Class of 2025 senior cadets from our Air Force JROTC unit (FL-20064) during Senior Sunrise last week. | |
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Tuesday, January 14, 2025
'Knights Never Give Up'
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As this is our first Knight News edition of 2025, I wish you a very Happy New Year! We have already completed six instructional days in this second semester and I hope you are off to an excellent beginning.
We are excited to continue our learning journey during the second half of 2024-2025, so now is the time for our Knights to pause and review both their academic and personal goals for the semester and for all of 2025. One of the best ways for students to attain challenging goals is to share them with a parent/guardian, coach, counselor, or teacher. It is also important to review progress vs. goals weekly. These two actions alone are consistent with our mantra "Knights Never Give Up" and will increase any student's odds of success.
Please remember that there will be no school on Monday, January 20th in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Kindly take a moment over the three-day weekend to reflect upon Dr. King's contributions to civil rights and how we can continue his work this year and beyond.
As always, please never hesitate to contact the school when you have questions or concerns. Our staff emails may be found on the website. We are here for you and willing to assist in whatever way we can.
Here's to what is sure to be an outstanding second semester!
In Knight Pride
Dr. Ray
Principal
Ocoee High School
Knights Never Give Up
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Jan. 17: Deadline for Yearbook Senior Recognition Ads
Jan. 20: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)
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Jan. 22: Valencia College Dual Enrollment Information Session
Jan. 28: Senior Panoramic Photo
Jan. 29: FAFSA Frenzy (Help with College Financial Aid Paperwork)
Jan. 29: 2025 Spring Career Fair
Jan. 17: Deadline for 2025-2026 OCPS Magnet Program Applications
Feb. 18: Senior Cap & Gown Pictures
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Senior Ad Deadline is Friday
The deadline to purchase a senior recognition ad is Friday, January 17, 2025. Run, don't walk to yearbookforever.com to order your senior recognition ad today! This offer is for a limited time and availability.
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Senior Panoramic Picture Jan. 28: | |
Leonard's will be on campus Tuesday, February 18, 2025 to take ALL Seniors' Cap & Gown pictures in the auditorium. | |
Our Class of 2025 risked the cold early hours of last Friday morning to have their senior sunrise and lunch on the loop. | |
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There was more volatility than usual with our Knights' attendance during December due to Progress Monitoring Assessments (PM2 on Dec. 10, 16, 17) where attendance jumped well over 90% and then during the two days leading up to the winter break (Dec. 19 and 20) when attendance slipped.
* Credit: Ms. Renee Green, Assistant Principal
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Success on last month's FAST ELA PM2!
Ms. Curry’s, Mr. Grail’s, Mr. Garnett’s and Ms. King's 1st period classes, along with Ms. Lassegue’s and Ms. Brown’s 2nd period, Ms. Plumlee’s 4th period. and Ms. Rogers’ 5th period were celebrated this past week, for demonstrating the most proficiency on the FAST ELA PMA2. We are are so proud of them!
* ELA (English Language Arts)
Ocoee Community footnote:
For those of our families who may be unaware, FAST stands for Florida Assessment of Student Thinking and the PM2 was the second of three Progress Monitoring Assessments administered during the year. For more information on the FAST assessments and the five achievement levels, please click here.
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Mr. Hendricks is among 10 finalists for the 2025 Grammy Music Educator Award. Presented annually by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum, the award honors “educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to music education and demonstrate a deep commitment to maintaining music education in schools.”
The winner will be recognized during Grammy Week 2025, ahead of the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 2. Way to make show up and show out Mr. Hendricks.
The observer posted this about out very own Mr. Hendricks.
https://www.orangeobserver.com/news/2025/jan/09/forecast-ocoee-band-director-a-finalist-for-2025-grammy/
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Knight Athletics this Week: | |
Looking for Pole Vaulters: | |
FFA Holiday Season Highlights | | |
Before winter break, we had our December chapter meeting where we got to have a super fun baked potato bar, our annual snowball fight, and got to make some cute gingerbread men for our upcoming bulletin board! We also finished collecting all of our Toys for Tots gifts to be donated just ahead of Christmas. | |
Above and just below: FFA snowball fight | |
Making gingerbread men figures | |
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"Twisted Luck"
1. Ring the bell 2. Watch your luck. 3. Win or Lose, Happy Holidays!
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Reading Wrap-Up 2024 Reading Challenge Winners
I am thrilled to announce the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of our Beanstack Challenge - Reading Wrap-Up 2024! In first place with 720 reading minutes logged is Kaori Hutchins; 2nd place with 495 reading minutes logged is Christopher Vinebel; third place goes to Suhana Ragobar as she logged 300 minutes read. Congratulations to all of you! Your prizes will be awarded soon. Pictured left to right above are Kaori, Christopher and Suhana.
~ Ms. Gooseman, Media Specialist
'Let's Read OCPS' District-Wide Reading Challenge starts Jan. 27
Join our current reading challenge, Let's Read OCPS, from Jan 27-April 30! Our district-wide goal is 20 million minutes! Our school’s goal is 125,000 minutes. Research has shown that reading at least 20 minutes per day increases students' exposure to vocabulary and improves comprehension, too.
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College and Career Center | | |
Seniors, we want to celebrate your achievements! Please update us on any college acceptances, scholarship awards, or military enlistments using this form: https://tinyurl.com/OHSAcceptances25 | |
Spring Career Fair (Jan. 29) - RSVP | |
Register for the Jan. 2 FAFSA Night Here | |
Henry T. Wetherall Memorial Scholarship (page 1 screenshot below - Application here) | |
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Career One Stop
Career One Stop is a resource for students to explore career options, find training and education, and assist with job planning. They have a Scholarship Finder where students can search for more than 9,500 scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other financial aid award opportunities!
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OHS parents who purchase a business ad will receive a FREE yearbook for their OHS students. | |
2025-2026 Magnet Program Applications: | |
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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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OCPS Superintendent's January messages: | |
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Jan. 13, 2025
Ever wondered what makes some kids bounce back from challenges like champs? On this week's Mondays with Maria presented by Addition Financial, Dr. Vazquez talks to some amazing students from Evans High School and their SAFE Coordinator Jennifer Bohn about the key characteristics of resiliency!
Be sure to catch the extended interview with Evans High on the Mondays with Maria Podcast for more resiliency tips. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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Jan. 6, 2025
Can you believe we are halfway through the school year already?!
On this week's Mondays with Maria presented by Addition Financial, Dr. Vazquez and Nancy Alvarez talk about all the exciting things happening this semester, including graduation, special events and much more!
And don't forget to catch the extended conversation on the Mondays with Maria Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts!
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FREE Student Immunizations: | |
1) The raw materials in your laptop: | |
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Excerpt from the USA Today article:
Average student loan debt expected for a high school graduate
In 2024, borrowers have an average of $37,853 in federal student loan debt and $40,681 in private student loan debt, according to the Education Data Initiative. For 2025 high school graduates, these averages could increase if tuition costs continue to rise at both public and private colleges.
How long does it take to repay student loans?
The amount of time it takes to repay student loans depends on the type of loans you have and your repayment plan. According to a survey of 61,000 individuals by Research.com, student loan borrowers take an average of more than 20 years to pay off their education debt.
Reminder for all of our Knights! Please take advantage of our College and Career Center while you are still at Ocoee. There you will find answers to questions regarding college financial aid alternatives vs. borrowing as well as to those questions pertaining to non-college career opportunities including U.S. military service.
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3) Motivational quotes for our Knights early in the new year about inspiring others, measuring your success and finding joy in everyday tasks. | |
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Maya Angelou On Satisfaction
Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.
~ Maya Angelou, poet
Ronald Reagan On Leadership
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.
~ Ronald Reagan, former U.S. president and actor
John Wooden On Coaching
The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.
~ John Wooden, college basketball coach
Roy T. Bennett On Inspiration
Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.
~ Roy T. Bennett, attorney and political executive
Malcolm X On Education
Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to people who prepare for it today.
~ Malcolm X, civil rights leader
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Knights Never Give Up!
Dr. Ray, Principal
Ocoee High School
Tuesday, January 14, 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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