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 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
Summer is almost upon us. Believe it or not, the summer months are an important time for students to keep reading. I know, as parents, we are inclined to breathe a sigh of relief when school is over and we can leave behind some of those school chores like homework and projects. Don’t let reading be one of those things you leave in the rear view mirror for June and July.
Research studies show that students who don’t read or read sporadically throughout the summer see dips in their reading abilities once school starts back. We see this with our beginning-of-the-year STAR Reading test when we compare student scores to their end-of-the-year test from the previous grade.
Think about this same idea in relation to a sport or a musical instrument. If children stop practicing their jump shots for 2 months, they would expect to see a decline in their ability when they start back. The same is true for children who play an instrument. Practice definitely helps!
How can you help your child keep reading both a priority and enjoyable this summer?
- Encourage your children to read books they enjoy for at least 30 minutes per day. Your child will likely be more engrossed in material he/she chooses than books that are forced. Without 7 hours of school, finding 30 minutes to read should be less challenging.
- Take a trip to the local library or bookstore and look for multiple reading options. The summer is a great time to try a new genre or author.
- Provide incentives for reluctant readers and even those who enjoy it. Check out the Sunshine State Book lists below for students in 3rd-6th grade. This has a built-in incentive!
- Make reading a family affair. Encourage all members of the family to gather and read on their own, or take turns reading the same book aloud. If you are taking a car trip, consider finding an audiobook that the whole family can enjoy
Just remember, the more you read, the better you read! Let’s keep reading.
Beginning the week of June 5th, the Lower School front office will be open for AR testing. We will have iPads available for testing so swing by and get a jump start on that 1st quarter AR goal and earn some extra points towards the 200% AR club.
RECOGNITION
Mother’s Day-KPrep
We were blessed to have so many mothers on campus last week. The mornings were filled with laughter and some tears. Seeing what the children had to say about their mothers on their hallway questionnaires was worth a laugh for some.
Missions Fest
Tacky Tourists on Parade
To culminate their study of tourism as part of Florida History, the 4th graders sported their tackiest tourist outfits.
Still Full STEAMing Ahead
The 6th Grade boys STEAM Tech class worked with another 1st-grade class this week on their STEAM project.
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.
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
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.