The CHMS Post

May & June 2023

Challenger Middle School Mission

To provide an exemplary education that develops critical thinking and problem solving skills which inspire our students to challenge their minds and charge their spirits.

Principal's Corner

Hello Charger Families!


It's unbelievable to think that we are starting to wrap up the 22-23 school year in 5 short weeks. It has been my pleasure to serve as the principal of Challenger Middle for another year. I have been able to watch the students grow academically, physically, and emotionally. This year has been full of events, celebrations, and all kinds of after-school activities! Seeing how our new "normal" has developed throughout the year has been amazing. I want to thank all staff, students, and family members for all the hard work and dedication you have put in this school year to make it a success.


As we move into the testing season we ask that all students make it a priority to be at school on time, eager to learn, and have Chromebooks charged. This is the time for them to “show what they know”. I am proud of each and every student, just as I know you are.


Respectfully,

Stacia Winfree

Principal – Challenger Middle

Upcoming Testing Dates:

Tuesday, May 9th:

6th- Civics Pre-test

7th- Civics EOC

8th- Science NGSS


Tuesday, May 16th:

FAST PM3- Reading


Thursday, May 18th:

FAST PM3- Math

Alg/Geo EOC


Testing Letters with information about all upcoming state tests were sent home in late April, but are also linked below. Please click the corresponding button to read more information about each test your student will be taking.

Chromebook Returns

Chromebooks will be turned in on the following dates:


6th Grade: Tuesday, May 30th

7th Grade: Wednesday, May 31st

8th Grade: Thursday, June 1st

Attention Incoming 7th Graders!

Immunization Requirements for 7th Grade:


All students entering 7th grade next school year (2023 - 2024) are mandated by Florida State Statute to have a “Tdap” immunization. Please contact your Health Care Provider or the Health Department of Lee County to obtain the immunization if your student has not received it.


A #680 “Proof of Immunization” form should be brought to the clinic before the end of this school year, if possible. Your student must have the “Proof of Immunization” documented in the clinic by the first-day of 7th grade to receive a class schedule and start school.


If your student has not received the Tdap immunization please take your student to your healthcare provider or the Health Department of Lee County. The Health Department of Lee County can be reached at (239) 461 - 6100.

Upcoming Events...

NJHS Induction

Our NJHS Induction will be on Friday, May 5th from

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm.

The ceremony will be taking place in the Gym!


We welcome all family members to come to watch your student get inducted and be honored with this wonderful achievement.

8th Grade Field Trip Information

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7th Grade Field Trip Information

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6th Grade Field Trip Information

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Challenger's Got Talent!

Challenger’s Got Talent Show will be held on Thursday, June 1st from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm!


  • Music used must be school appropriate
  • Solo or groups are welcome
  • Any musicians, actors, singers, comedians, magicians, or artists are welcome
  • Amazon Gift Card Prizes awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place!!!


Tickets for entry are $5 per person

For more information, see Mrs. Leonard!

Save the Date!

2023 Awards Ceremonies are coming!


Our award ceremonies are coming up in June and all parents/family members are invited.

The dates for each grade level ceremony are listed below:


8th Grade Awards Ceremony - June 2nd

7th Grade Awards Ceremony - June 5th

6th Grade Awards Ceremony - June 6th

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8th Grade Dance

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ATTENTION 8TH GRADERS!


The 8th Grade Dance - Enchanted Forest - is approaching!

It will be taking place on June 2nd, 2023 from 6 pm - 8 pm in the Cafeteria.


As we get closer to the date, more information about price/purchasing and dress code will be posted in the 8th-grade Google Classroom.

Boys & Girls Club Summer Program

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Challenger Middle is proud to announce Summer Fun 2023 hosted by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lee County will be located at our school this summer! This is a great opportunity if you are looking for a summer program for your child from June 12th - July 28th.

Please see the flyer above for details and sign up information.


Please do not call the school to register, but CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW for details

or call 239-334-1866.

Middle School Science Summer Camp

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This program is offered to current ELL 6th and 7th-grade students who would like to increase their science knowledge in an interactive and fun environment.

El Programa se ofrece a los estudiantes ELL que actualmente cursan 6 y 7 grado y que deseen aumentar sus conocimientos de ciencias en un ambiente interactivo y divertido.


Read the flyer above for more information, and use either the QR Code or the button below to register your student for the Science Summer Program.

Lea el folleto anterior para obtener más información y use el código QR o el botón a continuación para registrar a su estudiante en el Programa de Verano de Ciencias.

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Track and Field News!

We are so proud of our track students and would like to say a huge congratulations to all of our runners. They had an incredible finish to a very long and challenging track season. You made Challenger proud!

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Amazing Art


This is Julian in Ms. Soto's class, and he's an AMAZING artist!

Here, he is pictured with a puppet that he made all on his own! Truly a very talented student.

WhoDunnIt Mystery Activity

Towards the end of March, our 6th grade ELA team, Mrs. Mullins, Ms. Sierocinski, and Mrs. Wilke did a WhoDunnIt activity where students had to find hidden clues around the classroom, eliminate suspects, and use what they've learned about context clues and word meaning to figure out who committed the crime!

Annie the Musical

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From April 26th - 28th, our theatre students performed Annie the Musical for our school, Challenger families, and community members. The entire show was thanks to the hard work of our students and several staff members. Ms. Rayannic's class helped with painting set pieces and creating New York building-style panels. While Ms. Leonard and her theatre/dance students worked tirelessly for weeks rehearsing and perfecting their performance. The shows were amazing and a great showcase of our students and staff members' talents.

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Class Pet of the Month

Mrs. Firrincielli's Aquariums

Located in Ms. Firrincieli's science classroom, you will find three aquariums of fish! She has 14 baby fat belly molly fish that call her classroom their home. Fourteen is a whole lot of fish, especially considering they are the babies of the two original fish from Ms. Firrincieli's aquarium! Their mom and dad used to reside in these aquariums and their names were Night and Day! These babies are also super resilient, as they survived all of Hurricane Ian without any power or food!

May/June Bus Driver of the Month!


Our May/June Bus Driver of the Month is Dee from bus 2334!


He has been with us all school year long and is always sharing his kindness. He takes the time to recognize students for doing the right thing.

New Teacher Shout Out, Ms. Camerlingo!

Ms. Camerlingo is new to us at Challenger this year, but she's been teaching for 24 years! For fun and leisure, Ms. Camerlingo likes to go on walks, watch sports games, crochet, and spend time with friends and family. Ms. Camerlingo told us that her favorite part of teaching is volunteering or attending after-hours events and seeing students perform their skills/talents.

Apples Mentor of the Year, Mrs. Heckler!

The APPLES Mentor of the Year award recognizes the work and dedication of mentors serving first-year teachers for their time and expertise in building the capacity of their first-year colleagues. The nominees are individuals who have demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication in the performance of their jobs thereby earning the respect and admiration of students, teachers, administrators, coworkers, parents, and the community.


Our very own Mrs. Heckler was awarded the 2023 APPLES Mentor of the Year title this year! Mrs. Heckler is a very supportive mentor and goes above and beyond to ensure our new teachers are prepared for a successful career in education. We are not only proud of Mrs. Heckler and this wonderful accomplishment, but we are also so incredibly thankful to have her here with us at Challenger. Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Heckler on this wonderful achievement.

May/June Students of the Month!

We would like to congratulate the following students on their outstanding excellence in school! Each student listed below was specifically selected by one or more of their teachers to receive this award. We are very proud of our students and the hard work they continue to put in.


6th Grade

Marina Azier

Josie Bettermann

Jacob Bradley

Khloe Deshield

Madalyn Duncan

Dairon Fernandez

Antonella Flores

Milla Galinos

Preston Gaul

Sophia Gomez-Bernal

Diego Guevara Cespedes

Kylee Hutchins

Trinyti Keeton

Dominic Lopez

Diego Macias Ramos

Gianni Mack

Levi Marsan

Dominic Martin

Nataly Niewola

Adrian Oliveros

Ayden Parker

Natalie Pim

Patrick Raftery

Steven Terekhin

Yovana Vuticevski

Ethan Wilson



7th Grade

Valerie Acevedo

Nicole Alfonzo Munoz

Chance Burgess

Osmel Caseres

Sofia Delgado

Sofia Devita

Cameron Diaz

Zoey Feazel

Jayda Garcia

Norah Huizenga

Wyatt Jeanneret

Edensi Luma

Daniel Medina

Hailey Padilla

Ben Pucin

Addison Ramos

Christopher Rios

Ethan Siegman

Daphne Sissons

Lila Smith

Kalyn Spooner

Roberto Tamayo Pacheco

Joslyn Tillman Hollis

Allison Varner

Breanna Zezula



8th Grade

Ashley Angulo-Calzadilla

Laylah Beaubrun

Aubrey Duncan

Anjelyn Giraldo

Karen Gutierrez

Josiah Janssen

Jonathan Joseph

Reagan Lau

Jacob Lehman

Kaylee Mathews

Jonathan Miller

Cameron Mohring

Gabriel Ogle

Alcides Perez

Ingram Perez

Logan Quicksall

Erickalyn Rodriguez

Christian Velasquez

Collin Verplank

Payton Wooten

Mental Health Corner


Our school psychologist, Ms. Linehan has created a resource for the month of May & June to better our mental health! It includes ideas and a challenge to keep up our mental health over the summer!


Click the link below to check it out!!!

PTO/SAC

PTO/SAC Meetings occur the first Thursday of every month. Our next meeting will take place on May 4, 2023.

PTO will start at 5:30pm and run until 6:00pm.

SAC will then begin at 6:00pm and go until 6:30pm.


All PTO/SAC Meetings will be held in person at Challenger Middle School in the Media Center.

Who am I?

Below you will find a riddle that hints at a staff member at Challenger Middle School. Reading the clues, take your best guess as to who the riddle is about, and submit your answer using the Google Form below!

Whoever guesses correctly will receive kudos from Mrs. Wilke!


The winners will be given their kudos on May 19th, 2023!

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Important Dates

Below are a list of dates for when both interims and report cards will be available to both students and parents. 😊


1st Quarter

Interim – Sept. 12th

Report Card – Nov. 1st


2nd Quarter

Interim – Nov. 16th

Report Card – Jan. 13th


3rd Quarter

Interim – Feb. 9th

Report Card – March 22nd


4th Quarter

Interim April 27th

Report Card – June 12th

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Out of Field Teachers

Florida State Statute 1012.42 recognizes that teachers at times must be assigned duties in a class outside the field in which the teacher is certified. The following teachers at Challenger Middle School are engaged in training to add the required endorsements and certifications to their teaching certificate:


Anthony Barbier

Abbey Flecha

Mariel Orengo

Fortify FL

FortifyFL is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and schools.


To visit this website go to getfortifyfl.com

Per the Code of Federal Regulation we are required to put a notice out to students and parents stating the following:


EPA 40 CFR 763

This school has been recently inspected and certain asbestos-containing materials or assumed to be asbestos-containing materials such as: fire doors or roofing materials that are tested prior to repairs or removal as needed, have been located in the school buildings. Please be aware that the School District of Lee County has an active management plan designed to ensure that the building is maintained safely for all occupants. These materials are being controlled in accordance with the Asbestos Management Program for the School and following the limitations and procedures of the policies and requirements of the Asbestos O&M Program. The report lists the location, quantity, and condition of all known materials and contains the details of the control procedures, and is available at the school office for your inspection during normal school hours. Copies of the school’s asbestos file can be supplied to you at a cost upon submittal of request.

Lee County School Board

Armor Persons, District 5 (Chair)

Samuel Fisher, District 1 (Vice Chair)


Melisa W. Giovannelli, District 2

Chris N. Patricca, District 3

Debbie Jordan, District 4

Jada Langford-Fleming, District 6

Cathleen O'Daniel Morgan, District 7


Kathy Dupuy-Bruno, Esq., Board Attorney


Dr. Christopher Bernier

Superintendent