Hornet's Buzz

Hello Hornet Families-

We are well into the first nine weeks of the 2026-2027 School Year. As I visit classrooms, I am proud to see how hard our students are working. We are all getting adjusted to our new learning environments.

Please remember your student’s teacher is always your first line of contact. If you need any assistance with classwork or grades, our teachers are here to help. You also have your grade level counselors who can be of assistance to you.

To encourage school spirit, we would like to have all our students participate in weekly school spirit days! Every Wednesday show your school spirit by wearing your favorite HWMS shirt or wear school colors of yellow gold, black and royal blue. Every Friday we will have SUPERHERO day! Wear your favorite superhero shirt to show your spirit!

Students completed FAST ELAAssessment last Thursday and will take the FAST MATH Assessment on Thursday, September 3rd. Make sure you get a good night's rest the night before and eat a hearty breakfast so that you can do your best on these assessments.

We have our FALL Picture Day coming up on Monday, September 14th. All students will take a picture on this day. Please look out for a flier coming home this week.

Also, just a reminder there is no school on Monday, September 7th, please enjoy the long weekend!

Principal

Andrew Agudo

• September 3 - FAST Math PM1
• September 4 - National College Colors Day
• September 7 - Labor Day Holiday - No School
• September 8 - First SAC Meeting
• September 9 - Soccer Game at Bridgewater @ 5:00 PM
• September 10 - Soccer Game vs Hamlin @ HWMS 5:30 PM
• September 11 - NJHS Applications Due
• September 14 - Fall Picture Day
• September 14 - Soccer Game vs Lakeview @ 5:30
• September 16 - All-State Chorus Audition & Chorus Fairshare Due
• September 16 - Soccer Game vs Chain of Lakes @ 5:00
• September 18 - Future Hawk Night @ Horizon High
• September 18 - Hispanic Heritage Celebration Day
• September 19 - All-State Band Audition @ Ocoee High
• September 21 - NJHS Interviews Begin
• September 24 - Resiliency Day - Modified Schedule
• September 25 - Hispanic Heritage Celebration Day
• September 28 - Quarter 1 PMA's begin
• October 2 - Hispanic Heritage Celebration Day
• October 2 - NJHS New Members Announced
• October 2 - All Missing Assignments due for quarter 1
• October 9 - Hispanic Heritage Celebration Day
• October 9 - End of Quarter 1
• October 5 - 9 - Book Fair

Each week, teachers and staff can nominate students for "Student of the Week".

Students that are nominated may demonstrate exceptional effort, positive behavior and academic achievement.

The Student of the Week wheel is spun during lunchtime on Fridays to display the recipient. One student is chosen for each grade level. Each Student of the Week gets HUGO Bucks and gets to sit at a special table with friends the following week.

We believe our school is a special place because of the amazing people who work here every day. Each month, we focus on a different positive trait, like collaboration or compassion, and invite our staff to nominate a colleague who truly embodies it.

At the end of the month, we select four winners from the nominations. We'll celebrate these winners and share their nominations here in our Hornet's Buzz, giving you all a chance to see and appreciate the wonderful things happening in our school community.

Throughout the month of August, staff nominated teachers and staff who generously share their time, wisdom, knowledge, and support to help staff members flourish.

A huge congratulations to our August Hornets of the Month nominees and the four winners!

Read on to see the wonderful ways this month's winners are making a difference on campus!

Nominated by Sarah Lettieri

"Mrs. Olivier is truly the guiding light of our school, always leading with kindness, compassion, and positivity. She generously shares her time, wisdom, knowledge, and unwavering support with her teammates, making everyone around her feel valued and encouraged. Her love for our school community shines through in everything she does. She is deeply loved, truly amazing, and we are incredibly fortunate to have her."

Nominated by Alejandra Cabezas Martinez & Esther Londono-Scott

"Ms. Cameron truly deserves to be our Guiding Light this month because she is always ready to help no matter what! Whenever I have doubts or questions, she always greets me with a warm smile and takes the time to teach me things step by step with such detailed, patient guidance. She makes sure everything is clear, and her constant support means the absolute world. She genuinely embodies what it means to share her time and wisdom to help us all flourish. Thank you for always being our light, Ms. Cameron!"

"Ms. Cameron truly embodies what it means to be a guiding light. She is kind, conscientious, and always willing to lend a helping hand. Her positive attitude and willingness to help others make her an invaluable asset to the Hornet Family."

Nominated by Michael Rinaudo & Lovissa Comeau

"Being new to the school can be overwhelming. While my grade level team has been so helpful with my million questions (Shoutout Cardona & Ocampo, also) McNally has several times just come to check on me to see what I need or answer questions. If she remembers something, or something is brought up in a meeting, she would come to room & give me more context, show me how to do it, or explain further. She comes on her own accord just to help out. She is the definition of generous. "

"Mrs. McNally is the definition of a guiding light. She always goes above and beyond to be helpful and is always willing to share her expertise. There have been countless times that she will come help me in the mornings or at lunch and she never makes me feel like I'm bothering her. I appreciate her willingness to help all staff members!"

Nominated by Alejandra Cabezas Martinez

"Thank you so much for always being willing to help and share your knowledge with me in everything! I am so grateful for the incredible patience and warmth you show every single time you assist. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything so clearly, from reading strategies to all the ins and outs of testing. You make such a huge difference!"

Students that are interested in participating in one of HWMS' Athletic teams next year. We recommend getting your physical packet completed and uploaded to Aktivate now, so your child is all set to tryout and participate in the 26-27 school year.

The packet MUST be correctly completed by a physician and contain parent signatures for a student to be eligible for any OCPS sport. Middle School students are not required to have an ECG.

A new physical packet must be completed every year for each student.

Important Documents:

Sports Physical Packet

Aktivate Instructions

Visit Aktivate to create a profile, register, and submit your documents for your child.

Soccer season at Horizon West Middle has begun!

Last week, our girls' and boys' teams played against Water Spring Middle.
Boys won 5-0 and girls won 4-0!

Save the dates to come out and cheer on our teams!

Girls play first, followed by the boys this season.

Monday/Thursday games begin at 5:30 PM and Wednesday games begin at 5:00 PM.

Tickets for athletics events can be purchased on the Go Fan app or with cash at the game.

Go Fan App ticketing prices are $6 for adults and $3 for students.

After two weeks of building their knowledge about scientific investigations, variables, observations, and data, Ms. Jenkins' students got hands-on with a Gummy Bear Investigation! Students designed and carried out an investigation, made observations, collected data, and used evidence to help answer their scientific questions.

Students in Ms. Martinez's classes participate in team building activity and learn the appropriate use and safety of science equipment.

Ready, set, CRACK! 🥚💥

Our brilliant middle schoolers put their engineering skills to the ultimate test in an Egg Drop Challenge! 🧪✨

Equipped with only pipe cleaners, bubble wrap, straws, plastic bags, and a bit of tape, students had to design a structure capable of keeping a raw egg intact after a serious drop. From miniature parachutes to shock-absorbing straw cages, the creativity (and physics!) on display was next level. 🎈🏗️

Some eggs survived, some definitely didn't—but everyone learned a huge lesson in trial, error, and critical thinking.

Miss van Bart’s students began Unit 2 by exploring how positive and negative numbers appear in everyday life. Students made a human number line without talking and compared the integers with real world examples. They wrapped up with a game of Hot Seat to practice number sense! Bring on the negatives!!!!

🎉 CELEBRATING OUR 2026–2027 HONOREES! 🎉

Please join us in congratulating two outstanding members of

our Hornet family who were named as our:

🍎 Teacher of the Year — Ms. Ocampo

⭐ Support Person of the Year — Mrs. Ford

Your dedication, passion, and commitment to our students and school community make a difference each and every day. We are incredibly proud to have you representing our school!

💙💛 Congratulations, Ms. Ocampo and Mrs. Ford! This recognition is so well deserved! 💙💛

Students and staff are showing their school and superhero spirit!

Check out the Boys and Girls Club weekly schedule for the month of September!

To create an account and sign up for Boys and Girls Club, please use the following link:

https://bgccentralflorida.my.site.com/V2/s/login-home

They provide snacks daily and varying clubs. Club is open from school dismissal until 6pm daily.

If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Moore at jmoore@bgccf.org

Register Today: https://runsignup.com/Race/Register/?raceId=119415

Click on link below for HWMS Menus:

https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/HorizonWestMiddle