Assistant Principal Green (OCPS Assistant Principal Honoree on the left), Dr. Ray (Ocoee HS Principal), and Ms. Patrick (Ocoee HS Bookkeeper and Support Person of the Year) at the annual OCPS Stellar Awards held earlier this month. (Not pictured is Ms. Hostetter, Ocoee HS Art Teacher and our Teacher of the Year.) This is a special evening recognizing educators and other leaders from across the entire school district for their efforts towards student achievement and OCPS' overall mission. (WESH 2 News Story). | |
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Wednesday, January 29, 2025
'Knights Never Give Up'
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Dear Mark,
As we expected, this has been a very fast and busy January at Ocoee High School. The Florida Department of Education also released the 2023-2024 graduation rates for all Florida high schools this month which set at new record at 89.7% overall. OHS was one of just a few local high schools which outperformed the state average significantly with our Class of 2024 Knights' graduation rate at 99.0%!
Leading the OCPS district with the highest graduation rates for traditional high schools around Orlando are:
Lake Nona 99.6%
Timber Creek 99.1%
Ocoee 99.0%
Windermere 99.0%
Congratulations to our Class of 2024 and to their amazing teachers on a truly outstanding effort over four consecutive years. A 99.0% graduation rate is a superior achievement, but I know our Class of 2025 is also performing this year at a high level and they too should fall among the leaders if they maintain their daily attendance and momentum through May.
You can find a full breakdown of graduation rates by school HERE.
Thank you for reading.
In Knight Pride,
Dr. Ray
Principal
Ocoee High School
Knights Never Give Up
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Jan. 27: Orange County Public Schools launches districtwide reading initiative (www.orangeobserver.com)
Jan. 27-Jan. 31: Spring Semester Senior Meetings
Jan. 29: FAFSA Frenzy (Help with College Financial Aid paperwork)
Jan. 29: 2025 Spring Career Fair
Jan. 31: Last day for sales of Valentine's Rose Grams
Feb. 01: Start of Black History Month
Feb. 02: 67th Grammy Awards (see story on Mr. Hendricks, OHS Band Leader)
Feb. 17: Deadline for 2025-2026 OCPS Magnet Program applications
Feb. 17: Presidents' Day - No School
Feb. 18: Senior Cap & Gown pictures
Feb. 26: Rising Freshmen Parent Night, auditorium, 5:30-6:30pm
Feb. 27: Valencia Dual Enrollment period closes
Mar. 07: Ocoee Alumni Event, football field, 5:00-8:00pm
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Valentine's Rose Grams available through Friday: | |
Do you need assistance with completing your FAFSA? Sign up to attend the FAFSA Frenzy! Parents are also welcome to register and attend these help sessions. The registration link is https://tinyurl.com/FAFSALab25 | |
Leonard's will be on campus Tuesday, February 18, 2025 to take ALL Seniors' Cap & Gown pictures in the auditorium. | |
OHS parents who purchase a business ad will receive a FREE yearbook for their OHS students. | |
Ms. Green, pictured above with Coach Edwards Lee (SAFE Coordinator), Ms. Jenkins (Assistant Principal of Instruction) and Ms. Morris (Attendance Dean) and also with Dr. Ray (right), was nominated as Assistant Principal of the Year for our cadre of high schools within Orange County Public Schools. | |
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Ocoee Band Director, Mr. Bernie Hendricks Jr., has been nominated as a finalist this year for the Grammy Music Educator Award. Mr. Hendricks was picked as a finalist out of more than 2,400 nominations. The Grammy Awards take place this Sunday, February 2. (WESH 2 News Story) (Orange Observer News Story) | |
* Credit: Ms. Renee Green, Assistant Principal | |
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Please help us reach our 20 million minute goal by April 30, 2025!
Employees, families, and community members - visit your local library to borrow reading materials of interest. The Orange County Library System (OCLS) has 15 branches throughout the county and a vast collection of eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines available via Libby. To learn more about the OCLS and its services, see the resources below:
● OCLS Library Card Sign Up
● OCLS Locations
● OCLS Libby
Students and employees are encouraged to log their minutes in Beanstack, which can be found on LaunchPad, in the Library Research Tools folder. Students and employees can earn badges and view their progress throughout the challenge by opening the Let’s Read, OCPS! challenge on the Beanstack Challenges page. To learn more about how to log minutes in Beanstack as a student or employee, see the resources below:
● How to Log Minutes in Beanstack as a Student (Video)
● How to Log Minutes in Beanstack (Guides)
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Jan. 27, 2025
The Let's Read OCPS challenge started Monday! Students, staff, parents, even partners in education can participate.
District 7 School Board Member Melissa Byrd joins Mondays with Maria presented by Addition Financial to kick off the initiative, along with some very special guests you have to see. Let's do this, OCPS!
Be sure to catch the Mondays with Maria Podcast to hear more about this challenge. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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Weightlifting had their hands full this past two weeks as they had Metros where Cece Hills-Charles and Jaliel Bellefluer took first in in Olympic and traditional in their weight classes. | |
Then Ocoee went on to host Districts where they placed all over the board in their weight classes. | |
Instructional Spotlight - AICE English | | |
Ms. Zucker's AICE English Language classes analyzed two texts and discussed key differences in structures. Students worked in groups to collaboratively structure their comparative commentary by utilizing key clues and phrases. This activity will prepare our Knights to ace their AICE exam. | |
This month we had two guest chefs from Cinderella Castle Disney World to work with our Culinary students. They showed our 3rd and 4th year students how to make their signature chicken dish, airline chicken breast over truffle mushroom risotto watercress pickled mushroom salad. Then they made buttercream icing and decorated cupcakes with our 1st and 2nd year students. | |
Our FFA chapter competed at the District Contest this past week to advance to the finals. We are proud of our Parliamentary Procedure team who placed second at the district contest. | |
Parliamentary Procedure team members include Addison Wise, Zyah Pierre, Payton Grant, Ava Grant, Gisele Camille, and Marissa Romeu. | |
Congratulations to Isabella McCollm who placed first in the Creed Contest and will advance to state finals in June. | |
Congratulations also to our Public Prepared speaker Marissa Romeu who placed first at the District contest and will also advance into state finals in June. | |
Our Environmental Science team participated in the state contest this week. We would like to congratulate them on getting 3rd in the state. Team members include Jacob Nuckoles, Aidan Flores, Ava Yarborough, and Emily Garrow. Our team was coached by Peter Jordan. We would also like to congratulate Jacob Nuckoles for placing 4th in the state individually. | |
This past week our students attended the Orange County Federation Leadership Conference 2025! Our members got to learn some crucial leadership skills like being an advocate, effective communication, and entrepreneurial skills!! 💙💛 | |
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Ocoee SGA hosts District 3 Special Event
Mr. Kelly and all of SGA hosted D3 this past weekend, where over 1,500 students attended our SpongeBob-themed campus to learn more about leadership. With multiple workshops on campus, students walked away with information they can take back to their own school to start implementing this semester.
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College and Career Center | | |
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ATTENTION SENIORS:
Spring Semester Senior Meetings will be held from Monday, 1/27 through Friday, 1/31. During this time, Seniors will meet with their Counselors to review their academic progress and graduation requirements. Seniors will also complete Bright Futures applications, FAFSA, and scholarships in the College & Career Center.
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Spring Career Fair (Jan. 29) - RSVP | |
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Weekly earnings (median*) by level of education during the 21st century. The pattern remains unchanged over time.
2024 4th Quarter (latest figures, just released):
- Less than a high school diploma = $776 per week
- High school graduates, no college = $977 per week
- Some college or associate degree = $1,089 per week
- Bachelor's degree and higher = $1,705 per week
* Knight Footnote: Median weekly earnings is the midpoint of a group of weekly earnings, where half of the workers earn more and half earn less.
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Congratulations to Ocoee Singers members Paris Acquah, Bryce Thompson, and Mateo Valeriano for giving a fantastic performance as members of the 2025 OCPS All County Honor Chorus. | |
Kennedy Riggins, Ms. Green, and Chelsea Bernadin participated in Senior Flip Day | |
Senior flip is happening with Ms. Plumlee and this senior did an excellent job providing instruction in her 10th-grade ELA class! | |
Mr. Salas and Ms. Williams flipped | |
Rihanna Campell flipped with Dean Anderson | |
Seniors had the chance to flip the day with their favorite administrator, teacher, or coach. | |
Parent Night for Rising Freshmen | | |
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We are excited to invite all parents and students to our Parent Night for Rising Freshmen on Monday, February 26th, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM in the Auditorium.
Join us for an informative presentation by our Student Services Department, followed by the chance to explore and experience the many organizations and sports available at our school.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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OCPS - Magnet Program Application Deadlines Coming Soon | | |
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OCPS offers several dynamic and innovative Magnet Programs across our district for students to participate in. Families with students as young as Kindergarten can apply to participate in one of 41 programs offered at the elementary, middle and high school level.
You can see all the Magnet offerings at: https://www.ocps.net/departments/school_choice/magnet_programs
To participate in one of these Magnet Programs families must apply. The application must be submitted electronically before the deadline of February 17, 2025, for consideration in the first lottery. Students must meet the eligibility requirements of the magnet(s) for which they are applying.
Families may apply here: https://schoolchoicemagnet.ocps.net/
If you would like to see additional information on our Magnet Programs, please visit the OCPS Magnet Office on social media at: https://linktr.ee/ocps_Magnets
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Catholic Charities of Central Florida prevents hunger and homelessness by providing clients with one-on-one case management that guide families to self-sufficiency.
This program provides:
- Case management
- Rapid rehousing
- Financial assistance
- Help pay for housing
- Help pay for utilities
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FES provides immediate emergency assistance and relief to families and individuals in Orange County who are faced with an unexpected financial crisis.
This program provides:
- Emergency food
- Rent assistance
- Utility assistance
- Clothing vouchers
- Other services that meet immediate pressing needs
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Knights Never Give Up!
Dr. Ray, Principal
Ocoee High School
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
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Ocoee High School Senior 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 - Ocoee High School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Ocoee High School. Please contact frederick.ray@ocps.net (principal) with any questions or for further information.
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Ocoee High School
1925 Ocoee Crown Point Parkway,
Ocoee, FL 34761
Phone 407-905-3000
Fax 407-905-3099
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