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Mollie Ray ES Student Announcers: Welcome to Mondays with Maria.

Announcer: Presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Here's OCPS superintendent, Dr. Maria Vazquez.

Dr. Vazquez: Thank you. Genesis, Taylor, and Skylar from Mollie Ray Elementary School for that great introduction. Bri MacNaught is back with me. Happy New Year. So good to see you.

Bri MacNaught: Happy New Year. Thank you for having me.

Dr. Vazquez: And can you believe it? It's 2026.

Bri MacNaught: I cannot believe it. We're already in the second semester. Things are just flying by. 

Dr. Vazquez: Yeah, it is. I can't, I can't believe it. And I know that our families are very excited, especially the seniors, because graduations are-

Bri MacNaught: Right around the corner. 

Dr. Vazquez: They are. We release the dates right before the break, and they're on our website, right? OCPS.net. And I know that our families for this time of year are making plans, relatives flying in, and graduation parties. It's a great time. 

Bri MacNaught: Yeah, I already got a graduation invite part for a party. Like that's how much people are going in advance. 

Dr. Vazquez: Make sure you check the website for those dates.

Bri MacNaught: But before May, we have a lot of different events happening throughout the district, including one of my favorite events of the year. The Stellar Awards.

Dr. Vazquez: Yes. It's one of my favorite events. We all get decked out. It's a wonderful night to celebrate our employees. That's where we will announce our teacher of the year, our support person of the year, assistant principal and principal of the year, and our administrator of the year. And the announcement will be on Friday night, January 30th. So stay tuned. We're very excited. We are also launching our OCPS reads initiative, and last year, we absolutely crushed it. We set a goal of 20 million minutes for us to read, and that involved an entire community, and we doubled it. 

Bri MacNaught: We doubled it.

Dr. Vazquez: So, this year we've increased our goal, stay tuned for the number of minutes, so you know what we need to reach by April 30th.

Bri MacNaught: I'm confident, though. I'm confident we can get it. We're good. Yeah.

Dr. Vazquez: It's a, it's a great way for the community to come together and read, which is something we know is so valuable and so important. So, I'm looking forward to it.

Bri MacNaught: Then also this month, you have those district representative meetings for the employees and families of the seven schools that you're looking to consolidate next year.

Dr. Vazquez: Yes. We had our initial community meetings in November, where we alerted the seven communities of the possible school consolidations due to declining enrollment. Lots of emotions around that. Those schools have a big place in the community. We do want to continue to be transparent, keep our families informed, and so we will have the seven meetings this month, coming back with the questions they had and the proposal to consolidate them. So, look on, we've already sent out communication, but if you're not sure, they're also listed on our website. 

Bri MacNaught: Yeah. And then also next month, February is jammed pack, short month. But we are not holding back on the events. Starting with there's going to be an annual countywide hands-only CPR training for thousands of high school students.

Dr. Vazquez: Yes. And we know how important it is to save lives. Also, in February, we have the Food and Nutrition Services Annual Food Show.

Bri MacNaught:  So much fun.

Dr. Vazquez: Which is so popular. And some lucky students are able to taste new food items for next year. So I'm thrilled. I'm looking forward to it. The food is always tasty.

Bri MacNaught: And then mark your calendars, February 7th. It is the fifth annual School Spirit Run over at SeaWorld. Always a very, very fun event. 

Dr. Vazquez: We are over our number from last year. Great to see the schools come out and dress the mascots. It's a lot of fun. Yeah.

Bri MacNaught: The Foundation for OCPS just does an incredible job with that event.

Dr. Vazquez: They do. And it, it's sponsored by Additions Financial. You can sign up by visiting FoundationforOCPS.org.

Bri MacNaught: Then, in February, another Foundation for OCPS event is Top Talent. So, it's not the event happening, but it's the auditions that are a very important part of the event. Those are open currently and due February 13th for judging. But then that show goes live Saturday, April 25th.

Dr. Vazquez: I sit through that event, and I'm in awe at the incredible talent that we have. So, after the auditions, we have Spring Break. So mark your calendar. March 16th through March 20th. March 13th. That Friday before is a student holiday that ends the third marking period. So, we're moving fast.

Bri MacNaught: It's crazy. Then that's the fourth and final marking period of the school year. Basically. School's over, not, not exactly. Not exactly. Almost. I take that back, but it feels like it. Because you have all the events, you have all the things happening in the final marking period. So, it is a lot.

Dr. Vazquez:
It's a lot. And it's important for our parents. You know, we're starting the second semester now. Make sure you're having those conversations.  With your child about study habits, how are you going to, you know, stay informed? There are lots of tools available to our families, whether it's grades online using ParentSquare to reach out to your teachers. We want everyone to be successful. So, make sure you are having those conversations. 
Well, that is a lot, a lot for the second nine of the second semester. Yeah. And you're right. The end of the year, we'll be here soon, culminating in those graduations that we mentioned at the beginning. So we're thrilled. Lastly, I want to bring up the parent academies. We have lunch and learns, virtual mini academies, and there are some theme, face to face, face-to-face events, check your parents' work, communication feed for the upcoming events. So, lots, lots happening in the second semester. Yeah. Thank you so much, Bri. It's great to see you, and looking forward to a great second semester. 

Bri MacNaught: You and I both. Thanks for having me. 

Dr. Vazquez: And thank you all for watching. Don't forget to like, follow, and subscribe. We will have more on our podcast. Just go to wherever you get your podcast and search for Mondays with Maria. Have a great week

Announcer: For an extended conversation on today's topic. Listen to the Mondays with Maria podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. Mondays with Maria is presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Count us in for every step of your financial journey. Learn more at Additionfi.com. For more OCPS news and information, visit TheSlice.OCPS.net. I'm your announcer, Emily Hannon, a student at Audubon Park School. Thanks for watching, and have a great week.