Meet The Teacher is today - Tuesday, August 8th from 4-5:30 pm.

During Meet The Teacher, we will have opportunities for you to walk to all your classes, meet your teachers and sign up for programs like SAC, Dream Academy and All Stars.

There have been state legislative and rule changes around the Parents Bill of Rights since last school year which impact students, teachers and staff. All of our school principals have been provided information and guidance to share and we have also made the same information available to you on the district’s website Parental Rights in OCPS webpage. You will be able to access the memos and a frequently asked questions document.

As of August 2nd, students have been be able to log in to Skyward and see a copy of their schedule. 

** SCHEDULES WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AT MEET THE TEACHER TODAY. **

Please take a few moments and discuss school behavior with your student. You can review some hot topics when it comes to behavior with a copy of our OCPS Student Code of Conduct.

Below are some of the other polices that are important for our students to be aware of . . .

At 9:25 when the morning bell rings all cell phones and electronic devices/support items (earbuds, earpods, headphones, tablets, gaming systems, smart devices; electronics other than a school issued laptop) should be turned off and placed in a student backpack; out of sight (not in their pockets). These items should be kept put away during transition from class to class and during class times.

Students who are not following procedures for cell phones/electronic device police may have their cell phone/electronic device/support item taken to a grade level office and parents will be called. If a student continues to not follow the Cell Phone/Electronic Device Policy a parent will be called and consequences issued.

The dress and grooming of Orange County Public Schools’ students shall contribute to the health and safety of the individual, promote a positive educational environment, and not disrupt the educational activities and processes of the school. These standards of dress and grooming apply to all students in the public schools of Orange County, unless a specific exemption is granted by the principal. Any request for an exemption shall be made to the principal.

 1. Clothes shall be worn as they are designed. For example, suspenders should be over the shoulders, pants secured at the waist, belts buckled, no underwear as outerwear, no underwear exposed.

 2. Clothing must cover the body from one armpit across to the other armpit and down to approximately mid-thigh. Tops must have straps. Undergarments must not be viewable. Rips, holes, or tears in clothing must be below mid-thigh.

3. Shoes shall be worn at all times and should be safe for the school environment. The following shoes are not acceptable for any OCPS student: cleated shoes or shoes with wheels. In addition, the following shoes are not acceptable for OCPS students in grades K-8: thong sandals or backless shoes.

 

4. Headgear shall not be worn on campus during the school day, unless the headgear is approved by the principal.

5. Specialized courses may require specialized attire, such as sports uniforms, or safety gear and must be approved by the principal before being worn during the school day.

6. See-through, revealing, or mesh garments must not be worn without appropriate coverage underneath that meet the minimum requirements of this dress code.

8. Clothing must not state, imply, or depict hate speech or imagery targeting groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or any other protected class.

9. Clothing and accessories that endanger students or staff shall not be worn. Students shall wear a face mask/face covering/face shield if required by the Board, OCPS, Principal, or other official with authority to mandate the wearing of this protective gear. This requirement may be waived with approval from the principal only if a student is medically unable to wear a face mask/face covering/face shield.

 

10. Individual schools may implement school uniforms with community input and approval of the principal’s supervisor.

11. Individual schools are expected to use the state and district dress and grooming guidelines as minimum standards; any adjustments may be made upon approval of the principal’s supervisor.

** The most updated copy of the OCPS Dress Code can be found on the OCPS website. 

Students are expected to be respectful of others at all times; this includes fellow students, teachers and any adult on campus. Talk about what respectful behavior looks like. If your child is having an issue with another student, please encourage them to speak with their dean or counselor to advocate for their feelings. 

At the start and end of each period, you will hear a bell to alert you that it is time to move to your next class. Remember that you leave when your teacher gives permission, not just when you hear the bell.

If you need any help during the day, please just ask an adult. We are all here to help you and get you where you are supposed to be.

Students are to go directly to their class. No wandering, no stopping to talk...you only have a few minutes so you need to move. Also, if you do not have a class in a particular hallway, stay out of that area. It is important that you focus on your job – GOING TO CLASS and LEARN.

Students will get a break lunch! Lunch is approximately 30 minutes long. Students will be given an assigned seat with their class at lunch.

Everyone will receive a FREE lunch and you must have money on your SchoolPay account to purchase snacks.

Cell phones are not allowed during lunch and we ask that laptops stay put away during this time so we do not these electronics from spills. 

Each day at 4:00 the school day is over; 2:57 on Wednesday. Students will be dismissed and are expected to leave campus immediately. Students should not be wandering the campus or waiting for friends. 

Students will hear an announcement when their area of the school is dismissed. Car riders, bikers and walkers all go to the front of the school by the media center. Bus riders go to the gym and All Stars/Dream Academy students go to the cafeteria. Students are expected to go directly to their dismissal location and not wander. 

During the school year we love to celebrate activities, holidays, awareness events and our school. Every Wednesday is SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY, when many of our Soldiers will be wearing school T-shirts or our school colors: Black, White and Red.

Fridays we have Fun Friday Spirit Days as well, where we have different themes for students to participate in. For the month of August, all Fridays are COLLEGE SPIRIT FRIDAYS. This could be a college that a family member attends, a future college for your Soldier, or just one with a great football team! You will see many of our teachers on campus wearing the colors and shirts from the colleges they graduated from. 

Parents and students, remember you are not in this alone. Please feel free to reach out to our Memorial Team as we are here to help. Below is a listing of some of the folks that may be of assistance to you. Also, stay connected to our school website and our official social media outlets as we post lots of great resources and fun stuff for our families! 

As we start this new school year, we want everyone of our Memorial students to be successful. Please take a moment this week and talk to your child about the school year, setting goals, and help them to think about their future. You might even read them this motivational story which relates to setting goals and priorities in life.

Once a middle school science teacher entered his classroom with a glass jar, a few rocks, some pebbles, and a small pile of sand. The students were amused to see what he was up to as this was not part of the day's scheduled lesson. First, he started filling the rock parts into the glass jar until he couldn’t add any more.

He asked the students if the jar was full and everybody nodded yes. He next started dropping the pebbles inside the jar. They fell down through any small gaps as he shook the jar allowing the pebbles to shift around. The pebbles had filled in the vacant spaces in-between the rocks.

He asked the same question to the students and they once again said that the jar was full. Finally, he poured the grains of sand inside the jar which went right through any remaining spaces between the rocks and pebbles. The jar was then, truly filled.

The science teacher explained that this is how you should set priorities in life. Rock is like your family, while pebbles will be like your job/career some day, leaving sand to represent the least important priorities in life such as unnecessary quarrels and big egos.

Remember . . . If you pour the sand in the jar first, it will get easily filled up leaving no space for your "rocks" and "pebbles." — those things that matter most.

The lesson for our Memorial Soldiers? You should first identify your most important priorities. Then, develop a good plan to work towards fulfilling these goals rather than wasting your time and effort on unnecessary activities that will not get you to where you want to be. 

During this first week of school, please write down your personal goals and share them with your family and maybe a close friend. Be sure to revisit them every school night before bed.