The Kingdom's Chronicle
Lake Nona Middle School, Orlando, FL
Dates to Watch For
December 15- Sports Packet Dropoff in Gym 4:15-6:00
December 17- Sports Packet Dropoff in Gym 4:15-6:00
December 18- End of Second Marking Period
December 21- PTSA Spirit Night at Jeremiahs
December 21- January 4, 2021 - Winter Break - School Closed
December 21- Distribution of OCPS Holiday Meals
January 5- Third Marking Period Begins
January 5- Volleyball Intramurals Begin
January 12- SAC Meeting, 5:00pm at LNMS Media Center
January 13 - Reports Cards Distributed
January 15- Picture Day Retakes
Curriculum: Hour of Code
Computer Science with Mrs. Monsalvatge
The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code" and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week, this year on December 7-13, 2020.

This past week, Mrs. Monsalvatge’ s computer classes joined in the fun and coded! Students played a variety of learning games that students coding, such as Ozaria, CodeCombat, Scratch, Minecraft coding, etc. Roughly 170 students participated and clocked roughly 8,864 minutes of coding, equaling more than 147 hours total! We are very proud of the students' time and efforts to participate!
Above & just below: Students show off their coding as they complete different sequences in various applications. 
All ICT classes worked throughout the week on Hour of Code activities. 
Note: The demand is especially great for women in the fields of computer science and information technology. Please click here for a larger view. Source: National Center for Women and Information Technology. 
Social and Emotional Learning Group
SEL mentoring groups facilitated by the LNMS Guidance Department have begun. This activity, entitled “When I look in the mirror, I see…” was used this past week with a select group of students (if you look closely in the picture below the students all have hand mirrors). The mirrors are used to have the students reflect on positive characteristics about themselves to promote positive self-esteem. Each student was also provided with a journal to be utilized as a helpful coping strategy.
One of the first LNMS SEL Group meetings occurred this past week and focused on strategies for positive self-esteem. 
Winter Chorus Concerts
During this challenging educational year, teachers have had to come up with creative means to engage students who are at home for LaunchEd and also at school for face to face instruction. Teaching during a pandemic holds a multitude of issues for all content areas, but especially for the performing arts.

The LNMS Performing Arts Department is one of the best in OCPS and this year is no different. Our amazing chorus teachers, Mrs. Connelly and Mrs. Majka, made winter holiday concerts possible by thinking outside of the box! All students were able to participate and showcase their talent for friends, family, and community to enjoy.


Mrs. Majka and Mrs. Connelly open this year's Winter Chorus Performance video (top link above) by explaining this year's theme: "As Long As We Have Voices We Must Sing." They briefly share how their students successfully worked around the Covid situation this semester and have truly been learners of music. If you watch even a portion of the Winter Chorus Performance video, you will quickly see how well they have done. These are some very talented Knights led by two very creative teachers!
Our 2020 Carolers performing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. The video is just over two minutes and it is excellent. This is a powerful production that will make your day. Outstanding Knights!
Scripps Spelling Bee
This year’s spelling bee was radically different than in years past. Traditionally, students assemble in the media center, with parents and supporters in the audience, and are asked to orally spell the words. For the 2020 bee, the guidelines were changed to accommodate the current circumstances of Covid restrictions. Students logged in to the Scripps National Spelling Bee site and had to type the 25 words which were read to them. LNMS had students at home and on campus before school on Friday, December 11th. All students’ screens were monitored as they typed out their words during the 45 minute time period.

This year’s contestants were: 

  • Chloe Bond (6)
  • Madison Hanchi (6)
  • Abigail Kirkland (6)
  • Eleanor Okorie (6)
  • Emyliana Bleckinger (7)
  • Julian Jarjoura (7)
  • Parth Shukla (7)
  • Olivia Venezia (7)
  • Ashlynn Bond (8)
  • Alexandra Drauer (8)

Congratulations to the winners: 

  • 1st place- Julian Jarjoura
  • 2nd place- Olivia Venezia
  • 3rd place (tie)- Eleanor Okorie and Ashlynn Bond 
Julian Jarjoura, 1st place (7th grade)
Olivia Venezia, 2nd place (7th grade)
Ashlynn Bond, 3rd place (8th grade)
Eleanor Okorie, 3rd place (6th grade)
Valencia Scholars Write Up
Attention 8th grade students: You may qualify for The Horizon Scholars program, a mentoring and scholarship college access program that culminates in a 2-year Florida prepaid scholarship that can be used at any college or university in Florida! The Valencia College Horizon Scholars Program will be selecting new students during the 2020-2021 school year. Selected students will begin the program in the fall of their freshman year.

Students are selected based on:

  1. Academic performance: unweighted GPA of at least 2.5
  2. Family income level  
  3. An interview where they demonstrate a desire to pursue a post-secondary education

For more information, please register for one of the upcoming information sessions by clicking on the link below. Do not use the student OCPS email address as Valencia cannot send emails to student accounts. The sessions will be held virtually via Zoom.

For any questions, please contact us at horizonscholars@valenciacollege.edu. The next session will be Tuesday, December 15th beginning at 5:30.

Information Session Sign-up: https://signup.com/go/mFxwzpv


Knight Athletics
Spirit Nights at Jeremiah's
Community Resources
Skyward Family Access Usage
1) This past week 92.3% of our Knights accessed the Skyward system, a gain of +2 full points from the preceding week.
2) The number of parents accessing Skyward improved to 8.6% after slipping in recent weeks.
Knight Vital Signs
Credit: Weekly success indicators compiled by Ms. Sharon Powers and staff.
Leadership Team
Administrators
13700 Narcoossee Road
Orlando, FL 32832
Phone 407-858-5522
Fax 407-858-5530 | EEO Statement
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 - Lake Nona Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of Lake Nona Middle School and the Orange County Public Schools. Please contact Mrs. Cheryl Wood at Cheryl.Wood@ocps.net with any questions or for further information.