IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR DECEMBER & JANUARY

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

  • December 9th:  3rd Grade Magic Kingdom Field Trip
  • December 13th:  2nd Quarter AR Deadline
  • December 13th:  Kindergarten Polar Express Day
  • December 14th:   Alternative Lunch for K4-5th Grade
  • December 14th:  Lower School Christmas Class Celebrations
  • December 15th:  Alternative Lunch for K4-5th Grade
  • December 16th:  All School Christmas Program 10:00-11:30AM (FBCO Worship Center)
  • December 16th:  End of 2nd Quarter-12:15PM Dismissal
  • December 19th-January 3rd:  Christmas Break
  • January 3rd:  Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
  • January 4th:  3rd Quarter Begins
  • January 13th:  6th Grade Field Trip to Animal Kingdom
  • January 16th:  Student/Teacher Holiday
  • January 18th:  KPrep On-Campus Field Trip-Gatorland
  • January 18th:  2nd Grade Field Trip to Blue Springs
  • January 25th:  Kindergarten 100th Day of School Celebration
  • January 27th:  1st Grade Field Trip to the Science Center
  • January 27th:  3rd Grade Miss Alaineus Parade

CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES

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

  • December 8th:  Christmas Chapel 8:30-9:15AM (Faith Hall)
  • December 16th:  All School Christmas Program
  • January 12th:  K4-5th Grade Chapel:  Ms. Burns’s Class Presentation 8:30-9:15AM (Faith Hall)
  • January 19th:  K4-5th Grade Chapel:  Mrs. Dowling’s Class Presentation 8:30-9:15AM (Faith Hall)
  • January 26th:  K4-5th Grade Chapel:  Mrs. Williams’s Class Presentation 8:30-9:15AM (Faith Hall)

A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON

Welcome to December.     This month brings with it a lot of hecticness and long lists of things to do.   Gifts have to be purchased.  Houses have to be decorated.  The children still have homework to complete and tests for which they need to study.    Groceries need purchasing and all of the Christmas parties just rack up.   Don’t forget designing the Christmas card if you can get everyone to stand still long enough to get a decent picture.    It’s a lot . . . I know because I am so easily caught up in all of it myself.   It is really hard but I want to encourage all of us to not lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas because we are so focused on wrapping paper and jingle bells.   This month, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. This humble beginning brought great joy to the world.  Shepherds, wise men, and angels all joined in the excitement of experiencing this epic event. God made it known to them that this was no ordinary birth nor was Jesus just another baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before as we read in the Old Testament. The star halted over the town of Bethlehem to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child.  We too can seek out Jesus this Christmas season.    I would encourage you to start your morning on December 25th in the book of Luke.     Start your day with the TRUTH that God reveals to us through His word and I bet it could be the best Christmas ever!

RECOGNITION

TFA Christmas Card for 2016

Congratulations to Luiza Coutinho.  Her artwork was chosen this year to be the front of the annual TFA Christmas card.  We are proud of all our students!

Luiza's Christmas Card

6th Grade Chorus Service Project

Mrs. Savage’s 6th Grade Chorus Class used their vocal talents to bless the residents at two different assisted living facilities in the Winter Garden area last Friday.   The students shared the Christmas songs that they have been learning in class each day.   This opportunity was a blessing for both the residents as well as the students.

6th Grade Chorus class sings at an assisted living faciltiy

3rd Grade Hour of Code

Mrs. Schuessler’s class participated in the Hour of Code.    This annual challenge is designed to help students learn about the beginnings of computer science and coding.   Tens of millions of students participate annually across over 180 countries.

img_2833 Girls Working on code Boys working on code Students working on code

Students Share Christmas Spirit

Several members of our TFA family visited the Westchester Retirement Home last month. Kameron played Christmas Carols on the Steel Drums while the girls danced to share God’s love and Truth, and handed out cards and candy. Residents shared their hearts with the team, who witnessed the love of Jesus to them. One resident said, “It was like a Birthday present, my birthday is next week but no one will come.”   Another one was handed a Christmas card by a younger dancer. She said tearfully, “My friend lost her battle with cancer a month ago, and the little girl who gave me this card has the same name!”

After the team shared with Westchester, they spent the afternoon making Christmas cookies, and then took them to a list of families they had compiled who needed some Christmas cheer and encouragement.

Dance Class Dance 2 Dance 3 Dance

 

NEW THIS WEEK

Christmas Dress Up Days-Week of December 12th

We always celebrate the last week of school before Christmas Break with fun dress-up days in Lower School.   Here is our schedule for that week:

Monday, December 12th:  Christmas Socks/Tights

Tuesday, December 13th:  Christmas Hat/Headband

Wednesday, December 14th:  Christmas Shirt/Sweater

Thursday, December 15th:   All Christmas Attire

Friday, December 16th:  Assigned costume for the All-School Christmas Program

Due to Christmas Program Rehearsal, we will have Alternative Lunch days on Wednesday and Thursday (14th and 15th).  Most classes will be having their Christmas parties on that Wednesday.  Each teacher will communicate the specific details.   

The All-School Christmas program, The Spirit of Christmas, will take place on Friday, Dec. 16, at 10:00am, in the FBC Worship Center.   This is a special time for TFA families as we ring in the Christmas season.

Here is the information about Christmas Program Costumes for K4-5th Grade:

christmas-costume-assignments-2016

Father Daughter Dance-Save the Date

screen-shot-2016-12-07-at-1-42-49-pm

Lower School-Orlando Magic Game

Lower School will be having a family social event at the Orlando Magic’s Faith and Family Night on Friday, January 20th beginning at 7:00pm.  The Lower School Choir/Chorus students who are able to attend will be singing  during the pregame show.  Admission will also give families access to the concert taking place after the game.  Tickets are $33 and $36 and can be purchased HERE.  We have blocks of seating so we will all be in the same area.  Tickets will be on sale through December 16th so go ahead and make your purchase soon!  The teacher with the highest level of participation will receive a special gift from the Orlando Magic.  We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Flyer to announce Lower School Night at the Magic Game

Book Camp! Incentive Program

October 17-December 16

Each week, students can fill out a BOOK CAMP 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!    Click below for a copy of the BOOK CAMP log.

Box Tops for Education

The second collection due date for this year’s Box Tops for Education is Friday, December 16th.  Please collect your box tops and turn them into the collection bucket located at the Lower, Middle or Upper 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.”  Together we can set  a TFA record this year!

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

 Over the summer, we had an update to our Renaissance Learning program that we use for Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, and STAR Testing.  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.  If you had this set up previously, you will need to complete the process again.

Library Hours

The Boyd Moline Library will be open until 3:45pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays this year.  It will close at 3:30pm on Monday and Friday and at 2:40pm on Wednesdays.

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 of chaperoning on a field trip.