Chain of Lakes Middle School Community Brief
Friday, May 24, 2019
    

 
Wishing you and your family a Happy Memorial Weekend! May we always remember and honor those who have sacrificed so much in service to our great nation.

As students return on Tuesday from their extended weekend, it is vital that students have all their missing assignments turned in. It is important that students do not get "summer fever" early.  As a gentle reminder, students are not to bring any backpacks or large bags to campus on Tuesday or Wednesday. Students may have a small purse or fanny pack, but no backpacks or sling bags. Students should also keep electronic devices like gaming systems, hand-held games, home as well.

Again, I stress the importance of finishing strong and ending the year on the right note.   
To our 8th grade students who are departing for high school, we wish you good luck as you continue your educational journey. I am confident that you will accomplish remarkable things with the skills that you have gained in your three years at Chain of Lakes.

Finally, let me thank all our parents, students, teachers and community partners for another successful year for Chain of Lakes Middle School. Please enjoy your summer and have a safe, fun time with family and friends. We look forward to seeing all our Ospreys back and welcoming a new class of incoming 6th graders to the Chain of Lakes family.

Here are the highlights for this week. Stayed tuned to our social media outlets for updates during the summer and I hope you enjoy and thank you for your continued support.  
 
Cheron Anderson  
Principal
 
Pictured very top: Chain of Lakes 8th grade Horizon Scholars with Dr. Slaughter and Guidance Counselor, Ms. Forrester.
 
Communication is Key!
Stay connected to Chain of Lakes Middle School by following us on Twitter at @COLMS_OCPS or "Like" our Facebook Page.
   
 
Dates to Watch For  

May 27: Memorial Day (No school)

May 29: Last Day of School

June 4: Summer Lunch Program begins (see below)

August 12: First Day of School - 2019-2020 OCPS Calendar

REMINDER:
During the summer, if you have an issue that need attention, please use the Speak Out Hotline. Or in case of an emergency contact 911.




Generation after generation, our nation has been fortunate enough to have service members who continue to believe that freedom is worth fighting for, and if necessary, dying for. Memorial Day is about being thankful that such brave men and women have lived. This coming Monday, May 27th, kindly take a moment to remember those that have fallen in defense of our freedoms.

Local Business Spotlight
Thank you for supporting those businesses that support COLMS! 
 

PTSA

Dear Chain of Lakes Families,

As we wrap up the 2018/19 school year, your PTSA would like to thank you for all of your support! We could not do all of the things we do for our teachers, students, and staff without your help and support, whether it be through fundraising, volunteering, or both! We enjoyed meeting so many of you beginning with schedule and laptop pick-ups all the way through to our PIE/Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast.

We would like to say farewell to our 8th grade families and offer you well wishes on your new adventure to high school! Middle school is such a huge growth experience for students, and it is exciting to watch all of these wonderful students achieve so much during their time at Chain of Lakes.

For our returning Ospreys, we will see you soon! We are already planning more fun events for our students next year! As parents, you may want to get involved in a myriad of ways! We have many volunteer opportunities and committee chair openings available.

Your PTSA focuses on teacher/staff appreciation, teacher grants, student events, volunteer support, community support and fundraising. We would not be able to do any of this without parent support and involvement. Thank you all again for everything you do to support your PTSA!

Have a wonderful summer full of relaxation and fun!

Yours In Service,

Kim Gowanloch
kgowanloch@icloud.com
Chain of Lakes Middle School PTSA President

Night of Excellence 2019


Night of Excellence is Chain of Lakes Middle School's yearly awards ceremony to honor the best and brightest Ospreys. This year our event took place at St. Luke's Methodist Church. Nearly 200 students were honored for maintaining a 3.5+ GPA the entire school year. Also, 8th graders were honored for having a 4.0+ GPA for all three years of Middle School.

A special thanks to our administration team and guidance counselors for hosting such a wonderful event. Thank you to Ms. Tate for organizing all the awards for our students. We would also like to thank our Area Superintendent, Dr. James Larsen, for being guest speaker at this event. Dr. Larsen's words of wisdom are sure to resonate with our high flying Ospreys as they continue with Chain of Lakes or move on to high school.

Important Information for All Parents

Parents - Please make sure that our school has on record your correct address and information. If you have moved or plan to move, please contact our registration office to ensure that your child is ready for the upcoming school year.

Also, PARENTS OF CURRENT 6TH GRADERS- please make sure that your child's shot records are updated as well. Students entering the 7th grade must have correct information to start school.

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis Booster (Tdap). Tdap may be administered prior to 7th grade starting at age 7 years

For more information, please contact the Florida Department of Health in Orange County
School Health Program at 407-858-1438 or the Immunization Program at 407-836-2502.

Stay in Touch With Chain of Lakes

Over the summer, you can stay in contact with Chain of Lakes by visiting our social media accounts. Also, sign up for reminders using the REMIND app; with REMIND you can have important messages sent directed to your cell phone.


Chess Tournament
Sydney B, Raghav R, Ronney C, and Gavin M in district competition

Several of our students competed in the District-wide Chess Tournament sponsored by OCPS' Minority Achievement Office. There were over 150 middle schoolers competing and two of our students made it to the final table with one student placing in the tournament. When you see our team, Sydney B., Raghav R., Ronney C., and Gavin M., please give them a high five for their great play! They represented our school exceptionally well!


Raghav R.

Talented Osprey!
Congratulations to Ciara D. and to Ms. Morales!
 
Please congratulate, Ciara D. as she was honored as a finalist at the Crayola Experience/Gatorland Art Contest. Ciara was selected from 750 students to be a finalist. Her artwork is pictured below. Congratulations to Ciara and to Ms. Morales for her amazing art instruction.
 

Chain of Lakes Orchestra Concert
Spring concert caps off a very successful year!

This past week our Chain of Lakes Orchestra had a phenomenal orchestra concert. Our orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Strang, has made some many accomplishments this school year. Given their brilliant performances and being asked to perform with UCF, we are so proud of all they accomplished and cannot wait to see what next year holds!
  
Looking Ahead to Next Year . . .
 
For all of our Ospreys returning next year, as you are out enjoying your summer, please take a moment and start to think about some of the back-to-school supplies you will need for the next school year. Remember, all students will be issued a laptop, so you may want to purchase a backpack with a laptop sleeve or extra protection to spare any damages to your digital device.

We also need for every student to have a pair of earbuds or headphones. They need to be the earbuds/headphones with a cord and audio input to use for testing with your laptop. You can find many of these items at your local dollar store.

* Please remember that the Florida Department of Revenue will offer a sales tax holiday again this year in support of "back-to-school" - Eligible items from the 2018 sales tax holiday




Summer Lunch
 

This summer, Orange County Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services is touring the county to offer meals at no charge to children and young adults ages 18 and under.

Monday through Friday, from June 4 through August 3*, a food truck, van and bus will visit the library system's Hiawassee, Edgewater, Chickasaw, North Orange, South Creek, South Trail, and Washington Park branches. Follow up your lunch with fun Summer Reading Program events inside the library!

* There will be no service on July 4.
  • Chickasaw Branch: 11 a.m.  - 12:00 p.m.
  • Edgewater Branch: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • Hiawassee Branch: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • South Creek Branch: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • South Trail Branch: 1 - 2 p.m.
  • Washington Park Branch: 1 - 2 p.m.
  • North Orange Branch: 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.
Orange County Library System:
Summer Reading Program 2019
 

Check out https://www.ocls.info/kids-summer-reading-program-2019 to see what the Orange County Public Library Systems has to offer for summer reading programs and activities for your Osprey. This is a great way to prevent the "summer slide" -  Research indicates 2 months of reading skills and 2 1/2 months of math skills are lost over a single summer.

Chain of Lakes Theatre Department
2019-2020 performances have already been scheduled!

The Chain of Lakes Theatre Department presented great musicals and performances for the 2018-2019 school year and the 2019-2020 season bring us even more spectacular performances with:

The Wizard of Oz is coming in November 2019 . . .


.  .  . And BE OUR GUEST for Beauty & The Beast Jr. in April 2020!


Chain of Lakes by the Numbers
Testing completion success rate of 99% this school year!

This year our testing season ran during the month of May. Students participated in the FSA for Reading and Math. We also had a large share of students take the EOC's of high school courses such as Algebra1 and Geometry. Eighth graders also participated in the 8th Grade Science assessments and our 7th graders participated in the Civics NGSSS assessment.

With all of these tests, our school was still able to get 99% of our students' tests complete. This is a huge accomplishment for the Chain of Lakes faculty and staff!

Thank you to all our students as well who were sure to make it school on time each day.



 
Student health and safety reminders for the summer . . .

   
Sources: USA Today, noheatstroke.org. U.S. Center for Disease Control; PEW Research; Dr. Pepper Snapple Group survey of 1,005 kids ages 9-12 and parents of kids ages 5-17 
 
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: Grace Gregory Grace.Gregory@ocps.net
7th Grade Administrative Dean: James Brown
6th Grade Administrative Dean: Kimberly Powell
Kimberly.Powell@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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