Legacy Middle School Newsletter

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Volume 9 • Issue 5 August 2014

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Jets, welcome back to the 2014-2015 school year! We are excited to begin a fresh start, and warmly welcome our 6th graders and new staff members to Legacy. In particular, we are pleased to have our new Assistant Principal, Dr. Joy Fernandez, join our flight crew. Dr. Fernandez brings to us a background rich in leadership, and she lives up to her name, as her warmth and cordiality are a ‘joy’ to be around.

In case you missed the news, I’m thrilled to repeat it we have regained an A status for our school grade! This is in large part to our teachers and staff for their efforts and heartfelt dedication, and our parents and students for their hard work and belief that we could, once again, be at the top. Congratulations to you all!

In an effort to reduce costs and reflect the times we live in, we are increasing our digital presence and hope you will

join us. This will be our final print newsletter; as we move forward we will be sending a more frequent digital newsletter via email. We will continue to send Connect Orange phone and email messages as well. If you don’t receive these, be sure to update your contact information with our registrar. If you haven’t joined us on Facebook, please follow us at Legacy Middle School-OCPS, and don’t forget about the school website Legacy.ocps.net. We are working hard to keep you up dated and provide as much information as possible.

Thank you for choosing OCPS and Legacy Middle School. I look forward to a year of growth and educational opportunities with you and your children. As we take flight, I remind you to be kind, be grateful, and be engaged in life!

With respect and warm regards, Dr. Shannon Battoe

To downl oa http://ac d a PDF version of this ne ademypub w lishing.c om/scho sletter, go to ols/lega cy/legacy .php

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People To Know...

Principal Dr. Shannon Battoe, Ext. 5142222 Principal’s Secretary Mrs. Dianne Stevens, Ext. 5142223

Assistant Principals Dr. Joy Fernandez, Ext. 5142238 Jeff Hancock, Ext. 5142237

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Dean of Students Dr. Nelson Torres, Ext 5142236 Mrs. Gina Grant, , Ext. 5142235

Guidance Counselors Ms. Martina Study, Ext. 5142248 Ms. Mabel Lopez, Ext. 5142246

School Resource Officer Deputy, ext. 5142240

Staffing Specialist Julie Privitera, Ext. 5142274

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Orange County Public School Calendar 2014-2015 Monday-Friday Monday Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Monday-Friday

August 11-15 August 18 September 1 October 22 October 23 October 24 October 27 November 24-28

Two Weeks Monday Thursday Friday Monday Tuesday Monday Thursday Friday Monday-Friday Monday Monday Wednesday Thursday-Friday

Dec. 22-Jan. 2 January 5 January 15 January 16 January 19 January 20 February 16 March 19 March 20 March 23-27 March 30 May 25 June 3 June 4-5

Pre-planning for teachers (Aug. 13 is a staff development day.)

First day of school for students Labor Day holiday (Schools and district offices are closed.)

End of 1st marking period (47 days) Student holiday/teacher workday Student holiday/teacher professional day Begin 2nd marking period Thanksgiving Break • Students are out all week

• District offices are open Nov. 24-26

• Nov. 24-26: Teacher non-workdays

• Nov. 27-28: Teacher holidays Winter Break (Schools are closed. District offices are closed Dec. 24-Jan. 1.)

Students return to school End of 2nd marking period (44 days) Student holiday/teacher workday Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday (Schools and district offices are closed.)

Begin 2nd semester/3rd marking period Presidents Day holiday (Schools are closed; district offices are open.)

End of 3rd marking period (42 days) Student holiday/teacher workday Spring Break (Schools are closed; district offices are open.)

Begin 4th marking period Memorial Day holiday (Schools and district offices are closed.)

End of 4th marking period/last day of school for students (47 days) Post planning for teachers

3 LEGACY RADAR’ August 2014 Published Five Times Per Year Legacy Middle School 11398 Lake Underhill Rd. Orlando, FL 32825 Issue # 5

2014-2015 Bell Schedules

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 6th Grade 7th Grade First Bell 9:25 First Bell 9:25 Period 1 9:30 10:18 Period 1 9:30 10:18 Period 2 10:22 11:08 Period 2 10:22 11:08 LUNCH A 11:11 11:36 Period 3 11:12 11:58 Period 3 11:40 12:26 LUNCH B 12:01 12:26 Period 4 12:30 1:16 Period 4 12:30 1:16 Period 5 1:20 2:07 Period 5 1:20 2:07 Period 6 2:11 2:58 Period 6 2:11 2:58 Period 7 3:02 3:50 Period 7 3:02 3:50

8th Grade First Bell 9:25 Period 1 9:30 10:18 Period 2 10:22 11:08 Period 3 11:12 11:58 Period 4 12:02 12:48 LUNCH C 12:51 1:16 Period 5 1:20 2:07 Period 6 2:11 2:58 Period 7 3:02 3:50

Wednesday 6th Grade First Bell 9:25 Period 1 9:30 10:10 Period 2 10:14 10:51 LUNCH A 10:54 11:19 Period 3 11:23 12:00 Period 4 12:04 12:41 Period 5 12:45 1:23 Period 6 1:27 2:06 Period 7 2:10 2:50

8th Grade First Bell 9:25 Period 1 9:30 10:10 Period 2 10:14 10:51 Period 3 10:55 11:32 Period 4 11:36 12:13 LUNCH C 12:16 12:41 Period 5 12:45 1:23 Period 6 1:27 2:06 Period 7 2:10 2:50

7th Grade First Bell 9:25 Period 1 9:30 10:10 Period 2 10:14 10:51 Period 3 10:55 11:32 LUNCH B 11:35 12:00 Period 4 12:04 12:41 Period 5 12:45 1:23 Period 6 1:27 2:06 Period 7 2:10 2:50

COLLABORATE,INNOVATE,ACCELERATE

BELL Schedule

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Important Dates •

Jets Pre-flight Check: August 14th 3:00-6:00pm

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First Day of School: August 18th

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Athletic Physical Night: August 19th 7:00pm

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Labor Day (schools closed): September 1st

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Scholastic Book Fair: September 29th – October 3rd

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Open House: September 30th 6:00-7:30pm

The PTSA would like to welcome all families back to Legacy Middle School. Please consider becoming a member of Legacy Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association. We need you! Your membership dues, volunteerism, and support of school events benefit the entire school community. For information about joining or for any questions, please contact Heather at legacyptsa@gmail.com.

Textbooks and Student IDS

Textbooks and student ID cards will be distributed the first few weeks of school. Students are responsible for lost or damaged books, and will be fined for replacement costs. All lost or damaged textbooks must be paid for before replacement books are issued. Before withdrawal from Legacy Middle School can be completed, all books must be returned and all obligations met.

Students receive one free ID, and replacements are $3 each. They are expected to have their ID readily available and visible throughout the day, particularly when purchasing breakfast and lunch or checking out books in the media center. To facilitate this, the school will provide one lanyard for each student. Replacements may be available for purchase, from PTSA.

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School Safety

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment during arrival and dismissal times. We ask that you adhere to the following safety measures: Car Riders • The car rider drop off/pick up zone is located in front of the building. The loop located on the west side of the building is designated for buses only.

• It is not safe to pick up/drop off your child: ▫▫ in the school parking lot ▫▫ adjacent parking lot on east side of school property ▫▫ any curb located on property that is not within the designated pick up/ drop off area Bus Riders • Students are permitted to ride their assigned bus only.

• Students are to board their bus at their assigned stops only.

• Students are expected to follow bus rules and procedures.

• Parents are not allowed to board the bus unless chaperoning on a field trip.

Bike Riders • Bike riders are expected to follow bike safety rules.

• Students should walk their bicycles when they reach the school entrance.

• Bicycles should be locked in the bike rack located on the east side of the building.

• Bicyclist should exhibit courtesy and care when approaching walkers.

Visitors • Parents and visitors must check in at the check-in desk located in the main office building. A visitors badge will be issued in you will be on campus.

• Be prepared to show a form of ID when checking out students.

Athletics

Athletics Physical Night is Tuesday, August 19th at 7:00-9:00 pm in the gym. Cost for a physical is $20 CASH ONLY. A parent or legal guardian must be present at the time of the physical. Soccer tryouts begin Wednesday August 20th.

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er t n e C a i d Me From the

Here in the Legacy Middle School Media Center we have a multitude of books at all different interest and reading levels. Now, as a parent who wants to monitor your child’s reading material, you realize how difficult it is to keep up with what your children are reading these days, especially with the development of the Adolescent Literature/Young Adult genres and the host of authors writing for this age group. That is the purpose of this article, to help you in your endeavor to supervise what your children are reading.

When choosing books for the Legacy Library, we use many different sources including state and national award winners, as well as books recommended by professional sources such as Booklist, School Library Journal, and ALA Young Adult Picks. We look for books that will lead children to develop strong reading skills as well as a love of reading. Additionally, we choose books that would encourage the development of expansive levels of compassion, empathy, and insight; all of which are important for our middle schoolers, now and in the future, when facing the inevitable challenges that are sure to come. Middle school covers such a wide range of ages and skill levels that picking books that “talk to” each child is an important and difficult task. Therefore we have books with reading levels from the 2nd grade up to the 11th grade with interest levels from the 3rd grade and up through high school.

Accelerated Reader is a reading program that our Language Arts teachers utilize to monitor the independent reading of their students. The program measures a reader’s literal comprehension of a book by asking from 5 to 20 questions, depending on the book. Students are to read books independently; then they are to take the quizzes online at school, either in the library or in their teacher’s classroom. AR quizzes are not available to take at home.

By passing quizzes, the students accumulate points toward a goal that has been individually set for each student by her/his teacher. Any book for which a quiz has been written is available to the students, as we use the AR Enterprise Program, which is web based. The students can check whether or not a book is AR by going to www.arbookfind.com You can view your child’s progress (including percent correct on quizzes, number of points earned, and average book reading level), from your home by going online, any time of day. Once you access the web-based feature, Renaissance Home Connect, you will see your child’s quiz scores and information for all of the books that your son or daughter has tested on. The site is very user friendly, and allows you to receive up-to-date email messages in English or Spanish for every AR quiz taken. The website is, https://Hosted57.renlearn.com/2042137/HomeConnect .

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Back to the question of how to monitor what your children are reading: Most of the books in our library have a small label on the spine indicating whether or not the book is an AR book, its “reading level” and how many points it is worth if the quiz is taken and passed. The “reading level” is what the publisher of the book has assigned that particular book. This is not a standardized measure, as each publisher uses various criteria, such as: analyzing a paragraph, a page, or a few pages for vocabulary, sentence length or structure. The publishers may also take into account the length of a book or how many words it has, then use a cloze procedure to evaluate it or they may use some combination of all of these methods. One important key to remember is that this measure is not standardized among publishers, so it is a very inconsistent number from book to book. Therefore, the “reading levels” do not always correlate to the student’s grade level, benchmark level or FCAT level. Nonetheless, it is a place to start when trying to judge what is right for your child to read.

It is imperative to remember that “reading level” does not take into account the difficulty of the literature itself.

Plot and character development have a significant impact on the difficulty of what is being read. Author’s voice, point of view, imagery, figurative language, symbolism, and dialogue all contribute to the difficulty of literature, yet those elements are rarely taken in account when books are assessed for “reading level” by publishers. Additionally, simple, yet old fashioned language may contribute to the difficulty of the novel. And finally, the content, topic, and issues addressed in the novel also play a very important role in the difficulty of the reading material.

Another very important factor to consider when monitoring your child’s reading is the “interest level” or appropriateness for your child.

The personal experiences, age, maturity, and personality of your child along with the beliefs of your family all play a part in determining what is appropriate for your child to read. The AR program does not make this judgment; neither do teachers, nor does the Legacy Media Specialist. These books may cover topics, conflicts or issues of a more mature nature and may contain some adult language. Some of these books are or have been on the Florida Teens Read Award lists, while others have won other national awards like the ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and are all fine pieces of literature when in the hands of the right reader.

Admittedly, as a parent, it is hard to find time to read every novel and book along with our children. Only you know your child, so try to consistently talk with your child about their visits to the library, the books in which they are interested, and what books they have checked out. Share with your child what books you are reading and what you like to read. Maybe the two of you could read a book together. You might find you enjoy some of the books your child is reading that you didn’t have the chance to read as a kid.

We hope this helps you in your quest to be well informed about what your child is reading and support our efforts to increase reading skills as well as create lovers of reading here at Legacy Middle School. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email Melanie Mahaffey, Library Media Specialist at Melanie.Mahaffey@ocps.net.

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Orange County Public Schools Legacy Middle School P.O. Box 271 Orlando, FL 32802-0271

YMCA

Dear Parents,

Are you looking for an enrichment and recreational program during the after school hours this school year? If so, then consider the YMCA as your ultimate solution!

THE YMCA DIFFERENCE: Caring. Honesty. Respect. Responsibility. Faith.

These are YMCA values. If they’re yours, too, then your child belongs at The YMCA Legacy Middle School Before And After School Program– where they can build the foundation for a lifetime of learning in a safe and caring atmosphere of fun.

This year’s focus is on programs that enrich and entertain your child while providing ample academic support where needed. Our program will teach them about the environment, technology, science, sports, and philanthropy. More importantly, students have a unique opportunity to receive homework help with certified Legacy Middle School teachers, as well as get individualized tutoring if needed.

We will also focus on your child’s reading essentials and assist them in becoming the avid readers and writers required at the middle school level. Essentially, learning is a part of everything we do. At the YMCA, we know it’s vital that children are engaged in activities in which they are continuously learning and provide experiences that build self-esteem. There’s plenty for parents to love about the Y Before and After School Program. There’s a good feeling that comes with knowing your child or teen is safe and thriving at the very same place they attend school. No finding a bus. No commute. No worries!

For more information and registration, if you missed Legacy’s Student Orientation on August 14th, please contact our Site Coordinators, Mr. Bryan Munera (Bryan.Munera@ocps.net) or Mr. Josh Kravit (Jkravit.ymca@gmail.com).

Academy Publishing School Newsletter Program ™ 800-644-3541

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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 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: Latonia Green; Title IX Coordinator: Gary Preisser. (407.317.3200)