IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR DECEMBER

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

  • December 7: MS/US Chapel – Faith Hall, 9:25am
  • December 8-13: MS Fall Visual Art Exhibit – Black Box Theatre
  • December 14: MS/US Chapel – Worship Center, 9:25am
  • December 21: Mentor Group Christmas Celebrations & MS Ugly Sweater Christmas Party – Student Center, 10:00am
  • December 21: 12:15pm Dismissal
  • December 22-January 8: No School – Christmas Break
  • January 9: Students return to school
  • January 11: MS/US Chapel – Worship Center, 9:25am

NEW THIS WEEK

Wonder Field Trip

Wonder field trip

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.” —Dr. Wayne Dyer

The Middle School students enjoyed a field trip to see the movie Wonder this Wednesday. Students were joined by the Middle School teachers, along with other members of administration. The students traveled to University City Walk to see the movie before having lunch at the Mall at Millenia.

We are thankful for Mr. Rossmeissl and Mrs. Rymer for planning this trip!

MS/US Chapel Recap 11/30

By Kaylie C. – Class of 2018

Last week, we were blessed to have Pastor Danny De Armas, Senior Associate Pastor of First Baptist Orlando, teach us from Mark 8 and John 2:3-5. He pointed out in Mark 8 that the disciples were worried about not having enough food while on the boat. Jesus replied to them by saying, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand?” This passage shows that the disciples were worried and didn’t realize how great Jesus was and that He will always provide for them. Pastor De Armas then questioned us by saying, “Why should we worry when we will always have Jesus to rely on?”

Pastor De Armas then showed in John 2:3-5 that Mary knew that the reason Jesus existed was for us. She didn’t question Him when they had no wine, instead she told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” A beautiful comparison he made during the service was that people today read scriptures and sing worship songs so often that they become mundane and we forget what Jesus did for us. He closed by challenging us to be like Mary, not the disciples and that we may never forget what Jesus did for each and every one of us. Jesus wants a personal relationship with you, He cleared you of your sins and paid your debt.

Coffee and College for 8th Grade Parents

Dates: January 11th, 18th, and 25th

Time: 7:50am-8:35am

Location: US Room 221

It’s never too early to think about the college process and the transition into high school!  The First Academy’s Upper School Guidance team will be hosting a coffee for the parents of 8th grade students.  In our meeting, we will cover:

  • College Admissions Process
  • Standardized Testing Information
  • Upper School Grading Scale and GPA
  • Upper School Curriculum Levels
  • Upper School Course Scheduling Process for rising 9th graders

Click here to sign up.

REMINDERS

Library Reading Incentive Program

The second quarter’s reading incentive program for grades 3-8 is based on the Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award (SSYRA) reading lists: SSYRA parent letter 2017.  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. After reading and passing the AR test for a SSYRA book, students will receive a small prize from the “Sunshine Store” during their class library time. This promotion will end January 12th.  We hope your student finds a new favorite while they explore new authors and genres during this promotion.  Students who read and pass the AR test for 5 or more books will be invited to a celebration lunch with SSYRA author Taryn Souders on Thursday, February 1st.

If you have any questions, please see Mrs. DeBoom or Ms. Whitaker in the library.

Attendance

All attendance notifications and questions should be communicated directly to Mrs. Erika Faustino, Middle School Receptionist. All Middle School students who are tardy to campus must check in with Mrs. Faustino in the Middle School office when they arrive at school. You may contact Mrs. Faustino concerning your student being tardy or absent at 407-206-8620 or email her at msattendance@thefirstacademy.org.

WT Cafe – New Lunch Program

We are so excited to be partnering with WT Care for our school lunch program. Many of you were able to sample some of the offerings during New Family Orientation. The process for Lower School Instructions for registering your account and adding funds:

  • Visit www.wtcafe.com
  • A box should pop-up in your browser window with “Welcome to WT Cafe” at the top. In this window select your location, which is Orlando
  • Once “Orlando” has been selected, click “Order Now” (located in a big red box on the right side of the page, at the top)
  • Once on the next page, you will need to sign-up. Find the area labeled “Not A Customer? Sign Up” and click there
  • Continue on, completing the required fields
  • Once all of the fields have been successfully filled out, your registration will be complete and you will receive an email from WT Cafe with your login information
  • You will need to follow the instructions provided in the email to login to your newly registered account, add funds, and view the menu. You can even sign up for Auto-Reload so you don’t have to worry about manually re-filling your account. As long as your account is funded, your student will come through the line and enjoy a fresh, delicious, made from scratch lunch!

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.