379 Edge Avenue
Valparaiso, Florida 32580
OSA Newsletter Volume III, No 1 July 2014
Administrative Update
Wanda Avery will be taking over as Principal of the STEMM Academy. Mrs. Avery has 30 years in the
Okaloosa County School District as a high school science teacher and administrator in elementary,
middle, and high school.
Neely Calhoun is the new Teacher on Special Assignment replacing Shawnea Tallman. Ms. Calhoun
taught in the science department at Ft. Walton Beach High School.
Both are excited to join the STEMM Academy staff.
STEMM Summer Social!
The PTO will be sponsoring the first annual Okaloosa
STEMM Academy Summer Social (OSA) on Thursday,
24 July from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at the Academy. The
OSA will give students and parents a chance to
welcome new staff and students, learn about the latest
happenings at the Academy, and ‘catch-up’ with past
friends and classmates. Following a short ‘meet-n-greet’ and information session, a round robin of fun STEMMbased puzzles/challenges/ activities will be available. We are looking for volunteers to bring snacks (no peanuts
please), students to serve as Ambassadors for the incoming/ prospective students, and parents to help with the round
robin event. If you have further questions or would like to help, please contact Van Hughes at
[email protected].
Please wear red and blue to show your Android pride!
Bus Transportation
Transportation has announced the hub stops for OSA students.
Transportation Hub Stops
Morning
Pryor Middle School (AM pickup)
Choctaw High School (PM drop off)
Destin Middle School (front parking lot)
Eglin AFB Youth Center
Bluewater Elementary (sidewalk front of school)
Southside Center (AM -back parking lot/ PM –front parking lot)
6:30 am
OSA
Afternoon
6:40 am
6:45 am
6:55 am
6:30 am
2:20 pm
2:10 pm
2:05 pm
1:55 pm
2:20 pm
7:00 am
1:45 pm
Library
OSA students are urged to obtain a public library card. Members of the Okaloosa Public Library
Cooperative are: Robert L. F. Sikes (Crestview) Library, Destin Library, City of Fort Walton Beach Library,
Mary Esther Public Library, City of Niceville Public Library, and Valparaiso Community Library. The
Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative offers “Rocket Language” tutoring. Students are encouraged
to enroll in Spanish to help with Latin-based vocabulary and high school language acquisition.
Breakfast & Lunch 2014-2015
During the 2014 – 2015 school year the OSA will utilize “vending machines” for breakfast and will provide
a hot meal for lunch. Parents may add funds to or check the balance of their students’ accounts by going
to www.schoolpaymentsolutions.com . As with all Okaloosa Schools, breakfast is $1.80, lunch is $2.55
and milk $.65. (Reduced breakfast is $.30, and reduced lunch is $.40.) Parents who wish to send a
packed lunch for their students are welcome to do so.
2014-2015 School Entry Immunization Requirements
Every student enrolled in and attending Okaloosa County Schools is required to have a current Florida
Certification of Immunization (Form 680) on file at the school. Please visit www.immunizeflorida.org, or for
more information call (850) 245-4342.
Seventh Grade Requirement:
In addition to kindergarten through 12th grade requirements, students must have the following
vaccinations:
• one dose of tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) vaccine
School Uniforms
The OSA Uniform Dress Code deepens our sense of community while allowing students the freedom to
focus on their passions and pursuits. Our uniform service will again be provided by Lands’ End Uniforms.
Our website, http://okaloosaschools.com/stemm/Okaloosa_STEMM_Academy , shows the examples of
the male and female dress code. Our Land’s End Uniform preferred school number is 900158643.
All students are required to wear clothing that appears on this website, and they may do so in any
combination that they choose. In addition to required items, optional items, such as sweaters, long sleeve
shirts, and jackets are also be available. Quality, price, selection, and availability have driven the decision
to select this company. The items are fully guaranteed. Return anything, at any time, for any reason
online or to Sears. Also, they have free hemming!
All uniforms purchased from a previous school year from other vendors, within code, may still be worn.
We ask that you purchase all new uniforms from Lands’ End Uniforms.
School Supplies
Each student will need a one-point-five (1.5) inch binder, notebook paper, four (4) blue pens, four (4)
mechanical pencils, four (4) composition note books (non-spiral), and a black backpack or messenger
bag with a padded compartment/sleeve for a laptop. Some additional items may be requested from
individual teachers during the first couple of weeks of school. (Land’s End Uniform will offer {optional}
backpacks, which meet the padding requirement, on our school’s page.)
Sales Tax Holiday
The 2014 Sales Tax Holiday starts 12:01 am on Friday August 1, 2014 through 11:59 pm on Sunday August 3, 2014.
The exemption is for any item of clothing or footwear less than $100, school supply item less than $15 or personal
computer or related accessory less than $750.
Shutterfly Information
Please contact Van Hughes ([email protected]) if you would like an invitation to join our Shutterfly Group.
The Shutterfly Group is by invitation only and it’s a forum for parents and students to share photos, ask questions,
post upcoming events, etc. Contact Van Hughes if you’d like more information about Shutterfly .
Summer Reading Assignment
During the summer, each student should read at least ONE novel and complete a Summer Reading
Activity. The Summer Reading Activity will be your first Language Arts assignment of the year. Please
choose a grade –appropriate novel from the Just Read, Florida! 2014 Summer Reading List OR the
Sunshine State Young Readers Award List.
Pick one assignment to complete and turn in the first week of school
th
Incoming 6 Graders:
Option A- Personal Taste. Select one character from the book. If he/she were living today, what kind of
clothes, books, records, movies, etc. would he/she select? Why would he/she do so?
Option B- Write a personal letter to one of the characters you admire or despise. Be sure to explain what
he/she did to merit your feelings.
th
7 Grade
Option A- Write the diary a main character might have written. Imagine you are the person in your book.
Write a diary for a few days as she or he would have done.
Option B- Create an alternate book cover. Be sure to include an illustration and a summary of what the
book is about.
th
8 Grade
Option A- Put together a cast for a film version of your book. Imagine the director-producer wants a
casting director to make recommendations. Decide who would be the actors and actresses. Justify why
each is “perfect” for the part
Option B- Create an alternative ending to the book; explain why the book should have your ending.
Parents,
Summer reading is such a crucial part of student development. It also helps to develop an appreciation
and love for books. Be sure to encourage your student to read each day. We do understand that all
students need a variety of books from which to choose. Please be aware that some books may contain
mature subject matter. Make sure to have conversations with your child about book choices. Happy
reading!
Just Read, Florida! 2014 Summer Recommended Reading List
Grades 6-8
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story, Linda Sue Park
A Long Way from Chicago, Richard Peck
Any Which Wall, Laurel Snyder,
Artemis Fowl: the Arctic Incident, Eoin Colfer
Breaking Stalin's Nose, Eugene Yelchin
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos
Dragonwings, Laurence Yep
Eragon, Christopher Paolini
Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini, Sid Fleischman
Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan
Fire From the Rock, Sharon Draper
Flush, Carl Hiaasen
Football Genius, Tim Green
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Russell Freedman
Gifted Hands: The Story of Ben Carson, Ben Carson
Heart of a Samurai, Margi Preus
Hugo Cabret, Brian Schnick
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Lockdown, Walter Dean Myers
Lost in the River of Grass, Ginny Rorby
Magnificent Voyage: An American Adventurer on Captain James Cook’s Final Expedition, Laurie
Lawlor
Mockingbird, Kathryn Erkine
Moon over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool
Old Yeller, Fred Gipson
One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia
Peter and the Starcatchers, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia, Sy
Montgomery and Nic Bishop
Scat, Carl Hiaasen
Slob, Ellen Potter
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood Ibtisam Barakat
The Anybodies, N.E. Bode
The Lost Hero, Richard Riordan
The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins,
Bea Uusma Schyffert
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi
The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White
The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg
The Wright Sister: Katharine Wright and Her Famous Brothers, Richard Maurer
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammed Ali, Charles R. Smith
Wangari’s Tree of Peace, Jeanette Winter
When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature’s Balance in Yellowstone, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
Wild Things, Clay Carmichael
Sunshine State Young Readers Award
Middle School List 2014-2015
Atkinson, E.J. I, Emma Freke
Black, Holly Doll Bones
Bodeen, S.A. The Raft
Jacobson, Jennifer Small as an Elephant
Klise, Kate Homesick
Korman, Gordan Ungifted
Levine, Kristin The Lions of Little Rock
McNeal, Tom Far Far Away
Meloy, Maile Apothecary
Poblocki, Dan The Ghosts of Graylock
Ponti, James Dead City
Riley, James Half Upon a Time
Schrefer, Eliot Endangered
Van Eekhout, Greg The Boy at the End of the World
Wells, Robison Variant