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Hunter's Creek Middle School

21st Century Digital Learners

Florida 'A' Rated School

13400 Town Loop Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32837

(407) 858-4620

Ms. Merritt and Ms. Armstrong pose on our red carpet to indicate the beginning of Red Ribbon Week!

Hunter's Creek Middle School Community Brief Monday, November 4, 2024

Dear Mark,


During this month of giving, I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for all you do to ensure the success of our Eagles.


As you look through these Community Brief editions, you are able to see the dedication, care and commitment of our teachers, staff, parents and community members to support our Eagles on their journey through their middle school years at HCMS. It truly takes a village and I am deeply grateful to everyone!


We had two busy weeks full of celebrations, academic achievements, House System school spirit events as well as school-wide participation in Red Ribbon Week. Please see photos and information included below.


As we are well into the second nine-weeks, the instructional focus is at a peak. I am aware that there may be inevitable circumstances where absences are unavoidable, but I must emphasize how difficult it is for students to learn the concepts that they missed during the regular classroom instructional time. Absences and tardiness rob our students out of important instructional time. Students must be present in class for bell to bell instruction. 


We are requiring that students have their School IDs on them at all times. The ID is already required for students to attend after school events. Below are the HCMS expectations of students attending after school events. Please review it and discuss it with your student.

Thank you for looking over this latest edition and have a great week Eagles!


In Eagle Pride,


Joumana Moukaddam

Proud Principal

Hunter's Creek Middle School

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Upcoming Events

Month of November Themes:

Tuesday, November 5th: 

Election Day

Dance tickets on sale at lunch ($10)

Wednesday, November 6th: 

House Spirit Day! 

Breakfast of Champions (by invited)

Away Volleyball Game at Innovation Middle 5pm

PTSA Dance

Thursday, November 7th: 

6th Grade Hearing & Vision Screening

TWDL Academic Showcase 6pm, Library

Monday, November 11th to Friday, November 22nd: 

Food Drive for Thanksgiving with collection boxes in the library (House Competition!)

Monday, November 11th: 

Veterans Day

SAC Meeting 5pm, Library

Away volleyball game at Lake Nona MS 5:30pm

Wednesday, November 13th: 

House Spirit Day!

Volleyball vs. Walker 5pm

Friday, November 15th: 

All County Orchestra Rehearsal Day (with the concert on Saturday)

Monday, November 18th: 

Away volleyball game at Luminary MS 5:30pm

Wednesday, November 20th: 

House Spirit Day! 

Teach In

All County Band Auditions

Volleyball vs. Freedom 5pm

Saturday, November 23rd to Sunday, December 1st: Thanksgiving Break

OSpecial Days & Weeks of November:

Upcoming Assessments

During the week of December 16th, we will be following a block schedule to take our PMA exams for science, civics, algebra, and geometry as well as CFEs for physical education. 


For questions about assessments, please contact Testing Coordinator Allison Nicosia by email: Allison.Nicosia@ocps.net 

Students of the Week

8th Grade Students of the Week (announced 10/18)

Congratulations to our 8th grade students of the week!


Cassie Wiggins and Lina Beldhadfa for Leadership: Lina and Cassie are our 1st period Food Rescue student assistants, and they take so much pride in their work. I thank them for being able to help those in need! -Ms. Moye


Rafaella Olegario Gerdulo for Excellence: Rafaella is a hard worker, friendly, considerate, and kind! I appreciate having her as a student and see every day the care she puts in to making sure she is always at her best. Keep being excellent! -Ms. DeLuca  


Isa Siddiqui for Excellence: Isa is doing exceptionally well in our honors science class. Some of the qualities I have seen so far include: high class engagement, problem solving, respect and accountability. Isa was also the winner of our trivia game during our South America house meeting! I am impressed by him and believe he deserves recognition for his hard work. -Ms. Bullock


Gyann Diaz Marrero for Leadership: I would like to recognize Gyann for his leadership ability and respect. He comes to class prepared every day and with a good attitude. He also helps his peers when they have questions related to the curriculum and directions. I appreciate his ability to step in and help out because it helps me out too! Keep it up! -Ms. Ennion


Raibelis Suarez Perez for Leadership: In addition to keeping up with her assignments, participating in class and overall rocking Pre-Algebra, Raibelis has been a wonderful Peer Tutor to our newly enrolled students that are still learning English and how to be successful in our class. She is patient and supportive and I am so happy to have her in our class! -Ms. Pratt


Maria Sene for Excellence: Maria is a quiet force! She diligently completes all of her assignments and more! She takes advantage of every opportunity for extra points in prealgebra once she has completed all the required assignments. She doesn't say much but whenever our eyes meet, she flashes the most beautiful smile. She is an absolute joy to have in class and I am so proud of her achievement. -Ms. Murray


Thriaksha Desharapu & Isabelle Alves Pinto: Thriaksha & Isabelle are dedicated students who have a passion for reading! They both are top readers in Beanstack. They are responsible, polite and always display great attitude toward learning. I'm proud to nominate them both as my students of the week. -Ms. Lemus


Celeste Rossi & Alexandra Garayua for Leadership: Celeste's & Alex's dedication and hard work as student assistants are invaluable. They go above and beyond helping my 5th period class. I really appreciate your contributions to our class. Love, Mrs. Frontanez


London Miles for Leadership: London was elected SGA President, and she has truly stepped up to the role. Not only is she an outstanding leader during SGA class, but she consistently goes above and beyond both before and after class. Her dedication is remarkable, and I have no doubt she has an incredible future ahead of her. -Ms. Cozzo


Dhivya Royam for Academic Integrity: Dhivya always has a great attitude. Not only is she polite and respectful, but she also smiles, is eager to learn Spanish, and asks questions when necessary. She is a pleasure to have in class. -Ms. Camacho

Alice Miranda for Leadership: Alice has been an outstanding student in Wind Ensemble AND Jazz Band. She always leads by example and gives her best effort. She makes everyone around her a better person through her amazing leadership. -Ms. Couret


Samuel Martins for Excellence: Samuel is the epitome of how ELL students can master the standards if they put the needed effort. Not only Samuel completes all assignments, but he also surpasses the average grade on assessments. -Ms. Jarque

Alejandra Rodriguez for Excellence: Alejandra has a 108%, has total dedication, is an excellent all around student and person and a true joy to have in class. -Mr. True


Zoee Martinez for Excellence: Zoee is nominated for student of the week for demonstrating excellence in Algebra these past few weeks! Her hard work, dedication, and perseverance has greatly benefited her in the classroom--she made the top 3 for our last unit test! I am so proud of her accomplishments and know she will continue to do amazing throughout the school year! Way to go, Zoee!  -Mrs. Lebron


Naithik Kotti for Excellence: Naithik always strives to complete work at the highest level of achievement. He is willing to revise attempts to achieve more success, and he is an avid reader. His ability to focus and avoid digital and social distractions is commendable. -Ms. Durgin


Keep up the amazing work!

6th Grade Students of the Week (announced 10/25)

Congratulations to our 6th grade students of the week!


Jorge Chacin Marquez for Exemplifying Perseverance: Jorge is the student of the week in Mrs. Frontanez Life Science Advanced class because he is an example of a hard working student. He is always trying to go above and beyond! Keep up the excellent job done Jorge! I am very proud of all your progress! ~Love, Mrs. Frontanez


Luisa Prado Torres for Excellence: Luisa is my 6th-grade student of the week! She is the perfect role model to her peers. She works hard, participates in class, and strives to learn more! I am so proud of her and all of her academic success. Keep it up, Luisa! -Ms. Rodriguez


Juan Jose Contreras Marulanda for Excellence: Juan is extremely hardworking and will always push himself even when he knows it will be a struggle. He is so so so sweet, and deserves to be celebrated! -Ms. Burgess


Mason Fernandez for Excellence: Mason shows excellence daily. He turns in his work, participates in class, offers to help others, and has a genuine and positive attitude. I look forward to having him in class. -Ms. Drake


Heitor Paschoal for Excellence: Heitor has such a positive attitude and is full of kindness. He is a focused student and works well both in small groups and independently. He never has an unkind word for anyone and is so polite every time I speak to him, plus he is such a hard worker! I am so happy to have him in my classroom this year! -Ms. Rokaw


Makai Adain for Soaring to Greatness: Makai exhibits the traits of soaring to greatness due to his hard work, diligence, helpfulness, and great attitude. He is a pleasure to have in the classroom and a wonderful student. -Ms. Roberts


Giuliana Quintero Perdomo for Excellence: Giuliana did amazing work in class last week presenting her Netflix show. The work was clear and followed the rubric, and when I asked her questions, she was confident in answering them. I am proud of you! Great Job! -Ms. Toledo


Lucas Rueda for Leadership: Lucas Rueda is the student of the week in Mrs. Frontanez class because he is always willing to help others and striving to succeed in his academics . I appreciate Lucas leadership in my class. ~Love, Mrs. Frontanez


Bernardo Branco for Exemplifying Perseverance: Bernardo has done an amazing job getting caught up and staying on track. He has a 98% in math and I am very proud of his hard work. -Ms. Drake


Keep up the amazing work!

HERO Students of the Month

Featured: Months of August & September

Thanks to Papa Johns, we are once again able to honor our top HERO earners of each month! This year, we can celebrate the top 3 in each grade level each month! Below are out top earners for August & September: 


* We use the HERO program as the HCMS Positive Behavior Intervention Support system in order to recognize our students. Our teachers also award students HERO points for wearing their house color on House Spirit Days which take place every Wednesday. We invite our Eagle parents to register for your own HERO account, if you have not already done so, so we may keep the lines of communication between home and school open. 


August - 6th grade, 1st - Linel Paulino Lopez

August - 6th grade, 2nd - Elijah Lewis

August - 6th grade, 3rd - Sophia Crucenta

August - 7th grade, 1st - Samanta Ferre

August - 7th grade, 2nd - Annarita Abraham

August - 7th grade, 3rd - Raegen Begonia

August - 8th grade, 1st - Dhivya Royam (not pictured)

August - 8th grade, 2nd - Valiya Taylor

August - 8th grade, 3rd - Zoe Avalos

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September - 6th grade, 1st - Isabella Garcia

September - 6th grade, 2nd - Mia Nomberto Aguilar

September - 6th grade, 3rd - Livie Stockdale

September - 7th grade, 1st - Sri Adhrit

September - 7th grade, 2nd - Maddie Moist

September - 7th grade, 3rd - Ishani Majumdar

September - 8th grade, 1st - Paola Diaz Espinoza

September - 8th grade, 2nd - Naithik Kotti

September - 8th grade, 3rd - Reuben Juene

Papa John's BOGO award for a large 1 topping pizza for our HERO students.

Ms. Moukaddam by our Art Students

As a close out of Principal Appreciation Week, Ms. Moukaddam was presented with some amazing portraits by HCMS students!

Classroom Spotlight

Ms. Febus

During Hispanic Heritage Month, students in Ms. Febus’s social studies classes focused on Day of the Dead by making an altar. This activity, as well as the archaeology activity shared in a past Eagles' View issue, are thanks to donations from the students’ families. 

Ms. Cozzo

Our Latinos in Action classes visited Spring Hills Assisted Living Facility to spend time and read to the residents. 

Ms. Lemus

Ms. Lemus’s language arts students take part in independent choice reading while logging their minutes on Beanstack. 

Mr. Gomez

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! National Hispanic Heritage Month traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. The month-long celebration provides more time to properly recognize the significant contributions Hispanic/Latino Americans who have made in the United States. Hispanic Heritage Month does not cover one single month but instead begins in the middle of September and ends in the middle of October.


Students in Art learned about Hispanic Heritage Month and created artwork in celebration. ENJOY!

Nicolas Romero, 8th

Samanta Ferre, 7th

Maya Abdulmaheed, 7th

Alyssa Levert, 7th

Beatriz Santana, 7th

Isabella Delgado, 8th 

Library Updates

September Beanstack Challenge Finishers!

For the Fall into Reading September Beanstack Challenge, we had 274 students finish the challenge with 300+ minutes read! The top readers read over 2,400 minutes!!! Congratulations to them and ALL our HCMS readers!

Powered By Reading Trophy!

We’re excited to announce that HCMS is one of the first OCPS Powered by Reading recipients! The secondary schools that had the highest Destiny circulation (in their group) this school year were awarded the (traveling) trophy!


Pictured above: Sharon Powers, Lake Nona MS; Shirley Wallner, West Orange HS; and Kellee Moye, Hunter’s Creek MS


Stats!


WAY TO GO EAGLES! KEEP READING! We have circulated 5,893 books (as of 10/30/24) and 1,061 ebooks (as of 9/30/24).


Our TOP FIVE BOOKS for book check out for the last 30 days are:

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Aphrodite by George O’Connor

School Trip by Jerry Craft

Artemis by George O’Connor

● Odin by George O’Connor

Summer Reading Winners

Three of our students, Dhivya Royam, James Bench, and Madison Rodriguez were chosen as Summer Reading Winners and received a curated book box, from White Rose Books, filled with books based on the preferences they chose on a survey and signed items!

Fun stuff around the library!

Pumpkins created by faculty and staff!

1) Ms. Rokaw, 2) Ms. DeLuca, 3) Ms. Cabrales, 4) Ms. Coogle, 5) Ms. Bevard, 6) Ms. Mabra, 7) Ms. Lemus - 3rd place!, 8) Ms. Daniel, 9) Ms. Durgin - 1st place!, 10) Coach Martin, 11) Ms. H, 12) Ms. Burgess - 2nd place!, 13) Ms. Cozzo, 14) Ms. Moye

Pumpkins created by students!

Looking for a new book to read?

Check out our new FISH FOR A BOOK recommendation activity (created by 2nd period Student Literacy Leaders) and Visual Book Lists (created by Ms. Moye and Ms. H with help from last year’s Student Literacy Leaders’ recommendations): 

Don Quijote

On October 23rd, Teatro for the Soul performed Don Quijote en USA in the library for our Two-Way Dual Language Magnet students. The performance was engaging and truly enjoyed by all!

Red Ribbon Week (Part 1)

HCMS focused on Red Ribbon Week during the week of 10/28-11/1 with different messages focusing on drug abuse prevention and anti-bullying: 

Hollywood Red Carpet– Wear Red!

HCMS Vocabulary Initiative Update

Our HCMS Vocabulary Initiative is focusing on word parts aiming towards being able to break apart words to determine their meaning. Research shows that learning word parts is the most effective way to grow vocabulary in the secondary setting because one word part can help with determining the meaning of many words. 

Quizlet of all Word Parts: tinyurl.com/WordPartsHCMS

Word Parts that have been recently shared on Eagle Eye News:

Camp Healing Hearts (Nov. 16):

Family Info.

Mondays with Maria (Weekly Superintendent's Message):

One of the top questions from parents is how they can help their child with academics at home. Watch this Mondays with Maria presented by Addition Financial to learn about valuable resources available.

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FREE English language classes for ELL parents begin Nov. 7:

OCPS Global Family Welcome Center  

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Thank you for reading. Have a great week, Eagles!

Mrs. Moukaddam, Principal

Hunter's Creek Middle School

Monday, November 4, 2024

Hunter's Creek Middle School Leadership Team

Principal: Joumana Moukaddam joumana.moukaddam@ocps.net

Assistant Principal of Instruction: Jane Mabra jane.mabra@ocps.net

Assistant Principal: Debra Vereen debra.vereen@ocps.net

6th Grade Dean: Dominic Golia dominic.golia@ocps.net

7th Grade Dean: Shatoya Coogle shatoya.coogle@ocps.net

8th Grade Dean: Joquetta Carter joquetta.carter@ocps.net

6th Grade & 7th Grade M-Z Counselor: Annikki Merritt annikki.merritt@ocps.net 

8th Grade & 7th Grade A-L Counselor: Kelly Armstrong kelly.armstrong@ocps.net 

ESOL Compliance & Dual Language Coordinator: Joley Dominguez elyse.dominguezlozada@ocps.net

Staffing Specialist: Lynne McGregor lynne.ripleymcgregor@ocps.net

Social Worker: Suzette Fonseca suzette.fonseca@ocps.net

Testing Coordinator: Allison Nicosia allison.nicosia@ocps.net 

MTSS Coordinator and Boys & Girls Club Coordinator: Karen Godwin karen.navarro@ocps.net  

Attendance Clerk: Mary Thomas mary.thomas@ocps.net 

Librarian: Kellee Moye kellee.moye@ocps.net

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.

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 West Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, attend to compliance matters: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer & Title IX Coordinator: Keshara Cowans; ADA Coordinator; ADA Coordinator: Jay Cardinali; Section 504 Coordinator: Tajuana Lee-Wenze. (407.317.3200)
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 - Hunter's Creek Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Hunter's Creek Middle School. Please contact Mrs. Joumana Moukaddam (Principal) at 37895@ocps.net with any questions related to the program.
Hunter's Creek Middle | Mrs. Moukaddam, Principal | 407.858.4620 | HCMS Website
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