Tuesday, January 16, 2024 |
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Last week, Legacy Middle School proudly celebrated Resiliency Week, emphasizing the importance of personal excellence. In a world that is often mired by soft and victim mentality, we're doing our best to encourage our students to embrace challenges and develop resilience. We all face adversity in some form or fashion. Developing a resilient mindset positions us to face and overcome adversity.
When I first arrived at Legacy three years ago amidst the fallout of the Covid 19 pandemic, our collective resiliency in our community was anemic. Since that time, and with high expectations and continuous conversations surrounding personal responsibility in all dealings, the majority of our students are beginning to develop an awareness that these attributes are as important as academic achievement at this stage of their lives.
How we help students practice resiliency on campus:
- Owning one's actions and reactions
- Willingness to improve
- Foster adaptability and flexibility
Possible new Elective - Agriscience
Looking ahead to the next school year, we are considering introducing an Agriscience elective. We value your feedback on this potential addition to our curriculum – your input is invaluable. Please take a moment and let us your thoughts below. We would like your feedback by Wednesday, January 31st.
PM2 Make-up Exams
We want to remind parents that make-up exams for PM2 students will be conducted throughout the upcoming week, with the testing window closing on Friday, 1/19.
Reading for Pleasure
An ancillary way to improve resilience and coping strategies is through reading books. Research supports that reading helps elevate mood and self-esteem. As always, we encourage you to continue fostering a love for reading at home. Aim for 30 minutes a day to enhance your child's academic journey.
"A novel approach: how reading can make you a happier person."
Research has found that those who read regularly have higher levels of self-esteem and were better at coping with challenges. Readers says there is a sense of accomplishment, pride and self-worth when finishing a book.
** Read/listen to the short article here. **
Wishing everyone a wonderful week, full of learning, growth, and resilience!
Thank you for your support.
Mr. Jiménez
Principal
Legacy Middle School
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Please click on the image above to access a number of links helpful to our Legacy families. |
Please go to Linktr.ee/LegacyMS and scroll to "ADDitions Volunteer." This is a quick & easy step and we greatly appreciate our Legacy volunteers!
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11398 Lake Underhill Rd.
Orlando, FL 32825
(407) 658-5330
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Upcoming Events at Legacy
Student Report Cards on Thursday!
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Thursday, Jan. 18: Report Card 2 available on Skyward
Friday, Jan. 26: Principal Honor Roll 4.0 breakfast
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Revised SAC and PTSA Meeting Dates
All Legacy community members are welcome!
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As a result of inclement weather last week on Tuesday night, SAC and PTSA have been postponed until next week:
SAC meeting on Tuesday, 1/23 @ 5:30pm in media center
PTSA meeting on Tuesday, 1/23 @ 6:30pm in media center
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In celebration of Resiliency Day, students had the opportunity to learn the meaning of empathy, grit and gratitude and how to apply these skills in their daily lives. During the week, students were encouraged to put into practice what they learned through the morning announcements.
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One of the activities students did for practice was to answer questions found on posters placed in the hallway. These posters covered the topics learned such as, How do you show empathy? What are you grateful for? How can you work toward your goals?
* In honor of Resiliency Day, students and staff
wore green (pictures above)!
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Classroom Spotlight
Dance 3 class and the Orlando Ballet RISE program
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Orlando Ballet has partnered with OCPS dance programs through the RISE program where our Dance 3 dance class gets 30 hours of ballet technique and 30 hours of choreography where it will be performed at our Spring showcase in March as well as Orlando Ballet in April.
This partnership allows prospective dancers to get more valuable training, receive professional and peer mentorship from other dance programs, and receive quality training from Orlando's best for FREE. We are so grateful to be part of this program for the second year in a row!
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Legacy Partner in Education
DBT Orlando
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DBT Orlando supports our resiliency goals for students while they are at Legacy. |
DBT Orlando is utilizing, DBT STEPS-A. This is a curriculum adaptation for students in middle and high schools of the skills training components of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). |
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DBT Orlando utilizes the DBT STEPS-A curriculum at Legacy Middle in an effort to support OCPS resilience goals helping adolescences develop emotion management, interpersonal, and decision-making skills. Pictured above are Eric Olin and Maribel Rodriguez (LMHC) of DBT Orlando.
Adolescents may face numerous social, developmental, and academic pressures, such as peer rejection, low self-confidence, confusion about self, impulsive behavior, involvement in drugs and alcohol, and issues related to intimacy and sexual relationships. (Rathus & Miller, 2015). DBT STEPs-A enhances and teaches empathy using distress tolerance skills. Problem solving skills and critical thinking in emotionally driven moments with emotion regulation. Increased self-awareness and self-management through mindfulness skills, along with many other skills useful for life.
DBT Orlando’s mission is to support our community and be proactive in helping build skills and effectiveness in all areas of life. Working with OCPS schools is part of fulfilling that mission.
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Potential Agriscience Elective
We need our parents' feedback on this course. Thank you.
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We are seeking feedback from parents on an elective agriculture science course we want to offer students next school year. Here is a two-page brochure for our parents with a screenshot of page 1 of 2 below. Part of the course will include the use of drones and robotics (picture above). This is a key component of the class as drones are being used around the world to detect crop disease, to help conduct soil analysis, and for more precise crop spraying to name just three areas.
Parent survey – let us know if you’re interested in having Agriscience as an elective course at Legacy next school year.
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Valencia Horizon Scholars (8th Grade)
Applications open through Feb. 1
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The Valencia Horizon Scholars – Take Stock in Children Program has extended their application deadline for eligible 8th grade students for the 2023-2024 school year to April 1, 2024! The Valencia Horizon Scholars – Take Stock in Children Program is a scholarship, mentoring, and college readiness program looking for economically disadvantaged students who are interested in continuing their education after high school with a scholarship and would benefit from personal, professional, and academic support throughout high school.
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Seeking Partners in Education |
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We are very happy to publicly support local businesses that in turn support our students and teachers. Business wins when education wins, so for existing and future Partners in Education, we are delighted to share your information with the community throughout the school year.
Ways in which local businesses can get involved:
- Guest speakers
- Guest judges
- School Advisory Council (SAC)
- Workplace tours
- In-kind donations
- Student recognition (Honor Roll, Student improvement)
- Teacher recognition
- Athletics
- Performing Arts
If you are general manager, own a business, or even know someone involved in business administration, please consider this opportunity and take a look at the short video below about the benefits of becoming a Partner in Education with Legacy Middle School.
Thank you again to all of our existing Partners in Education for your involvement and generous support this school year.
Mr. Jimenez, Principal
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Legacy Economics Corner
An occasional look at economic indicators that might impact our Legacy families.
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Teacher shortages are a real challenge in the USA and around the world. The nearby chart shows the percent of students by country whose principal has said student learning was hindered by a lack of teaching staff. The chart compares two recent years: 2018 (blue) vs. 2022 (red).
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Teacher shortages are an extremely serious situation in nations like Germany and Japan, but this percentage has now jumped to about 40% of schools in the USA.
If you see any of our Legacy teachers this week, kindly take a moment to thank them early in this new year for all their efforts. As the chart implies, our educators are truly "national assets" and we do not want to gravitate towards the teacher problems they have elsewhere such as with Europe in Asia.
Thank you for supporting our teachers.
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This Week's Motivational Moment!
Legacy Middle remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(MLK Day was January 15th)
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Martin Luther King Jr. – by the numbers: |
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Thank you for reading!
Mr. Jiménez, Principal
Legacy Middle School
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
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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 Legacy Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially OCPS - Legacy Middle School. Please contact Mr. Jason Jiménez at [email protected] with any questions.
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