IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS & DATES 

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

  • August 7th:  Meet Your Teacher/All Family Worship
  • August 9th:  First Day of School
  • August 9th:  Boo Hoo Breakfast 8:00AM (Field House Lobby)
  • August 10th:  Alternative Lunch for K4-8th Grade
  • August 11th:  Alternative Lunch for K4-8th Grade
  • August 15th:  Lower School Curriculum Night (6:00PM & 7:00PM)
  • August 16th:  Happy Birthday TFA!
  • August 22nd:  Parent Association Volunteer Breakfast 8:15-9:45AM (Student Center)

CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES

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

  • August 24th:  K4-5th Grade Chapel 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
  • August 24th:  6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)
  • August 31st:  K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Bell’s 5th Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
  • August 31st:  6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)

A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON

It’s almost time!  While you have been shopping for new shoes, school supplies, and uniforms, we have been painting walls, waxing floors, and unboxing new books.    The teachers have been working diligently in their classrooms to get ready for Meet the Teacher on Monday, August 7th.    Please make note of the schedule below:

  • 4:30-5:15-New Families Meet Your Teacher
  • 5:15-5:45-Returning Families (A-M) Meet Your Teacher
  • 5:15-5:45-New Family Dinner (Faith Hall)
  • 6:00-6:45-All Family Worship
  • 7:00-7:30-Returning Families (N-Z) Meet Your Teacher

All Family Worship is one of my favorite events of the school year.     Dr. Whitaker will be unpacking the school year theme, “First Things First.”  This is an event you do not want to miss.

We have been praying for all of our returning and new families.    God had great plans in store for this upcoming school year as we SEEK HIM FIRST.    I cannot wait to see everyone on Monday afternoon and evening.

RECOGNITION

New Teachers to Lower School

We are excited to introduce our new faculty and staff who will be joining us this year in Lower School.    Please welcome:

  • Kayla Parker:  KPrep Aide
  • Atlee Swartz:  Art
  • Tierra Brown:  Physical Education
  • Deanna Harrison:  3rd Grade
  • Kara Pastis:  3rd Grade
  • Kayla Uth:  4th Grade

TFA Lower School teachers in front of School Year Theme Poster

Some of our new faculty and staff were actually with us last year but we want to welcome them again as this will be their first full year in Lower School at The First Academy.     They are all going to make a great addition to our Lower School team.

 

 NEW THIS WEEK

WT Cafe-New Lunch Program

We are so excited to be partnering with WT Care for our school lunch program.    Many of you were able to sample some of the offerings during New Family Orientation.    The process for Lower School Instructions for registering your account and adding funds:

  • Visit www.wtcafe.com
  • A box should pop-up in your browser window with “Welcome to WT Cafe” at the top. In this window select your location, which is Orlando
  • Once “Orlando” has been selected, click “Order Now” (located in a big red box on the right side of the page, at the top)
  • Once on the next page, you will need to sign-up. Find the area labeled “Not A Customer? Sign Up” and click there
  • Continue on, completing the required fields
  • Once all of the fields have been successfully filled out, your registration will be complete and you will receive an email from WT Cafe with your login information
  • You will need to follow the instructions provided in the email to login to your newly registered account, add funds, and view the menu. You can even sign up for Auto-Reload so you don’t have to worry about manually re-filling your account. As long as your account is funded, your student will come through the line and enjoy a fresh, delicious, made from scratch lunch!

Frequently Asked Questions:

  1.  What if I had a balance on my “GetFunds” account from last year?  Once your account is created in WT Cafe, First Baptist will transfer your funds balance to your new WT account. First Baptist will NOT cut checks and mail them.
  2. What if the site won’t let me register because my email is already in their system?  We have run into several instances already where parents cannot register at WTCafe.com because their email is already in the system from when they were a past customer. If this happens, please contact WT Café via their online Chat Helpdesk or via email at orlando@wtcafe.com.
  3. My child is in K4 or TK, are they able to purchase lunch as well?  K4 and TK students will have the ability to purchase lunch and it will be delivered to the classrooms as has been done in years past. Please follow the same registration and account funding instructions above.
  4. What if the form asks for a “Teacher Name” when I am trying to register? I don’t know who my child’s teacher is yet.  WT Cafe has added an option called “TBD” under TEACHER NAME. Lower School parents should choose this option for now, and then update it later once their teacher assignments are known.
  5. What if my child has food allergies?  If your child has food allergies, you will be able to pre-select their allergy-friendly meal by ordering online at WTCafe.com. Children with pre-orders will not be permitted to add A La Carte items to their meals, and their side items will always consist of one fresh fruit and one fresh veggie (no dips, dressings, or sauces will be provided).
  6. Who do I contact if I am having problems setting up my account or adding funds?  You can contact WT Cafe on WT Cafe’s online Chat Helpdesk or by email at orlando@wtcafe.com. You can also call the Orlando office at 407-618-5555.

Rowdy Reader Summer Reading Incentive

Don’t forget to turn your Rowdy Reader forms into the library by August 18th.  Forms may also be turned into the classroom teachers and they will pass them along to the library staff.

Sunshine State Book Lists for 2017-2018

Are you looking for a new book to read?   Check out the Sunshine State Books for this school year.

These books are chosen by the Florida Association of Media in Education and have not yet been pre-approved by the TFA Library staff. Parents, as always, please use your best judgment in helping your child choose books to read.

3rd-5th Grade Book List

6th-8th Grade Book List

Extended Library Hours

For the 2017-2018 school year, the Boyd Moline Library will have extended hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 4:15PM.   The library will be open on Mondays and Fridays until 3:45PM and on Wednesdays until 2:35PM.    It opens daily at 7:30AM.     Students may be in the library in the morning without a parent or adult but any student wishing to be in the library must be accompanied by a parent or another adult.   Any student in the library after school without a parent or adult will be taken to the After Care program in the Lower School building.

REMINDERS

Morning Dropoff-7:30AM

This is just a friendly reminder that students may be dropped off beginning at 7:30AM.  If you arrive to school prior to that time, we request that students remain with their parents until 7:30AM.  The library and the gym are open at that time.  Student supervision does not begin until that time.

AR HomeConnect

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.

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 in the classroom or chaperoning on a field trip.