The IMS Connection

Greetings Islip Family and Friends,

As I write this note, I realize how quickly this year has moved. The fourth and final quarter of the year has begun. Plenty of time to make adjustments and make the most of the next few months. We encourage children to participate and spectate at our Islip school events. The district calendar has links to interscholastic events, as well as the numerous evening activities.

When children participate and spectate at an outdoor contest, we ask them to be mindful of appropriate and positive interactions as they cheer on the Buccaneers. In addition, it is important to remind the children to be cognizant of the fast-moving community around them as they begin to explore and visit the many child friendly businesses on Main Street. It is never too late to talk about how to safely navigate our Islip community.

As a note of reminder, students continue to struggle with appropriate cell phone usage, both in and out of school. As we prepare for next year, please know students will not be permitted to use phones during the school day. Stay tuned for further information regarding this update.

I look forward to seeing you at the many activities hosted by Islip Middle School in the coming weeks.

Until next month,

Warm Regards,

Dr. Timothy P. Martin

Principal

tmartin@islipufsd.org

IMS Families,

Boats, pools, beaches, the Great South Bay, and Robert Moses bridge… Its April!! Happy Spring. It is a time of rejoicing and celebration, as we pivot toward summer and the conclusion of school. IMS is in full swing; April brings with it the sense of warmth, opportunity, and growth (not to mention a few showers and lawn care). Baseball, softball, track, and lacrosse have begun and practicing hard every day. Students are working diligently in class, as well as at our extracurricular activities and clubs. Our advisory focus this month will concentrate itself on the celebration and understanding of the concept of respect. In our discussions we will be learning about the importance of respecting yourself, others, and the world around us. Earth day is April 22nd. We will commemorate by learning about and showing respect for our planet Earth. Another exciting day during the month is Superhero day, April 28th. Students and staff will be dressing up as their favorite superhero… Break out your CAPES!!

IMS Testing information:

New York State Department of Education Assessments

IMS Administration Dates

ELA

Grades 6 & 7: NYS ELA Exam, April 20th & 21st

Grade 8: NYS ELA Exam, April 24th & 25th

Math

Grades 6 & 7: NYS Math Exam, May 3rd & 4th

• Exams will begin at 8:20, most students will test in their period 1 classroom while some period 1 classes will be relocated to a more suitable testing location.
• Student assessments will be completed using their laptops; therefore, they must be brought to school fully charged.
• The assessment will be over by the end of period 2 and all students will report to period 3.

Please take a look at Facebook & Instagram to view photos, videos, and news about our amazing students, staff, and school community @ IMS. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at cjuengerkes@islipufsd.org or (631) 650-8515.

“Spring: a lovely reminder of how BEAUTIFUL change can truly be.”

Be well,

Curt Juengerkes

Islip Middle School

Assistant Principal

631-650-8515

Greetings Islip Middle School,

I want to congratulate all our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders on entering the fourth and final quarter of this school year. You’ve all worked extremely hard up until this point and I know you will finish the year off strong. As we continue to develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually, we may face many challenges and obstacles. There are several skills that are essential that we must develop to defeat life’s many curveballs. Islip Middle School students had the privilege of attending a PTA sponsored assembly where Mr. Rohan Murphy, an East Islip native, spoke about his life journey and the many adversities he has overcome to get to where he is now. Mr. Murphy is a true testament that with perseverance, tenacity, and hard work we can accomplish anything we put our minds to.

I leave you with this quote:

“The hard days are what make you stronger.”

―Aly Raisman

With gratitude,

Mr. Santoro

Dean of Students

631-650-8530

Respect...

This comes in all shapes and sizes. There can never be too much respect displayed to people in our schools, our families, or our community. Please share with your children how respect can go a long way towards making our world a better place.

Spring is in the air!! Before we "Spring" into the 4th Quarter, we will take time to celebrate our Quarter 2 Achievements. The last Raffle was such a huge success, we are doing it again! The prizes have been purchased and our wonderful IMS Staff is ready to celebrate with you! Please listen to announcements for Card Validation Dates and the date of the Raffle. Replacement cards are available in the Assistant Principal's office for $5. Keep Up the Great Work and Being Kind! LOOK GOOD! FEEL GOOD! DO GOOD!

8 Green students are busy acquiring more Spanish every day. They read comprehensible input novels for free voluntary reading and worked on “leveling up” their sentences each week. Students recently finished the March Madness of Music tournament. In this unit, they learned about musicians from a variety of Spanish speaking countries, listened to songs, and voted for their favorite songs.

In social studies, many students are preparing to attend the Washington DC Pilot field trip this month. The students are very excited to view the most important historic locations in our nations capitol. Additionally, every student is excited for our upcoming trip to NYC, where they will tour Liberty Island and explore Ellis Island National Park. Connecting classroom knowledge with real world experience is our goal and this year we are lucky for the opportunities to do just this.

ELA students have completed their Culture and Belonging unit and enjoyed reading different stories in order to broaden our understanding of the world around us. This unit culminated in our research essay, and students worked very hard using the Virtual Reference Collection to support their claims. We now are preparing for National Poetry Month and are looking forward to exploring the Harlem Renaissance and other amazing poems!

Earth Science students are using real-world data and weather maps to make predictions as amateur weather forecasters. We may have some future TV meteorologists! General science students are learning about evolution with examples from the past (like birds and dinosaurs), and today (like antibiotic-resistant bacteria and new COVID variants).

In algebra class, students are analyzing many types of Quadratic Functions. Ever wonder how much time a diver is in the air before reaching the water in a pool, or where to stand when shooting a basketball? Our 8 green students are putting these skills to the test! We are learning to graph, identify key features, and apply these concepts of quadratics to real-world applications. As the Regents exam approaches, it is crucial that students continue applying their skills to weekly spiral assignments.

This past month saw almost two dozen IMS students participate in the annual SCMEA Honors Band, Chorus, and Orchestra Honors Ensemble Concerts. Students attended several rehearsals with other musicians from across Suffolk County, performing some very demanding and challenging music at their concerts on March 12th.

Representing IMS in the Division 1 Band, Chorus and Orchestra were 6th graders Shea Alfano, Tillie Ancipink, Elizabeth Balsamo, Ella Carballo, Alexa Duckworth, Malcolm Friedman, Dominick Lovo, Donna Mandamiento, Gwen McEnaney, and Rocco Pollina. Our representatives in the Division 2 ensembles were 7th and 8th grade students Hailey Alvarez, Ryan Brown, Isabella Conzo, Kathleen Desrochers, Christopher Duckworth, Nicholas Gulick, Ali Guzman, Evan Krut, Sofia Marra, Teagan Quinn, Isabella Schmalacker, Megan Soto, and Madison Turk.

Congratulations to all of these students for their wonderful performances and for representing Islip so well at this year’s SCMEA concerts!

This past March, four 8th-grade orchestra students were selected to perform in the annual LISFA Chamber Festival. For an entire day, students took part in a group masterclass led by the Cali Chamber Players and received two individual ensemble coaching sessions. The festival culminated in a chamber music concert in which all ensembles performed their selections, concluding with a performance by the Cali Chamber Players. This year, the IMS string quartet was the only middle school group selected to perform! Congratulations to Isabella Conzo, Sofia Marra, Hailey Alvarez, and Jane Tierney for their incredibly hard work and fantastic performance!

Mrs. Manfrate's Art class and Mr. Wenzel's Tech Class made these beautiful wooden hearts to spread love throughout the Islip Middle School! Each one says love in a different language.

I.M.S. Holds Inaugural Chess Tournament

The thrill of playing chess is as old as the age of the empires; happily, that same thrill was shared by a group of Islip Middle School students this past month.

Garnering the energy of lunchtime and afterschool care, chess players and upon the specific request of 8th graders Ralph Madrigal, Alex Appalsammy, Dennis Fairbrother and John Zembrzycki, the library held a school-wide chess tournament to unite our middle school building’s chess enthusiasts. Teachers and students loaned chess sets, match dates were set, and the games began with 22 pairings between forty-five sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.

No single player knew, going in, who they might play or the abilities of their opponent, but handshakes were shared and the games began. Forty-six games later, three finalists emerged: Tillie Ancipink, Michael DeSimone, and Dennis Fairbrother. Tillie, Michael, and Dennis continued the tournament in round-robin fashion while teachers and fellow participants watched with bated breaths. After three days of intense play, Dennis Fairbrother won to the cheers of his friends and fellow players.

Mrs. Kaywood and Mrs. Ryder wish to thank Dr. Martin, Mr. Juengerkes, Mr. Santoro, Mr. Ackermann, Mr. Aponte, Mr. Apicella, Ms. Barlett, Mr. Conde, Mrs. Erin Anderson, Mrs. Cabanas, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Galasso, Mrs. Gallager, Mr. Going, Mr. Gorman, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Pagliaro, Mr. Pedersen, and Ms. Sidlo, for all of your support throughout this endeavor-one which we learned, first-hand, was definitely worth our time and efforts.

Please re-check the district calendar prior to an event to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.

3- World Language Immersion Day, MS

3- SEPTA Resource Fair and Craft Night, 6pm, HS

6-Superintendent's Conference Day

7- MS/HS Progress Period Ends

7-14- Spring Recess, School Closed

16- MS/HS Progress Reports Posted to Portal

18-20 -8th Grade, Washington Field Trip

19- BOE Meeting, HS Auditorium

27- MS Spring Sports Begin

*Unless otherwise noted, all Board of Education meetings will begin with an Executive Session at 6:45 PM. The public business meeting portion will begin at approximately 7:30 PM.

Please re-check the district calendar prior to an event to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.

3-BOE Meeting, HS Auditorium

10-5th to 6th grade Orientation, 7pm, MS

15-NJHS Induction Ceremony, 7pm, MS Auditorium

16-BOE Meeting, 9:30pm, HS Cafeteria

22-6th grade Spring Concert, 7pm, MS Auditorium

23- Progress reports posted to portal

26-School closed if no snow days used

29-Memorial Day, School closed

30- School closed if no snow days used

*Unless otherwise noted, all Board of Education meetings will begin with an Executive Session at 6:45 PM. The public business meeting portion will begin at approximately 7:30 PM.

Website: islipufsd.org
Location: 211 Main Street, Islip, NY, United States
Phone: 631-650-8500
Facebook: facebook.com/IslipMS
Twitter: @IslipMS