IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS & DATES
Parents, please take a moment to mark your calendars. The following are important dates that you do not want to miss:
- August 22nd: Parent Association Volunteer Breakfast 8:15-9:45AM (Student Center)
- September 6th: Lower School Coffee with the Principal 8:15AM (Field House Lobby)
- September 8th: 6th Grade Team-Building Retreat-All Day (Student Center)
- September 19-21st: Student-Led Conferences-Early Dismissal at 12:15 PM for Lower School students
CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES
The following is a list of upcoming chapel dates and times:
- August 24th: K4-5th Grade Chapel 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
- August 24th: 6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)
- August 31st: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Bell’s 5th Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
- August 31st: 6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)
- September 7th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Walton’s 4th Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
- September 7th: 6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)
- September 14th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Dowling’s 2nd Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
- September 14th: No Chapel for Lower School
- September 21st: No Chapel for K4-6th Grade Due to Conferences
- September 28th: 5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Schuessler’s 3rd Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
- September 28th: 6th-8th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Faith Hall)
A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON
We are nearing the completion of our first full week of school and I hope that all of our students and families can see some of the things that make TFA different from other public and private schools. The Lower School classrooms were filled on Tuesday night for Curriculum Night as parents got a broad look at the grade level and special events related to each. We brought the 80’s back on Wednesday as we celebrated the 30th birthday of our school. This is such a special time as many TFA alumni dropped their children off for school. We are thankful to the people who were here in the beginning and listened to God’s calling to start this great place that we all call our school home.
Here are the 5 verses we will be doing next week:
- “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16
- “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
- “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
- The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.” – Psalm 23:1-3
RECOGNITION
Happy Birthday TFA-80’s Day!
Lower School had such a great time celebrating TFA’s 30’s birthday on Wednesday. The students came decked out in their best 80’s clothes and we enjoyed cupcakes in the afternoon.
NEW THIS WEEK
Chapel Starts Next Week
We would love to have parents join us for our first K4-5th grade chapel of the school year. Pastor Skelton from First Baptist Church of Orlando will help us kick off the year with a special presentation related to our school year theme, “First Things First.” This is such a special time and chapel is a major part of our spiritual formation plan at The First Academy.
WT Cafe-New Lunch Program
We are so excited to be partnering with WT Care for our school lunch program. Many of you were able to sample some of the offerings during New Family Orientation. The process for Lower School Instructions for registering your account and adding funds:
- Visit www.wtcafe.com
- A box should pop-up in your browser window with “Welcome to WT Cafe” at the top. In this window select your location, which is Orlando
- Once “Orlando” has been selected, click “Order Now” (located in a big red box on the right side of the page, at the top)
- Once on the next page, you will need to sign-up. Find the area labeled “Not A Customer? Sign Up” and click there
- Continue on, completing the required fields
- Once all of the fields have been successfully filled out, your registration will be complete and you will receive an email from WT Cafe with your login information
- You will need to follow the instructions provided in the email to login to your newly registered account, add funds, and view the menu. You can even sign up for Auto-Reload so you don’t have to worry about manually re-filling your account. As long as your account is funded, your student will come through the line and enjoy a fresh, delicious, made from scratch lunch!
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What if I had a balance on my “GetFunds” account from last year? Once your account is created in WT Cafe, First Baptist will transfer your funds balance to your new WT account. First Baptist will NOT cut checks and mail them.
- What if the site won’t let me register because my email is already in their system? We have run into several instances already where parents cannot register at WTCafe.com because their email is already in the system from when they were a past customer. If this happens, please contact WT Café via their online Chat Helpdesk or via email at orlando@wtcafe.com.
- My child is in K4 or TK, are they able to purchase lunch as well? K4 and TK students will have the ability to purchase lunch and it will be delivered to the classrooms as has been done in years past. Please follow the same registration and account funding instructions above.
- What if the form asks for a “Teacher Name” when I am trying to register? I don’t know who my child’s teacher is yet. WT Cafe has added an option called “TBD” under TEACHER NAME. Lower School parents should choose this option for now, and then update it later once their teacher assignments are known.
- What if my child has food allergies? If your child has food allergies, you will be able to pre-select their allergy-friendly meal by ordering online at WTCafe.com. Children with pre-orders will not be permitted to add A La Carte items to their meals, and their side items will always consist of one fresh fruit and one fresh veggie (no dips, dressings, or sauces will be provided).
- Who do I contact if I am having problems setting up my account or adding funds? You can contact WT Cafe on WT Cafe’s online Chat Helpdesk or by email at orlando@wtcafe.com. You can also call the Orlando office at 407-618-5555.
Rowdy Reader Summer Reading Incentive
Don’t forget to turn your Rowdy Reader forms into the library by August 18th. Forms may also be turned into the classroom teachers and they will pass them along to the library staff.
Sunshine State Book Lists for 2017-2018
Are you looking for a new book to read? Check out the Sunshine State Books for this school year.
These books are chosen by the Florida Association of Media in Education and have not yet been pre-approved by the TFA Library staff. Parents, as always, please use your best judgment in helping your child choose books to read.
Extended Library Hours
For the 2017-2018 school year, the Boyd Moline Library will have extended hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 4:15PM. The library will be open on Mondays and Fridays until 3:45PM and on Wednesdays until 2:35PM. It opens daily at 7:30AM. Students may be in the library in the morning without a parent or adult but any student wishing to be in the library must be accompanied by a parent or another adult. Any student in the library after school without a parent or adult will be taken to the After Care program in the Lower School building.
REMINDERS
Morning Dropoff-7:30AM
This is just a friendly reminder that students may be dropped off beginning at 7:30AM. If you arrive to school prior to that time, we request that students remain with their parents until 7:30AM. The library and the gym are open at that time. Student supervision does not begin until that time.
AR HomeConnect
Many parents like to receive email updates when their children take Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math tests. You can set your preferences using Renaissance Learning HomeConnect.
Calendar Link
The TFA Calendar is a wonderful way to find the dates of upcoming events. Access our web-based calendar anytime. We recommend that you subscribe to all relevant calendars so you can keep up with all of the events going on around the school.
Parent Volunteer Background Check
If you are a new parent and would like to volunteer in your child(ren)’s classroom(s) or chaperone on field trips please complete our free background check. Please note that the background check site only works on Internet Explorer or Firefox on a desktop computer. Safari and Chrome are not supported by the site. Approvals take a few weeks so plan ahead! All parents must have a completed background check before volunteering in the classroom or chaperoning on a field trip.