Acceleration East High School
Community Brief
Summer Break #3 - Monday, July 15, 2019
   
I am proud to share with our school community that Acceleration East High School has received a commendable rating based on the 2019 FSA and EOC results for both reading and math. In fact, our students' geometry scores for meeting the FLDOE standard jumped +12%. Given our high school's relatively small population, this is a significant one-year increase. Additionally, our ninth grade English Language Arts scores for meeting the FLDOE standard improved by +10%.  
 
As you can imagine, I am very proud of our students' 2018-2019 academic successes realizing that it was not just their constant determination and effort, but also some very hard work on behalf of an incredible faculty backed up by support from home. These year-over-year gains reflect most brightly on our entire school community! Congratulations . . . extremely well done!!! 
 
Upcoming dates to watch for:
  • August 2-6: State of Florida Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday 
  • August 6: New student orientation (8am-12pm)
  • August 7: OCPS World Languages teachers' meeting at AEHS (all day event for these educators)
  • August 8: Meet Your Teacher Night (5:30-7pm). Dinner and refreshments will be served.
  • August 12: Welcome back! First day of school.
Make it a great week!   
 
With Phoenix Pride,   
 
Mr. Doug Loftus
Strategic Objective: Continuing Professional Development


One of the top strategic objectives at Acceleration East is the ongoing professional development of our teachers and the leadership team. This goes on year-round. Principal Loftus just returned from Philadelphia with several other OCPS principals after attending the annual Character Lab Educator Summit.

Each summer, educators from across the country take part in the Character Lab to learn about character research from world-class scientists, network with like-minded professionals, and strategize new and innovative ways to infuse character development into their schools.

The July 2019 Character Lab session was highly productive and the OCPS principals brought back some excellent material which can be put into practice during the 2019-2020 school year.


Mr. Loftus takes a selfie with two of OCPS' highly motivated and dedicated principals: Ms. Kelly Pelletier (Apopka Middle School) and Ms. Cindy Haupt (Wolf Lake Middle School).
 

Mr. Loftus with Dr. Mark Shanoff, principal of Edgewater High School in College Park. Reflecting the high caliber of principals leading at OCPS, Dr. Shanoff is the 2019 National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Principal of the Year for Florida!  

27 Days and Counting . . .
 After today, there are only 27 days remaining until classes resume for the 2019-2020 school year on August 12th. Our tireless custodial team could be found out on the campus this morning engaged in cleaning and prep work before the students return.



Jose Cagua (above left) and George Quinones were both out early today vacuuming the hallways. Another one of our strategic priorities is the maintaining of a clean and safe campus at all times. One of the many benefits of such is the impact on school pride and these two gentlemen perform an A+ job! They will have the entire campus ship-shape before our new student orientation on Tuesday, August 6th.

REMINDER: Summer Reading







2019-2020 Calendar


Summer Lunch
 


This summer, Orange County Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services is touring the county to offer meals at no charge to children and young adults ages 18 and under.

Monday through Friday, from June 4 through August 3*, a food truck, van and bus will visit the library system's Hiawassee, Edgewater, Chickasaw, North Orange, South Creek, South Trail, and Washington Park branches. Follow up your lunch with fun Summer Reading Program events inside the library!
  • Chickasaw Branch: 11 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Edgewater Branch: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • Hiawassee Branch: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • South Creek Branch: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • South Trail Branch: 1 - 2 p.m.
  • Washington Park Branch: 1 - 2 p.m.
  • North Orange Branch: 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.
Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday
August 2-6, 2019


The back-to-school tax holiday, running from Aug. 2 to Aug. 6, will temporarily eliminate sales taxes on clothes that cost $60 or less, school supplies that cost $15 or less and personal computers that cost less than $1,000. The school holiday is projected to save shoppers $41.7 million - click here for details and complete list of tax free supplies. 
 
Monday's Motivational Moment
THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Some middle school students were studying the Seven Wonders of the World in their social studies class. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.

The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.

May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them. Enjoy your gifts!

Florida flag

Have a wonderful week!
Doug Loftus, Principal
Acceleration East High School
Monday, July 15, 2019
 
 
 
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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 - Acceleration East High School is forbidden without written consent.  Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Acceleration East High School. Please contact [email protected] (principal) with any questions or for further information.