Thank you to all of parents and guardians who came out this week to our Curriculum Nights. We are grateful for your support of your children, our teachers, and the school community.
We are looking forward to holding our first Community Meetings of the year this Thursday and Friday where we will welcome our School Resource Officer Mr. Shawn Valliere who will talk to students about the importance of following our core values. We are also excited to bring back more clubs, activities, and social events for our students this year. Be on the lookout for more information in the next few weeks!
No Homework Weekends- Updated Schedule
In the interest of helping to foster well-being with our students and their families this year we will expand the “No homework weekend” calendar first instituted by Shrewsbury High School to Sherwood and Oak Middle Schools.
This means that there will be no homework assigned on the following weekends this year.
SHERWOOD NIGHT OUT: 10/21/22
Mark your calendars! The PTO will be hosting the Sherwood Night Out on Friday, October 21st, from 6:30-8:30PM for Sherwood Students. We will have various activities in the cafeteria, gym, and the lobby area, including a DJ Dance Party, a movie, board games, basketball knockout games, cornhole games, concessions, crafts, and more! Keep your eyes peeled to our facebook page and these weekly messages for more info on ticket sales as well as volunteer and donation sign ups! https://www.facebook.com/SherwoodOakPTO/
SHERWOOD/OAK/SHREWSBURY APPAREL ORDERS
The PTO is offering Sherwood, Oak, and Shrewsbury apparel to purchase through October 3rd! We have t-shirts, hoodies, and 3/4 sleeve raglan t-shirts in various colors with Sherwood, Oak, or Shrewsbury logos. Orders will arrive and be distributed directly to students at school in late October. Place your order here: https://bit.ly/SMSapparel2022
- We are only offering online orders at this time.
- Credit Cards are charged by Spectrum Apparel Webstore - please make sure you note this so you recognize your credit card charge.
Sherwood Support Staff Available
Our counselors and support staff are here to support the social emotional, academic, and behavioral needs of the Sherwood Community. Please reach out to your child’s School Counselor for any needed support during the school year. Open This Link to Contact our Support Staff.
Math Olympiad
Math Olympiad will hold in-person contests this school year on Thursdays from 3:00 - 3:45 pm. There will be a limited number of spaces available. For this reason, students will be assessed prior to receiving an invitation to join. The process and key dates are as follows:
Interested students will scan a QR code at school and complete a survey from September 21st-27th.
Responding students will receive a Math Olympiad practice test from their math teachers on September 30th.
Students must independently complete all work and return to their math teachers by Tuesday, October 4th.
Math Olympiad coaches will review submissions and will select participants.
All students will be notified by Thursday, October 13th of the coaches decision
Students who accept the invitation will return a signed form to their math teacher by Monday, October 17th.
Math Olympiad participants will meet one Thursday a month from 3-3:45. Dates of meetings will be sent along to participants.
Totally Awesome Rehearsal Schedule
The fall musical is under way and these kids are Totally Awesome!
If you are in the cast, please be sure that you have checked Schoology for a request from Ms. Martino to join the SMS Sherwood Fall Musical group. There you will find updates and reminders, a copy of the script, and the REHEARSAL SCHEDULE which is updated weekly.
If you haven't turned in your PERMISSION SLIP (they were due Friday the 23rd), you can review the information with your student, sign off, and return it to the band room, or send a picture of the signed slip to tmartino@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us. Thank you so much and have a great week ahead!
Your Feedback Wanted
Now that we are a few weeks into the new school year, please take a few minutes to participate in this online exchange to share 1) what is working well for your child(ren), and 2) any questions or concerns you have for the year ahead. Please take a few minutes to participate in an anonymous, online exchange to share your thinking and rate others’ thoughts, which will help identify areas where you want our schools to focus in order to best support your children.
Please click on the following link or paste it into your browser to participate. There are multiple language options. Our leadership team will review the results, and Dr. Sawyer will share them publicly as well after the exchange closes on October 4. Thank you in advance for your input!
Click this link to participate: https://tejoin.com/scroll/293361089
Next PTO Meeting
The October PTO meeting will be on Monday, October 3rd @ 7PM in the Oak Media Center.
We have many items to discuss and plan, and would love more input as well as volunteers to help make these happen!
Upcoming events and fundraisers include:
Sherwood Fall Night Out, Fair Trade Caravans fundraiser, Danielson Florist holiday wreath sales, Sherwood and Oak Spelling Bees, and much more!
Late Bus is Now Available: M/W/Th
We are now offering a FREE late bus services for all Sherwood students on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The buses will depart from Sherwood at 4:00pm.
- There are three bus routes with centralized stops coming from each campus. Please look at the middle schools map to decide which route and stop is best for your family.
- Times are approximate and the actual time your child gets off the bus may be different from the time posted in the schedule.
- Parents are responsible for making arrangements for their students to get home from the centralized bus stops.
- Families will need to sign up for the late bus via the middle schools Google form by noon on the day your child will take the bus.
New Resource for Students and Families: School Pulse
Shrewsbury Public Schools is excited to be launching a new initiative for our students at Sherwood Middle School, Oak Middle School and Shrewsbury High School. ‘SchoolPulse’ is a Positive Psychology tool that provides weekly inspirational podcasts, check-ins, and the best Positive Psychology skills available. This will be done through text, three times a week. Participation is voluntary. Your child’s responses are completely anonymous (meaning we do not have their personal cell number or any personal information).
Some additional features include:
This service is entirely voluntary, and students can opt in and opt out anytime.
The child has access to an individual dashboard (accessed through their text), that shows their check-in responses in the moment and longitudinally.
The school will receive a general electronic report demonstrating the overall emotional pulse in the school. There is no individual data available to the school or district.
These texts are completely free.
Data shows that students who utilize and interact with SchoolPulse improve their thinking and feeling, and those who improve their thinking and feeling, ultimately improve behavior and academic performance.
You are welcome to participate as well. Simply text the word “Demo” to 78573, to see how SchoolPulse works. Enjoy!
If you want to find out more about SchoolPulse, simply go to www.schoolpulse.org.
Speech Team
The Sherwood Speech Team will start soon! Sixth grade students have the opportunity to participate in competitive speech activities as part of the Speech Team. Practices are in-person on Mondays from 3 - 4 PM. Competitions are typically on Sundays and will start in January.
To learn more about competitive speech and to find out how to sign up for the team, all interested 6th graders are invited to attend an information meeting on Monday, October 3rd, right after school.
Please plan on taking the late bus home (sign up in advance!) or arrange for transportation home at 4 PM. For more information about competitive speech, please check out the Sherwood website (it’s on the Activities page) and/or check out the Massachusetts Middle School Speech League website at https://mmssl.weebly.com/
Important Reminders
Student Absence
All parents/guardians must inform the office if their child will be absent or late to school. SPS requires that you telephone us either the night before or first thing in the morning on the day of the child’s absence at 508-841-8670. If we have not received a call to report an absence, the school will be in contact with the parent to confirm the child’s safety.
Dismissal
If you are dismissing your child early, you must call the Main Office at 508-841-8670 (instead of emailing team teachers).
Anonymous School Safety Tip Line
This anonymous form can be used to submit information that may be helpful in ensuring the safety of students, faculty, and property of the Shrewsbury Public Schools in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. The form creates an electronic email alert to several staff members of the Shrewsbury Public Schools. It does not go to the Shrewsbury Police Department.
Staff email alerts are generally monitored Monday through Friday during business hours of 8am to 4:30pm. If the information you have is TIME SENSITIVE, please call 911 for assistance. If you wish to speak to a representative from the Shrewsbury Police Department and your concern is not urgent you can reach them 24/7 by calling 508-841-8577.
Kristen Ward
Email: krward@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Location: 28 Sherwood Avenue, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
Phone: 508-841-8670
Helen Kvaracein
Email: hkvaracein@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Location: 28 Sherwood Avenue, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
Phone: 508-841-8670
Sherwood Middle School
