As many of you know, the State Board of Education met this morning to adopt new rules related to attendance and Hope Scholarships. You can find the new rules by clicking Back-to-School FAQs on the district’s home page at ocps.net. While neither rule addressed face masks, they did provide background for the 1:30pm webinar presented by the Florida Department of Education. More critical to that presentation was the newly adopted rule by the Florida Department of Health which is also available in the FAQ. Details include that parents must be given an opt out choice if face masks are required by the school district. I want to acknowledge parents who are passionate on both sides of this debate and realize neither group will be fully satisfied at this juncture.

Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students and employees, and after consultation with our health experts and school board members, I am implementing required face masks for all students unless the parent chooses to opt out of the requirement. Opting out means sending a simple note with your child on the first day of school such as “I am opting out of the face mask requirement for (child’s name)” with your signature. The student may give the note to the teacher. This mandate is effective for 30 days, beginning Tuesday, August 10th. We will continue to monitor the situation with our local experts and make a determination about how to proceed before the 30 days have expired.

August 9- Last day of the Florida School Supply Sales Tax Break

August 10- First day of school

August 11- Soccer Informational Meeting 5:30

August 12-13- Soccer Tryouts (see flyer)

August 16- FSA/EOC score reports available in the front office

August 17- SAC Meeting

August 25- Soccer vs. Innovation

August 26- Picture Day

September 9- General PTSA Meeting

This past week we welcomed our teachers back to campus. The excitement in the air was palpable as faculty and staff returned rested, relaxed and invigorated for the new school year. A huge thank you goes out to our PTSA for sponsoring the first day welcome back breakfast and t shirts for the faculty and staff! Throughout the week teachers participated in professional development sessions, attended meetings within their departments, and greeted students and parents at the two meet the teacher events.

* Parents/Guardians may submit a schedule change request starting Tuesday, August 10th and no later than Monday, August 16th at 4pm via the following Google link: tinyurl.com/LNMS2122ScheduleChange

* Counselors will be addressing schedule change requests through the above Google link only. This request may take up to two weeks to be reviewed. We appreciate your continued support and patience.

* Valid reasons for a schedule change include:

* Schedule change requests for a different elective cannot be guaranteed due to course availability, class size and number of requests.

* Requests for specific periods and teachers will not qualify as a valid reason for a schedule change.

6th grade counselor- Jennifer.Damico@ocps.net

7th grade counselor- Mary.wright@ocps.net

8th grade counselor- Veronica.pragel@ocps.net

504/SAFE Coordinator- Rebeca.sella@ocps.net

The Orlando After-School All-Stars school year registration is now open. The before and after-school program will begin on August 10th and continue throughout the year in accordance with the OCPS calendar. The program operates Monday through Friday in the morning from 7:30am to 9:30am and until 6pm after school.

Please visit orlandoasas.org to register or call 407-680-4253 for details.

Coming this week, school buses will be an addition to our traffic. Make sure you plan on leaving with extra time and pay attention to the school buses. The school buses overhead lights are like traffic signals!

Walt Disney was once asked, "How does it feel to be a celebrity?" This was his answer:

"It feels fine when it helps to get a good seat for a football game. But it never helped me to make a good film, or a good shot in a polo game, or get the obedience of my daughter. It doesn't even seem to keep fleas off our dogs - and if being a celebrity won't give one an advantage over a couple of fleas, then I guess there can't be much in being a celebrity after all."

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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 - Lake Nona Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of Lake Nona Middle School and the Orange County Public Schools. Please contact Ms. Sharon Powers, Media Specialist, at sharon.powers@ocps.net with any questions or for further information.