Smith Intermediate School
Newsletter, June 2022
Upcoming Events:
June 6- Grade 4 Science Written Test
June 7- 4th Grade White Team Erie Canal Field Trip
June 10- Field Day
June 13- 3rd Grade trip to Randall School Musical
June 15- 4th Grade Agriculture Day
June 17- Grade 4 to visit Randall School
June 20- Juneteenth- No School
June 23- Last Day of School - 12:30 Dismissal
Principal's Message
Dear Smith Families:
June is upon us and we are officially entering the home stretch. While the school year is coming to a close, it is not over yet! There is still plenty of teaching and learning that needs to happen in our final month together. Please encourage your child to finish strong by maintaining daily attendance and focusing on their learning.
Thank you for your continued support throughout this school year. We look forward to greeting returning fourth graders and welcoming new third graders in the fall. Best wishes to those who are moving onto fifth grade.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wanish
Moving?
News from the Nurse
Reminders for June and September
Physicals: mandated for grades: K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, & 11
Medications: must be picked up by an adult by June 23
Update phone numbers & health concerns
Pack spare clothes for spills or accidents
Keep sick children home!
If your child tests positive for Covid on a rapid test, report it on the Cortland County Health Dept. website and to the school nurse.
Register for Covid testing at school, Clarifi Covid-19 enter in “Cortland Enlarged City Schools” group
Wear sunscreen and check for ticks - head to toe
Have an enjoyable summer!
Parent Request for Children’s Teachers:
Please be advised that according to our District policy, we do not accept parental requests for teachers. If you feel there are extreme extenuating circumstances, please contact the building principal. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated.
Per our District Policy: “It is the purpose of the Cortland Enlarged City School District to offer a quality education program. In doing so, classes in grades K-12 are balanced and children are grouped heterogeneously in grades K-8. In order to maintain this balance, the CECSD will not honor requests from parents/legal guardians for specific teachers.”
Looking ahead to September 2022
Teacher Assignments
Classroom teacher assignments will be mailed out to families in early August.
Tools for Learning
Our district will once again provide elementary students with the necessary tools for learning. (pencils, paper, markers, folders, crayons, etc.) Parents are asked to provide students with a backpack, water bottle and an old shirt they can use as an art smock.
Transportation
You will receive your child’s transportation information in late August. If your child will be attending a before or afterschool childcare program and will need transportation to/from a location other than where you live, please complete the transportation request form. Request for Before/After School Transportation
NYS Immunization and Physical Mandates
Health requirements for the 2022-23 school year: Below is a list of current NYS mandates which must be completed prior to attending school in the fall.
NYS Law requires students to be excluded from school without required immunizations. Plan ahead and schedule your child's next well visit.
Kindergarteners need a Dtap, Polio, Hep B, MMR & Varicella.
6th graders need the Tdap vaccine.
7th & 12th graders need the Meningococcal vaccine.
Every K, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th,11th graders and students who are new to the district need to have a current physical on file.
When your child receives a physical or vaccine, get it signed by their provider and faxed to the nurse: 607-758-4189
Retirements
Congratulations to the following staff members who will be retiring at the end of this school year:
Mrs. Holl
Mrs. Marcey-Jones
Mrs. Norton
Music News
The month of May has been a busy one in the music room with students learning new skills and concepts and also putting the final touches and details to our concert music.
Fourth graders continued to build their ukulele skills throughout the month of May. They learned four chords and worked to be able to transition between them all. They also learned some ways in which they can work independently on the instrument. Each student was able to choose a song at their own level from a list of 10 play along video songs, and work independently with their chromebook, headphones and instrument to practice that song. Students enjoyed having some song choice, and I was amazed at how much they all improved at playing the different chord progressions of their chosen songs.
Third graders have learned two chords on the ukulele and were able to switch back and forth on those two chords and have been working on playing along to a song together!
Aside from our ukulele work, all of our students have been learning about dynamics (the different volume levels for performing music) and some of the other music symbols that we sometimes see in music. They’ve learned the terminology and symbols that musicians use for the different dynamic levels. These words are actually in Italian! Ask your child what the words are for soft and loud in music and see if they can tell you! As part of this learning about dynamics and music symbols, students have enjoyed watching a different Line Rider video each class to different famous pieces of classical music and seeing how the dynamic markings throughout the video match with what they are hearing in the music. Here is an example of one Line Rider video that we watched. Have your child tell you what the different symbols in it mean! Line Rider - Mountain King These videos have helped your children to learn about these symbols and words, hear some great music, and also to brush up on their listening skills!
We’ve been adding a lot of details to our performance songs in preparation for our concert. These details include some of the dynamics that we’ve been learning about in the classroom! It’s been fun to watch these young musicians making the connection from their learning in the music room to their performance music during ensemble practice times. We are looking forward to sharing some polished performances with you at our Spring Concert! May has been a full and fun month of music making and learning! June will bring us to a final unit on piano keyboards!
Lastly, our Spring Concert was held on May 25th. We are all so proud of our student musicians. Congratulations on a job well done!
News from Physical Education
In PE, we’ve had a great time learning new skills and games outside in the beautiful weather. Students worked on their throwing and catching skills and team strategy in whiffleball. In June, we’ll cover basic lacrosse skills such as cradling, passing, and catching. We’ll also introduce them to some track and field events.
We hope over the summer your family will be able to get outside and play together. All fourth graders and their families have free access to some national and state parks with this pass: 4th grade park pass
Library News
As we wrap up our school year, our 4th graders presented their booktalk presentations that they have worked so hard on and shared all these books that they like to read in our library, great job to all of you!
3rd Grade Takes a closer look at the nonfiction section of the library, seeing how we organize our facts and sharing with our friends the books that we found in each area. Some of which we didn’t even know about!
The last day for Book Exchange is Friday, June 3rd, all books need to be back to the library by Friday, June 10th so we can start organizing our books and get them ready for next year.
If we are looking for books to read or fun activities to do over the summer, the Cortland Free library is open for all and is in the process of preparing summer events for kids. Take a look at their website to see all of the upcoming programs and maybe find a book that interests you!