Monday, Nov. 4, 2019



Pictured very top:

Red Ribbon Week hightlight - a few of our TACKY TOURISTS getting ready to head out for some MAGIC at Disney!

Connect With HWMS
Horizon West Middle School
    

The end of the first quarter has come and gone and we are on to our second quarter. On Tuesday, October 29th Report Cards went home. Be sure to talk with your student(s) about expectations and academics to help set them on a course for success as we work in quarter two. Then, in just three short weeks, we will all be earning a much needed break and will have a full week off to enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!

This past week we celebrated Red Ribbon Week. All of our students looked amazing as they celebrated each day in themes that reminded others that they pledge to "SAY NO DRUGS." Also, our teachers took on our students in our very first Student vs. Teacher Volleyball game.

In the coming weeks, you will be hearing more about our school dedication and our OCPS Performing Arts Field Trip for 8th Graders to the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center.

As always, stay connected to Horizon West via Twitter, our Official Facebook page, and our school website at Horizonwestms.ocps.net

Thank you all for another wonderful week at Horizon West Middle School and enjoy this latest edition of our community brief.  
 
Thank you,

Michelle Thomas
Principal

Partner Spotlight
Special thanks to our Partner in Education FUSION X-CEL PERFORMANCE for providing a scholarship to support our students. We appreciate our Partners In Education and their continued support for our student success.


Upcoming Events

Date
Day
Time
Event
Nov. 6
Wed.
5:00 PM
HOME Volleyball game vs. Gotha
Nov. 6
Wed.
All Day
Spirit Day at Jeremiah's Italian Ice
Nov. 8
Fri.
All Day
Final day of HWMS hoodie pre-sale
Nov. 11
Mon.
All Day
VETERANS DAY
Nov. 13
Wed.
5:00 PM
HOME Volleyball game vs. Southwest
Nov. 14
Thur.
All Day
Fall Book Fair opens (Volunteers needed)
Nov. 14
Thur.
5:30-8:30 PM
High School Magnet Fair at Jones High School
Nov. 18
Mon.
Evening
Spirit Night at Gator's Dockside

Teach-In 2019

 
 
Each year, the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools presents "Teach-in." Teach-in is a district-wide event that brings in members of our community to "Teach" students about jobs and careers that may interest students.  
 
This is a wonderful chance for our parents and community to come to Horizon West and share their professional knowledge and skills will our future leaders. If you are interested in participating in Teach-In 2019, please email Kelley.Bell@ocps.net  
 
 
Lanyard and Laptop Sleeves

We have a limited number of lanyards and laptop sleeves available for purchase. Please check out SchoolPay to purchase one today!!




Red Ribbon Week!
 
Starting on Friday, October 25th, students dressed up each day for RED RIBBON WEEK. Each day a theme was presented to remind students to "SAY NO TO DRUGS" and live a successful drug free life. Here are some highlights from the week . . .


Decades Day, students taking it back to the 50's and 80's.
 

7th Grade loving Pajama Day!
 

Academics
7th Grade Science with Mr. Spangler

There were some fun things going on in 7th grade science last week. Mr. Spangler and his students were working with wave lengths and students were fully engaged in this rigorous, interactive activity. If you have a student in Mr. Spangler's class, please ask them what they learned about in 7th grade science last week!
 




Teacher of the Month
Mr. Cassidy, 6th Grade Social Studies
 
Horizon West has partnered with Majestic International Pageant and with the help of the students, this Partner In Education will be recognizing a Teacher of the Month from here forward.

Last week we recognized our first recipient of the award - Mr. Dylan Cassidy. Our students have voiced how amazing Mr. Cassidy is in the classroom, and we are excited to be able to recognize him for his efforts.

Presented by: Majestic International Pageant
Sponsor: United Citizens Pursing the Dream
 
 
Mr. Cassidy with Principal Thomas (Oct. 2019) 


Hornet Athletics
Volleyball game at HOME this Wednesday! 

Volleyball season is in full swing as enter the half way point of the season. Please mark your calendars now as we finish up regular season play.

Date
Time *
Location
Opponent
Nov. 6
5:00
HOME
Gotha
Nov. 11
5:00
SunRidge
SunRidge
Nov. 13
5:00
HOME
Southwest
Nov. 20
5:00
Carver
Carver

* Girls team plays first.


PTSO
 


Happy November Hornet Family!

The PTSO would like to thank all of the families who donated candy, clothes and costumes for our community this past month! We are so thankful for such a giving community.

We are currently are holding our Fall Fundraiser. Nothing Bundt Cake Bundlets are being sold for $5 each through November 8th. They will be delivered November 21st to your students in class. We are hoping to help give back some much needed items to the school this fall. You can order with cash or check with the flyer that came home, or on our website at www.hornetsptso.org

Please join us for our upcoming events: Jeremiah's Spirit Day on November 6th and
Gator's Dockside Spirit Night on November 18th.

Lastly, our Hoodie pre-sale is here!!! Please see the additional photo with more information, we will have very limited sizes after the pre-sale, so secure yours by November 8th! Students can purchase at our Friday Spirit Store during lunch or online. (The holidays are just around the corner . . . a great gift idea!) 
 
Thank you for helping to create a better HWMS community with us!

Sincerely,

Tammy Forrester
President
 
   
 
 
 
 
Horizon West Book Fair
Fall book fair - volunteer help needed.

The countdown to our fall book fair is on!  In less than two weeks on November 14th we will open the first book fair at Horizon West Middle School.

Parents, we need volunteers to make this fantastic event possible for your children. Please visit our book fair website at https://www.scholastic.com/bf/horizonwestmiddleschool1 to see our hours and volunteer needs.

Please note that you will need to be a qualified Additions volunteer to participate. You can access the OCPS volunteer registration form at https://ocps.samaritan.com We look forward to seeing you soon!


Pride Club

October was a blast as we celebrated LGBT+ history, cultural contributions, and pride! In November, HWMS Pride Club will be focusing on increasing awareness on campus via fundraising, a social, and a community project. Look for posters in the halls to advertise sales and events.

Come out with Pride on Thursdays at 4:30 in Room 1-203!




Veterans Day is November 11
Horizon West Middle School would like to honor the teachers and any family members of staff at Horizon West for their service in defending and protecting our nation.
 


Allison Bell, Sixth Grade Clerk 
* Family relation - Jack Mercer, grandfather to Allison Bell  - United States Army 
* 1941-1953
* Ranks: Captain in charge of Army Secret Communications. After 1945 he was stationed in Paris as the Colonel in charge of Administration of Unifying Army/Air Force troops.
* My grandfather saw lots of horrific action during WWII. He was part of D-Day in France, Omaha Beach. He proceeded onto Paris and then into Germany to help liberate the concentration camps.
* My grandfather enjoyed nothing about WWII other than the camaraderie with his men and then later, his staff.
 
----------
 
Lynette Ford, CTE Teacher 
* Family relation - Lawrence Ford, Sr., brother to Ms. Ford - United States Army 
* Rank: Sgt. Field Artillery, in charge of 89 soldiers and Howitzer equipment
* Part of the Big Red One, 1st Infantry Division
* 1989 - 2000, Operation Desert Storm, Iraq
* 1994 -1997, Bosnian War - 2 tours
* Action: on the front lines, he took in thousands of young Iraqi boys and old Iraqi men who were forced to fight on the Iraq's front line to face enemy fire first. His unit also received a lot of enemy fire that fell just short of where he was stationed in the desert.

* Family relation - Landon Ford, nephew to Ms. Ford - United States Air Force and DOD 
* Employer: Dept of Defense
* Job title - Highly classified
* 2014 to present
* As the youngest person in his position at 24 years-old, he enjoys working with top-level officials and absorbing the experience and knowledge of elder statesmen.  
 
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* Wendy Nail, Algebra Teacher - United State Navy 
* Time period? 1987 - 1995
* Rank: HM3
* Responsibilities: Medical
* Most enjoyable aspect of the experience was the camaraderie.

 Wendy Nail, HWMS math teacher, during her time in the U.S. Navy
 

OCPS Magnet Program
High School Magnet application period opened November 1st



If you have an 8th grade student getting ready for high school, you and your child may want to explore some of the Magnet School options in OCPS. The Magnet application period opened on November 1st and remains open until February 15th, 2020.
 
You can find out more about your school options at https://www.ocps.net/departments/school_choice 

High School Magnet Fair
Thursday, November 14, 2019
5:30PM - 8:00PM
Jones High School Gymnasium 
 
   
Monday's Motivational Moment!

MAXIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL 
 
   
 
Having potential  
works exactly the opposite to the way  
a bank account does.
In a bank savings account, as time goes by,
your money compounds interest.
The longer you leave it untouched,
the more it increases.
 
When it comes to potential,
the longer you leave it untouched,  
the more it decreases.
Unused potential wastes away.
If you want your potential to increase,
you have to tap into it.
 
   
Horizon West Leadership Team

Michelle Thomas - Principal - michelle.thomas@ocps.net
Tamirra Hutchinson - Assistant Principal - tamirra.hutchinson@ocps.net
Kevin Flanagan - Assistant Principal - kevin.flanagan@ocps.net
Brian Evans - Admin Dean 6th Grade and 8th Grade (A-L) - brian.evans@ocps.net
Heather Rodriguez - Admin Dean 7th Grade and 8th Grade (M-Z) - heather.rodiguez@ocps.net
 

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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-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 heather.rodriguez@ocps.net with any questions.