Sherwood Spirit
May 2018
From Mr. Walerstein's Desk...
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It is hard to believe that May is here. Before we know it, we will be saying farewell to another school year. There is still more to do, and the students are still going strong.
This past month, we had several classes take part in Mystery Skype sessions and also began a #GridPals project. GridPals are just like Pen Pals...but students communicate with each other using Flipgrid, an online video application where students film themselves. Our students are currently GridPals with classes in Kansas, Missouri, and Massachusetts. The students love doing this, and what better way to show responsible use of technology and social media!
May is shaping up to be a busy month. The month begins with NYS mathematics testing on May 1st and May 2nd. Our PTA Plant Sale will be held May 8th through May 10th. The NYS 4th grade science assessment will begin on May 23. To wrap up May, we will have our spring concert on May 30th; we hope you come out to support our talented Sherwood musicians.
Please remember that do to use of snow days, school will be in session on May 24th and May 25th.
I wish everyone a healthy and productive month of May.
Warmest Regards,
Chad Walerstein
Principal
Sherwood Elementary School
"Book Clubs Through the Grades" by: Aisha Shrivardhankar; 4th Grade
"Fourth grade book club is canceled for today." To the kids in book club this is a tragedy, but what about the kids who aren't? What goes through their mind? I had a million questions and you might have them too. Luckily, I was given the chance to interview each teacher and ask them questions, so now it's time to answer yours.
What do you do in book club? Everyone has this question, but really, it’s puzzling. Each teacher told me one thing, "We read and share thoughts that we have and new vocabulary that we learned." Ms. Kruger who oversees the second grade book club says she thinks it’s better that they can learn in a group so if one student doesn't know something, someone else can help.
What do kids like about book club the most? Mr. Kunsch, Mr. Senese, and Ms. Kruger all said that the kids like the snacks best, but Mrs. Bauernfeind said that the kids liked doing experiments best. She said they were reading the book Horrible Harry and the Green Slime so they were going to make oobleck.
Out of all the questions that I asked, only one appeared to be significant “Isn’t it kind of boring reading the same level books every time you finish another book?” The answer was no. Each teacher told me that they try books with a little more high-level vocabulary all the time, they share things they didn’t know before. A lot of this sounds like serious stuff but the main focus is to improve your reading level, get to know other kids, and most of all to have fun.
PTA News
April Showers bring May Flowers!
The SES PTA Spring Plant Sale is May 8th through May 10th. Pre-orders can be picked up Tuesday, May 8th from 4 pm to 7pm (adult pickup only). The kids will have an opportunity to shop May 9th and May 10th during school hours with his/her class. We are looking for volunteers to help with the delivery of the plants on May 8th from 9am-2pm and during pickup/setup from 4-7pm. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated. We also need volunteers to help with the sale during school hours. If you are interested please email us at sherwoodpta@aol.com.
Sherwood’s Teacher Appreciation Week will be May 14th through May 18th. It is so great to show the teachers and entire staff at Sherwood how much we all appreciate what they do for our children every day. On Monday, May 14th, class parents will be decorating the teachers’ bulletin boards outside their classrooms. We will also treat them to many goodies throughout the week. If you are interested in donating, please contact Terri Rich at trich501@hotmail.com.
Keep clipping those box tops!! We have raised approximately $900 this year. Help us reach our goal of $3,000 to purchase a rock climbing wall for the gymnasium at Sherwood.
On Friday, June 8th, the SES PTA and Commack Road PTA will be hosting a 5th Grade mingle at the Islip Middle School from 7 pm to 9 pm. It looks like it is going to be a great night for the 5th graders. More Information will be coming home soon.
SES Field Day is June 13th. Parents are only invited to watch Track & Field events. Student athletes from the High School will be helping run the events this year. Per the school, there will be no parent volunteers needed at this Field Day this year.
The PTA's of Islip will be giving out $500 scholarships to five graduating Islip seniors. It was an honor to read the essays and help these students with their future endeavors!
Join us at Islip Middle School on May 7th, at 7pm, for our last PTA meeting of the school year. There will be a budget presentation at 7:30 pm in the Middle School library. Immediately following the budget presentation, please join the Islip PTA’s at 8pm for Meet the Candidate Night for the upcoming Islip Board of Education elections.
We are in the process of beginning to plan many exciting events and programs for next year. There are many great opportunities to volunteer. Being involved is a wonderful and important way to support our children and Sherwood. We are also looking for volunteers to chair PTA Committees such as Membership, Kid Stuff Coupon Books, Family Fun Night, PARP, Fall Fundraiser and more! Many Hands make Light Work!
Any questions please email us at sherwoodPTA@aol.com.
NF Awareness Month at Sherwood
May is Neurofibromatosis (NF) Awareness month. NF is a genetic disorder that affects 1 in 3,000 people. Those who have been diagnosed with NF have tumors growing on nerve cells throughout their body. These tumors can cause learning disabilities, blindness, deafness, and debilitating pain. At Sherwood we will sponsoring an NF run on Wednesday, May 30th to support education and awareness. Throughout the month of May we will also be collecting change for NF, selling paper t-shirts for $1, and encouraging students and staff to wear blue every Friday! All proceeds from our event will be donated to The Children's Tumor Foundation.
Attention all Grade 5 Students &Parents
Students and parents will have the opportunity to hear all about the middle school program.
Further information will be sent out directly from IMS.
Spring Concert 2018
BARNES & NOBLE BOOK FAIR
Revised End of the Year Schedule
Wednesday, June 20th: Last FULL Day of School
Thursday, June 21st: Last Day, EARLY DISMISSAL (10:50 AM)
Updates From Our 4th Grade Students
Dates to Remember
5/1 - 5/2: New York State Math Assessments (Grades 3-5)
5/1: Board of Education Meeting - 7:30 pm; IMS
5/7 - 5/9: New York State Math Assessments Make Up Dates
5/7: Joint PTA Meeting - 7:00 pm; IMS
5/8: Grade 4 Field Trip to Brookhaven National Lab
5/8: Plant Sale Pre-Order Pick Up - 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm (PTA)
5/9 - 5/10: Plant Sale (PTA)
5/9: Grade 2 Field Trip to Yaphank Police Station
5/9: Grade 4 Maturation Film
5/15: Festival of the Arts - 7:00 pm; IHS
5/15: Budget Vote/Election - 6:00 am to 9:00 pm; IHS
5/15: Board of Education Meeting - 9:30 pm; IHS
5/16: 5th to 6th Grade Orientation - 7:00 pm; IMS
5/17: NYSSMA Festival
5/19: 4th Annual ALS Walk/Run
5/23: Grade 3 Instrument Demonstration Day
5/23 - 5/24: Grade 4 New York State Science Assessment
5/23: Barnes & Noble Book Fair - 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm; Barnes & Noble, Bay Shore
5/25: Grade 4 New York State Science Assessment Make Ups
5/28: Memorial Day - School closed.
5/29: In-School Concert
5/30: Spring Concert, 7:00 pm; IMS Auditorium
5/31: 1st to 2nd Grade Orientation