Principal's Message

Welcome to Stonybrook School!

It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year. Together with our teachers and staff, I want to welcome our students and families back to Stonybrook School! It is with great pride that I work alongside the staff in continuing to foster an educational community that promotes learning in an environment that is warm and welcoming. We at Stonybrook School provide a learning environment filled with rich experiences, and together we encourage children to function at their highest level by providing quality educational programs that are unique to their academic, emotional, and social needs.  Our school culture is one of respect and trust that affords our students the opportunity of risk-taking as part of the learning process.

The Kinnelon Public Schools’ curriculum is based on the New Jersey Core Content Curriculum Standards and Common Core State Standards and values essential learning for all students. Our teachers exhibit high energy, genuine love for all children, and enthusiasm for professional growth. Faculty members have attended courses at Columbia University’s Teachers College as well as follow-up workshops to refine and extend their knowledge. We at Stonybrook School work collaboratively to analyze student work to inform instruction. Differentiated learning experiences address students’ needs and encourage students to engage in rigorous activities that stretch their minds. Teachers assess student learning using a variety of formative and summative measures.

The Language Arts program at Stonybrook School emphasizes a balanced approach to facilitate the development of students who are independent, life-long readers and writers. Students are engaged in authentic reading and writing experiences during Reading and Writing Workshop. Students read independently in “just right” books, practicing strategies learned during mini-lessons. Teachers assess student levels, group students, and plan explicit instruction that will assist in raising reading levels during guided and independent reading. Students may also participate in literature circles, book clubs, and reader’s theater, among many other venues.

Stonybrook School students are all writers who publish original pieces representing a variety of genres, including personal narrative, expository or non-fiction, poetry, and persuasive writing. The writers are comfortable and proud to share their published pieces with real audiences. Teachers confer with students on a regular basis, noting the strategies the students are using in their writing. Based on the data collected, the teacher determines the skills and strategies the writer needs to learn next. The process is a cycle that includes explicit instruction followed by guided practice, and the independent use of strategy in their writing.

Our Mathematics program provides our students with a hands-on approach, through which our students learn practical strategies to develop and reinforce concepts and real-world problem-solving.

The Social Studies and Science curricula encourage students to work cooperatively to develop hypotheses, experiment, and create projects that allow for connections between their lives and the past and present world around them. Social Studies in grades three through five includes rich literature in the content areas, weaving content-area comprehension skills throughout the curriculum.

Special-area teachers work with students in the areas of Art, Vocal and Instrumental Music, Physical Education, Library/Media Center, and World Language. Students in grades three and four learn Spanish. Fifth-grade students spend half of the year learning introductory French and continuing their Spanish instruction during the other half of the year. Computer technology is a powerful tool that allows our students to learn technological skills in the computer lab, in the Library/Media Center, or in their classrooms. We are pleased that all students in the 3rd through 5th grades are provided with their own Chromebook.

We also offer a variety of programs to meet the needs of all students: Enrichment for all students is provided through our cycle classes, Guided Study, GOAL (Gifted Opportunities in Advanced Learning), and Special Education classes based on eligibility. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Choir and our Fourth and Fifth Grade Band students perform concerts during the school year. 

Field trips, guest speakers, community service-based projects, and cultural arts assemblies are an important part of how we provide real-life experiences that deepen student learning through engagement. The Kinnelon Elementary Home School Association (KEHSA) sponsors many of these programs. Our KEHSA members volunteer their time in many ways during the school day (Author Day, Book Fair, etc.) and in the evening. Our students benefit from fundraising in many ways, such as donating SmartBoard technology; providing iPads and other instructional resources through the Mini-Grant program; and engaging in educational assemblies. Thanks to KEHSA, as well as our Board of Education, we have met our goal of having Smart Boards and projectors installed in each classroom!

The Stonybrook School community is a proud one. We are committed to academic excellence in a caring environment where independence, critical thinking, problem-solving, and a sense of responsibility are developed.

Parents are an integral part of our school community.  We thank our Stonybrook parents for sharing the gift of your children with us and entrusting them to our care. Each child that walks through our doors brings with them a uniqueness and an array of talents that add to the overall success of our school. They represent the heart of our school and we are looking forward to guiding them, encouraging them, and providing them with an overall rich educational experience. The positive, strong connection between home and school is what allows our students to achieve great success! As we say each day, Kindness Counts at Stonybrook!