Dear OSES Families,

This week in April has been really successful for us. Data discussions were done at every grade level with teachers and the academic staff. One common trend we found in all grade levels was how important it is to practice skills for mastery outside of school. As you know, it takes a village to raise a child. Help us out by practicing what your kids are learning in school at home, whether it's math facts, reading aloud to build confidence and fluency, or writing sentences, paragraphs, or essays (grade-appropriate).

The FAST state testing season is approaching. Please be sure that you know which tests you are taking, the days you are taking them, and most of all take the necessary steps to be successful. To help prepare for the FAST test visit https://flfast.org/families.html to view sample items for grades K-2 and take a sample test for grades 3-10.

We recognize that there are numerous perspectives and points of view on standardized testing. The test results have an impact on our school and are critical in demonstrating student and school improvement from year to year.

But instead of teaching to the test, OSES takes pride in its firm belief that our students will be successful because all year long they are given a friendly, engaging learning environment, are pushed academically and socially, and are inspired by their teachers and peers.

Don't forget that yearbooks are for sale right now. You will get both a digital and a physical copy with each payment. Information about how to buy yearbooks was sent out by email and can be found further in the newsletter.

Next week, quarter 4 progress reports will be sent home and posted to OSES Connect. The following week will be the final parent teacher conference night for the 2022-2023 school year. Your child’s teacher will be reaching out to schedule times to meet.

April showers bring May flowers.

Stay Dry,

Ms. Greene

Greetings Families,

Florida Prepaid College Savings Plans are encouraging families to get an early start on college savings. The 2023 Open Enrollment period ends on April 30th and is the only time this year when parents can lock in today’s prices to cover future tuition and fees. Prepaid Plans are inflation-proof, risk-free, flexible, and affordable. By saving early, with plans starting at just $45 per month, you can give your child a future full of opportunity. The value of your Prepaid Plan can be used in-state or out, at public, private, trade and technical schools nationwide. It will even work great alongside scholarships to provide the most flexibility.

Learn more and view Prepaid Plan pricing for your child today by visiting the link below or scanning the QR code in the flyer.

Due to supply issues at the OCPS level, we do not know if hot or cold lunch will be served. Please be prepared to have either lunch until further notice.

Breakfast and lunch will be charged for the upcoming school year. Please make sure your child has money in the schoolpay account. More information on schoolpay can be found in the parent resource section.

The fees are $0 for Free/Reduced applicants and $1.35 Breakfast and $1.90 Lunch for Full pay students. This information is available in: Meal Prices - Orange County Public Schools (ocps.net)

Please make sure you child has money in their school pay account under ''breakfast/lunch fees''

To apply for free/reduced lunch please click on the link here: Free and Reduced Application Info - Orange County Public Schools (ocps.net) Please do not apply with a paper copy as processing takes much longer.

If your child has food allergies and will require a special meal from OCPS please click on the link below to fill out the special diet order form

Special Diets for Food Allergies - Orange County Public Schools (ocps.net)

The Blast Off With Books Challenge ends on May 5th. Students who read 8 or more of the Sunshine State Books within their grade level range (K-2, 3-5, 6-8), AND pass the AR tests for those books, will be invited to attend an end of the year celebration that will be held on a date in May. Students must read these books and pass the AR tests before May 5th. A link will be made available in the Newsletter during the end of April/early May for families to complete to be eligible for the celebration. Keep an eye out for more information to come.

All students will take the final FAST Progress Monitoring assessment in May. Orlando Science Elementary was not randomly selected by the state to participate in the FAST Writing calibration group. FAST Writing will start next school year for OSES. Please refer to the calendar for the dates (all dates/windows are determined by OCPS and the state). Contact Mrs. Carter at Cayce.Carter@orlandoscience.org with any questions.

In Miss Laura and Miss Volden’s class, students are beginning to learn about and use measurement in math class. We are having so much fun with our hands-on learning. In science, kindergarten is learning about forces in motion.

Remember that the field trip is on May 4th and payment was due this week. Please ensure that you have the completed paperwork and money in as soon as possible if they are not already in.

Gatorland was an adventure for first grade. We explored the park to see many animals from different parts of Florida and the world. We saw and learned about the snakes, goats, birds, and, of course, crocodiles and alligators. Our students also got to feed the goats by hand and toss food to the alligators! Thank you parents and chaperones for helping to make this a successful field trip!

Great things are happening in Ms. Nickerson’s classroom! This week, students have done a great deal of hands-on learning. We met with our STEM Buddies - Ms. Saucedo’s 5th Grade Class, to make land yachts with the school’s STEM Lego bins. The students were engaged through the entire process and were very excited to see the completed work.

We are also excited to share that we are officially incubating duck eggs in the classroom! The eggs arrived this week and all of the student’s are thrilled at the prospect of having ducklings within the classroom. Photos of the ducklings will be shared as soon as they hatch!

Third grade had a wonderful trip to the Marine Science center this week where we got to learn about conservation and habitats.

In Mrs. Aramayo’s class, the students created 3D animals to practice their understanding of classifying 2D and 3D figures, and finding volume.

In fifth grade reading we are doing literature circles! The students picked a book out of a selection of books on survival. The books they could choose were “Bamboo People”, “Hatchet”, “The False Prince”, “The Ninth Ward”, “A Long Walk to Water”, and “Breadwinner”. With the book they choose, and other texts we read along the way, they will be able to answer the question, “What does it take to be a survivor?” They are doing double entry journals and they have jobs to complete during the week. When they have read a number of chapters we have a literature meeting where we discuss in depth what they read! It has been both challenging and fun!

On Monday, students in 6th period Life Science class had the opportunity to meet virtually with Erin Hanson, a forensic scientist at the University of Central Florida. Erin Hanson talked about her journey to becoming a forensic scientist and her experiences in the field. Some takeaways: (1) You can get a degree in 4 years and it is likely that your employer will help pay for additional schooling, (2) Tools used in Ms. Hanson’s job include PCR, robots, pipettes and microscopes, (3) She has lots of experience studying human DNA for crime scenes and works with law enforcement, lawyers and military forensic scientist to help uncover details, (4) She has recently looked at cow DNA to help identify the gender, and (5) She has looked at dust bunnies multiple times which can give scientist information based on the fibers and hairs.

Also, in Life Science, we are learning about Human Body Systems in fun ways. Students are working in groups to build a 3D model of the human body system (muscular, skeletal, respiratory, circulatory, excretory, nervous, digestive systems) and I can't wait to see what they come up with. We also plan to learn HBS with a Highly detailed human torso anatomy, Heart and Skeleton models used for student demonstration to illustrate the complicated structure and functions of the internal organs.

This week in Computer Science class, kindergarten students have started their coding journey with Code.org! Meanwhile, 1st through 3rd graders are working hard on their coding skills with Kodable. 4th and 5th graders have taken their coding skills to the next level by creating their very first game on Scratch programming language, a thrilling chase game!

Coding is an essential skill for our students to learn. Not only does coding teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills, but it also boosts creativity and innovation. In today’s digital age, coding opens up endless opportunities for the future.

Don’t miss out on the exciting journey our students are on as they dive into the world of coding!

In STEM Lab, 4th grade had a great time dissecting…flowers.

Please sign up by May 5th using the QR code. Celebration will take place on May 24th

Hello families!

Please read carefully for all club reminders:

PICK UP: Please remember that you should not arrive on campus before clubs dismiss. Even coming 5 minutes early causes backups in our dismissal process.

• Building 1 (grades K-3) - clubs dismiss at 3:40 during the week and 2:40 on Wednesday
• Building 2 (grades 4-6)- clubs dismiss at 3:30 during the week and 2:30 on Wednesday

ABSENCES: Remember that 3 or more consecutive absences will result in a removal from the club. If you are missing club because of tutoring or sickness, email the club teacher so it can be excused.

REQUESTING ADDITIONAL CLUBS: At this time all clubs are FULL. To be put on the waiting list, please fill out the form below. Filling out this form does not guarantee you a spot in club and you will be contacted regarding any changes to your child's club schedule via email.

* If you already have a club on the requested day, you will automatically be removed. No need to request removal/withdrawal.

WITHDRAWING FROM CLUB: To withdraw from a club you may Email Ms. Taylor or fill out the form below.

For any other club related questions, you may contact Ms. Taylor at Taylor.Watson@orlandoscience.org

Brainfuse offers free online tutoring through the Orange County Library System to ALL students in Orange County Public Schools.

FREE live tutors are available every day from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Using Brainfuse, students can connect with a qualified tutor for expert help in a variety of subjects.

Show your favorite teacher or staff member how much you appreciate them by filling out the form below

The mission of Orlando Science Elementary School (OSES) is to provide a well-rounded education with special emphasis in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), while using research-based and innovative instructional methods in a stimulating learning environment. OSES is committed to the social-emotional learning and character development of all students.