Home/Royal News/Middle/Middle School Blog, Week of October 5

IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR OCTOBER

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

  • October 5: MS/US Chapel – Worship Center, 9:25am
  • October 6: MS 12:15pm Early Dismissal – Teacher Workday
  • October 9: No School – Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
  • October 10: MS 1st Quarter AR Deadline
  • October 11: PSAT Testing (Grades 8-11) – MS/US Building
  • October 12: MS/US Chapel – Worship Center, 9:30am
  • October 13: End of 1st Quarter

NEW THIS WEEK

Accelerated Reader Update

The Accelerated Reader app is being retired and will no longer function on devices with the latest iOS updates.

2017-2018 AR Testing Directions Updated

REMINDERS

PSAT Testing – October 11 – 8th-11th Grade

Dear TFA Families,

The semester is already flying by and the Collegeboard’s Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is right around the corner on Wednesday, October 11th, 2017.  The PSAT are highly relevant to student’s future success as it focuses on the skills and knowledge through measurement of what they learn in high school and what they need in college.

The PSAT is a practice test for the official SAT.  Students should be aware that:

  • For 11th graders:  PSAT scores are used to determine all National Merit Qualifying levels and for course recommendations next school year.

  • For ALL students, the PSAT score is used in conjunction with teacher recommendations for course recommendations next school year.

  • All of our 8th and 9th graders will be taking the PSAT 8/9. For more information & preparation regarding this test, please visit here.

  • All of our 10th and 11th graders will be taking the standard PSAT/NMSQT. For more information & preparation regarding this test, please visit here.

Here are some important reminders and tips to get ready for test day:

  • Graphing and Scientific calculators are recommended for the test. A list of prohibited electronics for test day can be found here.

  • Bring two sharpened #2 pencils for the test.

  • Here is a list of what NOT to bring:

    • Any devices, including smartwatches, that can be used to record, transmit, receive or play back audio, photographic, text, or video content

    • Protractors, compasses, rulers

    • Dictionaries or other books. There are no exceptions, even if English is not your first language.

  • Food and drinks, including bottled water, unless approved by the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities.

  • Arrive on time no later than 7:50 am!  *Students who are tardy will not be able to make-up this test and will be held in the study hall until 11:45 am.

Please let your College Advisor know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

College Guidance Team

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.