Chain of Lakes MS - Community Brief

Chain of Lakes Middle School Community Brief

Monday, August 21, 2017

Welcome Back to Another Fantastic School Year!
I hope that you had an enjoyable and relaxing summer. Faculty and staff have been working very hard to start our year off right. We are so excited that we earned a "B" school grade for the 2016-2017 school year! This can only be the result of all the hard work our students, faculty, staff and of course our wonderful parents!

This School Year Our Mantra is "Ospreys Soaring to an A"
In order to make this vision a reality, my goals for this school year are: 1) to continue to increase student achievement; 2) nurture our positive school culture; and 3) to continue data-driven instruction every day in every period. We were fortunate to have our teachers and coaches attend a myriad of trainings and conferences over the summer They have returned with a cache of strategies, resources and creative ideas to engage students in learning and increase their knowledge capacity.

New Course Offerings for 2017-2018
We are pleased to announce more classes catering to technology and business education. This year we have added Computer Essentials I and II and also S.T.E.M. Additionally, we are pleased to offer Spanish II. Our students will have the ability to complete their foreign language requirement in middle school. Great things are truly happening on our campus!

New Students & School Procedures
Parents, please be mindful that the next few weeks we will need to exercise patience and understanding as we orient our newest Ospreys to the family and learn our school procedures. Specifically, please be mindful in the car loop area - drive carefully and follow the instructions of personnel guiding you through.

Dress Code
Kindly note that students are NOT allowed to wear jeans/pants with any holes in them and all shirts (dresses) must have a complete sleeve. If you have any questions, please contact your grade level office.

Week #2
We look forward to seeing our students back on Monday for the start of another successful week. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and always stay connected with all things Chain of Lakes Middle School by visiting our website at chainoflakesms.ocps.net

Sincerely,

Cheron Anderson
Principal

Visit COLMS Website

Key Dates in This Issue

August 21: PTSA meeting #1, 6:00 p.m.(room 813)
August 21:Total solar ecplise
August 28: PTSA Fall Fundraiser begins
August 30: Soccer game away at Gotha Middle School, 5:00 p.m.
September 26: Open House

COLMS Local Business Support

Planet Smoothie Website

COLMS by the Numbers

Student achievement on this year's FSA . . .

Did you know that Chain of Lakes Middle School had the 3rd highest increase in school points??? Yes, with a 61 point gain, Chain of Lakes is VERY PROUD to be a "B" school this year. This shows our dedication to rigorous standards-based instruction to increase student achievement.

* Florida Department of Education 2016-17 School Accountability Reports - All Schools

First Week of School

Just add students! All quiet on campus just prior to the students returning on day #1.

We have enjoyed a great first week of school! Students have already started to become engaged in rigorous classroom instruction while learning the policies and procedures of Chain of Lakes.

* Please make sure you check your students backpack for important information that was sent home on the first day. All Osprey families need to complete Residency Questionnaires and Emergency Contact Forms. Students need to turn these items back into school, to their first period teacher.

Media Center.
Banner reads 'Reading takes you places when you have to stay where you are.'

COLMS Cafe
Daily school menus - all schools

Student Code of Conduct

It is important that students understand the policies and procedures of OCPS. Please take a moment and review with your child a copy of the OCPS Student Code of Conduct at:

www.ocps.net/cms/one.aspx?pageId=697640

Dress Code

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.

Free/Reduced School Lunch

You may apply today at: https://www.myschoolapps.com

For more information about the OCPS Free/Reduced School Lunch Program, please visit:

https://www.ocps.net/departments/food_and_nutrition_services/parent/free___reduced_f_a_q_s/

Cell Phone Policy

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.

PTSA

A special message from our PTSA President . . .

Here we are at the second week of school and already we have a lot going on!

The PTSA fundraiser will now begin next Monday, August 28! Our theme is Fear Factor-are you ready! If we reach our goal of $15,000.00 Mr.Anderson will take a ride on the slingshot on International Drive with live news coverage! Don't you want to see that?! All of the money goes back to the school to pay for teacher grants, learning resources and this year we will putting a large portion of the funds toward a new sound system for the school. We will be accepting cash, checks made payable to COLMS PTSA and online payments on our website www.chainoflakesptsa.com (look under the SHOP tab). Look for more information in your child's bag.

If you haven't joined the PTSA yet, please do it today! This is the best way to stay connected to all the news at school.

Our next meeting is Monday, August 21 at 6:00 pm in room 813. Hope to see you there!

Kind regards,

Kara Ulgenalp
COLMS PTSA, President

Athletics

COLMS Boys Soccer Team (2016)

Our first soccer game of the season starts SOON!! Check out our SOCCER schedule to attend upcoming games and to support your OSPREYS.

Date	Day	Time	Opponent	Location
8/30	Wednesday	5:00 PM	Gotha	Away
9/6	Wednesday	5:00 PM	Sunridge	Away
9/11	Monday	5:00 PM	Southwest	Home
9/13	Wednesday	5:00 PM	Bridgewater	Away
9/18	Monday	5:00 PM	Windy Ridge	Home
9/20	Wednesday	5:00 PM	Carver	Home

OCPS Middle School Sports Schedules - All Sports / All Schools

Chain of Lakes Middle School Leadership Team

Principal: Cheron Anderson Cheron.Anderson@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: James Morse James.Morse@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Angela Slaughter Angela.Slaughter@ocps.net
8th Grade Administrative Dean: James Brown James.Brown4@ocps.net
7th Grade Administrative Dean: Kimberly Powell Kimberly.Powell@ocps.net
6th Grade Administrative Dean: Grace Gregory Grace.Gregory@ocps.net
Administrative Dean: Heather Rodriguez Heather.Rodriguez@ocps.net

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 heather.rodriguez@ocps.net with any questions. Thank you.

Chain of Lakes Middle | Mr. Cheron Anderson, Principal | 407.909.5400 | COLMS Website

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