Lower School Blog, Week of May 11th

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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:

May 12th: Kindergarten Muffins with Moms 8:15AM (K Classrooms)
May 12th: 6th Grade Missions Fest
May 13th: Royal Academy of Arts and Enrichment Recital 4:00PM (Faith Hall)
May 15th: Kindergarten Field Trip to Lego Land
May 17th: Kindergarten Superkids Day
May 18th: LS Awards Chapel 1:00PM (Faith Hall)
May 22-24th: Library will be closed
May 23rd: Lower School Spirit Night at Gator’s Dockside Grill 6:00PM
May 24th: LS End of the Year Celebration/Last Day of School

CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES

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

May 18th: LS Awards Chapel 1:00PM (Faith Hal)
May 24th: LS End of the Year Chapel 8:15AM (Faith Hall)

A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON

We have had many moms on campus this week for the various Mother’s Day events taking place in the different grade levels. I love to walk down the KPrep, TK and Kindergarten hallways and see all of the different things that the children have to say about their moms. I get very nostalgic this time of year as the children get older and taller (including my own). We really appreciate all of our TFA moms and all that they do at home and school. It is not always an easy job. The book of Proverbs gives us a great example of the qualities we should always be striving for as wives and mothers.

The Wife of Noble Character

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Proverbs 31: 10-30

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Students share their essays with their moms.

RECOGNITION

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is wrapping up soon and getting ready to face this great world God created! The foundation has been laid. Yes, they’ve learned to read, write awesome stories, add and subtract. But it’s the heart that’s grown the most; a heart that has learned that Jesus died on the cross for our sins; a heart that exhibits the Fruit of the Spirit; a heart for this world we live in. Equipping tomorrow’s leaders is what we’re about at The First Academy. Watch out world…here they come!

Peter Pan Jr.

We had two wonderful performances of Peter Pan Jr. this past weekend. Thank you to all of the families who supported our annual Lower School Evening at the Arts event. Don’t worry . . . the art show will be back next year. Mrs. Swartz is already planning for a spectacular display!

NEW THIS WEEK

Library Aide Applications

Current 4th Grade Students: Library Aide application forms are available in the library if you are interested in becoming a library aide for the 2017-18 school year. All applications and teacher recommendation forms are due back to the library by Friday, May 19th. Please see Mrs. DeBoom in the library if there are any questions.

Library Closed (May 22nd-24th)

The Boyd Moline Library will be closed May 22nd-24th. Students must report to the Gym for Morning Care on these dates.

Library Books

All library books are due to the Boyd Moline Library by Friday, May 19th to avoid incurring a lost book charge.

Sunshine State Book Lists for 2017-2018

The latest Sunshine State Young Reader Award (SSYRA) Books have just been released. If you’d like to get a jump start on reading next year’s Sunshine State books, download your choice of the 3rd-5th Grade SSYRA List or the 6th-8th Grade SSYRA List.

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

TFA Spirit Night at Gator’s Dockside Grill

Join other TFA families on Tuesday, May 23rd for a Spirit Night at Gator’s Dockside Grill located in Dr. Phillips. 10% of sales goes back to a TFA. The event will start at 6:00pm. Kids eat free with eat adult entree purchased. This will be a fun way to celebrate before the last day of school on the 24th. Hope to see you there!

Summer AR Reading

AR will be turned off from May 20th-June 4th to allow time to set up the 2017-2018 school year in the Renaissance Learning system. Summer AR testing will begin on Monday, June 5th. Summer AR testing will be available Monday through Friday from 9 AM-3 PM. There will be iPads available in the Lower School lobby from 9:00AM-3:00PM throughout the summer.

NEHS Tennis Shoe Drive

Our NEHS students are hosting a tennis shoe drive in conjunction with New Missions. We have drop off boxes in Lower Schoo to collect the shoes. We are encouraging our students to earn money to help buy shoes.

Vacation Bible School 2017

First Baptist Orlando will be hosting a FREE Vacation Bible School (VBS) for students entering Kindergarten-5th grade. This year’s VBS will occur June 26th-30th from 9:30AM-12:30PM. It will be an interactive, creative experience for rising K-5th grade students. Register your child(ren) HERE for this fun and exciting opportunity.

4th Quarter AR Deadline

The 4th quarter AR deadline is Friday, May 19th. Please note, the last AR test day for students who hope to achieve the AR 200% Club award for the 2016-2017 school year is Monday, May 15th.

Any tests taken between May 16th and May 19th will still count toward the 4th quarter goal. However, students hoping to achieve the AR 200% Club award for the 2016-2017 school year must take the AR test by Monday, May 15th.

TFA Summer Preschool Opportunity

TFA’s Preschool is so very excited to welcome children, 8 weeks- 3 years old, back to campus for summer fun! Please see the attached flyer for more information. We love welcoming familiar Preschool families and new families too! Please feel free to pass along to family and friends. Click HERE for more information or to register.

Extended Library Hours

In an effort to better serve our TFA families, the Boyd-Moline Library will extend their afternoon hours beginning next week. The library will be open until 4:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the remainder of the school year. Students must still be accompanied by parents or guardians in the library after school. Accelerated Reader testing will be available until 4:15pm and book checkout until 4:20pm.

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 4:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the remainder of the school year. Students must still be accompanied by parents or guardians in the library after school. Accelerated Reader testing will be available until 4:15pm and book checkout until 4:20pm. It will close at 3:30pm on 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.