Windy Ridge Families-
This week was one of the toughest that I've had here. We had to move over 100 students into new classrooms with teachers that are new to campus. While it was difficult for all of our staff, we also knew it was going to be more difficult for our families. I am extremely proud of all the teachers that worked together as a team to select students that will make transitions easier and also set up our new coming teachers for success. We will have a meet and greet for our families that are moving to a new classroom on Tuesday afternoon. I will send out a specific invitation to the impacted families tomorrow. Thank you to all of our families for being understanding.
This week our middle school students in Civics, Algebra, Geometry and 8th grade science will take quarter 1 PMAs. These common assessments check the understanding of the entire first quarter standards. This will allow our teachers to prioritize standards that may need to be re-taught, or reviewed heavier before that end-of-year exam.
Thank you to the PTA for coming out and getting the students excited for this year's Fun Run! We are hoping for a record year to help our teachers and students in the classrooms.
As usual, there is a lot going on at the Ridge this week, please take a look through our entire newsletter.
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Please mark your calendars for our next SAC meeting on October 6th at 5:30pm in the Media Center. |
On the off chance that there is severe weather in the area at dismissal, we will follow this procedure:
- Families will receive a Parent Square notice of a "Delayed Dismissal".
- During Delayed dismissals, we are not permitted to let the students leave, unless they are accompanied by an approved family/friend member as indicated in skyward.
- If you choose to come to the school, we will process all families through the cafeteria.
- You will first check in with someone that will arrange for your child to pack up and walk down.
- From that station, you will need to have your ID verified to ensure that you have permission to pick up any and all students that you are requesting.
- After your ID is verified, you will wait in the main hallway for your student(s) to arrive and you can leave through the main doors.
- We will not be able to release any students to an adult that does not have ID. This is a safety concern.
- You must be approved in Skyward to pick up any student that you are not personally responsible for. Please make sure that you complete the form that will go home on the first day. Any contacts that you added in the past will remain in the system.
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Elementary School Families- Windy Ridge has seen an increase in enrollment, which we are excited about. For this reason, we have hired additional teachers at certain grade levels. Information has been shared to families whose student(s) will be transferring to another class. Our grade-level teams are collaborating and supporting each other in the process of adding a new team member. Even though each teacher has their own personal style, the curriculum is identical. We welcome the following teachers to our Windy Ridge K-8 Community! They will be starting with their new classes this week. |
Hi everyone! I’m so excited to introduce myself as the new school-based social worker. I am a two-time graduate of Florida State University, and I’m thrilled to be joining the school community and supporting our students and families throughout the school year.
Outside of school, I enjoy spending quality time with my friends and family. I’m also a proud cat mom to two cats, Leonardo Mowgli and Sir William, who definitely keep things interesting at home!
I’m looking forward to getting to know our students, families, and staff, building meaningful connections, and being a supportive resource throughout the school year. I can’t wait to meet you all!
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Hello! My name is Julianne Little. I earned my degree in Elementary Education, but when I moved to Florida two years ago, I decided to pursue my love of reading by teaching middle school ELA. This year, I found my way back to my passion for working with younger students. When I’m not at work, you can usually find me at the beach, taking my dog for walks, or baking. I’m so excited to be a part of Windy Ridge K-8! |
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Hello, Windy Ridge! I’m excited to join the Windy Ridge K-8 community as a 5th-grade teacher. I have been an elementary educator for over 20 years and have had the opportunity to teach kindergarten, first grade, and grades 3–6. I earned my bachelor’s degree from York College (CUNY) and my master’s degree from Buffalo State (SUNY). Originally from New York, I have called the Orlando area home for the past 10 years and absolutely love living in the Sunshine State! When I’m not teaching, I enjoy traveling, spending time with my family, and making new memories with the people I love. I’m looking forward to getting to know the students, families, and staff at Windy Ridge! |
Every week the Deputy Superintendent Jose Martinez sends out a newsletter called The Deputy Desk to OCPS employees, and this week Windy Ridge K-8 was highlighted as being an Apple Distinguished School (ADS) with three other schools in OCPS: Kelly Park School, Zellwood, and Hamlin Elementary School. We were proud to be highlighted and of our status as one of the few ADS schools in OCPS. |
We are excited to share that each elementary class will be participating in Kelso’s Choice starting in October! The conflict-management curriculum helps children learn to differentiate between problems they can handle on their own and those requiring adult intervention. The goal is to help our students develop and sustain the belief that they are capable of resolving their own small problems and gain lifelong conflict-resolution skills. Knowing how to deal with conflict in a positive manner will help reduce stress and conflicts at school and at home. Many students will remember Kelso the green frog and his poster wheel of choices. Please help us welcome Kelso back to Windy Ridge! Additional information will be sent home as we launch the school-wide program. |
OCPS has connected with Community Connect to provide families with free or reduced cost resources. Here is the link:
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Windy Ridge K-8 implements the CHAMPS Classroom Behavior Management Program. This is a proactive, positive approach to schoolwide and classroom management. Instead of reacting to misbehavior after it happens, CHAMPS focuses on managing expectations by overtly teaching students exactly how to behave during different classroom and schoolwide activities and transitions. CHAMPS is an acronym in which each letter represents an area of focus.
This week we are featuring our CHAMPS that we use in the lunchroom. This ensures that our Silverhawks have a safe, positive, and organized lunchtime! Students are expected to use a Level 1 whisper voice, raise their hand when they need help, eat their lunch while keeping hands to themselves, walk safely on the designated path, and remain seated while eating. Students who demonstrate positive lunchroom behaviors can work toward earning Green Cups and Hawks Bucks! As a school community, we track the behavior progress of our elementary students in the cafeteria. When a class earns 15 greens, the class is rewarded with a special prize that is delivered to their classroom by our Middle School SGA students. When all elementary classes have earned 15 greens, we will have a fun movie playing in the cafeteria during lunch.
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Our Silverhawks took on Water Spring on Wednesday!
💙 Girls Soccer: Our girls may have taken the loss, but it was definitely not without perseverance and heart! The new rule is they don't count quarter 1 goals, so the score was 1-0.
💙 Boys Soccer: The boys fell 3–1, but we have some exciting news to celebrate! 🎉 They finished 3rd in our cluster, which means they are headed to DISTRICTS! 🏆
DISTRICT GAME
📅 Monday
⏰ 6:30 PM
📍 Hamlin Middle School
Come out, fill the sidelines, and cheer on our boys as they compete in districts! 📣
LET’S GO, SILVERHAWKS! ⚽🏆
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📚🍊 Our First Orange Blossom Book!
This week in the library, we read our first book from the Orange Blossom List—José Feeds the World by David Unger! 🌎
Students learned about Chef José Andrés and how he founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides meals to people and communities impacted by disasters and crises around the world.
This inspiring story showed our Silverhawks how food, kindness, and helping others can make a BIG difference! We’re excited to continue exploring the Orange Blossom books and discover which one will become our students’ favorite! 🍊📚
Battle of the Books has been going amazingly at both our Elementary and Middle School levels! Pictured is our Elementary Battle of the Books Club at our latest meeting, where students watched book trailers for some of this year’s SSYRA titles. 🎬
Our Silverhawks are definitely keeping the books moving—we are now up to an incredible 4,767 books circulated this school year! Of course, Dog Man continues to be among our most checked-out books, but this week there was one title everyone seemed to be asking for: Punycorn! So many students came into the library asking to check out Punycorn, and unfortunately, I had to tell many of them to keep checking back because all of our copies were already checked out. Due to new ordering guidelines, I currently have only a few copies in our collection.
💙 Want to help our Silverhawks read a book they’re excited about? I have linked our Amazon Wish List, which includes the two books in the Punycorn series. Any donated copies will be well-loved, well-read, and enjoyed by many students! 📚💙
Thank you for supporting our readers and helping us continue to build excitement around books!
Happy reading, Silverhawks!
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September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, and the Orange County Library System wants every Orange County resident to discover all the amazing resources available with a library card!
Getting a library card is quick, easy, and FREE, with instant access to books, eBooks, audiobooks, learning resources, and so much more! 📖💻🎧
Sign up today and unlock a world of possibilities with your Orange County Library System card!
The Closet Branch to Windy Ridge K-8 is the Windermere Branch of the Orange County Library System.
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The PTA Fun Run is currently underway. It’s not too late to register ( see the “Parent Registration Instructions” ) and start fundraising today. Students can also drop their cash envelopes off in the morning in the front office or the car line.
We’re soaring high, Silverhawks! 💫
🎉 As of Friday morning, we have officially unlocked our $10K reward: School-wide Hat Day on Friday 10/2! 🎉
Our students have raised funds in 19 states across the US, and we are currently at 29% of our overall fundraising goal - fantastic work, everyone!
Remember, this is our one and only fundraising event for the school year, so every dollar counts! Not only do students have an opportunity to win some fantastic prizes, but the money raised will go toward resources and events that enrich their school experience (think supplies for fine arts and PE classes, class parties, family events like STEM Night and Bingo, Bites & Bounce, etc.). It’s not too late to register (see the “Parent Registration Instructions”) and start fundraising today.
Let’s keep this momentum going as we work toward our $15K reward: School-wide PJ Day!
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The PTA Treat Trolley this month! The faculty and staff are so thankful for our PTA treat trolley visit. |
For more information about Astronomy Club, please email Dr. Strawser at: corydon.strawser@ocps.net. |
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September 28th- Middle School Algebra I and Geometry PMA Testing, Boys District Soccer Game at Hamlin Middle School at 6:30pm
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September 29th- Middle School Civics and Science PMA Testing
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October 2nd- School-wide Hat Day, School Custodial Workers Recognition Day
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October 6th- SAC Meeting 5:30pm Media Center
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October 7th- Volleyball Tryouts Start for Middle School Students
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October 9th- PTA Fun Run (Students must have a parental consent form turned in to participate)
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October 12th- Teacher Workday/Student Holiday
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October 15th- Hispanic Heritage Family Night 5:30pm-6:45pm
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Middle School students enrolled in Algebra 1, Geometry, Civics, and Science will take their Progress Monitoring Activity (PMA) for Quarter 1:
September 28th - Algebra 1 and Geometry
September 29th - Civics and 6th-8th Science
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More Soaring Hawks will be shared soon. |
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