Stonehedge Elementary

Dear Stonehedge Families,

As we close out another school year at Stonehedge Elementary, my heart is full of gratitude, pride, and hope. This year has been filled with learning, laughter, growth, and community. Each child has added a unique light to our halls, and it has been an absolute joy to watch them grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

From the excitement of the first day of school to the celebrations, concerts, One School One Book readings, science experiments, acts of kindness, and all the little moments in between—this year has been a journey we’ve taken together. Your support at home, your partnership with our teachers, and your trust in our school have made all the difference. Thank you for being an essential part of the Stonehedge community.

One of my favorite quotes as we look back and look ahead is from Fred Rogers, who said:

“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”

As summer begins and our students move on to new grades, new teachers, and new experiences, we celebrate both the ending and the beautiful beginning that follows. For our fourth graders heading off to middle school—know that you will always be a part of Stonehedge, and we can’t wait to hear about the wonderful things you will do.

Wishing you all a restful, safe, and joy-filled summer. We hope your days ahead are filled with books, sunshine, laughter, and the kind of adventures that help us grow in all the best ways.

With heartfelt thanks and warm wishes,

Amanda

Hello Stonehedge Families!

We have had an exciting week. Field trips, Bubble Man, and Splash Pad-- Oh MY! Senior Walk, Buddy Days, and yearbooks. The end of the year is an exciting time.

I'd like to thank the PTA who brought us the Down Beat Percussion Performing Ensemble (they are the official drumline of the Buffalo Bills)! They are awesome and the watching the students dancing and drumming is AWESOME! Check out the pictures below!

It looks like Monday will have a pretty high heat index. At this point, we will most likely remain inside and not host outdoor activities.

Have a great weekend!

Amanda

Message from Stonehedge Elementary School Principal-June 6, 2025

Hello Stonehedge Families!

We've just wrapped up another successful First Responders' Day. It was a bit wet for some of the time, but the students love being able to learn about the different departments within our community support services. Thank you to all of those who volunteered and SHOUT OUT to Officer Skardinski for organizing!

This week the teachers were able to meet with our Literacy and Math coaches to review our end of the year screening data. Stonehedge teachers and students have worked hard and made great progress this year! You'll be receiving the family reports next week. At those meetings we discussed the negative impact the Summer Months have on students' reading and math skills. Students lose 1-3 months of reading/math skills over the summer and it takes over 6 weeks in the fall to help students get back to the levels they were at before the summer. You can help reduce the impact of summer by reading with your children and having your children read throughout the summer days. We hope you will join us in our campaign to reduce summer regression! See more info below!

Have a great weekend!

Amanda

Happy Friday, Stonehedge Families!

What a week it's been at Stonehedge Elementary! Despite the seemingly endless downpour outside (I'm beginning to wonder if we should consider adding "boat-building" to our curriculum), our spirits remain high and dry inside our halls.

The highlight of our week was undoubtedly the 4th grade Spring Concert on Thursday. Our budding musicians absolutely shined on stage, proving that their talents can weather any storm. Across band, orchestra, and chorus, students should feel proud of their accomplishments!

As we splash into the weekend, I want to thank our dedicated staff, students, and families for navigating the puddles—both literal and figurative!

Stay dry out there!

Amanda

2024-2025 Arrival and Dismissal Reminder!

Happy Friday, Stonehedge Families!

We had an amazing turn out at last night's STE Open House. We hope you enjoyed seeing your child in their element. The smiles and pride on each student's face was amazing. We know how busy you are and how much effort it takes to join us. Thank you.

Today, the Stonehedge PTA put on a magical lunch for our staff. All of Stonehedge thanks you for the time and generosity. It was absolutely wonderful. Check out the pictures below!

We wish all of our Stonehedge Moms a very wonderful Mother's Day Weekend.

Amanda

Happy Friday, Stonehedge Families!

What a week!

First, I MUST take a moment to thank the students and staff for surprising me for National Principal's Day yesterday. They decorated the walkway with signs and pinwheels, all of the students secretly signed a banner, 4th graders read me their writing on the announcements and I was showered with cards. I have never felt more loved! Thank you.

To that, next week is National Teacher's Appreciation Week. The PTA is planning a lovely luncheon on Friday and I am certain the teachers will love it. Please do encourage your child/children to draw a picture or write a poem or find a moment to thank their teacher next week. They do amazing things every day. We are certainly all grateful!

The students are loving the warmer weather and recess has been exciting. Sometimes, it gets a bit too exciting for some of our learners. Please help us to reinforce expectations for appropriate playground behaviors. Students should be respectful by following directions and taking turns. Students need to be responsible on the playground by thinking about being a problem solver, reporting inappropriate behavior to an adult and taking care of equipment. Finally, students are safe on the playground by wearing appropriate shoes (sneakers), playing safe games, and staying in the designated areas. We appreciate your help to reinforce these expectations with your youngster(s).

If you have a third grade student, I bet you had the chance to catch their cool "Informance" this week. Students were able to show off their musical talents in an intimate setting for family and friends. It was awesome and we are so proud of the work they have done this year. In fourth grade, they'll have the amazing opportunity to strut their stuff in the HS auditorium for performances. Special SHOUT OUT to Mrs. DeMartini and Mrs. Causer. We are blessed to have you as our music teachers here at Stonehedge.

One final note, Ms. Ratcliff and I have been talking with the children, staff and drivers about arrival in the mornings. Students are now asked to remain seated until they are ready to unload when the bus pulls into school. This is a change for some, but we hope it will be a positive one. Please remind your child(ren) before school on Monday!

Happy FriYAY! Thank you for all you do to support Stonehedge. It is a wonderful place to grow and learn!

Amanda

Happy Friday, Stonehedge Families!

We have had a great week. The Rev Theater Company put on a fantastic performance for our 1st graders today. Our 3rd and 4th graders put their best foot forward while taking the NYS ELA Assessment. All of our students were supportive while we adjusted our specials schedules to accommodate our hard working 3rd and 4th graders.

Please, please, please take a look at the arrival and dismissal reminders below.

Have a great weekend.

Amanda

2024-2025 Arrival and Dismissal Reminder!

Happy Friday, Stonehedge Families!

It was quite a COLORFUL week here at Stonehedge with students and staff participation in our red, orange, yellow, green and blue/gold spirit days! We also celebrated National "Poem in Your Pocket" Day this week, spreading poetry and creativity throughout the building.

Best wishes for a Spring Break filled with fun, family, and hopefully some much needed sunshine!

Amanda

Greetings Stonehedge Families!

We have had a great week. Check the pictures below. We are looking forward to next week. It is spirit week here at Stonehedge. The schedule is below. I hope you enjoy the weekend.

Best-

Amanda

Greetings Stonehedge Families!

We've been enjoying reading activities related to PARP this month. We have been enjoying our guest readers and we had a very special visit with author Alicia Klepeis on Wednesday. She shared her creative books topics and writing process. I can't help but wonder which of our Stonehedge authors will publish their own books one day?

Also, the 2025-2026 school calendar was approved by the BOE this week. See below!

Have a great weekend!

Best-

Amanda

Greetings Stonehedge Families,

Happy Friday! We have had an exciting week. We had a planetarium come for our 3rd graders. The students had lots of positive and excited feedback. They learned so much about the phases of the moon and other important information about space exploration. Today, we had Irish Dancers join us to share their talent. Thank you to the PTA for bringing both events to our school.

We could use your help to discuss appropriate behavior on the bus. Please discuss what it looks like and sounds like to be respectful, responsible and safe on the bus. Students should remain seated and out of the aisle while the bus is in motion. Students should use a level 1 (indoor, talking) voice. Students should use kind words with others. We appreciate you reviewing this with your child(ren) regularly.

Best-

Amanda

Greetings Stonehedge Families,

In like a lion, eh? I should say! We have had a very exciting week in Stonehedge. If you have a first grader, ask them about their trip to Hospital Land. Tomorrow is our PTA Enrichment Day and we are looking forward to seeing those who have registered engage in extracurricular activities. Have a great weekend!

Best-

Amanda

Happy Friday, Stonehedge!

Can you believe it is the end of January already? The time is flying by. We have had an exciting week at Stonehedge. Our Grade 2 students had a wonderful experience with the Rev Theatre Company as they had individual classroom workshops and then an interactive performance of The Magic Paintbrush! It was truly absolutely MAGICAL! I was able to join Mrs. Stalter's class for a virtual field trip where we got to meet the baby calf they adopted. (Check out the picture below!) This was a great culminating field trip to wrap up their Farming Unit. And, if you have a child in Third grade, you should ask about the Roly-poly bugs that have come to Stonehedge!

Do you have a Kindergarten student starting in the fall? Please see the information below about registration. The kindergarten team and I are already planning for Readiness Night and Kindergarten Screening. You'll want to be register to assure you find out all of the upcoming Kindergarten information.

Planning way ahead-- 4th grade teachers have asked me to mention that the 4th grade Moving Up Ceremony will be held on the morning of Tuesday, June 24th.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and we'll see everyone on Monday.

Best-

Amanda

We have been working hard on resetting expectations this week. Students have been earning special Golden Wildcat Wows for meeting hallway and cafeteria expectations. We have been doing an extra special golden raffle each morning. It sure has been exciting to see everyone working so hard to do the right thing! Keep up the good work, Stonehedge! Check out the pictures below!

As an extra reminder, school will not be in session on Wednesday, January 29th in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Have a great weekend. Stay warm and safe!

Mrs. Simmons