Sherwood Middle School
May 15, 2022
May's Core Value & Action for Happiness
This month we focus on our core value of Creativity. We take time each morning during the Morning Announcements and Morning Meeting to discuss ways that we can live out these core values each day. Having a positive outlook on life, and setting daily goals can decrease stress and help us live a more purposeful life. Each day we share these daily "Action for Happiness" goals with our school community. We encourage you to do the same in your home with your family.
A Message From Mr. Kelly
Thank you to our students and families for taking time this week to recognize the amazing job our nurses, Mrs. Berard and Mrs. Franger have done this year to help keep our students and staff healthy and safe!
A reminder that Monday is the deadline to submit information about your child for placement next year (see info below).
We invite you to join us this week for our Spring Art Festival on Monday night from 4:30-6:30pm (at Oak Middle School) and our Food Truck Night on Wednesday night from 5:00-7:00pm behind Sherwood. There will be food, music, games, and more!
As always, thank you for your support of your child, and our school community!
This Week's Lunch Menu
Important Upcoming DATES
- May 16th: Deadline to submit info for next year's placement
- May 16th: 5-8 Middle School Art Festival @ Oak 4:30pm
- May 18th: Food Trucks on Blacktop 5:00-7:00pm
- May 19th & 20th: Science MCAS Grade 5 Only
- May 23rd: Spring Open House for Grade 4 Families
- (Floral, Spring, Coolidge families: 5:00-6:00pm, Beal & Paton families: 6:30-7:30pm)
- May 24th: Oak Open House for Grade 6 Families 6:00-7:30pm
- June 6th: Grade 6 Spring Concert 6:30pm @ Sherwood
- June 9th: Grade 5 Spring Concert 6:30pm @ Sherwood
- June 15th: Field Day (Rain date, June 16th)
- June 17th: Last Day of School- 11:35am Dismissal
Placement Info- Due This Monday
Middle School Spring Art Festival 5/16/22
FOOD TRUCK NIGHT 5/18/22
Please join us on Wednesday, May 18th from 5-7pm for food truck night! Located behind the school on the blacktop. This is open to the public, so share the event with family and friends, skip the cooking, and come hang out with us. There will be food, music, games, and more! Featuring: Anzios Pizza, Potato Potato, The Dogfather, Shishkaberrys, & Kona Ice.
Grade 5 Science MCAS This Thursday & Friday
Grade 6 World Language Signups
As sixth grade is nearly coming to a close, it is now time to make your selection for the language that your child will study at Oak Middle School. The course selection will be available on Parent Portal in Powerschool from May 13 to May 31. More information below:
Kenneth Andrew Almeida, Director of World Languages
BCO SIgnups
Registration for next year’s Band, Chorus, and Orchestra (BCO) ensembles is now available online and will remain open until June 1. All current grade 5-7 students/parents must make a selection so that their schedule can be made for next year. To make a selection parents can log in to their PowerSchool access portal and click on the MUSIC Lessons icon in the lower-left portion of the main PowerSchool screen. You must then select one of the four options: Band, Chorus, Orchestra, or Enrichment (no performance ensemble). If no selection is made, students will be enrolled in Enrichment.
Directions to access PowerSchool:
1. Go to https://ps.shrewsbury.k12.ma.us/public
2. Enter your username and password.
3. Click on the Music Lessons icon on the left of your screen and choose your BCOE selection
4. Click the SUBMIT button. (If you are registering for Seventh Grade and also selecting a World Language, you will need to submit twice. Once for Language and once for your music choice)
5. If you choose Band or Orchestra, you will proceed to an additional screen where you will select the instrument your child will be playing next year. Only the instruments listed on the selection screen are options for that ensemble. *Students who select Band or Orchestra and did not participate in that group this year must contact the ensemble director prior to registering.
6. We are not registering for private SILP lessons after school yet. Lesson registration happens in August.
If you would like more information about the program, please visit this link.
If you have any questions about the program or any of the ensembles, please contact:
Tom O’Toole (totoole@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us) - K12 Performing Arts Director
ELPAC Upcoming Events
On Thursday, May 19th, our ELPAC is hosting a Playground Night from 6:30 - 7:30 PM for all ELE students and families at Beal School. Please come to make new friends, enjoy the new Beal School playground space, and chat with ELE educators.
The final ELPAC (English Learner Parent Group) meeting of the year is May 25th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM on Zoom. ELPAC is open to parents/guardians of English Learners and former English Learners from all Shrewsbury Public Schools. Please come to learn more about ELPAC and help us plan for next year. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link and to request interpretation in your language if needed:
Shrewsbury Robotics Summer Program is back!
The Shrewsbury Robotics Summer Program is back for this summer. 4 weeks of robotics and engineering fun which can be taken as individual weeks or multiples. The program is run by the Shrewsbury High School Robotics team and aimed at students entering 4th through 8th grade. Full details and signups can be found on our website http://shrewsburyrobotics.org/programs/summer-program/
Panorama Survey
As you know, Shrewsbury has worked on several fronts this year to build and sustain cultures of belonging in all our school communities. To elicit feedback from students and families, we use a variety of tools to gather information. Collecting data digitally enables us to gather quantitative and qualitative measures of our progress in ways that feel safe. I am writing to inform you about the final administration of the Panorama survey this year.
As you may know, we have elected to work with Panorama, an education and technology company, to survey students about Social Emotional Learning, Equity & Inclusion. Our plan is to survey students in Grades 3 through 12 at school. You may recall that we used this tool earlier this year. A final administration will allow us to compare results to our baseline administration. You can read about the Panorama survey in detail here, including which questions students will be asked.
If you don’t want your child(ren) to participate, you may opt out of the survey. To opt your child out, please send an email to surveyoptout@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us no later than Thursday, May 19th. Students whose families opt them out will not participate in the survey.
Understanding the degree of belonging experienced by the members of our school communities is a key step in moving closer to realizing our goals for student well-being and becoming an inclusive, anti-racist school district.
Thanks for lending your support to this effort.
Sincerely,
Amy Clouter
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
PTO NEWS
LAST DAY TO ORDER!!
TODAY (May 8th) is your last day to order Sherwood & Oak apparel! We have tshirts, hoodies, and 3/4 sleeve raglan tshirts in various colors for youths and adults. Place your order here: https://bit.ly/SMSapparel2022 **We are still only offering online orders at this time.
**Credit Cards are charged by Spectrum Apparel Webstore - please make sure you note this so you recognize your credit card charge.**
JUNE PTO MEETING
The June SMS PTO Meeting will be Monday, June 6th, at 7PM in the Oak Media Center. We will be wrapping up our year, and will be making plans for the 2022-23 school year! The SMS PTO serves BOTH Sherwood and Oak and we would love to have parents from grade 5-8 join us.
COVID-19 Updates
Here are Shrewsbury Public Schools Updated COVID protocols.
- Masks are NOW OPTIONAL for students, staff, and visitors in school and on school buses.
- Please discuss your preference regarding mask wearing with your child.
- It is very important that everyone in our school community respects the decisions made by individuals and families regarding masking. No one should be pressured or made to feel uncomfortable regarding their choice to wear a mask or not.
Please note that some mask requirements remain in effect per other authorities, including:
- Masks will still need to be worn in school nurses' offices per CDC requirements for healthcare settings (masks will be available there).
- Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 who return to school after five days of isolation (if they are asymptomatic) must wear a mask on days six through ten of the protocol, per CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines.
- Students and staff who participate in school activities in other school districts or locations for athletics, academic teams, etc. must follow any mask requirements in effect at that other location.
The following health protocols still remain in place:
- If your child is sick, please keep them home.
- If your child is in isolation due to a positive COVID test, or in quarantine if considered a close contact, please keep them home and contact the nurses’ office for further guidance.
Please reach out to our nurses with any questions.
- Linda Berard, BSN, RN
- Kristin Franger, BSN, RN, NCSN
Phone: 508-841-8678 Fax: 508-841-8677
Important Reminders
School Hours
The school day runs from 8:00 am-2:35 pm each day. Students that arrive after 8:00 am are considered tardy.
Student Absence
All parents/guardians must inform the office if their child will be absent or late to school. SPS requires that you telephone us either the night before or first thing in the morning on the day of the child’s absence at 508-841-8670. If we have not received a call to report an absence, the school will be in contact with the parent to confirm the child’s safety.
Dismissal
If you are dismissing your child early, please call the Main Office at 508-841-8670 (instead of emailing team teachers).
Technology Support
If students or families are having trouble with your iPad you can get tech support at ParentTechSupport@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us. Please remember that Team teachers are not immediately available for this support as they have students in class.