes is the safety of the driver actually getting out into traffic, along with causing a backup onto Bauer Road. Therefore, if your child needs some support getting out (i.e. undoing seat belts, putting on winter gear, lifting out backpacks, etc.) you should be parking in the lot and walking through the crosswalk onto at least the main sidewalk in front of the school.

2) Parents need to pull forward and not stop at the beginning of the lane… No matter what door your child enters in the morning, you should pull all the way up to the main crosswalk to have children exit your vehicle. The left lane is for through traffic.

3) Students will enter the building in the morning at their classroom teacher's door. (Classroom door numbers listed above next to teachers names)

Student Pick Up/End of the Day –

End of Day Pick Up Procedure: . If you are picking up your child at the end of the school day, you will need to wait patiently outside your child's designated outdoor classroom door until a school staff member allows your child to exit. You will then be asked to present your Driver's Licence or State ID to a staff member. For safe schools practice, they will verify that the person picking up is listed on the emergency card. For the safety and smooth dismissal of all students we kindly ask that parents do not arrive at the classroom door before 3:45 pm.
Picking Up Early: If you must pick up your child(ren) early please come to the Front Office Entrance and ring doorbell (button). Have your Driver's Licence or State ID ready to show office staff. Then please scan the Pick Up QR code with your cell phone or use the IPad and fill out form. An Office staff member will then call down your student from their classroom to be picked up. Always allow yourself extra time for this process for sometimes classes will be outside.

Hornung Communications - The Hornung staff believes that quality parent/teacher communication and parent involvement is vital for a child's success in school. Because a teacher's top priority is to prepare and deliver instruction, we ask you to pre-arrange conference times. This will guarantee that you have adequate time to discuss concerns and also allow the teacher an opportunity to plan for your meeting. Your child's teacher will provide you with times she is available for conferences and will work with you to schedule a mutual meeting time. Your child's classroom agenda/planner is an excellent means of communication. Also, the following site contains valuable information during the school year: https://www.brightonk12.com/schools/hornung Our weekly newsletter, the Stinging News is posted weekly. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call Mr. Yates at 810-299-4451 or email him at yatesj@brightonk12.com.

Lunches -

Government-Provided Meals Program

For the 2026–2027 school year, Michigan's universal free school meals program is continuing, so students can continue to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day if they so choose.The program is funded through a combination of federal reimbursements and state funding.

An important note:

À la carte items, second meals, and some extra snacks or beverages are not included and would still require payment

Lunchroom accounts can be managed on Parent Connect, this allows you to put money into your child's account for the week, month, or year. The computer keeps track of each child's lunch transactions and notifies you when the account is short of funds. Lunch money for your child can also be brought to school in an envelope with his/her name, teacher's name and amount of money enclosed on the outside.

You can also go to BAS Student Nutrition, to access monthly menus, a nutrition guide, and access to your child's account. At no time will a student go without a lunch. Arrangements will be made for the student to get something nutritional to eat. Checks may be made out to Brighton Area Schools. Watch for information concerning online account access and payment options.

Lunch Menu – Lunch menus are available on line at https://brightonareaschools.nutrislice.com/ To best plan for how many hot lunches are needed daily, a lunch count is taken each morning in all classrooms. Each student can choose on a daily basis if they would like to purchase a hot lunch or bring their own from home.

Medications Taken at School - All medication including over-the-counter medication (i.e. Tylenol, Motrin, TUMS, cough drops, etc.) must have a Medication Administration Authorization Form. This form requires both the parent's and the medical provider's signature. Without both signatures, we cannot give medication to your student. Also, the school cannot provide this medication. You must supply this medication for your student. The clinic does not have extra.

Medical Concerns – If a medical condition exists or develops that might limit your child’s ability to participate in any activities such as recess or PE, we would appreciate it if you would send a note to the office. A doctor’s note might be necessary to make accommodations. In the event of severe allergies, parents should provide a detailed list of the allergies and the type of accommodations that might need to occur to make the child safe.

Notes –Please keep us informed if:

· Your child is going home with another child we must have a note from you and the receiving parent.

· If anyone other than you will be picking your child up from school, we need a signed note from you with specific details. Please make certain this person is listed on your child’s emergency card.

Parent Mass E-mail Communications – the e-mail address that you provided us when you registered your child is used for our mass email communication to our parents. If you are not receiving messages from Hornung or the Superintendent, please contact us at (810) 299-4450 to correct the problem.

Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) Buzz – If you have a child enrolled in Hornung Elementary you are automatically a member of the PTO. Hornung’s Stinging News will include PTO information each week. "Like" Hornung Elementary School PTO on Facebook.

School Safety - All outside doors are secured once students enter the building. You will need to ring the buzzer to communicate with the office staff at the main entrance (Door #1).

Stinging News – Our weekly newsletter is available for all families. This newsletter has relevant school topics and necessary information. The Stinging News is uploaded to our website on Fridays. We use our mass email system to inform you when the Stinging News has been uploaded. You can always find past and current Stinging News issues on our website.

Parent & Student Elementary Handbook – A copy of the Parent & Student Elementary Handbook can be found online by clicking Elementary Schools Handbook

Please review the rules, policies, and procedures with your child. It is important that all students follow these rules to help create the best learning atmosphere for all.

Team Process – Each school building in the Brighton School District has a Team Process in place. If a child needs additional support, staff members will review student performance, concerns, and collaboratively develop interventions. If you have concerns about your child’s development and are interested in more information on special services, contact your child’s classroom teacher or Mr. Yates.

Vacations – Please attempt to coordinate your vacations with school breaks. Keep in mind that when a child is absent, especially for an extended amount of time, the time needed to review concepts for that one child is instructional time lost for all students. See the student handbook concerning make-up work.

Voicemail/Email – Teachers will provide both voicemail numbers and email addresses. To reach a teacher’s voicemail, call the office directly at 810-299-4450. The prompt will ask you for the 5 digit extension for the staff member. If you have a timely message to leave for a teacher, please contact the office because teachers may only check their voice messages at the end of the day.

Volunteer Background Check - If you are interested in volunteering at the school, you must have a Background Check on file.

One volunteer form is required per school year. Parents, please be sure to check ALL buildings where your children attend, so you only need to complete one form to volunteer for any school event.

If you have questions regarding this form, please contact the Human Resources Department at

810-299-4090. All responses are kept confidential. If there is a problem processing your background check, you will be contacted by phone or email. Please click the link to start the process.

Background Check Volunteer Form

Hello Hornung Families!

Welcome to the 2026–27 school year—we can’t wait to kick things off with fun, friends, and plenty of school spirit! Join us for our first PTO meeting on Friday, September 11 at 9:00 in the Media Center to hear about all the exciting volunteer opportunities. Everyone’s welcome—we’d love to see you there!

📅 September Happenings

9/1: Open House 5:30-6:30pm
9/2: JK/K Popsicle Social - A-L 5:30-6 pm | M-Z 6-6:30pm
9/8: First Day of School
9/15: Curriculum Night – 1st grade 6 pm | 3rd grade 6:45 pm
9/16: Curriculum Night – 2nd grade 6 pm | 4th grade 6:45 pm
9/11: Red, White & Blue Day
9/11: PTO Meeting @ 9am (Media Center)
9/18: Picture Day 📸
9/21: Pink Week begins! 💗 Coin Drive all week for Trinity Cancer Center
9/24: Crazy Hat/Sock Day 🎩
9/25: District-Wide “Pink Out” – Wear your pink!

📣 PTO PAYMENT UPDATE! 📣
We have an update regarding PTO payments for this school year! 🚫 The PTO will NOT be using Venmo this year. We’ll be using Zeffy for payments moving forward. 💙 Already Sent a Payment Through Venmo? No worries! 😊 you’re all set—there’s nothing you need to do.
Ready to Make a Payment?
👉 Click here to visit our Zeffy payment page
📱 Prefer to scan?
Scan the QR code below to make your payment through Zeffy!

🎒 School Supply Kit Update: Great news! If you purchased a school supply kit, there’s no need to pick it up! Your child’s kit will be delivered directly to their classroom and will be waiting for them when they return to school.

📸 Picture Day – Friday, September 18
Say cheese! A week after Picture Day, you’ll be able to view your student’s photos at Jostens.com.
✨ Pro tip: skip the green outfits to avoid blending into the green screen.

💗 Pink Week – September 21-25
We know it’s early but Pink Week approaches quickly after the start of the school year! Order your (optional) spirit wear from any of our local vendors to have in time for our district wide “Pink Out”
✨ What is Pink Week?
Pink Week is a district wide – week long fundraiser that benefits local cancer care and includes community events, our district wide “Pink Out” Friday, and ends with the BHS Varsity Pink Out football game and Survivor Walk. All funds raised by the district are donated directly to the Trinity Cancer Center in Brighton. 100% of the proceeds of any Pink Week item ordered from the BHS School Store (The PAW) go directly to Trinity Cancer Center in Brighton to support patients who are battling cancer.
✨Spirit Wear (optional) order links:

The PAW

https://www.shopbhsthepaw.com/

Ivory Vines

https://www.ivoryvines.com/products/pink-week-2026

Help us support Trinity Cancer Center in Brighton with a Coin Drive all week long!
On Friday, September 25, join the BAS community for our big District-Wide “Pink Out”—wear your Pink Week gear or any favorite pink attire!

🎪 Welcome Back Block Party – Friday, Oct. 2 | 5:30–7:30 pm
Mark your calendars for one of our new events this year! 🎉
We are ready to kick off the new school year with inflatable obstacle courses, a food truck rally, temporary tattoos, face painting, activity booths, and more! Keep an eye out for more info soon!

📅Stay Organized with our PTO Calendar
We’ve made it super easy to keep track of events! Add the Hornung PTO Google Calendar in one of these ways:

Calendar ID: HornungPTO@gmail.com

Web Browser Link: View the PTO Calendar
iCal Link (for iOS): Download Here

📱Join us on Social Media
👉 Hornung PTO Facebook Group

Your Hornung PTO 🐝

Co-Presidents: Mary Beth Harris & Mary Peters

Co-Vice Presidents: Stacy Carroll & Rachel Loch

Secretary: Christine Ferraro

Treasurer: Erin Bradley

Parents, do you have a 4th-8th grader who might be interested in participating in Brighton a Cappella Camp? The camp meets Tuesday, September 29th and 30th, from 4:30pm - 6:00pm at Brighton High School. There will be a culminating performance at the beginning of Scranton Idol at the BCPA on Thursday, October 1st at 7:00pm. Please see the linked form for more information, and feel free to reach out to Sarah Hamilton at hamiltons@brightonk12.com or Phil Johnson at johnsop@brightonk12.com if you have any questions!

BHS a Cappella Camp 2026

The Stinging News

August 28, 2026

Hornung Elementary

Zeffy QR Code

Hornung Elementary

Bell Schedule 🔔 Bell Schedule 🔔

Important Phone Numbers📱 Important Phone Numbers📱

Hornung Staff and Classroom Door #'s Hornung Staff and Classroom Door #'s

Important School Information Important School Information

✨ PTO Buzz ✨ ✨ PTO Buzz ✨

Zeffy QR Code

BHS a Cappella Camp BHS a Cappella Camp

Bell Schedule 🔔

Important Phone Numbers📱

Hornung Staff and Classroom Door #'s

Important School Information

✨ PTO Buzz ✨

BHS a Cappella Camp