AN E-NEWSLETTER FOR PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL & BUSINESS COMMUNITY
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Upcoming Events
Monday October 5
Science 8th grade PMA

Tuesday October 6
Civics 7th grade PMA
Open House 5-7

Wednesday October 7
Algebra/Geometry PMA

Thursday October 8
Algebra/Geometry PMA
Afterschool detention 4-5

Friday October 9
Make-ups all week
(end of PMA window)

Upcoming
No school Monday, October 12
Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15, 2020 through October 15, 2020 for the 2020-2021 School Year.
Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis are hosting the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and have invited all Florida students in grades K-3 to participate in the art contest.
The theme for this year’s essay and art contests is “Celebrating Untold Stories and Contributions of Hispanic Americans in Florida”.

Students will share about the individuals who have made our state, nation and world a better place including those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information about the contests and Florida’s Hispanic Heritage Month is available at www.FloridaHispanicHeritage.com.

All students in grades K-3 have a chance to win a prize by submitting artwork. Emailed, scanned, or faxed art entries will not be accepted.

In addition, First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Hispanic Heritage History Month essay contest is open to all Florida students in grades 4-12. Each student will submit one essay no longer than 500 words based on this year’s theme. Three winners will be selected: one elementary (grades 4-5), one middle school student (grades 6-8), and one high school student (grades 9-12). Winners will receive a 4-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by Florida Prepaid College Foundation. Essay entries can be mailed or submitted electronically.

Winner will be notified after October 10, 2020.
All entries must be received by 5:00 PM September 25, 2020.

Entries should be mailed to Volunteer Florida, Hispanic Heritage month Committee, 1545 Raymond Diehl Rd., Suite 250, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. Contestants are responsible for all shipping costs.
Please feel free to contact Volunteer Florida at (850) 414-7400 for any further questions.

For necessary contest requirements, you may also visit www.FloridaHispanicHeritage.com or the following websites: 2020 Art Contest Rules, Guidelines & Waiver Form 2020 Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest Online Submission 2020 Essay Contest Rules, Guidelines & Waiver Form

If you have any further questions, please contact Rebecca Ray at Rebecca.Ray@ocps.net or Dr. Arlene Peters at Arlene.Peters@ocps.net

  • Students can check out virtual recipes from Piedmont staff on Student Body – PLMS in Canvas

  • Latin Coffee Day for teachers on October 7

  • Dress up for students/staff on October 15
Singing at Home
2020-2021 Emergency Forms
Parents please complete and turn in your child’s 2020-2021 Emergency & Student Health Information Forms to the main office .
Good Morning Piedmont Science Team!
On Wednesday, October 21, the 8th grade teachers are hosting Dress Like a Scientist Day. We would like to invite all grade levels to participate! If you have LaunchEd students, pictures of their scientist costumes will also be accepted for the contest.
We hope to see all of you join!
SAC – School Advisory Council
We are in need of members for our SAC committee. Please spread the word, come on out and join the team! SAC is here to help Piedmont Lakes excel! Our membership must mirror our enrollment. A spaghetti dinner will be provided at our October 20, 2020 meeting at 6:00 PM. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Our goals:
  • High Expectations for student learning
  • Student social and emotional well-being
  • Dedicated and high-quality team
  • Positive climate and safe environment
  • Efficient operations
  • Engaged and invested community
Piedmont Lakes Middle School Parent Survey
Families, please take a moment to complete this survey so that we may better serve you and our students. Your input is very valuable.

Parent Engagement, community support and overall achievement is what we strive for at Piedmont Lakes Middle School. With that being said, not only do we want to better communicate with you, our parents. Our goal is to improve the entire education experience for the whole family.

Please click on the link below to complete the survey:

Open House
open_house_sign.jpg
Please join us for Open House on October 6, 2020. This event will be done virtually from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM. Teachers will have a recorded video for you to watch and you will follow your student’s schedule. The bell schedule for the evening will be posted online and in their courses so you won’t miss any important information. Please feel free to call the school with any questions, 407-884-2265.
Letter From the Deans
We are so glad to be back to school. Thank you for your patience as we adjust to online and face2face learning. For those of you who are schooling via LaunchEd, we ask that you speak with your child about proper behavior when using the chat feature at home as well as in class. Even though your child is at home, they still are to follow the code of conduct.

Those students who are face2face, please remind them that there is NO CELLPHONE usage on campus. ALL cellphones should be OFF AND AWAY for the entire school day. Cell phones will be confiscated when reported by a teacher or staff.

Finally, in order to keep the campus safe, we ask that students continue to wear their masks properly - mask must cover their nose and mouth - and that students practice social distancing at all times - hallway, lunchroom, classrooms, bus loop, pick up line out front, etc.This is for their safety as well as others on campus.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact your grade level deans at 407-884-2265 at their extensions below:

Marcus Collins 6th 523-2243
Gerald Wright 7th 523-2238
Karen Conley 8th 523-2274
Food Drive - FFA
Tom the Turkey is starting work early this year. PMLS is starting a food drive to help our local community in the time of need. With 11.3% of citizens unemployed in Florida many families are having to go without. Food banks are quickly being emptied. So PLMS’ FFA chapter has decided to help out.

Face to face students can bring can goods or other not perishable items to the office, LaunchEd students drop off goods at the school or snap a picture of themselves dropping off a donation at a local food bank! Send the photos to Dr. Maxwell at Vanessa.Weldon@OCPS.net, she will be making a collage of them to celebrate the giving activities at PLMS!
Athletics
Now is the time to begin submitting physicals for sports. All sports physicals must be completed by a physician and are due by December 1st. All sports activities are set to resume as followed:

Volleyball: -January thru Mid-February
Track: Mid-February thru March
Soccer: March thru April
Basketball: Late March thru Early May
Here is a list of local places that offer sports physicals.
Students can receive physicals from the following locations:­  Price Range $15 - $75
 EL2 –Pre-participation Physical Evaluation Form: The entire packet must be completed. OCPS will no longer accept Dept. of State health forms. The doctor’s signature must be on the EL2 form. The doctor/medical professional signing the physical form must be from the state of Florida.  No out of state physicals will be accepted.

Emergency Treatment Authorization Card – EMT Card (1 page): Please fill out and sign both cards. This form includes your contact numbers and appropriate insurance information.
Grade Point Average: In addition to the physical form and EMT cards each student that tryouts must have a CUMMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF 2.0

If you have any questions, please email Mr. Collins, Athletic Director, at marcus.collins@ocps.net or call 407-884-2265 X 5232243.
Love Pantry
Families can pick up food weekly from the Love Pantry. Please leave a message for the counselors and bags will be prepared for parents to pick up.

407-884-2265 X 523-2248 Brotherson
407-884-2265 X 523-2034 Maciak
407-884-2265 X 523-2246 Stanton
General Information
Early Departure
Early Departure (sign out/pick up) time/Attendance Notes

We strongly discourage early departure 45 minutes prior to the school closing of the day. Attendance notes must be turned in within 48 hours of the absence to the attendance clerk.
Mask Policy
Masks/Face coverings must be worn at all times on campus per OCPS unless a teacher or staff member directs the student to take a break from wearing one. Please remind your child to have the mask cover their nose and mouth.
Dress Code
PTSA / SAC
PTSA meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every month in the PLMS Cafeteria.

The PTSA meeting will immediately follow the SAC meeting which begins at 6:00 PM. Both meetings will be streamed virtually via Zoom.
Curbside Meals
Dear parent/guardian,

The weekly distribution of curbside meals for LaunchEd@Home students will be available on Monday, August 31st. Serving times at all OCPS school sites will begin 30 minutes after the last bell and continue for 90 minutes. Below are some general guidelines for the majority of sites:

Elementary and K-8 Schools (3:30 PM – 5:00 PM)
Middle Schools (4:30 PM – 6:00 PM)
High Schools (2:50 PM – 4:20 PM)

Each student will receive 5 breakfast meals and 5 lunch meals to cover 9/1, 9/2, 9/3, 9/4 and 9/8. Please be sure to bring your student’s ID or write the number down in large font on a sheet of paper so that we can read it from your car. If you have not qualified for free or reduced meals this year, please go to myschoolapps.com to apply.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, the next distribution for curbside meals will be on Tuesday, September 8th. For more details, visit ocps.net.

Thank you,

OCPS Food & Nutrition Services
Clubs
Chess Club is BACK!

CALLING ALL CHESS PLAYERS!! Do you like to play chess? Want to get better? Want to learn how to play? Then chess club is for YOU!

We will be participating in online chess lessons and games through chesskid.com. There will be weekly tournaments for middle school students throughout the district. For more information, please email Mr. Mahoney at john.mahoney@ocps.net. Please respond with the student’s name and district 480…. Student ID number. This will be used to place students into our digital Chess Canvas Club.
Virtual Engineering Club

CALLING ALL FUTURE ENGINEERS! Do you like creating and building? Do you enjoy finding clever solutions to problems? The PLMS engineering club will be starting back up virtually! We will be working on projects and looking at competitions that do not require physically attending. All interested parties should email Mr. Mahoney at john.mahoney@ocps.net. Please respond with the student’s name and district 480…. Student ID number. This will be used to place students into our digital Engineering Canvas Club.
Computer/Charger/Earbuds
Students need to bring their computer, their charger, and their own earbuds each and every day to school. Students also need to charge their computers NIGHTLY so they are prepared daily. Wireless headphones or earbuds will not be allowed.
Skyward & LaunchED
Please click on the picture and it will take you directly
to OCPS Skyward information page!
LaunchED Family Technology Handbook
The purpose of the LaunchEd Family Technology Handbook is to help provide an overview of the digital learning program in Orange County Public Schools. The handbook is published annually and can be found at www.digital.ocps.net along with other important digital resourses. You can also click on the picture and it will bring you to the handbook.

Parent Resources
Tech Support
Boys & Girls Club
Hello PLMS Parents,

Our Boys & Girls Club virtual sessions are occurring now from 4:00 PM-6:00 PM! There is homework help, gaming, trivia with prizes, crafts, cooking, and family workouts. The program is 100% free! All materials are delivered to your door at no cost and there are LOTS of prizes for participating. This is a great way for your kids to have some fun while at home and interact with other students socially.

If you are new to the After School Zone program, please register at bgcafterschoolzone.org. If you have been a member of Piedmont’s After School Zone before, just email gwright@bgccf.org with your child’s name and Coach Wright will renew their membership. We hope to see your child there!
Mental Health Wellbeing 211
Follow Us
Vision:
To ensure every student has a promising and successful future

Mission:
With the support of families and the community, we create enriching and diverse pathways to lead our students to success

Objectives:

· High Expectations for Student Learning

· Student Social and Emotional Well-Being

· Dedicated and High-Quality Team

· Positive Climate and Safe Environment

· Efficient Operations

· Engaged and Invested Community

OCPS EEO Non-Discrimination Statement

The School Board of Orange County, Florida, does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other reason prohibited by law. The lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in CTE programs. The following individuals at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 W. Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, attend to compliance matters: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer & Title IX Coordinator: Keshara Cowans; ADA Coordinator: Michael D. Graf; Section 504 Coordinator: Tajuana Lee-Wenze. (407-317-3200)

The information contained in this e-mail message is intended solely for the recipient(s) and may contain privileged information. Tampering with or altering the contents of this message is prohibited. This information is the same as any written document and may be subject to all rules governing public information according to Florida Statutes. Any message that falls under Chapter 119 shall not be altered in a manner that
misrepresents the activities of Orange County Public Schools.

[References: Florida State Constitution I.24, Florida State Statutes Chapter 119, and OCPS Management Directive A-9.] If you have received this message in error, or are not the named recipient notify the sender and delete this message from your computer.
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