From the Principal's Desk

Hello FWAFA Family,

We are beyond excited to see all of our new and returning Fabulous FWAFA students starting next week. This newsletter is brimming over with details about the first day and first week of school including first day procedures, zoom schedules, attendance policy, dress code, spirit wear, Howdy Week, Student Choreography Concert, joining PTSO, Clayton After-School Care registration, and news regarding In-School Learning.

As I mentioned at our Virtual Meet the Teacher and Information Night, we will meet the challenges of this school year with resilience and grace. Our teachers have spent the last week learning new tools and resources to create 330 Google Classrooms. On Monday, we will deploy 650 student Google accounts and join students to their respective Google Classrooms.That's FWAFA! We're making magic everyday!

It would be naive of me to think that on Monday everything is going to be perfect. Despite our 110% best efforts, we will have glitches and hiccups along the way. Please give us some grace as we implement these tools and get everyone loaded into their virtual classrooms on Monday. We have set up a Zoom help desk on Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to quickly provide tech support to families. See details below.

And, as your very proud Principal of Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, please know that I am committed to creating an environment and providing the instructional resources for your student to become the very best version of him or herself here at our "little gem" in the Fort Worth Arts Community.

2020-2021: Here's to our school's and your student's BEST year yet!

Creatively yours,

Dr. Jennifer K. Jackson

After 8:00 a.m. on Monday, August 17, please complete the following steps:

1. Login to your student Google @artsacademics.org account. Your temporary password is Finearts2020. You will be prompted to create your own individual password.

If you already have a google account, you will click on your account icon and then click on Add New Account.

2. Next, click on the Google Classroom icon.

3. Once you are in Google Classroom, you will see all of your classes from your dashboard. Click "join" for each class.

4. After you have joined each class, go into each class and answer the Attendance Check Question. For elementary students, your Attendance Check Question will be in your first academic rotation class. For MS/HS students, you will go into each of your eight classes and answer the Attendance Check question in each class.

Congratulations! You have completed your first day of school for the 2020-2021 school year.

For a video step-by-step guide, click here. https://youtu.be/up9b9lUi3B0

If you have a technical questions regarding logging into the student Google account, joining Google Classrooms or have an enrollment question, please email help@fwafa.org.

On Monday, August 17, we will have a Zoom room open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for students and families who need assistance logging into Google or joining their Google Classrooms. Just click on this link: https://esc11.zoom.us/j/97791560634

The synchronous Zoom schedule will start on Tuesday, August 18. Your teachers will have their Zoom time and zoom link information posted at the top of their Google Classroom under the Classwork tab.

3rd and 4th Grade

9:00 a.m. to 9:25 a.m.

9:30 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

10:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

10:25 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

11:05 a.m. to 12:05 – Lunch

12:10 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.

12:50 p.m. to 1:25 p.m.

1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Academic and Fine Arts Flex Time

5th and 6th Grade

9:00 a.m. to 9:25 a.m.

9:30 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

10:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

10:25 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.

11:00 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.

11:30 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

12:00 p.m. to 12:25 p.m.

12:30 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Lunch

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Academic and Fine Arts Flex Time

7th-12th Grade – Tuesdays and Thursdays

1st Period - 9:00 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

3rd Period - 10:00 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.

5th Period - 11:00 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

7th Period - 12:00 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.

Lunch - 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Academic and Fine Arts Flex Time - 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

7th-12th Grade – Wednesdays and Fridays

2nd Period - 9:00 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

4th Period - 10:00 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.

6th Period - 11:00 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

8th Period - 12:00 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.

Lunch - 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Academic and Fine Arts Flex Time - 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

7th-12th Grade – Mondays

1st Period - 9:00 a.m. to 9:25 a.m.

2nd Period - 9:30 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

3rd Period - 10:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

4th Period - 10:50 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.

5th Period - 11:00 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.

6th Period - 11:30 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

7th Period - 12:00 p.m. to 12:25 p.m.

8th Period - 12:30 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.

Lunch - 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Academics and Fine Arts - 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Here's a Schedule Spreadsheet Organizer to help you keep track of your classes, zoom meeting times, and Zoom links for each teacher.

Students will demonstrate attendance by responding to the Attendance Check question in Google Classroom each day.

The Attendance Check question will open in Google Classroom at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 11:59 p.m. each day.

Elementary students (3-6) will demonstrate being present to their first academic rotation teacher.

Secondary students (7-12) will demonstrate being present to the classes that they have that day on the modified block schedule.

• On Mondays, students will answer Attendance Check questions for all 8 classes.
• On Tuesday/Thursdays, students will answer Attendance Check questions for their odd classes.
• On Wednesday/Fridays, students will answer Attendance Check questions for their even classes.

Students will be expected to be dressed and ready for At-Home Learning each day. No pajamas please.

Next week we will add "guardian" contacts to our Google Classrooms so that parents/families can view their student's missing work, upcoming work, and class activity. We will use the contacts that are in JupiterEd. Stay tuned for more details and watch for the Google Classroom invitation coming your way soon.

Individual directors will send Zoom link information.

Middle School

Academy Dance Company Trainees - Monday and Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.

Singing Girls of Texas (Training) - Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

MS Musical Theatre - Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.

Texas Boys Choir (Training) - Tuesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

Young Men’s Ensemble - Monday at 3:00 p.m.

High School

Academy Dance Company - Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

Singing Girls of Texas (Tour) - Monday and Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.

Academy Musical Theatre Company - Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

Academy Singers - Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

Young Women’s Ensemble - Monday at 3:00 p.m.

Young Men’s Ensemble - Monday at 3:00 p.m.

We will host a Drive-By Materials Pick-Up event on Wednesday, August 19 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Your teacher will let you know through Google Classroom if there is a textbook or consumable that you will need to pick up to use at home.

PTSO will hold their first Uniform Resale on Wednesday, August 19 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the Green Space. They will comply with the local health orders that are in effect at that time.

To make a donation to the Resale Event, drop off clean, gently used uniforms to the Front Office between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. starting Monday, August 3.

Howdy Week is a longstanding tradition at FWAFA and is a fun way to celebrate being back at school with style and flair. This year, Seniors 2021 have planned for a virtual Howdy Week from August 24-28 and then will host a Homecoming Week sometime after we transition back to In-School Learning. This year's Virtual Howdy Week themes are the following:

Monday, August 24 - Manic Monday! Show us your craziest bed head/messy hair!

Tuesday, August 25 - Tis the Season Tuesday! Sport your favorite holiday attire!

Wednesday, August 26 - Work From Home Wednesday! Show us how you style business on the top (a uniform shirt) and comfy on the bottom (sweatpants, pj bottoms, a onesie).

Thursday, August 27 - Throwback Thursday! Everybody posts/shows a pic of a prior/favorite costume you’ve worn for Howdy Week or Halloween if this is your very first Howdy Week!

Friday, August 28 - Flapjack Friday! Make your FAVORITE breakfast and "share" with us!

Click here to learn more about the Student Choreography Concert. This concert consisting of dances choreographed and performed by FWAFA students is open to all FWAFA students and is completely extracurricular (not tied to any classroom work). All styles of dance are welcome. Stay tuned for more information about audition details, health guidelines, and due dates coming soon.

We are pleased to share with you the winning design for the FWAFA 2020/2021 Spirit Wear Shirts, designed by 2021 Senior, Sydney Collings!!

The spirit shirt designs and the order form are attached to the JupiterEd email.

We are also super excited to let you know that we have added the ability to place and pay for orders online (www.artsacademics.org/fwafa-spirit-wear/). If you would rather order with cash or check (made out to TCAA), you can complete the attached order form and mail it or drop it off at school. All orders must be placed by Friday, September 4th.

Be sure you order this year's shirts so that your student can wear jeans and this year's shirt EVERY Friday once we return to campus AND be a part of this year’s big “21” group photo. All students and staff that purchase a spirit shirt will be invited to participate in our traditional yearbook photo celebrating this year’s Seniors. This picture may look slightly different this year to allow us to follow health a safety guidelines. More details coming soon!

Don't forget to order outerwear too for those chilly classrooms!!

All profits from Spirit Wear sales go to support your 2021 Seniors. Thank you so much for being a part of making their last year at FWAFA a year to remember!!

Next week, we will begin to send detailed information about what In-School Learning will look like when we transition back to the school building; however, I want to let everyone know that regardless if you choose to continue At-Home Learning or choose In-School Learning, we will have opportunities for all students to participate in auditioned performances. Fine Arts Directors have been working all summer to reconceptualize our Fine Arts Performance Series so that they are inclusive for all students and not bound to ideas around what we always do or have always done. Stay tuned for more details about our 2020-2021 Performance Series coming soon!

Our PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) is an amazing supporter of our school. Through their hard work and dedication last year, they purchased 22 Chromebooks and a charging station, provided start-of-school supplies to teachers, fulfilled $9,754.87 in Teacher Classroom Grants, hosted Donuts with Grown-Ups, provided two $500 senior scholarships, subsidized many of our field trips, and each year they organize our Family Ambassador program.

Click here for the online PTSO Membership Form.

When we begin to transition back to school learning, Clayton Afterschool will be our after-school provider. Please visit their website at www.claytonyouth.org to find more information about their program and secure your child’s spot.

Click here to read the TCAA Back to School Health Plan. More details to come in next week's Principal Newsletter.

TCAA Back to School Health Plan

The 2020-2021 At-Home Learning or In-School Learning Commitment form is due on August 20. The Commitment Form is for the entire 2020-2021 school year. Changes to your Commitment Form can be made 10 days prior to the end of each six weeks. If you have not yet completed the form, the link is here: https://forms.gle/FnsuNC18fDBfiANWA

Deadlines for Change Requests

1st Six Weeks - August 31

2nd Six Weeks - September 4

3rd Six Weeks - October 16

4th Six Weeks - November 20

5th Six Weeks - January 29

6th Six Weeks - March 12

The website for Ascender Parent Portal is https://txeis25.esc11.net:8443/ParentPortal/login?distid=220809 or you can download the phone app.

Some troubleshooting tips include:

• Use Chrome as your Internet browser.
• You can recover your username from the website link or the phone app.
• You can reset your password from the website link or the phone app.
• If you lock yourself out, wait 30 minutes and try again.

If you are a new family and need a unique Student ID to link to your account, email help@fwafa.org.

JupiterEd is our Communication Management System. To check your contact information in Jupiter Ed, login and click on the circle in the top left-hand corner with three lines. Scroll down to Settings.