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:
- October 13th: K Donuts with Dads 7:45AM (Kindergarten Classrooms)
- October 13th: New Date for the End of 1st Quarter
- October 15th: Lower School Social at Orlando City Soccer Game 5:00PM
- October 16th: 2nd Quarter Begins
- October 20th: Homecoming Parade 9:30AM (Lower School Loop)
- October 20th: Homecoming Pep Rally 10:00AM (Cramer Family Field House)
- October 20th: 20th Anniversary Carnival 5:00PM (US Lot) Homecoming Football Game 7:00PM (Payne Stewart Athletic Complex)
- October 24th: Ready, Set, KPrep 9:15-10:15AM (Library)
- October 25th: 2nd Grade Pumpkin Centers 9:00AM (2nd Grade Classrooms)
- October 27th: 4th Grade In-School Field Trip “The Heavens Declare)
- October 31st: Picture Retakes
CHAPEL VENUES, DATES, & TIMES
The following is a list of upcoming chapel dates and times:
- October 12th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Williams’ 1st Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
- October 12th: 6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Faith Hall)
- October 19th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Martin’s Kindergarten Class Presentation 8:30AM (Henry Chapel)
- October 19th: 6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)
- October 26th: K4-5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Camblin’s 5th Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Henry Chapel)
- October 26th: 6th-12th Grade Chapel 9:25AM (Worship Center)September 28th: 5th Grade Chapel-Mrs. Schuessler’s 3rd Grade Class Presentation 8:30AM (Faith Hall)
A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON
Honesty is something that can be challenging for our children. I know at our house, we often take for granted that Sarah and Lauren know the importance of honesty. We try to model it in our home but we are both imperfect parents. We have expectations of them to be honest in all that they say and do but they are imperfect children. Scripture is very clear about the importance of honesty. We are told to “let your yes be yes and your no be no” (Matthew 5:37). Fostering honesty in our children is a big, important job.
Here are 4 ways to emphasize the importance of honesty:
Model Honesty – Be honest with what you say and do. We all know our children do not miss anything. They are listening on the phone when we want to make an excuse as to why we are going to be late.
Teach Honesty– The Bible is full of great stories about honesty. Spend time reading and discussing them with your children. Here are a few ideas to help you:
As you read through different stories in the Bible, ask your children if they can pinpoint examples of honesty and turning away from honesty
Enforce Honesty – Sometimes in parenting, we have to “pick our battles.” The Bible is very clear that Honesty is one of them. It is very easy to look past small acts of dishonesty but a build up of those small acts could lead to a significant one.
Recognize Honesty – This is an area where we have to be very intentional. Point out examples of your children choosing honesty and the positive impact that it has. Another important tip is to really celebrate when you child are honest and forthright the very first time in a situation where they could have easily chosen to not be honest.
Here are the 5 verses we will be doing next week:
- “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” – 1 John 4:9-12
- “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:14
- “When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.” – Psalm 94:19
- “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24
- “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” – Matthew 19:26
RECOGNITION
Mrs. Brown’s Chapel Presentation
A little bit of rain and the possibility of lightning won’t keep us from learning about God and what He desires for our lives. Mrs. Brown’s class partnered with Pastor Skelton to kick off our study of Honesty. Despite a last minute change in venue with no video screens, the class did an amazing job of sharing different scenarios related to honesty. Pastor Skelton helped by “recreating” one of the planned videos with the story of Adam and Eve and their choice to run from honesty in the Garden of Eden. The presentation finished with 3 of Mrs. Brown’s students sharing their personal testimony about how they came to know Jesus in a real and personal way. There was a very common theme between the 3 student testimonies: each child made a choice to personally ask Jesus for forgiveness and to be Lord of their lives.
NEW THIS WEEK
Homecoming Week-October 16th-20th
Homecoming Week is right around the corner (October 16th-20th). All of the information about Homecoming for all of the divisions is available HERE.
We will have Spirit Wear all week in Lower School in addition to the following dress up days:
- Monday: Crazy Hair/Hat Day
- Tuesday: Sock Day
- Wednesday: Glasses Day
- Thursday: Lions, Tigers, & Bears-OH MY! (Dress up as your favorite animal)
- Friday: Blue & Gold Day (Wear your TFA Colors or your 2017 Homecoming Shirt)
In addition to the dress up days, on Friday, Lower School will enjoy both the Homecoming Parade at 9:30am as well as the All-School Pep Rally at 10:00am in the Cramer Family Field House. Parents are welcome to join us for the parade.
We are having alternative lunch on Friday, October 20th so all students will need to bring a lunch from home.
In addition to all of the Homecoming festivities, TFA will have a 30th Anniversary Carnival that Friday beginning at 5:00pm. There is no cost for the carnival, but there will be food trucks with food available for purchase. I will be in the dunk tank beginning at 5:00pm. Families can go straight from the carnival to the Homecoming Football game which begins at 7:30pm.
Ready, Set, KPrep
Do you have a student who will be 4 by September 1, 2018? Come and join us on Tuesday, October 24th at 9:15am in the library and learn about our KPrep program with an informational session and tour of the classroom. TFA’s Kindergarten Preparatory (K4) program is designed to developmentally prepare the ’whole’ child for kindergarten. We have a balanced instructional approach to academics and spiritual formation. We offer a fun learning environment with small class sizes that develops pre-reading and pre-math skills through whole group instruction, individualized instruction, small group instruction, and learning centers. We use curriculum that incorporates Social/Emotional, Communication, Emergent Literacy/Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts skills. Our students also enjoy Art, Music, Physical Education, Spanish and the TFA Library as their special area classes throughout the week. The WEE Learn Bible Curriculum uses age-appropriate Bible stories to build spiritual formation with our students. We are equipped to academically support and challenge your child’s various learning styles during each developmental stage. RSVP HERE to reserve your spot at this informational event.
Lower School Night at the Varsity Football Game-October 13th
Please consider joining us on Friday, October 13th for Lower School Night at the Varsity Football Game against Trinity Prep. The game begins at 7:30pm and we will have a number of Lower School recognitions.
- Rowdy Readers will be recognized on the field at the end of the 1st quarter
- All students inducted into NEHS for the 2017-2018 school year will be recognized on the field at the end of the 3rd quarter
- There will be a special event at halftime on the field for all Lower School students
- The girls who participated in the Lower School cheer clinic last week will cheer alongside the Varsity cheerleaders
Any Lower School student who signs in at the ticket table will receive a pass for a week of Spirit Wear good for the week of October 23rd. Let’s help cheer on our football players to a victory!
Shoeboxes for Haiti
This week in chapel, we will be kicking off our annual mission project. Each year we partner with New Missions with our Shoeboxes for Haiti drive. Information about this mission project will come home this week. Our goal is to collect 800 shoeboxes this year, and the deadline for turning in shoeboxes is November 8th.
Lower School Day at Fun Spot-November 3rd
Lower School is having a Spirit Day on Friday, November 3rd to celebrate not having school that day. This Spirit Day will be at Fun Spot. The cost for an all-day pass for students is $25. Parents will be admitted for free but will not be allowed on rides unless they purchase a ticket for themselves. Purchase your student tickets HERE
5700 Fun Spot Way, Orlando, FL 32819
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 Night at Orlando City Soccer Game
Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 15th at 5:00PM. We have reserved a block of tickets for the final game of the Orlando City Men’s Soccer Team season. Tickets will be on sale HERE. Tickets will be $30 each and are all in the 100 level section. Tickets purchased together will be assigned to sit together. There are only 100 tickets available so make your purchases now.
Lower School Social Events Calendar
Check out our Social Events calendar hosted by our Parent Association in Lower School. There are events for the early release days next week so check them out today.
Lower School Parent University Book Studies
We are very excited to announce two books studies being hosted by Lower School teachers through the new Parent University series. Be on the lookout for information to sign up for these wonderful parent education opportunities.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
Target Audience: Parents of Children in Grades K4-3rd
Shepherding a Child’s Heart is about how to speak to the heart of your child. The things your child does and says flow from the heart. Luke 6:45 puts it this way: “…out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” The vision of parenting Tripp presents is more than getting well-behaved children. This vision’s primary focus is the heart of the child. It involves being a kind authority, shepherding children to understand themselves in God’s world, and keeping the gospel in clear view. Through this video series and book study, parents will learn together how this plays out in everyday life.
Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp
Target Audience: Parents of Children in Grades 4-6
The teenage years often present difficulty for parents. As a person passes from childhood into adulthood, the transition can be tumultuous. Paul Tripp helps parents focus on the heart issues during the adolescent years. With practical tips, he equips parents with the tools they need to seize opportunities to deepen communication while learning and growing with their tweens, preteens, and teenagers. He challenges parents to look at the teen years as an “age of opportunity” rather than a survival period, which is the common mindset. This book study and discussion will help parents approach the tough situations that these years can bring with confidence and tools to use these years as growth both in their children and in their relationships.
Reading is Cool Incentive Program
At TFA, we strive to develop the love of reading in all of our students. To help foster that love of reading, the TFA library is excited to announce the Reading is Cool Incentive Program for our Lower School students! All students in 1st through 6th grade who meet their 1st quarter Accelerated Reader goal will be invited to a Popsicle Party at the end of the first quarter! K4, TK, and Kindergarten students who read, or have read to them, 15 or more books and turn in their Reading is Cool reading record by October 3rd will also earn the opportunity to attend a Popsicle Party! We hope to see all of our LS students enjoying popsicles at the end of the quarter!
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.