Dear Sherwood Community,
It was great to see so many students, staff, and families attending the Totally Awesome musical this weekend at Oak! Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for sharing your creativity, enthusiasm, and talent with us all. Special thanks to Ms. Tracy Martino for her direction, guidance, and support!
It's hard to believe that we have already completed one third of the school year. We are so proud of our students and grateful to our staff and our parents for all of your support. We are excited to be starting Trimester 2 and Cycle 3 on Monday this week.
Lastly, a reminder that there is an Early Dismissal (11:35am) on Tuesday of this week.
Enjoy your Sunday!
Jon, Heather, and Karen
Reminder If Your Child is Absent or Tardy
If your child will be absent or tardy, please call the Child Safe line (508-841-8670) by 8:00am. You may also call the day or night before. An automated phone call goes out every morning at 9:15 and if we do not receive a message by 8:00am you will receive a phone call.
This is a child safety procedure that is in place to ensure the well- being of all of our students.
Say Something Grade 6 Virtual Assembly
The Say Something program teaches middle school students to recognize the warning signs of someone at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to say something to a trusted adult to get help.The Say Something program aligns seamlessly with any school’s existing social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, instruction, and programming. Students build essential SEL competencies, including how to empathize with others and seek help when needed (relationship skills) and how to identify problems and analyze situations, as well as solve problems in an ethically-responsible manner (responsible decision-making).
If you want more information about the Say Something program or helpful hints on how to talk to your child about this topic at home, open this Parent Guide.
Breakfast and Lunch Available on Half Days
The Food Service Dept. will now offer breakfast and a “Grab & Go” lunch bag on all scheduled student half days this school year (with the first being Tuesday, December 6th).
For the “Grab & Go” lunch bag, students will be asked to pre-order by indicating “yes” or “no” on the Monday before each half day so the cafeteria staff have an accurate estimate of lunch bags to prepare. Pre-orders will be taken at each school and sent to the cafeteria.
On each scheduled half day [see 2022-2023 school calendar here], students will be afforded time before dismissal to go to the cafeteria to pick up a “grab and go” lunch bag by inputting their cafeteria PIN number.
Lunches will be eaten at home, not at school nor on the school bus.
K-6 students who are in the Extended School Care Program on these early release days will still have a special lunch offered by the ESC staff. However, they may also pick up a “grab and go” lunch bag before dismissal if they so choose.
As a reminder, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts along with the federal government have fully subsidized the school lunch program for the 2022-2023 school year by providing a fixed amount reimbursement for each student meal served and documented by the district.
School Pulse Webinar for Parents: This Thursday Night @ 6pm
For those that don't know Shrewsbury Public Schools has launched a new initiative for our students at Sherwood Middle School, Oak Middle School and Shrewsbury High School called School Pulse.
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).
Please join us for an informational Zoom webinar this Thursday December 8th at 6pm for all Sherwood and Oak parents to learn more.
Use this link to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86578028380?pwd=REdHK1Jpem5ac0lJellqUFdINnVnUT09
Snacks & Winter Clothing
- Water/Water Bottle and Snack- the school now has water refill stations throughout the building.
- Warm Coat/Gloves/Winter Hat- Now that the colder weather is here, please make sure your child is dressed warmly each day. We will continue to go out for recess each day throughout the winter, and we want to make sure students have the proper attire.
Season of Giving Program
Each year, the Sherwood Middle School community comes together to support Sherwood Families.
Help Us Donate
This Tuesday on Parent Conference Day, we will have a Giving tree in the Main Foyer decorated with holiday gift tags. Individuals who take tags from the tree are asked to scan the QR code or complete this form. If you are unable to stop in the office to take a tag, you can still scan the QR code and complete the form if you are interested in donating. Donations this year include gift cards to Walmart, Target, Price Chopper, Kohl’s, Stop and Shop and Shaw’s. The Nurse’s office is also requesting clothing donations that are listed on the form.
We are requesting that all Season of Giving donations be delivered to the main office by Wednesday, December 7th.
In Need of Gifts?
If you are a family that is needing some additional support this winter season, please contact us. The Sherwood Middle School community is looking to help students in need of gift cards to assist during this time of year. If your Sherwood Middle School student is in need of assistance of any kind, please contact one of our school nurses, Ms. Danielle Jusseaume or Ms. Linda Berard, or one of our School Adjustment Counselors, Ms. Rebecca Connole (grade 5), Ms. Kelly O’Connell (grade 6), and Ms. Jen Bolt (grades 5 and 6). We have many resources to share, so please do not hesitate to ask! Sherwood can also be a support to families through Andy’s Closet.
Important Upcoming Dates
Monday, December 5th: Trimester 2 & Cycle 3 Start
Tuesday, December 6th: Early Release @ 11:35am
Thursday, December 8th: School Pulse Parent Webinar @ 6pm
Friday, December 9th: Sherwood Spelling Bee @ 6pm
Wednesday, December 14th: Report Cards Available Online
Thursday, December 15th: Grade 6 Say Something Virtual Assembly
Thursday, December 22nd: Last Day of School Before Vacation
Friday, December 23rd- Monday, January 2nd: No School: December Vacation
Tuesday, January 3rd: School Resumes
DECEMBER PTO MEETING- Tomorrow Night
The December PTO meeting will be TOMORROW, December 5th, @ 7PM in the Oak Media Center. Help us plan the next Sherwood Night Out and the next Oak Dance!
Help with the upcoming Spelling Bees, or our big spring fundraiser! The SMS PTO serves both Sherwood and Oak and we welcome parents from grades 5-8!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1762874260751407
HOLIDAY WREATH SALES
Thank you to everyone who supported the SMS PTO and Danielson Flowers with our recent wreath sale fundraiser. Happy Holidays!
FAIR TRADE CARAVANS
FUNDRAISER EXTENDED to 12/12!!
Check out all the unique, high quality, handcrafted gift items available in our holiday fundraising catalog. 25% of everything you buy goes directly to SMS PTO. And with your purchase, you will support academic enrichment programs, media center materials and student field trips.
Shop now: https://fairtradecaravans.com/fundraiser/sherwood-middle-school-pto/
Additional Reminders
DISMISSAL
If you are dismissing your child early, you must call the Main Office at 508-841-8670 (instead of emailing team teachers).
LATE BUS
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.
Please contact April Yu (transportation@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us) with questions.
Sherwood Middle School
