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April 19, 2013

Mon 4-22

Grades 6 & 7 Field Trips
 

 

Tue 04-23

Strings Concerts Begin      

Wed 4-24 

 Grade 8 Field Trip

Thu 4-25                   

MS Parent Cyber-Safety Presentation 

Fri 4-26   

 

wps logo

                                                                    ATTENTION WPS COMMUNITY

★★★ SKYWARD MAINTENANCE OUTAGE 4/25 - 5/1 ★★★

 

The purpose of this communication is to provide all members of the WPS community with advance notice that we will be experiencing a Skyward Maintenance Outage from Thursday, April 25 through Wednesday, May 1. We expect the resumption of full Skyward services on Thursday, May 2.

 

During this maintenance window, you will not be able to log into Skyward Parent Access, nor will you be able to check grades or send or check messages. Access to those service features will resume on May 2.

 

Please be advised that faculty members are setting up alternate communication methods to stay in touch with their students during this Maintenance Outage. The outage will not affect our Email service, so we will stay in touch with parents by that means.

 

We apologize for having to interrupt Skyward services. We thank you in advance for your understanding of the necessity to do so, as well as for your patience during the brief outage.

 

If you have any concerns, please contact either your child's teacher(s) or the appropriate Division Office for further information. 

best of orlando
Nominate Windermere Prep as Orlando's Best!
Here is the information form Orlando Magazine's website:

It's time again to cast your ballot for the best in Central Florida.  Orlando magazine's Best of Orlando awards give you a chance to pick your favorites in dozens of categories-from wine bars and day spas to athletes and live music venues. Simply fill out this ballot by May 1. Just for participating, you could be one of three winners in a random drawing for dinner for two at a local restaurant. Be sure to put your name, address, and email address on your ballot, and we will notify you if you are one of the winners. The Best of Orlando results will be published in our August issue.

TO BE CONSIDERED VALID, BALLOTS MUST HAVE VOTES IN AT LEAST 7 CATEGORIES.  Only one ballot per e-mail address will be counted, and must include name, address and an e-mail address.

Click the image above to vote for Windermere Prep now, or visit orlandomagazine.com.

pirates

LOWER SCHOOL 

Dear Families,

 

Pre-K Pirates 

Good news!  The pirates were not only friendly, but cute too! Congratulations to all of our PreK-4 Pirates as they successfully found all of the booty marked with the letter "X" across the Lower School campus.

 

Students in Grades 1 - 5 have completed the ERB's and should be congratulated for their hard work, patience, and diligence this week.  We are looking forward to sharing the results with you at the parent conference scheduled for Friday, May 17. Make-up exams will be given to students who were not in attendance this week. Please contact Mrs. Bloom  if you have any questions about the test or the make-up schedule.

 

Great Contribution Carnival 

Our third grade students are very excited about their Touchpoints Great Contribution Carnival. They have spent the year learning about deforestation and the effects humans have on our environment, both good and bad. In an effort to make a positive contribution to the cause, they have put together a wonderful event to bring awareness of deforestation to their peers.  We hope all Lower School families will join us for this fun event tomorrow afternoon, April 19, from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. in the gymnasium. 

The students will be accepting donations at the door and selling snacks to purchase a piece of the rainforest. Click for details.  

 

Fifth Grade Parents

In a few short weeks, Fifth Graders will be celebrating the end of their Lower School years and "Crossing the Bridge" to the Middle School.  Please look over the Middle School Program Guide and return your child's Course Selection form to your homeroom teacher by May 17.The "Crossing the Bridge" ceremony is Thursday, May 24 at 11:30 a.m. in the gymnasium.  Formal invitations will be sent home the first week of May.

 

Please note the changes in the Fifth Grade Drama dates/times:

Geloso: April 29 - 11:25 a.m; Sikorski: May 1 - 11:25 a.m.;  

Crane: May 3 - 8:40 a.m.;  Crocetti: May 3 - 11:25 a.m.

 

Kindergarten Parents  

Please mark your calendar for our Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, May 24 at 9:00 am.  Formal invitations will be sent home the first week of May.  

 

All Lower School Parents 

It is that time of year when we will begin to place students into classrooms for the 2012-2013 school year.  If you are intending to return and have not yet confirmed your re-enrollment with the business office, please contact Lynda Kleinrichert as soon as possible (407-905-7737 ext. 3354). Many of our grade levels are nearing capacity, and we don't want to have any of our returning families on a wait list. We will do our very best to honor sibling requests whenever possible, but our main goal is to create classrooms that are diverse enough to allow all students to grow academically and socially, in classes that are well-balanced in gender, as well as learning styles. With a student population of nearly five hundred students, it is not possible to honor teacher requests and still build classrooms that are in the best interest of all students. We take class placement very seriously, and hope that you will trust us to place your child in an environment that will allow him/her to reach full potential.  

 

Upcoming Dates

April

19          Third Grade Touchpoints in the Gym (info)  

22          VanderMeulen Drama Play, 9:50 a.m.  

23 - 25  Grades 1 - 3 String Concerts (see schedule

24          Matthews Drama Play, 9:50 a.m.

25          Kindergarten Animal Project Showcase

              Sirota Drama Play, 2:05 p.m.

30          Second Grade to History Center 

 

Melissa Fagan 

Director of Lower School

Theresa Nabavi 

Associate Director of Lower School

HIGH SCHOOL
peace jam

Peace Jam

Last weekend, four students and three chaperones attended Peace Jam's annual conference at Florida State University. Peace Jam - a non-profit international education program in partnership with Nobel Peace Laureates - educates, inspires and calls students to take action in our world and environment.   The goal of Peace Jam is to inspire a new generation of peacemakers who will transform themselves, their local communities, and the world.  Their motto is "Change Starts Here".  

 

This year, Oscar Arias Sanchez, past president of Costa Rica, was the Keynote Speaker. Mr. Sanchez addressed more than 200 students from the Southeastern United States. Oscar Arias received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his work for peace in Central America.  When asked what inspired him, he responded, " You ...the young people in front of me."    

 

WPS realized this "call to action" was an area we wanted to develop in the High School, as it relates to the IB curriculum. 

While in Tallahassee, students attended workshops on women's rights, how to live without oil, leadership, music and social change. WPS students participated in three service projects which addressed the issues of anti-bullying, social justice and the earth's environment. The Lakers reported that they had an amazing time, and are ready to inspire other WPS students

Pictured are Anton Esaulkovi , Abigail Lahnston, Carlos Lecaros and Casey Conroy.

 

Classical League State Latin Forum 

Recently, Windermere Prep's Latin Club competed in the 64th Annual Florida Junior Classical League State Latin Forum. The following students represented our school in a series of academic, athletic, and creative contests: Madhavi Baiju, Christopher Becker, Brad Coles, Tyler Gros, Avina Harry, Lana Henrich, Madison Holton, Serena Holton, Claire Hoon, Connor Kelley, Rajan Laddu, Nick LaFalce, Kate Lucas, Amelia Martin, Samantha Mayfield, Adam Molnar, Gabriella Orlando, Jaclyn Ryan, Alex Schwartz, Reed Shankwiler, Serene Shbaklo, Morgan Tessler, and Sanobar Valiani. Click for a list of awards.

 

May Attendance Expectations for Seniors

-  All Seniors will attend their last full day together on Monday, April 29. This is the last day that IB classes will be in session

-  Beginning on April 30 (following the senior breakfast), IB Diploma Candidates are not required to attend school unless they have an exam. Certificate candidates will be expected to attend NON-IB classes following the senior breakfast.

- IB certificate candidates are expected to attend their NON-IB classes until Friday, May 10. These seniors are not required to attend school during their normally scheduled IB classes.  They are welcome to be on campus for the full school day.  If they leave campus during the school day, they must sign out and sign in at the front desk.

-  NON-IB Senior Exams begin on Monday May 13.

 

Exploring College Options colleges

Mark your calendars for Monday May 7 at 7:30 p.m.   Duke, Harvard, Georgetown , U Penn and Stanford will be at the Orlando International Airport Marriott to meet with students and parents.  If you are interested, each attendee will need to register online at www.exploringcollegeoptions.org.


Summer Courses on Campus 

Need to get ahead this summer? Windermere Prep is offering summer courses, both for credit and for enrichment.

May 3: Registration Deadline

May 10: Payment Deadline

Click for info or visit the WPS website

 

Senior Activities 

The Class of 2013 has a full schedule of events in April and May. Click for the current printable list.

Spring Exams
Click to view the printable schedules for Spring Exams:
Underclass Exam Schedule
IB Exam Schedule
 
Non-IB Exam Schedule

Prom Photos Prom

Prom photos are being posted now. To stay informed as to the progress/status of images being processed and links to the album,  "like" the Facebook page for JKThree Photography.  A link to the final album will be posted when it is complete. 

 

COLLEGE CORNER college corner  

Congratulations to the Class of 2013 on these impressive recent college acceptances:

Manon Cremer - Rollins College

Hannah Leon - Boston College, Brigham Young University

Trung Pham - Suffolk University

Austin Rivers - Rollins, University of Tampa

Near Zeng - Penn State

 

Tutors  

Click for the latest list of tutors.
FINE & PERFORMING ARTS

Meritas Theatre and Dance Festival  
NY Dancers  
Twenty WPS Middle School and High School students attended the recent Meritas Theatre and Dance Festival in New York City. Students attended theatre and dance workshops, visited the historic New Amsterdam Theatre and Radio City Music Hall, and took in productions of Newsies and Peter and the Star Catcher on Broadway.  It was an exciting trip that was full of lots of artistic learning and surprises! Click to view more photos

 

Meritas International Online Art Competition 

WPS Fine Arts Department and the Visual Arts faculty are proud to recognize our outstanding High School, Middle School and Lower School artists for their hard work and talented pieces produced for the 5th Annual Meritas International Online Art Competition.  The competition included all of the Meritas Family of Schools world-wide.

online art

Certificates of participation were awarded to High School students (l-r): Patrick Hansen, Sarah Doss, Kevin Song, Mikayla Deng, Madhavi Baiju, and Catalina Burch. (Layla Wang not pictured).

Among those garnering top honors was Sara Schubert, who received Third Place and a $50 gift certificate in the Digital Art Category for her piece, "Metamorphosis". Placing in Second Place in the 3-D category was Areej Aziz, for her project "Rope".  Areej won a $100 gift certificate.

    

online art LS and MS Also participating were students from Lower and Middle School:

Pictured are (front): Lower School students Gianna Rappa,  Samantha Wilson, Claire Dvorak, Nabhan

Atiquizaman, and Buckley Newbold. (back): Susan Daniel, Lindsey Diab, Brooke Wantanabe, Cole Nabavi and

Melissa Faganms art

From Middle School,

(front): Brett Ruud-Johnson, George Haidukewych
(Back)|: Mrs. Demko, Riley Grinnell, Gabriel Fink, Hannah Foster, Amelia Martin, Mrs. Davies
 

Congratulations to all our fine young artists for a great showing in this year's contest.

 

Spring Concert - April 29 spring song  

Featuring musicians from the WPS Middle and High School Band, Chorus, and IB Music Programs. Join us at 7:00 p.m. in the WPS Gymnasium. Click to see the details.

 

 

Voice LIVE
MIDDLE SCHOOL 

Dear Middle School Families,  

 

Today, we wrapped up this year's CTP-4 testing. We commend students on being attentive and committing to their best.Test results will be shared at parent conferences on May 11.

 

Also on conference day, your Course Selection Forms FOR 7th and 8th Grades are due.  Yesterday, you were emailed the 2013-2014 Middle School Program Guide with accompanying Course Selection Form.  Please peruse that information so that you gather the necessary signatures and are prepared to make selections on May 11.

 

Tomorrow, our 7th grade Environmental Ambassadors present their projects to the WPS community.  Hope to see you there!  See the invite for details.

 

Next week, all of our students will take learning outside the classroom with Spring Field Trips.  6th graders travel to the Orlando Rep to see Tom Sawyer on stage; 7th graders enjoy a "green" Field Trip as our environmental ambassadors; and, 8th graders will experience some tried and true presentation and etiquette lessons in preparation for "Turning a Page."

 

Also next week, all middle school students attend a Cyber-Safety Session, hosted by Deputy Tyrone Harvey.  Parents are invited to a separate session on April 25 in the Learning Commons.

 

Dates for your calendar:

4/19       7th grade Environmental Day

4/22       6th & 7th grade field trips  

4/24       8th grade field trip

4/24       Grades 6-8 Cyber-safety Assembly

4/25       Parent Cyber-safety Presentation

4/27       FYE Dance Showcase

4/29       SGA Elections for 2013-14

4/30       Spring Music Concert  

 

Walt Whitman composed these lines: "I celebrate myself, and sing myself...I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world."

 

Kudos again to our Voice writers and artists, as well as our "Voice, Live!" performers.The program was the perfect opportunity for students to share their voices, their "yawps" across the WPS campus.Magazines are available for purchase for $1.00 from the Middle School Office or your Language Arts classrooms. Click to view photos

 

As always, please stop by, call, or email if we can be of assistance.  We love seeing you!

 

Mary Beth Davies and the Middle School Faculty
Middle School Director

WPS SPORTS & ATHLETICS
tennis 1

On the WPS Courts  

WPS Tennis is proud to announce the success of our Varsity Girls Team as they advanced through the Regional tournaments and into the State Finals for the second consecutive year. The Varsity Boys team had a terrific season, as well, making school history by reaching the Regional Finals. 

tennis 2 Hannah Rosenfield and Hannah McGee won the Line 2 Doubles Finals, and the varsity team finished third in the State. Pictured at right are Chris Tappan (Associate Athletic Director), Hannah Rosenfield, Hannah McGee, Warren Watson (Varsity Tennis Coach).

 

Pictured at top are Rebecca Costa, Mandy Rosenfield (Director of Tennis), Catalina Burch, Alicia Stobenau, Hannah Rosenfield, Hannah McGee, Natalie (WPS Physical Therapist), and Jacob Doss (Assistant Athletic Director).

 

Summer Camp Registration available now at the Tennis office, or email Coach Joyce.

 

Softball 

The Windermere Prep Lady Lakers' first ever high school varsity season season concluded with a winning record, which has garnered the respect and admiration of fellow high school coaches and programs across the state of Florida.

Two weeks ago, the Lady Lakers cracked the top ten in the Florida High School 3A division for the first time, but this past week the Lady Lakers Varsity Softball Team moved up the rankings to a season high #7 in the state of Florida. It was an exciting accomplishment and finish for our varsity softball program.

We plan to continue to build with our core group of great players from this season, and hope new players from within our school who have seen what we have accomplished this year will want to join us on this great journey when we take a run at a district and state championship next season.

Spring Football 

Hello WPS Families,

Spring football is right around the corner, and we are excited to begin playing!

We are allowed up to 20 days to practice in the month of May to kick-start us into the fall.  This "Spring Ball" session is a great opportunity for first time players to come out and see if they want to give football a shot!  We would highly encourage any boys in grades 5 -11 to join us, as these practices are truly designed to teach the basic fundamentals of football. 

For this session, we will have a Middle School team consisting of rising 6th - 8th graders, and a Varsity team of rising 9th - 12th graders.

If you are in need of a physical, please plan on attending Physical Night on Monday April 29 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Additionally, we will be handing out equipment immediately after school on the 29th from 3 - 4:30 p.m.

Finally, please mark your calendars for our first practice - Wednesday, May 1 at 3:00 p.m.  Players are to wear shorts, t-shirts, and cleats.  An up-to-date calendar is on the school website, as well as physical and consent forms. Click for a printable calendar

 

Please contact Head Coach Jacob Doss if you have any additional questions.

 

Annual Physical Night 

The annual WPS Athletic Physical Night will be held Monday, April 29 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the WPS Gymnasium. This is a great opportunity for all students currently enrolled in Grades 5-11 who are interested in participating on a athletic team next year to come out and take care of all of the necessary paperwork!

The cost to receive a physical on April 29 is $20  (cash or checks made payable to WPS Athletics). Forms will be present at "Physical Night". They can also be found on the WPS website (under Athletics) if you wish to print and fill them out prior to the event. A parent or guardian must be present or have signed the forms. 

 

Girls Lacrosse Clinic April 22 - 24 

For girls in Grades 5-11. All skill levels - beginners are welcome! Click for details.

WPS Cheerleading Tryouts

Football, Basketball, and Competitive Team

May 8 from 2:45 - 5:00 p.m. 

May 9 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. 

Rising 6th Graders - 12th Graders

Please see Coach Hilaman in High School Rm 368 for more information and to pick up your paperwork.

 

No Laker Events at Home This Week 

 

Verify schedule on date of event. Click for the complete athletic schedule.
Dennis Uniforms Moves
Dennis Uniformsto New Location

Dennis Uniforms, the source for WPS school clothing, is moving to a new location as of May 1, 2013.  Click for details and a map to the new store. 

Town of Windermere 5K
5K
WPS had a strong presence of more than 30 faculty, parents and students in last weekend's 12th Annual Windermere Run Among the Lakes 5K, which WPS helps sponsor.
Sophomore Franco Martins finished third overall in the race, and a number of our teachers finished in first place in their respective age groups.  Thank you to all who participated.
  Windermere Prep
 Parent Volunteers

 

 

April 22  - WPVA's Used Uniform Exchange

Drop off your used uniforms at bins located throughout the campus before April 19. Click for details. 

The Exchange will be in Room 235 on the Lower School Campus, 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.

SUMMER AT WPS
LAKE CYPRESS SUMMER CAMP

SUMMER CAMP

Lake Cypress Summer Camp offers a variety of activities for children, ages 5 - 12 from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m., with morning and afternoon extended care available. Swimming, cooking, crafts, field games and more! Weekly themes for each session. Week-long sessions run June 3 through August 2. Discounts are offered for siblings and full summer enrollment. Exciting new Science and Drama Programs!  

Please visit lakecypresscamp.weebly.com for details.

meritas 2011

WINDERMERE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Phone: 407-905-7737

 Fax: 407-905-7710                                       

 

 

 

 A Member of the Meritas Family of Schools