Dear IMS Community,
Happy New Year! I hope you and your families enjoyed a restful and joyful winter break. As we begin 2026 together, we are excited to reconnect, refocus and continue building a welcoming, engaging learning community for our students.
I invite all families to join us for our next PTA meeting on Wednesday, January 28th at 7:00 PM in the Middle School Library. These meetings are a wonderful opportunity to stay connected, share ideas, and support the great work happening at IMS.
We have several exciting events on the horizon. On Monday, January 12th, Islip High School will be hosting a Curriculum Night - all 8th grade parents and students are encouraged to attend to learn more about the academic programs, courses, and educational activities that will be offered to students for the 2026 -2027 school year. The SEPTA Sweetheart Dance will take place on February 6, 2026. In addition, students are encouraged to showcase their talents at the IMS Talent Takeover, scheduled for February 12th, run by IAMP in collaboration with our Fine & Performing Arts Department. Solo or group acts are welcome—whether acting, singing, magic, or another performance skill. Submissions are due by January 20th, so we encourage students to start preparing!
As a reminder, for safety and accountability, students are expected to bring and wear their school-issued ID every day. Students who do not bring their ID to school may experience appropriate consequences, and we appreciate your support in reinforcing this expectation.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We look forward to a great start to the new year together.
Sincerely,
Meghan Stern
Principal
631-650-8505
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Happy New Year IMS Families,
As we spring into 2026, please salute and thank the IMS community for their efforts in making 2025 an amazing year. Thank you!!
We will approach 2026 in a way which will offer us wonderful opportunities, incredible experiences, and unforgettable moments. As we ask middle school students to reflect and consider some of their New Years’ resolutions… do better in school, appreciate loved ones, be more involved, were just some of the thought-provoking resolutions expressed by students. For us here at IMS, we look forward to working with each and every child in a way which supports them academically, socially, and emotionally. Islip Middle School is a special place. It is a place of caring, thoughtfulness, generosity, and hard work. It is a wonderful community filled with tremendous families, educators, and commerce.
At IMS, January advisory will focus on “New Beginnings” identifying strengths, as well as areas of growth/potential. Activities will surround the idea of beginning with the idea in which we need to sharpen our saw. How do we develop mental strength? When confronted by challenges in life, we are measured by how we respond to those opportunities. Ultimately, these challenges are what defines us as a person.
The greatest, most decorated athlete of our time is quoted in sharing the following,
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan
2026 will come with its celebrations and compliments, consider how we respond to opportunities which are presented before us in the year to come. Mr. Jordan would suggest taking a shot!
“Ask the universe for an oak tree and it will send you an acorn." -Unknown
Wishing you nothing but peace and wellness for the New Year,
Curt Juengerkes
Assistant Principal
631-850-8515
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Dear IMS Community,
As we close out an exciting month, we are proud to celebrate the many accomplishments of our IMS students and staff.
We would like to congratulate all of our Winter 1 sports teams on a great season. Our student-athletes demonstrated teamwork, perseverance, and school spirit, representing IMS with pride.
This month, our Buccaneer Roundtable students led meaningful kindness activities, helping to promote empathy, leadership, and positive connections throughout our school community. In addition, Advisory classes focused on kindness-centered activities, reinforcing the importance of respect, inclusion, and compassion in our daily interactions.
A special congratulations goes out to all of our chorus, band, and orchestra students for a fantastic winter/holiday concert. Their talent, dedication, and hard work truly shined and brought joy to everyone in attendance.
As we return from the holiday break, we hope the entire Islip community had a beautiful and joyful holiday season. We are excited to welcome everyone back and being an amazing second half of the school year filled with learning, growth, and continued success.
Warm wishes,
David Bodner
Dean of Students
Islip Middle School
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NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS! We are very proud of our IMS students' progress and accomplishments. The New Year brings new opportunities to grow academically and socially. It also brings New Renaissance Raffles! We are looking forward to celebrating all of the amazing things our IMS community is doing! Continue to do great things! Keep working hard and trying your best. Please check your planner for our Renaissance Guidelines. Earn MORE Raffle Tickets by earning POINTS with our MOOV App! Start 2026 in a positive way!
LOOK GOOD! FEEL GOOD! DO GOOD!
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Welcome to 2026! We hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, and merry holiday break! We are looking forward to seeing what 2026 has in store for Islip Middle School!
Over the past month, sixth-grade students participated in a career exploration activity aimed to increase awareness of the many career options available to them. The lesson emphasized the value of connecting personal interests, strengths, and values to future career possibilities, encouraging students to think about how their talents and passions can influence their paths ahead. Students took part in a Pictionary-style game where they interpreted clues to guess careers such as doctors, construction workers, and artists. This interactive activity fostered collaboration and critical thinking while offering an enjoyable and memorable introduction to diverse career opportunities.
As we approach mid-point of the school year, your counselors would like to take this opportunity to remind you about the many academic supports we have in place for students! Here at Islip Middle School, we offer Homework Support Monday through Thursday after school until 3:15pm in the Fire Island Dining Room. Homework support is a place where students can get assistance on their homework if their teacher is unavailable for extra help after school. Students can pick up a permission slip in the guidance office or can print one from their grade level google classroom. Additionally, our teachers offer extra help on a regular basis. We encourage students to take advantage of this extra support as needed.
In the upcoming weeks, please be on the lookout for correspondence from the Middle School regarding scheduling for next year. Sixth grade parents, be sure to keep an eye out for your child’s World Language choice for next year. Eighth grade parents, please be aware that Islip High School Curriculum Night is on January 12th. Eighth grade students and parents are encouraged to attend to learn more about high school course offerings.
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We are excited to share what our young artists have been creating in art class recently! Our 6th grade students have been developing their observational skills by drawing Ring Pops, focusing on capturing accurate details and proportions. Through this project, they are learning essential shading techniques using colored pencils to create realistic, three-dimensional effects on their work. Meanwhile, our 8th grade students are exploring a subtractive art form called scratch art, where they use specialized tools to reveal vibrant colors beneath a dark surface, discovering how removing material can be just as creative as adding it. Both grade levels are building confidence in their artistic abilities while experimenting with different mediums and techniques.
As we enter the month of January, Students will be introduced to new concepts and art mediums. 6th grade students will be working with acrylic paint to create landscape paintings and 8th graders will be exploring the art movement of Pop Art!
Art class is always bustling with opportunities to be creative. It’s a place where students can feel free to express their uniqueness and explore new and exciting opportunities to create.
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Happy New Year! We hope the students enjoyed time with their families and are returning rested and recharged for 2026! ELA students finished reading the realistic fiction novel, Red Kayak right before break. While reading, they analyzed characteristics of the 3 main characters in the novel. Next, they will incorporate their writing skills by writing a literary essay on the novel. They will be choosing a character trait for the character of their choice, and they will write an essay supporting that trait and using text evidence from the novel to support their thinking. Students should be reading their RED book daily, and we have started Reading Logs up again!
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 Ancient Egypt. We will be exploring the geography of Ancient Egypt, as well as their daily life, and writing system. We will also visit the tombs of the pharaohs!
In mathematics, the students have completed our unit on the number system and are eager to use their existing knowledge on our next unit, ratios. As always, review notes daily to help you with your weekly assignments.
Please continue to check the parent portal for grades, make sure to replenish school supplies as needed (pens and pencils), and always recharge the laptops! Have a happy, healthy New Year!
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The 7 Red team has placed emphasis on building good character and striving for academic success. In November, students participated in a memorable trip to East Islip Lanes Bowling Alley for a day of fun, team-building competition, and shared many moments of fond memories. 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. Ms. Toledo, the newest member of the Red Team, is co-teaching in many of our classes to provide additional support for all students, especially our English language learners. In Ms. Sweet’s and Mrs. Bloch’s science classes, the students have been exploring the properties of matter and the chemical reactions units, which included many exciting hands-on labs and activities. In Mr. Ackermann’s and Mr. Apicella’s Pre-Algebra classes, the students have been working on the creation and graphing of proportional relationships throughout the month of December. Every month brings the students one-step closer to the eighth grade Algebra Regents. In Spanish, Ms. Vilkas’ students are continuing to improve and build upon their communication skills in Spanish. During the month of December, students began learning how to describe their favorite activities and hobbies as they progress towards developing and improving their conversational skills. In Social Studies with Mr. Pedersen, students have been exploring the causes of the Revolutionary War 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. Most excitedly, permission slips and packets for a highly anticipated grade 7 class trip to Boston went home with students just before winter break. Students are very much looking forward to an awesome experience of history and culture in one of the most historically significant locations from the colonial and Revolutionary eras. Wholeheartedly, Team 7 Red is optimistic about having a wonderful school year! |
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following:
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