Dec. 7-10: Winter Testing Block Scheduled Days

Dec. 8: School SWAG for sale in the cafeteria (each Tues. & Wed.)

Dec. 9: School SWAG for sale in the cafeteria (each Tues. & Wed.)

Dec. 9: Instructional model change forms are due for the second semester by 4:30 p.m. today

Dec. 10: OCPS Virtual Parent Academy - "Navigating Educational Opportunities" - 6:00pm

Dec. 11-17: PTSO and HOPE Club are collecting BOXED CEREALS for the Cast Member Pantry

Dec. 14-18: Holiday Spirit Week! Each day has its own theme.

Dec. 17: Deadline for Free/Reduced Lunch Application which is open to every student. However, the form must be completed.

Dec. 17: Application deadline for National Junior Honor Society for those students having received an invitation.

Dec. 17: Collection option for BOXED CEREALS (see above) at the Burger Fi (next to Windermere HS) between 4-9 pm

Dec. 18: Last day of the SGA Toy Drive

Dec. 19: Last day to pre-order a 2020-2021 Yearbook at the $35 price

Please take a moment and view the graphic below to see if you have an assessment, you will need to take. Then you can look at the Block Schedule to see when those tests will be administered.

Make your plans now to participate in our Winter Holiday Spirit Week! We want to see all our Hornets show of their holiday spirit, our #HornetsAtHome and Our #HornetsOnCampus . . . be sure to send pics to [email protected] to share your spirit on social media.

Orange County Public Schools has developed their COVID Dashboard that can be accessed from the OCPS.net webpage main page. Here you can see the current number of confirmed cases at each school and active quarantine cases. Visit this page frequently for the most up to date Covid data in the district.

My name is Mrs. Riepe and I am the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) Sponsor for Horizon West Middle School. Starting back in September I sent out emails to all eligible candidates inviting them to join NJHS. This is a by invitation only club. I have been emailing the invitation and application every week, sometimes twice a week, to students who meet the criteria. All students who were invited that would join NJHS must fulfill the following: being a 7th grade student who received a 3.5 GPA for their 6th grade year.

Please have your child check their school email and fill out the application for NJHS today if they would like to join. The application deadline is 12/17/2020. They can email their completed application and essay to me: [email protected]. To find out more about NJHS please visit https://www.njhs.us/.

Presentations included the construction management of HWMS along with the engineering of energy for HWMS, orthodontist/dental careers, and curriculum development with a Learning Experience Designer.

All students at Horizon West Middle School are eligible for free lunch and breakfast every day. Also, our LaunchEd students may pick up lunch and breakfasts for the week on Mondays at 4:30 in the Horizon West Middle School Car Loop.

You still need to apply for Free/Reduced Lunch if you want this benefit after December 17th. Again, ALL students are eligible!

Apply for free or reduced lunch at https://www.myschoolapps.com/ today as the deadline for benefits is coming soon.

Happy December, and almost ½ way through the school year! In the spirit of giving and helping to support our community this holiday season, the PTSO and HOPE Club are collecting BOXED CEREALS for the Cast Member Pantry from December 11-17. Please drop off your cereal donations to school in the front office during any of these days.

Can’t make the school drop-off, then please stop by Burger Fi (next to WHS) on Thursday, December 17th between 4-9 pm to bring your cereal boxes. It is a Spirit Night for Horizon West MS and your order (in person, online, or delivery) will yield a percentage back when you mention that it is for HWMS!

Lastly, the PTSO is looking to start up their HOPE (Hornets Offering Positive Efforts) again this year. HWMS Hornets Offering Positive Efforts is a free club with open enrollment for students who have the passion and desire to volunteer in our community and school. All members are asked to give their ideas and attend meetings (virtually right now). Please have your Hornet fill out the interest link at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVEwZXJ29VozconOeTHaf9LupIQUJIOn1zI0GpgHFcLlGskA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Thank you for your support this year, we appreciate you!

Sincerely,

In late November, all students at Horizon West had to pivot of LaunchEd@Home, To make sure this is a smooth transition if we have to pivot again in the future it is important to have a plan ready in case our school was told to “pivot.” Take time now to plan with our families what you would do in case Horizon West had to “pivot” the entire school to LaunchEd.

#BeProActive #StrongerTogether #UnstoppableHornets

To purchase the most wanted yearbook of the decade go to schoolpay.com and click on preorder yearbook. They are currently selling for $35 until December 19th. After December 19th the price goes up to $40.

The November Reading Challenge is complete but that doesn’t mean you have to stop reading… We will be having another contest soon!

We would like to recognize Kaveri R as the winner of our November Challenge!

Rounding out the top 10 readers for the month of November are:

This is a follow up to the message Superintendent Jenkins sent Monday evening. The Florida Department of Education’s new emergency order continues to give parents the choice between the face-to-face and LaunchED@Home learning models for the second semester, which runs January through May. If your child is making adequate progress and you do not wish to change your child’s instructional model you do not need to do anything.

However, If your child is struggling with LaunchED@Home, we encourage you to consider the face-to-face model for the second semester. All change request should be send through our google form: tinyurl.com/HWCHOICECHANGEQ3 or you can send an email with questions to our [email protected] email. Please send all request on our form no later than Wednesday, December 9 at 4:30 p.m. We will continue to communicate with parents and guardians of students who are not making adequate progress in the LaunchED@Home learning model.

Also, if your child is changing to face-to-face instruction and qualifies for and intends to use bus transportation, you will include this information on the google form. If at all possible, carpooling or driving your children to school is still encouraged to maintain social distancing on our buses.

Again, if you would like to change your child’s learning model please submit your request no later than Wednesday, December 9 at 4:30 p.m. I want to thank you for your support and cooperation as we prepare for students for the second semester.

Participants will hear from representatives from Advanced Studies, School Choice Services, and the ESE Transition Services about opportunities available for students. The session will be presented in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Portuguese.

It was only five months into the “War to end all wars.” World War I was the first conflict to be dominated by “trench warfare.” Each side dug miles of trenches and constructed barbed war between the warring factions. The German army on one side and the British and French on the other took turns charging the distance between the trenches, ending in dead bodies scattered along the battle lines.

It was Christmas week of 1914, and the sounds of exploding artillery shells, gunfire, and explosives began to fade in favor of celebrations and the singing of Christmas carols on both sides of the miles of trenches. The celebrations lead to shouted holiday greetings between the two enemies, surprising gestures given the brutal nature of the battles.

At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, a few unarmed German soldiers emerged from their trenches to greet the British and French opponents with shouts of “Merry Christmas!” in English. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the German soldiers unarmed, they left their trenches as well and greeted their enemy with handshakes and hugs. They exchanged gifts of cigarettes and food while singing Christmas carols all along “No Man’s Land” as the territory between enemy trenches was known. There were reports of soccer games and the sharing of family photos between the men with laughter and smiles all along the lines.

During the remaining years of the war, the "Christmas Truce" ceasefire was never repeated. No one will ever be able to explain what happened that day, but it was a reflection of something deeper, a hope that even in a World War there was something that connected humanity. That there was hope for a better world where all could live in peace and harmony, even if only for a few hours.

Between the exchange of gifts, or watching your favorite Holiday movies multiple times, take the time to reflect on this most unique of years, and how you can make a difference, now, in the lives of others... even across enemy lines.