Sherwood Spirit
March 2020
From Mr. Walerstein's Desk
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome back; I hope everyone had a relaxing mid-winter break. The days are getting longer, and hopefully soon, the weather will be getting warmer.
This month, we are kicking off PARP (Pick a Reading Partner); this year's theme is Fun and Games With Reading. During PARP, students are challenged to spend at least 20 minutes per day reading with a buddy; this could be a parent/guardian, sibling, or any other person that is special to them. While reading is encouraged every day, during PARP, the students will be rewarded for their hard work. The class that reads the most minutes will get a special reward! To help promote reading, we will be hosting the spring book fair on March 11th and 12th. One additional piece of PARP this year is a special community service project. This year, we will be doing a book collection in cooperation with the Book Fairies a local organization that provides books to people in need throughout the New York Metropolitan area. We will have a box outside of the Main Office from March 2nd through March 13th.
We have several different events coming up this month. The Long Island Ducks Mascot, Quacker Jack will be visiting us on March 3 to help promote the District EXCEL fundraiser. We also have several presentations this month; PSE&G will be presenting to grades 2 and 3 on energy conservation on March 23rd, and our own second graders from Ms. Contant/Ms. Kruger's class and Dr. Coyle's classes will be presenting their play "Nuts" to all of our students at the end of the month.
We also continue to work on the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. These habits are fostered each day through our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) House System; students are given tickets when they are seen doing the right thing and exemplifying the 7 Habits. At the bottom of the newsletter I am attaching Parent Guides for you to check out.
Finally, a reminder of some upcoming assessments. On March 18th, all 3rd graders will be taking the OLSAT assessments. On March 24th - 27th, 3rd-5th graders will be taking the NYS ELA assessments. Each grade level will be assigned specific dates. More information will be sent out in the coming weeks.
Have a great month.
Warmest Regards,
Chad Walerstein
Principal
CLASS PLACEMENT FOR 2020-2021 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, but the summer will be here before you know it. Each year we plan your child’s program for the upcoming school year. 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 class placements, we consider many factors to ensure balanced student groupings. We include: range of academic abilities; teacher data regarding students; students identified for supportive education services; parent input; teacher experience, specialization and expertise; social mixture; gender; individual learning styles; student personality and interactions; students benefiting from being together or separated; class size. We will also do our best to balance Sherwood House assignments as well among other criteria. This placement process contributes significantly to the creation of a positive environment at Sherwood therefore 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. If you have written a letter in the past, we do not keep letters from year to year, as we believe each day is a new beginning. Therefore, if you want to provide some input, you must send an updated letter each year. It is also important to keep in mind that because a sibling had a specific teacher, this does not guarantee similar placement for another child. Teachers may also change grade levels. 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 it is not appropriate to request a specific teacher as these 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, with attention to Mr. Walerstein, by April 17, 2020.
Regards,
Chad E. Walerstein
Principal
PTA News
Our Spring Book Fair is almost here! Our theme is Wild for Reading! Our family night event will be March 12th from 4:30 – 7:00 pm. Join us for some great new books, raffles and more. Students will visit the fair with their class on March 11th and 12th. The Wild for Reading coin challenge will run March 2nd- 6th. Help us create a jungle of books for the Sherwood Library and classrooms.
Monday – Bring in Pennies
Tuesday – Bring in Nickels
Wednesday – Bring in Dimes
Thursday – Bring in Quarters
Friday – Bring in any coin or bill
The class that collects the most will win a Jungle Treat!
Fun and Games with Reading “PARP” will begin on Monday, March 2nd. Packets will be sent home with a calendar, reading logs and activities for the students.
Looking ahead, we will be having our annual Spring Plant Sale May 5th - May 7th. Look for pre-order forms to come home soon. Remember to keep sending in and scanning your Box Tops. We want to reach our fundraising goals.
We are also excited to share some new fundraising initiatives underway. You should have all received the Sherwood Socks order form and the flyer for our upcoming clothing drive March 26th- 27th. Additionally, we will be having a Bubbas Burrito Dine Out event on March 9th. We will also be having a Square Art fundraiser and holding our first ever Boosterthon fun run during Wellness Week in May . . . stay tuned for more details.
It is through your ongoing support and involvement that we are able to continue to enhance our students’ daily experiences at Sherwood. With that in mind, we are hoping you can join us for our next PTA meeting on March 3rd at 7pm in the SES library. Our Junior Honor Society students will be there to keep the children busy. We would love to hear from you and would like to brainstorm ideas for our next big addition to Sherwood now that the Rock Wall is up and running. Thanks to all those that helped to make it happen. Let’s see what we can do next!
4th Grade Updates
Notes from our Music Teachers
The Sherwood Music Department was represented at the Division 1 SCMEA (Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association) Festival on March 15, 2020 by the following outstanding musicians:
Band:
Ali Guzman – flute
Matthew Levy – clarinet
Carissa Zaneski – trumpet
Orchestra:
Isabella Conzo – violin
Chorus:
Connor Clifford
Olivia Pacifico
These talented students were chosen to represent Sherwood and perform with a large group of student musicians from several districts in Suffolk County. Bravo to all!
Ms. Brush's Class Celebrates V.I.P. Day
Dismissal Procedures
Please note the following dismissal procedures.
Parents/guardians must send a note in with their child whenever a change in the daily dismissal routine occurs. Emails are not acceptable for dismissal changes. Per district policy, students are only permitted to ride on their assigned bus.
Dismissal begins at 2:45 PM. We request your cooperation in calling in any changes to your child’s dismissal prior to 2:20 PM. In addition, to avoid confusion during the very busy dismissal period, we ask that students being picked up prior to dismissal be signed out no later than 2:20 PM. Students must be signed out at the receptionist’s window; anyone signing out a child out MUST have photo identification.
Thank you for your cooperation in maintaining a safe dismissal routine for all our students.
Classroom Updates
New York State Assessments
As a reminder, we have listed the dates for the upcoming NYS assessments below.
English Language Arts
Grades 3 - 5
March 24th - March 27th
Mathematics
Grades 3-5
April 22nd - April 23rd
Science
Grade 4
Lab Performance: May 26th
Written: June 1st
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.
Dates to Remember
3/2 Barnes and Noble Book Fair, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
3/3 Quacker Jack Visit3/3 PTA Meeting, 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, SES Library
3/4 Barnes and Noble Book Fair snow date ; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
3/5 Dental Hygienist Visit (Grades 2 & 3 )
3/9 Parents as Reading Partners begins (PTA)
3/9 Bubba's Fundraiser (PTA)
3/10 Board of Education Meeting, 7:30 pm; IMS Auditorium
3/11 & 3/12 Spring Book Fair (PTA)
3/12 Spring Book Fair (PTA) Evening Event, 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm; SES
3/13 Term 2 Marking Period Ends
3/18 Grade 3 OLSAT Testing
3/18 Islip Family Cultural Night, 6:00 pm; IHS Gymnasium
3/20 Grade 5 Mangoes Restaurant Trip
3/20 Grade 3 United Skates Trip
3/23 National Theater Presentation, Grades 2 & 3
3/24 - 3/27 New York State ELA Testing
3/24 Board of Education Meeting, 7:30 pm; IMS
3/26 - 3/27 Clothing and Toy Fundraising (PTA)
3/27 - 4/3 New York State ELA Testing Make Up Dates
3/27 Grades 3 & 4 Game Night, Grades IMS
3/30 Spring Picture Day
3/31 Grade 3 Meet the Instruments Night, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm; IMS
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.