the SEA LINE

FOR THE PARENTS, STAFF & COMMUNITY OF SOUTHWEST MIDDLE SCHOOL

A Message from the PrincipalDear Sea Lions, Thank you for your support of Southwest Middle School, “A safe place where higher learning, creativity, and an appreciation for diversity lead to achievement!” I want to share with you some recent news and accomplishments at Southwest Middle School.• Enjoying one of the best Fine Arts Programs in OCPS, here are some of our achievements at the state-level:

◦ 9 students out of 60 from OCPS made the All-State Chorus ◦ 1 student was selected for the All-State Honors Orchestra ◦ 1 student made the All-State Band

• Max Fishman received the Mayor’s Humanitarian Award, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Congratulations to our Geography Bee Champion, Kyle Goodman• Congratulations to our Spelling Bee Champion, Barbara ChiuHere are some important upcoming events:• FSA/EOC – The 2016 FSA and State End of Course exams (EOC’s) will impact all 6th,

7th and 8th graders. Testing tips and strategies can be found in this newsletter and on our website. The schedule will be different than previous years due to the fact that more of the tests have to be taken on a computer. Here is the tentative schedule: ◦ FSA Writing (All Grades, March 1) ◦ FSA Reading (All Grades, April 21 & 22)

VOL 24 | NO. 2 | FEBRUARY 2016

VisionA safe place where higher learning, creativity, and an appreciation for diversity lead to achievement.

MissionTo create a safe environment where learning is our priority, diversity is respected, and achievements are celebrated.

Front Desk 5252221Secretary 5252223Bookkeeper 5252225Clinic 5252229Attendance 5252232Cafeteria 5252226Media Center 5252227DisciplineOffice 5252243

Core ValuesWe are committed to providing:• A Safe and Respectful Learning Environment• Rigorous Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessments• Supportive Interventions for Academics and Behavior• A Caring Atmosphere Where Family Involvement is Embraced

Important Telephone NumbersSouthwest Middle School6450Dr.PhillipsBlvd.•Orlando,FL32819Phone:(407)370-7200•Fax:(407)370-7210

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‘SeaLine’•Issue#2February 2016

Published Four Times Per YearSouthwest Middle School

Orange County Public SchoolsP.O. Box 271

Orlando, FL 32802-0271

◦ NGSSS Science (8th Grade, April 26) ◦ FSA Math (All students who are not

in Algebra or Geometry, May 2 & 3) ◦ Algebra & Geometry EOC (May 9

& 10) ◦ Civics EOC (7th Grade, May 16)

• Spring Drama Production – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – will take place Friday (February 26, 7 PM) and Saturday (February 27, 3 PM & 7 PM) in the Cafetorium.

• 5th Annual Fine Arts Festival – will take place Friday, April 8, 2016, from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM in the Courtyard at SWMS. Please join us for performances by our Jazz Band, Drama Department, Chorus, Orchestra, and other community groups, while also enjoying student art. We will have games for the little ones and our PTSA will be holding a silent auction. Plan to have dinner at the event as we will have numerous Partners in Education set up for food purchase.

Thanks again for your support of Southwest Middle School, “Home of the Sea Lions!”

Sincerely,Matthew Arnold, Principal

Principal’s Message continues...

Student Council Student Council will be extremely busy this quarter. Our state project is theHonorFlightProgram,whichfliesveteranstoWashingtonDCtovisitmemorials built to honor their service to the nation. Our goal is for each Orange County Student Council to raise $1000 to send a veteran and his/her chaperone to the memorial. Our current fundraiser is the opportunity to tape the principal to the wall. We are selling duct tape by the foot and have a contestgoingtoseeifMr.ArnoldorMs.Holtwillbetapedtothewallfirst.This will be happening on January 29th. Also, the SWMS Student Council is still collecting bottle tops for our bench, blankets for SPCA, and clothes for Christina’s Closet. Thank you for your continued support with our projects.

SAC Your School Advisory Council (SAC) ended 2015 with the presentation of the School Improvement Plan and the voting of the A+ School Funds. We jumped right into the new year by working on the upcoming School Survey. The School Survey will be available in three formats—one for students, one for staff, and one for parents. The staff and students will be able to complete the survey on campus and the parents will receive a link to complete the survey from home. All are encouraged to complete the survey to help our administration look into areas of strengths and weaknesses so that they can make SWMS the best it can be. As a reward for the parents completing the survey, a voucher will be given to each student who turns in a signed “Survey complete--Thank You” page. The voucher will be good for a snack item in the cafeteria. Last year this proved to be a great success and our completed parent survey numbers soared! As always, our meetings are open to all. The next meetings will be February 8th, March 14th, April 11th, and May 9th. I hope to see you there.Amy Joffe, SAC Chair

Media Center News If you haven’t visited the SWMS Media Center it is a very busy place. Supporting over 1300 students can be quite a task and so we are extremely grateful for the help from our volunteers. One volunteer in particular that we would like to recognize is Mrs. Sharon Stephens. Mrs. Stephens is a volunteer at Southwest Middle School and is the head volunteer for the media center. She worked many hours at the book fair in December and as a result the book fair was very successful. Thank you Sharon and all of our volunteer parents for your help.

Mrs. Sharon Stephens

3Car Line Safety and Procedures Car riders and families, please adhere to the following car line procedures to ensure everyone’s safety.

Drivers:1. Please only allow your child to get into your car in the yellow loading area. 2. The right lane will be for loading. Pull all the way up to the front of the yellow

loading area. If you see your child, please keep moving your car to the front of the yellow loading area and have your child walk to that area. Don’t stop in the middle of the yellow loading area.

3. If you want your child to cross the street to the parking lot area, you must park your car, walk across the street to the car line waiting area, and walk your child to your parked car.

4. The left lane will be used as a passing lane for cars that have parked and are ready to exit the school.

5. Do not park and exit your car in the yellow loading area or passing zone at any time during dismissal.

Students:1. As you exit the school doors, please stand or sit in the designated areas in order

to have a good view of your car. 2. When you see your car, wait for it to be in the yellow loading area. This is the

only area where you can get into your car. 3. When you see your car, make sure you are walking to the front of the yellow

loading area – don’t have your car stop if there is space for it to pull up to the front of the yellow loading area.

4. Please keep your hands and feet to yourself while waiting for your car. You will either sit or stand in the waiting area. Running or horse playing will not be allowed. The same behavior expectations and consequences that are in place during school will also be in place in the car line waiting area.

5. You will not be allowed to cross the street during dismissal. If you see your car in the parking lot, you must wait for your car to get in the yellow loading area. If your family member parks in a parking spot and walks across the street to the car line waiting area, then that family member may walk you across the street using the crosswalk. This will ensure the safety of students and prevent students walking in areas of moving cars.

6. As soon as you see your car in the yellow loading area, please load quickly to help the car line move in a timely manner.

4Guidance News Sixth and Seventh Grade Guidance. Congratulations 6th graders on completingyourfirstsemesterofmiddleschool!Nowthatsemesteronehas ended, students who were taking Computers last semester now are in Art, and vice versa. If you did not pass one of your core classes (Language Arts, Science, Math, and World History) this semester, Mrs. Mills will be meeting with you to discuss how you can recover that class to ensure that you are promoted to 7th grade next year. Very soon all 6th graders will be visited by Mrs. Mills and Mrs. Belcher (7th grade counselor) to discuss elective choices for next year. Parents, please be on the lookout for elective choice forms coming home. Eighth Grade Guidance. Attention 8th graders! The process for registration for Doctor Phillips High School will begin on February 4th with an orientation presented by Doctor Phillips High School. All 8th grade students will attend the orientation and have an opportunity to ask questions. The following week, Mr. Singletary, the 8th grade counselor, will visit each of the U.S. History classes to instruct the students on how to complete the registration forms and choose appropriate level academic courses as well as electives. The students will then take the forms home to be reviewed and signed by their parents. All forms are to be returned byFebruary18th,whentheDPHScounselorswillreturntobrieflymeetwith each student. At this time, the Business and Medical Academy applications should be returned as well. There will be an orientation for parents at DPHS in the spring. Please continue to check the DPHS website for further information (www.dphs.ocps.net). For our students zoned for Oak Ridge High School, there will be an information session for them about their ORHS registration forms led by Mr. Singletary and Mrs. Belcher on February 2nd. The students will then take the forms home to be reviewed and signed by their parents. All forms are to be returned on February 19th, when the ORHS counselors will come tobrieflymeetwitheachstudent. DEADLINEFORAPPLICATIONFORTHEMAGNETPROGRAMSISFEBRUARY15TH.Gotowww.schoolchoice.ocps.net to apply. Please direct your questions to Mr. Singletary at Peter.Singletary@ocps.net.

PTSA The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) hadanoutstandingfirsthalfoftheyear,butthereis still much to be done! We are currently in the early planning stages of our Silent Auction, which is held during the night of our Fine Arts Festival. Our auction will be digital again this year, and we hope you’ll enjoy the great items that are always up for bidding. Please be on the look-out for more information on when the auction will begin. We are very proud of the number of members we have this year, but we can always use more! It isNEVERtoolatetojointhePTSA!Pleaseknowthat your membership dues fund so many wonderful things for our teachers, students,ANDparents.Some of these wonderful things include: providing a fabulous teacher holiday luncheon in December, hosting an amazing, renowned speaker on social media safety—Mr. Jerry Ackerman, and as always, sponsoringourSilentAuctionthatwillbenefitourFineArts classes.Also,we support theGuardianAngel fund—a fund available for those in need, and wehavefulfilledgrantrequestsfromourteachers,including new cameras for the TV production crew and a new speaker system for the school. Lastly, a portion of your dues goes to the Florida PTA, which advocates for ALL children on the issues of testing and accountability, guns on campuses, and juvenile justice just to name a few. We thank you for your support and involvement and encourage you to attend our next meeting on Monday, February 8 at 6PM in the media center so you can get engaged in your child’s school!Lourdes MolaPTSA President

5AVID News This past December Southwest Middle School hosted an AVID Showcase in which educators from districts and states come to visit our school to learn about the AVID program. Our showcase was a huge success, and was truly a team effort. We would like to take this opportunity to recognize the many teachers, students, and staff who helped to make the showcase so successful. We would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions:

1. Bev Boyer – for handling the catering end of this event. It was fantastic as always!

2. Classroom teachers who volunteered to have our guests visit their classrooms:• Carol Jones• Selena Benjamin• Kat Cladek• Laura May• Mary Carol Thibeau• Megan Sever• Jim Lis• Robin Stewart

3. Teachers, students, and members of our leadership team for their participation on our panel:• Laura May• Marissa Kaufman• Mary Carol Thibeau• Daniel Sapp• Tara Mills

• Carol Jones• Selena Benjamin• AVID students:

◦ NourahAlSayed ◦ Andrew Olivo ◦ Susie Butler ◦ John Carlo Lee ◦ Bianca Brignoni ◦ Reem Hassan ◦ Dahlia Abousaouira ◦ GhaliKabbaj ◦ Justin Park

4. Stephanie Walker, Kristen Bryant, Andrew Buchmann who helped provide coverage for those participating on the panel

5. AVID student greeters - We had nineteen 6th graders show up at 8:00 to greet our guests!

6. AVID student tour guides for the classroom observations.

7. Andrea Holt and Richard Myers for assisting with the logistics involved with our showcase.

8. Karen Handley and Margaret Dailey for the setting up and breaking down of the event.

9. SWMS Student Council students for also helping with the set up.

10. Sandy Matheison for helping with the AVID shirts for our students.

11. Mr. Arnold as co-presenter12. Leadership team for assisting with

extra coverage As you can see this was a major team effort and could not have been executed alone. We are truly thankful for all of your help!ElizabethNewboldandKathrynHammondAVID Co-coordinators

6Language Arts Sixth Grade Language Arts. In 6th grade Language Arts classes we are sharpening our FSA skills by reading short articles and applying comprehension strategies especially for reference andresearch.Inaddition,weareusingScholastic’sScopemagazinefornon-fictionworkforcomprehension and understanding. We are also continuing our study of argumentative and expository writing in SpringBoard. Please encourage your children to read. It is essential to his/her success as a student. Seventh Grade Language Arts. In Language Arts students have been working on constructing speeches for the upcoming Modern Woodmen School Speech Contest. The school contest will be held on March 31st. Students have also started a unit on persuasion. So far we have taken a look at persuasive techniques, the effects of marketing on children, tweens, teens and young adults, analyzing informational texts, analyzing advertisements, and evaluating resources. Our biggest focus this nine weeks will be preparing for the upcoming FSA Writing Test, which takesplacethefirstweekinMarch.Ourwritingfocuswillbeonargumentativewriting.Inthisstyle of writing students learn to make effective, respectful arguments in response to contemporary issues. They will also learn to acknowledge as well as negate the other side of an argument by making an appropriate counterclaim respectfully. In addition students will review the elements of aninformativeessay.Wewillspendasubstantialamountoftimelookingataspecificformulatouse when writing an effective academic essay. Students’ essays will be scored according to their purpose,focusandorganization,evidenceandelaboration,andfinallytheirabilitytoproperlyuseconventionsofstandardizedEnglish.Alloftheserequirementsarespecifiedthrougharubricprovided by the state of Florida. With all that being said, please continue to encourage your student to read each day for thirty minutes.Therearesomanybenefitsthatcomefromreading.Overtimeyoungpeoplebuildtheirbackground knowledge, critical thinking, comprehension, vocabulary and they become better spellers. Thanks for all you do to ensure your student’s bright future. Eighth Grade Language Arts. Eighth grade ELA classes have recently started studying a new unit titled “The Challenge of Utopia”. Students are examining current societal issues, debating the controversies that surround these issues, and reading short stories that depict dystopian societies. Soon, students will participate in a novel study (either Fahrenheit 451 or The Giver) and make real-world connections to themes that are represented in the novel.

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7Math Seventh Grade Regular Math. Currently we are working on Scale Drawings. Students are researching different monuments of the world and determining an accurate scale to use in order to draw their monument to scale on a piece of paper. Seventh Grade Advanced Math. In advanced math, we are working on Proportional Relationships and Slope. Students are interpreting graphs and determining slopes of lines. They are using their laptops to generate digital graphs to represent their data. Algebra 1 and Algebra 1 Honors. In Algebra, students have been studying linear functions and systems of equations and inequalities. In this third quarter, we will focus on polynomials, quadratic functions, and exponential functions. Remember that the online textbook is a great resource. It can be accessed through the HMH app on the students’ launch pad. There are many live links in the Student Edition, such as the “Personal Trainer” where students can access interactive problems, step-by-step instructions on how to solve problems, and a video tutor. Geometry Honors. In Geometry, students have been learning about trianglecongruence and similarity. In this third quarter, we will investigate quadrilaterals, trigonometry, and transformations. Remember that the online textbook is a great resource. It can be accessed through the Pearson app on the students’ launch pad. Besides the online textbook Student Edition, students canfindextrapracticeandHomeworkVideoTutorsintheStudentResourcessection.

Tips for Student SuccessFlorida End-of-Course Exams (EOCs) are approaching fast. We are all working hard to make sure students are prepared. Here are some tips for student success in math:1. Review your notes daily (interacting with notes increases retention of the content)2. Do all homework (practice helps reinforce learning)3. Try not to miss class (regular attendance is important)4. Ask questions and don’t wait (Edmodo is perfect for questions outside of class)5. Analyze mistakes and make corrections (mistakes are acceptable when you learn

from them)6. Find a friend to be a study partner (collaboration is a wonderful learning strategy)7. BELIEVEINYOURSELF(WEBELIEVEINYOU)!

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sSocial Studies Sixth Grade Social Studies. Sixth grade Social Studies classes have just wrapped up their study of ancient Egypt and early China. What an adventure this year has been so far! We’ve explored the early settlements of man and the birth of civilization in the Fertile Crescent. We sailedthemightyNileRiverthroughancientEgyptandcrossedthevastdesertsintoChina.We’llbetrekkingtowardsthebirthplaceofmoderndemocracy:Greece!We’vecompletedacoupleofDBQs,honedourmapskills,learnedhowtocompleteGuidedReadingnotes,andpolishedourskillsattakingCornellNotes;allwhilelearningabouttheancientworld. Seventh Grade Civics. Students in 7th grade Civics have been spending a lot of time investigating the ideas in the U.S. Constitution. Students are currently evaluating the Bill of Rights to further understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens. For the remainder of quarter three, we will be analyzing how the federal government operates and how citizens can make a difference in the legislative process. Students have been working hard to prepare for the end of course exam in May. We know that all students will reach their goals! Eighth Grade U.S. History. Our most recent focus in U.S. History has been upon the challenges that faced our nation following the Revolutionary War. The students were able to analyze the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and measure how the Constitution answered thoseweaknesses.TheynowunderstandtheprecedentsthatweresetbyGeorgeWashingtonandthe immense impact he had on an emerging government. As a culmination of their studies on the earlypresident,thestudentsenjoyedare-enactmentofGeorgeandMarthaWashingtonplayedby Bill and Cara Elder, grandparents of Sarah Elder, an eighth grader at SWMS. Special thanks to Mrs. Parrish for arranging this for all the Social Studies Classes.

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Science Sixth Grade Science. Sixth grade science students continue their voyage into the human body. We have studied the skeletal, muscular, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, excretory, nervous, and endocrine systems. Digital lessons, virtual labs, hands on activities, and labs have made learning themanybodysystemseducationalandinteresting!Nextwemoveontoinfectiousdiseasesandthe immune system. There we will study the many pathogens and how to cure and prevent them. Seventh Grade Earth/Space Science. This quarter we will be studying all about the history of Earth from its surface and how natural elements will build it up and tear it down by physical and chemical weathering, erosion, and deposition. Students will be able to recognize that there are a variety of different landforms on Earth’s surface such as coastlines, dunes, rivers, mountains, glaciers, deltas, and lakes and relate these landforms as they apply to Florida. We will be using frosting, fruit rollups and graham crackers to learn all about plate tectonics. We are all excited about our third quarter in science.Super STEM Sea Lions! The following students were recognized by the school board and were recipients of awards from the 2015 STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) Alliance. Please congratulate each of them on their achievement and their dedication.• Warren Boschen—2015 STEM Alliance Most Improved Science Student• Devon Lynn—2015 STEM Alliance Most Outstanding Science Student• Daniel Zhang—2015 STEM Alliance Most Improved Math Student• Julie Zhu—2015 STEM Alliance Most Outstanding Math Student

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Drama The Southwest Middle School Theatre Department and the YMCA Afterschool Zone are pleased to announce the upcoming performance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Come see SWMS’s own spin on this classic story. This year’s production is an adaptation of the classic children’s book written by Frank L. Baum and rewritten for our stage by Theatre Director, Sally Marjama. Performance dates are Friday, February 26th at 7:00 PM and Saturday, February 27th at 3:00 and 7:00 PM. Tickets are $5.00 and will be available for presale during lunch shifts as well as at the door.

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s We would like to congratulate the following Chorus, Band, and Orchestra students for their accomplishments:• All County Chorus:

◦ Liam Ortiz ◦ Juan Vieira ◦ Aaliyah Herndon ◦ Chloe Lynn ◦ Serenity Marti ◦ Basma Berlarj-Haddad ◦ Sophia Castellanos ◦ MackenzieGimbel ◦ Lala Zenib Elmazani

• All State Chorus: ◦ Lyna Ammagui ◦ NicholasDieux ◦ AnnaGigante ◦ Jordan Kocrek ◦ Achsah Martin ◦ Jazmin Perdew ◦ Arianna Ponce ◦ Priscilla Ramos ◦ Willam Rodriguez ◦ Radhika Subramanian

• All State Band: ◦ Jesse Rigsby- clarinet

• All County Honors Band: ◦ Jesse Rigsby- clarinet ◦ Jayson Pietz- French horn ◦ Devin Pryor- trombone ◦ Elijah Hoven- trombone ◦ Charlie Hanley- euphonium ◦ Elijah Barrios- oboe ◦ Miller Knopp- trumpet

• All County Jazz Band: ◦ Elijah barrios- alto sax ◦ Miguel Perez- alto sax ◦ Julia Zhu- piano ◦ GhaliKabbaj-guitar

• All State Honors Orchestra: ◦ Samitha Kosanam

• All County Orchestra: ◦ Samitha Kosanam ◦ Daniel Zhang ◦ NicoleLiang ◦ Jewel Starkey ◦ Hannah Harris ◦ Alaina Kahn ◦ JeanetteGu

WAY TO GO SEA LIONS!

Performing Arts News

the SEA LINE

FOR THE PARENTS, STAFF & COMMUNITY OF SOUTHWEST MIDDLE SCHOOL

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

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s Southwest Steppers The Southwest Middle School Step Team will be performing Center Stage on Friday, January 29,2016forthe27thZoraNealeHustonArtsandHumanitiesFestival.RecognizedasprobablythemostsignificantcollectorandinterpreterofSouthern,AfricanAmericanculture,ZoraNealeHurston (1891-1960) is the dominant female voice of the Harlem Renaissance era. In her works, she celebrates her hometown, Eatonville, as representative of the dignity and beauty of rural Southern, African-American life and culture. A consummate storyteller, she brings to her readers an authenticity based on her primary research. Her legacy is a phenomenon which has undergone remarkable development and expansion in recent decades, embracing among others, topics in ethnic identity, social interaction, feminist theory and cultural continuity. Her unique insights into folklore, performance and creative expression have invited new interpretation and inspired emulation, while the corpus of her own works has grown as a result of research and discovery.

The Southwest Steppers are honored to participate in thecelebrationofZoraNealeHurston and her contribution to African-American and Florida culture and history.

The Southwest Steppers