SEPTEMBER 18THFRIDAY FALCON

Welcome Students and Families to the 2015-2016School Year! We’ve had a terrific start to the school yearand we are looking forward to a great year of learning and fun! For those of you who are new to Sherman, the Sherman Friday Falcon is sent home via email each Friday we have a 5-day school week. In the Friday Falcon we will highlight activities and accomplishments of the week as well as announce upcoming events at Sherman. We hope that you will find this to be an informative and helpful tool!

Mark Your Calendars for Back-to-School Night! We welcome all Sherman families to join us on Thursday, Sept. 24thfrom 5:30-7:00 for a family meal and classroom visits.Please begin the evening by joining us forpizzaat 5:30 in the cafeteria. Please bring a dish to pass. Finally, from 6:00 -7:00, families will have a chance to stop in to meet teachers and visit our incredible Sherman garden. This evening has become a hit with our families and something you will not want to miss! We look forward to seeing all of you here at Sherman on Thursday, September 24th!!

An Important Message from the Office – As you may have heard, we lost the allocation for our receptionist so I am the only one in the office this year. While I enjoy seeing the students more, this is an enormous challenge for me. I have always prided myself on being available and helpful for our students, our families and our staff, but doing the tasks of 2 people in the same amount of time I had to do my job in the past leaves me precious time for interacting with all of you. With this being said, one of the biggest issues I’m facing is the number of phone calls I am getting each day to relay a message to a student. If you stop to think about it, if even ¼ of our families called to ask me to get a message to their child, that is 100 phone calls right there! Unless it is an extreme emergency, I will not be able to take/deliver a message to your child. Please make sure that your student knows what to do after school each day. If plans are unclear, arrange to have your child call you at the end of the day. They are able to use their classroom phone for this purpose. I appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter. Should you have any questions please contact Ms. Foreman at 204-2106.

Attention ESL Families -Last week your family received an Individual Plan of Service (IPS) form in the mail regarding your student. This document is to inform you of your student’s status as an English Language Learner and one of the following 1.) if your student is receiving English as a Second Language (ESL) services and what those services are 2.) if your student has shown to be proficient in English and is being monitored for two years 3.) if your student has been monitored for two years and is now fully exited from ESL services. It is important that the IPS form be reviewed by your family, signed, and returned to Sherman by September 23, 2015. The IPS form can be returned to the Sherman main office or to your student’s team teachers. Please feel free to call with any questions regarding your student’s ESL services or the IPS form.

Reminders from the Health Office

  • Please remember that all students must be up to date on immunizations. 6th graders need to receive a TD booster to be compliant with school requirements. Students must be up to date by September 22nd to avoid warning letters from the Department of Health. Call Kim or Connie at 204-2109 with questions.
  • Each and every day we see students in our office that have an upset stomach or a runny nose. Unfortunately the school does not have the means to keep our office stocked with Kleenex and crackers. If you would be so kind as to pick up a couple of boxes of each of these items and send them to the health office, we would be very grateful. Thank you in advance!

Get Your 2015-2016 Bucky Book & Help Support Sherman Middle School – Did you know that Sherman PTO is selling the Bucky Book? If you are familiar with the Bucky Book you know that you recoup the cost ($35) in savings in just a couple of uses. There are so many great deals in this book that everyone can find a coupon to use. For instance, if you like to take the kids to Noah’s Ark in the Wisconsin Dells, there’s a Buy One Get One Free coupon that is good for the entire month of June. If you like to golf, there are enough coupons to last you the entire summer and have an opportunity to play some great courses around Dane County. Dinners, pizzas, haircuts, oil changes, massages, motel stays are just a few of the categories that you’ll find a coupon for in the Bucky Book. Stop by the office to purchase your copy today!

Reminder to Parents: Please remember that when you are dropping off or picking up your child, the yellow line in front of the school is bus loading/unloading ONLY. We have busses that arrive at different times both in the morning and afternoon, and it is very difficult and sometimes dangerous for our drivers to be able to drop off our students when you are blocking their way! In addition, do not block the driveway at the far end of the building as we have cars and delivery trucks that need access to that driveway. Thanks for your cooperation.

Pay Attention When You’re Walking to School – It is so very important that you are being extra careful when you are crossing the streets as you walk home. By now you should all know that you look to the left, look to the right, and then look to the left again before crossing the street. There are so many busy streets around us and the drivers can’t see you nearly as well as you can see them. We want you all to be safe, so please use extra precaution.

It’s Always Time for Frozen Custard! Mark your calendar and come to the Northport Dr. Culver’s on Tues. Oct. 6th for our Sherman Middle School’s Night at Culver’s! On this evening Culver’s will donate 10% of the net sales from 4:00-9:00 p.m. to Sherman. You can come inside or use the drive thru and have the food brought to you! This is a great opportunity to have a good meal and raise money for our school. By the way, the flavor of the day will be Hershey Almond Fudge! Now doesn’t that sound too good to pass up? We hope to see you at Culver’s!

An Opportunity to Share Your Opinion with the District Office: Some families and staff have asked MMSD to reconsider our current standards for closing school due to cold temperatures. We'd like to share some information about Wind Chill and MMSD's current standards for closing schools, then ask your opinion on the existing policy. The survey will be open until Wednesday, September 30. Here is the link to the survey: