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Pictured very top:
Our Top Ten seniors of the Class of 2020 were recognized just before spring break with a special breakfast, prepared and served by members of the guidance and administration teams (pictured below).
Congratulations to these seniors on 4 years of dedication to their academics. With over 750 seniors this year, this is a huge accomplishment!
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Main Campus:
6100 Oleander Drive
Orlando, FL 32807
(407) 482-6300
Freshman Campus:
7775 Valencia Collage Lane
Orlando, FL 32807
(407) 249-6369
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 I hope you are all doing well as we close out what has been a stressful and isolating week for many in our community. While the information regarding COVID-19 is still moving at a rapid pace, what has not changed is our commitment to you, our Colonial High School community.
On Monday we begin
teacher-facilitated distance learning with our students for the time being. Throughout this past week teachers and staff have been preparing for next Monday (pictures and more information below). For now, distance learning will help to keep our Grenadiers engaged academically and to keep up the excellent momentum they were making prior to spring break on March 13th. We have very bright students on both Colonial campuses and they are led by some of the most energetic, talented educators I have ever seen. Combined with support from our parents and guardians, distance learning will be successful until such time that regular classes resume.
This issue includes several important reminders for our families given the present situation, but it also includes several student success stories that I wanted you to see (we have more, but they will continue in the next issue). Given the challenges of this past week and of course working with the mandatory stay at home order, I hope this edition lifts your spirits a bit. When we say "It's Great to be a Grenadier!" the material herein truly gives you an idea as to why that is so very true.
Have a nice weekend and to all of our Grenadiers, know that I, your teachers, your coaches, all of the staff, and the rest of the administration miss you very much. Remember, you have everything it takes to make distance learning a success. You are going to do very well.
It's Great To Be A Grenadier!
Dr. Maestre
Principal
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Important Reminders
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Distance Learning
Distance Learning means that school continues starting March 30. Please know that attendance and grades will be submitted by your teachers! Although state testing may be cancelled for this year, you will still need to complete and earn credits and GPA for graduation requirements. Therefore, it is vital that each Grenadier checks his/her Canvas courses and teacher communication daily.
CANCELLATIONS
Unfortunately, Prom and Grad Bash have been cancelled. All ticket sales will be refunded. Checks will be mailed to the student whose address is on file either through School Pay or Skyward. If you have further questions about this process or need to provide an updated address, please contact our bookkeeper, [email protected]
Teacher Contact
Teachers have been reaching out to students throughout the past week. If you have not heard from your teacher, please call the school! (Colonial teacher email list)
Virtual Spirit Week: March 30- April 3
Dress up for each day, post it to your social media account and include the hashtags: #colonialhs @colonial_HS so we can all enjoy the virtual Spirit Week! Just wait until you see what Dr. Maestre has planned for Pajama Day... :)
Monday: Dress for Success (Keep it Classy, CHS! Reboot the first day of school)
Tuesday: Class Colors Day (Freshman: Gray, Sophomores: Black, Juniors: White, Seniors: Red)
Wednesday: Wacky Wild Wednesday (Crazy Hair wigs, mix-match shoes, crazy socks, tacky, etc...)
Thursday: Pajama Day
Friday: Red & Black Day
Grab-and-Go Meals at Colonial
Meals are available (began March 23rd) for pick-up between 10:00AM and 1:00PM on campus. Students must be present to receive the meals. Staff will distribute the meals directly to those in their vehicles (drive thru service). Meals will be given directly to any students walking and/or riding a bike. Based on recommendations from our federal and state leaders, all meals should be taken home to eat.
Follow the link for additional and up to date information: https://www.ocps.net/cms/one.aspx?pageId=1404484
Call Ahead for Visits
If a student or parent needs to make an appointment to step on campus for anything (registration, device pick up, etc...), they need to call the school in advance.
Free WiFi Services
Charter announced that beginning March 23rd it will offer free broadband and WiFi access for 60 days to families with K-12 or college students who do not already have a Spectrum subscription. The company is also waiving their installation fees for new subscribers - details.
To enroll, call 1-844-488-8395
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Pictured at the very top of this issue are our Top Ten students for the 2019-2020 school year. They are also pictured just below at their special breakfast on the Thursday prior to spring break. Congratulations again Grenadiers!
A special congratulations to our Salutatorian,
Lynette Sagardia, and Valedictorian,
Omar Martinez. With a 5.2 GPA, Omar has been accepted to the University of Florida and already has an industry certification in auto-mechanics and collision repair!
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Virtual Spirit Week!
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Student Government
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Report Cards
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Monday, March 30
Parents may access 3rd quarter report cards on March 30, 2020 by going to the "Student Portfolio" on Skyward Family Access. If parents need assistance in navigating Skyward Family Access, please review the documentation link found on the
OCPS website.
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MLK Humanitarian Award Recipient
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Josue Maldonado-Zelaya
The Orlando Mayor's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission strengthens our community by promoting Dr. King's legacy of service, equality, justice, peace, respect and inclusion for all. Congratulations to Josue Maldonado-Zelaya, pictured below with his family and Dr. Maestre (Principal), for this recognition!
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Distance Learning "Planning" Pictures
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Our Guidance and ESOL teams each are using Big Blue Button (a teleconferencing tool) to web-conference with each other!
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Ms. Espinet, 12th grade English teacher, stopped by campus to collect a few resources in preparation for next week!
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Ms. Perez, Spanish teacher, was making phone calls and sending emails to parents and students.
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AP Human Geography teachers, Mr. Reale, Mr. Mason, and Ms. Cooper, are collaborating and already providing instruction to students!
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Ms. Krieger is working from home to support her students!
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Mr. Bradley's dog, Oni, is terrible at making power points, but this photogenic pup sure is enjoying the quarantine of his favorite human! Meanwhile, Mr. Ohl's home office is all set up with a great view!
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Working remotely in his home office, Mr. Slone, 12th grade English teacher, prepared digital lessons for students when they "return" next week.
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If you click on the map there is another link where you can see how the coronavirus has impacted schools around the globe by day. We are fortunate here in that Orange County Public Schools rolls out distance learning on Monday until the health risk has passed (so many of the countries on this map do not have this opportunity). We know our Grenadiers will be successful with the process until classes resume later in April.
Colonial community footnote: We are not alone in Orange County or Florida. The map above shows the scale of the educational disruption with governments all over the world ordering learners to stay at home in a bid to slow the spread of the disease. As of March 23, 2020, 138 countries had ordered national school closures while others had localized closures.
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College and Career Center
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College Acceptances:
* Elid Ayllon: Valencia College
* Samantha Beaman: Valencia College
* Sophia Glorioso: University of Central Florida
* Victoria Jones: Valencia College
* Kiara Lantigua: University of Central Florida
* Omar Martinez: University of Florida, Clemson University, University of North Ohio
* Luis Saldarriaga: Culver-Stockton College
* Caleb Sjostedt: University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of North Florida
Military Commitments:
* Javier Caraballo: U.S. National Guard
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| Congratulations to Kiara Lantigua, who was recently accepted to UCF! |
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Student Resources
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Students are able to access these resources and so much more to continue the learning that has taken place over the first three quarters of the school year!
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Agriculture Magnet Program at the Florida State Fair
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From February 6-13th, members of the Orlando Colonial FFA Chapter exhibited their animal Supervised Agriculture Experience projects at the Florida State Fair.
Jamie LaPage showed her 7-month-old Nigerian Dwarf goat, Sapphire, in the Dairy Goat show. Jamie has owned Sapphire for 6 months and has been responsible for her care on a daily basis. Competing against exhibitors from across the state, she earned a blue ribbon in the Youth Show that evaluates her goat against all other entries of the same breed.
Jaime also earned a blue ribbon in Youth Showmanship, an evaluation of her performance in exhibiting her animal to highlight its best features. In her first ever dairy goat judging contest in which she played the role of judge in evaluating the goats, she placed 6th highest individual!
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Kylie Phillips and Iverson Alfaro also exhibited their market steers in the State Fair. In this program, the animals compete for best production and the students complete a record book, an educational video on animal reproduction, educate their class peers, take a skillathon test based on cattle reproduction, write an essay on progressive cattle reproduction techniques, and attend educational seminars competing for total points as top exhibitor.
From 47 youth, Kylie Phillips was recognized as the 1st place exhibitor! She earned a $500 bonus for her efforts.
In the steer evaluation, Iverson Alfaro won Grand Champion Carcass and Reserve Grand Champion Premier Steer. He was recognized for raising a steer with the best meat quality in the 31 year history of the Florida State Fair!
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Student Spotlight!
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Congratulations to Victoria Sjostedt, who was recognized for her poster design at the Zora Neale Hurston Festival this year.
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Freshman Campus
Grenadiers of the Month: March 2020
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Pictured with Ms. Aponte (Assistant Principal), Natalia Rodriguez represents our freshman Grenadiers with hard work and determination! Way to go Natalia!
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Freshman Campus Student Recognition
Alondra Alfonso was the lucky recipient of a brand new bicycle! Pictured here with Mr. Jimenez (Assistant Principal), Mr. Smith & Ms. Vargas (guidance counselors) as well as Ms. Armenteros (testing coordinator), Alondra's cheerful disposition and perseverance are part of what makes her a fantastic Grenadier! Keep up the awesome work, Alondra!
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Congratulations to Xavier Camacho who was our HERO store winner of the month!
Check out all the awesome things you can "buy" with your HERO points! https://tinyurl.com/chsherostore |
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Closing Images of the Week: Classroom Spotlights
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In Spanish 2, students learning about the culture of Puerto Rico as they create traditional masks for celebration.
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Ms. Krieger and Ms. Gordon provide stellar instruction to our Fine Arts students enrolled in Art courses! Over 75 Colonial High School Artworks were chosen to be displayed at the Central Florida Fair. We had a record number of winners this year with 6 First Place Awards, 6 Second Place, 3 Third Place and 4 Honorable Mentions. Students received ribbons as well as cash prizes!
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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.
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-Colonial High School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and OCPS-Colonial High School. Please contact Ms. Mary Vetter (assistant principal) at [email protected] with any questions.
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