Home/Royal News/Upper/Upper School Blog, Week of 2/11

IMPORTANT EVENTS & DATES FOR FEBRUARY

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

  • February 11-12: NO SCHOOL – Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
  • February 15: NO SCHOOL – Student/Teacher Holiday – President’s Day
  • February 18: US Chapel – Student Center, 9:28am
  • February 18: Senior Recharge – Alumni Commons, 10:35am
  • February 18-22: Fine Arts NYC trip
  • February 21: Admissions Open House – 2:00pm-4:00pm
  • February 23: Parent Association Uniform Resale – Gym Lobby, 8:00am-9:30am
  • February 24-26: Alternative lunch – click here to place your order: https://thefirstacademy.org/about/lunch/
  • February 25: US Chapel – Student Center, 9:28am
  • February 26: Senior Ski Trip Parent & Chaperone Meeting – Student Center, 7:30am
  • February 27: Central Florida College Fair – UCF Student Union, 11:00am-1:30pm
  • February 27: Sadie Hawkins Dance – TFA Gym, 7:00pm

RECOGNITION

Shakespeare Competition Finalist Announced

Congratulations to senior Drew Wehry, who won our school’s Shakespeare Competition. According to the English-Speaking Union of the United States, students in the competition “read, analyze, perform and recite Shakespearean monologues and sonnets in three qualifying stages: at the school, community and national levels. Approximately 2,500 teachers and 20,000 students in nearly 60 ESU Branch communities participate each year.”

Drew will compete against local schools at the end of February. Break a leg, Drew!

US Students Earn 1st Place in Envirothon

TFA’s AP Environmental Science students competed in the Regional Envirothon at Leu Gardens.   Over 200 students from 4 counties had to answer over 100 questions at 5 different science stations covering Aquatics, Forestry, Invasive Species, Soil and Wildlife.  TFA had three teams and one of them took 1st and the other 2 tied for 2nd beating schools like Bishop Moore, West Orange, Dr. Phillips and Freedom High School.  Congratulations to these students!

NEW THIS WEEK

Alternative Lunch Feb. 24-26

We will be having an alternative lunches on Wednesday, February 24th through Friday, February 26th. The Junior Class is offering an alternative lunch for students in grades 5-12 and faculty to purchase those days.  Kindergarten through 4th grade will have separate arrangements and will need to check with their teachers for information.

Here are the options for those days.
Wednesday, February 24: Chick-fil-A Sandwich with chips & a water for $5.50. Extra Sandwich for $3.50
Thursday, February, 25: 2 slices of Papa John’s cheese pizza and a water for $5.00, Extra slice for $200
Friday, February, 26: Panda Express Bowl with a water for $5.50; Side options: Fried rice, white rice, chow mein or vegetables; Main meat options: Orange Chicken, Broccoli with Beef, Teriyaki Chicken
To order, please visit https://thefirstacademy.org/about/lunch/ to order this lunch if interested. Please submit your order by Monday, February 22nd at 3pm. You are able to order for all three days at the same time.
When you submit your order, you should receive a confirmation page. You may need to scroll back to the top if your screen goes blank. You should also receive a confirmation email within 15 minutes from Larissa Galloway confirming receipt of payment. You do have the option of ordering for multiple students. Food distribution will be in the gym lobby.
Please remember that if you don’t like this option then you are welcome to bring something from home.

REMINDERS

National Honor Society Applications

Applications have been sent to qualifying 10th and 11th graders via email (the email was also sent to parents of qualifying students). The deadline to turn in applications is Friday, March 4. Please remember to turn in your application by March 4; applications submitted after the due date will not be considered for acceptance.

Students who are accepted into NHS will be inducted next fall.

9th Grade SCAN Meetings

TFA US College Advisors will start scheduling individual 9th grade students for SCAN (Student, College, Academic, & Naviance) meetings to review our graduation requirements, college-preparation plans, and students’ PSAT results. Parents who have missed the SCAN meetings in the Fall semester are strongly encouraged to join. Meetings will be scheduled during free/elective periods, so please look out for your College Advisor’s email in regards to the meeting!

Central Florida College Fair

Come and meet with College Representatives from over 130 colleges and universities! This college fair is only open to private high school students in Central Florida.

Hosted by the Central Florida Consortium of Private School Counselors

Saturday, February 27, 2016
at University of Central Florida
Student Union
4000 Central Florida Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32816
11 am-1:30 pm
http://cfcpsc.org/cfcpsc/CollegeFair/StudentsParents/CollegeFairInformation.aspx

Reminder – Lunch Deliveries

We are unable to have students or parents order lunch and have it delivered to the Upper School front desk. To protect academic time, we cannot call students out of class to sign receipts, nor can we sign receipts on behalf of you. If your student forgets their lunch, feel free to drop off a lunch in the front office.

Purchase Your Yearbook Today

Your 2015-2016 TFA Legacy Yearbook is almost complete! Hurry while supplies last and purchase your book today at www.jostens.com. As always, our book covers Lower, Middle, and Upper School students.

Tardy Policy Reminder

From the Parent-Student Handbook: Grades 7-12 – The seventh and subsequent tardy to the first period of the day during a semester, will result in discipline consequences regardless of the reason (page 36).

With the beginning of the second semester, tardies are reset to zero and students do not face discipline until the 7th tardy. Please reserve these for emergencies and make every effort to be in class by 7:50am.