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:

  • December 18th:  6th Grade Chorus Field Trip (Nursing Home)
  • December 19th: 2nd Quarter AR Deadline
  • December 19th: Kindergarten Polar Express Day
  • December 21st: End of the 2nd Quarter: 12:15pm Dismissal
  • December 22nd-January 8th:  Christmas Break
  • January 8th:  Teacher Workday/Student Holiday
  • January 9th:  Beginning of 3rd Quarter
  • January 24th:  2nd Grade Field Trip (Blue Springs State Park)
  • January 26th:  1st Grade Field Trip (Orlando Science Center)
  • January 28th:  Admissions Open House 2:00-4:00PM

CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES

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

  • December 14th: 6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)
  • December 21st: K4-6th Grade Christmas Chapel 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
  • January 11th:  K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Dowling Class-8:30AM (Faith Hall)
  • January 11th:  6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)
  • January 18th:  K4-5th Grade Chapel-Miss Rowley’s Class-8:30AM (Faith Hall)
  • January 18th:  No Chapel for 6th Grade
  • January 25th:  K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Pastis’s Class-8:30AM (Faith Hall)
  • January 25th:  6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)

A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON

I hope you all were able to make it to the Lower School Christmas Program on Wednesday or watch it online.  Each year, I am amazed at the vocal and musical talents of the students and that they are all able to stand up in front of that many people and celebrate the birth of Jesus with songs.

Would you like to enjoy the program again or bless someone with a gift of the performance?  There are DVD copies of the program available for purchase HERE.  The first DVD costs $15 and each additional copy is $12.

RECOGNITIONS

KPrep Mother Goose is on the Loose Parade

Our youngest members of Lower School blessed us at chapel last week with their annual Mother Goose Parade.  Each student dressed up as a character from the well-known nursery rhymes.

students in mother goose parade

4th Grade Math Club

The fourth grade math club attended their first math competition on December 9th. They had a great time competing against 66 other fourth graders from several different schools. We are very proud of Eli Harrison who placed 8th! Both Eli Harrison and Max Simmons qualified for the next level of competition which will be representing The First Academy at the state competition in May. Mrs. Walton feels very honored to be their math coach this year!

4th grade math club students at their competition

 

NEW THIS WEEK

Dress Up Days-Week of December 18th

  • Monday:  Christmas Socks
  • Tuesday:  Christmas Shirt/Sweater
  • Wednesday  Christmas Hat
  • Thursday  ALL Christmas Attire

Library Hours-December 21st

The Boyd-Moline Library will be closing at 12:15 PM on Thursday, December 21st.  Student checkout will not be available after early dismissal that day.  Library hours before school that day will remain the same so students can still come to the library that morning beginning at 7:30 AM.

2nd Quarter Reading Incentive

The TFA Library is excited to announce the Read Moooo-re Books Incentive Program for our K Prep through Second Grade Students! Each week, students can fill out a “Read MOOO-re Books” reading record form. Students can read any 10 books themselves, or the books may be read to them. Completed reading records (records with at least 10 books) should be turned in during the student’s regular library time each week in order to receive a special prize! The Read Mooo-re Books Incentive Program will last from October 16th-December 19th.

The second quarter’s reading incentive program for grades 3-8 is based on the Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award (SSYRA) reading lists. 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. After reading and passing the AR test (with a score of 70% or higher) for a SSYRA book, students will receive a small prize from the “Sunshine Store” during their class library time. This promotion will end January 12th. We hope your student finds a new favorite while they explore new authors and genres during this promotion. Students who read and pass the AR test for 5 or more books will be invited to a celebration lunch with SSYRA author Taryn Souders on Thursday, February 1st.

If you have any questions, please see Mrs. DeBoom or Ms. Whitaker in the library.

Read Mooore Books Reading Record

SSYRA parent letter 2017

Say Goodbye to the Accelerated Reader App

The Accelerated Reader app is being retired and will no longer function on devices with the latest iOS updates.  Please read below to find the updated Accelerated Reader Testing Directions for information on how to take AR tests without the app.

2017-2018 AR Testing Directions

Lower School Social Events Calendar

Check out our Social Events calendar hosted by our Parent Association in Lower School.

social calendar layout final

 

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.