Home/Royal News/Lower/Lower School Newsletter, Week of April 28th

IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR APRIL & MAY

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

  • April 26th:  Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting 3:15-4:00PM (Lower School Room 232)
  • April 27th: Alternative Lunch for K4-6th Grade
  • April 28th:  Rising 1st Grade Parent Meeting 3:15-4:00PM (Lower School Room 136)
  • April 30th:  Royal Academy of Arts and Enrichment Showcase Rehearsal 12:30-3:30PM (Student Center)
  • May 1st:  Royal Academy of Arts and Enrichment Showcase 3:00PM (Student Center)
  • May 3rd-6th: K4-6th Grade Students Eat Lunch on LS Campus (Food Service Delivers to Lower School)
  • May 4th: TK Mother’s Day Breakfast 8:30-9:30AM (Miss Huckleberry’s Classroom)
  • May 4th-Rising 5th Grade Parent Meeting 2:45-3:30PM (Lower School Room 236)
  • May 5th: K4 Mother’s Day Celebration 8:00-8:45AM (K4 Classrooms)
  • May 5th: Rising 7th Grade Parent Meeting 3:25PM (Middle School Room 162)
  • May 5th: 6th Grade Mother’s Day Event
  • May 6th: K Muffins with Moms 8:15-9:15AM (Kindergarten Classrooms)
  • May 6th: 2nd Grade Economics Cafe 9:15-11:00AM (2nd Grade Classrooms)
  • May 6th:  3rd and 6th Grade Bible Buddies Pizza Party
  • May 6th & 7th: Lower School Evening at the Arts-Alice in Wonderland Jr. 7:00PM (Natalie Thomas Gymnasium and Library)
  • May 9th: Rising 2nd Grade Parent Meeting 3:15-4:00PM (Lower School Room 133)
  • May 10th: 3rd Grade Wax Museum 8:00-10:00AM (Library Reception/Natalie Thomas Gymnasium)
  • May 11th: 1st Grade International Day
  • May 12th-Safety Patrol (4th Grade) & Library Aide (5th Grade) Field Trip-Fun Spot
  • May 12th: Rising 4th Grade Parent Meeting 3:15-4:00PM (Lower School Room 210)
  • May 13th: 6th Grade Missions Fest 1:00-2:45PM (Faith Hall-3rd Floor)
  • May 16th: Kindergarten Field Trip-Legoland
  • May 19th: K-6th Grade Awards Chapel 1:00-2:00PM (Faith Hall)
  • May 20th: 4th Quarter AR Deadline
  • May 25th: End of the Year Chapel & Celebration/Last Day of School of School/12:15PM Dismissal

CHAPEL VENUES, DATES & TIMES

The following is a list of chapel dates and times for April and May:

  • May 19th: K-6th Grade Awards Chapel 1:00-2:00PM (Faith Hall)
  • May 25th: Lower School End of the Year Chapel 8:15-9:00AM (Faith Hall)

A NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON

Lower School will be honoring the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 5th.     The theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer is Wake Up America.   The focus will be on the need for individuals, corporately and individually, to return to the God of Fathers in reverence for His Holy Name.  The chosen scripture verse for 2016 is Isaiah 58:1a:  “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.”  To support the National Day of Prayer, each grade level in Lower School has been assigned a different area from the 7 x 7 Prayer Points.    See the assigned areas below:

  • K4, TK, and K:  Praying for Families
  • 1st Grade:  Praying for Churches
  • 2nd Grade:  Praying for Education
  • 3rd Grade:  Praying for Military
  • 4th Grade:  Praying for Businesses
  • 5th Grade:  Praying for Government
  • 6th Grade:  Praying for Media

We would love to have all of our families join us in prayer.    If you are interested in learning more about this annual event, please visit the National Day of Prayer website

RECOGNITION

Kindergarten Senior Book Project

Our Kindergarten classes had a special treat a few weeks ago.    Some of our Seniors wrote and illustrated stories as part of Mrs. Holter’s 12th Grade English class.   Our future graduates came to the classes and read their stories aloud to the classes.    The Kindergarten students really enjoyed this special treat.  #whyIloveTFA

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K4 Chapel Presentation-Noah’s Ark

We were so blessed to have our K4 students do a chapel presentation on Noah and the ark last week.    The students were adorable and did such a wonderful job.    Check out some of the pictures below.   They are the future of TFA!

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Mother/Son Boot Camp Event

Last Friday, we had about 150 Lower School mothers and sons join us for the 1st Annual Mother/Son Boot Camp.   Despite the threat of bad weather, we were able to move the event to Faith Hall and enjoy the evening.   You should see 6th grade boys play musical chairs . . . there’s some serious competition there.    Our 5th and 6th grade moms fell to the boys in Tug of War.  Many, many thanks to the moms who worked really hard on this event!  Check out some of our fun pictures below.   

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NEW THIS WEEK

Food Service Team Brings Lunch to Lower School (May 3rd-6th)

Parents, K4-6th grade students will not eat lunch at Faith Hall on Tuesday, May 3rd – Friday, May 6th.  The Food Service Team will deliver lunch to the Lower School on the above mentioned dates instead.  The Junior Class is offering an alternative lunch to 5th and 6th grade students each day if they are not interested in the regular tray lunch offered by Food Services.

All 5th and 6th grade orders must be submitted by 9:00AM on  Monday, May 2nd.  Parents of 5th and 6th grade students will receive a confirmation page and an e-mail within 15 minutes of their online purchase.

Library Books

All library books are due to the Boyd Moline Library by Friday, May 20th to avoid incurring a lost book charge.

Rising Grade Level Meetings-Mark Your Calendars

It’s hard to believe that it is already time to start thinking about next year.   If you would like to get a sneak peek at the next grade level, please plan to attend our Rising Grade Level Meetings.    At these meetings, the current teachers will share information pertaining to grade level curriculum, important projects, field trips, and general expectations.    If you are unable to attend, please do not worry because we will send home the grade level presentations to all families.   We will have staff available to stay with your children (K4-5th grade only please)in the hallways while you attend the meeting.  Younger children may join you in the classroom for the meeting.  Here is the list of meetings still left this year.

  • May 4th-Rising 5th Grade Parent Meeting 2:45-3:30PM (Lower School Room 236)
  • May 5th: Rising 7th Grade Parent Meeting 3:25PM (Middle School Room 162)
  • May 9th-Rising 2nd Grade Parent Meeting 3:15-4:00PM (Lower School Room 133)
  • May 12th: Rising 4th Grade Parent Meeting 3:15-4:00PM (Lower School Room 210)

Lower School Evening at the Arts

Please mark your calendars for our Lower School Evening at the Arts event taking place on Friday, May 6th and Saturday, May 7th at 7:00pm.    Our 4th-6th grade students will be performing Alice in Wonderland Jr. in the Natalie Thomas Gymnasium.  alice poster(2) (1) They have been working very hard in rehearsals since early February and are excited about their upcoming shows.    This is a great opportunity for our younger students to see an event that could potentially be a part of their future.   You can purchase tickets Here for either performance.   In addition to Alice in Wonderland Jr., we will also have our annual art show in the Boyd Moline Library going on at the same time.   It will be open beginning at 6:00pm both evenings.   Every student in Lower School in K4-5th grade, as well as those 6th graders who have taken art as an elective will have artwork showcased so you do not want to miss that!   This is a wonderful night for us to showcase the talents that God has given our students.

Classroom Placement

The TFA Faculty and staff are committed to providing the best educational experience for each child.  The Principal and Assistant Principal work with teacher(s) to prayerfully consider the needs of the student when making final decisions for student placement.  Class placement decisions are based on many factors which include, but are not limited to, the student’s individual learning styles as well as emotional, social, and academic needs.  Classroom structure and current teacher recommendations are also closely considered.

Faculty and staff may not be prepared—at this time—to share information regarding their assignment for the next year since we are currently in the process of finalizing teacher grade level assignments. However, God continues to bless us with a strong Lower School team.  Please continue to keep our faculty and staff in your prayers throughout the summer as they prepare for a new school year.

Rising 7th Grade Parent Meeting

Current 6th grade families, please mark your calendars for May 5th.   You are invited to the Rising 7th Grade Parent Meeting.  This will take place on May 5th at 3:25pm in Middle School Room 162.  This is a great way to find out what’s ahead next year!

Orlando Magazine – Vote for TFA Today

It is time to cast your ballot for the best private school in Central Florida.  The First Academy is up for the award in Preschool, Private School (K-8) and Private School (9-12).  Simply fill out Orlando Magazine Ballot by May 1, 2016.

SummerQuest

Have you started making summer plans for your children?  We have camps available for all students ranging from K4 – 12th grade.  Be sure to register as soon as possible, as some camps have a limited number of spots available.

SummerQuest is also open to students who do not attend TFA.  We would love to see students from other schools have an opportunity to visit our amazing campus and experience our wonderful teachers and coaches.  Please feel free to share the link below with anyone who might be interested.

To register, please visit https://thefirstacademy.org/academics/summer-quest/ and be sure to select the appropriate grade level for your child to see all available courses.  We look forward to another year of record enrollment in SummerQuest camps.  If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Doug Cohen, Summerquest Coordinator, at dougcohen@thefirstacademy.org. or 407-206-8634.

TFA’s Preschool Summer Camp 2016

Many of our families have preschool-aged children so we want to notify you of a summer camp opportunity here at TFA.  Introducing TFA’s Preschool Summer Camp 2016!  Children ages 8 weeks to 3 years old are invited to join in our summer fun and “dive into reading”.  The first camp session runs from Monday, June 6th through Thursday, June 30th.  The second camp session runs from Tuesday, July 5th through Friday, July 22nd.  Core program hours run from 9:00AM-3:00PM, with wrap around care available 7:00AM-4:30PM.  For more information and to register today, please visit https://thefirstacademy.org/academics/preschool/summer-camp/.

REMINDERS

 Calendar Link

The TFA Calendar is a wonderful way of finding 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 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.