FEBRUARY DATES

Please take a moment to mark your calendars. The following are important dates that you don’t want to miss for January & February.
Feb 9               MS Chapel- 9:30am Henry Chapel- Brandon Farris
Feb 9-10          Alternative Lunch
Feb 16              MS/US Chapel- 9:30am Worship Center- Dr. David Uth
Feb 17              No School- Student Holiday- Teacher Workday
Feb 20             No School- Student/Teacher Holiday
Feb 23             8th Grade Portraits
Feb 23             MS Chapel- 9:30am Henry Chapel- Chris Bacon
Feb 28             8th Grade Portrait Retakes- if needed
Mar 2-3           WRaP Testing

RECOGNITION

The Lion King roared as a cast of over twenty students appeared on stage in an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical created especially for middle school students.

The cast in this show is impressive.  Rafiki was marvelously portrayed by Lillian Davidson.  McKayla Guidice played a strong Sarabi, Simba’s mother and Esteban Rios as Mufasa Simba’s father.   Scar (Kinsey Campbell), a rival for the throne, was successfully commanding as she and the three laughing hyenas (Georgia Cash, Avery McNeil, and Michael Gordon) sang “Be Prepared.”  Charlotte Crawford was solid as Sarafina, the mother of Nala (Bella Reed).  The grown Nala is played by Ava Wilson who sang the beautiful “Shadowland.”  Elvis Requejo stole our hearts as Simba with his baby roar.  Cydni Dariso, Hannah Brady, & Michaela Gordon played the animated characters of Timon, Pumba, & Ed.  Benny Englund thrilled the audience as Zazu.   There were also many other hard working student actors who appeared in the as lions, wildebeests, and other creatures. This energetic ensemble included:  Sophia Borrero, Hailey Gill, Tyler Hopkins, Sarah Joseph, Regan McDonald, Emma Pastis, Erin Rush, Eva Sullivan, and McKayla Vincent.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Lion King Jr. It was obvious that the student actors were dedicated to the task of performing this musical and that the audience was delighted with the results.

 

Magnificent MS Actors starring in Lion King Jr.

NEW ITEMS

8th Grade Portraits

All 8th Grade students will be having their portraits done for our 8th Grade Celebration Chapel in May.   Michele Moreman who is a TFA Alum will be shooting the pictures.   Students are allowed to wear dress code appropriate jeans and a nice shirt/blouse for pictures.    Portrait day will be February 23rd with a retake day being offered on February 28th.   We will ONLY take the class picture on February 23rd.   If you have questions please fee free to contact Shannon Rymer at shannonrymer@thefirstacademy.org.

Save The Date

8th Grade Celebration Chapel
May 18th
9:30am-10:30am Faith Hall

Celebration includes:
8th Grade Video
8th Grade Keynote Presentation
Performances by our Middle School Ensemble
Middle School Teacher of the Year
Disney Dreamer and Doer
Christian Leadership Awards: Timothy & Ruth
Student Government Recognition

Please make sure to mark your calendars for this very important date.

REMINDERS

Alternative Lunch

Thursday & Friday February 9 & 10 are alternative lunches for all of TFA.   If you did not pre-purchase lunches from the Junior Class please make sure your student has a lunch from home on each of these days.   There will be no lunch purchases in Faith Hall or the Cafe on the Rock.

Box Tops for Education

We are actively collecting Box Tops at the Middle School front desk.    This program will help our 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.  No need to trim anything neatly, just tear them off and turn them into the collection bucket located at the middle school front desk.

Attendance

All attendance notifications and questions should be communicated directly to Ms. Lyn Maxime, the  attendance clerk for both the Upper and Middle School divisions. All Middle School students who are tardy to campus must check in with Ms. Maxime when they arrive at school.  You may contact Ms. Maxime concerning your student being tardy or absent at (407)206-8630 or email her at msattendance@thefirstacademy.org.

E.C.H.O.…..E.C.H.O.!

E.C.H.O. stands for Every Child Has an Opportunity! It’s your student’s opportunity to grow and provides a home base for communicating here in the Magnificent Middle School! E.C.H.O. is your key (Did you hear that E.C.H.O.?) to communicating with your Magnificent Middle School Scholar. Let me E.C.H.O. that! It is your key (E.C.H.O) to communicating with your Middle School Scholar!

Here are the ABC’s of how E.C.H.O. can serve you and your student:

  1. Ask your student WHO their E.C.H.O. teacher is. That is vital information; let me encourage you to let that name E.C.H.O. in your mind. It will serve you well all year!
  2. Make-up work or testing can easily be arranged and completed during your student’s E.C.H.O. class.
  3. Inclement weather dismissal is always done through E.C.H.O. class.

7th Grade E.C.H.O. teachers:

  • Dana Menz Room 156
  • Jeff Rossemiessl Room 160
  • Bette Gordon Room 153
  • Becky Render Room 158
  • Joe Donaldson- Room 162

8th Grade E.C.H.O. teachers:

  • Lindsey Hurlebaus Room 246
  • James Grosshans Room 248
  • Christy Requejo Room 259
  • Yvonne England Room 250
  • Shannon Rymer Room 252

Severe Weather Inside Dismissal

-Students are dismissed from 7th period to ECHO classrooms
-Students without signed parent permission slips are dismissed when a parent visits the lobby to pick them up. MS Office will contact ECHO classroom teacher.
Students with signed parent permission slips are dismissed
Student shows text from parent stating location of parent on TFA campus
Parent emails ECHO teacher stating their arrival and location on TFA campus

Start and Dismissal Times

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 7:50am-3:15pm
Wednesday: 7:50am-2:40pm

Gluten Free Options Available in the Cafeteria

Students with gluten sensitivities have a few options in our cafeteria. Please ask for Chef Jaime, Greg, or Emily for assistance. Options include gluten free pasta available daily as well as grab and go salads, grilled chicken and hamburger patties. There are also a few items on the menu that can be tailored to be gluten free.

Dress Code

  • Only Dennis or Sunshine uniform tops and bottoms are acceptable.
  • Female skirts, skorts, and shorts must rest below mid-thigh while seated.
  • Male shorts must be an appropriate length
  • Skirts, skorts, and shorts may not be hemmed to an inappropriate length.
  • Students must wear flat, closed-toed, closed heeled shoes (heels, platform shoes, boots, sandals, etc., are not permitted).

Our goal with the uniform policy is for students to maintain a professional look while at school. We appreciate your understanding and partnership.

 New Uniform Item Available

Want to stand out from the crowd? Dress blazers are now available for all 6th-12th-grade students (male & female). Step up your wardrobe game and come to school dressed to impress! Blazers can be purchased in person at the Dennis Uniform Store (1101 N. Keller Road, Suite G-3 , Orlando, FL 32810) or online here: http://www.dennisuniform.com/ONLStore/d-store-home.asp?pageitem=12&pagenumber=1&gn=2&sc=ETF&dis=20851816