Sodus Intermediate School Update
"2022 Opening" Update for Intermediate Families
Virtual Orientation Meeting Link Below:
Sodus Intermediate School - Principal Gene Hoskins
All digital newsletters for Sodus Intermediate School are posted in the left margin of the Intermediate School page of the Sodus website. The link to the Intermediate school page is listed below.
Traducción al español a través de Google:
Todos los boletines digitales de la Escuela Intermedia Sodus se publican en el margen izquierdo de la página de la Escuela Intermedia del sitio web de Sodus. El enlace a la página de la escuela intermedia se encuentra a continuación.
Email: ehoskins@soduscsd.org
Website: https://www.soduscsd.org/Page/476
Location: 54 Mill Street, Sodus, NY, USA
Phone: (315) 483-5206
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SodusCSD/
Wayne County Community Health and Wellness Newsletter - A Message From Jill Harper, R.N., School Health Integration Specialist
Information For Student Entering 4th Grade
Below you will find links to the summer work packet for students entering 4th grade in September, along with a supply list for 4th grade. All students in the Intermediate School have given a summer work packet that is a mixture of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
Information For Students Entering 5th Grade
Information For Students Entering 6th Grade
Complete 2022 "Welcome Back" Letter To Intermediate Families
August 2022
Dear Intermediate School Students, Parents, and Guardians:
Welcome Back Spartans!
I want to welcome all students back to school! Our Intermediate Team has been working all summer to prepare for a successful opening of the 2022-2023 school year! We remain committed to providing the safest possible learning environment for students and will follow all recommendations from our county health department and the New York State Department of Education. At the time of writing this letter, we anticipate having a “typical” school year similar to pre-Covid restrictions, though there are some changes that were made during the past two years that we will continue because of the positive impact that they have had on our school environment. Breakfast will continue to be delivered to all students in the classroom, but we will still be using our cafeteria for lunches. I am excited to share that the cafeteria will be painted this summer due, in part, to the efforts of our Student Council officers and advisors. Our facilities team will continue to sanitize classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms throughout the day, providing a safe, clean environment that our students, staff members, and community can be proud of! I want to recognize and thank our amazing Facilities Department for all that they have done this summer to support summer school and to get our building ready for students returning in September.
Virtual Meeting For Parents and Students Tuesday, August 30:
Parents and students are invited to join me for a Virtual “Welcome Back” Google Meet on Tuesday, August 30 at 6:30 PM using the following link: meet.google.com/qyw-hvky-ouk We will use this virtual meeting to answer questions that students and parents may have about the opening of school and share any changes to procedures that may arise between now and the end of August. For best streaming results, we recommend using your child’s Chromebook to join the meeting, though the link provided should work on any other digital device. We hope you will be able to join us!
First Day of School:
The first day of school is Wednesday, September 7th.
Arrival and Dismissal Times for Students:
Arrival for all students in Intermediate school will be 7:25 AM. Most students will be dismissed after ninth period at 2:13 PM, though some students may be required to stay until the end of 10th period. The end of the school day is at 2:55 PM at the conclusion of 10th period. Students may be required to stay for extra help with a teacher, attend an extracurricular club, or serve a detention during 10th period. It is important that students arrive to school on time. We take attendance in homeroom at 7:35 AM-ten minutes after the start of the school day. Students who arrive after 7:35 will be marked as tardy for the day. Chronic tardy arrival will result in escalating consequences, including loss of privileges at recess.
Student Schedules:
Your child’s tentative schedule is enclosed with this mailing. We will use a Monday – Friday rotation for our schedule. Every day students should have 60 minutes of ELA instruction, 60 minutes of math instruction, 40 minutes of science or social studies instruction (alternating days), two 40-minute periods of specials classes (PE, art, music, library, and WIN on alternating days), a 30-minute lunch/recess, and two 40-minute periods for intervention (reading, math intervention, resource room, or ENL lab). Teachers will be creating reading groups and schedules for intervention during the first week of school. For that reason, you will likely see two blank periods in your child’s schedule where his or her intervention will be assigned.
Grades 4-6 Classroom Cubbies:
All students in grades 4-6 will have classroom cubbies to store personal belongs during the day. Similar to the past two years, we ask that students bring their supplies in over the course of the first week of school rather than all at once before school starts.
Parent Contact Information:
Enclosed within this mailing you will find a student contact sheet. Please make any changes to the contact sheet that you need to make to reflect the most current phone number, street address, and email address for any adult who is approved to pick your child up from school. It is crucial that we have the ability to reach parents during the school day in the event that a need arises. Please have a plan in place for your child to be picked-up from school in the event that he or she is sick.
Transportation:
We are committed to transporting students to and from school safely. While transportation restrictions have eased, we still need to plan transportation routes based on who will be using school transportation. If you know you will be transporting your child to and from school, please contact our Transportation Department at 483-5273, so that they can plan routes accordingly. We will not be able to accommodate daily changes to be made for pick-up or drop-off points. Students will not be allowed to get a bus pass to ride a different bus home. The following bulleted list clearly explains our procedures:
· Intermediate School students will be permitted to have a maximum of two pick up and drop off points. These locations will be on record in the transportation department. For example: A student may be picked up at home and dropped off at a babysitter’s house. This would constitute the two possible pick up and drop off points.
· Permanent changes to any of these locations must be made at least 5 days prior to the change taking effect. The proper transportation forms can be found online or from the Intermediate School office.
· Please be aware that this means that notes sent to school with a student requesting alternate drop off points will NOT be honored.
We understand that emergencies do happen. In the case of a family emergency, please contact the Intermediate School office and we will do our best to assist you.
Breakfast/Lunch:
All students are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch. Many of the programs we provide students are based on the number of our students who receive free or reduced meals. For this reason, we are asking that families who qualify for this assistance continue to complete the free and reduced meal application.
- Breakfast will be delivered to the Intermediate classrooms each morning.
- Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria.
Chromebooks:
This year, all Intermediate students will be taking their Chromebooks to and from school daily. Please work with your child so that he or she remembers to charge his or her Chromebook each night so that it is fully-charged at school. Enclosed in this mailing is an optional insurance policy for the Chromebook that parents can elect to purchase annually. The coverage costs $25 per child or $50 per household. If you are in need of an additional form, please contact the Intermediate Office at 483-5242 or 483-5281.
Sodus Mission and Motto:
The Sodus Central School District created a strategic plan during the 2016-2017 school year that continues to guide our work. During this work we created our District motto: “Spartans: Learning, Advancing, Proud!” You will find this motto communicated, along with our schools core values of Respect, Responsibility, and Kindness, throughout our school on a daily basis. Our District’s Mission Statement and Strategic Plan can be found on our website at www.soduscsd.org.
Sodus Core Values:
As a school, we are committed to the success of every student. We believe, in partnership with families, that it is important to continually teach, model, and reinforce socially appropriate behaviors in the school setting. Our school community’s core values are Respect, Responsibility and Kindness.
Sodus Intermediate Theme for 2022-2023-“Reach For The Stars”:
Our Sodus Intermediate theme for 2022-2023 is “Reach for the Stars.” We will use opportunities throughout the school year to remind students to dream big, work hard, never give up, and make their dreams come true! We believe this message aligns closely with both our school’s mission statement and our core values.
MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) Acknowledgements:
- Universal Acknowledgements-we do three universal acknowledgements a year, and they are linked directly to our district and school-wide core values of Respect, Responsibility, and Kindness. For universal acknowledgements we set a school-wide goal, and if we achieve that goal as a school, everyone gets the “acknowledgement.” Each student contributes toward achieving this goal. Every year we have the following universal acknowledgements:
o Attendance- We set a goal for school-wide attendance for a period of approximately two-three weeks that represents an improvement in schoolwide attendance as compared to the same period the previous year.
o Behavior- We set a goal for the number of office referrals written over a period of approximately two-three weeks that represents a reduction in the number of office referrals written over the same period the previous year.
o Grades- We set a goal for the percentage of classes passed at the end of a marking period that represents an improvement in percentage of passed classes as compared to the same period the previous year.
We always communicate the goal for these universal acknowledgements to all students through announcements and/or our monthly assemblies. There are also posters posted throughout our school’s hallways, reminding students that these acknowledgements are upcoming and/or in process.
- Quarterly Acknowledgements-we will have three quarterly acknowledgements (incentives) after marking periods 1-3. Quarterly acknowledgements are earned on an individual basis by passing all classes, having no behavior referrals, and having excellent attendance during the previous 10 weeks. Students need to have two or fewer absences in order to qualify for the acknowledgement, with exceptions made for extended absences due to major illness or injury.
Partnering with Families to Support Intermediate School Students:
We understand that developing a partnership with families to support our students is critical to their success. In order to foster this partnership, we are offering and encouraging the involvement of family members in our school community in multiple ways:
- Contact Information: Throughout the year you will be receiving mailings, phone calls, text messages, and perhaps emails from the school or individual teachers. Please complete the enclosed Emergency Contact form and return it to the office during the first week of school.
- SchoolTool Parent Portal: Parents have access to your child’s grades, attendance, and discipline data in SchoolTool-our student data management system. Parents can access this information through the Parent Portal through the SchoolTool website (linked to the Sodus website at www.soduscsd.org) or the SchoolTool App on your phone or mobile device. Information on how to access the parent portal is available on our website. We will also have staff available to assist parents in accessing portal accounts at our Open House on September 29 from 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM.
- ParentSquare: This year we will again be using ParentSquare as our primary communication tool. If you used ParentSquare last year you do not need to do anything new-you will automatically be connected with your child’s new teachers. Information on how to download the app for ParentSquare is included on the back of this page.
- One School, One Book: During the month of May we will have the opportunity to read a book together through the “One School, One Book” program. Through this program we will provide each student with a book, Crenshaw by Karen Applegate that we will all read together with our families.
- Intermediate School Improvement Team (ISIT): Our Intermediate School promotes all stakeholders (parents, students, staff members, and community members) to participate in shared decision-making by being a part of our Intermediate School Improvement Team (ISIT). Our ISIT meetings will be virtual meetings again this year. We encourage participation from all interested students, parents, and staff members. Our first ISIT meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 19 at 4:00 PM and can be accessed with the following link meet.google.com/vnj-duwf-yzs
Our Intermediate School:
We deeply care about our students, and are committed to ensuring that Sodus Intermediate is a welcoming and affirming environment for all. We want all students to achieve success academically, socially, and behaviorally. We will do our best to ensure your child receives a high-quality educational experience, and we want to work in partnership with you to accomplish this goal. Parental involvement is critical to the success of Intermediate School students. We value your time and input and welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with you as a means of ensuring your child’s success. If you ever have any questions or concerns about your son/daughter’s educational experience, please feel free to contact me at any time. I can be reached through my email at ehoskins@soduscsd.org, on my office phone during the school day at 483-5206, or on my cell phone outside of school at 315-576-7090. Enjoy the rest of your summer. We look forward to meeting our students on the first day of school on Wednesday, September 7!
With appreciation,
Gene Hoskins
Intermediate School Principal