The Hornet's Buzz

Hello to all of our Hornet Families-

We are very excited to have all of our Hornets back on campus buzzing around campus next week! Our first day of school will be Tuesday, August 11th. There is a lot of important information in our Hornet's Buzz newsletter, so please take the time to read through all of it so that you and your child are ready to go next week!

Just a few reminders for our families:

• Students can be dropped off at school no earlier than 9:00 am. The students are unsupervised under the car loop pavilion before 9:00 am. If you are in the car loop before 9:00 am, students must stay in your vehicle with their families before this time. First bell rings at 9:25 AM

• Please follow all traffic procedures for arrival and dismissal. When dropping and picking up students, we ask that you pull all the way forward to allow as many cars in the car loop.

• Parents, please remember to log into Skyward to complete the Parent Consent Forms (PCF). If you need assistance, please go to our school website, click on parents, and then Skyward Parent Access. You’ll find helpful guides there.

• https://parents.classlink.com/ocps

• Click Online Forms

• Fill out all forms

• Click Online Forms again

• Make sure all forms have been completed and submitted

• Families with bus riders that are inconvenienced by dismissal delays are strongly encouraged to enroll in our after-school program through Boys & Girls Club which is a free program offered at the school for all students. The program runs from 4:04-6:00 PM with the earliest pick up at 4:35 PM and the last pick up at 6:00 PM. For more information, please contact our B&G director, Mrs. Moore.

• Delayed Dismissal is where we cannot dismiss students as we normally have due to inclement weather in the area. This is the time of the school year we can have these frequently. You will need to bring an ID or Car Tags and be on the Emergency pick up list in order to pick up your student during a delayed dismissal.

• Please remember for all students- cellphones must be on silent and in backpacks from 9:25 AM-4:05 PM everyday.

Thank you for your patience with our procedures in order to keep all our staff and students safe.

I am so proud to announce that Horizon West Middle School has earned another “A” this past year! Congratulations to all of our hard-working students and amazing staff! It takes incredible teamwork and support from the community to maintain this grade and I couldn't be prouder of all the stakeholders involved!

We are looking forward to another fantastic year here at Horizon West Middle School!

Principal Andrew Agudo

We had a great turn out at this year's Meet the Teacher event!

If you were unable to attend Meet the Teacher, there was important information presented by Principal Agudo.
His presentation is linked here: https://tinyurl.com/Meet-the-Teacher-Orientation

Also, be sure to reach out to teachers on Parent Square if you were unable to attend,
so you can get their class supply lists and any other important information they shared with families.

A huge congratulations to our students and teachers for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence!

Before students arrived this school year, our teachers had a chance to participate in a fun team building relay race.

Our winning team was Coach Hortas, Ms. Rea, Coach Harte, Ms. Peterman, Coach Bergin, Ms. El Nagar, Ms. Duarte, and Mr. Gonzalez.

We are excited to welcome the new teachers and counselors to Horizon West!

Ms. Jenkins, Ms. Attia, Ms. O'Rourke, Ms. Clayton, Mr. Rinaudo,

Mr. Harte, Mr. Morgan, Ms. Hassanali, Ms. Ibrahim, with Prinicpal Agudo

Ms. Londoño-Scott, Ms. Charnigo, Mr. Charnigo

We have a new school-wide theme this year! Superheros!

See some of our teams all decked out in their capes.

Mr. Charnigo, Ms. Charnigo, Ms. Londono-Scott, Ms. Cameron, Ms. Aulerich, Ms. Logan, Ms. Stanley, Ms. Kelly, Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Ryan, Dr. Davila, Mr. Agudo

Ms. Burt, Ms. Moore, Mr. Salazar-Grande, Ms. Johnson, Ms. Mullings

Ms. Hanson, Ms. McNally, Ms. Lawless

Coach Roman, Coach Bergin, Coach Hortas, Coach Lofgreen & Coach Harte

• Aug 11 - First Day of School
• Aug 13-18 - Laptop Distribution for students
• Aug 19 - Performing Arts Parent Night @ 5:30 in the cafeteria
• Aug 27 - FAST ELA Assessment
• Sep 3 - FAST Math Assessment

Tentative Laptop Distribution Schedule:
Thursday, August 13: 8th grade

Friday, August 14: 7th grade

Monday, August 17: 6th grade

Tuesday, August 18: 7th grade

Soccer tryouts are coming up during the first week of school!

Girls Soccer Tryouts

All grades: Wednesday, August 12 (3:15 pm - 5:15 pm) AND Thursday, August 13 (4:15 - 6:00 pm)

6th grade: Wednesday, August 12 (3:15pm - 5:15pm)

Students must have a completed sports physical uploaded and approved on Aktivate.com in order to participate. (Create Account, See Dr., Upload Pg.4)

In order for every student/athlete to participate it is required to wear shin guards and Soccer cleats. Student Athletes should bring a water bottle. Also, goalkeepers must wear protective gloves.

* Aktivate/sports physical questions and girls soccer questions should be directed to Athletic Director, Mr. Ryan (chad.ryan@ocps.net)

*Any boys soccer questions should be directed to Coach Hortas. (Victor.HortasBurgos@ocps.net)

Let's go Hornets! Sign up today!

As a welcome back to the new school year, we're extending last year's registration pricing for the OCPS community through our Pre-Planning Special.

Pre-Planning Special

Available August 3-10, 2026

Adults: $35

Use Code: PREPLANADULT

Children (12 & Under): $20

Use Code: PREPLANCHILD

This is the final opportunity to register at last year's pricing. After August 10, registration will increase to $50 for adults and $30 for children.

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

Click on link below for HWMS Menus:

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

Looking for a fun, engaging, and free after-school option for your student?

Don't wait—secure your student's spot today!

Send an email to Mrs. Moore (jmoore@bgccf.org) if you have any questions about getting signed up.

Thank you to our wonderful PTSO for providing a delicious lunch

for our teachers during pre-planning week!