Moving Forward with Hope into the New Year!

January 8, 2020

Moving Forward into the New Year with Hope!

Greetings and Happy New Year to the StoneBridge community! I think we’re all happy and hopeful that the new year will bring an end to the pandemic and a return to “normal” life.

Even amid these challenging times, I want to remind us of how much the Lord continues to bless our school. This year, we will celebrate our 40th anniversary with a gala on May 15. (Be sure to save the date!) For 40 years, we have been blessed with amazing parent partnerships that help us fulfill our mission to form the Christian character of each child.

We also look forward to the fulfillment this year of our vision for a new Upper School building. So far, we’ve raised $1.5 million through our Building the Future campaign and are moving toward the finish line this summer.

We continue to see the success of our seniors as more college acceptances and scholarships come in. So far, our seniors have earned a total of more than $1.5 million in scholarship offers. That’s an average of more than $50,000 per student of our 29 seniors! We are so proud of their accomplishments and, most importantly, the good character we see developing in them as they prepare to enter the next season of their life.

Despite all that we may see around us, we look forward in faith to what the Lord will continue to do here at StoneBridge. Our mission continues to go forward, and we rejoice knowing that His presence continues to abound to us each step of the way.

Personnel Updates

I am delighted to make several announcements regarding recent changes in personnel who are bringing energy and leadership to our school.

Ruth Whitley accepted the Director of Media Services and Technology position, which will provide leadership to the expanding role of technology and library services.

Jody Davenport will serve as Library Assistant to provide support for library services. She will also serve as the Lower School Distance Learning Coordinator until the position is filled.

Alex Walker is serving as Interim Director of Athletics for the remainder of the school year following the departure of Athletic Director Ethan Walker.

Coach John Hutton and Coach Shannon Morisi will lead the P.E. staff. Joining the team is Ke’An Square as P.E. Teacher Assistant. Regular substitute Sandra Foreman will serve as the Teacher Assistant in Preschool.

Amanda Lepson accepted the Director of Curriculum and Human Resources position. Amanda will guide and oversee the ACSI Self-Study visit in March and develop curriculum goals.

Amanda will also expand her human resource role to support hiring, evaluations, and contract renewals.

COVID-19 Update

Thank you for all the encouragement and support you have offered to us throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have all had to make hard adjustments in our daily routines and develop new habits. Our goal remains the same: to provide a safe, healthy environment in which to offer in-person instruction to our students. I urge you to continue to be vigilant to implement the strategies outlined in our updated Health & Safety Plan.

Since August, we have been monitoring the positivity rate as a measure of the spread of the virus in our local area. With positivity rates now above 20%, it is necessary to extend distance learning for Upper School students in 7th-12th grade through January 15 to help protect teachers and staff. We have seen the toll this virus has taken on our own community and do not wish to risk further spread. Returning to campus depends on everyone working together to minimize viral transmission. Please remember to follow the governor’s guidelines:

Wear a mask outside your home
Limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people

Our success in returning to campus depends upon all of us upholding these mitigation strategies:

Stay home when sick.
Check your temperature before coming to school.
All adults and students in Kindergarten and above must wear masks. Students should wear masks in the classroom except when 6 ft. of distancing is achievable. Teachers may remove masks when teaching if 6 ft. distance is maintained. They must wear a mask when working in small groups or with individual students.
Remind students to practice physical distancing (at least 6 ft.) while at lunch or during mask breaks.
Be diligent regarding handwashing and use of hand sanitizer.
Ventilate classrooms by opening windows and doors for 15 minutes three to four times per day. Hallway doors will be open after school to ventilate hallways and shared spaces without windows.
Chapels and other large group events or meetings will be conducted virtually.

Many of you have sent words of encouragement and support as the senior leaders strive to make wise choices and maintain a safe environment during this difficult time. We rely fully on the Lord to guide us through this storm. I have hope that, as He has always done, he will lead us to a safe haven.

Thank you all for your sincere dedication and commitment to StoneBridge.

Grace and peace in the Lord Jesus,

Kathy Rader

Head of School

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” Is. 43:2,3a

Don't Miss the SBOscars

On-Demand Screening!

On-Demand viewing is coming soon for the annual SBS student film festival! Watch your email for more information on how you can view this year's student films. In the meantime, you can watch the trailers for each film on the link below.

WATCH TRAILERS

SBS Virtual Open House Week!

January 31 - February 4

SBS is hosting several Virtual Open House meetings via Zoom from January 31-February 4.

Invite your friends and family to reserve a time slot today to hear about StoneBridge School's unique Christ-centered mission and Principle Approach® methodology.

Families can earn a $500 tuition credit when a family they refer enrolls at StoneBridge School.

RSVP LINK

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