FEBRUARY DATES
Please take a moment to mark your calendars. The following are important dates that you don’t want to miss for February.
Feb 23 MS Chapel- 9:30am Henry Chapel- Chris Bacon
Feb 24 8th Grade Portraits- rescheduled
Feb 28 8th Grade Portrait Retakes- if needed
Mar 2-3 WRaP Testing
Mar 7 3rd Quarter AR Deadline
Mar 7 Parent Association Meeting 8:15am FH 301
Mar 10 Early Dismissal 12:15pm- End of 3rd Quarter
Mar 13 4th Quarter Begins
Mar 16 Rising 8th Grade PAL DC Interest Mtg. Black Box 3:30-4:00pm
Mar 20-24 Spring Break
RECOGNITION
Jr. Thespian State Competition
On Saturday, Feb. 12, The First Academy entered six events in the Jr. Thespian State competition held at Dr. Phillips High School. These students previously had to have received a Superior at the district level. We are proud of them all for their outstanding district scores! At the state level the following scores were given:
Sarah Jackson (monologue) -Superior

Middle School Students at Jr. Thespian State Competition
District 8 Solo & Ensemble
A huge CONGRATULATIONS to all the band students who chose to participate in the District 8 Solo & Ensemble event! Each one represented TFA extremely well and we all can be extremely proud of the tremendous results achieved:
Middle School – Lauren Philbin- Horn Solo
NEW ITEMS
IMPORTANT WrAP INFORMATION
How Well Do We Write?
The Standardized Writing Assessment Program (WrAP)
(Spring 2017)
On Thursday March 2nd and Friday, March 3rd TFA students in grades 3-12 will participate in the Standardized Writing Assessment Program (WrAP). Students ARE permitted to utilize dictionaries and thesauruses during the 2-day writing assessment.
Materials needed for the WrAP:
- a) 2 sharpened #2 pencils & 2 ink pens (blue/black)
- b) Thesaurus (can be electronic)
- c) Dictionary (can be electronic)
- d) 4-5 pages of loose leaf notebook paper
*electronic spellers (ie: Franklin) are not permitted
Students in Grades 3-11 will be provided with 90 minutes for the standardized assessment.
- Day 1: Thinking Map and Rough Draft
- Day 2: Final Draft
Library Closing
The library will be closed for WrAP testing from 7:30 AM – 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 2nd and Friday, March 3rd. Lower School students should report the gym for morning care on those two days. Thank you for your understanding.
8th Grade Portraits
All 8th Grade students will be having their portraits done for our 8th Grade Celebration Chapel in May. Michele Moreman who is a TFA Alum will be shooting the pictures. Students are allowed to wear dress code appropriate jeans and a nice shirt/blouse for pictures. Portrait day will be February 23rd with a retake day being offered on February 28th. We will ONLY take the class picture on February 23rd. If you have questions please feel free to contact Shannon Rymer at shannonrymer@thefirstacademy.org.
Save The Date
8th Grade Celebration Chapel
May 18th
9:30am-10:30am Faith Hall
Celebration includes:
8th Grade Video
8th Grade Keynote Presentation
Performances by our Middle School Ensemble
Middle School Teacher of the Year
Disney Dreamer and Doer
Christian Leadership Awards: Timothy & Ruth
Student Government Recognition
Please make sure to mark your calendars for this very important date.
REMINDERS
Box Tops for Education
We are actively collecting Box Tops at the Middle School front desk. This program will help our school earn money, but more importantly help teach our students how joining forces with each other can accomplish great things. This project allows our children to choose service before self and participation as a way of life. No need to trim anything neatly, just tear them off and turn them into the collection bucket located at the middle school front desk.
Attendance
All attendance notifications and questions should be communicated directly to Ms. Lyn Maxime, the attendance clerk for both the Upper and Middle School divisions. All Middle School students who are tardy to campus must check in with Ms. Maxime when they arrive at school. You may contact Ms. Maxime concerning your student being tardy or absent at (407)206-8630 or email her at msattendance@thefirstacademy.org.
E.C.H.O.…..E.C.H.O.!
E.C.H.O. stands for Every Child Has an Opportunity! It’s your student’s opportunity to grow and provides a home base for communicating here in the Magnificent Middle School! E.C.H.O. is your key (Did you hear that E.C.H.O.?) to communicating with your Magnificent Middle School Scholar. Let me E.C.H.O. that! It is your key (E.C.H.O) to communicating with your Middle School Scholar!
Here are the ABC’s of how E.C.H.O. can serve you and your student:
- Ask your student WHO their E.C.H.O. teacher is. That is vital information; let me encourage you to let that name E.C.H.O. in your mind. It will serve you well all year!
- Make-up work or testing can easily be arranged and completed during your student’s E.C.H.O. class.
- Inclement weather dismissal is always done through E.C.H.O. class.
7th Grade E.C.H.O. teachers:
- Dana Menz Room 156
- Jeff Rossemiessl Room 160
- Bette Gordon Room 153
- Becky Render Room 158
- Joe Donaldson- Room 162
8th Grade E.C.H.O. teachers:
- Lindsey Hurlebaus Room 246
- James Grosshans Room 248
- Christy Requejo Room 259
- Yvonne England Room 250
- Shannon Rymer Room 252
Severe Weather Inside Dismissal
-Students are dismissed from 7th period to ECHO classrooms
-Students without signed parent permission slips are dismissed when a parent visits the lobby to pick them up. MS Office will contact ECHO classroom teacher.
–Students with signed parent permission slips are dismissed
–Student shows text from parent stating location of parent on TFA campus
–Parent emails ECHO teacher stating their arrival and location on TFA campus
Start and Dismissal Times
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 7:50am-3:15pm
Wednesday: 7:50am-2:40pm
Gluten Free Options Available in the Cafeteria
Students with gluten sensitivities have a few options in our cafeteria. Please ask for Chef Jaime, Greg, or Emily for assistance. Options include gluten free pasta available daily as well as grab and go salads, grilled chicken and hamburger patties. There are also a few items on the menu that can be tailored to be gluten free.
Dress Code
- Only Dennis or Sunshine uniform tops and bottoms are acceptable.
- Female skirts, skorts, and shorts must rest below mid-thigh while seated.
- Male shorts must be an appropriate length
- Skirts, skorts, and shorts may not be hemmed to an inappropriate length.
- Students must wear flat, closed-toed, closed heeled shoes (heels, platform shoes, boots, sandals, etc., are not permitted).
Our goal with the uniform policy is for students to maintain a professional look while at school. We appreciate your understanding and partnership.
New Uniform Item Available
Want to stand out from the crowd? Dress blazers are now available for all 6th-12th-grade students (male & female). Step up your wardrobe game and come to school dressed to impress! Blazers can be purchased in person at the Dennis Uniform Store (1101 N. Keller Road, Suite G-3 , Orlando, FL 32810) or online here: http://www.dennisuniform.com/ONLStore/d-store-home.asp?pageitem=12&pagenumber=1&gn=2&sc=ETF&dis=20851816