Welcome to Gotha Middle School!
Update - Week of 2/3/2025

Hello Gotha Families!
It’s hard to believe that it is February and we are almost half way through the 3rd quarter. Please check in with your student’s teachers or school counselor if you have any concerns.
If you know rising 6th grade families please let them know our Parent Step Up Information Night is this Tuesday February 4th at 6:30 PM. We will have open seats for transfer students once again next year. If you know families of rising 6th, 7th or 8th grade students who want to be a part of our Grizzly Community, they are welcome to attend. We will also have a separate Gotha Transfer Night on February 18th.
Spring Picture Day is this Wednesday. Only those purchasing pictures will have their photo taken. Please pre-order on mylifetouch.com using your Student ID or Picture Day ID: 33VDCZTVE.
For our 8th grade families, it is time to start planning for SPRING! Students must have acknowledged the 2024-2025 8th Grade Behavior Contract to attend either event. Parents also received their own copy of these expectations that also must be acknowledged.
Our 8th Grade Dance - Enchanted Forest Sneaker Soiree will be on March 8th from 5pm – 8pm.
$25 (this includes dinner, dancing, DJ, and dessert)
Tickets will be on sale beginning 2/7/25 during lunch. Tickets will then be sold each Friday.
Gradventure is May 16, 2025 from 4pm – midnight (buses will depart from the school immediately after dismissal)
$140 (this includes tickets to both parks, a meal, shirt, and transportation)
Tickets will be on sale 3/1/25 – 3/28/25 via SchoolPay only.
If you have any questions, please let us know or contact Ms. Bellamy @ [email protected].
LITERACY FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Here are this week’s roots. Make sure your student knows that if they find me and use a root in a word and can tell me what the root means, they can get a Bear Buck! Several students have been taking advantage of this opportunity to show what they know!
2/3/25
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Root
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Meaning
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Examples
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omni
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all
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Omnivorous, omnipotent, omniscient
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pac
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peace
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Pacify, pacifist
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path
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feel
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Empathy, pathetic, apathy
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phil
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love
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Philosophy, bibliophile
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phob
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fear
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phobia
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SCHOOL WIDE EXPECTATIONS
We have started planning for our Q3 Incentive Day, which will be on March 13th. Students with no referrals and no missing assignments in quarter three will be treated to Kona Ice and a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament for prizes!
As always, the code of conduct can be found here.
THIS WEEK AT THE SCHOOL
Monday 2/3 - The OCPS middle school basketball season, powered by the Orlando Magic, has begun and Monday we play @ HOME vs. Chain of Lakes MS 5:30pm
Tuesday 2/4 - 6th Grade Step Up Night @ 6:30pm - Cafeteria
Wednesday 2/5 - Spring Picture Day; NJHS Meeting @ 3:15pm - Media Center; Basketball AWAY @ Carver MS 5:00pm
Thursday 2/6 - APEX Parent Night for Current 8th Grade Students @ 6:00pm - Olympia HS Auditorium
Friday 2/7 -
Follow us on social media, as we post frequently to Facebook and Instagram. Encourage your student to make choices that are confident, responsible, reflective, innovative and engaged, and as always, it’s a GREAT day to be a Grizzly!
Monica L. Emery
Principal
Gotha Middle School
2024 LipDub!

Facebook - Gotha Middle School
Instagram - gotha_middle_school
Reminders:
Beanstack Challenge
Don’t forget to have your student join us for our Beanstack county-wide reading challenge, Let's Read, OCPS, which runs from January 27 to April 30, 2025. Beanstack is a LaunchPad application that helps students read, track their reading, and participate in reading challenges and activities. Help us reach our district goal of reading 20 million minutes by logging your minutes in Beanstack. Our hope is to increase student reading engagement by encouraging every student to read 500 minutes. As you enjoy reading throughout these months, students can earn virtual Beanstack badges and be entered to win special prizes.
FORTIFY FL APP
FortifyFL is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials. Students have access to the app through LaunchPad.
WHO’S WHO
Need to know who to contact with questions? Check out our Who’s Who for 2024-25.
SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Ms. Soper - 6th grade and 7th grade A-K
Ms. Lewis - 7th grade L-Z and 8th grade
TALKING POINTS
Instructions on how to get the app can be found below.
English
Spanish
Portuguese
Haitian Creole
PARKING
When you come on campus, you may see some beautifully decorated parking spaces! As part of a fundraiser, some staff members have purchased a spot. We appreciate your effort to not park in any labeled, blocked off or painted parking spot.
YEARBOOKS
Yearbooks are already on sale and can be purchased for $45 on our school website by clicking on “Students” and then “Yearbook”. Ads can also be purchased for 8th grade Grizzlies for an additional charge. You can reach out to Mrs. Miller at [email protected] if you have any questions.
GOTHA PTO
I encourage all of you to join our WONDERFUL Gotha PTO. With our PTO, you can choose your level of involvement, but it’s a GREAT way to always be in the know with all things Gotha. Go to https://gothapto.ptboard.com/home to register. You can also purchase Spirit Wear for your student. Every Wednesday is Gotha Spirit Day and we encourage all things purple and teal!
ATHLETICS
Aktivate Athlete Registration Guide/Tutorial- English Click Here
Aktivate Athlete Registration Guide/Tutorial- Spanish Click Here
Athletic Physical Packet Click Here
Deadline Dates for completed Athletic Packet submitted
Track- Deadline is February 27th @ 11:59 P.M.
Contact Info: [email protected]
www.ocps.net
Office Hours
8:00a.m. - 4:30p.m., Mon-Fri
School Hours
9:30a.m. - 4:04p.m. (MTRF)
9:30a.m. - 2:54p.m. (W)