Orlando Science Schools Lynx Campus
Issue 34
Weekly Newsletter: May 1, 2020
A message from Dr. Akin
Principal's Corner
Dear Orca Families and Students,
Thank you for your support of Orlando Science Schools! I hope everyone had a productive week!
I would like to congratulate every stakeholder who contributed to Orlando Science Schools ranked #1 Best High school in the Orlando Metro Area, as well as Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Volusia Counties, and #29 Best High School in Florida in 2020 US News® rankings. This is a great accomplishment and it makes us proud Orca once again!
Please join me in congratulating our Class of 2020 Valedictorian Jenny Nguyen and Salutatorian Esha Ranade. Both students are ambitious, bright, and hardworking individuals. Also, they have their hearts in the right place. They will achieve anything they set their sights on. I wish them good luck with this exciting new chapter of their lives.
Congratulations to ORCAS Character Award winners in April: Students Makayla W, and Yariel G., Teacher Mr. Petrarca. Our Student of the Month in April: Katelyn O, and Riyal L. Congratulations on demonstrating a great attitude and being a role model among your peers!
Orcas, Florida Department of Education has requested our assistance with getting the opinions of students, parents, teachers, administrators on the next steps for education due to COVID19. Please take a moment and complete the survey from the link below.
Our senior college acceptance spotlight of the week is Mitik Merchant. Mitik got accepted from Georgia Tech., and Emory University. Congratulations! Your hard work is paid off.
Although we are practicing Distance Learning, we still want to make sure that our teachers feel appreciated during their special annual week! We are celebrating our Teacher Appreciation Week beginning May 18th through May 22nd. Please stay tuned as the details coming from your PVO next week.
As we sail through our distance learning, please continue following your school’s distance learning plan, guidelines, rules, and procedures carefully. This will help you successfully finish this school year with a good note.
Please take time and review your newsletter with additional reminders and important notes. I wish every Orca stay healthy and connected. Have a great weekend!
It's great to be proud Orca!
Respectfully,
Abdulaziz Yalcin, M.Ed
Principal
Orlando Science Schools-Middle/High
FOLLOW OSS MIDDLE HIGH ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has launched a vitally important education impact survey for Florida educators and parents to share their thoughts and opinions on recent crisis response from the Florida Department of Education, their local school district, and their school. This feedback will help us achieve our number one goal of keeping Florida’s students safe while ensuring they continue to receive the best education in the nation.
This short, 2-minute survey, is intended to be completed by parents, educators and students throughout Florida to include and incorporate their opinions on the next steps for education due to COVID-19.
This survey does not request any personal information and your answers will remain strictly anonymous.
Please help FDOE by sharing your opinion on how to move forward, together, to mitigate the spread and to reach out number one goal – ensuring Florida students continue to receive a great education!
class of 2020 valedictorian and salutatorian announcement
enjoy these heartfelt messages from our teachers and staff, wishing you all continued success during this time of distance learning!
** Please turn your volume all the way up to ensure the best sound quality on all clips **
2019-2020 8th Grade Virtual Graduation Recognition Opt-Out Form
We are exploring options on how to recognize our 8th Grade Graduates in a virtual format. This online recognition will be added to our public Orlando Science Schools website, social media, and newsletter. If you would like to opt-out from having your student's name and school pictures/videos displayed please complete the form below by Sunday, May 3, 2020. Only complete this form if you would like to exclude your student's information from the virtual graduation recognition.
Viewing Q4 progress reports
Due to the current distance learning environment, we will not be printing paper copies of Quarter 4 Progress Reports. Instead, we are making them available through your child's OSS Connect account. To access the Progress Report, follow the steps provided in the link below.
SPRING VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR!
We are so excited to launch our FIRST Virtual Scholastic Book Fair! Students are able to visit the site linked below to purchase all the same books they would find at a campus book fair! Proceeds from this fair will go towards supporting our school.
OSS Lynx Locker Clean Out and Item Return/Retrieval
We are exploring options on how to coordinate locker clean outs, and item returns/retrievals, while adhering to CDC social distancing guidelines. If you WOULD like your student to retrieve the items from their locker, and/or need to return items to the school, please complete the below form by Friday May 1st. If you do NOT complete this form, by TODAY, Friday May 1st, we will securely dispose of the items in the building and charge you for items that have not been returned to the school.
ONLY COMPLETE THIS FORM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RETRIEVE THE ITEMS FROM YOUR STUDENT'S LOCKER AND/OR NEED TO RETURN/RETRIEVE OTHER ITEMS TO THE SCHOOL.
Once we determine how many students need to clean out their lockers, and/or return items we will establish a way to schedule appointments.
OSS EVENT CANCELLATIONS 2020
Orlando Science Middle/High Charter School will continue to follow the guidance and best practices of Orange County Public Schools regarding the threat of COVID-19. OCPS has developed a Coronavirus Disease 2020 (COVID-19) information page located at the below link.
In accordance with the best practices, the following OSS events have been cancelled:
Prom
GradBash
GradVenture
8th Grade Graduation
Senior Graduation
We are so sorry for any disappointment this causes our students, however their health and safety are our utmost priority. We will continue to communicate changes and new information as quickly as possible.
DL BEHAVIOR GUIDELINES AND STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT AGREEMENT
Virtual Social Support
Hello Friends and welcome back to Counseling Corner!
May 1st kicks off National Mental Health Awareness Month so in honor of this month, I’ll be sharing some quick Mental Health Facts and Resources.
- While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health.
- Being lonely causes the same amount of damage to your lifespan as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is more dangerous to health than obesity. It’s hard to know how to make connections, but you can learn how using #tools2thrive: mhanational.org/may.
- Routines help organize our days into patterns and make it easier to get things done without having to think hard about them. Explore how you can create a healthy routine on my OSS Connect page, “Guidance and Counseling.”
- Identifying toxic influences in our lives and taking steps to create a new life without them can improve mental and physical health over time. Learn more at mhanational.org/may.
- Finding the positives in life doesn’t mean ignoring the negative. Practicing gratitude can train your brain to look for good things that are happening, which helps to recover mentally and emotionally.
I’ll be sprinkling more Mental Health Awareness facts and detailed resources onto my OSS Connect page this month, so be sure to send your child(ren) to the page so they can get connected. And as always, I’m here if you need anything!
All the best,
Ms. Perez
Ms. Perez's Quote of the Week
DL Attendance
Dear Parents and Students,
Thank you for your continued support during our transition time to our distance learning platform. OSS Connect is still our primary platform for digital learning and we are using MicrosoftTeams as a platform to allow for pre-recorded/live sessions and teacher office hour sessions.
Students enrolled in Distance Learning must meet compulsory attendance requirements. During this period of school closures and the implementation of Distance Learning, schools and districts are reminded by the Florida Department of Education that we are required to take attendance, per Florida Statute. A period by period attendance must be taken for the secondary school (Grades 6-12) per FL Statue as well.
The purpose of this memo is to clear up some of the questions about attendance. Students should still be attending all seven of their classes each day, by accessing each of their class pages on OSS Connect between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday. It is imperative that your students check their OSS Connect courses daily as teachers will be posting their announcements, assignments, and other pertinent information on their pages.
The first period survey link that is located in your student’s homeroom classes is a way for the school administration to ensure that students are checking in and will allow for us to easily track who is attending virtual school during the first week of the Distance Learning. Starting from Monday, April 6th, students will NOT complete this form. They will continue to check in by accessing their OSS-Connect courses, following their regular school day course schedules.
If you need assistance during this transition time, you may e-mail DL@orlandoscine.org for technical assistance or your campus administrators.
We thank you for your understanding, support, and patience during this transition. We will continue to monitor communication from the Florida Department of Education and inform our students and parents accordingly.
Sincerely,
Abdulaziz Yalcin, M.Ed.
DL Student Sample Schedule
OSS Families: Consider putting in place a schedule for your student, see the sample schedule below for guidance and modify it to suit your student's needs. A schedule is an important part of establishing a healthy routine in this new distance learning experience.
INTERNET RESOURCES FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
We hope all of our Orca families are well and safe. In preparation for Distance Learning to begin on Monday, March 30th, here are three internet resources to help ensure everyone has access to the internet:
Xfinity hotspots are available for FREE, click here for the interactive map: https://wifi.xfinity.com/
AT&T: https://m.att.com/shopmobile/internet/access/
Spectrum/Charter: https://www.spectrum.com/b…/content/spectrum-internet-assist
FREE MEALS FOR STUDENTS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
Florida Commissioner Fried activated the Summer BreakSpot text line & call center for families in need of free meals for kids under 18 during COVID-19.
OSS families can find support via:
- text "FLKIDSMEALS" to 211-211
- call 2-1-1 to speak with live operator 24 hours/day
- visit http://SummerBreakSpot.FreshFromFlorida.com
DOWNLOAD THE NEW OSS APP FOR ANDROID AND APPLE
Orlando Science Middle/High has a new mobile app! It is currently available in the App Store® and in Google Play®. You can download the app for free, for access to our school's news, calendars, volunteer opportunities, push notifications and much more!
Download for Free - visit your tablet or smartphone's storefront and search for "Orlando Science Schools"
- For Android, visit Google Play
- For Apple iOS, visit the and App Store or iTunes
If you have any questions or feedback please email info@orlandoscience.org.
THIS 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE YET... PURCHASE A YEARBOOK ON SALE NOW!
Congratulations to the orcas character award winners for the month of april!
The core value in the month of April was Outreach Towards Community
- Makayla W: Makayla is an overwhelmingly gracious individual that dedicates much of her time to her classmates and helping them through tough lessons. She volunteers her time after school on Thursdays to stay in math tutoring to help any classmates that are struggling with material. This selfless behavior leads to more positive interactions inside the classroom and a better understanding of the topics at hand.
Yariel G: Yariel is an exemplary model of this month's core value of Outreach to Community. He is extremely willing to assist his peers academically on a regular basis inside the classroom and out. He models appropriate practices to his peers, answers questions well, and promotes a positive learning environment to his classmates. Yariel is a large contributor to the positivity, competitiveness, and overall success of his learning community.
- Mr. Petrarca: Mr. Petrarca is a very active, engaging, and talented Physical Education teacher. He led the school soccer team in a successful season, always emphasizing the importance of being a scholar athlete. He also recently dedicated his time to participate in the annual “Students vs Teachers Soccer Game”. This was an opportunity to cooperate with high school students, parents, and teachers while also promoting healthy physical activity.
congratulations to our april students of the month!
7th Grade: Riyah L.
8th Grade: Katelyn O.
Congratulations to our January teacher of the month, Ms. Stutts!
congratulations to our February Teacher of the Month, Mr. Waters!
Taekwondo Club Success
Masters Layla Abugherir Pagan & Chang M Pagan Park would like to share that our Taekwondo Club has make a great progress during its first year at OSS Lynx Campus. They had their first belt Ceremony on January 22, 2020. Students who got promoted for there first rank were as follow: Richard G. II , Wassim K., Amanda K., Alexander B., Sanjana N., Luca A., Mardgine P., Lizette F., Prince Howard C., Duy T., and Tam T.
The 1st OSS Taekwondo Sparring & Form Event was planned for this Spring, however had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. We would still like to recognize the hard work of all the students in Taekwondo Club for the 2019-2020 school year!
High School Senior Class of 2020 College Acceptances
We are so happy to announce that the Class of 2020 college acceptance notifications are growing. Congratulations to all of our amazing students! Strive for Excellence!
OSS Lynx Campus PVO President
Orca families, please join us in congratulating and welcoming Amelia Lyons to her new role as the Lynx Lane Campus PVO President! We at Orlando Science Schools are thrilled to be working alongside her on future campus events, activities, and community projects.
Currently the director of the University of Central Florida’s History MA Program, Amelia Lyons has a passion for education and the environment of support that a school inherently provides.
She has been with the UCF History Department for the 14 years that she has been a Florida resident, the move being sparked by this career opportunity.
Prior to her move to Florida, she spent her adolescent years in Buffalo, New York. Her scholarly studies took her to Southern California during her pursuit of higher education at the University of California, Irvine. She and her husband Steve Bubar has been married for 20 years, and are the proud parents of two sons, Leo and Mark.
In case anyone is looking for some fun facts about Modern European History, World Wars, Decolonization, Algerian Migration and Settlement, or French Colonialism, she is a fantastic resource as those are her areas of educational specialty. We are honored to have such a valuable member of our school and local community join us in such a meaningful role.
Join OSS Middle High PVO
OSS Middle High Parents: Welcome back to school! We have some wonderful events planned to make this year a memorable one for our Orcas. Join us in helping to make these events a huge success and register below. We look forward to working with you!
Easy Ways to Give Back to OSS Middle!
The Box Tops Program is all new for 2020!
BoxTops has a NEW way for schools to earn money from your purchases! See the details below. Thank you for your support of OSS!
AmazonSmile
AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Orlando Science Schools via Discovery Education Services, Inc. whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
OfficeDepot Gives Back
Office Depot provides the school with 5% back in credits for FREE supplies when you make a purchase of qualifying school supplies. Simply provide the school ID at checkout.
OSES School Code: 70228302
OSS School Code: 70218341
Report Card Dates and PTC Schedule
OSS Middle Handbook
Orlando Science Lynx Lane Campus
Email: info@orlandoscience.org
Website: www.orlandoscience.org
Location: 2427 Lynx Lane, Orlando, FL, USA
Phone: (407)253-7304
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orlandoscience/
Twitter: @OrlandoSciMH