Sherwood Spirit
February 2019
From Mr. Walerstein's Desk
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I cannot believe we are halfway through the year already. The sun is setting later, we are having unseasonably warm weather, and the groundhogs said we are going to have an early spring...hopefully that is the case.
In January, we celebrated our PTA Reflections winners who participated in the areas of visual arts, photography, literature, and music. Congratulations to the students who were recognized:
Tillie Ancipink
Maximus Burns
Max Carminio
Mary Carroll
Alexa Duckworth
Ella Evans
Kieran Freelin
Jenna Haug
Riley Haynes
Shea LaGiglia
Matthew Levy
Colin McKeon
Riley Moran
Alyssa Muschenick
Emme Pesiri
Eve Schnatz
Lena Schwarz
John Swindells
Thank you to our Sherwood PTA for hosting such a great event!
Last month we also held our PTA Bingo Family Fun Night. Guest callers Ms. Davis, Mr. Kunsch, Ms. Markee, and Ms. Sinclair joined us for this event and did a great job calling numbers; the students and parents appreciated them being there as well! It was truly a Family FUN night.
We also welcomed Michael Harrold in for assemblies about his travels. The assembly took the students on a virtual trip around the world, and the students also had the opportunity to interact with the many artifacts that he brought along with him. This was a very informative program for the students, and we hope to see Mr. Harrold again.
Our habit of the month for February will be Habit 4: Think Win-Win. This is the habit that teaches students to problem solve with others. It also teaches students to think about what other people want and not just what they want. Being kind to others matters.
Wishing everyone a great month. As a reminder, the Islip Public Schools will be closed from February 18-22 for mid-winter recess.
Warmest Regards,
Chad Walerstein
Principal
2019-2020 Placement
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
From the Gymnasium with Mr. Atlas & Mr. Orlick
Congratulations to Jane Tierney, Jackson Doring, Julia Drumerhauser, 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. This is a town-wide event where students participate in a timed basketball-shooting contest. Good luck and congratulations to all the students on a job well done!
PTA News
What an AMAZING night at the PTA Refections Awards Ceremony. We celebrated the talented
artists with an art gallery displaying their work, acknowledged their participation and celebrated their success. Great job Sherwood Elementary!
On January 16th, the Sherwood PTA sent the students on a multi-cultural journey with
Jambo Productions. They were able to experience and explore the cultures of the world
through pictures and stories, a traveling museum of artifacts. The program helped to educate,
motivate and promote multicultural awareness and respect.
Winter Family Fun Night was a great time!! The kids had a wonderful time playing Bingo and winning some great prizes. Thank you to all the families that came out for some fun and to support the Sherwood PTA.
Please join us February, 28th at 7pm for an evening of fun at the 2019 Sherwood Talent Show,
“Show us your Talent”. It is going to be a great show!
Mark your calendars for our Spring Book Fair: March 13th and March 14th.
Remember to keep sending in your Box Tops! We want to reach our fundraising goal this year of $1000. We have raised over $500 this year for Sherwood.
The Sherwood PTA needs your help ,we are still collecting Kid Stuff Coupon Books. Please return your unwanted book to the PTA mailbox at Sherwood or return payment.
It is time to start planning for the 2019-2020 school year. We will be looking for a new PTA Executive Board and Committee Chairs . Please join US at a meeting to see how you can help.
It’s not to late to join the PTA!! Throughout the year, the PTA will provide many programs and
events for your kids that will be fun and educational. Your PTA membership helps fund these
programs. It will also make sure that you stay up to date on PTA and other school events
throughout the year. There are many opportunities to volunteer. Remember, no one can do
everything, but everyone can do something!
Our next PTA meeting is on February 6th, 2019 at the Islip Public Library. Our meeting will start at 6pm and be followed by a presentation from the Islip Public Library sharing all it has to offer our children.
Sign up for important updates from the Sherwood PTA with the Remind App. Text the message @sespta17 to the number 81010. Any questions, please feel free to email us at
Drop-Off Reminders
From Ms. Contant's Class
Ms. Contant's students were writing informative papers about why it is important for people to dress warmly during the winter months. Here are our top 5 reasons:
- You could get hypothermia.
- You could freeze to death.
- You will feel cold and uncomfortable and get cranky.
- If your car breaks down, you want to be dressed right so you don't get frostbite.
- If you come to school with shorts on and we have outdoor reces, you might freeze.
Always be Prepared!
Dates to Remember
2/1 SEPTA Sweetheart Dance, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm; IMS
2/6 SES/CRES Joint PTA Meeting, 6:00 pm; Islip Public Library
2/12 Board of Education Meeting, 6:45 pm; WING
6/13 District Art Show, 6:30 pm; IHS
2/14 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL
2/15 SEPTA Sweetheart Dance - raindate
2/18 - 2/22 Mid-Winter Recess - School is closed.
2/26 Budget Workshop/Board of Education Meeting, 7:30 pm; IMS Auditorium and Library (Executive session begins at 6:45 pm).
2/27 SEPTA Meeting, 7:00 pm; IHS Community Room
2/28 K-5 Marking Period Ends
2/28 Talent Show, 7:00 pm; IMS Auditorium
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.