To provide a high-quality, well-rounded education for K-12 students in Central Florida by incorporating innovative, proven, research-based instructional methods in a stimulating and nurturing environment which provides a special emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and Reading.

Greetings Orcas,

This week has been especially difficult for our school community as we mourn the loss of Ashley Nielsen-Martinez. Earlier this week, we sent an email to parents with details about our school’s response, ways to donate to Ashley’s family, and information regarding tomorrow’s service. The links to the fundraisers and memorial page are also included in this newsletter.

Our hearts are with Ashley’s family, friends, and everyone in our community affected by this loss. Please remember we are here to support each other as we navigate this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Mr. Nicholas Koebe

Principal

Orlando Science Middle/High Charter School- Technology Campus

Ashley's funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, September 14th. Please visit Ashley's memorial page for the time and location.

The OSS PVO has created a fundraising link to assist Ashley’s family: SchoolPay. The family has also set up a GoFundMe page for donations: GoFundMe.

A community effort led to a half-cent sales tax for school construction and maintenance in Florida’s Orange County Public Schools in 2002. The tax, which has funded the replacement or renovation of 136 schools, was extended in 2014 and will be on the ballot again in November 2024. This half cent tax will include funding for charter schools if passed by voters.

Learn more about the impact of the half cent sales tax.

Welcome to the 1st Quarter OSHS Parent Teacher Conferences of 2024-2025!

PTCs are 15 minute virtual meetings that will be held via your child's OSS Microsoft Teams account. During the PTC, most of your student's teachers will attend to discuss the academic progress and/or concerns of your student. See the link below to sign up and READ all of the instructions on how to sign up and attend a meeting. 9th and 10th grade students have special instructions for PTC sign ups, please know your student's math teacher before selecting a time slot.

NOTE: You may only sign up for 1 time slot per student. If you sign up for more that 1 time slot per student, all of your time slots will be removed.

If you are not able to sign up for a PTC on this sign up, do not worry. You can always contact your student's teacher(s) directly for a conference at a time convenient for both of you. Teacher email addresses were provided on course syllabi and are also listed in the Staff Directory on OSS Connect.

Conferences are a great way to open lines of communication between the classroom and home to help our students be successful. We look forward to meeting with you!

On Saturday, September 7th, the Orlando Science High School Robotics Program hosted the annual FTC Kick Off/Game Reveal event. Our 7 FTC teams, over 100 students and parents, came together to attend workshops on the mechanical, electrical, and programming aspects of building a robot in the First Tech Challenge program. Everything kicked off at noon as this season’s game – Into the Deep, was revealed for all FTC teams around the world. Teams then spent the afternoon planning and brainstorming their ideas for their robot in this year’s challenge.

Here is to an exciting year as our FTC teams dive Into the Deep!

This week students in Dr. Von Moss's Physics classes launched poppers from the wall at different heights to determine how the height from which a projectile is launched affects how far it travels. Students then analyzed their data to come up with an equation for that relationship and to solve for the initial speed of the popper.

Today a representative from Stanford University came to talk to the OSS Class of 2025 about campus life, admissions, financial aid, and the programs available at Stanford University. Stanford is a top 20 ranked US University, coming in at #3 in 2023. It is a private research university located in Stanford, California with a mission "to contribute to the world by educating students for lives of leadership and contribution with integrity; advancing fundamental knowledge and cultivating creativity; leading in pioneering research for effective clinical therapies; and accelerating solutions and amplifying their impact."

Don't forget to get your dress down pass for Tuesday, September 17th! The last day to purchase a $2 dress down pass for Resiliency Day is Sunday, September 15th at 11:59pm.

We hope you can join us for a fun evening celebrating Hispanic Heritage! There will be a performance by the OSS band, Dance Club, and a DJ with a variety of Latin Music. The event is only $5 and there will be a Colombian food truck and a Churro cart too. Come and celebrate Hispanic Heritage with your OSS friends and families at the annual Hispanic Heritage Night!

Support the OSS Women's EmPOWERment Club and get your Pink Out shirt to wear on October 11th. 50% of the proceeds will go directly to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation and students can wear their shirt on October 11th and any other spirit shirt Friday!

Purchase an OSHS yearbook today and keep your OSHS memories forever! Yearbooks are on sale now. They are $40 until December 20th and you can personalize them with your name for an extra $3. Use the link below to complete your yearbook purchase. Yearbook School Code: 19701

Sport Physicals and a heart screening are required for ALL High School students who plan on playing a sport on campus, including volleyball, soccer and basketball.

Please be sure to complete the entire OCPS packet for athletic club and team participation. See Mr. Cooper or the front office for a hard copy. Return completed forms to Mr. Cooper in room 124.

On Tuesday, October 22nd students in grade 9 will have the opportunity to take the PSAT 8/9 at the OSS high school campus. This test measures the reading, mathematics, and writing skills students need for college in the same format as the SAT. Students will be scheduled for the exam ONLY if they submit a payment to the school. The payment and registration are due no later than October 7th, you can find the payment link and more information in the PSAT 8/9 Parent Letter attached below.

Parents and Students: Please refer to the calendar file below for upcoming OSHS assessments. Please make sure your student arrives on time on testing days and schedule appointments accordingly.

Parents, Get involved and join PVO anytime throughout the year. Dues are $25 and all proceeds directly benefit OSHS. Thank you for your support of OSHS PVO! Go Orcas!

OSHS PVO is excited to announce a new OSS "Proud Parent" t-shirts sale starting today! This t-shirt sale will run throughout the school year 2024-2025 and all proceeds support the OSHS PVO and, ultimately, the school. The cost is $20!

Women V-neck available sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XLarge, 2XLarge, and 3X Large

Unisex crewneck available sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XLarge, 2XLarge, and 3X Large

Place your shirt order using the link below. OSHS PVO will text the phone number provided on the order with the date the t-shirt will be sent home with their student.

Students can access the media center titles available in the high school media center! This link is also available under "resources" on OSS Connect.

High Schoolers for the 24-25 school year interested in joining Book Club will have the opportunity to participate in Battle of the Books in the Spring of 2025. Start early by reading the books on the Florida Teens Read list this summer!

The titles for the 24-25 Florida Teens Read program have been announced, see them all in the video below! FTR is a list of 15 titles that have been chosen by a committee of media specialists across Florida. The titles have been selected specifically to engage students in grades 9-12. They reflect teen interests and represent a variety of genres, formats, reading levels, viewpoints, and cultural perspectives.

DISCLAIMER

This program is designed to entice teens to read. In order to engage their interest and to provide a spur to critical thinking, the book selections include those that involve sensitive issues. The content of some of the titles may be more mature than younger students may have previously encountered. Please recognize that this is a voluntary reading program. Not every book selected will suit every student. In a democratic society, a variety of ideas must find voice. As readers, teens have the choice to read the more mature titles or to close the book.

Breakfast and Lunch will be FREE for all students for the 2024-2025 school year. The monthly Meal Menu is attached below.

This week Ms. Bolat met with seniors to review the College Application process. Below is a file of her presentation as well as a link to her webinar recording on the same topic. Start here if you are just beginning the college application process.

Seniors have access to a live version of this document and can access from the College and Career Teams Page on their OSS Microsoft accounts.

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians of Class of 2025,

This is a reminder that the absolute last day to have your formal senior portraits taken is Saturday, September 7th, at Prestige Studio. Families who haven’t yet scheduled or had their student’s picture taken should do so as soon as possible, as remaining appointment slots may fill up quickly. Failure to schedule an appointment and sit for the formal picture by 9/7 will result in a blank silhouette as the photo in the yearbook.

The digital flyer is attached for you to schedule your appointments for your senior portraits. Appointments are made online only. Please make sure that you are selecting the "STUDIO" appointments and not the "IN SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY". Additionally, you do not need a code for scheduling a studio appointment.

Here is also the provided the link here to schedule your STUDIO appointments:

https://local.prestigeportraits.com/fl/orlando/6220-hazeltine-national-dr-.html

For your scheduling related questions, you may contact Prestige (by Lifetouch) directly via (800) 292-3715 or visit their FAQ site.

Senior ads are now for sale, $35/half page and $55/full page. You will use the yearbook website and school code 19701 to create and pay for senior ads. Families should be prepared to create their ad and make the order at the same time. See the samples below. Completed senior ads must be submitted by January 15th. They must be created and submitted by this date.

Families can contact Ms. Burkes for more information.

Valencia College will open the Spring 2025 Dual Enrollment application on September 3, 2024. The application must be completed through Valencia College's website and the application window will remain open for one month and will close on October 3, 2024.

Students must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the dual enrollment application:

• Be an OSS Junior or Senior

• Meet the high school cumulative GPA requirement: 3.0 Unweighted GPA (grade 11); 3.0 Weighted GPA (grade 12).

• Obtain eligible test scores in Reading, Writing, & Math through PERT/ACT/SAT.

The deadline for test submission is November 8, 2024. OSHS will offer a PERT exam on campus for students who have applied for Dual Enrollment in late September. Mrs. Bolat will communicate its detailed information to the students who applied for dual enrollment. Additionally, students who complete their Dual Enrollment application can schedule to take the PERT exam at Valencia College.

For more information, please visit Valencia College's website or contact Ms. Bolat.

Dear Students,

We are excited to introduce our new academic counselor, Mrs. Stephanie Szymczyk (Sim-Check), who will be working with 9th graders. Mrs. Szymczyk will be meeting with our 9th grade students individually, pulling them from classes as needed, to ensure they are on track in high school and to provide the academic guidance they need. Welcome to OSS, Mrs. Szymczyk!

Mr. Bahar will be working with 10th and 11th grade students this year and Mrs. Bolat will be working with 12th grade and dual enrollment students.

If you need an appointment with your grade level academic counselors, please email them directly or send a message through Microsoft Teams.

Creative students looking to earn community service hours, here is an opportunity for your from the Orange County Library System. The Orange Zest is a monthly teen volunteering program where students can submit short stories, poetry, artwork, photography, comics, and reviews to a community magazine for volunteer service hours. See the details below!

1. Students do not submit a “Proposal Form” anymore to start volunteering. However, your volunteer/community service still needs to fall under community service requirements. You may see the table on the “Community Service Form” below for the activities that count and do not count. If you are still not sure about your service, you can contact us before you start volunteering.

2. The community service and paid work hours forms should be signed by a Supervisor/Advisor of the event.

• Volunteer/Community Service - If you volunteered for an organization/place; you would need to get your hours signed/approved by the supervisor when you complete the hours.
• Paid Work Service - If you worked for an organization/place, you must provide a paystub from your work location and complete the "Community Service Log and Reflection" page of the Community Service Form. Paid work hours must be completed after June 27, 2022, starting from the 2022-23 school year.

3. Upon completion of your volunteer service and paid work hours, you must complete the reflection form to submit your completed hours.

4. Submit your hours as soon as the activity is complete. If your volunteer service or paid work hours are ongoing activities, you may submit your hours by the end of each quarter during the school year.

· You will submit your “Community Service Log and Reflection” page to Ms. Bolat with your approved volunteer hours or pay stub from the place of employment.

· You can either e-mail the “Community Service Log and Reflection” page to Ms. Bolat at or hand it in person (Room #208).

· 9th-11th grade students can submit the hours anytime upon service completion.

· Do NOT submit the forms via Microsoft Teams.

· Please make a copy of all completed forms for your records.

· Community service is NOT required for high school graduation.

· Current high school seniors should apply for Bright Futures by submitting the 2023-2024 Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA).

· Bright Futures- Students must earn either the required volunteer service OR paid work hours, OR a combination of both. You can see the required hours here: FAS-FMS.pdf (floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org)

· Here is a list of recommended places where students can apply and earn community service hours.

· Community Services need to be done via non-profit organizations and should address social issues such as poverty, abuse, hunger, education, elderly rights, etc.

· For each different organization, you will have to submit a separate/individual form.

Volunteer Connect by Volunteer Florida

Pet Alliance Orlando

Give Kids the World Village

Heart of Florida United Way

Hands on Orlando

United Against Poverty Orlando

Special Olympics Florida

Habitat for Humanity Orlando and Osceola County

Do Something

Teens Give Volunteering Empowering Youth

Second Harvest Food Bank

Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida

A Gift for Teaching

Central Florida & Botanical Gardens (Youth Ages 13-17)

City of Orlando Volunteer for Orlando Cares

U.S. Hunger

Orlando Math Circle (OMC)

Volunteer HERO Program (United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida)

Kids Beating Cancer

Nathaniel's HOPE with Kids Special Needs

House of Hope Orlando

In order to help keep our families informed of the latest legislative updates regarding their student's education, a Parent Rights Resources page has been added to the school website.

Recent updates include:

• Internet Safety
• District Health Care Services
• Special Magistrate

Website: http://orlandoscience.org/highschool/
Location: 2600 Technology Drive, Orlando, FL, USA
Phone: (407)299-6595
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orlandoscience/
Twitter: @OrlandoSciMH