JANUARY DATES

Please take a moment to mark your calendars. The following are important dates that you don’t want to miss for January.
Jan 12              MS Chapel- 9:30am FH- Speaker Dr. Scott Toenges
Jan 16              No School Student/Teacher Holiday
Jan 19              MS Special Assembly- 9:30am FH- “Lion King Jr.” Cast
Jan 26             MS Chapel- 9:30am FH- Speaker Keith Tower
Jan 26-28       MS Musical “Lion King Jr.”-  7pm BlackBox
Feb 1                MS Musical “Lion King Jr.”- 3pm BlackBox Student Matinee
Feb 2-3            MS Musical “Lion King Jr.”- 7pm BlackBox

 

RECOGNITION

A BIG thank you to the MS Advanced Steel Drums for entertaining our guests during Open House on Sunday!!  Really appreciate their commitment to the music, especially in the 55 degree weather!  Great job!

MS Steel Drums entertaining our Open House guests

 

The 2017 National Geographic Bee was held January 11th in the Black Box Theatre  in the Middle School of The First Academy.  30 students from grades 6-8 competed.  These students scored the highest on the preliminary competition in their respective grade levels.

Goegraphy Bee Top 30 Candidates

After several tie-breakers, the 2017 Geography Bee winner was Liam Philbin from 6th Grade
and the runner-up was Drew Middleton from 8th Grade.

Top 2 winners of Geography Bee 2017(Drew- Left, Liam-Right)

Liam will be taking an online test to see if he qualifies for the state competition in Jacksonville in March.

All 30 students, who participated in the bee, will be receiving cash prizes in Chapel to celebrate their academic success!!

Here were the top 10 results
Tie for fourth place: Evan Ryan, Lauren Philbin, Reghan Coughlin
Tie for third place: Adrian Karam, Burton Pringle, Caleb Andarge, Camp Magee, Ryan Slattery
Runner-up: Drew Middleton
Winner: Liam Philbin

Again, congratulations to all thirty students that qualified for the 2017 National Geographic Bee!

 

New Items

MS presents “Lion King Jr.”The First Academy proudly brings Disney’s “The Lion King Jr”. The show features an incredibly talented cast.  “The Lion King Jr” is a lively adaptation of the Broadway musical based on Disney’s beloved 1994 animated film. This is the tale of Simba (Elvis Requejo), a young lion prince living in the flourishing African Pride Lands with his friend, Nala (Isabella Reed & Ava Wilson), and the journey he takes as he comes of age and fights a formidable enemy to fulfill his destiny to be king.  The show features a wide-ranging cast of well-known characters, including the majestic Mufasa (Benny Englund), the cruel Scar (Kinsey Campbell), beloved comedic duo of Timon & Pumbaa (Cydni Dariso & Hannah Brady), this vibrant show brings traditional African styles & rhythms to life.

 

“The Lion King Jr” is a story of love and redemption that captivates its audience through spirited and dynamic singing and dancing – combined with heaps of laughter and vivid dramatics.  The importance of family, friendship, and courage is explored with humor and emotion in this entertaining and electrifying musical.  “The Lion King Jr” is perfect for families with children of all ages.  Evening performances take place January 26th – 28th, and February 2nd – 3rd at 7:00 pm.  There will also be a student matinee performance on February 1st at 3:00.   Tickets will be available next week at www.thefirstacademy.org.

REMINDERS

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
  • 7th Bible- 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