Sherwood Spirit
March 2019
From Mr. Walerstein's Desk
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We have just come off of our mid-winter break, and we are ready for the warmer weather and all that the beginning of spring can bring us. We are gearing up for an exciting March full of great events for the students.
This month kicks off with PARP (Pick a Reading Partner). Our PTA has done an amazing job developing different activities for PARP with a March Madness theme. The students will take part in several different sports-related reading activities, and the classes will compete in a reading challenge with brackets to see which classes advance to later rounds and which class will win the challenge. The goal is for the students to read 100,000 minutes over the two weeks of PARP; that's just over 300 minutes in two weeks, or just over 20 minutes per night! We can do this! See the PARP packet that was sent home for more information! PARP also coincides with the PTA Book Fair. The Book Fair will take place March 13-14 with an evening event on the 14th. We hope to see you there.
On March 6th, Legislator Tom Cilmi will be coming to Sherwood to discuss civics and government with our third graders who are in the midst of studying civics in social studies. We are looking forward to his insights about what a life in government is like. On March 14th, our second and third graders will learn all about dental hygiene when representatives from Dr. Vatagliano's office come to visit.
Our Habit of the Month for March is Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This habit teaches students to listen to others without interrupting and to understand other people's views and feelings, even if they are different from their own. This is something that is important to know each day in school and in life. We encourage you to discuss these ideas with your children at home.
The IDEA Task Force is hosting a Game Night at Islip High School on March 22nd from 6-8pm. This event is for 5th-8th graders. The cost is $5 and permission slips were sent home at the end of February. We hope there is a great showing of fifth graders!
As a reminder, there is a Superintendent's Conference Day on March 18th. School will be closed for students that day.
See you next month.
Warmest Regards,
Chad Walerstein
Principal
CLASS PLACEMENT FOR 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR
Dear Sherwood Families,
As the District moves through the budget development process, we begin to plan for the next school year. I know it is hard to believe that we are already halfway through the year, and the summer will be here before we know it. We would like to take this opportunity to explain the placement procedures.
In our process, we try to provide the best possible placement for every child. We strive for well-balanced heterogeneous classes while capitalizing on the strengths of staff and the individual needs of students. A great deal of time, effort, and consideration goes into our placement process.
When creating classes we consider many factors to ensure balanced student groupings; these factors include, but are not limited to: range of academic abilities; teacher data regarding students; students identified for special education services; parent input; teacher or family input regarding previous family or student history; teacher experience, specialization and expertise; social mixture; gender; individual learning styles; student personality and interactions; students benefiting from being together or separated; class size, etc. This important process contributes significantly to the creation of a positive environment at Sherwood thus enabling each child to achieve his or her fullest potential.
Some parents may wish to provide information about their child’s learning style or preferences for learning environment, and parents are welcome to share this information in writing with the school; please do not feel that you must write a letter. However, if your child has any unique needs (i.e. health, behavioral, academic, social, etc.) that you feel we need to know, please do provide that information in writing. It is important to note that if you have written a letter in the past, we do not keep letters from year to year, as we believe each year is a new beginning. It is also important to keep in mind that because an older sibling had a specific teacher, this does not guarantee similar placement for another child. As previously mentioned, there are many factors that go into placement and the makeup of classes.
Please understand that developing class groupings is an extremely complex process, and though we take parent requests into consideration, there are times when these requests cannot be accommodated. The scheduling process is lengthy and it is necessary to note that sometimes a child’s program will dictate his/her class placement. Please understand that we strive to provide your child with the best possible learning environment and educational experience that Sherwood has to offer.
Please forward any written communication to the main office, to the attention of Mr. Walerstein by Friday, March 22, 2019.
Regards,
Chad Walerstein
Principal
Mrs. Brush's Class Celebrates V.I.P. Day
Mrs. Brush’s class wrote biographies as an extension of their nonfiction literacy unit. Each student chose a very important person in his/her life to interview and write about. The finished biographies were shared during a very special V.I.P. Day. All V.I.P.s were escorted down the red carpet and seated in the V.I.P. section where they got to listen to each student read their biography aloud from the podium at the front of the room. The students worked so hard and were proud to show off their V.I.P. to the rest of the class!
From the Gymnasium with Mr. Atlas & Mr. Orlick
Congratulations to Jane Tierney, Jackson Doring, Julia Drumerhasuer, and Tierney Recenello for winning the Sherwood Sharp Shooter Contest. On March 2nd, they will participate in the Town of Islip's Sharpshooter Contest at East Islip High School.
PTA News
Spring is right around the corner!! Sherwood PTA has some wonderful events planned for the
upcoming months.
“Show us Your Talent” - Sherwood’s Talent Show was a huge success! The kids were all
amazing ! Over 90 students shared their songs, dance routines, comedy and magic acts with
us. There are some incredibly talented students at Sherwood. Thank you to all the performers
and volunteers that helped make the show so awesome. A Special thanks to Mr. Walerstein,
Mr. Kunsch. Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Markee for helping make the show so memorable! If you are interested in a DVD please email the Sherwood PTA: sherwoodpta@aol.com .
Our Spring Book Fair is almost here! Our theme is “ March Madness- Take a Shot at Reading”
The Family Event will be Thursday, March 14th 5-8pm. Join us for some great NEW books,
Raffles and more. Students will visit the fair with his/her class on Wednesday March 13, and
Thursday March 14th . The “All for Books” coin challenge will run March 4-8. Help us SCORE
some books for the Sherwood library and classrooms.
MVP Monday: Bring in Pennies!
Two Point Tuesday: Bring in Nickels!
Winning Wednesday: Bring in Dimes!
Three Point Thursday: Bring in Quarters!
Free Point Friday: Bring in ANY COIN or BILL!
The class that collects the most will win a PIZZA PARTY with the PRINCIPAL!
.
PARP “ March Reading Madness” will being on Monday March 4th. Packets will be sent home
on March 1st with a calendar , reading logs and activities for the students. Read like a
champion and help score point for your class.
Looking ahead, we will be having our annual Spring Plant Sale on May 8-9. Look for the
pre-order form to come home soon. Remember to keep sending in Box Tops! We want to reach our fundraising goal of $1000. With
the money we earn from Box Tops this year will will purchase a rock climbing wall for the gym, so keep clipping!!
Throughout the year, the PTA provides many programs and events for your children that are
both fun as well as educational. Your PTA membership helps fund these programs. It will also
make sure that you stay up to dates on PTA and other school events throughout the year. There are many opportunities to volunteer. We are beginning to look for Executive Board Positions and chairpeople for some of these wonderful events next year. If you are interested please contact us!
Our next PTA meeting will be March 19th @ 7pm in the Sherwood library. Please join us for a
presentation on the Transition from Sherwood to Islip Middle School by Dr. Martin and Mr.
Miltenberg.
Sign up for important updates from the Sherwood PTA with the Remind App. Text message
@ septa17 to the number 81010. Any questions , please feel free to email us at sherwoodpta@aol.com.
Classroom Updates
New York State Assessments
As a reminder, we have listed the dates for the upcoming NYS assessments below.
English Language Arts
Grade 3 (paper-based): April 2 & 3 (make ups April 5 & 9)
Grades 4 & 5 (computer based): April 2, 3, 4 & 5 (make ups April 8, 9, 10 & 11)
Mathematics
Grades 3, 4 & 5: May 1 & 2 (make ups May 6, 7 & 8)
Science Lab Performance
Grade 4: May 23 & 24 (make up May 25)
Science Written
Grade 4: June 3 (make ups June 4, 5, 6, & 7)
If you plan to have your child(ren) refuse any New York State Assessment, please send us a current letter stating your child's name, grade, and test(s) you are refusing.
National Association of Elementary School Principals - Report to Parents
Dates to Remember
3/7 Grade 3 OLSAT Testing
3/12 Board of Education Meeting/Budget Workshop, 6:45 pm; IMS
3/13 & 3/14 Book Fair (PTA)
3/14 Dental Hygienist Vists Grades 2 & 3
3/14 Evening Book Fair (PTA)
3/15 Report Cards Issued
3/18 SUPERINTENDENT'S CONFERENCE DAY - School closed for Students.
3/19 PTA Meeting, 6:30 pm; SES Library
3/21 Grade 5 Field Trip to Mangoe's Mexican Restaurant (Ms. Cella, Mr. Kunsch, Ms.Scheriff)
3/22 Grade 3 Field Trip to United Skates of America
3/23 Grade 5 Field Trip to Mangoe's Mexican Restaurant (Ms. Cromwell, Ms. Fazio, Mr.Velazquez)
3/25 Grade 5 Band and Orchestra Trip to IMS
3/26 Board of Education Meeting/Budget Workshop, 6:45 pm; IMS
3/27 Quacker Jack Visit
3/27 PTA Meeting - Welcome to WING Parents, 6:30 pm; SES Library
3/28 Opening Day Celebration
3/29 Grade 2 Field Trip - Flat Stanley, Northport
Getting Ready for Winter Weather
Should the opening of school be delayed, school canceled, or students dismissed early, families may expect a timely announcement to that effect via automated telephone message and on the following television, radio stations, and websites:
TV NEWS CHANNEL 12
FIOS 1 News
WALK FM - 97.5 FM
WALK AM - 1370 AM
WHLI - B103 FM
WBAB - 102.3 FM
WBLI - 106.1 FM
Reminder: If school is closed or dismissed early, all after-school music and extra-help are cancelled.