I want to begin this message by thanking all of you for your continued support of our school. Education is an integral part of success and access to a bright future. Teachers are asked to do more with less on a daily basis and our families continue to step up and support us with time and resources. 

This week we will wrap things up on the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year. Our students come to school from all over the world, literally. At last calculation- Glenridge boasts students that were born in 44 countries other than the US. That’s first generation students. This doesn’t include all of the students that were born here after their parents moved to the U.S from around the world and then started a family. It is especially fun to talk with these students during this time of year, because no matter where they are from, or their religious background, they all have traditions of celebrating holidays during this time of year. I continue to learn so much from them. 

Our students have worked extremely hard in and out of the classroom this semester and the results are showing. We had our mid-year assessments this past week, and the preliminary results are very promising. Last week we also had several holiday performances within our arts department, and they concluded this week with our chorus performance at Winter Park High.

This past week, the Florida Department of Education released the school grades for 2022-2023. Because we moved to a different assessment last year for math and reading, the state made some adjustments to the calculation process. The threshold for receiving an “A” for the past 10 plus years has been to achieve 61.5% of the possible assessment points. Last year, we surpassed that threshold with 65.4% of possible points. However, the state moved the target for middle schools last year to 68.0% of points needed for an “A”. I only try to explain this because our teachers and students worked extremely hard to meet the target needed, and what appears in the news will not fully explain the results. I welcome an accountability system that allows all of you to know how we compare to other schools in the district and state, and our goal for 2023-2024 is to achieve the “A” no matter how they calculate the grades. However, I think it is critical for you to know the details.  

We still have four instructional days left in the second quarter, the first semester, and for the 2023 calendar year. As we countdown to the winter break, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you and also wish you a restful, yet fun holiday season. 

Daniel Kempinger

Principal

Pictured very top: Ms. Morgan and our orchestra students during their winter concert on December 12 (additional highlights below).