5/5/22
VOL. 1, NO.27
RED & BLUE REVIEW Weekly Newsletter of Tipton-Rosemark Academy
IMPORTANT DATES Elementary Mother's Day Picnic MAY 6
Senior's Last Day and Picnic Lunch MAY 6
4K End of Year Program MAY 9
High School Honors Program MAY 10
MS Honors Program MAY 10 Check the School Calendar for all Sporting Events
Head of School Review BY DR. ANDY GRAHAM
Wh a t a n e x c i t i n g w e e k i t i s f o r o u r s e n i o r s a s t h e y f i n i s h t h e i r l a s t d a y a t T R A t o mo r r o w . T h i s i s a h a p p y o c c a s i o n a s t h e y ma k e p l a n s f o r t h e i r lives after Upper School, but it is also a sad one as t h e y l e a v e t h e o n l y s c h o o l ma n y o f t h e m h a v e e v e r k n o w n . O n e y e a r a g o , I ma d e t h e s a me j o u r n e y t h a t o u r s e n i o r p a r e n t s w i l l b e ma k i n g s o o n . I d r o p p e d my s o n , R a y , o f f a t U T K n o x v i l l e t o begin his college career. I was as apprehensive as a parent could be. You see, all of us wonder if we have poured enough knowledge into our children. A r e t h e y p r e p a r e d f o r c o l l e g e a n d l i f e ? Wa s t h e r e anything else that we could have done differently t o h a v e e q u i p p e d t h e m mo r e e x t e n s i v e l y f o r t h e a d u l t w o r l d ? Wi l l t h e y b e h a p p y ? Wi l l t h e y r e me mb e r t h e v a l u e s t h a t w e h a v e t a u g h t t h e m as parents?
Head of School Review CONTINUED
I remember, well, carting the supplies to the room to decorate. It was much different than my experience when I left for the University of Kentucky with a suitcase, a stack of albums, and a quilt. It seems that today’s dorm is better equipped
than
most
of
our
houses
with
computers, widescreen televisions, and many amenities. But, after the room was decorated, the bed was made, the clothes were in the closet, and the instructions were given, the time
arrives
for
every
parent
to
leave
and
journey home. This is a surreal moment and no matter how prepared for it you think you are… you really aren’t. I did manage to give my son a hug, a firm handshake, wish him well, and keep a stiff upper lip until I was in the car. But, as I drove away with him waving in my rearview mirror, the emotions flooded forth. It turns out that 18 years is a really short amount of time with a child after all. I could not believe that the little guy that I coached in baseball and basketball was grown and on his own. I am happy to report that he has had a wonderful year at UT. He has studied hard, made good grades, and learned many lessons. He has made new friends, spent time with old friends, and has had to learn to budget his money and time. I have seen a huge amount of growth in his confidence and maturity. I still miss him, but I am exceedingly proud of him. I will be praying for this awesome group of seniors and their parents as they finish their time at TRA and as they move to college. I pray that the seniors will love their new school, make many friends, study hard, be safe and happy, and most importantly, that they keep
Booster Club's 34th Annual Golf Tournament Friday, June 10, 2022 12 Noon Check-in/lunch 1 p.m. Gunshot Start
Glen Eagle Golf Course Millington, TN Team & Sponsorship Info can be found here: https://bit.ly/trabooster
their faith in God.
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May 5, 2022
The end of the school year is approaching! This is always a busy time of year, so be sure the check the school calendar often!
Upper School Review BY STEPHANIE WEHRER If you have been around me even just a little, then you know just about everything we do at school makes me proud and I am always saying, “Oh that is one of my favorite things that we do at TRA!” Well, I will apologize in advance, because that will apply to pretty much everything in this week’s issue. Ms. Vego’s Dual Enrollment History class hosted a living wax museum for our younger students this week. Students have studied famous Americans, wrote research papers and then got in character to share stories about their lives. I continue to be in awe of our students and their academic and creative abilities. This week has also been ALL about the seniors, as tomorrow will be their final day on campus as TRA students. While they will not graduate until May 14, they have completed all graduation requirements and are more than prepared to take on the next adventure at whatever college they will all be attending in the fall. This is truly an exceptional group of students, and our school has been richly blessed by the opportunity to be a part of their stories and who they have become as young adults. I love each of them dearly, and pray they will return as often as they are able to update us on all the wonderful things they are accomplishing.
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May 5, 2022
Upper School Review CONTINUED Yesterday our seniors had a graduate parade with their kindergarten buddies, where students from both grades donned their caps and gowns while parading through the halls of each building on campus. Underclassmen down to PreK2, and all the teachers lined the hallways to cheer on and celebrate these students we love so much. A very precious tradition that I enjoy getting to witness each year. Another favorite tradition is the candlelight ceremony, where the seniors pass on the “light” of their torches to the juniors who will be rising to take their place for the upcoming year. I hope it is never far from your minds, but weeks like this one always remind me of what a genuine blessing it is to be a part of this school and its community. We have gotten to truly celebrate these special students in the most wonderful ways during their last week on campus. Well done, Class of 2022! We love you, and pray God’s richest blessings over you and your paths from here forward. Finally, we would like to congratulate senior, Elyse Warren for being chosen as the 2022 South Tipton Chamber of Commerce Student of the Year for TRA! Congratulations, Elyse, you are most deserving of this honor and we are so proud of you!
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May 5, 2022
Lower School Review BY SUSAN CRANFORD Our PreK 2 was “Hooked on Dad” last Friday! Our dads came to have donuts with our PreK 2 students and go “fishing”. It was so cute and SO MUCH FUN! These little ones really thought they were catching some ‘big ones”! I mentioned the Treble Honor Choir group in last week’s newsletter, but I want to again mention this group and congratulate them on a spectacular performance. I also want to thank Mrs. Samantha Pence for her teaching and leading these students! Last Saturday night, we had an exciting Powder Puff football game that consisted of two teams of high school girls coached by sibling rivals Mrs. Stephanie Wehrer and Mrs. Terri Millican. Whew it was quite a game! Our elementary cheerleaders did a great job cheering on both teams. Our elementary punt, kick, pass competition was also lots of fun! Our fifth graders learned about the food groups in Health class and about making good food choices. As a culminating activity, fifth graders developed and printed a brochure menu that consisted of healthy choices from each of the food groups.
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May 5, 2022
Lower School Review CONTINUED On Wednesday of this week, we had what is one of my MOST favorite days of the year. Our Kindergarten graduates and our high school Senior graduates enjoyed breakfast together and walked hand in hand though the entire school. That parade of graduates gets all of us teary eyed! We loved having parents and even some grandparents on campus to see this parade! This is such a special time for both of these groups as they reach such a special milestone. Second grade students led our last “regular” Chapel of the year this week and did a fantastic job leading our students in songs of praise. They chose the three songs to sing and sounded fabulous. Hearing children sing praises to our Lord never gets old and is so good for the soul. Kindergarteners are bubbling with excitement for summer! Bubble day was held this week and they loved getting outside and having this time together. This Friday, May 6, we look forward to having our mothers on campus for a picnic on the football field. This will begin at 11:00. We are hoping for good weather. If it should rain, we will eat in our classrooms. Fingers crossed for sunshine!
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May 5, 2022
_________ Extended to May 12!!