Isaac Castle News
November 15, 2022
Greetings from the Castle.
Wow! How quickly the weather has changed. This past weekend we enjoyed spring-like temperatures. Now we are bundled up in our heavy coats, hats, and scarves. I guess we have to remember it is November in New York.
The season of "Thanks" is upon us. We hope you have the opportunity to spend time with your friends and family. Remember, schools will be closed on November 24 and 25. November 23 is a half day. There will be no after-school activities or events on that day. Grade 6 students will attend school from 8:05-11:50. Grades 7 and 8 will attend school from 8:25-12:00.
Please remind your child(ren) that counselors, school administrators, teachers, school psychologists, and school social workers are resources of support and assistance that are available to all students. During September, we provided each student with a list of school-based resources as well as a list of scenarios detailing when a student may need to seek out adult assistance. Kindly take some time to review these expectations with your child.
On Monday, November 12, we began the second marking period. Children must seek extra help and guidance from their teachers if they struggle with a content area. We also encourage parents/guardians to contact the school counseling office or the teacher to set up a parent-teacher conference.
Finally, we understand that our middle schoolers like to play with a variety of toys. Please remind your child that toys that propel items such as balls, water beads, and nerf darts are not allowed on school grounds. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
IEYMS Students Elect Class Officers
Congratulations to our newly elected Student Government Castle Ambassador Officers for the 2022-2023 school year. Our officers will work closely with students and administrators as they share ideas that help to improve our school community from a student lens and present student concerns that may be impacting the culture of the Castle. Our officers will work side by side with the Castle Ambassadors to plan social events and community projects. School elections were held on November 10. Candidates recorded video speeches which included their campaign platforms. Students went to the ballot to vote for their candidates. After voting in period 1, students received I voted stickers as a keepsake. Voting is a prized civic duty, and we hope all of our eligible students register to vote when the time comes.
6th Grade
President- Kevin Torres
Vice President- Jason Vasquez
7th Grade
President- Grace Liu
Vice President-Amanda London
8th Grade
President- Naolin Concha
Vice President- Yao Sam Dosseh
Treasurer- Habib Ayinla
Secretary- Abdulhaqq Ayinla
6th Grade Students Create Grade Charter
The 6th Grade Charter is a document that teachers and students created together for how they want to feel in the classroom, what actions will promote those feelings, and agreed upon actions for how to prevent and manage conflict. The IEYMS 6th-grade students identified safe, calm, and happy as the feelings they want to experience in school. They also identified creating and maintaining a calm environment, being supportive and listening to one another, and being their authentic selves as actions they will take to create their ideal school community.
Each period 6 SOAR class worked collaboratively to identify three feelings they want to experience each day in school. Each class then selected class leaders to work under the guidance of Ms. Bub, a teacher, and assistant principal Mr. Francaviglia to identify common themes from each class charter. From there, the student leaders combined the ideas to craft one Grade 6 Charter that reflected the ideas, feelings, and beliefs of the entire grade. The final charter was written and finalized by the 6th-grade student leaders. No parts of the document have been changed. The grade leaders will present the final charter to the grade 6 class. Students will take a deeper dive into self-regulation and strategies they can use to experience the feelings they want to feel.
IN OUR OWN WORDS
We the 6th-grade students of IEYMS commit to working
together to ensure every student and staff member feels
SAFE, by keeping our hands, feet, and judgments to ourselves.
We will stay safe by respecting people’s personal space and by
listening to the directions of security and staff members.
We will also make sure all members of our school community
feel CALM by offering support and listening to anyone in need.
We will keep noise levels low to keep a calm environment. We
will also make sure everyone is feeling calm by monitoring our
reactions to the events of the day.
Lastly, we commit to working together to make ourselves and
others feel HAPPY and POSITIVE. We will be kind, respectful, and
nice to each other by using positive non-judgmental words.
We will show EMPATHY to others. We will all feel happy and
positive by being our authentic selves always.
We all have the right to a safe, calm, positive learning
environment. Our FEELINGS MATTER and we pledge to uphold
these ideals every single day.
Written by the IEYMS 6th Grade Class
Honoring our Veterans
On Thursday, November 10, our Veterans were treated to a few breakfast goodies in recognition of their service. Breakfast treats were provided by our Student Government. Thank you to Mr. Licitra, Mr. Colleary, Mr. Coyne, and Ms. Poole.
Did You Know? According to History.com, Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War 1. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.
Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I, known as Armistice Day. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
Learning at Home: Helping Students Get "Unstuck": From the IEY Department Chairs
Have you ever watched your child complete an assignment at home and noticed they are frustrated? While completing a task whether it is math homework or a project, a child can become "Stuck" on one component of the task when they do not understand or are not clear about the expectations for completing the task. Students may also become stuck when they struggle to shift their attention from completing a task/assignment to looking at the process required to complete the task. They may also become stuck when they are distracted by the environment.
When students feel overwhelmed or are unclear about a task, the challenges of the work may seem unsurmountable. Here are strategies you can use at home to help children move past challenging tasks.
1. Help your child but do not do the work for them. Some topics such as math are learned from doing the work. Instead, ask your child outright, what are you struggling with? Where are you stuck? How can I help you? Once you understand where or why your child is struggling, you will be in a better position to provide support and assistance.
2. If you notice that your child is frustrated, encourage them to take a short break. Sometimes, resetting to refocus can be a powerful strategy. It is okay to take a break and think about something else. However, set a reasonable break time limit and a clear time for the child to return to the task.
3. Ask the child to read the instructions aloud (with an adult). Then ask the child clarifying questions. What is the assignment asking you to do? Can you explain the task in your own words? Can you underline keywords that might help you to better understand the task? What is the question asking? Does the question or task have multiple parts? What are they?
4. Make sure your child has the resources they need to complete the task, especially when completing projects, math problems, and writing pieces. Ask your child, do you have everything you need to complete the assignment? Ask if they have class notes, examples, teacher instructions, and models they can use to give them an idea as to how to approach the task.
5. Encourage your child to break down the task into smaller components. Sometimes, the task becomes easier to manage when broken down into chunks or smaller pieces.
6. Encourage your child to phone a friend or classmate for assistance.
It is developmentally appropriate for middle school-aged children to struggle with certain school-related tasks. However, there are steps we can take as parents to support our children and help them move forward. Keep in mind that all NR students have access to live tutors 24 hours a day through the district-provided service, Tutor.com.
How does a student get started?
To connect with Tutor.com using a district device, students must:
- Sign in to their district device;
- Access the district’s launchpad; and
- Click the Tutor.com icon to initiate a live tutoring session.
To connect with Tutor.com using a non-district device, students must:
- First sign into launchpad;
- Then click the Tutor.com icon.
Knights for Human Rights
On November 17, IEYMS students attended the 8th Annual Human Rights Institute for Middle School Student Leaders at Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester located in Rye. The Institute was attended by over thirty public and private middle schools in the Lower Hudson-Westchester region. Students attended breakout sessions on the themes of Respecting the Individual and How to Be an Upstander. Student groups were also given time to meet with their school team to develop activities to implement in their schools. The Institute began with a keynote presentation by Sheila Arnold, CEO and Lead Performer of History’s Alive! Ms. Arnold has also performed as a Regional Storyteller at Colonial Williamsburg, the Valley Forge Teacher Institute, and at conferences across the U.S. Students received a proclamation from the governor. Students will meet with the IEYMS administrative team to share their thoughts on how they can use what they learned to create school-wide activities. Ms. Rodriguez, a 6th grade Special Education teacher, facilitates our Knights for Human Rights student leaders.
Red Ribbon Week Was A Success!
Students at IEY participated in Red Ribbon Week by celebrating life and living drug-free. Throughout the week, students participated in spirit days which included wearing jerseys, camo, twinning with a friend, wearing pj's, and wearing RED! Students in Castle Ambassadors Student Government made daily morning announcements teaching their fellow peers facts related to the dangers of different drugs and alcohol use.
Students in Mr. Salvo and Ms. Costa's health classes participated in an Escape the Vape activity with Ms. Loaiza (IEY Student Assistance Counselor) which taught them the dangers of vaping. Students went through a series of locked obstacles each time unlocking clues and facts related to vape pens and nicotine. The activity concluded by having the students create an anti-vaping poster to help spread awareness throughout the school.
Students in Mr. Licitra's Family and Consumer Science classes planted red tulips as a way of practicing a natural high, which are different activities in our lives that make us happy and keep us healthy. These tulips will bloom in April, during Alcohol Awareness Month, and will serve as a reminder that life is beautiful when we choose to be drug-free.
All Students had the opportunity to participate in three lunchroom activities throughout the week. The first activity was a memory-matching game where students continued to learn different facts related to drugs and alcohol. For the second activity students completed a MY FUTURE IS AS BRIGHT AS I CAN DREAM IT card asking students to think about their goals for the future (short term or long term) and one reason teens should choose not to do drugs. The last activity had all students identify their "natural high". Students wrote down names of people that make them happy and activities in their life that they enjoy doing. As students participated they were given live drug-free bracelets, red beaded necklaces as well as Say No To Drugs stickers to further encourage them to celebrate life without the use of drugs.
The Lion King Jr. Comes to Town
The Knights Theater Guild will present the Lion King Jr. Students interested in participating in this year's musical should join the after-school drama club. Auditions for the musical will begin after the Winter Break.
Internationally Acclaimed Artist Licry Bicard Visits IEYMS
Art students from Mr. Fry, Ms. Reader, and Ms. Maldanado's classes had the opportunity to work with an international artist, Ms. Licry Bicard, an artist from El Salvador. Her granddaughter, Mrs. Pelosi, an ENL teacher at IEYMS has fond memories of growing up with an artistic Abuela. Mrs. Bicard has worked with students in El Salvador who experienced hardships and difficulties growing up. She wants to use her art to inspire students. Ms. Bicard believes that there is always a child inside of you. That child speaks to art. She encouraged the artists at IEYMS to search for the child in them and draw upon that to create works of art. She was recognized as one of the premiere artists in El Salvador by the legislative assembly and has displayed her art in galleries and museums around the world.
Winter Sports Season
The Winter Sports season is upon us. Winter sports will begin on Monday, November 28th. Family ID is now open for registration. Students must register through Family ID and they must have an updated physical to participate. Sports offered during the winter session include Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Wrestling, Ice Hockey (combined IEY and ALMS) and Cheerleading (combined IEY and ALMS). There will be an interest meeting for Girls and Boys Basketball on November 22 at 3:30.
Please join us for the IEYMS Scholastic Book Fair on November 28-Dec 2 at the IEYMS Library.
click here: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/iey To order items online, please click below. Your child will have a chance to visit the book fair with their ELA teacher to pay with cash. You can also order and pay online by visiting the eWallet link below.
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/parent-how-it-works.html?fairID=5206797