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Your Weekly Community Brief from AMMS
Monday, August 26, 2019
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As we start another new week at Apopka Middle school, I want to thank all of our families for supporting our school. It is truly a privilege to educate your children and we take our role in educating them very seriously. Please know that you can reach out to anyone on the administrative team whenever you have a concern.
We are all here to serve!
If you haven't already, please take the time to set up your Launchpad account and then your
Skyward Family Access. This is the tool that will allow you to access your child's grades and keep up with other important information. The directions are included in this update. If you are experiencing trouble, please call the office at
407-884-2208 and we can assist you with troubleshooting the process. We will be holding a parent night soon for you to come into the school and learn about ways you can assist your student by monitoring their assignments, communicating with their teachers through Canvas and checking their grades regularly. I'll send you that date soon. For now, please put
September 24th at 6:00 pm on your calendars for our Open House night.
I am very proud of the progress our students are making in learning our expectations and being responsible for their decisions and actions. You can help by encouraging your child to get to all of their classes on time and keep up with assignments. At home, you can have a designated time for doing homework, studying vocabulary words, or reading a book.
Don't let them tell you they have nothing to do! They can always read for 30 minutes or study vocabulary words from any of their classes.
Also, let me remind you to PLEASE fill out a
Free or Reduced lunch form and return it to the school. You never know if you will qualify and we need to make sure all our families have completed and returned a form this year. If you need assistance with the form, call or come into the front office.
It's another great week to be a Seahawk,
Kelly Pelletier, Ed. D.
Proud Principal
Apopka Memorial Middle School
Pictured very top: Apopka Memorial Middle School's Administration Team and Department Leaders for 2019-2020.
From left to right standing:
Kristen Kushner (7th-grade Dean),
Nicole Mirizio-Moody (Staffing Specialist),
Shannon Corey (Math dept. chair),
Shana Macon (Media Specialist),
Heather Rideout (Instructional Coach),
Leslie Strenth (7th/8th guidance counselor),
Patty Green (Electives dept. chair),
Clarisa Colon (ELA dept. chair),
Karen King (6th/7th guidance counselor),
Dr. Kelly Pelletier (Principal),
Carl Kolling (8th grade Dean),
Anne Leatherbarrow (SAFE Coordinator), and
Jeffrey Bartfield (Assistant Principal)
Sitting on the bench:
Parniece Crawford (CRT),
Lima Benjamin-Walker (Science dept. chair)
Not pictured:
Theresa Hearn (Assistant Principal),
Lissette Gentile (Compliance Teacher),
Dr. Adrienne Sears (6th grade dean),
Laura Donlon (social studies dept. chair)
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Dates to Watch For
September 2: Labor Day Holiday
September 12: First School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting, 5:30 pm in the Media Center
September 12: PTSA meeting, 6:30 pm in the Media Center
September 16: Week of Book Fair
September 24: OPEN HOUSE, 6:00 pm
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Teacher Spotlight
Mrs. Patricia Green, AVID
Teacher Questionnaire:
Hello, please tell us a little about yourself . . .
I am originally from Maine, moved to Florida to attend college at 18, and have lived here ever since. I am married and have 3 grown children and a granddaughter. Most of my family still lives in Maine, although my mother lives in Florida full time now. I enjoy living where it's warm and I don't think I could tolerate the cold Maine winters anymore. However, I will say that I do appreciate the beauty of Maine now that I'm an adult.
Where did you attend college?
Leaving Maine because of the cold weather and rural setting, I looked for a large university in a warm climate. Hence USF, where I received my AA, before transferring to UCF for my bachelor's degree. I have been teaching at Apopka Memorial Middle School for 18 years and have been teaching AVID for 12 of those. I started out teaching ESE and when they decided to start the AVID program with 8th grade; I jumped at the opportunity.
What are your hobbies/interests?
When I'm not in school I enjoy going to musicals, theme parks, the beach, or just hanging out with my family. We spend a lot of time as a family doing Disney, plays, or just getting together for dinner. I love that my family enjoys each other and makes time to do things together. The beach is my place to unwind, where I'm actually pretty good at being still. I'm a fan of the Gulf beaches where the water is clear and calm.
What do you look forward to this year?
Every year I look forward to seeing my returning students and this year is no different. I have the privilege of seeing most of my students for 3 years. It is great to see how they change and grow from 6th grade to 8th and are ready to transition to high school. It's exciting to see my incoming 6th graders, most of whom we only get a chance to meet during AVID interviews.
As a school, I'm excited about seeing how our second year of the House system grows and develops. I am House Lead for Kalayo and we will be working to return the House Cup to the House of Kalayo again this year. Mr. Mole will be working to create House hallways and I'm looking forward to seeing our school being decorated and transformed.*
I hope that I am a teacher who is willing to change and try new things. A couple of years ago I started flexible seating and saw it change the tone of my classroom.** Then last year, after attending RCA, I started focusing on engagement in my classroom. This year I want to improve on those; making them more relevant and consistent so they become part of my classroom climate and community. Using more classroom transformations is something I'm looking forward to this year. Students connect more with their learning when their experience of learning it is more memorable, and it's fun. I'm planning a construction zone for reading and a "Who Done it?" for inquiry.
The new 6th-grade students learning how to complete a "QuickWrite." This is an inquiry strategy to develop critical thinking skills.
What is AVID and how does it help students with college?
AVID is a college readiness course that is designed for students in the academic middle who may be underrepresented in rigorous courses. We give them support academically and personally to help them be successful in those rigorous courses. Through WICOR (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading) strategies, and building a sense of community, students are able to develop their skills. AVID also provides them with an environment that builds their confidence to grow and take on personal and academic challenges.
AVID has been at Apopka Memorial Middle School for 12 years and has grown from one section of 8th grade to several sections of each grade level. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination so we have students apply and interview for AVID because AVID believes that part of their success is their drive and commitment for their future. Mrs. Donlon, our amazing site coordinator, works tirelessly to keep track of all the AVID data. She is also the 8th grade US History teacher and most of AVID 8th graders have her as a teacher; they love her. Our principal also sends teachers every summer to AVID training at their Summer Institute to get trained on AVID strategies in their content. This means more and more teachers are bringing those AVID strategies school-wide. We do our best to have our AVID students placed with AVID trained teachers who reinforce those AVID strategies, not just with AVID students, but ALL students.
I am very thankful that we have teachers who are excited about AVID strategies for their classroom. I love AVID, I have seen so many success stories from students who have kept in touch and are on their way to college. Why do I think (know) it works? The program has best practices built into their curriculum (many that OCPS is incorporating into their curriculum). Students do a lot of reflective writing so they understand themselves as a learner, they learn how to take effective notes and revisit them, public speaking, critical thinking, tutorials, and organization. While they are developing and practicing these skills in their AVID elective class, they are building their academic resume by being enrolled in rigorous courses.
Why AVID in middle school?
I have students ask me to transition to high school when they leave, but for me AVID in middle is crucial. I want my students to step onto that high school campus feeling confident that they are ready to meet the challenges of high school to become college-ready. That starts the freshman year. I want them to have all the advantages and opportunities they can have. Their opportunities are LIMITLESS.
Mrs. Green's room is decorated with college banners from across the country to promote college readiness and college mindfulness.
* Mr. Mole was featured in last week's issue of The Squawk.
** Students in Mrs. Green's class have the luxury of flexible seating. This is a great way to keep students engaged through the lessons.
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Canvas: Parent Access
English
How can parents become observers in Canvas?
STUDENTS need to:
1. Login to your Canvas by going to Launchpad.ocps.net
2. Click on"account" in the upper left hand corner of your screen once you are in Canvas.
3. Click "settings"
4. Once in Setting, click "pair with observer" and write down the code that is generated
PARENTS need to:
1. Login to Canvas.ocps.net and click on "parent Login"
2. Register for a canvas account, and then enter the "student pairing code" from step four above under student section.
3. You should now have access to view your student's courses.
Español
¿Cómo pueden los padres convertirse en observadores en "Canvas"?
Los estudiantes necesitan:
1. Ingresa a su Canvas yendo a Launchpad.ocps.net
2. Haga clic en "account" o cuenta en la esquina superior izquierda de la pantalla una vez que esté en Canvas.
3. Haga clic en configuración o "settings"
4. Una vez en el ajuste de "settings", haga clic en "pair with observer o emparejar con observador y anote el código que se genera.
Los padres necesitan:
1. Inicie sesión en canvas.OCPS.net y haga clic en "parent Login"
2. Regístrese para una cuenta de canvas y, a continuación, entre a "student pairing code" desde el paso 4 anteriormente en la sección del estudiante.
3. Debería tener ahora el acceso para ver los cursos de su estudiante.
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Laptop Care for Students
Students, we have already seen a large number of incidents take place involving laptops. Please remember the following when it comes to laptop care:
- Do not throw your bookbag while your laptop is in it.
- Store your laptop in a locker while at P.E.
- Charge your laptop each night.
- Use a label to write your name on your charger.
- If able, put your laptop in a case
- Keep your laptop and charger away from food, beverages, pets, and small children.
- Protect your laptop when it is raining.
- To reset your password type: studentid (username) studentid (password)
- Lost or damaged chargers are $10 to replace. The fine for damaged laptops is $50.
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Parent Reminders . . .
Media Center News
Parents and students, be sure to accept the invitation to the Media Center Canvas Course. You'll be able to follow the news regarding upcoming media center events and topics concerning digital devices and accessories.
SchoolPay
Parents, please create a School Pay account to pay for: laptop/charger fines, field trips, etc. Go to
schoolpay.com to create a login.
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Student Corner
This week: students Chloe Souliere and Charles Williams
The Journalism students conducted an interview with the Media Specialist Ms. Shana Macon this past week. This section of The Squawk will feature work done by students at Apopka Memorial Middle School. This class is led by Mr. Julian Leighvard.
"THIS YEAR IN THE MEDIA CENTER"
Written by Chloe Souliere and Charles Williams
Ms. Macon is the media specialist here at Apopka Middle School. She has been a media specialist for 3 years now, 2 of them at AMMS. Her teaching of language arts got her into being a media specialist. We,
Chloe Souliere and
Charles Williams, were lucky enough to interview her about all the upcoming events at the media center, like the book fair, A.R. (Accelerated Reader) reading goals, Sunshine State Books, and Battle of the Books.
Ms. Macon by some of her books and decorations.
There are many exciting events going on during this school year, including the book fair and A.R. reading goals. This fall season's book fair will take place the week of September 16th. The book fair is of course about buying new books, but there is also much more. Something new added this year is Spin the Wheel, where you can spin the wheel and win prizes if you read a book and write a short review about it. Another thing that is new to the library this year is A.R. Our 6th graders will get to attend special events and celebrations if they meet their A.R. reading goal.
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AMMS Book Fair: Week of Sept. 16th
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Some other interesting things going on this year in the library are new Sunshine State Books and the Battle of the Books competition. Some examples of Sunshine State books are
Knock Out, Breakout, Elephant Secret, etc. -
list and brief description of each. Students that read some of Sunshine State books will be invited to a special party at the end of the year. Students who read all 15 sunshine state books are eligible for BOB (Battle of the books). Students will go up against other schools and will be quizzed about the books. Battle of the Books will start after the book fair in late September or early October.
All in all, the library has many exciting events for students this year. Such as the book fair, Spin the Wheel, BOB, and many more. The first event is the book fair during the week of September 16. Bring your money and your love for books. The staff is looking forward to seeing you.
Have a great school year with reading!
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Vital Signs
Apopka Memorial Middle's "Early Warning System." Key statistics that directly impact student achievement . . .
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Watch Our Students Learn!
Snapshots of student engagment from around the campus over recent days . . .
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Ms. Benjamin-Walker's 8th grade science class is working collaboratively on an assignment reviewing the scientific process.
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Ms. Herrera's 8th grade Geometry class is practicing solving equations involving angle relationships. They are using both technology and paper to work out the problems.
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Monday's Motivational Moment!
A LESSON IN PERSISTENCE FROM THE ANT
MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK SEAHAWKS!
Dr. Pelletier, Principal
Apopka Memorial Middle School
Sunday, August 25, 2019
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This communication may contain information that is legally privileged, confidential or exempt from disclosure, and intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Anyone who receives this message in error should notify the sender immediately by telephone or by return e-mail, and delete the message from their computer and any printout thereof. Please note that OCPS utilizes spam and junk e-mail filtration applications in its e-mail systems. That filtering process may prevent or delay delivery of certain e-mail communications. If you do not receive a timely response to an e-mail communication, please contact the intended recipient by phone.
Copyright Notice
 Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and OCPS - Apopka Memorial Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Apopka Memorial Middle School. Please contact Dr. Kelly Pelletier (principal) at
7216@ocps.net
with any questions.
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Apopka Memorial Middle| Dr. Kelly Pelletier, Principal | 407.884.2208 |
AMMS Website
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