TeSA

Monday Message

March Madness

TeSA Families,

March madness is a little different at a fine arts school. Instead of a basketball focus, we're focused on rigorous classroom instruction, testing and reviewing data, and jumping into all of our spring productions! In-School and At-Home Learners will start to see a shift in their Fine Arts curriculum from process to product. Our teachers will be working with the students to learn and perfect their performances and artwork.

In-School families, please see the letters below from our performing arts teachers. K-1st Grade will be performing Welcome to the Jungle, and 2nd-6th Grade will perform Dear Edwina, Jr.

At-Home Learners, watch for information coming to you in the next few weeks.

March will be busy, busy, busy, and will feel really short due to spring break. Thanks for noting all of the special dates and opportunities in this newsletter. If you have any questions, let us know!

Artistically & Academically Yours,

Betsy Compton, M.A., M.A.T., M.Ed.

Principal

Texas School of the Arts

Welcome to the Jungle = K-1st In-School Students

K-1st Families,

Click HERE to find important information including details about costumes, the cast list, and the script for our Kindergarten and 1st Grade In-School Learners virtual musical, Welcome to the Jungle. We encourage students to practice their lines and musical numbers outside of school.

As with every performance, we are asking you to provide a few items for the success of the overall look and production quality. This includes an animal costume for your child. Thus, we have asked that you sign up for an animal via Sign Up Genius. First come, first serve. Please visit the link, select an animal, and write your student’s name in the box, and select quantity (1) by Wednesday, March 10th.

Please direct any questions to kelsey.kilgore@mytesa.org. Thank you for your commitment to your student’s fine arts education!

Respectfully,

Ms. Kilgore, Ms. Campbell, and Mrs. Ibañez

Dear Edwina, Jr. = 2nd-6th In-School Students

2nd-6th Families,

On Thursday of last week, your student received a handout regarding costumes and props for our musical, Dear Edwina Jr. Please click HERE to review the document.

Please ensure your child brings their items in a bag with their name clearly labeled no later than Monday, April 19th. Your student will receive a slip acknowledging we received their costume and approve/disapprove. Costumes will be held in the costume closet and returned home with the student after filming.

Please contact Ms. Kilgore (kelsey.kilgore@mytesa.org) with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your child’s costume.

As always, we are having a wonderful time working with your students on this exciting project and appreciate your support as we prepare for a wonderful performance!

Respectfully,

Ms. Kilgore, Ms. Campbell, and Mrs. Ibañez

Texas Dress for Paper = Tuesday, March 2nd

In honor of Texas Independence Day and the incredible support we’ve seen from our fellow Texans in these trying times, let’s show our Texas pride! We encourage all In-School students to bring one package copy paper and dress to show their Texas spirit. Students may dress in red, white, and blue, or show off their Texas western attire.

Rock Fundraiser = March 1st-12th

Kindergarten and 1st Grade are having a Rock Painting Fundraiser. You may purchase rocks for $10 between March 1st - 12th. All rocks need to be painted with acrylic paint and returned to the school by April 1st. Once you return your rocks to the school we will seal the rocks and make a rock garden in the front of TeSA. Your rock will also be entered into our “Best Painted Rock” contest, where we will have 2 awesome prizes for K-2 and 3-6.

To purchase, scan QR code or use the paper form sent home with In-School students and available at the front desk.

Spring Break = March 15th-19th

Spring break is Monday, March 15th through Friday, March 19th. The campus will be closed and there will be no instruction online. We hope you are all able to enjoy family time!

If your family is planning a vacation outside of the United States, the CDC recommends being tested for Covid-19 3 to 5 days after the trip in addition to a 7 day quarantine. If you do not get tested upon return, it is recommended to quarantine for 10 days. Those who are two week past their second Covid-19 vaccine are excluded from this guidance.

Please contact Nurse Edna, edna.robinson@mytesa.org, if your child will need to quarantine and participate in At-Home Learning.

Tutoring Opportunity

TeSA has a unique opportunity to offer tutoring via Zoom for all of our At-Home and In-School students. Tutoring will be led by the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts National Honor Society students and overseen by FWAFA Teacher & TeSA Virtual Mentor, Dr. Amy Prickett. Dr. Prickett and the NHS students will be working with our TeSA teachers to make sure students have access to everything they need during tutoring. Any student is welcome to join for help in any subject!

TeSA Tutoring

Tuesdays 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Wednesdays 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Join Zoom

Meeting ID = 349 599 4857

State Testing

TeSA will not be rescheduling the STAAR Benchmark Exams in a format that requires us to move K-2nd off campus. Due to the lost week of instruction, teachers will be incorporating benchmark testing into our existing schedule. While this will not allow our students the full STAAR experience, we are confident our teachers can adjust and use the data from testing in class to inform instruction and help support all student learning.

The schedule and requirements for STAAR testing in April and May will be finalized by the end of March. At this time, the Texas Education Agency is still requiring all 3rd-12th grade students to complete STAAR on campus.

The state is also requiring students to report to campus to complete the TELPAS. Students identified as English Learners in grade K-12, including parent denials, are required to be tested. The Texas Education Agency developed TELPAS to meet state and federal testing requirements for assessing the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), which are part of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). If your child is required to take this test, you received an email from Kiera Wallace. If you have any questions, please contact her at kiera.wallace@mytesa.org.

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TeSA Applause

Each week, we celebrate someone going above and beyond. This week, I'm proud to pass along this praise for first grade teacher, Ms. Chandler Torry.

Ms. Torry has been an incredible support to both her first graders and first grade parents alike. She is kind and helpful, and made our daughter's transition to in-person learning seamless. We're beyond thankful for her communication and support as we've navigated this unusual year.

Would you like to give someone a shout out? Fill out the TeSA Applause Form.