On November 12, 2020 we held our Virtual Magnet Night. If you attended our event Live or if you watched the above recording, please take a moment to complete our exit survey. This information will help us provide better service to our families in future events.
The exit survey can be found here: https://forms.gle/3BsnCpxNnr9t3oCu6
2020-2021 Curriculum Guide (pdf)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q&A Session for Milwee Middle School Magnet Night 2020
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2020
Starting time: 6:14 PM
Q: If your child is in an elementary gifted program, are accepted to Milwee, do they automatically go into a gifted program at Milwee?
Once a student is gifted, that never changes. They are always gifted, but parents may decline services. A students' giftedness doesn't change or get re-evaluated. Only their Educational Plan may change.
Q: What is a Math PRIME?
PRIMES is an advanced mathematics course available to grades 4 and 5 students. Assessment data is used to select students for PRIMES. These students will generally take GEMS math as 6th graders (although entry into 6th Advanced Math is also acceptable). The acronym stands for Program of Rigourous Integrated Mathematics for Elementary Students. Students in 4th grade PRIMES will be exposed to all 4th grade standards and ½ of 5th. Students in 5th grade PRIMES will be exposed to the other half of the 5th grade standards and half of 6th.
Q: My daughter is in Choices in Learning. In math - would she qualify for 6th Gems - if she does not have 5th grade Primes.
Since she does not have 5th grade PRIMES, it would be more advisable for her to take 6th Advanced Math.
Q: You stated FSA needs to be 3 for advanced math. I have heard there won't be FSA's this year. If this is the case, is the FSA from 4th grade used?
There has been no official word of cancellation of FSA - with that in mind, we are basing our decisions on FSA results until such time we are notified otherwise. If that is the case, we will defer to the directions of the school board.
Q: Advanced Math - what was the FSA score level to qualify.. shes at level 4.
Students scoring a 3 or above are placed in Advanced/Pre-IB Math. Math level is self-select, so a student at a level below "3" can also enroll in advanced math. Summer remedial work would be very beneficial for that student.
Q: Would students that attend the magnet program have any different types of classes than what has been presented? Do magnet students attend the majority of the same classes together?
Milwee is fortunate to be a whole school Magnet. The Magnet program is infused throughout all content areas. All students attending Milwee's campus are part of the Magnet experience. Students are scheduled independently for all 7 classes and do not move as a group with their classes.
Q: Are magnet kids separated from the general public kids?
No - all students attend school together.
Q: Do you have a bus?
School buses are provided to students living more than 2 miles away from a school.
Q: If my child is going into the 8th grade, can she go into the Magnet program and at this stage of middle school, is there a benefit?
Certainly, if your 8th grader is interested in Engineering, attending our Magnet program will assist with transition to Lyman High School's Engineering program.
Q: Do you have accelerated Spanish classes since my kid is in the dual language now?
We do have plans to include an accelerated (Spanish 2) class in the future.
Q: One question - with the syllabus that's covered in core science - will it give the option for a student to pursue Biological sciences or Medical if interest change.
Currently, Science is comprehensive in Grades 6-8 with the option of Pre-Ib, Advanced, & Standard. We do have an elective Science offering - Environmental Science as well as an elective offering titled Medical Detectives.
Q: How does this program differ from standard middle school?
At Milwee Middle School our Engineering theme is threaded throughout the content areas. We are the only middle school in SCPS to offer this opportunity.
Q: My son is currently on the SCVS save your seat option. Since he is a prime student he is doing 6th grade advanced/honors. What math path will he do when he starts 6th grade?
Your son would best benefit from GEMS as a 6th grader.
Q: Question about electives - are these electives by grade (some for 6th, some for 7th etc).
Yes, elective opportunities differ by grade level. See our curriculum guide on our website for a complete list. http://www.milwee.scps.k12.fl.us/Portals/124/assets/pdf/2020-2021/Millwee%20Curriculum%20Guide%202020.pdf?ver=2020-10-13-120914-543&target=_blank
Q: Do they have a lot of homework or projects on these electives?
Most electives are project based, generally homework is assigned when a student does not finish their work in the allotted class time.
Q: Do u guys have stem classes and do you provide after school activities like art classes or sports? Also, do you guys provide buses too?
Milwee does provide sports activities after school like Track, Cross Country, Volleyball, and Basketball. We also have clubs like Girls Engineering Club, FCA, Optimist Club, Beta Club, Secme … Busing is provided to students living over 2 miles away from our school.
Q: Can you choose which of these you want to do and how many can you choose?
Most students have the opportunity to include 3 electives in their schedule each semester. As 6th graders PE and iJourney are required electives allowing students to CHOOSE the other 2 electives from the available 6th grade offerings. The only exception would be a student scoring 1 or low 2 on FSA Reading or Math - these students will also be required to take an Intensive Reading OR Intensive Math class, leaving them with a choice of 1 offered elective each semester.
Q: Is there a football team?
We do not offer football but do offer Cross Country, Track, Volleyball, and Basketball.
Q: Are art classes 1/2 a semester or full year classes?
Art classes are semester classes (August- December or January-May).
Q: Just trying to gauge the choice of the number of classes that a 6th grader would take - core subjects + some electives + drawing, band, theatre.. (want to get a well rounded exposure starting 6th grade but don't want to overload).
Please see our curriculum guide for the Curriculum overview chart on page 3 to help map out your child's plan. http://www.milwee.scps.k12.fl.us/Portals/124/assets/pdf/2020-2021/Millwee%20Curriculum%20Guide%202020.pdf?ver=2020-10-13-120914-543&target=_blank
Q: To clarify there is only a 1 semester class for Theatre? Are there any clubs for drama/theatre?
Correct - there is one semester class for Theater. Currently we do not have any clubs for Theater at Milwee.
Q: How do they choose the instrument that is perfect for them?
At the beginning of the year, Mr. Autrey our Band Director holds an instrument fitting. At this time, students have the opportunity to try different instruments to see which best "fits" their personality.
Q: How does the magnet program differ from standard schooling?
Being part of the Magnet program allows students the opportunity to explore Engineering within their core classes and as part of our elective offerings. Milwee is the ONLY Pre-Engineering Magnet middle school in SCPS.
Q: What types of apps would they use?
Gamestar Mechanic, Scratch. Other apps may be added when available such as, Blender, Unity, Code Combat
Q: Would they have to do it all at school?
The expectation is that students will complete all their school work at school. In the event that they do not, teachers may send unfinished work home for homework.
Q: What programming language is used for video game design?
Scratch is used as an introduction to programming: focusing on programming concepts such as loops, variables, conditional statements, Boolean etc. used in all object-oriented programming.
Q: Are all these courses mandatory and taught throughout the year?
6th graders are required to take Physical Education, iJourneys, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The other course are considered "Elective" giving them the opportunity to choose the elective that interested them. See our curriculum guide for a Curriculum overview chart on page 3 to help map out your child's plan.
Q: Do students work or a project in teams or individual projects?
Generally speaking students work in teams or partners to complete projects. Currently with COVID, collaboration is limited to ensure students health and safety.
Q: Is there a foreign language (like Spanish) that the students need to take?
Only 8th grade students enrolled in our SCPS Pre-IB program are required to take Foreign Language - at Milwee we offer Spanish but other options are available via SCVS.
Q: How many students do you have at your school?
Currently, we have 781 students enrolled Face to Face, 524 enrolled in Seminole Connect, and 138 enrolled in SCVS Save My Seat for a total of 1,418 students.
Q: Can we find the list of clubs somewhere?
Yes, the list of clubs can be found on the last page of our curriculum guide and will also be made available on the students' class selection sheets.
Q: Is PE a requirement? If so is it every year?
Yes, Physical Education is a requirement each year. A parent may sign a PE waiver and verify that their child is participating in physical activities outside of the school day that are equal to or in excess of the mandated requirement (150 minutes per week for grades K-5 or one class period per day for one semester each year for grades 6-8). Students who waive the physical education requirement will be enrolled in an enrichment or elective course offered by the school.
Q: For out of zone, is the decision to accept based on how early they applied or is it a lottery system?
The decision to accept is purely based on a lottery system.
Q: What if we currently live out of county - but are moving to Seminole County for the 2021-22 school year?
Students must be a resident of Seminole County to be eligible to apply. If you will be zoned for Milwee, you can register to attend once you move. If you are out of our zone, you can still apply throughout the summer. We often consider out of zone students during the summer.
Q: How does the school receive funding and do parents have to volunteer a particular amount of hours for their child to attend?
SCPS' receive funding based on FTE (Full time equivalent) students. Parents are not required to volunteer for their child to attend.
Q: Is this meeting recorded so we can go back and hear about the classes again?
Yes. We will have a recording ready tomorrow that will be available on our website. We will also send out an email with that information.
Q: Does your school have a soccer club?
Our school has 2 sections of Soccer club during our Friday Club Time. We do not offer a before or after school soccer club.