Thank you to all of the families who have completed the district surveys. Results are compiled and released to us at the end of the survey window, but so far, we are on pace to meet the district expectation. 

This Tuesday night, we will have our SAC meeting in the media center at 6:30. Everyone is invited to attend, even if you are not a member of the committee. This is an opportunity to learn about the school from a technical standpoint.

We are extremely proud of the students and teachers. After completing the mid-year progress monitoring assessments, we showed tremendous growth in many areas and continue to rank among the top middle schools in the district. Our math and English teachers will be using this data to adjust their curriculum over the next nine weeks. While all years are challenging for teachers, this year, our math and English teachers are tasked with teaching adjusted standards and preparing our students for high school and a new state assessment. As an IB school, and a strong supporter of the whole child, I understand that school grades are not the only measure of success, but I also believe that our teachers and students are deserving of that recognition based on all of our accomplishments.

Next month, we will have the International Baccalaureate Committee on campus to provide feedback and suggestions on how we can improve the program as we are gain accreditation. This is an exciting time for us as we have had to navigate a global pandemic and the lingering effects of it. We have had to modify some parts of the program, and we continue to look for ideas on the model that will best support our students. We know that we comprise about half of the population of Winter Park High School IB graduates, but also know that some of our students are really engaged in other programs and we want to provide all of those opportunities to our students on campus. We have recently added two new science electives that provide students with real-world experience, and many of our students are passionate about arts and are unable to take multiple art courses due to the IB curriculum. As a public school, I don’t want our students to have to be forced into taking a curriculum that they are not passionate about. We will be providing more information after we meet with our accreditation group. 

Recently, we were selected as a pilot school for a virtual tutoring program for our algebra students. We will be able to hire a tutor to work with our algebra students online. I want to first reach out to all of you if you would like to be considered for this. If you are interested in some part time work, could you please email me: daniel.kempinger@ocps.net.

Finally, this Saturday will be our PTSA fundraiser at the Orlando Museum of Art. This is an awesome event that is not only a great night out, it also provides resources for our students. Please plan on attending.  

Mr. Kempinger

Proud Principal

Glenridge Middle School

Pictured very top: OCPS Endeavor Award recipient Annais Vazquez. Annais was nominated Mrs. Croteau.