Monday, July 20, 2020

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Pictured very top:
OCPS announced its school school reopening plan for 2020-2021 this past Friday, July 17. Please see story and important information below.
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Colonial High School
   

As you may have already heard by now, this past Friday the OCPS school board decided to offer both on-line and on-campus options for our students - Orlando Sentinel, July 17. Below you will find the latest back-to-school information and supporting links for our Grenadier families. If you have a student that will be attending CHS this fall, you will need to make your choice from three back-to-school options in the coming days so please take the time to look over the material and any associated links as soon as possible.  

In whatever decision you make for your student(s), please know that we are 100% behind you and will continue to make sure that they recieve the very best possible learning experience again this year. I also want you to know that we have already been spending a great deal of time this summer and will continue to do so into August preparing both campuses for the safe return of students and their teachers. We are implementing all the recommended health safety steps that we possibly can in addition to our normal summer break deep cleaning.

Thank you for looking over our third summer edition of The Colonial Connection. Take care of yourself and have a great week!

It's Great To Be A Grenadier!

Dr. Maestre
Principal









Content and Important Events

In this Issue (Click link)
 
Dates to Watch For
 
July 24: Last day to submit School Registration Form - 3 Options
August 7-9: Florida Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Period - Details
August 21: Start of 2020-2021 school year  
 
* District and school campus hours for the summer are Monday - Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed on Fridays. (Appointments only.) 
 


Colonial's FFA (please see the short piece on our Veterinary Animal Science Magnet below) with the support of CHS administration sponsored a school beautification project on Saturday, Sept. 20 last school year. Forty volunteers from FFA, Key Club, JROTC, SGA, and PTSA teamed up to mulch the front and courtyard of our main campus. Volunteers applied 820 bags of mulch in just four hours! Everyone had been working then to make the campus look great leading up to the annual Open House on Oct. 2, 2019.
 
Reopening Schools for the 2020-2021 School YearFLreopeningplan
 
OCPS is committed to ensuring every student has a promising and successful future. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are required by the Commissioner of Education's Emergency Order to open schools with safety measures in place for students and staff. We are also committed to providing options to parents and teachers.

The options are:  
Our plans remain fluid during these unprecedented times, but the School Board approved sending the innovative model plan to the state July 17. Parents and guardians are encouraged to review the choices to better understand what might be best for their families. To maximize safety efforts, OCPS strongly encourages selecting the Innovative OCPS LaunchEd@Home model, if you are able to keep your child at home.

Below is a comparison of the three instructional models that parents can choose from for the fall semester, which will tentatively start Friday, August 21. The Choice Registration Form is now available (link just below) and will be open until Friday, July 24. If the registration process is not completed by Friday, July 24, the student will be registered to attend their zoned or assigned school utilizing the Face-to-Face instructional model.

 
 
   
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Mathematics: Ms. Raines' Algebra 1 classes enjoyed fresh air as they collaborated to practice solving equations with multiple variables during the first nine-week quarter of 2019-2020.
 
New Staff Spotlight!newstaffspotlight
Meet our new Assistant Principal for the Ninth Grade Center, Dr. Timothy Flynn, Ed.D.

Dr. Flynn holds three college degrees including his doctorate from UCF!
 
Q: Prior role before coming to Colonial?
A: Assistant Principal of Instruction, Westridge Middle School

Q: College attended/professional certifications?
A: UCF x 3 (BA, MEd, EdD), certified in social science 6-12, Ed leadership and principal (all levels)

Q: Favorite aspect of your work?
A: Seeing the potential in kids; motivating them to be their absolute best!

Q: Any personal interests, hobbies, etc.?
A: I love music, played drums in a band for a number of years. My wife and I love to DIY projects around the house - specifically, she loves to find something on Pinterest and we work together to make it and I love to think I can fix anything by watching a ten minute YouTube videos. We have a toddler who has made maintaining hobbies a challenge.  
 
Colonial Academics: CHS Offers 3 Magnet Programs!academicsmagnets

Grenadier Magnet Programs
Colonial High School offers three magnets: Veterinary Animal Sciences, Information Technology, and the Cambridge magnet. Students must apply to one program and follow it's curriculum, but they are able to take the courses from the other magnets if it fits into their schedule.

Cambridge AICE Program


The Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) is an international diploma that students can earn via an advanced academic curriculum and assessment program written and administered by a non-profit department (CIE) of the University of Cambridge in England. AICE program courses and examinations may be offered during grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 in schools worldwide registered as CIE Centres. There is also a pre-AICE, or International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), curriculum and assessment program available for grades 9 and 10 that prepares students for AICE courses.

AICE not only prepares students to get into a university with up to 45 hours of college credit, but it also provides them with the skills required to be successful once there. In addition to college credits students can also earn the maximum Florida Bright Futures Scholarship if they complete the AICE diploma and 100 hours of community service.

Veterinary Animal Sciences Magnet Program

Colonial's Veterinary Sciences Magnet encourages our students to be active members of the various clubs and organizations offered at Colonial High School and work with students in accommodating their schedules. At the completion of the program, each student will have extensive knowledge of a wide breadth of animal sciences curriculum (refer to the Magnet Parent/Student Curriculum Guide for details).

Beyond the classroom, students are eligible to compete in county, district, state, and even national agriculture related competitions building competence, personal skills, and enhancing their resumes for competitive admission to post-secondary schooling. Not only will you participate in one of a kind competitions, but it is also a lot of fun! Students explore the vast breadth of career opportunities working in animal sciences and receive assistance in setting educational and occupational aspirations. Students also have the opportunity to earn adult level industry certifications.

Career and Technical Education
 
   
Students completing specific Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs can earn post-secondary credit to enable them to continue post-secondary education.

We offer the following programs at Colonial High School:
  • Digital Information Technology
  • Digital Video Design
  • Hospitality
  • Culinary Arts
  • Aerospace Engineering and Design
  • Health Science
  • Automotive Technology
 
Summer Reading Assignmentssummerreading
 
 

An Easy Way To Stay Calm During The Pandemic? Read.
Summer reading assignments are something we expect of our Grenadiers (click above), but many parents and community members may not realize how reading can help besides just improving your mind. Did you know that quieting anxiety is one reason you should find books to read?

Reading isn't just a way to learn. It also has a calming effect. A University of Liverpool study of 4,000 adults showed readers were less stressed and depressed. And that makes them better ready to cope with challenges.

The study confirms what health professionals have long thought. Nurses during World War I turned to bibliotherapy to ease the stress of injured soldiers.

The Library of Congress and the American Library Association created the U.S. Library War Service. The program collected more than 700 million books and magazines for American troops to help them heal from the traumas of war. Nurses believed reading calmed the soldiers and improved their chances of emotional recovery.

We hope our Grenadiers have already begun their reading assignments by this point in July, but even if this does not apply directly to you and given all that is going on in the news, consider picking up a good book to read this week!

eBooks and Summer ReadingLiteracy

Our library has E-Books for the students to read at home. The steps to access them on Launchpad are:
1. Click on the "Library Research Tools" button
2. Click on the "Follet Destiny" button Questions and Answers about Follett
3. It will open to our school library and they will automatically see all the e-books available.
4. Students will see the e-books banner with their covers.
5. They can use the arrows on the banner or click "See all" button
6. Choose the book
7. Click on the "Open" button
8. Start reading

We have the Florida Teens Read books and others. And students can bookmark the page where they left off. Students, please remember to log in your minutes on Beanstack.

The steps for Beanstack:
1. Click on the Beanstack app Beanstack ยป Marshes of Glynn Libraries
2. Click on the "Log Reading" button
3. Click on the "Minutes" button
4. Students will click on the day of the reading
5. They will enter the minutes read on "Time Spent Reading"
6. They will type the title of the book, as they start inputting the name it will show titles that are similar. They will click on the title of their book.
7. Students can choose to leave a review if they wish
8. Lastly, click the "Log" button.
9. Students, please register on the "Spring into Reading" program. This is a competition program , meaning there are prizes for students and the school with the most logged minutes.

Another great resource for free books for those who prefer listening to read alouds...
Free Audiobooks: Available now through the end of the summer: https://www.audiobooksync.com/

Thank you, stay safe, and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Andrea Parisi & Aimee Havrilesko
Media Specialists: Main Campus and 9th Grade Center




Grenadier Athleticsgrenadierathletics



Starting with the 2020-2021 school year, the sports physicals will be exclusively online! This system is being used county-wide and will streamline the process of athletic clearance for all athletes.

To start the clearance process, go to AthleticClearance.com and click on "Register." The system will walk you through all of the steps necessary to complete the process, and there is also a video on the home screen, which can also be found at this link: https://youtu.be/paa30q59jWU
All physical forms can be downloaded from this website and will be uploaded into an account created for each student. If you have multiple students, you will be able to register them under the same account.

Pictured here are a few swim team members with Coach Adams after their 2nd Meet of the season last September against the Evans High School Trojans and the Jones High School Tigers.

Student Services Newsletterstudentservicesnewsletter




College & Career Updatescollegeandcareerupdates

Take a Virtual College Tour
Spring was the typical time for high schoolers to start touring colleges, but most were closed during that time this year. We have 50 virtual reality tours of national and international colleges and universities. Each includes a lesson of research, discussion, and reflection. Click on this link to get started today!

Education and Weekly Earnings: Latest U.S. Findings Out Friday
Four times per year, the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics takes the pulse of what average Americans at the age of 25 and up are making per week based on how much education they have required. They have been doing this for many years and the results for the second quarter of 2020 were released this past Friday morning. The pattern holds up yet again.


Community footnote: Of course a higher income through acquiring more education is nice, but there is something even more rewarding in store for those that go further. Education is the only long-term solution to curing our big problems such as medicine, protecting the Earth's environment, and more.

Testingtesting

SAT & ACT
All college-bound students should take both the ACT and the SAT one time in their junior year.

A second test in SAT and/or ACT is recommended again in the junior year or at the latest in the fall of the senior year. Students who have free/reduced lunch can take both the SAT 2 times (not including the school day SATs) and the ACT 2 times for FREE.

Students who have not passed the FSA and have used all of your SAT/ACT waivers, please see your counselor to discuss your options.

If you want a SAT waiver, check your collegeboard account first to see if your free test waivers are already unlocked. If not, then see your counselor for a SAT Waiver! If you want an ACT waiver, see your counselor.
 
 
 
FSA Passing Alternatives
Students who have not passed the FSA Grade 10 Reading or Algebra 1 FSA should register to take the SAT and/or ACT to achieve FSA Grade 10 Reading or Algebra 1 FSA concordant scores. Earning a concordant score means that you will no longer have to continue taking the FSA Grade 10 reading or the Algebra 1 FSA (you would be considered "all set" for graduation!). There are different sections in different exams that can be used to meet these two testing requirements. The charts below break down, by grade level, what test you would need to take and what score you would need to earn to be considered "all set."

Keep in mind, students would only need to earn ONE of the following scores in order to satisfy the FSA Grade 10 Reading or Algebra 1 FSA graduation requirement. Graduation concordant scores were updated by the Florida Department of Education Summer 2018, so carefully check your graduating class below to see what you would need to meet your class's graduation
requirements:



Summer Resources for all Studentssummerstudentresources

Summer Meal Service 
Summer meals will be distributed Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Colonial High School Campus. Students and/or a parent or guardian can pick up breakfast and lunch. On Thursday, they can pick up two days of breakfast and lunch.

Teen Xpress Health Services 
Teen Xpress has returned to our Main Campus to provide health services at Colonial High School. Teen Xpress services are open to any Orange County students from 11 to 18 years old. Services are free and you do not need to have insurance. Consent forms are available in the front office. Please call today for your appointment 321-842-1766 or for Spanish 321-842-1765.

 

Community Health Carecommunityhealthcare
Community Resources
Please call 211 for financial assistance, health programs, crisis support and more.

For additional resources contact Hilda Tolentino, Colonial High School SAFE Coordinator at hilda.tolentinotirado@ocps.net

* Student Assistance and Family Empowerment Program (SAFE)

Social Media
 
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chs t
chs ig
CHS YT

Leadership Team

chs Principal: Dr. Hector Maestre Hector.Maestre@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Ms. Maricarmen Aponte maricarmen.aponte@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Dr. Timothy Flynn  timothy.flynn@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Ms. Elizabeth Fuller elizabeth.fuller@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Mr. Michael Mezger michael.mezger@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Ms. Kimberly Parsons kimberly.paternoster@ocps.net  
Assistant Principal: Ms. Mary Vetter mary.vetter@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Mr. Jonathan Zenzel jonathan.zenzel@ocps.net
Leadership Team Biographies: Leadership Team Biographies

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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-Colonial High School is forbidden without written consent.  Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and OCPS-Colonial High School. Please contact Ms. Mary Vetter (assistant principal) at mary.vetter@ocps.net with any questions.