Gotha Middle School Newsletter

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MAY 2016 Issue 5 For the parents, students and community of Gotha Middle School Gotha Activity Line Call: 407-521-2360 Press the number 6. ‘Gotha Growl’ May 2016 Published Five Times Per Year Orange County Public Schools P.O. Box 271 Orlando, FL 32802 Issue# 5 Visit Gotha Middle School’s web site at: http://www.ocps.net/lc/west/mgo Gotha Middle School Gotha Middle School is a student-oriented school that focuses on the whole child. We promote a partnership between students, educators, parents, and community to achieve our goals of: Academic excellence Character development Technological proficiency Preparing students for transition to high school Gotha Middle School 9155 Gotha Road Windermere, FL 34786 Phone: 407-521-2360 Office Hours Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. School Hours Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.: 9:30 a.m to 3:50 p.m. Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. 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 or any other reason prohibited by law. The following individuals at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 W. Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, attend to compliance matters: ADA Coordinator & Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Supervisor: Carianne Reggio; Section 504 Coordinator: Dr. Kimberly Steinke; Title IX Coordinator: Gary Preisser. (407.317.3200) To download a PDF version of this newsletter, go to http://academypublishing.com/schools/gotha/gotha.php Principal’s Message Thank you, Gotha Community, for showing your gratitude during Teacher Appreciation Week. Gotha Faculty and Staff are some of the most dedicated in our profession and are passionate about our students. Your words of encouragement, time volunteered, and yummy treats were truly appreciated! As the end of the year draws near, please help your student prepare for the end of the school year by checking their planners for important dates (assignment due dates, textbook turn ins, final exams, etc). A strong finish to the school year will make for a great summer. Be on the lookout for our summer reading program. Thank you for your continue partnership to make Gotha Middle School a great place to learn and Inspire Greatness! Sincerely, Principal Knowles

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May 2016

Transcript of Gotha Middle School Newsletter

Page 1: Gotha Middle School Newsletter

MAY 2016Issue 5

For the parents, students and community of Gotha Middle School

Gotha Activity Line Call: 407-521-2360

Press the number 6.

‘Gotha Growl’May 2016

Published Five Times Per YearOrange County Public Schools

P.O. Box 271 Orlando, FL 32802

Issue# 5 Visit Gotha Middle School’s web site at: http://www.ocps.net/lc/west/mgo

Gotha Middle School Gotha Middle School is a student-oriented school that focuses on the whole child. We promote a partnership between students, educators, parents, and community to achieve our goals of:• Academic excellence• Character development

• Technological proficiency• Preparing students for transition to high school

Gotha Middle School9155 Gotha Road

Windermere, FL 34786

Phone: 407-521-2360

Office HoursMonday-Friday:

8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

School HoursMon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.: 9:30 a.m to 3:50 p.m.

Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.

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 or any other reason prohibited by law. The following individuals at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 W. Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, attend to compliance matters: ADA Coordinator & Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Supervisor: Carianne Reggio; Section 504 Coordinator: Dr. Kimberly Steinke; Title IX Coordinator: Gary Preisser. (407.317.3200)

To download a PDF version of this newsletter, go to http://academypublishing.com/schools/gotha/gotha.php

Principal’s Message

Thank you, Gotha Community, for showing your gratitude during Teacher Appreciation Week. Gotha Faculty and Staff are some of the most dedicated in our profession and are passionate about our students. Your words of encouragement, time volunteered, and yummy treats were truly appreciated!

As the end of the year draws near, please help your student prepare for the end of the school year by checking their planners for important dates (assignment due dates, textbook turn ins, final exams, etc). A strong finish to the school year will make for a great summer. Be on the lookout for our summer reading program. Thank you for your continue partnership to make Gotha Middle School a great place to learn and Inspire Greatness!

Sincerely,

Principal Knowles

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From the Registrar Florida statue and Orange County Public Schools policy requires that the official student record have verification of the correct address of the parent/guardian.

If you have moved, or renewed your lease, you will need to bring your documentation to the registrar at school. To verify your address, you must provide one of the following:

• Current Homestead Exemption Card

• Current Property Tax statement

• Purchase Contract

• Current Lease and Utility Bill

• Verification of Residence from Pupil Assignment

Media Center Reminder: All textbooks and library books must be returned in order to avoid being charged for lost materials. 8th graders who owe fees for textbooks or library materials will need to clear their accounts prior to entering high school. Check out the 15 titles for the Sunshine State Young Readers awards that we will use for Battle of the Books…

Drama News Our Advanced Drama field trip to the Dr. Phillips’ Center for the Performing Arts on April 1 was a terrific experience. Students got to see the state-of-the-art facility and watch Kevin Spencer and company perform “Hocus Focus.” Advanced Drama also presented 2 shows on April 28: “Please Hold” and “Please Hold 2.” For many of these students it was their first time performing in a formally presented play, so we are very proud of them! Our afterschool drama program presents “Hairspray, Jr.” which performs on May 6 and 7 in the cafeteria, and promises to be a real blast from the past! Way to go, Drama Grizzlies!

SSYRA Titles for 2016-2017Title AuthorAll Fall Dawn Ally CarterBot Wars J. V. KadeThe Crossover Kwame AlexanderEcho Pam Munoz RyanFrenzy Robert LettrickThe Honest Truth Dan GemeinhartInsignia S.J. KincaidThe Luck Uglies Paul DurhamThe Neptune Project Polly HolyokeNickel Bay Nick Dean PitchfordThe Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy Nikki LoftinThe Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days Michele Weber HurwitzThe Tapper Twins Go To War (With Each Other) Geoff RodkeyTurn Left at the Cow Lisa BullardThe Worst Class Trip Ever Dave Barry

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The Garden The students in the Exceptional Student Education Program and Mrs. Burgess’ 6th and 7th grade classes have become fast friends over the course of this year. With their garden right outside our window, we get to “visit” on a daily basis and have shared many experiences. We had a joint Easter Egg Hunt last month and, recently, the ESE students surprised us with pasta, sauce and fresh basil picked from their garden. We will be participating in The Kentucky Derby in May as our final get together for the year. We would like to thank Ms. Babb, Ms. Bauduy, Mr. Harmon, Ms. Jenkins, Ms. Pyke and Ms. Williams for sharing their garden and brightening our day. This has truly been a wonderful and rewarding experience for all of the students involved and one that we hope will continue next year.

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Lock Up Your Meds

SAFE CORNER

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8th Grade US History Well, the year has just flown by!! The North and South have not agreed on various issues over the years. The Southern states are slowly seceding from the nation. Slavery is a topic that has and continued to cause problems among the states. We are headed towards a war between the states. These battles will put fathers against sons, brothers against brothers, and neighbor against neighbor. The North would like to outlaw slavery and the South needs slavery for economic reasons. The cotton industry is booming in the South and industries are popping up all over the North. The Civil War will be the cause of the largest American death toll than any other war in our history. Many believe that the war started due to the issue of slavery, this is not the case. The main goal for President Lincoln was to bring the states back together and preserve the United States. The issue of slavery was a secondary motive for the war. We will discuss various aspects of the Civil War and eventually the death of President Lincoln and the Reconstruction Period, the time of rebuilding our nation. 8th Grade Social Studies would like to thank all our parents for helping us help your child be as successful as possible this year. We would like to wish the 8th Grade Class of 2016 the best of luck in high school and in any future endeavors. We look forward to hearing about all your success stories when you come back to visit. Have a Great Summer!

Mr. Aldrich, Mrs. Godboldte-Hazzard, Ms. Jocelyn Dejesus-Velez.

Where beautiful

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407-909-3003www.OgdenOrtho.com

Complimentary Consultation2nd Opinions Welcomed

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6th Grade Science Our sixth grade science students have been working hard to complete a great year! We’ve discovered how energy is transferred through an ecosystem, compared food chains and webs, and discussed important symbiotic relationships. Students demonstrated their knowledge of how animals and plants are dependent on each other by making their own food chains and webs! We are finishing out the year by discussing the carbon and water cycles and preparing for our long-awaited end of course exam. Parents and students, thanks for a great year in 6th grade Life Science! We, as teachers, hope the lab experiences, interactive science notebooks created, and classroom experience deepened your child’s love for SCIENCE! Have a great summer!

7th Grade Science Earth/Space Science at Gotha Middle School began the 2015-16 school year with inquiry activities to ignite the “scientist” and to provide the framework of inquiry learning for the rest of the school year. As we embark on the voyage of learning Earth/Space science concepts we firmly planted our feet in the nature of science and in experimental design. From this point the students will be prepared and have increased proficiency in performing inquiry experiments and activities that are designed to promote both independent and cooperative learning. Intermixed into the curriculum are cross-curricular activities that will promote the success of the students in high school science classes. Science learning is engaging the students on many levels by making connections to prior knowledge. Throughout the first nine weeks we were working with the students to instruct and expand the students understanding of our Universe. During the second nine weeks we concentrated our efforts on enhancing the students understanding of our Sun (and other stars) and our Solar System, including the Sun-Earth-Moon relationship. As we continued on our path towards the end of the school year we moved into the study of Earth science and the interaction of Earth’s layers. The topics covered included: Weathering and Erosion, Landforms, the Rock Cycle, Layers of the Earth, Plate Tectonics, and Human Impact on Earth. Now, as we complete our school year we are focusing on Earth’s Atmosphere, the Water Cycle, and Weather and Climate. After that, we will be focusing on preparations for the End of Course Exam which will be given in late May.

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6th Grade Language Arts 6th grade language arts is delving into a study of William Shakespeare and his contributions to the literary world, with an emphasis on his tragedy “MacBeth”. The unit includes background knowledge on Shakespeare himself and on Elizabethan England and an analysis of his use of language, or diction, in select sonnets and plays. Students will interpret and paraphrase well-known Shakespeare quotes and read and analyze select scenes from “MacBeth”. Students will compete in a Shakespeare Insult Face Off. The unit will end with groups of students transposing select “MacBeth” scenes to a different places and different time periods and then performing their scenes for their fellow classmates.

7th Grade Language Arts The 7th Grade Language Arts students studied various types of poems such as pantoums, haikus, narratives, etc. before creating their own poetry in anticipation of our Poetry Slam in May. Students and parents should be very proud of the quality and depth of the verses that were submitted.

Next on the agenda is Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. We will be looking at various excerpts and acting them out in class. The kids are very excited about the prospect of providing their own take on this wonderful play.

8th Grade Language Arts We are currently finishing our unit surrounding literature and non-fiction produced as a result of the Holocaust. The students have been creating their own poetry, journals, and narratives as well as creating their own Public Service Announcements. We will be moving into studying comedy as we finish out the year. We will be exploring the different types of comedy through classification, definition, and analysis with a strong focus on Shakespearian comedy.

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Non Profit OrganizationUS Postage PAIDOrlando, FLPermit #2346

Orange County Public SchoolsGotha Middle SchoolP.O. Box 271Orlando, FL 32802-0271

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You can pre-order your yearbook at

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Athlete of the Month The athlete of the month is Isaiah Hands. Isaiah exhibits the characteristics we look for in our student athletes. He works hard academically and on the track. When I talked to some of his teachers most echoed “he’s a good kid”, “rarely causes a problem” and is always smiling. In track, he currently runs in the 60m, 4x100 varsity relay and participates in the long jump. I think he’s wonderful! He does whatever his coaches need or ask him to do without a complaint and always with a smile.