As we head into our second week of Quarter 2, it’s a great time to remind our Grizzlies that every day is an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a positive impact! We want our students to stay focused on their academics, take pride in their work, and make choices that set them up for success. Just as importantly, we are continuing to emphasize the importance of respect, kindness, and community. How we treat one another matters, and the little things—showing kindness, respecting others, taking responsibility, and making good decisions—help make Gotha the special place it is.
We encourage our families to have conversations at home about these expectations and remind students that being a Grizzly means doing your best, treating others well, and contributing positively to our school community. Let’s make Quarter 2 one of growth, accountability, and Grizzly pride!
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Who says middle schoolers can’t compete with the big kids?! Last week, four of our incredible 8th-grade Pre-Engineering Scholastic Academy students—Jayce, Jaouhar, Evelyn, and Zaina—took home FIRST PLACE at the Rube Goldberg Engineering Competition during the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida Expo! Gotha was the ONLY middle school competing against teams from four area high schools, and these talented young ladies came out ON TOP! Their creativity, engineering skills, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities were on full display, proving that our Grizzlies can compete with the very best! We couldn’t be prouder of these four students and the way they represented Gotha Middle School! |
The application window for Gotha Middle School’s Science and Engineering Scholastic Academy is officially OPEN for incoming 6th graders! Our exciting three-year program offers students the opportunity to explore their interests in science, technology, and engineering through hands-on learning, innovative projects, and real-world problem-solving. Want to learn more? Join us for our Academy Information Night this Thursday, October 22, at 6:00 PM in the Gotha Media Center! Families will have the opportunity to learn about our three academy pathways and discover what makes this program so special. We can’t wait to welcome our future Grizzlies!
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Thanks to the incredible generosity of our Grizzly families and community, we reached our fundraising goals, and now it’s time to CELEBRATE! We have a week full of exciting rewards planned for our students! Please note: Most of this week’s special events are reserved for students who earned specific prizes through our fundraiser. Students who qualified for these rewards will receive information about their participation.
Here’s what’s happening school-wide:
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Thursday, October 22 – SILLY STRING DAY! EVERYONE gets to watch! During lunches, some of our favorite grown-up Grizzlies will get SILLY STRINGED as a reward for our school’s incredible fundraising efforts!
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Friday, October 23 – Duct Tape Challenge: Our top three fundraising classes—Rossi, Hinz, and Bajaj—will participate in this special reward! Everyone else will see it on GTV on Monday!
💜 MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 – WHOLE SCHOOL PJ DAY! 💜
This one’s for EVERY GRIZZLY! ALL students are invited to wear their school-appropriate pajamas to celebrate our fundraising success! We’ll also have cookies at lunch for everyone!
We are incredibly grateful to our families, students, and community for making this fundraiser such a success. Whether your student earned an individual prize or not, EVERY Grizzly helped make this celebration possible!
Thank you for supporting Gotha Middle School! 💜🐻
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📚 Drop Everything and READ! 📖💜
This Tuesday, October 20, Gotha Middle School will be taking a little time to slow down, unplug, and enjoy a good book! Following second period, ALL Grizzlies will participate in our Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time, giving students an opportunity to read something they enjoy without the distractions of a typical school day. Whether it’s a mystery, graphic novel, adventure, or favorite series, we want our students to discover the joy of reading!
Please encourage your child to bring a book of their choice to school on Tuesday. We will follow an adjusted bell schedule to accommodate this special reading time, which is included below. Let’s get our Grizzlies reading!
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As always, the OCPS Code of Student Conduct can be found HERE.
Respect, Responsibility & Grizzly Expectations
As we begin Quarter 2, we’re taking time to reset and reinforce the expectations that help make Gotha a positive, safe, and respectful learning environment. On Monday, all students will review the OCPS Code of Student Conduct during their Social Studies classes, with an emphasis on making good choices, treating others with kindness, and taking responsibility for their actions.
Recently, we’ve seen an increase in disrespectful behaviors, including how students speak to and interact with both peers and adults. We need our families’ partnership in addressing this. Please take a few minutes to talk with your child about the importance of respect, appropriate language, and understanding that actions have consequences. Middle school is a time for learning and growing, but kindness and respect are not optional.
8th Grade Families: Please be on the lookout for a separate communication with additional information and expectations specific to our 8th graders.
Together, we can ensure that Gotha remains a place where every student and staff member feels respected, valued, and ready to learn.
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M - 8th Grade Student Meetings/ Code of Student Conduct Review
T - DEAR After 2nd Period; Grizzly Greats
W - Unity Day
Th - Scholastic Academy Night
UPCOMING DATES
October 20: DEAR
October 20: Grizzly Greats Breakfast (invitation)
October 20: Orchestra Fall Showcase
October 21: UNITY DAY - Wear Orange
October 22: Report Cards Q1
October 22: Scholastic Academy Night
October 23-31: Red Ribbon Week
October 27: SAC Meeting
October 28: A/B Honor Roll Q1 (during lunches)
November 2: Fall Picture Retakes
November 10: Debate Exhibition
November 12-13: 6th Grade Scoliosis Screenings
November 19: Connectivity Day
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break
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Help Us Treat Our Gotha Faculty! 🐻
Gotha PTO is planning something special for our amazing teachers and staff on October 28th! Please consider donating an item to help make it a success. Sign up using the link below. Every contribution is appreciated!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B054CABAD2BAAFF2-65790312-faculty
Thank you for supporting our Grizzlies! 💜
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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!
Facebook - Gotha Middle School
Instagram - gotha_middle_school
Monica L. Emery, M.Ed.
Principal
Gotha Middle School
9155 Gotha Rd.
Windermere, FL 34768
It’s A GREAT Day to be A Grizzly
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