IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR MAY

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

  • 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 13th-4th Grade Millionaires Club Limo Ride
  • 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 23rd:  Royal Choir Party 11:15-2:30PM (McDonalds)
  • 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 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

The students really are looking a year older as we approach the end of the school year.    These last few weeks are filled with many special activities that make our school special.   We are celebrating successes and a year of hard work.   Check out the list of important events above and try to check something out that you may have not seen before.   Second grade parents-stopping by the 3rd Grade Wax Museum is a great way to get good ideas for next year.   Fifth grade parents-now is the time to get a sneak peek at the 6th Grade Missions Fest!   This time of year is extremely busy but we really do have so many amazing things happening!

RECOGNITION

Special Guest-6th Grade Bible

“No one should have to learn another language to hear and read God’s word.” 2004 TFA Alumni, Christen Martin from Wycliffe in Orlando, Florida taught a 6th grade bible class about the importance of bible translation which gave an awareness of the many countries that now have the privilege of reading God’s work in their native language. The students left challenged and encouraged to pray for her and her ministry.

FullSizeRender (1) FullSizeRender (2) FullSizeRender

Life Cycles in TK

Spring has sprung in TK and the students had the opportunity to see God’s handiwork up close and personal!  Our TK class incubated and hatched 4 baby chicks!  They had a great time learning about different lifecycle is with this very hands-on learning adventure!

IMG_9906image1 unnamed

6th Grade Thinking!

Over the last few weeks, students in Mrs. Lawson’s sixth grade language arts classes have been reading “The Mysterious Benedict Society” by Trenton Lee Stewart.  The novel is full of strong literary elements, mystery, and excitement!  Last week, students were paired together and assigned one of three Thinking Maps – Double Bubble (Comparing and Contrasting), Multi-Flow (Cause and Effect), or Flow (Sequencing).  The students were expected to complete the maps with vivid detail from the novel.  By the end of the assignment, students had created a variety of maps and had given great detail about key elements from the story.  Way to go, sixth grade!

unnamed (6) unnamed (5) unnamed (4)

1st Grade Charlotte’s Web Unit

One of the traditions in 1st Grade at TFA is to read Charlotte’s Web in the spring.   This unit has so many lessons and the classes celebrate with fun snacks and t-shirts.  Here are a few of the highlights that the students learned:

  • Charlotte was a good friend to Wilbur even though he wasn’t able to do anything for her, just be her friend.
  • Templeton would only serve the other animals if he would get something in return, not an example of friendship.
  • Just as Charlotte served Wilbur unconditionally, Jesus made a great sacrifice for us even though we didn’t deserve it and couldn’t do anything for him in return.

thumb_IMG_3913 2_1024thumb_IMG_3847_1024unnamed (3)thumb_IMG_3837_1024unnamed (2)

2nd Grade Economics Cafe

The 2nd graders will be showcasing their economics knowledge as they transform their classrooms into the Economics Cafe on Friday!  Students will be hosts, waiters, managers, and chefs as they manage the hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant and provide the guests with delicious food and friendly service.  In addition, students will provide entertainment and demonstrate a God-given talent.  If you talk a walk down the 2nd grade hallway, you will see all the newly constructed businesses that will be featured during the talent show.  This will be an amazing opportunity for students to let their light shine! Check out some of the storefronts!

IMG_6763 2IMG_6762 2

K4 and 2nd Grade Reading Buddies

K4 students in Mrs. Connell’s class shared the good news of God’s promise to care  for us with their reading buddies in Mrs. Smith’s class. They made a rainbow from fruit loops together!

IMG_3008 IMG_3007 IMG_3004

NEW THIS WEEK

Summer Access to Accelerated Reader (AR)

Accelerated Reader will be turned off on Monday, May 23rd to allow time to set up the 2016­-2017 school year.   Summer AR testing will become available beginning Monday, June 6th.  The library will not be open for testing over the summer, but students may take tests on iDevices via the AR app Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM-­3:00PM.  If students don’t have their own iDevices, there will be iPads available for AR testing in the Lower School lobby.   Students must be on campus logged on to either the TFA Guest or TFA wifi to take AR tests.  All tests taken during the summer will apply toward the first quarter goal of the 2016­-2017 school year.

4th Quarter AR Deadline

The 4th Quarter AR deadline is Friday, May 20th.  Students hoping to earn the AR 200% Club Award for the 2015-2016 school year at the LS Awards Chapel must have all necessary AR tests completed by the end of the day on Monday, May 16th.  Any tests taken after Monday will still count towards the 4th quarter goal, but not for the purposes of the 200% Club End-of-Year Award.  Please contact Mrs. Lisa DeBoom at lisadeboom@thefirstacademy.org if there are any questions.

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 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)

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.

 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.