The IMS Connection

Greetings,

The New Year has come in rather warm so we are doing our best to get the students outside for morning arrival and recess when warmer days pop up. While the weather has been mild, there is the possibility of snow in the future. This is a good time for a reminder . . . when a delayed opening has been called, there is no Period 0 (band, orchestra, chorus, early physical education, extra help, or computer lab class). The 120-minute delay schedule is posted on the middle school eBoard.

Cumulative averages are being tallied now that the first semester has been completed. National Junior Honor Society and Renaissance criteria are posted in the student planner, which should answer a number of questions. Please note, all students are considered; however, the criteria includes attendance, grades, and behavior, all of which form the foundation of the programs. Not all students are eligible at the end of each quarter or year. In an effort to monitor the integrity of the programs, the criteria set forth will be what we use to determine eligibility.

By this time, I should have received all educational requests for next year’s placements. These requests are not a requirement, as all students will be placed based on the most appropriate program meeting their needs. If you have submitted a request and did not receive a reply letter from me, please resubmit your request.

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

Extending healthy thoughts from a friendly distance,

Timothy P. Martin

IMS Families,

I hope your winter is going well. We have officially made the turn. The second semester began, January 30th. Please make it a practice to regularly review your students grades on the Infinite Campus portal. Interaction and engagement lead to discussion and reflection, as well as, success. For extracurricular enrichment, our clubs continue to roll through these winter months. Also, our winter sports: girls’ basketball, and wrestling, are officially underway. The state assessments are on the horizon. ELA will be in mid to late April, Math will be in early May, and Science will occur late may/early June.

February’s advisory will be focusing on Kindness & Compassion, the Seventh Habit of Highly Effective People, Seek to Understand before Seeking to be Understood. This celebration and recognition of kindness in our day-to-day lives will be facilitated through a multitude of advisory activities. The activities include the creating and sharing of motivational and kind messages. These messages will be recorded on a heart and displayed on the IMS bulletin board outside the guidance office for all to enjoy and be inspired. Another activity includes the viewing of a video for P.S. I Love You Day: February 10th. The video is accompanied by discussion questions… What does kindness mean to you? How do you show kindness to yourself? To others? Are you happy with the way you treat others? Why/Why not? And You never truly know what a person is going through. What can you do to brighten someone’s day? Student will discuss, develop awareness, reflect, and offer feedback.

Lastly , IMS will engage a our own “Kindness Spirit Week”

• Monday, Dream of Kindness, Wear Comfy Clothes
• Tuesday, Team Kindness, Wear a sports t-shirt, jersey, or hat
• Wednesday, Round up your Kindness, Dress like a Cowboy/Cowgirl
• Thursday, Peace, Love, & Kindness, Wear tie dye or dress like a hippie
• Friday, P.S. I Love You Day, Wear purple clothes and/or accessories

“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” —Scott Adams

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” —Barbara De Angelis

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Islip is full of people who are kind, generous, and thoughtful of others. I thank you for sending your children to spend the day with us, the Islip Middle School.

Entirely grateful,

Curt Juengerkes

Islip Middle School

Greetings Islip Middle School,

And just like that, the first semester has come to an end. Again, I want to thank the middle school administration, faculty, staff, and student body, for such a warm welcome during my first month as Dean of Students here in Islip. As the new semester begins, I want each of you to reflect and identify any academic, social, and/or personal aspects in your life which you want to improve on. It is essential that each of us develop a growth mindset and continue to improve ourselves daily.

As I stated in last month’s IMS Connection video, a focal point of mine is diversity, equity, and inclusion. Here at Islip Middle School, we have faculty members and students who come from various cultures and backgrounds. Be open to each other's differences, ask one another questions, and learn about each other, or simply say hello to someone if they appear lonely.

Please know, students are not permitted to take photos or videos of any kid during the school day, unless it is a school sanctioned activity. As of late, there have been multiple incidents within the middle school where students have chosen to take pictures and/or videotape during school. Unfortunately, these images and videos have spread like wildfire via group chats and social media platforms. As you all know, for every action there is a reaction. Please be aware that all parties involved in such incidents will be held accountable for their actions.

“Life is about choices. Some we regret, some we’re proud of. Some will haunt us forever. The message: we are what we choose to be.”

– Graham Brown

With gratitude,

Rich Santoro

Dean of Students

Islip Middle School

We LOVE celebrating ALL IMS students! We can't wait to recognize all 1st Quarter achievements! Prizes have been purchased for our next raffle, scheduled during this month. Cards will be validated soon. Please listen to announcements for important dates and information. Keep working hard, trying your best, making good choices, and being KIND! LOOK GOOD! FEEL GOOD! DO GOOD!

Replacement cards can be purchased in the Assistant Principal's office for $5.

Special Program for Italian Students- Here at Islip Middle School we are very lucky to be the recipients of a special grant from the Italian Consulate! With these funds, we are offering an Italian Extra Help Program for all 7th and 8th grade Italian students. Mrs. Pagliaro and Miss Stanco will meet any interested students in room 110 every Wednesday after school from 2:30- 3:15 pm.

During the month of January, our sixth-grade students participated in a career exploration activity in which they learned all about John Holland's Career Theory. Holland believes that individuals can be categorized according to six personality types- Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. These personality types can be utilized to explain a person’s tendencies in a work environment and with work interests. To test their knowledge on this career theory, students played a game of “Career Pictionary”.

Below is a brief explanation of each personality type:

Additionally, the counseling department has begun the process of scheduling for the 2023-2024 school year. By now, our current sixth graders should have selected their world language choice for next year. Over the next few weeks, our current eighth graders will be learning about high school courses and will have the opportunity to select electives for next year. All eighth-grade students should have their ninth-grade electives submitted to the guidance office by February 13th.

Please see below for student choices:

National School Counseling week is February 6-10th. Your counselors want to remind you that we are here for whatever you need to talk about! We can help you with scheduling, grades, conflict resolution, stress management, troubles with friends – we do it all! We also love celebrating happy times and hearing good news! Stop by any time to say hello, we’d love to see you!

Exciting opportunities are on the horizon for Team 8 Purple! Social studies students have studied history and government in their classes here at IMS. In April, students may experience this further through a curriculum trip to Washington, D.C. An information packet has been distributed to the students.

Italian students have the opportunity to participate in a new after school Italian club every Monday and a special support program in Italian run on Wednesdays.

As part of their unit of study on the story “Flowers for Algernon” in ELA, students are crafting argument essays on the ethics of human experimentation. This specific type of writing allows students to develop their voice and take a stand for what they believe in.

In Earth Science, students have just finished a tour of Earth's geologic history! Here, they learned how scientists were able to discover what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. Students then had the opportunity to use these techniques for themselves by correlating magical "giftrock" outcrops. We examined more modern techniques by running a simulation of radioactive decay using M&Ms. However, the highlight of this unit was constructing a 5-meter timeline highlighting the key points over 4.5 billion years in New York State's geologic history!

Team 6 Orange students are walking like Egyptians! Our studies have taken us to the other side of the Fertile Crescent. This month, we will explore the amazing ancient Egyptians. Students will be able to compare the lives and achievements of the Mesopotamians and Egyptians. Our research will also explore the lives of famous pharaohs, landmarks, and the sacred practice of mummification. Be ready, as our next unit will take us on a journey over the Great Wall of China.

Our mathematicians have conquered the concepts of arithmetic operations, ratios, and rates! The brainpower utilized during these modules was outstanding! Our students continue to explore integers and rational numbers. Stay tuned for our next module all about algebra. Keep up the great work with classwork and homework! Keep those computers charged and remember to bring in your pencils.

Our scientists just finished up their unit on the Human Body, and we are now switching gears to explore planet Earth. Students will become expert meteorologists as they delve into topics such as Earth’s atmosphere and weather. They will then dive deeper into the layers of the Earth, discussing plate tectonics and natural disasters, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

In ELA, the students are enjoying reading in their book clubs. Each class has 6 different books being read. Each group created their own reading calendar on Google Classroom to ensure the books are completed by February 15. In class, the students are engaged in lively book talks guided by a sheet of talking points. Book Clubs are a wonderful way for children to learn to actively listen to one another and to respond. Ready, set, READ!

The Islip student body began the new year participating in various games in the world of basketball. Throughout the month of January, there was a buzz of excitement emanating from the middle school gymnasium as each Physical Education class participated in our annual Knockout Tournament. Knockout is a fun basketball game that a team or a group of friends can play to increase common basketball skills such as free throw shooting, rebounding, and lay-up development. The game must be played with a minimum of two players but there is no maximum number of participants. The only equipment that is needed is a basketball hoop and two basketballs. The objective of the game is to make free throws to survive, while at the same time, eliminating the other players. In addition to being one of our students’ favorite activities, it is a tremendous cardiovascular workout as well. Each class period, students participated in continuous knockout games to accumulate wins to make it to the finals. Eventually, each class crowned a champion who moved on to the final rounds played during Advisory. Look for the names of our winners in the next newsletter. In addition to Knockout, students had the opportunity to play competitive, sideline basketball as well as participate in our Sharp-Shooter activity.

Following our Basketball Unit, classes jumped right back into Net Games for the month of February. Prior to Winter Recess, our students competed in our annual volleyball tournament. Before the tournament started, students developed and honed their skills by attending mini clinics focusing on the bump and set passes as well as the skill of serving. Following skill development, the students were divided into competitive teams to begin game play. Each class period, teams played two or three games to accumulate wins to help increase their chances in the tournament seeding. Teams were ranked and each team started their journey on the “Road to the Final Four!” The tournament was filled with many upsets and bracket busters. Eventually, each class crowned a champion, and our tournament was a remarkable success.

Now as we move forward, students will have the opportunities to experience Badminton, Pickle Ball, and Newcomb. Our goal is to expose the students to as many activities as possible to develop an appreciation for physical activity. We hope that our students leave our program with a desire to live an active lifestyle and spend less time involved in sedentary activities like video games, social media, and binge watching Netflix.

IMS PTA had a very successful fall! With the money we made from the Wizards game we are looking into booking some Cultural Arts Programs for our MS students. We started off our winter with our winter plant sale that had the most beautiful poinsettias and wreaths. We were also able to show our teachers and staff at the MS how much we appreciate them with a hot chocolate bar and treats! We have a meeting on January 30 where we will discuss some ideas for upcoming events. Dr. Martin has planned some wonderful guest speakers! Mr. Apicella will share his life tips, as both a teacher and middle school parent. In addition, Dr. Gonzalez, the HS Principal, will be there to introduce herself to middle school parents/guardians and to make a brief presentation about what eighth grade students and parents can expect in terms of a timeline for transition activities to the high school.

We look forward to seeing everyone on January 30!

Hello from the Islip Instructional Technology Department. We are two years into our 1:1 initiative at Islip Middle School; the use of Google Classroom has really changed the way students are completing and submitting assignments. Additionally, applications like Kami and Nearpod have engaged students in their learning in a whole new way. The Islip Middle School teachers have done a great job of blending the use of technology and traditional learning to help students achieve success.

As we continue our use of devices, here are some important reminders for students:

• If you experience any issues with the computer (e.g. frozen screen, wifi not working properly), you should always restart the machine. You can do so by holding down the power button until the machine reboots itself. If you have continued issues, please bring the computer to Mr. Going in room 119.

• If you misplace/lose your charging blocks, you should report the loss to Mr. Going in room 119. It is important to note that Dell charging blocks are the preferred chargers. You may use third party charging blocks, but the devices are optimized to use Dell brand blocks. More information about preferred charging blocks is available in the technology office.

• It is important that students come to school everyday with their devices fully charged. Please remind your children to charge their device every night.

• If there is any damage to the device (e.g. missing/broken keyboard, cracked screen, etc.), it is important to bring the device to Mr. Going in room 119 right away. Please note that if a protection plan (insurance policy) was not purchased, parents/students are responsible for the cost of any repairs necessary due to damage.

We hope this information is helpful for you. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Islip Middle School tech support at imstechsupport@islipufsd.org or contact the technology office at 631-650-4615.

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, PS I Love You Day

14-Valentines Day

20-24-Mid-Winter Recess, Schools Closed

28-BOE Meeting, 6pm, HS 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- World Language Immersion Day, MS

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

7- MS/HS Progress Period Ends

16- MS/HS Progress Reports Posted to Portal

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.

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