MARCH DATES

Please take a moment to mark your calendars. The following are important dates that you don’t want to miss for March.

Mar 7               3rd Quarter AR Deadline
Mar 7               Parent Association Meeting 8:15am FH 301
Mar 8-9           Alternative Lunch Days
Mar 10             Early Dismissal 12:15pm- End of 3rd Quarter(Library closing at 12:15pm)
Mar 13             4th Quarter Begins
Mar 16             Rising 8th Grade PAL DC Interest Mtg. Black Box 3:30-4:00pm
Mar 17-19        Winter Park Art Festival
Mar 20-24      Spring Break

RECOGNITION

We were so excited to welcome our new Middle School Worship Team!   They did a tremendous job leading our students in worship last week during our weekly chapel time.
Great job ladies- we look forward to hearing from and worshipping with you again.

NEW ITEMS

Alternative Lunch- March 8 & 9

We will be having alternative lunches on Wednesday, March 8th and Thursday, March 9th. The Junior Class is offering an alternative lunch for students in grades 5-12 and faculty to purchase on those days. Kindergarten through 4th grade will have separate arrangements and will need to check with their teachers for information.

Wednesday’s lunch will be a Chick-fil-A Sandwich with chips & water for $6.50, an extra sandwich is available for $4.50. Thursday’s lunch will be Panda Express with meat options of orange chicken or teriyaki chicken and sides of fried rice or lomein noodles.

To order, please visit https://thefirstacademy.org/about/lunch/. Please submit your order by Tuesday, March 7th at 12:00pm.

After submitting your order, you should land on a confirmation page. You should also receive a confirmation email within 15 minutes from Larissa Galloway confirming receipt of payment. You do have the option of ordering for multiple students. Food distribution will be in the gym lobby.

Please remember that you are welcome to bring something from home if neither of these options are of interest.

 

Library Closing

Due to early dismissal, the TFA library will be closing at 12:15 PM on Friday, March 10th.

 

Winter Park Art Festival- March 17-19

The 58th Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival Committee invites you

to participate in the Leon Theodore Schools Exhibit of

The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

March 17, 18 and 19, 2017

 

About The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival (WPSAF):

WPSAF is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious juried fine art shows. It consistently ranks among the most highly regarded outdoor art shows in the nation. The show is conveniently located in Central Park, a beautifully landscaped area whose surrounding streets are closed during the Festival to allow for foot traffic only. Artists’ booths, schools’ exhibits and the children’s workshop village all nestle under large oak trees in the park. Attendance usually reaches 350,000 people for the three-day event which features free concerts in Central Park, a wide variety of food and beverages, children’s easel painting, museum activities and Orange County schools’ exhibits.

We invite you to attend and also see the exceptional exhibit of TFA’s US/MS art students. WPSAF is committed to the arts and art education and has proudly showcased the student artwork and art programs of Orange County public and private schools since the first festival in 1960.

 

The student displays are located in large tents near the Winter Park Post Office. The exhibit is named in memory of Leon Theodore, an acclaimed local artist, an Orange County Public Schools art teacher, and a former member and president of the art festival board.

Please join us for a lovely weekend of art, food and fun!

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

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