GothaMiddle School

Welcome to Gotha Middle School!

Update - Week of 4/21/2025

Hello Gotha Families!

Our Spring Scholastic Book Fair will be running this week from April 21-25. Our goal is to sell 475 books to raise funds for our media center. Please set up an eWallet for your student so you don’t have to send them to school with cash. Here is the link: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/gothamiddleschool

Our students are presenting Into the Woods Jr. this Thursday through Saturday!  We’d love for you to come out to the school and enjoy the hard work our kids have been putting in to make this show a huge success!  You can get your tickets here.  

We will be looking for a new SAC chair for the 2025-2026 school year.  The School Advisory Committee is a great way to get first hand information regarding all things Gotha!  Please contact Mr. Thompson at [email protected] if you are interested or have any questions.  

It is Hydration Week and we are celebrating in partnership with the American Red Cross and Healthy West Orange.  We will be offering water pledges, handing out water bottles and having some fun trivia around campus.  On Thursday students can earn a Bear Buck for bringing their reusable water bottle to school.  

LITERACY FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Here are this week’s roots.  Root words are important because they form the core meaning of many words and help you understand and learn new vocabulary by recognizing patterns and breaking down unfamiliar words into their component parts.  A single root word can help readers understand up to 30 different English words.  Consider quizzing your student on our root words at home!

SCHOOL WIDE EXPECTATIONS
The weather is getting warmer and the students are getting a little adventurous with the dress code.  Please remind your student, particularly our young ladies, that they must be covered from shoulders to mid-thigh.  We should not see crop tops or shirts tied up.  We will be addressing this on campus.    

As always, the code of conduct can be found here. 

THIS WEEK AT THE SCHOOL
Monday 4/21 -
Tuesday 4/22 -
Wednesday 4/23 - Gotha Spirit Day!
Thursday 4/24 - Into the Woods Jr. @ 6:30
Friday 4/25 - Aloha Friday!  Every Friday after Spring Break we celebrate getting closer and closer to Summer Vacation by wearing ALOHA gear.  We can’t wait to see everyone’s Hawaiian shirts and Aloha look Friday - 5 Fridays until summer break!; Into the Woods Jr. @ 6:30
Saturday 4/26 - Into the Woods Jr. @ 2:00; PTO Kendra Scott Fundraiser @ 4200 Conroy Rd. 

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:

Study Island 8th Grade Science Challenge
Our Science Study Island contest for all of our 8th grade students has begun! Through May 9th 8th grade students who earn the most blue ribbons by finishing lessons and using flashcards in order pass practice tests with at least a 70% can win awards and prizes for their work in Study Island.  The first place winner In Physical Science Honors will receive a $100 gift card. In Comprehensive Science 3 there will be THREE winners, the first place winner will receive a $100 gift card, the second place winner will receive a $50 gift card and the third place winner will receive a $25 gift card.  

Beanstack Challenge
Don’t forget to have your student join us for our Beanstack county-wide reading challenge, Let's Read, OCPS, which runs through 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 

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!

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)