The IMS Connection

Season’s Greetings Parents/Guardians:

Happy New Year! It is hard to believe 2023 is off and running. Where does the time go? With the new year, we are reminded of the changing temperature. Please know, when possible, we will make every effort to remain outside upon arrival, giving the students some room and space to socialize. We will also go outside during lunch recess. Please have your child dress accordingly each day, so they can be comfortable outside for the morning arrival and lunch recess.

The second semester will begin in just a few days. Students should be aware of their current achievements and grades. Viewing the Parent Portal and Gradebook is a great way to be informed on your child’s progress.

Each January we begin the budget and scheduling processes for the next school year. Parents should be on the lookout for important literature regarding the Middle School and 9th grade High School courses. As in the past, we will not be accepting teacher or team requests. Such correspondence places students, parents, and teachers in precarious situations; however, we welcome a discussion about your child’s educational needs and any information that can help your child be successful at Islip Middle School. Please send any written correspondence directly to me. Letters are not retained from year to year, so any pertinent information/requests must be sent each year. This year’s deadline is Friday, January 27th.

As always, if you have a desire for a parent conference simply call our guidance office at 631-650-8550. We prefer to meet in person, however, we can meet via the internet or by phone.

We look forward to the year ahead and wish our Islip Middle School learning community the best of health in the New Year.

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

Kind Regards,

Timothy P. Martin

Happy New Year IMS Families,

Wow, how amazing was 2022? We can only hope 2023 brings with it wonderful opportunities, incredible experiences, and unforgettable moments. As you can see in January’s video, students have offered some of their New Years’ resolutions… Do better in school, appreciate loved ones, be more involved, were just some of the thought-provoking resolutions expressed by IMS students. For us here at IMS, we look forward to working with each and every child in a way which supports them academically, socially, and emotionally. IMS is a special place. It is a place of caring, thoughtfulness, generosity, and hard work. It is a wonderful community filled with tremendous families, educators, and commerce.

At IMS, January advisory will focus on identifying strengths, as well as, areas of growth/potential. Activities will surround the idea of what makes us soar? How do we develop mental strength? When confronted by challenges in life, we are measured by how we respond to those opportunities. Ultimately, these challenges are what defines us as a person. The greatest, most decorated athlete of our time is quoted in sharing the following, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”- Michael Jordan

2023 will come with its celebrations and compliments, but how we respond to opportunities which are put forth will define us for years to come.

Have a wonderful New Year! Wishing health and happiness for everyone in this unique community which I consider a blessing,

Curt Juengerkes

cjuengerkes@islipufsd.org

631-650-8515

My name is Mr. Santoro, and I am humbled and honored to introduce myself to you as the new Dean of Students here at the middle school. I look forward to continuing to strengthen the strong practices that already exist here and hope to know each of you and support you in your goals.

I wanted to share a little about myself. I was born and raised in Massapequa, where I still reside. I live with my wife Michelle and our three children, four-year-old son Luca, and our two-year-old twin girls Brie and Shae. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, as well as exercising, and playing softball and golf.

Being a family oriented individual, one of my focal points will be cultural sensitivity and awareness. As we all know, many of us come from different walks of life, backgrounds, and cultures. It is essential that each of us develop a sense of understanding and acceptance towards individuals and groups who are different from us.

I am grateful to have ended up in such a wonderful community. The teachers, staff, and students have been extremely welcoming and I am excited to continue to develop relationships with each of you.

Enjoy the holiday season,

Rich Santoro

Dean of Students

Islip Middle School

• Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind (Have a Plan)
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood(Listen Before You Talk)

Theme: We must always be seeking to build upon the areas in which we excel and improve upon the areas where we can improve. For this reason, being able to identify our strengths and weaknesses is incredibly important in leading to success.

Objective: Students will recognize that each individual has personal strengths. Students will identify their individual strengths and weaknesses. Students will identify ways in which they can use their weaknesses to their advantage.

NEW BEGINNINGS! Our first Renaissance Raffle was a HUGE Success! Let's keep the celebrations going! January is a great time to hit the reset button and start fresh: New Adventures, New Challenges, & New Resolutions! Take a look in the Student Planner for our Renaissance Guidelines to see how you too can be part of the experience. As we start the New Year, let's not forget to reflect and learn from the past to help make our future better.

IMS Words to Live By: LOOK GOOD! FEEL GOOD! DO GOOD!

We’d like to first start off by saying we hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, and merry holiday break! We are looking forward to seeing what 2023 has in store for Islip Middle School!

As we approach mid-point of the school year, your counselors would like to take this opportunity to remind you about the many academic supports we have in place for students! Here at Islip Middle School, we offer Homework Help Monday through Thursday after school until 3:15 in the Fire Island Dining Room. Homework help is a place where students can get assistance on their homework if their teacher is unavailable for extra help after school. Students can pick up a permission slip in the guidance office or print one off of the IMS Google Site. We also have a plethora of National Honor Society students at the high school who are available for tutoring. If you are interested in a tutor for your child, please reach out to their school counselor, and we will help you get connected!

In the upcoming weeks, please be on the lookout for correspondence from the Middle School regarding scheduling for next year. Sixth grade parents, be sure to keep an eye out for your child’s World Language choice for next year. Eighth grade parents, be sure to keep an ear out regarding Islip High School Curriculum Night! Here, you will learn about electives offered at the high school, our different pathways, and how your child can self-select to take Honors courses! We encourage all parents of current eighth grade students to attend. The date is to be determined, so be sure to continue to check the Islip website for information. If you have any questions as scheduling information comes out, please feel free to reach out to your counselor!

In Mr. Wenzel’s 7th grade Technology class students have just started the CO2 Dragster project. This project focuses on the theme of alternative energy while incorporating woodworking and manufacturing processes. To date, the students have presented an exceptional group of aerodynamic designs.

The 6th graders in my classes are currently studying and building ancient Catapults, where each student designs, builds, and tests their own hand ball throwing device. Students are graded by the distance and accuracy of their device.

Happy New Year!

We hope the students enjoyed time with their families and are returning rested and recharged for 2023! ELA students finished reading the realistic fiction novel, Red Kayak right before break. While reading, they analyzed characteristics of the 3 main characters in the novel. Next, they will incorporate their writing skills by writing a literary essay on the novel. They will be choosing a character trait for the character of their choice, and they will write an essay supporting that trait and using text evidence from the novel to support their thinking. Students should be reading their RED book daily!

In Science, we have studied the topic of Cells and are working on studying the systems of the Human Body. We are looking into how our body is organized and works as a machine. Remember to exercise and eat healthy to keep your body strong and working properly!

In Social Studies, we are traveling back in time to our first ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. We will be exploring the daily lives of Mesopotamians, as well as their code of laws, writing systems and the geography of land. Next we will travel to Ancient Egypt to visit the tombs of the pharaohs.

In Mathematics, the students have completed our unit on ratios and are eager to use their existing knowledge on our next unit, the number system. As always, review notes daily to help you with your weekly assignments.

Please continue to check the parent portal for grades, make sure to replenish school supplies as needed (pens and pencils), and always recharge the laptops!

Have a happy, healthy New Year!

The 7 Red team has placed emphasis on building good character and striving for academic success.

In Mr. DeBatt’s science class, the students are exploring the properties of matter with a focus on density and buoyancy. Mr. DeBatt is excited to begin a chemical reactions unit in the near future, which will include many exciting hands-on labs and activities.

In Mr. Ackermann’s/Ms. Barbara’s and Ms. Sinkusky’s Pre-Algebra classes, the students just began their polynomial unit, which will prepare them for solving equations for the month of December. Every month brings the students one-step closer to the eighth grade Algebra Regents.

In Social Studies, with Mr. Pedersen, students are exploring origins of the thirteen colonies and subsequent events that led to the birth of our great Nation during the Revolutionary War, while focusing on source documents related to our core values of freedom, democracy, rights and equality.

In Spanish, Ms. LaBella’s and Mrs. Pagliaro’s students are learning how to talk about their preferences by using “Me gusta” (I like) and “No me gusta” I don’t like. The students also began learning about the three different types of verbs (-ar, -er, and -ir verbs) and how to ask questions in Spanish. They are also beginning to write more complex sentences by using contractions. In addition, the students continue to make progress in gaining proficiency in all four modalities of language, speaking, listening, reading and writing.

In English, with Mr. Cox and Mr. Taff, the students have been reading various genres closely and actively. This is a skill that is hoped to carry across the curricula and throughout the students’ academic careers. Also, the students have and will continue to analyze authors’ use of elements in literature as well as their relevance to non-fiction and the real world.

Wholeheartedly, Team 7 Red is optimistic about having a wonderful experience!

In the month of December, students in art class have explored a variety of fun concepts and mediums.

Students in 8th Grade that take Art had the opportunity to experience drawing from life in a setting that imitated a college-level art course. Ms. Manfrate arranged the room to have chairs that surrounded a variety of objects in the center of the room. Students learned how to create guidelines to assure that they sketch the correct proportions and scale. Students learned how to find the highlight and shadow in objects and incorporated that knowledge into their still life drawing. They had the choice to work with graphite or to test their skills with charcoal.

Students in 6th grade that take Art have been expanding their knowledge of acrylic paint. Students learned how to mix a gradient of colors that ranged from dark to light. They applied this knowledge to a painting that featured an atmospheric perspective landscape. Students had the creative freedom to design their own landscape, which included themes such as the beach and mountains.

Art class is always bustling with opportunities to be creative. It is a place where students can feel free to express their uniqueness and explore new and exciting opportunities to create.

“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau

At IMS one of our main priorities is the health and safety of our students. Mrs. Francis, our school social worker, arraigned for the first of a series of presentations we will have at IMS. On 12/19/22 and 12/20/22, we welcomed an outreach coordinator from Cohen Children’s Medical Center to present to our 7th and 8th grade health classes on the dangers of vaping. The speaker focused on the myths and facts of vaping, the different types available and the impact it has on our overall health.

3-Students return from Winter Break

10-BOE Meeting, 6pm, HS Auditorium

16- No School-Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

23- Late Winter Sports Begin

24-27- Regents/Midterm Exams

27-Marking Period Ends

30-PTA Meeting, 7pm, MS Auditorium

*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.

3-SEPTA Sweetheart Dance, 6:30 pm

7-MS/HS Report Cards Posted to Portal

10-SEPTA Sweetheart Dance (Snow date)

10-100th Day of School!

20-24-Mid Winter Recess-School Closed

*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