Community Brief
Monday, January 29, 2024
Glenridge Middle Community Member

I would like to start my message this week by welcoming two new employees to the Den. Ms. Jerleisa Tyree is our new school secretary, and Ms. Morgan Henry will be supporting students and teachers as a program assistant. Look for their bios next week as they were a little busy getting acclimated to Glenridge this week.  

Lion Leader Celebration
The Lion Leader Celebration will occur this Friday during first period. The PTSA will provide our Leaders with Chick-fil-A breakfast out on the track and students will have time to socialize with friends and play games. Invitations will go out on Monday as deans thought it would be less likely for students to lose the invites. 

Sixth-Grade Field Trip 
The district is hosting a field trip for all sixth-grade students this Friday as well. The students will be attending a jazz concert at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center. The trip is free, but students will need to bring back a field trip form. Students will leave school at 10:30 and return by 1:30.  

Eighth-Grade Meetings
Our 8th grade students will have an opportunity to meet with the guidance counselors from Winter Park High this week to review their course requests for next year. All 8th graders were given a form last week and should have ranked their elective choices. The counselors will help them if they had trouble.

Basketball at Home this Week 
Good luck to our Basketball teams as they host two home games this week. Monday, we play A.C.E. starting at 5:30 and Wednesday we play Audubon K-8 beginning at 4:30. Students wishing to attend will need to leave campus at dismissal and return for the game. Tickets are $2 for students and $5 for adults. We hope to see you at the games!

Daniel Kempinger
Principal

Pictured very top: "Step up to Middle School" is when we invite all of our feeder school 5th graders to the campus to discuss the middle school experience and all that GMS offers. 
Winter Bash
Ticket sales open Thursday
Lion Spotlight
Grace Fields
Glenridge's Grace Fields made it into the top 24 spelling bee champions from across the school district and will be advancing to the tournament at Disney, March 8th. When she places in that, she’ll be going to nationals!
Grace is the young lady in turquoise standing behind the young man in the orange jacket. All of these competitors had their group picture taken at the Ronald Blocker Education Leadership Center downtown in the auditorium where the school board convenes. 
Grace's ticket reads:
"CONGRATULATIONS! You have advanced to the 2024
Orange County Regional Spelling Bee"
ADMIT ONE - March 8, 2024 
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Lions Basketball Schedule
Annual School Fundraiser
GLENRIDGE MIDDLE

MEGA BLAST FUNDRAISER!
Dear Glenridge Middle Families,
Your participation is appreciated! If you haven’t already done so, you can register quickly by clicking the link below:


This link will take you to our school fundraiser website where you can register and set up your child’s personal donation page. On this page, you can invite your friends and family to join our efforts by sending them an email.

This entire fundraiser can be completed in less than 10 minutes!

Send out 10 or more emails via your personal donation page. By doing this, your child will qualify for the Golden Ticket prizes and drawings! Have your student return their Golden Ticket to school by Wednesday to be part of the fun! It’s very easy and a great way to support your student as they use their awesomeness to help GMS.

2023-2024 Fundraiser progress as of Sunday, Jan. 28:
OCPS News
School Guard Crossing Day is Friday:
The Family Engagement team is excited to announce the Parent Academies for February 2024.
There will also be six virtual mini-academies this month. All virtual mini-academies are on WebEx Webinars from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the dates listed below. Click here to register.

Building Resilience in Stressful Times
● Date: 2/1/24
● Audience: Parents/guardians of students in grades K-12
● Description: Parents will learn how to recognize when stress is concerning and how to help your child cope in times of stress.
● Language/accessibility options: Bilingual session live presented in English and Spanish. Closed captioning is also available in over 100 languages.

Rigorous and Advanced Course Options for Middle and High School Students
● Date: 2/6/24
● Audience: Parents/guardians of students in grades 5-11
● Description: Parents of middle and high school students will gain important information about Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge course options just in time to turn in course enrollment forms for next school year! Join us as we have our partners share the opportunities available to OCPS students. We will share the types of programs, the process for students to participate, and keys to success.
● Language/accessibility options: Closed captioning is available in over 100 languages.

Enrolling at Valencia College
● Date: 2/7/24
● Audience: Parents/guardians of students in grades 11-12
● Description: High school students and their parents will meet admissions representatives and gain information from The Valencia College Outreach Department about the opportunities available at Valencia College and detail the steps to enroll.
● Language/accessibility options: There will be two separate sessions provided. One session will be provided in English and one session will be provided in Spanish. Both sessions have closed captioning available in over 100 languages.

Parents as Leaders
● Date: 2/15/24
● Audience: Parents/guardians of students in grades K-12
● Description: Parents will learn about how schools keep a safe and secure learning environment Strategies related to physical and psychological safety will be reviewed and information to help parents understand safety drills will be shared.
● Language/accessibility options: Closed captioning is available in over 100 languages.

College Disability Services and Accommodations: What to Expect
● Date: 2/22/24
● Audience: Parents/guardians of students in grades 11-12
● Description: The transition to college for some students with disabilities can be tough. The transition without the appropriate support and accommodations can make it even tougher. Join us as we explore common college disability services and accommodations.
● Language/accessibility options: Closed captioning is available in over 100 languages.

Advocate for YOUR Child | The Question Formulation Technique
● Date: 2/29/24
● Audience: Parents/guardians of students in grades K-12
● Description: Parents will learn about the Question Formulation Technique which helps generate questions and participate effectively in decisions. This can be used by all parents to enhance their ability to partner with educators to support, monitor, and advocate for their children.
● Language/accessibility options: Closed captioning is available in over 100 languages.

Parents and families can register for all Parent Academy events online at https://ParentAcademy.ocps.net
Community Resources
If your child is having an emotional crisis and/or you feel like they are a threat to themselves or others, you can take immediate action by contacting the resources below:

Call 911 if you need immediate emergency assistance

Devereux Mobile Crisis Unit: The Mobile Crisis Unit is a 24/7 free community resource that will send a Mental Health professional to your home to evaluate and de-escalate a person that is experiencing an emotional crisis. You can contact them by dialing 2-1-1 on your cell phone or dialing 407-839-4357.
Florida flag
Thank you for reading.
Daniel Kempinger, Principal
Glenridge Middle School
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Glenridge Leadership Team
Principal: Mr. Daniel Kempinger - Daniel.Kempinger@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Dr. Kimberly Bispott - Kimberly.Bispott@ocps.net
Assistant Principal of Instruction: Mr. Thomas Hames - Thomas.Hames@ocps.net
8th Grade Dean: Ms. Ms. Camille Cassara - Camille.Cassara@ocps.net
7th Grade Dean A-L: Ms. Camille Cassara - Camille.Cassara@ocps.net
7th Grade Dean M-Z: Mr. Steven Schulties- Steven.Schulties@ocps.net
6th Grade Dean: Mr. Steven Schulties - Steven.Schulties@ocps.net
6th Grade / 7th Grade M-Z School Counselor: Ms. Jayne Ness-Lee - Jayne.Ness-Lee@ocps.net
8th Grade / 7th Grade A-L School Counselor: Mr. Dwayne Noble - Dwayne.Noble@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.
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 - Glenridge Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Glenridge Middle School. Please contact Principal Daniel Kempinger daniel.kempinger@ocps.net with any questions or for further information.
Glenridge Middle School
2900 Upper Park Road,
Orlando, FL 32814
Phone 407-623-1415
Fax 407-623-1417