The IMS Connection

Greetings IMS Families,

Islip Middle School is off to a wonderful beginning. The students are clearly excited to make this year everything it can be. We encourage all the students to find a club or sport that interests them and to join their friends and participate, not just spectate. Click here to view our list of clubs.

We have a number of school-based activities planned throughout the year. Visit the district calendar for scheduled events. If you have not done so already, feel free to download the ParentSquare App here to receive notices from your teachers.

As always, feel free to contact me at tmartin@islipufsd.org.

Warm regards,

Dr. Timothy Martin

Principal

Islip Middle School

631-650-8505

Good afternoon Middle School families,

We would like to thank you for a wonderful start. Students, staff, and families have been wonderful. The beginning of the school year is a time of new beginnings and opportunities. A time to become reacquainted with old friends and a chance to develop new relationships. During our advisory meetings with each team in September, we discussed how students can continue to impact the culture of Islip Middle School in a positive and thoughtful manner. Students were encouraged to be supportive, constructive, and kind. I must say I am grateful for the opportunity to work with and get to know the wonderful students of IMS. September has been a blast.

Our Athletics and Fine and Performing Arts have begun to hit their stride. Our clubs will begin in October and the Harlem Wizards are coming to town (thank you to the PTA). We continue to encourage students to be involved with the opportunities offered here at the Middle School. Gaining a connection is a sure-fire way to assist students in a quality experience at school socially, emotionally, and academically.

It’s been an amazing start and looking for a spectacular October. Thank you!

Always enjoy,

Curt Juengerkes

Assistant Principal

Islip Middle School

cjuengerkes@islipufsd.org

631-850-8515

Renaissance is in Full Fall Swing! We have had an excellent start to the new school year! There are a lot of exciting events coming up! We have our first Renaissance Raffle coming soon, please stay tuned for details. We LOVE celebrating all accomplishments throughout the year! Please check your planner to see how you can be a part of the Renaissance Fun! Hard work and Kindness are the keys to success here at IMS. LOOK GOOD! FEEL GOOD! DO GOOD!

Your counselors are so happy to welcome students back for the 2023-2024 school year! This year has been off to a busy start! Counselors began the school year by visiting students in classes, dining rooms, and town hall meetings to give them a warm return. Students have been getting to know their teachers and working diligently to become locker experts!

For information throughout the year, be sure to visit our Middle School Guidance Site! Our Google site has useful information and resources such as portal information, bus schedules, academic resources for students, an FAQ page, and more! Check us out!

Also featured on our website is club information. Be on the lookout for clubs starting up this month. We have a wide selection of clubs – something for everybody! Joining a club is a great way to meet new people who have the same interests and make new friends! We encourage students to take advantage of all Islip Middle School has to offer!

Students, be sure to check on your Guidance Google Classroom for important information and updates throughout the year!

As the school year begins, I want to share some tips that I find helpful as both a parent of a middle school child as well as a practicing Islip Middle School teacher. I only offer these tips to you because I am living and breathing middle school at home and at school. I simply live it all day long. The tips below offer a reflection of my experience, and of course may or may not work for you, but I offer them nonetheless.

Here are some Non Negotiables that work for our family:

• Planner must be filled out daily

• HW must be completed and placed in an area so it can be checked with the planner by us, their parents

• The cell phone can be looked at anytime by us

• The phone never goes into the bedroom at bedtime

Communication is key

• We are logged into Parent Square and Parent Portal and can readily be accessed via the apps

• Our children are logged into Student Square and Student Portal

• We encourage our children to be an advocate for themselves and talk to the teacher

• We talk to our children about their school day each evening

Finding the right time/workspace

• We reinforce time management and it is key to our child’s success

• We have a workspace that has minimal distractions (for most it is not the bedroom)

• We use a desktop calendar as a means of organizing and seeing the big picture

These are just a few of the tips that we have worked on with our child. I hope you find them helpful. Enjoy the 2023 - 2024 school year..

Mr. Apicella

Middle School Teacher and Middle School Parent

Between 500,000 to 1 million new books are published each year. When self-published authors are included, the count reaches close to 4 million new books each year.

The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, is America’s most borrowed book of all time.

The world’s oldest, continuously, running library is in Morocco; the library has been lending books since the year 859- that's 1,164 years!

The longest ever overdue book was borrowed from a library in Cambridge England. The book was borrowed in the year 1168 and was finally returned in 1956, over 788 years later!

October: Make Good Choices ....

October is National Bullying Prevention month which focuses on raising awareness of bullying and promoting kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. October also includes Red Ribbon Week (10/24-10/28) which encourages our community to adopt healthy, drug-free lifestyles. Our advisory theme for the month is Making Good Choices where the students will engage in teacher-led discussions on peer pressure, bullying behavior and the dangers of vaping and substance abuse. The advisory activities will give students the opportunity to express how they make Islip Middle School a safer place for their peers. On 10/7/22, we will welcome a speaker from Northwell Health Cohen Children's Medical Center to present to our students on bullying. The assembly will focus on the types of bullying with a focus on cyber bullying, learning how to be an upstander, and the impact bullying can have on self-esteem. Northwell will also be providing a vaping presentation to our 7th and 8th grade health classes in the near future.

2- PTA Meeting, 7 pm, MS Library

4- 8th Grade Group Photo

4- BOE Meeting, 6pm, HS

6- MS/HS Progress Period Ends

6- 8th Grade Group Photo, Rain Date

9- Columbus Day- Schools Closed

27- MS Halloween Spooktacular, 4-6pm

*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.

2- Picture Makeup Day, during lunch period

7-Election Day- No School for Students

9-MS/HS Marking Period Ends

10- Veterans Day, District Closed

13- MS Early Winter Sports Begin

16- MS Musical, 6pm, MS

17- MS Musical, 7pm, MS

18- MS Musical, 11am, MS

22-24- Thanksgiving Recess, Schools Closed

30- BOE Meetings, 6pm, Wing

*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