HIGH SCHOOL
Spring is in the air here in Central Florida, and I hope that you have been enjoying the beautiful weather that has arrived. Take time with your children this weekend to unwind and enjoy the fresh air, helping them get ready as they spring into the final quarter. As you prepare for the Fourth Quarter, please contact your children's teachers to understand how we can all work together to ensure a successful completion to the school year. With the spring term tends to come quite a few absences as well. Please encourage your children to be present everyday so that they will not miss out on the valuable instruction that will help them end the year on a high. Have a great week!
Students Accepted to Oxford University Summer Program
Congratulations to the following WPS students who have been accepted to participate in the Meritas Oxford Summer Seminar! We are so proud of these students who have been offered the prestigious opportunity to spend two weeks at beautiful, historic Balliol College, Oxford University, England: Grade 11 - Bronte Balon (Scholarship Recipient), Jay Hunter (Scholarship Recipient), Caroline Rhoades (Scholarship Recipient); Grade 10 - Jarrett Bell, Daniel Cotter, Robert DeVarona, Nana Bruce-Amanquah.
Balliol College, founded in 1263, is one of Oxford's oldest and most prestigious colleges. As part of the Meritas Seminar at Oxford University, students will have the unique opportunity to learn within this historic setting, while interacting with Oxford academics, meeting with college admissions officers, and exploring the majestic palaces and castles of England.
The Meritas Seminar at Balliol College challenges students to explore their own ideas of democracy, and discuss contemporary issues in one of the most prestigious higher learning institutions in the world. Oxford academics and high-profile guest speakers present case studies that challenge students to define, defend and debate their views in a collaborative setting.
The High School Team Spotlight
Amanda Youngblood
Written by Stacey Huryn
Amanda Youngblood, a consummate classroom techie, joined the WPS community this year with all of the drive, vigor, and vision that is Windermere Prep. Amanda uses innovative practices so frequently and cohesively that she is quickly becoming the High School's "go-to" colleague for integrating new technologies. Her website, www.kindledclass.com, shows just a glimpse of the best practices and experiences in education that she brings to the classroom everyday.
Aside from technology, Amanda, having two young children, appreciates the parental desire for education being geared specifically toward individualized needs. As a teacher, she has taken this parental passion and created a course where students create unique learning experiences by choosing their own texts and topics to study; essentially, the students create a course where they acquire the necessary skills but do so using media full of their own personal interests. With a course designed like this, her students have no choice but to succeed.
Amanda is currently a member of the High School English Department and has worked in education as a teacher and a tech specialist for over ten years.
New to WPS: Model United Nation by Stacey Huryn
Please congratulate the students involved in the 35th Annual Florida High Schools Model United Nations (FHSMUN) Conference that took place February 28- March 3. These students used parliamentary procedures to petition, lobby, and debate on behalf of various nations in order to develop realistic, tenable resolutions to global issues, varying from combating urban poverty, to reducing child mortality. Our schools' delegates used their knowledge from their Economics, History, English, and Psychology courses more than any other schools' delegates, and became the primary contributors to resolutions that got published in the FHSMUN 35 study materials that are used for future Model UN students.
Model UN students train for a variety of areas: public speaking, debate, global awareness, parliamentary procedures, research, writing, and professionalism. These students, our WPS Model UN delegates, are tomorrow's leaders, demonstrating the impact that they can make on today.
After their experiences and development from this year, this fledgling group is planning on competing in several statewide conferences next year that will culminate in their attendance at the international Washington Area Model United Nations Conference hosted by George Washington University in March 2015.
Important Dates:
March
14 - No School for Students
19 - Mr. Windermere Prep/Prom Fashion Show
20 - Report Cards
24 - Spring Break Begins
Leslie Williams, Ph.D.
High School Director
Tutoring Information
Please remember that if your child is in need of extra help, teachers listed in this link are available after 4:00 p.m.
College Corner
Congratulations to the following members of the Class of 2014 on their recent college acceptances:
Usra Khan - Rollins College
Lily Tawam - Rollins College
Mariam Tabrez - Southern Methodist University
Zoe Klumph - Southern Methodist University
Luyao (Ivory) Wang - Michigan State University
Davis Cima - Hawaii Pacific University
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LOWER SCHOOL
The Lower School faculty would like to extend a warm and heartfelt thank you for the amazing outpouring of love and appreciation this week. We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to work in partnership with you to assure the academic success of your children.
News from the 2021 Club!
Today the 2021 Club had a kick-off assembly for the Lower School community service Spring Hygiene Drive. This drive will begin Monday, March 17 through Friday, March 21. All donations will benefit the residents of the Orlando Union Rescue Mission and Matthew's Hope. More information will be included in your classroom newsletter, and click here for details.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long, healthy lives. St. Baldrick's head-shaving events began as a challenge between businessmen and have grown from one event in 2000, to over 1,300 events in 2012, raising critical funds for childhood cancer research. We are very proud of Caedmon Clover, second grader, for his willingness to participate in this year's event. Cade has set a goal to raise $100. If you have a chance to come out and to cheer him on, he would love the support. More information can be found here.
Fourth Quarter
Report Cards will be sent home next week. It is hard to believe that we are entering the last quarter of the school year already! There will be many performances, presentations and celebrations in the final nine weeks of school. Please be sure to read your child's classroom newsletter to keep up with the specific dates.
Enjoy the long weekend! We will see you in the Fourth Quarter!
Important Dates:
March
14 - No School for Students/ Professional Development Day
19 - 4th Grade St. Augustine Field Trip
21 - 5th Grade Battle Civil War Reenactment Field Trip
24 - Spring Break Begins
Melissa Fagan
Director of Lower School
Theresa Nabavi
Associate Director of Lower School
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WPS COMMUNITY NEWS
 Summer Camp at Windermere Prep Visit windermereprep.com/camp, call 407.905.7737 (option 6), or email camp@windermereprep.com. Click for details. Dennis Uniform March Specials DENNIS March Specials have begun! There are two ways to save: 1. In-Store: Double Punch Month! During March 2014, earn 2 stamps for every $10 purchase on your DENNIS advantage card (in-store only). 2. Online: FREE shipping! Phone, mail and Internet orders during March 2014. To shop online, visit: www.dennisuniform.com, or call National Customer Service at 800.854.6951. |
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MIDDLE SCHOOL
"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." (Walt Whitman)
What a wonderful way to end Quarter 3! Yesterday's event, VOICE, LIVE!, was entertaining, amusing, and inspiring. Our Middle School students sounded their yawps at VOICE, LIVE!, our poet's coffeehouse tradition, hosted in the Laker Gym. Such an experience granted our performers an opportunity to express themselves through the spoken word. As such, they were truly "heard," feeling that their voices do indeed matter, helping them to find their place in the world. And, it wasn't just verbal expression giving them this gift. Many Middle School students' written and artistic pieces were published in the Middle School literary magazine, Voice. The magazine was the quintessential venue for written expression, as students composed and created pieces that celebrated themselves, and ultimately, literacy. Click for photos.
Congratulations to all our performers, and to our artists and writers featured in this year's edition of Voice, our award-winning literary magazine. We unveiled the magazine cover at our event, paying tribute to the collection of former cover artists, and welcoming Rafaela Rivera into the sorority of featured artists.
Also, please help me to applaud the cast and crew of Peter Pan & Wendy! Their commitment to their craft was evident with their performances last week, which was well received by our student body at the matinee and the WPS community on Friday evening. Congratulations! Enjoy these photos.
When you return from the 3-day weekend, get ready to GO GREEN! Our 7th grade Environmental Ambassadors have been busily preparing presentations to share with the WPS community. All students are invited to dress down in green theme to not only celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but to make a statement as a school about our environment. Click for info.
Congratulations on the completion of Quarter 3! Report cards will be posted to Skyward on March 19, and we'll take some time to reflect and celebrate accomplishments at our ceremony on March 20.
Important Dates:
March
14 - Student Holiday
17 - Environmental Day
19 - Quarter 3 Report Cards on Skyward
20 - Quarter 3 Celebration
Mary Beth Davies and the Middle School Faculty Middle School Director
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LAKER ATHLETICS   On the Courts Congratulations Middle School Tennis Players: Abhay, Colby, Robbie, Justin, Ryan (not pictured), and our girls, Zoe, Madeleine, Sebrina, Divya, and Tori. The WPS girls are the Championship winners for winning against The First Academy, Lake Highland and Trinity Prep, and the WPS boys placed second. A fantastic season for the Middle School Lakers. The Varsity Team continues to be unbeaten, and have lost scarcely a game all season. Swim Residential student Christian Temporiti's has qualified for five events at this year's Junior Nationals held in Orlando. He will be swimming the 50 breast, 100 breast, 200 breast, the 400IM Medley, and one additional relay. Way to go Christian, and best of luck at Nationals! Lacrosse The Windermere Prep Varsity Lacrosse Team held on to beat East Ridge, 14-12, last Friday. Junior Kevin Babich scored two late goals to secure our first-ever victory against East Ridge. Please be sure to come out and cheer these young men on as they host district opponent, Freedom HS, this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Weightlifting The Windermere Prep Weightlifting Team beat Lake Highland in their first-ever match up between the two schools. Here are some highlights of the meet: - Andy Clark defeating two lifters from LHP to win the 119 lb. class - Davis Cima dominating the 169 lb. class with a total weight lifted of 400 pounds - Ryan Grosso winning the 183 lb. class with a total weight lifted of 460 pounds - Michael Courte and Zach Rich finishing first and second in the 238 lb. class Baseball The Windermere Prep Varsity Baseball Team beat Seffner Christain by a score of 9-1. Junior Chase Haney and Senior David Lennon both went 3-4, and 8th grade pitcher Michael Bacicia pitched 6 innings and gave up only 1 run! The baseball team is off to their best start in years and they look to add to that as they travel to play Central Florida Christian Academy this Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
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Wind Ensemble
The WPS Wind Ensemble performed at the District 8 High School Concert Band MPA's held at Olympia High School last Saturday. We joined many other high schools from Orange County and received constructive comments and evaluations from a panel of three judges. The ensemble performed well. This is the first time in several years that WPS went to MPA's. Mr. Westerkov was very proud of the students and their performances. The assessment results will support growth and maturity as a band, and offer a measurement for improvement in many areas of performance.
Meritas Awards
Congratulations to the following WPS students whose artwork has been awarded in the 6th Annual Meritas International ART  Awards:
Middle School - Brett Mason, Elisabet Palsdottir, Nadia Gordon
High School - Brook Turner, Gloria Gao
Thanks to all of our talented WPS participants: (Middle School) Hiba Syed, Megan Ramsey, Lana Henrich, George Haidukewych, Lana McCann, and Natasha March; (High School) Katie Dodds, Naomi Peng, Kevin Song, Victor Teixeira, Catalina Burch, Patrick Hanson, Nicole Pleau, and Sara Schubert.
Honors Choir 
Last weekend, Freshman Julianna Kolczynski participated in the 2014 Jr. High Honors Choir as a part of the American Choral Director's Association Southern Division conference. She was selected from thousands of applicants from across the Southeast, and rehearsed in Jacksonville with 130 young ladies in preparation for a performance for the membership of ACDA. Pictured are: (left) Julianna with Honor Choir Clinician Dr. Jessica Napoles, (right-top) with Ms. Tousek, and (right-bottom) with her parents.
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WPVA 
Thank you to all of the parents and students who showed their love to our wonderful teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week! You made it truly special. The WPVA would like to express our thanks to Danielle McCall, chairperson for Teacher Appreciation, for an amazing week for our teachers at WPS!
Upcoming Dates:
Parent Appreciation Breakfast - April 11, Learning Commons, 8:30 a.m.
WPS Food Truck Frenzy Night - Friday, April 25
Click for the WPVA Calendar of Events, Volunteer Interest Form, and Volunteer Opportunities and Descriptions.
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