Nov. 12: Hornet's Nest Spirit Store open

Nov. 12: TONIGHT - “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” at 6:30pm

Nov. 13: OCPS Virtual Parent Academy, 9:00am - "Together Towards Tomorrow: Plan for Success"

Nov. 13: “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” at 5:30pm

Nov. 15-19: Final week of our Thanksgiving Food Drive (please see below)

Nov. 15: Volleyball team away at Southwest Middle

Nov. 16: PTSO meeting, 5:30pm (after SAC at 4:30pm)

Nov. 17: Volleyball team HOME vs. Water Spring (last game of the regular season)

Nov. 18: Student progress reports to Skyward (parent access tips in this edition)

Nov. 22-26: Thanksgiving break

Nov. 29: Last day for Yearbook ads

As of November 11, face masks will be optional for all employees on OCPS property and vehicles. Thank you for your patience and compliance during the past several months.

Horizon West Middle School salutes all military veterans and their families for their service and support to our great nation! Below are pictures of our Technology Coordinator, Mr. Bastos who served in the US Army for 11 years! Thank you Mr. Bastos!!

Social Emotional Learning(SEL) is a foundational pillar of student success. The event will empower families with resources and strategies to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve goals, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Apple or grape juice, cereal, oatmeal, canned meat, shampoo, pancake mix & syrup, and canned vegetables. National Junior Honor Society working on our food drive collection:

Buy your yearbook now! Yearbook Ads are on sale until November 29th at schoolpay.com

Nominated by Ms. Burt- “Kiana Schendl is a responsible student with a fun personality. Kiana always pays attention, takes notes, participates in class discussions, and does exemplary work.”

Nominated by Mrs. Cameron- “It is an absolute pleasure to have Lucia Montenegro in my class. She is always willing to help out, gives her all every day, and is a ray of sunshine that always brightens up our classroom.”

Nominated by Ms. Burt- “Madisyn Smallwood is a leader in my news class. She takes initiative to write, produce, and edit weekly news segments. She’s also one of our news directors and helps others to learn and succeed.”

The Florida Music Educators Association All-State Honor Chorus is an ensemble made up of students from all over the state of Florida. Students are selected to participate in the choir through a series of challenging tests and competitive vocal auditions. This is an outstanding opportunity for students to learn more about music and participate in a very rewarding ensemble. Only a handful of the best musicians from around the state get selected to be a part of this ensemble.

The second marking period is already half-way expired (today is the last day of week #14 already!) and you continue to play a crucial role in your child's success. It is critical that families support students by monitoring their progress each week. The best place to do this is in Skyward Family Access. This is the official gradebook in Orange County Public Schools. Once inside, pay attention to the number of missing assignments. If these are not submitted it can result in a lower overall grade.

• Set a digital reminder for you and your child to review grades each week.

• Login to the OCPS Parent Portal, enter Skyward Family Access and check the gradebook. Watch this short video to learn how.

• Identify missing assignments in the Skyward Gradebook. This quick video tip will show you how.

• Don't wait for surprises! Set alerts in Canvas Parent to monitor day-to-day progress. This video will show you how on a mobile device. Use this video if using a laptop/desktop computer.

• If you cannot login to the OCPS Parent Portal and enter Skyward Family Access, please submit an OCPS Parent Portal Concerns Form.

In Ms. Martinez’s 8th grade science classes, students were learning about the layers and features of the sun and created group posters.

Students in Mrs. Roskey’s class work together to create giant HR diagrams to show their understanding.

Students in Mrs. Moore’s SGA classes are building raised garden beds on campus!!

A BIG shout out to Lowe's of Winter Garden and manager Rob Royston, who donated all of the garden supplies to the school! The students wrote a letter requesting items and they were very gracious with the donations. Thank you Lowe’s!

Thank you to our HWMS staff members that sponsored our volleyball students by providing them with a snack and drink on game days! They are pictured below with the students they sponsored this season:

We are excited to announce the top ten readers of the October Beanstack reading contest. These students will be coming to our Fall reading celebration in the media center. Please join us in congratulating the following students:

If your child missed the chance to participate in the October Beanstack challenge, the next reading contest will begin in December!

HWMS teachers recently participated in a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) professional development. We have included some pictures of them engaged in team building activities:

Niccolo Paganini is considered one of the greatest violists of all time. He was a virtuoso, performing his first concert at age eleven. His great technical ability revolutionized violin technique across Europe.

When he died in 1840, he willed his violin to Genoa, Italy, the place of his birth. But he did so on one condition: that no other artist ever play his instrument again. Glad to have the violin come into their possession, the city's fathers agreed to the request, and they put it in a beautiful case for everyone to see.

But wooden instruments have a certain peculiarity. As long as they are handled, they show no wear. But if one lay unused, it begins to decay which is what happened to Paganini's violin. His once-exquisite instrument became worm-eaten and useless. Other violins of the same vintage have been handed down through the generations, from one gifted musician to another, and they continue to bring great music to attentive audiences. But Paganini's violin is a crumbling relic of what it once was.

The lesson for our Hornets? The talent you have been given cannot be set aside like Paganini's violin. If you do not nurture your ability, grow, it will steadily decay until it is useless. But if you consistently work with it, diligently trying to bring out its best, it will bring forth "music" that will not only give you joy, but will also serve others and bring you success.