IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR OCTOBER & NOVEMBER
Parents, please take a moment to mark your calendars. The following are important dates that you do not want to miss:
- October 28th: 3rd-5th Grade Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Field Trip
- October 31st-November 9th: Celebrate America Week
- November 1st: Parent Association Meeting 8:15-9:45AM (Faith Hall 301)
- November 3rd: 5th Grade Field Trip (Epcot)
- November 3rd: Ready, Set KPrep 9:00-11:00AM (Library)
- November 4th: Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
- November 9th: Lower School Celebrate America Picnic-Alternative Lunch Day (See Information Below)
- November 9th: Veterans Day Chapel 1:00PM (Faith Hall)
- November 13th: Open House 1:30-4:30PM
- November 16th: 3rd Grade Thanksgiving Celebration 8:15AM (3rd Grade Classrooms)
- November 17th: 1st Grade Thanksgiving Celebration 2:00PM (1st Grade Classrooms)
- November 17th: 2nd Grade Writing Showcase 8:30-10:00AM (2nd Grade Classrooms)
- November 17th: 4th Grade Thanksgiving Celebration 10:45-12:00PM (4th Grade Classrooms)
- November 18th: K4, TK, K Thanksgiving Presentation 12:30-1:00PM (Faith Hall)
- November 18th: K4, TK, K Thanksgiving Dessert Fellowship 1:15-2:15PM (Classrooms)
- November 21st-25th: Thanksgiving Break-No School
- November 30th: Deck the Halls
CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES
The following is a list of upcoming chapel dates and times:
- October 27th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Brown’s Chapel Presentation 8:30-9:15AM (Faith Hall)
- October 27th: Middle School Chapel (6th-8th) 9:30-10:10AM (Faith Hall)
- November 3rd: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Lamp’s Chapel Presentation 8:30-9:15AM (Henry Chapel)
- November 3rd: Middle School Chapel (6th-8th) 9:30-10:10AM (Henry Chapel)
- November 9th: LS Veterans Day Chapel 1:00-2:00PM (Faith Hall)
- December 1st: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Agan’s Chapel Presentation 8:30-9:15AM (Faith Hall)
- December 1st: Middle School Chapel (6th-8th) 9:30-10:10AM (Faith Hall)
- December 8th: Christmas Chapel 8:30-9:15AM (Faith Hall)
- December 16th: All School Christmas Program
A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON
It has been so great to see our students model forgiveness. I have to admit that this has not always come very easily to me. Being an only child may not have forced me into situations where I had to ask for forgiveness or extend it as much. I know I should have had asked for it and offered it way more often that I did. The same is probably true even now. Encouraging my children and the students to forgive is much easier than doing it myself. As a school family, let’s encourage one another to embrace forgiveness and see the amazing things that God can do! Many thanks to Mrs. Whitaker for writing our October devotion on Forgiveness accessible using the link below.
Mark your calendars for our annual Lower School Veterans Day Chapel. Check out the details below. 
RECOGNITION
3rd Grade STEM Activity
Third grade is always up to something fun and engaging but also educational. Students were challenged with building a tower sturdy enough to hold an object at the top. Some of the teams “rose” to the occasion (pun intended).
Mrs. Schuessler’s Chapel Presentation
Mrs. Schuessler’s class taught us about the importance of forgiveness in a variety of ways. Her class prepared two modern day skits that demonstrated the importance of forgiveness and they also reenacted the story of Joseph and his brothers from the book of Genesis.
Service Before Self in Action
Math League Competition-4th and 5th Grade
Last Saturday, a group of students from TFA Lower School took part in the local Math League competition. The competition was broken down into 4 different rounds:
- Number Sense
- Sprint Round
- Target Round
- Team Round
We had some superstars on our team. Luke, one of our 4th graders, came in 5th place out of all the other 4 graders in the competition. We also had one of our 5th grade teams come in 5th place in the team round.
Congratulations to all of the students for their hard work!
KPrep, TK, Kindergarten Fire Truck Visit
On Tuesday, KPrep, TK, and Kindergarten classes enjoyed a visit from the City of Orlando Station 17 Firefighters. Students were reminded of important fire safety rules and procedures to follow. Does your family have a plan in case of an emergency? Do you have smoke detectors in place at home? Do you check smoke detectors monthly and change batteries at least 2 times per year? Do you have a family evacuation plan and designated meeting place? Does your child know their home address? Do they know how to dial 911 or how to use the emergency feature on your cell phone? These and many other situations were discussed with the firefighters. Join us in praying for our first responders as they put their lives at risk to serve our community daily.
5th Grade Science
In the last 2 weeks, 5th-grade has been studying Cells. It has been fun to compare the structures of animal cells vs. plant cells. The students have been learning the complexities of cells, what they are made of and how unique and important each cell is to any organism. Within this unit, they have focused on Genesis 1:27, “People are God’s special creation, crafted in His image for His glory and capable of a personal relationship with Him.” They have had some amazing conversations about the complexity of cells and how they replicate to help us grow into what God wants us to be. As always, one of the most exciting parts of our science lessons involves exploring with microscopes. These pictures show the students viewing 20 different types of plant and animal cells in order to see the difference in their round and square shapes. After viewing the slides, they record what they see in their Interactive Science Notebook
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NEW THIS WEEK
Celebrate America Unit in Lower School
Haiti Shoebox Drive
We are excited to be kicking off our annual Haiti Shoebox Drive in partnership with New Missions. Last year we collected over 1600 boxes to send to children in Haiti and we want to do even more this year. We will be talking about the shoebox drive in chapel this week but you can watch a great video HERE. Each year we collect shoeboxes filled with gifts for students in Haiti. School supplies, hygiene items, toys and other small gifts make a big difference in the lives of Haitian children and their families. You can share God’s love this Christmas by packing a shoebox. Our goal for Lower School will be 750 shoeboxes. Let’s work together to bless some children in Haiti this year.
“We love because He first loved us.” (I John 4:19)
Share God’s love this Christmas.
K4-2nd Grade BOOK CAMP!
At TFA, we strive to develop the love of reading in all of our students.
To help foster that love of reading, the TFA library is excited to announce our 2nd quarter reading incentive program for our K4-2nd grade students!
BOOK CAMP! Incentive Program
October 17-December 16
Each week, students can fill out a BOOK CAMP reading record form. Students can read any 10 books themselves, or the books may be read to them. Completed reading records (records with at least 10 books) should be turned in during the student’s regular library time each week in order to receive a special prize! Click below for a copy of the BOOK CAMP log.
Ready, Set, KPrep!
Do you know someone who has a 3-year old student? It’s never too early to start thinking about next year. Join us for our Ready, Set, KPrep event. This will take place on Thursday, November 3rd beginning at 9:00AM in the TFA Library. This is a great chance to learn more about our KPrep program for 4 year-olds. You will get a chance to meet the teachers and even visit the classrooms to get a first-hand glimpse at this very special program. You don’t want to miss it!
Best of Southwest Contest
For the past three years, The First Academy has had the honor to be called the best private school in Southwest Orlando by the Southwest Orlando Bulletin.
We now have the opportunity to participate in the Best of Southwest 2017 contest to not only achieve this prestigious award once again, but to gain recognition for The First Academy and all that we do.
Click HERE to complete the survey. The survey is located in the top right corner of the Southwest Bulletin Homepage.
Note: You must complete at least 50% of the survey for it to count.Thank you for joining us in this effort. We appreciate all that you do to help us in raising the next generation of Christian leaders.
Box Tops for Education Deadline
The first collection due date for this year’s Box Tops for Education is Friday, October 21st. This program will help out school earn money, but more importantly help teach our students how joining forces with each other can accomplish great things. This project allows our children to choose service before self and participation as a way of life. Just tear the box tops off and turn then in to the collection bucket located at the Lower, Middle or Upper School front desk. Your box top donations are greatly appreciated.
REMINDERS
TFA Preschool Scholastic Book Fair
The Preschool will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair on October 25th-27th. They will be offering a special “5 Day Lower School” purchasing event on Wednesday, October 26th from 3:00-4:00pm. The book levels will range from birth-5th grade. This is a great opportunity to shop for books for 2nd quarter or even Christmas gifts!
October 28th-NEHS Inductee Recognition
Our new 4th, 5th, and 6th grade NEHS inductees will be recognized at the TFA Varsity Football Game on Friday, October 28th. The students will have the opportunity to come out on the field for their recognition. Parents mark your calendars because you will not want to miss this special recognition.
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
Library Hours
The Boyd Moline Library will be open until 3:45pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays this year. It will close at 3:30pm on Monday and Friday and at 2:40pm on Wednesdays.
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 of chaperoning on a field trip.