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Horizon West Middle School |
HWMS Community Member,
We have a little over a month left of the 2022-2023 school year with the last day of school, May 26th, quickly approaching!
I know our students are ready to finish this year strong and continue to do their best during our upcoming testing window. Over the first weeks of May, we have several tests that our students will be participating in: the FAST Reading, Math, EOC for Algebra and Geometry, 7th Grade Civics NGSSS Assessment and 8th Grade Science. Then in the last weeks of May all students will be completing their End of Course Exams, also known as CFEs for practically all courses, including electives.
It is important during this testing time that we stay positive and keep our students motivated. Parents you can help your Hornet by talking about testing and helping them go into testing with a positive attitude. Help your child by:
- Make sure children gets enough sleep the night before tests
- Eat a healthy breakfast and arrive on time to school
- Also, make sure your student comes to school with their laptop fully charged and bring their charger and headphones.
If you have questions in regards to testing you may contact Miriam Colon, our School Testing Coordinator, at Miriam.Colon@ocps.net
Also, be sure to check Skyward as Progress Reports will be released on April 25th! Check to see that your child is finishing the year strong!
I’d like to take this time to thank all of the amazing teachers at Horizon West Middle School, as we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, next week. Please reach out and thank your child’s teacher! They deserve all the recognition and appreciation for all they do!
I also want to recognize our amazing administrative professionals, Happy Administrative Professional Day – April 26th!
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Here are the highlights for this week. I hope you enjoy and thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Michelle Thomas, Principal
Pictured very top: Congratulations to the amazing cast of “Singing in the Rain Jr” who put on four nights of wonderful performances last week. Thank you to all of our families and friends that attended and supported the shows. Also, thanks go out to Mrs. Rodgers, Ms. Parrish, Mrs. Williams for the amazing direction and choreography!
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8200 Tattant Drive
Orlando, FL 37486
(407) 554-1570
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Dates to Watch For
Next Week is Teacher Appreciation Week!
(April 24-28)
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*** Superintendent Maria Vazquez talks about the recent gun violence in our community and how our schools are safe places for our students, staff and families. *** |
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April 24th-28th: TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
April 26th: School Spirit Day
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April 26th: County Track & Field Championship at Evans High School
April 28th: Last day to purchase a "Nothing Bundt Cakes" for Teacher Appreciation Week and/or Mother's Day
May 9th: Night on Broadway Chorus Concert held at Windermere HS, 6:30pm
May 11th: Nothing Bundt Cakes delivered today
May 12th: Deadline for the Valencia College Horizon Scholars - Take Stock in Children Program application
May 19th: "A Night Under the Stars" 8th Grade Celebration at 6:00 PM
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The 8th Grade Celebration Committee will be selling Nothing Bundt Cakes for Mother's Day and Teacher's Appreciation Week. Each cake is only $6 and can be purchased in the courtyard before school from Monday, April 10th to Friday, April 28th. Cakes will be delivered on Thursday, May 11th during 7th period, just in time for Mother's Day Weekend. Thanks for your support! |
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2) 8th Grade Dance Tickets: |
Eighth grade dance tickets are on sale now via schoolpay.com until Friday, May 12th. You can also purchase your tickets with cash EVERY Wednesday until May 10th. Don't miss out on this Night Under the Stars!
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Parents- are you interested in getting involved in our Horizon West Middle School PTSO? Please fill out the form below by April 28th. Thank you!
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4) Boys & Girls Club Summer Zone: |
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5) Horizon High School Summer Music Camp: |
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Interested in band or music but not sure how to get started? Come check out Horizon HS Summer Music Camp and learn all about it! Introduction to the instruments, choose an instrument to play in middle school! Already playing? Come join the upper level bands!!
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6) College Readiness and Mentoring Program (8th Graders): |
You may qualify to participate in the Horizon Scholars - Take Stock in Children Program! The Horizon Scholars – Take Stock in Children Program is a college readiness and mentoring program that culminates in a 2-year Florida Prepaid scholarship that can be used at any public university, college, or vocational/technical school in Florida.
The Valencia Horizon Scholars – Take Stock in Children Program is looking for students who are enthusiastic about pursuing post-secondary education. Please review the eligibility guidelines and submit an application if you are interested.
The deadline to submit an application is May 12th!!!
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7) UCF Reading & Writing Summer Program for Middle Schoolers: |
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Night on Broadway (May 9): |
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Student artist's artwork celebrated by OUC! |
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Sarah Castaneda Vasquez (7th grade) accepted an award from Orange County Utilities, alongside her art teacher, Mrs. Wilson. Her artwork was featured in the 2023 OCU Calendar. There were over 10,700 student artwork entries this year. We are so proud of her! |
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Time: Students Report 5:30pm
Concert Begins 6:00pm
Event: Guitar and Orchestra Spring Concert
Date: 4/27/2023
Time: Students Report 5:30pm
Concert Begins 6:00pm
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HWMS All County Orchestra: |
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Congratulations to Amber Kennedy and Kailyn Thayer who recently performed with the All County Orchestra at Winter Park HS, pictured here with Mr. Corneau! |
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Congratulations to our Students of the Week! |
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Nominated by Mrs. Stanley –
“Samuel is a kind and thoughtful student. He was a huge help during clean up at our Multicultural event. Keep up the positive, helpful attitude Samuel!”
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6th Grade –
Michael Perez
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Nominated by Ms. Gutierrez –
“Michael is responsible, helpful and kind. He always has a smile on his face and something kind to say to anyone. He is a great student, athlete and person.”
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Nominated by Ms. Rodgers –
“Jordan was nominated because he is an overall great student. If he is in class, sports, or theatre he always tries his best. Currently, he is doing great on the track team and in the school musical. Jordan keep up the great work!”
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7th Grade –
Kennedy Jackson
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Nominated by Ms. Gutierrez –
“Kennedy is wise beyond her years. She is kind, smart, and has a smile no matter what. Getting to see her every day is an absolute joy.”
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8th Grade –
Dominick Romano
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Nominated by Ms. Rodgers –
“I nominated Dominick for his positivity in class, in groups, and musical practice. He is always a leader with his pears. Dominick is always a great student to have in class.”
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8th Grade –
Drew Balkaran
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Nominated by Mr. Corneau –
“Drew is one of our top performers here in the music department! He is currently playing Piano, Clarinet and Percussion in our many ensembles. He is always willing to help out his fellow classmates and is kind and courteous.”
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Hornet of the Week!
Mr. De La Osa
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Nominated by Ms. Szuch-
“I am passing this award to Mr. De La Osa, who is a reliable colleague, a good friend, and an amazing teacher. We teach 6th grade together and we share our students’ struggles and achievements on a daily basis. I decided to ask our students to describe him as a teacher. Here are some responses-
- “Mr. De La Osa is very nice, sweet, and an amazing teacher.”
- “He understands me, and he really cares about me.”
- “He explains every lesson very well with details, and engages us with interaction, and he always answers all my questions.”
So, nothing fairer then to pass this award to my amazing colleague,
Mr. De La Osa!
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Both the boys' and girls' track teams took 4th place in the cluster championship. Rayan Chakrouni had an amazing meet taking 1st in the 1600m and 800m, Sofiia Dergacheva took 1st in the long jump, and the girls' 4x400m took 2nd overall.
There were also strong performances from Stephanie Tiuca, Piper Shpigler, David Teixeira, Leah McNally, Jordan Riley, Sienna Miller, Elvan Yang, Aaliyah Robinson, Alexis Piper, Adelyn DeRogatis, and KaiLani McGowan to earn points for the team.
Congratulations on a great season to all of our athletes and good luck to those qualifying for the County Champions on April 26th at Evans High School.
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Hornets Battle of the Books Team: |
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The students who participated in the Battle of the Books were Madelyn Carlson, Alianna Caswell, Samantha Tom, Chemiese Hall and Vidushi Venya (not pictured).
Battle of the Books is an academic, student team competition that is based on the books from the current Sunshine State list for grades 6 through 8. This event is a county-wide competition where teams from middle schools compete to see who knows the most about the current SSYRA books. The competition team is limited to 5 members lead by a team captain. This year our team captain is Madelyn Carlson.
The team competed virtually in the first round on Tuesday, April 4th against other middle schools in our learning community. Horizon West Middle students came in second in the Southwest Learning Community and advanced to the final battle at Boone High School on Thursday, April 20th.
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HWMS student finished #2 in Florida 4-H Public Speaking Contest! |
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Congratulations goes out to Mila Ching who placed 2nd in the 2023 Florida 4-H Public Speaking Contest. Way to go! Here Mila is pictured with Assistant Principals Ms. Hargrett and Mr. Flanagan. |
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1st Annual Multicultural Night |
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Our Multi-Cultural event “A Taste of Cultures” was a wonderful night of sharing dishes from different countries across the world, listening to music, singers and watching some amazing flamenco dancing! What a fantastic evening! Thanks to Mr. Ryan for creating this event for our school and community!
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Rising Freshmen and High School Sports |
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Sports EKG offered through Nemours: |
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Windermere Cadet Guard open to rising freshmen for 2023-24: |
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Parent Academy
Transitioning to Middle and High School
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Join us for a FREE day of learning and fun at Parent Academy.
You will leave with all of the information and resources for supporting the needs of your child transitioning to middle school or high school. Sessions will focus on preparing your rising 6th and 9th grade students academically for the next school year, dealing with anxiety and stress, bullying and online safety.
Worried you won't be able to concentrate with kids in toe? Need childcare? We've got you covered! The Youth Academy is FREE and features activities and games for children Pre-K through 8th grade.
Title: Transitioning to Middle and High School
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Time: 10:00 am-3:00 pm
Location: Evans High School
4949 Silver Star Rd, Orlando, FL 32808
Session Agenda:
10:15 Registration opens
11:00- 12:00 Opening Session and Lunch begins
12:00 Exhibit Hall opens and Registration closes
12:15- 1:00 Session A
1:15- 2:00 Session B
2:15- 3:00 Session C
2:30 Exhibit Hall closes
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Friday's Motivational Moment! |
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Four times per year, the U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics, publishes their quarterly report on median weekly earning by educational attainment. Their report for the first quarter of 2023 came out this past Tuesday, April 18. What they found is not surprising as the pattern has not changed since they began their reporting decades ago. Overall, and right through U.S. economic recessions, those with higher levels of education took home the larger paychecks.
For the 2023 first quarter: Less than a high school diploma = $682; High school graduates, no college = $884; Some college or associate degree = $995; and Bachelor's degree and higher = $1,621 (Bachelor's degree only = $1,488).
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Footnote for our Hornets: The chart shows quarterly results since the start of the 21st century. Other factors will naturally come into play such as the type of industry you work in, your geographic location, experience on the job, your employer's performance/profitability, etc. but overall, the pattern has always held up in the USA. Education and income levels are closely related.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics Read full report (See Table 5)
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Thank you for reading. Have a great weekend!
Ms. Thomas, Principal
Horizon West Middle School
Friday, April 21, 2023
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Horizon West Leadership Team |
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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. |
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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 OCPS-Horizon West Middle School. Please contact Ms. Tiffany Stanley at tiffany.stanley@ocps.net with any questions.
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