The IMS Connection

Happy Holidays Parents/Guardians,

The first few months at Islip Middle School have been absolutely exceptional. It is hard to believe we are about to ring in the New Year. I hope this time of year has you reflecting on all that we have to be thankful for.

Once again our community has come together to help those challenged by the economic struggles this holiday season. The middle school has been bustling with generosity as the C.A.R.E. Club collected dozens of boxes of food to help our Islip families. A heartfelt thank you to all who donated to the cause.

As we enter the second marking period, we encourage all of the students to reflect on; What you've learned so far this year… The challenges you've overcome.... Your proudest moments and biggest successes…Areas where you would like to improve in the new year. Parents are always welcome to contact the school counselors to arrange parent meetings. The guidance office phone number is 631-650-8550.

From all of us at Islip Middle School, we wish you a joyful holiday season filled with rest, fun, and quality time with loved ones. We look forward to seeing everyone back at school, refreshed and ready for new adventures in learning!

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

Season’s Greetings,

Dr. Timothy Martin

Principal

Islip Middle School

631-650-8505

Tis the season IMS Families,

Special thanks to the PTA for bringing the Wizards to town to kick off our Thanksgiving holiday. Also thank you to the district and community for supporting the IMS PTA in their endeavor.

Food drives, decorations, concerts, and all the celebration the holidays bring is happening at the IMS. We are fresh off field trips to the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island (8th grade), Top Golf (6th grade), and experiencing the Outsiders (7th grade). Each trip was enjoyed, thought provoking, and insightful. Also, our early winter sports and clubs are in full swing. Be sure to find some time during the holidays to come root on the IMS Buccaneers.

Tis the season, peace on earth, family, friends, and festivity. That’s what our holiday season is about. A time of giving and seeing that it is of value to live in the world and not of it. The activities and food drive are an example of just that… great inspiration, teamwork, celebration, and entertainment. The community, district wide, were amazing for both events. We truly represented, supported, and cheered as one.

We look forward to a December that is packed full of Holiday concerts, Middle School basketball, and volleyball games, not to mention a cookie and some eggnogg from time to time. Our advisories are hailing Habit 1 and Habit 6, Be Proactive (you’re in charge) and Synergize (together is better) respectively. IMS advisories will be involved in discussions and activities that encourage students to express ways we can pay it forward with the gift of giving. They will also be working together in designing a snowman and on December 22nd there will be a contest regarding who created the most unique and creative snowman. Good luck!

“The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for those around us.” – Unknown

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such wonderful teachers, staff, and students. Each one of our students is a blessing within themselves.

Always enjoy,

Curt Juengerkes

Assistant Principal

cjuengerkes@islipufsd.org

631-850-8515

December: The Gift of Giving "Pay it Forward…"

During the month of December, our advisory focus will be on paying it forward. Parents can enrich our theme by discussing topics such as, “It is important to do good deeds for people.” Repay acts of kindness by being kind to someone else rather than the person who was kind to you. This helps to spread acts of kindness to a greater range of people.

It's beginning to Look a lot like RENAISSANCE, everywhere we go!! We LOVE spreading holiday cheer and helping those in need. We had our first Renaissance Raffle of the year! This raffle celebrated our 4th Quarter achievements from last year. The prizes were outstanding! ALL 6th grade students were invited to participate and check out what we have to offer. As the holiday season approaches, and 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on this past year and look toward our future. We are grateful for our IMS family and look forward to celebrating ALL of our students! We can't wait to continue to celebrate our IMS Achievements! Please check your planner for the Renaissance Guidelines. 2024 has been fantastic! Let's finish it out being our best selves and working together to achieve!

As always, LOOK GOOD! FEEL GOOD! DO GOOD!

November is a month for showing gratitude – and we sure are grateful for our students! In observance of World Kindness Day on November 13th, students participated in sharing love and completing acts of kindness. Students found pink hearts taped on the walls or windows. Each heart contained an act of kindness. The students completed this act of kindness and gave the pink heart to a teacher they love! The teacher had to tape this to their shirt all day! The teacher at the end of the day wearing the most kindness hearts won. We are so lucky to have such kind-hearted students!

A large part of what school counselors do is help students prepare for post-secondary opportunities. It is important to begin developing students’ career awareness and college readiness at a young age. Students will continue to expand on this when they get into high school and help them find their ideal career. A person’s ideal career should incorporate these four factors: personality, values, skills, and interests.

During the month of November, counselors went into the 7th and 8th grade classrooms and introduced students to a program called Naviance. Naviance is a beneficial tool that helps students to discover what careers or colleges may be best for them. This program will be utilized by students throughout high school as they begin to decide what career path they wish to pursue. For students looking to pursue college, Naviance is the actual program used to electronically apply.

Speaking of college and career readiness, check out this link below, by SUNY.edu. This link clues middle schoolers into why middle school matters when thinking about college – even though college seems so far away! This article gives tips such as getting involved in extracurricular activities, courses that colleges look for on a high school transcript and being careful about what you post on the internet. Remember, what you post follows you throughout your life! It’s never too early to begin preparing for your college and career experiences!

Why Middle School Matters

The 7 Red team has placed emphasis on building good character and striving for academic success. In Ms. Sweet’s and Mrs. Bloch’s science classes, the students are exploring the properties of matter with a focus on density and buoyancy. They are 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 and Mr. Apicella’s Pre-Algebra classes, the students just began Unit Rate, which will prepare them for creating and graphing proportional relationships in 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, while focusing on source documents related to our core values of freedom and democracy. In Spanish, Ms. Vilkas’ students are learning how to build communication skills in Spanish. During the month of October, students compared the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead with the American holiday Halloween. In English with Mr. Cox and Mr. Taff, the students have been closely reading various genres. This is a skill that will 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. Mr. Dwyer is co-teaching in many of our classes to provide additional support for all students, especially our English language learners. Most excitedly, we viewed the classic film rendition of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, which helped create a visual for readers of the novel and provided a juxtaposition for students who read a more modern day version of a novel with similar themes. Wholeheartedly, Team 7 Red is optimistic about having a wonderful school year.

Students have settled into the routine of being an Islip Middle School student. We are working towards becoming lifelong learners using technology! ELA students completed a Short Story Unit. They have mastered elements of literature and the use of Figurative Language. Now they have jumped into Red Kayak. They are hooked already! They are working on becoming proficient in writing a paragraph that includes details, elaboration, and evidence from text to respond to their reading.

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, students are using a variety of strategies to solve ratio problems. Ask your mathematician to show you how they use tape diagrams, double number lines, and ratio tables to figure out answers to some complex problems! Stay tuned for our next unit of arithmetic operations. As always, review notes daily to help with weekly assignments.

Please continue to check the ParentPortal for grades, make sure to replenish school supplies as needed (pens and pencils), and always recharge the laptops! Have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

In the month of November, 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. Mrs Haraden 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 class 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, forest, and mountains.

As we look forward to the month of December, students in art will be introduced to new concepts and culturally significant artwork. Students in 8th grade will be exploring key components of Scratch Art and practicing the subtractive technique of shading. Students in 6th grade will be learning about the unique culture and art of an indigenous tribe from Panama and exploring their unique textile art style.

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.

For the Care Club Annual Food Drive, students, families, and staff were asked to donate various food items and bags and bags of items poured in from advisory students, teachers, and administration members. An abundance of canned vegetables, fruit and gravy, stuffing, mashed potato and cake mixes, as well as coffee and juices were received.

The CARE Club wants to thank our students, their families, staff members and administration for your generosity. All this food will be delivered to our local food pantry just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Many hearts will be warmed Thanksgiving Day because of you!

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

3- 7th & 8th Grade Winter Concert, MS Auditorium

9- BOE Meeting, 7:30 pm, MS Auditorium

10- 6th Grade Winter Concert, MS Auditorium

13- MS/HS Progress Period Ends

16-18 Snow Dates for Winter Concerts

Dec. 23- Jan. 3- Winter Recess, School is 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.

Dec. 23- Jan. 3- Winter Recess, School is Closed

13- BOE Meeting, 7:30pm, HS Auditorium

20- Martin Luther King Jr. Day, District Closed

27- MS PTA Meeting, 7:00 pm

29- Lunar New Year, School is Closed

30- BOE Meeting, 7:30 pm, HS Auditorium

31- MS/HS Marking Period Ends

*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

Instagram: @IslipMS