IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER

Parents, please take a moment to mark your calendars. The following are important dates that you do not want to miss:

  • September 15th:  2nd Grade Field Trip-Makar and Smith (Dinosaur World)
  • September 16th:  2nd Grade Field Trip-Wall and Dowling (Dinosaur World)
  • September 20: Uniform Resale 7:30am (Student Center)
  • September 20th-22nd: Lower School Student-Led Conferences (By Appointment)
  • September 20th-22nd: Early Dismissal 12:15pm
  • September 28th:  See You at the Pole 7:45am (Alumni Commons)
  • September 29th: NEHS Induction Ceremony 7:00PM (Faith Hall 301)
  • September 30th:  1st Grade Field Trip (Sea World)
  • October 4th:  1st Quarter AR Deadline
  • October 5th: 4th Grade Starlab In-House Field Trip (Gym)
  • October 6th: All-School Homecoming Pep Rally 6:00PM (Payne Stewart)
  • October 7th:  Homecoming Parade 11:00AM
  • October 7th: End of the 1st Quarter-Early Dismissal 12:15PM

CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES

The following is a list of upcoming chapel dates and times:

  • September 15th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Combs’s Chapel Presentation 8:30-9:15am (Faith Hall)
  • September 15th: No Chapel for 6th Grade Due to NJHS Induction Ceremony in MS
  • September 29th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Smith’s Chapel Presentation 8:30-9:15am (Faith Hall)
  • September 29th: Middle School Chapel (6th-8th) 9:30-10:10am (Faith Hall)
  • October 6th:  No LS Chapel Due to Homecoming Week
  • October 6th: Middle School Chapel (6th-8th) 9:30-10:10am (Faith Hall)
  • October 13th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Miss Rowley’s Chapel Presentation 8:30-9:15am (Faith Hall)
  • October 13th:  Middle School Chapel (6th-8th) 9:30-10:10am (Faith Hall)
  • October 20th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Schuessler’s Chapel Presentation 8:30-9:15am (Henry Chapel)
  • October 20th:  Middle School Chapel (6th-8th) 9:30-10:10am (Henry Chapel)
  • 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)

A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON

AR Deadline

We are approaching our first AR Deadline for the school year.    This is an independent reading program we used beginning in Kindergarten and continues all the way through Upper School.   Each Lower School student has an AR goal (in points) as well as a recommended reading range.    Students’ AR goals are based on 30 minutes of reading per day for a 9-week period.   Some students with higher reading levels may have higher goals than other students in the same grade.  This is not intended to punish the students for above-average reading achievement.   The formula for setting AR goals is research-based and designed to foster consistent and adequate reading growth.  Students who start out reading on or above grade level still need to make adequate growth to maintain that level.  Students who start out reading below grade level need to accelerate their reading achievement.  One of the best ways to achieve both of these goals is through independent reading.  The more you read, the better you read.

How can you as a parent partner with us to foster a love of independent reading?

  • Model independent reading at home to your child. Place value on this valuable exercise.
  • Encourage your child to read both fiction and non-fiction books within levels that are appropriate for him/her.
  • Place a positive emphasis on independent reading and the Accelerated Reader program.
  • Help your child set realistic goals to manage his/her independent reading. Divide the quarterly goal into manageable chunks that will ensure success.
  • Allow your child to take AR tests independently so teachers can confidently use the data to make instructional decisions for your child.

RECOGNITION

Mrs. Bell’s Chapel Presentation

Mrs. Bell’s class kicked off the month of September with a great chapel presentation about Responsibility.    They set the bar really high for the year.    They used a game show format where the contestants had to determine if someone was demonstrating responsibility or not.  They took stories out of the Bible and presented them in a modern day way.   It was funny too!   Way to go Mrs. Bell’s class.

Bell Chapel 2 Bell Chapel 1

Gold Medal Readers-Overall Results

We are excited to announce the overall winners for our Gold Medal Reader Incentive Program! Altogether, kindergarten through 6th grade earned a grand total of 7,906.1 AR points!!!!!! We are so impressed!!!!!

We will be delivering the winners’ medals to classrooms, and gold medal winning classes earned a free spirit day where students wore the colors of their country.

Connell: Gold *France: red, white, and blue

J. Williams: Silver
Huckleberry: Bronze

Cline: Gold (69.9) *Brazil: green, blue, and yellow

Burns: Silver (53.7)
Martin: Bronze (51.6)

F. Williams: Gold (130.1) *Israel: blue and white

Agan: Silver (108.9)
Fox: Bronze (100.0)

Smith: Gold (287.5) *Norway: red, white, and blue

Makar: Silver (132.4)
Wall: Bronze (115.1)
Dowling: 106.7

Schuessler: Gold (274.4) *Jamaica: green, yellow, and black

Lamp: Silver (182.4)

Walton: Gold (1092.8!!!!) *Turkey: red and white

Rowley: Silver (678.5)
Combs: Bronze (332.3)

Bell: Gold (982.6) *Ethiopia: red, yellow, blue, and green

Camblin: Silver (661.4)
Brown: Bronze (425.9)

Lawson: Gold (485.4) *Australia: red, white, and blue Dvorak: Silver (474.5)

Dvorak: Silver (474.5)
Diehl: Bronze (419.6)
Parmer­ 392.5
Fitzgerald ­324.3

KPrep Mother Goose Parade

All of our KPrep students came dressed as Mother Goose characters.   They paraded across the stage during chapel and even visited the TFA Preschool.    It was really fun to see some of the creative costumes.

KPrep Mother Goose Parade

6th Grade Rube Goldberg Challenge

In our 6th grade STEAM Tech elective, the girls have been doing the Rube Goldberg Challenge.  They had to create a machine using various materials including dominoes, ping pong balls, Jenga rods, etc.   Their machines opened books and created paintings.   It was fun to see the girls working together on a common task.   They laughed a lot too!!!

Rube Goldberg 1Rube Goldberg 2

NEW THIS WEEK

Lower School Social Event-SKYZONE ORLANDO

Families, mark your calendar for September 20th.  It is early dismissal at 12:15PM so head on over to SkyZone for a TFA Spirit Fun Day.  This is a great opportunity for students and parents to come together!

Skyzone

6th Grade On-Campus Retreat

Our 6th graders had a blast at their retreat last Friday.   Each classroom teacher did a different team-building breakout session.   The students completed a Spiritual Gifts Inventory.   Mrs. Diehl even played Duck Duck Goose!   It was a great day of fellowship for the students.   Many thanks to Mrs. Fitzgerald for leading a special time of praise and worship for the students.  We also want to thank Pete Wehry who spoke to the students about our school year theme In God We Trust.    It was a great day at TFA!

REMINDERS

Student-Led Conferences

Mark your calendars for the week of September 20-22nd.  These 3 days are early dismissal days (12:15pm) for all of Lower School as we conduct our annual Student-Led Conferences.  What is a Student-Led Conference?  It is exactly what the name suggests. During these individually-scheduled conference times, students will walk the parents through their beginning-of-the-year work samples and test scores.  In the weeks leading up to Student-Led Conferences, the classroom teachers will be conferencing with the students to discuss their information in preparation.  We are always impressed with how well the students do when it comes to talking about their school work.

After School Program for LS Conferences

We will have early dismissal September 20th-22nd due to Lower School Parent Conferences.  After Care will be available beginning at 12:15PM each day.  If your child does not normally attend After Care but needs to come one of these days, please contact the After Care Director, Onyx Molden at onyxmolden@thefirstacademy.org. You may also visit  TFA’s website to purchase a ticket for After Care.  Students attending the After Care Program September 20th-22nd must bring a lunch from home.

AR HomeConnect

Over the summer, we had an update to our Renaissance Learning program that we use for Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, and STAR Testing.  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.  If you had this set up previously, you will need to complete the process again.

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.