Dr. Gloria Fernandez, Principal
601 Woodbury Rd. Orlando, FL 32828
Phone (407) 384-1555 Fax (407) 384-1580
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
Discovery Middle is proud to be an Innovation School and Performing Arts Academy!
Explorer Weekly Update
September 3, 2021
Dear Explorer Families,
Congratulations to our Boys and Girls Soccer Team for winning both games this past week against Union Park and Arbor Ridge. On Wednesday, August 8th, we will play at Timber Springs MS at 5 p.m. Boys will play first; followed by the girls. Go Discovery!
We are now in the fourth week of school and parents will soon be able to access Progress Reports and see how their children are doing. Students still have time to submit work and improve their current grades. Thursday, September 16th, Progress Reports will be available to parents through Family Access.
Mark your calendars, our first SAC meeting is Thursday, Sept. 16th at 4:30 p.m. in the Media Center.
Please remind your children that handwashing is one of the best ways to protect themselves and your family from getting sick.
As a reminder, check Canvas for continuous updates on your child’s grades and remind your child to bring their laptop, charge their laptop and bring their earbuds every day.
On behalf of Discovery’s faculty and staff, we wish everyone a safe and restful Labor Day Holiday.
Thank you for your continued support of Discovery Middle as we “Prevail in Excellence.”
Sincerely,
Dr. Fernández
Principal
9/6/2021: Labor Day- No School
9/8/2021: Soccer Game: DMS v Timber Springs- Away @5 pm
We have been seeing an increase in students forgetting to bring their laptop and/or charger to school every day. It is incredibly important that students come to school with their fully charged laptop every day.
Students also need to be making it a habit to restart their computers once a week, while on campus in order to get any new updates.
Did you know - all OCPS students have a free gold level account on ChessKids? Students can access their ChessKid account via Launch. Through the ChessKid app, students can learn to play chess, solve puzzles, play against a BOT, and so much more! Please encourage your students to log into their account soon. Students with active accounts will be able to participate in virtual tournaments and events on ChessKids.
The Soccer players are having a ball. The boy’s team have had three games so far and are undefeated. The girl’s team has only played one game because Legacy and Arbor Ridge do not have girl’s teams this year. Our girls are also undefeated. In looking at our cluster results, Timber Springs played to a score of 1-0. That means that they are closely matched. This week's game at Timber Springs will be a big challenge and we know our teams will do their best. Discovery sports coaches expect our teams to set the example for others to follow. Go Discovery!Discovery boys won Wednesday, September 1st, against Arbor Ridge. 9 to 1!
The boys record is 3 and 0
The girls record is 1 and 0 (Legacy and Arbor Ridge did not have girls teams) This coming week, there is no game Monday because of the holiday. We will play at Timber Springs on Wednesday at 5 pm. Timber Springs will be one of our toughest competitions, so please come cheer for the team! The soccer players are very focused. I often hear them say, “We got a goal.” Volleyball parents, mark your calendars for the volleyball parent meeting on October 1st.
Parent Teacher Student Associations (PTSAs) provide youth members with the opportunity to make a difference by developing leadership skills, learning about the legislative process, increasing their self-esteem, and contributing to the school and community. In turn, adult PTSA members gain a new perspective for program development and youth leadership development and acquire a better understanding of the youth of today.
Joining PTSA does not mean you need to volunteer your time, certainly, if you have time we would love to have you volunteer. Joining PTSA is giving you and your student a voice and the ability to participate and help with student and teacher initiatives throughout the 2021-2022 school year. We would love for everyone to become a member and be an advocate for our students. Hope to see you on Thursday!
Help PTSA win the Membership Challenge between Timber Springs and Avalon Middle!
Dr. Fernandez will get a pie in the face if we can get the most Memberships before September 30th.
SAC meetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 4:30 p.m in the Media Center. The first meeting will be on September 16th.
Laptop Dos and Don'ts
Do
Restart your computer at least once a week.
Use your laptop only on a hard, flat surface such as a desk or table.
Carry your laptop in a bag or backpack.
Unplug your device when it is fully charged.
Keep your charger out of reach of young children and pets.
Carry your device with both hands if moving around during classroom instruction.
Don’t
Drop your device, even when in a bag or backpack.
Cover or block your device’s air vents when in use.
Use your devices near food or drink.
Pick the device up by the screen.
Use a liquid cleaner to clean the screen of the device.
Skyward is the OCPS adopted Student Information System (SIS) for parent and student access to grades. Instructions for creating a LaunchPad parent account are included below if you do not already have an account created to view student grades.
Below are instructions on how to become an observer on your student's canvas account. This will allow you to see the content and gradebook of the different courses.
It is important that we remain consistent in adhering to guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
Face coverings are meant to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected but does not have symptoms.
Physical distancing also called “social distancing,” means keeping a safe space between yourself and other people who are not from your household.
Physical distancing combined with mask-wearing can help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Encourage alternate means of greeting expressions to assist with physical distancing and maintain separation (i.e. minimize gestures that promote close contact, discourage shaking hands, fist or elbow bumps, and hugging. Instead wave and verbally greet them.)
Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. After you have been in a public place and touched an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, countertops, chairs, sinks, shared pens, elevator buttons, and microphones. Always wash or sanitize your hands before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth because that’s how germs enter our bodies.
Health monitoring and recognizing the signs and symptoms are crucial to help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposureto the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
