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Horizon West Middle School |
HWMS Community Member,
We have a little over a month left of the 2021-2022 school year with the last day of school, May 25th, quickly approaching!
I know our students are ready to finish this year strong and continue to do their best during our upcoming testing window. Over the first weeks of May, we have several tests that our students will be participating in: the FSA Reading, Math, EOC for Algebra and Geometry, 7th Grade Civics NGSSS Assessment and 8th Grade Science. Then in the last weeks of May all students will be completing their End of Course Exams, also known as CFEs for practically all courses, including electives.
It is important during this testing time that we stay positive and keep our students motivated. Parents, you can help your Hornet by talking about testing and helping them go into testing with a positive attitude. Help your child by:
- Make sure children gets enough sleep the night before tests
- Eat a healthy breakfast and arrive on time to school (Remember breakfast is free on campus!)
- Also, make sure your student comes to school with their laptop fully charged and bring their charger and headphones.
If you have questions in regards to testing you may contact Laura Rowe our School Testing Coordinator at laura.rowe@ocps.net.
Also, be sure to check Skyward as Progress Reports will be released on April 28th! Check to see that your child is finishing the year strong!
Don’t forget to regularly visit horizonwestms.ocps.net to get more information concerning all things Horizon West Middle.
Here are the highlights for this week. I hope you enjoy and thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Michelle Thomas, Principal
Pictured very top: National Assistant Principals Week was April 4-8th. We want to recognize our amazing Assistant Principals Ms. Hargrett and Mr. Flanagan! Thank you for all you do for our staff and students! We appreciate you both tremendously!
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8200 Tattant Drive
Orlando, FL 37486
(407) 554-1570
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April 22: Earth Day
April 23: Nemours Mobile Health Clinic, 9am - 1pm (flyer below)
April 28: Student Progress Reports
May 2-3: FSA - ELA/Reading *
May 2-6: TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK '22
May 5-6: FSA - Math, Algebra I, Geometry *
May 10: Spring Chorus Concert, Horizon High School Auditorium
May 11-13: Horizon High School Cheerleading Tryouts, 5-7pm
May 14: NGSSS 8th Grade Science Test, 7th Grade Civics Test *
May 17: Final PTSO Meeting of 2021-2022, 5:30pm (Includes new Board voting)
May 18: PTSO Spirit Night at BurgerFi
May 20: 8th Grade Dance
* Attendance on these testing dates critical as is a good night's rest the evening before. Thank you for your support.
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Nemours Mobile Clinic (April 23): |
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Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6): |
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Horizon HS Cheerleading Tryouts (May 11-13): |
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Spring Chorus Concert (May 10): |
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8th Grade Dance (May 20): |
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Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza gift card winners! |
A huge thank you to Piesanos at Lakeside Village and restaurant manager Steve Kafka for donating $100 worth of gift cards to our school in support of our tutoring programs! |
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Sixth-grade winners Anastacia, Hailey and Xavier. |
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407-887-1122
7782 Winter Garden Vineland Rd.
Windermere, FL 34786
Sun-Thurs: 11AM to 10PM
Fri-Sat: 11AM to 11PM
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Veronica Leone
Nominated by Ms. Cabrini- “Veronica is a pleasure to have in our HWMS family! She’s always involved in our school activities, either cheering for our basketball team, being in our track team, or dancing in our celebratory event! She is constantly smiling and bringing joy to the classes she attends!”
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Lais Tovar
Nominated by Ms. Ferrell & Ms. Stepp- “Lais is an overall great student. She works hard to do well in her classes. Just as importantly, Lais also has a great attitude. She is optimistic and positive and is constantly working on bettering herself.”
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Catarina Santos
Nominated by Ms. Cabrini- “Catarina is a wonder girl! She raises our flags daily, introduces the school to most of the new students, works in the concession stands in our events, besides being an honor roll student! Worth mentioning, always very sweet and polite with the whole staff!”
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Dominick Romano
Nominated by Mrs. Rodgers- “Dominick is an amazing student with great leadership skills, who always strives to do the best in class. He has been cast in our fall play and the spring musical The Little Mermaid Jr. as the Chef. He is a pleasure to have in class and we are lucky to have him here at Horizon West!"
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Camila Angulo Vila
Nominated by Mr. Skodnik- “Camila is an amazing student who strives for the best in everything she does. She always believes that she can achieve anything, She is a very sweet and generous student, she is an amazing student for any teacher to have because she works hard, she is kind, and she keeps everyone motivated to their best.”
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Nelson Santos Shikicima
Nominated by Mrs. Rea- “Nelson is an exceptional student and a wonderful person to have in class. He stays on top of assignments, helps his peers, asks insightful questions, and earns top grades. In addition to all that, he has a great personality and comes to class with a positive attitude every day. Way to go Nelson!”
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Congratulations to our “Hornet of the Week” — Mrs. Miller, 8th grade Math |
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Nominated by Mr. Manganiello (pictured above right)- “Once in a while, as teachers, we come across colleagues who are truly outstanding at their craft. They are devoted to their students' success, going above and beyond in making sure that their potential is reached. Throughout the year, this teacher has continued to show her dedication and devotion to her students. She often spends her mornings, mentoring and tutoring them before school. I’m always amazed by the turnout outside her classroom. The endless lines of students wanting to learn math, let alone Algebra are a true reflection of her ability to connect with as well as foster a commitment of learning with her students. With that being said, it is a privilege to nominate Mrs. Miller as our Hornet of the Week!”
Feedback from some of her students:
- “Mrs. Miller makes Algebra easy to understand and works really hard to prepare us.”
- “She provides tutoring in the morning, which really helps me understand the material better.”
- “Mrs. Miller works really hard and is super dedicated to teaching us.”
- “She’s a great teacher and we really appreciate her.”
- “I never really liked math, but she teaches it in a way that isn't intimidating or difficult to understand.”
- “She’s still upset about the Buffalo Bills losing in the playoffs. This award might cheer her up.”
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Congratulations to our “Hornet of the Week” — Mrs. Sheets, 8th Grade Social Studies |
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It is my honor to pass on the Hornet of the Week award to Mrs. Jayme Sheets. Mrs. Sheets has been at Horizon West since 2020. She is an integral part of the school, making herself available to her students and the staff. She is here early and leaves late giving more than 100%.
The minute you walk into Mrs. Sheets' classroom you are made to feel welcome. It is obvious she loves what she does and that learning goes on in this classroom. She has coached sports and runs NJHS. She has made this organization a success at Horizon West; her students contribute to the community by helping where there is need. She has also helped unify the staff by organizing the winter celebration and always has her door open for help.
Her students are lucky to have her and here is what some of them had to say:
- “She makes her lessons fun and thoughtful.”
- “She is very inclusive, everyone is made to feel welcome.”
- “She can be strict but I am thankful for that."
- “I entered her classroom late in the year, she made me feel welcome right away and I was able to catch up with her help.”
- “Mrs. Sheet makes me more interested in U.S. History.”
For these reasons and many more, this award is passed on to Mrs. Sheets, Congratulations!
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Congratulations to our track team on their first two fantastic meets. Both the boys and girls teams came up with big wins at Horizon West’s first ever track meet. The boys team came up short on points in their second meet despite many strong individual performances. The girls team was able to pick up a second win with a well-rounded performance. |
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“Coach of the Year” - Coach Ryan |
Congratulations to our very own Coach Ryan who was nominated for and selected as “Coach of the Year”. Each season, the Orlando Magic and the Jr. NBA team up to recognize outstanding youth basketball coaches in Central Florida through the Coach of the Year program. The goal is to celebrate coaches who have an impact on their players on and off the court, while demonstrating integrity, character and leadership. Each year, the Orlando Magic honors one local coach who embodies these characteristics and has made meaningful contributions to the community. Coach Ryan will be recognized and honored next season at one of the Orlando Magic home games!
Way to go Coach Ryan!!
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This past season, Coach Ryan led our 2021-2022 boys basketball team to winning the county championship. |
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On Friday, April 8th our Teacher of the Year and Support Person of the Year were celebrated at the STELLAR AWARDS at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel and Resort. |
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Asst. Principal Hargrett, SPOY - Ms. Colon, TOY - Mrs. Miller, and Principal Thomas |
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Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Miller |
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Support Person of the Year, Ms. Colon |
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Lawson Forrester, 4-H Public Speaking Contest Winner |
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Congratulations to 7th grader, Lawson Forrester (pictured above with Principal Thomas) for advancing to the district finals in the Florida 4-H Public Speaking Contest. We are extremely proud of her accomplishment and wish her the best in the district contest on April 25th. |
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Our school’s S.O.A.R. Award Recipient is Kevin Kodiyan |
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Each year, the West Orange Chamber of Commerce along with the West Orange Foundation facilitates the “WOCC Education Awards” for students in the West Orange area. This year’s program is presented by Orlando Health and Bright Future Electric. S.O.A.R. — “Students of Achievement and Renown” — is an award of merit, recognizing students who have shown initiative, good citizenship, commitment and personal growth in the classroom. The awards ceremony will be held on Monday, May 9, 2022 at West Orange High School’s Auditorium. (Kevin is pictured above with Coach Ryan.) |
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Horizon West PTSO Officer Elections & Committee Interest 2022-23
As we head towards our fourth year, our current officers are moving on after serving for 2+ years. We need you to keep our vision alive (and moving forward through COVID-19 restrictions). Please let us know if you are interested in becoming a part of this exciting organization in a small or big way!
Please click on the link below to access this survey:
The last PTSO Meeting of the year will be:
Tuesday May 17th at 5:30pm.
Voting for the new board will take place at this meeting!
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SAVE THE DATE- BURGERFI Upcoming Spirit Night
May 18th!
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Celebrate your 8th Grader by ordering a Yard Sign!! |
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Arts and Performing Arts News |
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Please vote for HWMS Leticia Ramos — “The Girl” — favorite visual artist! |
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Congratulations to our HWMS dancers who put on a wonderful Dance Showcase on April 5th! The dancers did a fantastic job and thank you to our dance teacher Mrs. Zuckerman! |
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Have a wonderful weekend!
Ms. Thomas, Principal
Horizon West Middle School
Friday, April 22, 2022
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1) Weekly paychecks in the U.S. vary by level of educational achievement:
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* Individual weekly earnings will vary depending upon where you live, the organization you work for, the amount of experience you have, and the type of work you do, but over time this pattern holds true from coast to coast and has since records have been kept by the U.S. Labor Department. |
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2) 21 Apps parents should know about:
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Serena Williams On Resilience
I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.
~ Serena Williams, tennis champion
Mary Barra On Excellence
What I always say is, "Do every job you're in like you're going to do it for the rest of your life, and demonstrate that ownership of it."
~ Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Patrick Mahomes On Setbacks
I just try to learn from every mistake that I make so I never make them again.
~ Patrick Mahomes, quarterback
William Faulkner On Dreams
Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.
~ William Faulkner, author
Oprah Winfrey On Imagination
Create the highest, grandest vision of your life, because you become what you believe.
~ Oprah Winfrey, media mogul
Have a wonderful weekend!
Ms. Thomas, Principal
Horizon West Middle School
Friday, April 22, 2022
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Horizon West Leadership Team |
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Judy Logan - Admin Dean 7th Grade and 8th Grade (M-Z) - judy.logan@ocps.net
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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. |
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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-Horizon West Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and OCPS-Horizon West Middle School. Please contact Ms. Tiffany Stanley at tiffany.stanley@ocps.net with any questions.
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