From the Principal's Desk

Greetings FWAFA Family,

Please join me in welcoming our very own Kede VanDyck to the role of Assistant Principal. I am thrilled that she has decided to take this step. She will do great things to support kids and teachers, and parents.

Mark your calendars for the Back to School Night on Thursday, August 12. Elementary grades 3-6 is from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and middle/high school is from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Come get your schedule, walk the school, find your classrooms, and meet your teachers! The nurse and office staff will be available to answer any questions that you have. PTSO will also host a uniform resale during that time as well so you can stock up on some uniform essentials. The resale is from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Information from the Texas Education Commissioner's weekly calls has suggested that the Texas Education Agency will release updated Health Guidelines on August 6. We are waiting to see these guidelines before releasing our own health guidelines and protocols. Please know that everyone's health and safety is our utmost concern. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.

We still have about 100 returning families who have not registered yet. Please login to Ascender Parent Portal and register your student for the new school year. We have not rolled the system over to the new school year yet, so when you register, it will show that your student is in the same grade as last year. That is okay. It will switch to the next grade level when we roll the system over next week. If you haven't registered by back to school night, you will need to complete this step before you will be issued a schedule.

Lastly, we are needing your feedback in the form of a survey about interest in our Clayton After School program and technology needs for this school year. Please take a few moments to complete the two surveys below so that we can make plans for the need.

Creatively yours,

Dr. Jackson

We are diligently working on becoming a 1 to 1 device school for students in grades 5-12; however, we are not there yet. Our goal for the 2021-2022 school is to be a "Bring Your Own Device" campus in grades 5 to 12. This means that students may either bring a laptop/Chromebook/iPad to school each day to work on technology integrated assignments and Google Classroom or check out a device from the school. We need to ensure that we have enough devices for checkout for those students who may need one. Please complete this short Technology Needs Assessment Survey to help with our planning purposes.

PTSO invites all new and returning FWAFA students and families to the Annual Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, August 10, 6:00 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. on the green space north of the building.

This is a great time for new students/families to meet new and returning FWAFA families.

Veteran FWAFA families we want to see you too. Come reconnect with familiar faces and help welcome our new families.

Please click the link to RSVP so we have enough ice cream to serve everyone.

https://forms.gle/V5mWtzu1ESWEcG6F6

Please join us for Back to School Night on August 12. You will be able to pick up your schedule, purchase a planner and yard sign from Thespians, and purchase spirit and outer wear from the Senior Class.

Grades 3-6 (Elementary) students and families are invited to tour the building and meet teachers from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Grades 7-12 (MS/HS) students and families are invited to tour the building and meet teachers from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

In lieu of planners for grades 6-12 and because we are using Google Classroom, FWAFA Thespians are excited to bring you a digital event calendar for all of FWAFA holidays, testing dates, and performance events.

For just $3.00, you can import the calendar into your Google Suite!

OR - We will have a PDF version if you prefer a paper version (which you will be able to print out).

We will sell the calendar on Back to School Night on August 12.

Please bring cash. At that time, we will take your email address and send the link!

OR - If you would like to pay online, please click here:
www.artsacademics.org/21-22-plannerspayment/

There will be a $1.00 convenience fee included in the cost of the calendar.

If you are interested in enrolling your student in the Clayton After School Program, please complete this survey for our planning purposes.

If FWAFA is not part of your student's school journey next year, please contact our Registrar Kim Jennings at kimberly.jennings@fwafa.org by Monday, July 26 to withdraw from the school.

Withdrawing will give you the paperwork that you need to enroll your student in a new school and will give another student on our waitlist an opportunity to join us.

We wish your student all the best in his or her new adventure and thank you dearly for allowing us to serve your student while they were here. It is our greatest honor.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III) will provide approximately $316,349 to the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts over the next three years. In order to access the funds, FWAFA must submit a plan for use of the funds to the Texas Education Agency with our grant application.

The Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts is seeking input from stakeholders as we develop our plan. Your feedback and input are incredibly valuable and will help inform our plan.

Responses to this survey will be reviewed for inclusion into FWAFA’s ESSER III plan.

State assessment results will now be available in the Student Data Portal, www.texasassessment.com, which houses information from any state assessment your child has taken including STAAR and TELPAS.

Results will be available in the Student Data Portal June 21 for grades 5 & 8 Reading/Math, and June 28 for STAAR grades 3-8 and EOCs. Families will also receive a paper copy of their child’s results at the end of July from the school.

The performance labels and descriptors are as follows:

• Masters Grade Level: Students at this level have exceeded the assessment requirements and TEA expects students at Masters Grade Level to succeed in the next grade or course with little or no academic intervention. Students in this category demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in varied contexts, both familiar and unfamiliar.
• Meets Grade Level: Students at this performance level have met the assessment requirements and have a high likelihood of success in the next grade or course but may still need some short-term, targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.
• Approaches Grade Level: Students at this level have met the assessment requirements for purposes of Student Success Initiative grade promotion and graduation and are considered to have met at least the minimum passing standard. A student achieving Approaches Grade Level is likely to succeed in the next grade or course with targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.
• Does Not Meet Grade Level: Students at this level have not passed since performance indicates a student is unlikely to succeed in the next grade or course without significant, ongoing academic intervention. Students in this category do not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the assessed knowledge and skills.

Link to the Student Data Portal: www.texasassessment.com

• In order to access your child’s information, you will need his/her Unique Access Code. You can find their Unique Access Code using their PEIMS ID (Social Security Number) and their birthday.

The Student Data Portal is maintained by the TEA and already houses all scores from previous years.

FWAFA’s annual Student Choreography Concert will be performed and filmed onstage in the FWAFA auditorium in September of 2021.

Student Directors and Faculty Sponsors will film and edit these student-choreographed works for a world premiere online release on Friday, September 24!

This concert will be available to view online by donation/pay-what-you-can for a limited time.

We are so excited to share this student-produced concert with friends, family, and audience members watching from anywhere through this online format.

Dancers and Choreographers that would like to take part in this concert will need to audition their works.

Please see audition details at the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vn6gwkSkw294ajpkyUGdJMG4sdd6GdJVSm87NLFpYG8/edit?usp=sharing

Be sure to check out the Summer Reading assignments. Click here to check it out.

If you are in grades 7-12 and would like to request a locker, please complete this form.

Public Notice of Intent to Apply

Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts intends to apply for federal grant funding for the 2021-2022 school year for the following grant programs:

● Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
● Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
● 2020-2023 ARP ESSER III Federal Grant Application
● 2020-2022 CRRSA ESSER II Federal Grant Application

FWAFA may apply for additional federal funding opportunities as they become available. If you have questions regarding this Public Notice of Intent to Apply please contact Anika Perkins at anika.perkins@artsacademics.org

The 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session passed Senate Bill (SB) 1697, which amends state law to allow parents and guardians to elect for a student to repeat a grade or retake a high school course, per Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.02124. The legislation, which went into effect on June 16, 2021, gives parents or guardians the right to opt for their child to –

1. for grades one through three, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in the previous school year.

For the 2021-2022 school year only, parents or guardians have the right to opt for their child

2. for grades four through eight, repeat the grade the student was enrolled in during the 2020-2021 school year; and

3. for courses taken for high school credit, repeat any course in which the student was enrolled during the 2020-2021 school year.

If you are interested in discussing this option, please contact Dr. Jackson at jennifer.jackson@fwafa.org.

This is to notify parents that the Free and Reduced Lunch Program has been suspended for the 2021-2022 school year. School lunches cost $3.00 for elementary students and $3.50 for middle and high school students.

Ascender Parent Portal

Need to submit an attendance note?

attendance@fwafa.org

TCA+A Covid-19 Information Center

Tuesday, August 10 - PTSO Ice Cream Social

Thursday, August 12 - Back to School Night (Elementary at 5:30 p.m.; Secondary at 7:00 p.m)

Monday, August 16 - First Day of School

Monday, August 23 - Howdy Week Starts

Wednesday, August 25 - Student Choreography Concert & Senior Solo Exhibition Auditions

July 16