Messages and Calendar of Events & Activities - Week of October 19, 2026

   
 
Dear Island Trees School Community,

Please see the messages, as well as the calendar of events & activities below: 

🏫📣 “Island Trees is Bougie.”

That’s what one of the visiting cheerleading teams apparently said last week while attending the first-ever Long Island cheerleading competition held at Island Trees High School, with 27 teams competing from across Long Island. 📣🤸‍♀️

One of our Board members overheard the comment -- and it made us all smile.

For those who truly know Island Trees, know we are located in Levittown, New York, America’s first planned suburbs, built for returning veterans after World War II. There is nothing fancy or pretentious about our roots.

Our students have grit. They have determination. They work hard. And when they get knocked down, they get back up and come back even stronger. 💪 That’s Island Trees. But then I started thinking…

Maybe the cheerleader looked around at our school spirit, our facilities, the pride our students and staff take in their schools, and thought, “Wow… this place is a little bougie.” 😎

And you know what? I’ll take it.

Our parents, staff, and families have every right to be proud of the schools we have built together. You see it every day -- in the way our students and staff represent Island Trees, the way our families support our teams and activities, and the tremendous school spirit throughout our community. ❤️🐾

When visitors come to Island Trees -- even visitors from those so-called “bougie” communities -- they consistently comment on our facilities, our school spirit, and the pride that exists throughout our district.  And that pride belongs to all of us. So, if taking tremendous pride in our schools makes us a little “bougie”…

Okay. Maybe we are. 😉

But underneath it all, we're still "Small & Mighty".

And that’s exactly the way we like it. 🐾❤️

Red Ribbon Week – October 23 -31
 
Each year, Red Ribbon Week provides an opportunity to encourage and educate students about living a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. This year’s theme, “Make a Difference, Be a Hero. Stay Drug Free”  reminds us that every positive choice our children make helps build a brighter, healthier future.

During the week of October 23–31, our schools will engage students in age-appropriate activities and discussions that emphasize the importance of making drug- and alcohol-free choices. While this week is a dedicated time of focus, these conversations can and should continue at home. We encourage families to use this as an opportunity to talk with your children about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and the importance of making safe choices.

Together, schools and families can help our students build the knowledge and confidence they need to navigate life’s challenges and make choices that support their health and well-being.

Thank you for partnering with us in this important effort.
 

 

 Secrets of College Admissions - Save the Date

  

TRUNK OR TREAT SIGN-UP 
 

 
Sign-up Link
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/trunk-or-treat-2026-35893/items


PTA Council Raffle
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/council-needoh-squishy-raffle/items
 
SEPTA Spirit Wear Sale

We Transport – Employment Opportunities 
 
We need bus drivers! We Transport will train drivers to obtain their CDL license. 
  
 
 
 Girls Soccer Team - Playoff Bound
Stay Tuned for the Playoff Schedule - TBD
Congratulations to the Girls!



This Week’s Calendar
 
Tuesday, October 20 – ITHS Blood Drive
Tuesday, October 20 – ENL Fall Festival, Sparke, 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday, October 20 – PTSA Meeting, MMS Library, 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 20 – National Chicken and Waffles Day - 🍗+🧇 = 😋
Wednesday, October 21 – Joe Masi Memorial Event, ITHS, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 22 – Newsday Marching Band Festival, Mitchel Athletic Field
Friday, October 23 – Red-Ribbon Week Begins
Friday, October 23 – Grades 5&6 Halloween Social, MMS, 2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Saturday, October 24 – Trunk or Treat, MMS, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – please register ahead of time

 Island Trees Home Page – Parent Square Link and Pop-Up
 https://islandtrees.org/
  
  
 Island Trees Social Media Sites
  
 Twitter/X - Sparke School
 @SparkeShines
 https://twitter.com/SparkeShines
  
 Twitter/X - Stokes School
 @WeRStokes

 Twitter/X - MMS
 https://twitter.com/IslandtreesMMS

 Twitter/X – Special Education
 IT_SpecialEd

 Island Trees High School
 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/islandtreeshs
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IslandtreesHS/
  
 Instagram – Athletics
 islandtreesathletics
Athletics Game Schedule Link – Scroll down on the department page
 https://www.islandtrees.org/219915_3

 Section VIII Website – Schedule, Scores, and Standings
https://secviii.org/

  
 Island Trees Curriculum and Instruction Instagram:
 islandtreeslearns
 https://www.instagram.com/islandtreeslearns/
  

Two-Week Calendar Look Ahead

Monday, October 26 – 6th Grade Group 1 Leaves for Ashokan
Wednesday, October 28 – 6th Grade Group 2 Leaves for Ashokan
Wednesday, October 28 – Secrets of College Admissions, ITHS, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 30 – Halloween Celebrations
Friday, October 30 – Stokes Halloween Parade, Stokes, 9:30 a.m. (Parking available at Nassau Mall – Security will allow you through the gate)
Friday, October 30 – Sparke Halloween Parade, Sparke, 10:00 a.m.

 Stokes and Sparke Halloween Parades – October 31st – Parking Plans 🎃

We’re looking forward to a spooktacular morning! 👻 🧙‍♀️ 🧛

The Stokes School parade will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the Sparke School parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. To help with parking, we strongly encourage parents to park at the Nassau Mall, between LA Fitness and the AMC movie theater. The Stokes/Nassau Mall gate will be open for parents and relatives parking in this area. Please note that the main entrance school gates will be closed before/during the parades, so parking at the mall will be much easier than in the neighborhood. Much, much, much easier. 🧡

See map below. X marks the spot!