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Chain of Lakes Middle School Community Brief
Friday, August 4, 2017
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Welcome to a new year at Chain of Lakes Middle School!
As you and your children enjoy summer vacation, we are busily preparing for August 14th, our first day of the 2017-18 school year. Our faculty and staff remain committed to the following goals: providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students, helping teachers create positive and active learning experiences, and allowing everyone in our community to have a voice in the learning process. In order to meet our first goal, we will continue our emphasis on school wide policies and procedures so that all students demonstrate respect for every member of our learning community.
Here's how we can work together to reach these goals. Please prepare your student for this school year by talking to him or her about the importance of education. In addition, start the year right by setting up a study area and establishing the expectation that your child will complete homework, review class notes, study for test, and read on a daily basis. Make sure that you know what classes your child is taking and how to communicate with his or her teachers. Keep track of your child's progress through progressbook.ocps.net as well as progress reports and report cards. Most importantly, take a few minutes each day to talk to your child about the school day. Small actions like these can make a big difference in your child's education.
Some important back-to-school information for you:
New student orientation for incoming 6th grade students will be held on two dates this year: Tuesday, August 8th and Wednesday, August 9th. There is an article within this newsletter that tells you which date you should attend. We will begin each evening in the cafeteria at 6:00 p.m. After an overview of middle school and some tips and advice, you will be able to pick up your child's schedule and tour the campus. Please be aware that this not a meet the teacher event. The goal is for your child to find their class locations.
Our 7th and 8th grade students can pick up their schedule August 11th between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the cafeteria.
During schedule pick up time you will have opportunities to apply for free and reduced lunch, find your bus route and see what all Chain of Lakes has to offer.
Please become involved by joining our PTSA, School Advisory Council (SAC), and Parent Leadership Council (PLC). Information about each of these organizations will be sent home during the first week of school.
We are looking forward to a great school year as our Ospreys will be "SOARING TO AN A!"
Sincerely,
Cheron Anderson
Principal
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Key Dates in This Issue
August 4-6:
Back to School Sales Tax Holiday (Florida Dept. of Revenue) **
August 6:
Back 2 School Bash at Camping World Stadium
August 8 & 9: New student orientation, 6th grade only (two dates)
August 11: 7th & 8th graders may pick up their schedules
August 14: Start of the
2017-2018 School Year
August 14: Annual PTSA fundraiser begins (see below)
August 14: Soccer team tryouts during week #1 (see below)
August 21: PTSA meeting #1, 6:00 p.m.(room 813)
September 26: Official 2017-2018 Open House - "Meet Your Teacher"
** Please familiarize yourself with
both the Chain of Lakes Middle dress code policy and school supplies list below before doing any back to school shopping . . . thank you!!
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COLMS Partner in Education of the Week
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First Day of School
First Day of School
The first day of school is August 14th, 2017.
Please help students start the new school year well by having them bring their three-ringed binders, paper, a pencil, and a pen. Students will receive their planners and other important information on this day so make sure to take time that evening to review all of these materials and respond appropriately.
Report Cards/FCAT Scores
Report cards and FCAT scores for students who attended COLMS last year are still available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in the front office. Eighth grade students scoring below a level 3 on the FCAT Math exam will be placed into an additional math course to help them prepare for high school algebra. Our counselors will schedule students into the appropriate course(s) based on the student's FCAT performance and state guidelines.
Where to go for Assistance
The start of a new school year should be a fun and exciting time, but too often, students are filled with apprehension, especially if this is their first year at a new school. We at Chain of Lakes Middle School would like students, before they ever step foot on campus, to understand where they can go to obtain assistance and solve any problems that may arise. A great place to start is with the classroom teacher. Teachers are a great source of information, and have the ability to solve classroom level concerns.
The next best place to go for any student is his/her respective grade level office. Here a student can speak with their guidance counselor or administrator, pick-up or drop off important information, or just ask general questions. Let's say you lost your schedule; the grade level office can easily print a new one for you.
Having a problem with another student? The guidance counselor or administrators are great resources to help mediate conflict. No problem is too small or large!
Finally, the front office is also a great place to go for any form of assistance. Here, you will find our registrar, bookkeeper, School Resource Officer, and the principal. But regardless of where a student chooses to go for assistance, we encourage all students to report problems as soon as they arise.
Every adult on our campus is ready to assist with any problems or concerns!
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Sixth Grade New Student Orientation
Two dates this school year . . .
New student orientation for incoming 6th grade students will be held on two dates this year:
Tuesday, August 8th, for students who attended Eccleston, Metrowest, and Orlo Vista Elementary Schools. The second date will be
Wednesday, August 9th, for students who attended Palm Lake, Eagles Nest, Windermere, and Windy Ridge Elementary Schools along with any other schools not listed.
We will begin each evening in the cafeteria at 6:00 p.m. our events will start on time and end on times so please plan accordingly. After a brief overview, you will be able to pick up your child's schedule and tour the campus. Please be aware that the purpose of this event is four you to pick up your student's schedule, get information about bus transportation, and help your student locate his or her homeroom location and classes. Not all teachers will be in attendance on these dates.
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Seventh & Eighth Grade Schedule Pick-up
August 11th, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Our 7th and 8th graders can pick up their schedules on August 11th between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Please remember that students who do not have updated immunizations on file, who do not have a current documented address on file, or who have not met textbook/Media Center obligations will not be able to get their schedules at this time.
Homeroom locations and bus schedules will also be available on this day. Please note that you will not be able to meet your student's teachers on this day as this is not a "Meet Your Teacher" event and all teachers will not be present. Open House for "Meet the Teacher" will be on September 26th, so mark your calendars now.
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Student dress should reflect a neat and student-like appearance to provide a safe and orderly environment.
- Clothes shall be worn as they are designed-suspenders over the shoulders, pants secured at the waist, belts buckled, no underwear as outerwear, no underwear exposed.
- Clothes with holes, tears, or inappropriate patches will not be allowed.***
- Bare midriffs and bare sides should not show, even when arms are extended above the head.
- Clothing that is too tight or revealing is unacceptable.
- Garments and/or jewelry which display or suggest sexual, vulgar, drug, alcohol or tobacco-related working/graphics or may tend to provoke violence or disruption in school shall not be worn.
- Gang paraphernalia, jewelry, tattoos, clothing or other insignias which display, suggest, provoke or may tend to provoke violence or disruptions are not allowed.
- The following items have potential to cause disruption or threat to a safe and positive school environment and are prohibited: hats, caps, visors, sunglasses, bandanas, skull-caps, chains hanging from the neck, belt, pocket, or attached to wallet.
- Hemlines for shorts, dresses, skirts and skorts shall be no shorter than mid thigh.
- All shirts must have a sleeve.
- Thong sandals, light-up shoes, slides, cleats, backless shoes and "heeleys - shoes with wheels" are not acceptable.
A copy of the Orange County Public Schools dress code is available on the OCPS web site:
www.ocps.net.
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Below is the list of items that all students need for the 2017-2018 school year by grade:
6th Grade
3 inch, 3-ring binder - one will be used for all classes
Loose leaf paper*
Hand-held pencil sharpener with cover
(6) 100 page spiral notebooks
Pencils #2*
Pens(blue or black, no gel)*
Hi-lighters
(2) Glue sticks*
Ruler
Colored pencils
School scissors
Dry erase markers
Dividers
Index cards
Pencil pouch
Post-it-Notes
Reinforcements*
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7th Grade
3 inch, 3-ring binder - one will be used for all classes
Loose leaf paper*
Hand-held pencil sharpener with cover
(5) 100 page spiral notebooks
Pencils #2*
Pens (blue or black, no gel)*
Hi-lighters
(2) Glue sticks*
Ruler
Colored pencils
Graph paper
School scissors
Dividers
Index cards
Pencil pouch
Post-it-Notes
Dry erase and regular markers
(2) 2 pocket folders
Calculator (basic 4 function)
(1) composition notebook
Reinforcements*
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8th Grade
3 inch, 3-ring binder - one will be used for all classes
College ruled paper*
Hand-held pencil sharpener with cover
(5) 100 page spiral notebooks
Pencils #2*
Pens (blue or black, no gel)*
Hi-lighters
(2) Glue sticks*
Ruler
Colored pencils
Graph paper
Calculator (basic 4 function)
Dividers
Index cards
Pencil pouch
Post-it-Notes
Dry erase and regular markers
Reinforcements*
School Safety scissors
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* Please replenish throughout the year as needed.
The following donations would be greatly appreciated by our teachers:
Boxes of facial tissue, hand sanitizer, pencils, reams of copy paper, and Clorox wipes.
Thank you very much for your consideration and help!
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Students must silence and put away cell phones at 9:25 a.m. every morning. Cell phones should be placed in a student backpack or purse and not removed until dismissal. Please make sure your student is following this policy as cell phones that are visible may be confiscated.
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Free/Reduced School Lunch
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Students, parents, and educators are encouraged to visit
SummerReading.ocps.net to obtain reading lists by grade level, search for books, apps, interactive literacy websites, e-books, parent resources, and literacy events around town. Students may also access the Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge via this site. This challenge encourages students to read and log their minutes electronically. This summer we are challenging the students in OCPS to read 20 million minutes.
The theme this year is
'Where in the World is OCPS Reading?' Bus shelters around Orange County and OCPS Social Media will be sharing the literacy message and encouraging families to have students read this summer while hash tagging and posting pictures of their reading adventures to #OCPSReads.
Students and parents who post pictures of their student reading will be eligible to win prizes from the district. Categories will include things like most creative picture, best quote, best location etc.
For example: "@{Insert School Name} Discovering the Titanic while on the beach #OCPS Reads".
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PTSA
A welcome back message from our PTSA President . . .
Dear Parents,
The countdown has begun! If you're like me, you've already begun to organize carpools, tweak bed times and buy last minute essentials for school.
August 14, we are ready for you!
Last week, we had a great turnout for our PTSA membership drive. Thank you to all of you who came out to support us!
This year's fundraiser will begin on the first day of school and will continue for 2 weeks! Let's make this the best year yet by exceeding our goal of $15,000! Encourage your student to be creative in the way they raise money. Have a lemonade stand, a garage sale or help out a neighbor.
The first PTSA meeting of the year is on August 21 at 6:00 pm in room 813. You do not have to be a member to attend.
Don't forget to sign up for ADDitions program.
We look forward to seeing you throughout the year!
Kara Ulgenalp
PTSA President
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Immunizations: Upcoming 7th Graders
All incoming 7th grade and returning students need to have turned in their updated immunization card and physicals prior to being able to receive their schedule for the new year.
All schedules will be pulled of any student who is missing their physical form or immunization form
Where can my child get immunization shots? See your private physician or visit one of the Orange County Health Department's five clinics. Call 407-836-2600 for clinic locations
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Athletics
COLMS girls soccer team (2016)
Soccer tryouts are held the first week of school so be prepared! All county paperwork, including the OCPS sports physical, must be competed and turned in to the front office or to
Mrs. Pirolli prior to attending tryouts. Forms can be found in the front office and on our
school website. Exact dates and times of tryouts will be announced the first day of school but please note that they will begin the first week of school and will be held at the end of the school day.
OCPS offers three other sports at the middle school level: volleyball (October), basketball (January) and track (March). County paperwork may be completed and turned in at any time in order to be prepared for tryouts. Paperwork needs only to be turned in once for students to be eligible for all sports offered during that school year. Check our
school website frequently for updates on tryouts and game information.
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Chain of Lakes Middle School Leadership Team
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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 - Chain of Lakes Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Chain of Lakes Middle School. Please contact M
rs. Heather Rodriguez (administrative dean) at [email protected] with any questions. Thank you.
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Chain of Lakes Middle | Mr. Cheron Anderson, Principal | 407.909.5400 |
COLMS Website
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