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Memorial Community Member |
Welcome back to the 2nd Semester Soldier Families!
Upcoming High School Visits and Choosing 2024-2025 Electives
We hope that everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Winter Break. As we continue forward into second half of the school year, it is time for students to review their goals for their academic success. Please keep in mind that our 8th graders will be meeting with their respective high schools this month while our 6th & 7th graders will be selecting their courses for next school year.
Importance of Goal Setting in January
Parents & guardians, please invest a little quality time with your student to discuss their personal goals for 2024. Also, create a few short-term goals for this semester to help them with Florida Department of Education FAST testing which is rapidly approaching. We want all of our students to strive for achieving a Level 3 or higher on the upcoming FAST tests.
Impact of FAST Scores at a Level 3
FAST scores at a Level 3 or higher are very important because a Level 3 or higher means a student is proficient. Scores lower than a Level 3 may indicate that your child needs additional assistance with their academics and could be falling behind. These scores also predict which courses students will and will not be allowed to take for the next school year. Courses like intensive reading and math may be added to your child's schedule. So focus on the goal of a Level 3 . . . this is achievable by all our Memorial students if they will attend school daily, take their work seriously, and always try their best.
Reminder: Our Soldiers Have the Ability to Score Well!
We are confident that our Soldiers can perform very well on the state FAST assessments, but we need our parents to remind our students of this all along.
Let’s enjoy this first edition of The Soldier Sentinel for 2024 and please set those personal goals!
Thank you for reading.
Mr. Foster
Proud Principal
The GREAT Memorial Middle School
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2220 W. 29th Street
Orlando, FL 32805
(407) 245-1810
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Interested in getting to your correct grade? |
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7th and 8th graders!! Are you interested in getting to your correct grade? If you are, email AP Rodriguez at 45471@ocps.net and you will get information on your options!! |
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Memorial Middle Club Feature
Book Club starts Monday!
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See Ms. Housen in Room 601 for more information on Book Club. Our first meeting will be Monday, January 22. |
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High School Bound 8th Graders |
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Eighth graders, in the coming weeks we will have both Jones High School and Oak Ridge High School on campus for informational sessions on the courses they offer. These sessions are just for students at this time. |
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If you have questions about high school, please see Assistant Principal Rodriguez. |
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Jones High School
IB Magnet Programme Information Sessions
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Jones High School – IB Magnet
Eighth graders who are interested in attending Jones High School as part of the IB Programme, please attend this important event.
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6th & 7th Graders returning to Memorial Middle School next year |
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In late January and early February we will be meeting with all current 6th & 7th Graders to select electives for the 2024-2025 school year. Your core classes and intensive classes will be scheduled based on FAST scores.
* Start thinking about which electives you would like to take next year.
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Families: Please be sure to keep up to date with our testing calendar to make sure your student is present on all testing days.
Upcoming Testing Days:
- FAST Language Arts – May 1st
- FAST Math – May 2nd
- Algebra or Geometry EOC – May 2nd
- 8th Grade Science – May 8th
- Civics EOC – May 7th
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School Bus Delay Dashboard |
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Memorial Families: For information on your child's bus, please click the link below. Please also know that busing is handled via OCPS Transportation and they will always have the best information on your child's bus times.
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OCPS is Hiring
OCPS is HIRING teachers . . . check out this opportunity below if you are interested in joining the OCPS family.
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OCPS Superintendent's 2024 Opening Message |
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As the second semester began earlier this month, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Maria Vazquez discussed what’s on tap, including graduation dates, spring break, magnet applications and more. |
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Incoming 6th Grade Orientation
Monday, February 5th
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Memorial families, if you have students or friends that will be attending Memorial next year, this is a great opportunity to find out about our school. Please pass this information along. Thank you. |
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Memorial Youth Summit
Saturday, February 3
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You’re Invited – Youth Summit at Memorial Middle School
Soldiers, are you ready for some FUN!!!!?????
PIZZA…GIFT RAFFLES…TIK TOK Challenges…STEM Workshops…
and SO MUCH MORE!!!!
We are excited to invite you to “The Blueprint to Excellence” Youth Summit. This event is sponsored and hosted by “By Grace Mentoring, Inc. in partnership with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
Date: Saturday, February 3rd
Time: 8:00AM to 3:00PM
Location: Memorial Middle School
**Breakfast and Lunch will be served.**
The students will rotate within 4 themes of STEM, Entrepreneurism, Law & Order, and Empowerment through three morning sessions (9am-11:00am), There will be a lunch break (11am-12:35pm) with a PARTY TWIST, where the students will have pizza, fun and opportunities to win the gifts donated and raffled off. At the lunch party there will be an introduction to Greek Life! Students will have a presentation on the history and purpose of the Divine Nine and witness a Step Show & Roll Call!
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Valencia College Horizon Scholars (for 8th Grade Students) |
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The Valencia Horizon Scholars – Take Stock in Children Program is a scholarship, mentoring, and college readiness program designed to provide students with professional, academic, and personal support. This program culminates in students receiving a two-year Florida Prepaid scholarship that can be used at any public university, college, or vocational/technical school in Florida upon high school graduation and successful program completion.
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Four times per year, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics releases their results on what Americans earn per week based on educational attainment. They just released their findings for the 2023 4th quarter on Thursday, January 18th. To no surprise, the pattern held up again for another quarter as follows:
Weekly U.S. paychecks by education (4th quarter of 2023):
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Bachelor's degree and higher - $1,608 (red line in chart)
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Some college or associate's degree - $1,058 (blue line in chart)
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High school diploma, no college - $917 (green line in chart)
- Never finished high school - $713 (very bottom line in chart)
* Note: These are median figures for the USA. For individuals these figures will vary by job type, where you live, how long you have worked for a particular organization, etc. But overall, the pattern holds across the 50 states and this remains true even during economic recessions (the grey bars in the chart).
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Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED database Chart shows weekly earnings by educational level for every quarter during the 21st century. The top red line represents those who have at least a four-year college degree.
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Final Thoughts and Motivation . . .
Memorial Middle School remembers
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(MLK Day was Monday, Jan. 15)
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President Ronald Reagan designated the third Monday of January as a national holiday to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy, starting in 1986. Sadly, Dr. King was only 39 years old on the evening of his assassination in April 1968. Still, his influence remains today as we observed the holiday last Monday, January 15th. Most people are somewhat knowledgeable about his many successes as a civil rights leader, but few know much about his commitment to his own personal education.
Dr. King spent much of his childhood reading. A voracious reader, he began memorizing passages from the Bible early on and later skipped two high school grades as he was such a brilliant student. During his two high school years, public speaking became a passion and he led the debate team. He entered Morehouse College at 15 and graduated college at 19. When he was growing up and through college, Dr. King was influenced by the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi. From this, he developed the idea of using nonviolent resistance to secure civil rights for Black Americans.
Dr. King's Lesson for our Soldiers
We share these insights just after Dr. MLK, Jr. Day as a reminder to all of our Memorial students of the power from daily attendance and getting an education. Equipped with a thirst for knowledge and a love of reading, Dr. King became American's outspoken leader for the civil rights movement. And along the way, he received the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35 plus was named by Time magazine as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Persons of the 20th Century. We have incredible students at Memorial. We hope that each of our Soldiers, like Dr. King, will make education among their most important goals in the new year.
Soldiers, let's make this upcoming week an excellent week #4 of 2024 and stay focused on your goals!
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IT'S GREAT TO BE A SOLDIER!
Mr. Foster, Principal
Memorial Middle School
Friday, January 19, 2024
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2023-2024 Memorial Middle Senior Leadership Team |
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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.
OCPS EEO Non-Discrimination Statement
The School Board of Orange County, Florida, does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other reason prohibited by law. The following individuals at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 West Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, attend to compliance matters: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer & Title IX Coordinator: Keshara Cowans; ADA Coordinator; ADA Coordinator: Jay Cardinali; Section 504 Coordinator: Tajuana Lee-Wenze. (407.317.3200)
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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-Memorial Middle School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Memorial Middle School. Please contact Ms. Heather Rodriguez (assistant principal) at heather.rodriguez@ocps.net with any questions.
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