January

Osceola Middle School, working with families and the community, will engage all learners in high quality, rigorous, relevant, and standards-based instruction in a safe, inclusive environment.

Dear OMS Community,

We hope you enjoyed a restful and joyful holiday season and are returning with renewed energy and enthusiasm for the year ahead. As we step into 2026 and begin Semester 2, we’re excited to continue the incredible momentum we built during Semester 1. Our data shows that we’ve sustained the great progress from last year, and that’s something worth celebrating!

The start of a new semester is a perfect time for fresh goals, new opportunities, and continued growth. Together, let’s make this chapter productive, positive, and successful for every student, teacher, staff member, and family in our Osceola community.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to excellence and for the support you show one another every day. I’m looking forward to all the amazing things we’ll accomplish as we build on our strong foundation.

Here’s to a fantastic second half of the school year—let’s make it count!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Renee Johnson
Principal, Osceola Middle School

Please take a few moments to complete the survey by Friday, January 16. Your input is critical to shaping the direction of our schools.

Survey Link: https://hanover-research.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cNhu9LfEzASEO5E

QR Code: You can also scan the QR code to complete the survey quickly.

Thank you for helping us plan for the future of MCPS!

Field Trip Information

If you have questions about field trips, please reach out to Mr. Greenbaum, Assistant Principal of Discipline (Howard.Greenbaum@marion.k12.fl.us)

Washington DC (8th grade)

Deadline for payment- 12/19/25

Kennedy Space Center (6th grade)

Deadline for payment- 12/19/2026

Deadline for payment- 1/30/2026

Big News! Osceola is open for applications for the 26-27 school year! Applications may be submitted during the school choice window (November, 2025 through January, 2026).

For more information, please visit the link below:

December 22-January 2

• Winter Break- No School

January 5-6, 2026

• Teacher workday and district inservice day- No school for students

January 7, 2026

• Students return

January 9, 2026

• Quarter 2 Report Cards go home

January 19, 2026

• Flag Football Game at Jervey Gantt Park (7:00 PM)

January 16, 2026

• 6th Grade Field Trip to Kennedy Space Center

January 19, 2026

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No School)

January 20, 2026

• Flag Football Game at Jervey Gantt Park (6:00 PM)

January 26, 2026

• Tickets for Winter Ball available on Revtrak
• Literacy Week- Wear red/white/blue day!

January 27, 2026

• Flag Football Game at Jervey Gantt Park (7:00 PM)
• Literacy Week- Wear a shirt that represents your favorite American Athlete/team!

January 28, 2026

• Early Release day
• Kona Ice Day!
• Literacy Week- Cozy up with a book! Students may wear pajamas!

January 29, 2026

• Block day (Chief's Choice, periods 1, 3, 5)
• Literacy Week- Dress from and decade (70s, 80s, 90s, early 2000s)

January 30, 2026

• Block day (Chief's Choice, periods 2, 4, 6)
• Literacy Week- Wear your favorite college shirt or dress for your dream job!

February 2, 2026

• Deadline for ticket purchases for Winter Ball.

February 3, 2026

• Flag Football Game at Jervey Gantt Park (6:00 PM)

February 6, 2026

• Field Trip to College of Central Florida (Scholars Academy Students- 8th grade)
• Winter Ball (6:30-8:30 PM)

February 9-12, 2026

• Flag Football Championship week

February 9, 2026

• Quarter 3 Progress Reports Finalize

February 12-17, 2026

• Washington DC Field Trip (8th grade)

February 16, 2026

• Presidents Day (No School)

February 17, 2026

• Basketball Tryouts begin

February 20-28, 2026

• Southeastern Youth Fair

February 25, 2026

• Early Release Day
• Kona Ice Day!

February 26, 2026

• PTO (4:15 PM) & SAC (4:45 PM) in the Media Center
• Block Day (Chief's Choice, 1, 3, 5)

February 27, 2026

• Block Day (Chief's Choice, 2, 4 , 6)

Please scroll down to the Clubs and Athletics section to view club meeting dates, and athletics game and practice dates

8:50 AM Student allowed on campus/breakfast (free for all students)

9:15 AM First Bell

9:20 AM Tardy Bell

3:55 PM Dismissal

Please note that supervision is not provided prior to 8:50 AM or after 4:25 PM. Any students on campus at 4:25 PM will be taken to MAP ($25 emergency drop in fee).

*Any changes to the schedule will be communicated by the club sponsor to the students and families

OMS 2025-2026 Student Handbook

2025-2026 MCPS Student Code of Conduct

Thank you for supporting the OMS cell phone policy! Since implementing this policy, our discipline data shows a noticeable decrease in referrals — particularly in incidents related to bullying, misuse of electronics, and fights. Our teachers and staff also report that students are more focused and ready to learn. Great job, Chiefs!

If a student is absent from school, an absence note should be submitted to the Guidance Department upon their return. If a note is not provided, the absence will be recorded as unexcused. We encourage students to email their teachers to request any assignments or make up missed work.

Additionally, a note from a parent or physician is required for early check-outs and tardies.

Your child's daily, on-time attendance is critical to their success in school. Students learn best when they are present in the classroom — every minute matters, now more than ever.

A student is considered chronically absent if they miss just two days of school per month — that’s 18 days in a year — whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Even one year of chronic absence can cause a student to fall behind academically and significantly decrease their chances of graduating from high school. This can have lasting effects on their financial independence, physical well-being, and mental health.

The good news? Attending school every day greatly increases a child’s chances of success — both in school and in life. "Showing Up Together!" will improve school attendance when students, families, and schools work as a team to make regular attendance a priority.

*Any changes to the schedule will be communicated by the coach to the students and families

We celebrated the unveiling of our incredible new facility — a huge milestone for OMS!

Over 1,000 Patio Passes were awarded to students for outstanding accomplishments, including:

• A Honor Roll
• A-B Honor Roll
• Perfect Attendance
• No Discipline Referrals
• Beating School Averages on Recent DPMAs

• Girls Team: 2nd Place
• Boys Team: 3rd Place
  Way to go, Chiefs!

Congratulations to our amazing students:

• 1st Place – Opening & Closing Ceremonies
  Emmalynn Oakes, Paisley Otte, Sara Weaver, Lyla Christiansen, Kylee Rumans, Lowyn Yancey, Quinn Jarvis
• 1st Place – Extemporaneous Speaking
  Riley Loughlin
• 3rd Place – Prepared Speaking
  Emerson Cunningham
• Creed Speaking Participant
  Anais Gonzales

We are so proud of these incredible girls representing Osceola! They qualified for State in 5 of 6 events and brought home 1st Place thanks to Eastyn and Emma!
A huge thank-you to Mrs. Carter for her guidance and support every step of the way.

Congratulations to Evan Bond and Kate Mathes for creating the winning entry: The French Dog!
Their creation will soon be featured on the menu at Big Hammock Bites and Brewery in downtown Ocala. What an amazing achievement!

• NJHS collected 504 pounds of food for a holiday food drive.
• SAIL gathered a generous number of toys for UF/Shands.

These incredible student organizations truly spread joy and made a difference this holiday season. Thank you for your kindness and community spirit!

Our Ag team harvested over 75 pounds of fresh greens and delivered them to our cafeteria — feeding our students healthy, homegrown produce during lunches! Amazing work, Chiefs! 🌱💚

-continuing to try when things get hard.

Learn more about building resiliency at the link below!

https://www.buildresiliency.org/

Making Carline More Efficient

Please pull all the way forward to the end of the carline sidewalk before loading or unloading. Additionally, avoid leaving large gaps between vehicles. Your cooperation helps us move everyone through the carline quickly and efficiently.

Click the form below for instruction on the My Ride K-12 Mobile App!

To learn more about BRAVO, click the document below!

Click the link below to view a letter to Florida parents from Anastasios Kamoutsas, Commissioner of Education

Marion County Public Schools (MCPS) is upgrading the software systems used to assign students to bus routes and actual routing routines. Part of this upgrade is a new mobile app for tracking school buses. In the past, we used “Here Comes the Bus” for this purpose. However, that app is now disabled and we are moving to a new app called “My Ride K-12” that integrates with our new software. While this change incorporates turn-by-turn GPS directions for our bus drivers, the parent app may not be fully functional by August 11. We appreciate your understanding in advance and look forward to when “My Ride K-12” is fully available to you without charge in your preferred app store. Stay tuned for more information about this change.

The Marion County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race (including antisemitism), ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability (including HIV, AIDS, or sickle cell trait), pregnancy, religion, marital status, age (except as authorized by law), military status, ancestry, or genetic information, which are classes protected by State and/or Federal law (collectively, "protected classes") in its educational programs, services or activities, or in its hiring or employment practices as required by Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, Age Discrimination Act of 1967, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Florida Educational Equity Act of 1984. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission or participation. The District also provides equal access to its facilities to the Boy Scouts and other patriotic youth groups, as required by the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act.

Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination which is against the law and School Board Policies 1362, 2266, 3362, 4362, and 5517. The District will not tolerate sexual harassment activity by any of its members of the school district community, including students, employees, and third parties pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX Rules and Regulations.

Questions, complaints, or requests for additional information regarding discrimination or harassment may be sent to the below designated personnel at 1614 E. Fort King Street, Ocala, FL 34471. Retaliation against an individual who files a report is also prohibited.

ADA, Title IX, and Equity Compliance: Dawana Gary, Ed.S., Director, Equity and Compliance Phone: (352) 671-7711; Email address: dawana.gary@marion.k12.fl.us

Section 504 Compliance: Anna Williams-Jones, M.A.Ed., Director, Exceptional Student Education Phone: (352) 671-6832; Email address: anna.williams-jones@marion.k12.fl.us

Student Title IX Complaints: Cynthia Lugo Hampton, Coordinator I of Student Discipline

Phone: (352) 236-0536; Email address: cynthia.lugohampton@marion.k12.fl.us

Notificación continua de no discriminación/Prohibición de acoso

El Distrito Escolar del Condado de Marion no discrimina por motivos de raza (incluido el antisemitismo), etnia, color, origen nacional, sexo, orientación sexual, discapacidad (incluido el VIH, el SIDA o el rasgo de células falciformes), embarazo, religión, estado civil, edad (excepto según lo autorizado por la ley), estado militar, ascendencia o información genética, que son clases protegidas por la ley estatal y / o federal (colectivamente, "clases protegidas") en sus programas, servicios o actividades educativas, o en sus prácticas de contratación o empleo según lo requerido por el Título IX, el Título VI, el Título VII de la Ley de Discriminación por Edad de 1967, la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades de 1990 y la Ley de Equidad Educativa de Florida de 1984. La falta de habilidades en el idioma inglés no será una barrera para la admisión o participación. El Distrito también proporciona igualdad de acceso a sus instalaciones a los Boy Scouts y otros grupos juveniles patrióticos, como lo requiere la Ley de Acceso Igualitario de los Boy Scouts of America.

El acoso sexual es una forma de discriminación que va en contra de la ley y de las Políticas 1362, 2266, 3362, 4362 y 5517 de la Junta Escolar. El Distrito no tolerará actividades de acoso sexual por parte de ninguno de sus miembros de la comunidad del distrito escolar, incluidos estudiantes, empleados y terceros de conformidad con el Título VII de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 y las Reglas y Reglamentos del Título IX.

Las preguntas, quejas o solicitudes de información adicional con respecto a la discriminación o el acoso pueden enviarse al personal designado a continuación en 1614 E. Fort King Street, Ocala, FL 34471. También se prohíben las represalias contra una persona que presente una denuncia.

ADA, Título IX y Cumplimiento de Equidad: Dawana Gary, Ed.S., Directora, Equidad y Cumplimiento Teléfono: (352) 671-7711; Dirección de correo electrónico: dawana.gary@marion.k12.fl.us

Cumplimiento de la Sección 504: Anna Williams-Jones, M.A.Ed., Directora, Educación para Estudiantes Excepcionales Teléfono: (352)671-6832; Dirección de correo electrónico: anna.williams-jones@marion.k12.fl.us

Quejas estudiantiles sobre el Título IX: Cynthia Lugo Hampton, Coordinator I of Student Discipline

Phone: (352) 236-0536; Email address: cynthia.lugohampton@marion.k12.fl.us