Written by Dr. Steve Whitaker, Head of School

January is a time of reflection and anticipation at The First Academy. It is a time to look back and reflect on our successes and learn from our challenges. It is a time to look forward to all that God has planned for us in the coming year.

One of the things we do each January is share a State of the School presentation and create our Annual Report document for the prior calendar year. You can view the State of the School video HERE, and you should have received a hard copy of the Annual Report document in your mailbox last week. The video and the Annual Report are also available on the TFA Website HERE. This process is very important as it relates to the school’s Strategic Plan.

One of our priorities in the final quarter of 2016 was to better understand what the Gospel teaches us about race and ethnicity. To that end, five teams consisting of parents, faculty, staff, and community members worked together to identify items worthy of commendation and to look at areas of needed growth that would be expressed in the form of recommendations. A special sub-committee from our School Board will oversee the implementation of recommendations. Next week we will provide additional information regarding important steps in the process.

Looking ahead, there are several special events in the coming weeks and months that we hope you are able to attend. If you have visited campus lately, you may have noticed the progress on the new Field House. We look forward to celebrating the opening of this one-of-a-kind facility in February. More information regarding the ribbon cutting and opening of the facility will be shared with all of our families as we near the final stages of construction.

The Middle School Theatre department is excited to present The Lion King, Jr. January 26-28 and February 1-3 in the Black Box Theatre. Tickets go on sale to the public January 13th and can be purchased at https://thefirstacademy.ticketleap.com/lionking.

In Athletics, there are some important games approaching and many of our teams are advancing to district and regional play. Be sure to mark your calendar for these events, as listed below.

 

Boys Basketball
1/14 – Varsity at Master’s Classic vs. Master’s Academy at 7:00 PM

Girls Basketball
1/28 – Varsity Senior Night vs. Evans High School @ TFA at 2:00 PM

Boys Soccer
1/25 – Varsity District Semifinals @TFA
1/27 – District Final @ TFA (Teams TBD)

Girls Soccer
1/18 – Varsity District Semifinals @ TFA
1/20 – District Final @ TFA (Teams TBD)
1/26 – Regional Quarterfinal (time and teams TBD)

Cheerleading
1/20 – Varsity Cheer Regionals @ Spruce Creek High School

 

As I look back at 2016, the word that stands out to me is Faithful. God has been faithful to walk alongside us each step of the way – teaching us, correcting us, and molding us into His image. It is a privilege to serve your family, and I look forward to another great year as we step forward in confidence that the best is yet to come.