 |
|
|
|
Friday, December 20, 2019
|
8200 Tattant Blvd.
Windermere, FL 34787
(407) 250-6291
|
|
| |
|
Horizon West Middle School
|
The second nine weeks has come to an end and now we are headed into winter break and looking forward to a bright and prosperous 2020.
Thank you to all our parents, teachers and community that assisted with the HOPE and SGA TOY DRIVE for Matthew's Hope. We are so lucky at Horizon West to have an amazing school full of parents, students and community that support our Hornets and giving organizations.
Also, many congrats to our Performing Arts students with their spectacular band, orchestra, drama, dance and choral winter performances. Horizon West is so fortunate to have wonderful students, parents and a community that support our school and our efforts to be a "top producer in students."
Don't forget to regularly visit www.horizonwestms.ocps.net to get more information concerning all things Horizon West Middle School while we are on break.
Enjoy this winter break, read a good book, re-energize and come back on January 7th with a positive outlook to end of the school year.
Here are the highlights for this week. I hope you enjoy and thank you for your continued support.
Michelle Thomas
Principal
|
|
|
|
Our 2019 Winter Holiday begins Monday, December 23rd. Students will return to school Tuesday, January 7, 2020.
|
|
Rising 6th grade Parent Night January 16th 5-6pm
The counselors are going to the elementary schools to do a presentation and hand out course selection forms on the following dates:
- Castleview Elementary January 28th
- Sunset Park and Bay Lake Elementary January 29th
- Sand Lake Elementary January 30th
|
|
For Our Students Attending Windermere High School Next Year
- Windermere High School will be coming to Horizon West on January 13th to present their presentation for rising 9th grade students.
|
|
Upcoming SAC and PTSO Meetings
- January 13th - SAC Meeting 5 PM Media Center
- January 27th - SAC and PTSO Meeting 5 PM Media Center
|
|
Basketball season begins in January.
When we return from Winter Break basketball season will be underway.
Also, take a look at the schedule below to catch our Hornet boys and girls hit the courts this winter. February 3rd will be our first ever HOME BASKETBALL GAME!!
| DATE |
LOCATION |
OPPONENT |
| 1/22 |
Chain of Lakes |
Windy Ridge |
| 1/29 |
Windermere High School |
Bridgewater |
| 2/3 |
Home
|
Chain of Lakes |
| 2/5 |
Home
|
Gotha |
| 2/10 |
SunRidge |
SunRidge |
| 2/12 |
Home
|
Southwest |
| 2/19 |
Carver |
Carver |
Mark your calendars now for the BIGGEST GAME of the SEASON, January 29th Horizon West vs. Bridgewater at Windermere High School.
|
You may purchase a yearbook at
www.commpe.pictavo.com Our school code is 85108. Forms are also in the main office and on School Pay. Students and parents can also upload photos for use in the yearbook at the same web address. Add some of your personality to the our FIRST EVER YEARBOOK.
|
Gift Ideas for Your Hornet
|
Parents - Need a gift idea for your favorite student?
A great gift or stocking stuffer for your student is a pair of earbuds. All students will need a pair of earbuds come the testing season in MAY. . . so get your hornet ready now!! (Only wired earbuds will be able to be used, because they must be able to be plugged into your child's laptop.)
You can find pairs at the dollar store on in the Bullseye's Playground Bins at Target that are PERFECT!!
|
OCPS Career & Technical Education Opportunity: Digital Information Technology
 Horizon West offers many great electives to our students. One of the options for our 8th grade students is Digital Information Technology. In this course students are able to perfect their skills in the Microsoft Office Suite. This is a huge advantage to any student because it will help them using Word, Excel and PowerPoint . . . all programs that they will frequent in high school, college and career.
While taking DIT, students can also take Industry Certification tests for each of the 3 Microsoft programs. Once a student passes a test not only do they receive a certificate and title of Microsoft Office Certified, but they can also transfer these certifications in to COLLEGE CREDITS at many community colleges and universities. If as student passes all 3 tests, they would leave middle school with 1 high school credit for the class and 9 college credits!
Also, as students enter high school they will have more opportunities for even more industry certifications in the Career & Technical Education classes that are offered within OCPS.
Please congratulate the following students on passing their industry certification tests:
Nolan B, Ethan A, Aathri A, Eva G, Ameer L, Koey W, Jessica M, Dalia A, Annika B
Ian F, Blake M, Thiago F, Arianna A, Aidan G, Diego C, Abdumalik M, Joel A, Jose P, Julia ALucas B, Lyna D, Zachary L, Justin M
Above: several of these DIT students from Ms. Ford's 5th period
|
Attention 8th Grade: Magnet Programs
|
If your 8th grader is interested in attending one of the Magnet Programs in Orange County, be sure to contact that school for dates about open house and preview events. Also, be sure to get your application in as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is coming up soon, so don't miss out on this opportunity.
|
Dear Hornet Families,
Can you believe we are halfway through the school year? The PTSO wishes you and your family the happiest of holidays!
We will be posting our Spirit Gear on our website over the holidays if you would like to snag a hoodie or Pura Vida bracelet before they sellout. You can visit us at www.hornetsptso.org
Mark your calendars for the evening of May 1st, and plan on joining us for our biggest event of the year. More details will follow.
See you in 2020!
Sincerely,
Tammy Forrester
PTSO President
|
Horizon West by the Numbers
|
Student attendance slightly dropped in the month of December.
Parents and students, please remember how important attendance is to student achievement. Let your NEW YEARS RESOLUTION be PERFECT ATTENDANCE!
In class, on time, every day!
|
|
2020 Regular Day Wednesdays (No early release)
|
OCPS Parent Academy - January 25th
|
|
Horizon West Middle School - Digital Moment
|
All schools with in OCPS, utilize a program called LanSchool to monitor students' computer use while on campus. Teachers are able to see as soon as a student logs into their computer everything the student types, searching and exactly what is on their screen. This is a great tool for our teachers to make sure students stay on task and are good digital citizens.
* Students should also remember that deleting programs like LanSchool off their laptop is a violation of the Digital Acceptable Use Policy and could result in students receiving a consequence.
|
Upcoming FSA Testing Dates
Parents and students - Mark your calendars now for the following dates of FSA/EOC Testing. Please be sure that your child is in attendance on these dates so they can complete their testing on time.
* FSA Writing Assessment (All students 6-8) - April 1st
* FSA Reading (All students 6-8) - May 4th & 5th
* FSA Math & Algebra/Geometry EOC (All students 6-8) - May 7 & 8
* 8th Grade Science Assessment - May 11th
* 7th Grade Civics Assessment - May 11th
------------
Parents & Guardians of ESOL Students - IMPORTANT TESTING INFORMATION
Dear Parent/Guardian of ESOL/ELL Students,
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your student will be taking the ACCESS for ELLs between January 28, 2019 and March 22, 2019. ACCESS for ELLs measures your student's progress in listening, speaking, reading, and writing English language skills. Later this spring, your student will receive an Individual Student Report that provides information about how well he or she is progressing in the English language.
Please review the following policies with your child before testing:
* Electronic Devices - If your student is found with ANY electronic devices, including, but not limited to, cell phones and smart phones, at any time during testing OR during breaks, his or her test section will be invalidated, which means it will not be scored. The best practice is for students to leave electronic devices at home or in their lockers on the day of testing.
* Leaving Campus - If your student leaves campus before completing a test section (for an appointment, illness, etc.), he or she WILL NOT be allowed to complete that test section. If your student does not feel well on the day of testing, it may be best for him or her to wait and be tested on the make-up day.
To learn more about ACCESS for ELLs a helpful Parent Handout is available exclusively online (http://fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/access-for-ells.stml) under Assessment Resources in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Spanish, Somali, and Vietnamese. If you have any questions related to this test administration, you may contact our testing coordinator, Judy Logan at [email protected]
Thank you for supporting your student as he or she prepares for the test.
Sincerely,
Michelle Thomas
Principal
|
Eighth Graders Headed To Become Windermere Wolverines
|
3-D Art Students
Our 3-D art students are so proud of their soft sculptures of snack foods. These students worked really hard to show off their talents. Pictured below is our 1st period course and some of their works of art.
|
Horizon West Hosts DPLC Guided Visits
|
District Professional Learning Committee (Common training for our educators across the school system).
Last week, our Horizon West DPLC team hosted guided visits for three others schools: Freedom Middle, Lake Como K-8 and Cherokee. The DPLC teams walked classes and observed teachers demonstrating rigorous instruction that engaged students in reading strategies.
|
Horizon West DPLC team brainstorming
|
|
Principal Thomas facilitating the DPLC meeting
|
|
Friday's Motivational Moment!
|
REMEMBERING TO BE THANKFUL AT THE HOLIDAYS
 A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help."
There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the boy's sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.
The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. I wrote: Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign reminded people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. And even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason behind it!
Happy Holidays to all!
Ms. Thomas, Principal
Horizon West Middle School
Friday, December 20, 2019
|
|
Horizon West Leadership Team
|
|
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-Horizon West Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Horizon West Middle School. Please contact Mrs. Heather Rodriguez (Administrative Dean) at [email protected] with any questions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
