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
December 10, 2021
Dear Discovery Families,
Students were busy testing this week. Our Explorers took the Reading and Math i-Ready Diagnostic 2, Progress Monitoring Assessments in Civics, 8th grade Science, Algebra and Geometry, and Common Final Exams in P.E. These results determine student growth and areas of strength and areas needing improvement. Testing will end on Monday, Dec. 13. Students showing 10 points growth in reading, math, or remain at or above grade level in all areas of testing will participate in a drawing for $50 Target and Wal-Mart gift cards as well as coupons for Chick-fil-a and Jeremiah’s Ice. Please encourage you’re your child to do their best. Our awesome PTSA donated six $50 gift cards for the drawings. Thank you, PTSA!
In our efforts to continue to integrate the arts into the curriculum, Mrs. Emily Smith from Focus 5, Inc. returned to conduct professional development for our teachers. In selected classrooms, students and teachers learned and practiced new strategies that focused on problem-solving through cooperation and collaboration. If you would like to learn more about our arts integration initiative, you are welcome to view the latest edition of “Keeping Up with the Explorers”. These strategies will be implemented school-wide with the goal of increasing student engagement and diversifying the manner in which students can express their understanding of the content taught in their respective classes. Please click on the following link to hear more about the arts integration initiative, which begins at the 5:40 mark: https://youtu.be/rfpoDWcxg6A
Our School Advisory Council will host our monthly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 14th in the Media Center at 4:30 p.m.
Next week is Winter Wonderland spirit week! Here is what we have in store for students:
Monday: Holiday Hats and Socks (HAT DAY FUNDRAISER!) - you can donate $1.00 to Latinos in Action and get a wristband that will allow you to wear a hat (festive or not) all day on Monday. Make sure to pair it with some festive socks!
Tuesday: Holiday Character Day - Dress up as your favorite holiday character!
Wednesday: Ugly Holiday Sweater Day - The uglier, the better!
Thursday: DMS Spirit Day - Show your school pride and wear DMS colors (blue and white).
Friday: Pajama Day - Be chill and wear your favorite PJs.
Parents, please make sure your children charge their laptop every night. The laptop has become an essential tool for their learning. Students must come to school prepared and part of that responsibility is to charge their laptop and bring their charger to school each day.
Thank you for your continued support of Discovery Middle where we “Prevail in Excellence”.
Sincerely,
Dr. Fernández
Principal
12/13/21: Beginning and Concert Choir Concert @ 7 PM in the Cafeteria
12/14/21: Basketball Parent Meeting @ 6 PM in the Cafeteria
12/14/21: Band and Orchestra Concert @ 7 PM in the Gym
12/15/21: Tijuana Flats Spirit Night
12/15/21: Guitar and Chamber Ensemble Choir Concert @ 7 PM in the Cafeteria
12/16/21: 8th Grade Fun Spot Field Trip
12/16/21: SAC Meeting @ 4:30 PM in the Media Center
12/17/21: End of Quarter 2/Semester 1
The Department of Mathematics of the University of Central Florida will offer again the Central Florida Math Circle program to middle school (7th and 8th grade) students. The Central Florida Math Circle is a free enrichment program for students who are curious about mathematical discovery, love to solve problems, and would like to meet others who share their interests in mathematics. For more information, please call 407-823-6284 regarding dates, sessions, and registration.
12/9/21- KUWTE Don't forget to like and subscribe
You can now purchase tickets to our sports games and drama events online at GOFAN.CO
Tickets can be bought in advance or the day of the event by visiting https://gofan.co/app/events/478677?schoolId=FL9844
A brand new online tutoring program is starting up. OLET, is On-Line tutoring with live teachers. It is available Monday – Thursday from 5 to 9 pm. All students have a canvas course for OLET on their existing dashboard. All they have to do is open the class, go to the schedule, and select the Teams meeting by date and time. Once they have accessed the meeting they will have a teacher to help them with questions or with homework. We encourage your child to check out this great new service.
We are excited to share that DMS PTSA has spirit apparel available. Additional savings are available through Cyber Monday. Plus, they will be delivered in time for the holidays.
The next PTSA meeting is on January 6th @ 4:30 pm in the Media Center.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!
The School Advisory Council is a representative body of teachers, students, parents, support personnel, and community members who assist with the preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and decide how school improvement funds will be spent. The SAC helps the school achieve its goals and increase student learning through the School Improvement process. As a member of SAC, you play an important part in representing our school community and are the voices in helping to better our school performance. We are the liaison for information and communication among students, families and staff at Discovery Middle School. We strive to engage families in the education process by:
● being a source of information and SUPPORT to parents
● WELCOMING new families
● provide a forum to discuss IDEAS and CONCERNS
SAC meetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 4:30 p.m in the Media Center. The next meeting will be on December 16th at 4:30 PM in the Media Center.
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:
You can now purchase tickets to our sports games and drama events online at GOFAN.CO 
