Builders Club is hosting a Book Drive. Please have your Jets drop off any new or gently used children’s books to their 7th period teacher. Club members will stop by to collect them. The class with the most books will have a pizza party. Contact club sponsor suzanne.archer@ocps.net for more information.

Sixth grader Jalyssa has been reading The Babysitter’s Club graphic novel series since the beginning of this school year. She shared this about the series: “I like that it inspires people to learn how to babysit and to be passionate about friendship. Whenever there is a situation, they have each other’s backs. My four sisters are my BEST friends.” The Babysitter’s Club is also a series on Netflix but Jalyssa has only watched through episode two because, “...in the book, characters are different than on TV. I can keep better track of the characters in the books. I can imagine more reading than watching the series.”

Mr. Kamperveen, 6th grade World History teacher, shared that one of his favorite authors is Dan Brown. “I have read the big three by Brown: The Davinici Code, Angels and Demons and Inferno. Priests are usually seen as the good guys in stories, so it was nice to see that trope flipped on its head. The first two books have a good versus evil theme, while the third book focuses on a character versus an organization who wanted to control the growth of the human population. I like how all of his books have a murder mystery, because who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? My personal favorite among the three was Inferno because I read it just as the pandemic hit, which I found ironic with this book’s story.” Other recommendations from Mr. K include the Narnia, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones series.

Despite valiant efforts, victory eluded our Volleyball Jets at their first game on Oct. 25th versus Avalon Middle. You can purchase tickets at the "GOFAN" link in Legacy's Linktr.ee or the Athletics section of Legacy's website.

The Igloo, or Save the Penguin, project is based on a real life project that is being done in South Africa for penguins that live on the beaches of this country. Many lay their eggs on the beach but need to cool off in the water every few minutes. By doing this, their eggs are exposed and, of course, predators take advantage of this and eat the eggs that are unattended. Park rangers decided to build small huts to protect the penguins from the heat and from predators.

Students built small well insulated igloos to protect a small ice cube that represented their penguin. We exposed the igloos with the ice cube inside of them to 15 minutes of direct sunlight. We also measured the ice cube before and after the exposure to sunlight. Some students lost between 4-10 grams of water while other only lost 1-2 grams of water. Only one team lost 0.5 grams because their construction and insulation was extremely effective.

Dominic Bejare is a licensed massage therapist and owner of Athletic Therapeutic Healing. He specializes in medical and sports massage. He provided a day of 10 minute massages for Legacy’s Self-Care Challenge Day. Thank you, Partner in Ed, Dominic! You can contact him at dominicbejaremassagetherapist@gmail.com

Maurice Draggon is the new Chief Information Officer for Orange County Public Schools. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, along with a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology & Educational Media from the University of Central Florida. He is also a former School Teacher of the year, as well as a 2013 Apple Distinguished Educator. Maurice is a lifelong educator who has experience as a Classroom Teacher, Resource Teacher, District Administrator, Director, and Senior Director. Using the knowledge gained within each role, he was able to collaborate in the development, implementation, and management of the 1:1 Digital Device program for Orange County Public Schools. Maurice is excited to apply all of his previous experience toward the opportunities brought on by the role of CIO.

Source: Cybersecurity Awareness Month by M. Draggon - Read report for other suggestions

Source: Hive Systems  Read full article

PLCs are vital to to both teacher, student and school growth. Inspired Instruction explains:

Please refer to this link to learn more: https://www.inspiredinstruction.com/post/benefits-of-professional-learning-communities.

We are excited to announce the Middle Grade Mayhem author event on Wednesday, November 15, from 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Lake Buena Vista High School. While this event is geared toward middle school readers, we encourage upper-grade elementary and high school readers to join. 

Those interested may register for a free ticket using the link below:

● https://shorturl.at/guzT4

Writer’s Block Bookstore will sell books at the event, and the authors will sign books after participating in a panel discussion. Participating authors include:

● Pam Muñoz Ryan (Esperanza Rising, Echo, Solimar, Mañanaland)

● James Ponti (City Spies, Framed, Dead City, upcoming Sherlock Society)

● Stuart Gibbs (Spy School, Fun Jungle, Charlie Thorne, Once Upon a Tim, Moon Base Alpha)

● Jasmine Warga (My Heart and Other Black Holes, Other Words for Home, a Rover's Story)

● Karina Yan Glaser (The Vanderbeekers, A Duet for Home)

● Morgan Matson (Fireflly Summer, Save the Date, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour)

● Christina Diaz Gonzalez (Invisible, Concealed, the Red Umbrella, Moving Target, The Bluest Sky)

● Sarah Mlynowski (Best Wishes, Whatever After, Upside Down Magic)

● Jarrett Lerner (Work in Progress, Enginerds, Geeger the Robot, Hunger Heroes)

● Julie Buxbaum (The Area 51 Files and many YA titles)

● Alyson Gerber (The Liar's Society, Focused, Braced, Taking Up Space)

* After School Zone is funded by a grant from the Orange County Government. There is no charge for youth to attend. The program takes place from the last bell to 6:00 pm.

On this week's "Mondays with Maria," Dr. Vazquez and Chief Communications Officer Scott Howat discuss the highest rated topics on the teacher ThoughtExchange that was recently sent to instructional staff and how the district plans to address them.

The table lists 15 jobs by educational expectations that do not require a 4-year bachelor's degree based upon recent research by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. However, this is only a snapshot. Click here to see the full report which does also show the bachelor's degree jobs outlook for our area.

* AA = Associates in Arts Degree. Valencia College has over 60 AA and AS (Associate in Science) degrees. 

** CTE = Career and Technical Education. OCPS CTE Department offers a number of opportunities that may interest some of our Jets in the future. 

Chris Hadfield On Leadership

Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It's about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter.

Art Turock On Commitment

There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

Jessica Jackley On Delegation

Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.

Usain Bolt On Effort

Easy is not an option. Skill is only developed by hours and hours of work.

Mahatma Gandhi On Preparation

The future depends on what you do today.