Monday, November 6, 2023
Colonial High School
CHS Community Member
I hope this finds you having enjoyed the extra hour of sleep on Sunday and that you remembered to set all your clocks back the one hour. We are heading into our final 10 days of instruction before the first of three major breaks during the regular school year: Thanksgiving break running from November 20-24.

One of the most important meetings we have as a high school is our monthly School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting. Many of our Colonial parents have never sat in on of one these, but they are vital to the success of our students & teachers. We have one coming up this Thursday, November 9 at 6:00pm. These are held on the Ninth Grade Campus and are open to ALL members of our Colonial school community. Attending SAC are parents, teachers, students, our leadership team and any interested community member who has a stake in the progress of Colonial High School. While these meetings are not long at all, we cover a lot of ground discussing parents' interests/concerns and the sharing of important OCPS information that directly or indirectly affects our students.

The 2023-2024 school year is already 1/3 completed and we are heading into some of the most important weeks of the entire year as the learning process is cumulative. This Thursday's 6:00pm meeting would be an excellent choice to attend if you can invest an hour to join us. Please, give it some thought. We would greatly appreciate hearing from more of our families as this input is essential to our leadership team.
Finally, with respect to our Grenadier parents, you will find a message below with the name and email address of our Parent Engagement Liaison: [email protected] If you should ever have any questions and need some quick feedback, use this email. Ms. Salmon is here to support our CHS families and is more than happy to answer your questions (see message below). With Thanksgiving break now only 10 days away, the weeks are passing extremely quickly. Therefore, if you need some help on a school matter, email her sooner vs. later and she will respond.

Grenadiers, please put forth your very best effort over these next 10 days and remember to never quit on your personal goals. If you need extra help with any class, speak with your teacher and/or use the tutoring sessions we have set out just for you.

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you at Thursday's SAC meeting.

It's Great To Be A Grenadier!

Betzabeth Reussow
Principal
Colonial High School

Pictured very top: Colonial High School’s Chamber Choir had the opportunity to perform at WKMG for their Holiday show airing later this winter!
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Useful Links
Connect with CHS
Main Campus:
6100 Oleander Drive
Orlando, FL 32807
(407) 482-6300

Freshman Campus:
7775 Valencia Collage Lane
Orlando, FL 32807
(407) 249-6369
School Advisory Council
November meeting is this Thursday. All Colonial community members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
November Themes and Special Weeks
Grenadier Spotlight
Cambridge AICE AS History students take their test on Friday, October 27th—a day we had no school for students. Another example of our Grenadiers going that extra mile to succeed!
Grenadier Vital Signs
Daily attendance during October
The week of PSAT & SAT testing was the best period of October when it came to student attendance.
Credit: Dr. Boyer, Assistant Principal
Parent Support
Community Reminder!
Our annual Teach-In is Thursday, Nov. 16th:
A once per year opportunity to speak to the students for a class period.
Classroom Spotlight
Health Science
Keiser University students visit Colonial to teach our Grenadiers.
Colonial Health Science students had a very cool Teach-In with Keiser University Occupational/Physical Therapy Program. Keiser's students came out and participated with our students for a full-day of occupational and physical therapy skills. The students were so excited to see how important physical and cognitive skills are to our activities of daily living. If they choose to study in occupational/physical therapy, they can become certified and assist patients regain some of their physical and cognitive abilities.
Colonial Speech and Debate
Grenadiers compete at UF vs. students from across the country!
Your Grenadier Speech and Debaters just returned from duking it out at the University of Florida. We competed against 893 students from 21 states. Mr. Mohammed and I are thrilled to announce that we had a grenadier advance to quarter finals for the first time in Colonial history!
Congratulations to Katie Klinkhammer (nearby pictures) for her success in Impromptu Speaking. Shoutout to our other amazing students who went up against the best of the best; Ethan Mills, Enrique Ramirez, Mauvy Ramirez, and George LaComb, who also did extremely well this weekend!
Tutoring Reminder
Tuesdays and Thursdays after school:
FREE online tutoring offered daily starting at 2:00 PM:
College and Career
1) A reminder that college scholarship application deadlines are continuously coming up:
Click here to view the current OCPS Scholarship Bulletin
2) Immediate transition to college from high school = 62%
Question: How many high school seniors go straight to college after high school?

Answer: Of the 2.7 million US high school students who graduated in 2021 (latest year available), some 1.7 million (or 62 percent) were enrolled in college shortly after leaving high school. The percentage of high school graduates who are enrolled in 2- or 4-year college institutions within a few months are known as the "immediate college enrollment rate." The overall immediate college enrollment rate in 2021 was lower than the rate in 2010 (68 percent - see second column in table below).
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Read full article
OCPS News
Superintendent's Weekly Message: Mondays with Maria
On this week's "Mondays with Maria," Dr. Vazquez and Chief Communications Officer Scott Howat discuss the highest rated topics on the teacher ThoughtExchange that was recently sent to instructional staff and how the district plans to address them.
2024-2025 OCPS magnet schools & programs application process is now open:
Monday's Motivational Moment!
A reminder on how opportunities work as we head into the 10 days before Thanksgiving break.
THE DOOR TO OPPORTUNITY
Opportunities and motivation are connected. Motivated people see opportunities, and opportunities are often what motivate people.

Great attitudes precede great opportunities. Who you are determines what you see.

Today is the best day for an opportunity. Opportunity always takes "now" for an answer.

Opportunities don't always present themselves in ideal circumstances. If you wait for all the lights to turn green, you will never leave your driveway.

Opportunities are birthed out of problems. If you're looking for a BIG opportunity, find a BIG problem.

Opportunities either multiply or disappear. The more opportunities you pursue, the more you find behind them.

Opportunities must be nourished if they are to survive. REMEMBER GRENADIERS . . . "Feed an opportunity; starve a problem."
Florida flag
IT'S GREAT TO BE A GRENADIER!
Mrs. Reussow, Principal
Colonial High School
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Social Media
Stay Connected with Us
Leadership Team
Principal: Ms. Betzabeth Reussow [email protected]
Assistant Principal: Dr. Tayler Boyer [email protected]
Assistant Principal: Mr. Daniel Caliari
Assistant Principal: Mr. Paul Maldonado [email protected]
Assistant Principal: Mr. Donell Morrell [email protected]
Assistant Principal: Ms. Krystin Roviaro [email protected]
Assistant Principal: Ms. Janeika Sweet [email protected]
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OCPS EEO Non-Discrimination Statement
The School Board of Orange County, Florida, does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other reason prohibited by law. The following individuals at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 West Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, attend to compliance matters: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer & Title IX Coordinator: Keshara Cowans; ADA Coordinator; ADA Coordinator: Jay Cardinali; Section 504 Coordinator: Tajuana Lee-Wenze. (407.317.3200)
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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 Dr. Tayler Boyer (assistant principal) at [email protected] with any questions.