Dear WA Community,   

 Thank you for your prayers and love for Jesus and one another during the first week of school; it was conspicuous and contagious in all areas of our school ministry. It was fun to see so many students who have grown and matured since last year. It was also encouraging to see so many new faces. We are truly blessed by so many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ at WA and by the number of improvements and positive changes for the school year.

Because of all of the improvements and changes, we also had some challenges. Our upper school (6th through 12th grade) schedules were sent to our students much later than we wanted; please be assured that we will improve on this for next year. Our dining lines were too long and the portions of food were too small. Both have been resolved for next week. We have added snack time for our lower school students, and we have increased opportunities for all of our students to hydrate more during the school day.

I am sure there are additional ways for us to enhance the first week of school. Please send me your ideas about how we can continue to make the first week of school even better next year. Please feel free to email me at orsinol@wacad.edu, or arrange a time to meet with me by contacting Barb Carlen, my assistant, at carlenb@wacad.edu or 954.771.4615, ext. 2470.

As we look towards next week, we want to encourage all of our school parents to make an extra effort to attend our annual Back-to-School Nights. As you know, Back-to-School Nights are a great way to meet teachers and school personnel. These programs offer us a special opportunity to promote a Christ-honoring partnership to enhance your child's educational experience at WA. As I shared at Convocation, children truly benefit and blossom when their parents and school personnel prayerfully partner together in Christ.

Back-to-School Night dates are as follows:   

PK2-5              Tuesday, August 23  6:45 PM 

Grades 6-8      Monday, August 29   7:00 PM 

Grades 9-12    Thursday, September 1  7:00 PM  

In closing, I would like  to commend our Advanced Placement (AP) teachers for their dedication to academic excellence. Each year we receive our AP results in August from the previous spring's national testing. Once again our high school students, under the exceptional instruction of our faculty, have scored higher than their peers in both the private and public schools in Florida and also the nation. To see the AP scores of our students for the last five (5) years and how they compare with their peers in Florida and throughout the nation, please click on AP Score Summary. 

Thank you for a blessed first week of school.

Blessings to you and your family in the Name of Jesus Christ,

Leo Orsino

Headmaster 

Upper School  

 August 22

Senior/Parent College Planning Meeting - 7:00 PM - DeVos Chapel   

August 25

6:00 PM Varsity Football vs. Inlet Grove Community High School (Home)  

Lower School

August 23

6:45 PM Back-to-School Night for Parents PK2-5 

Upcoming Events 

August 29  

Back-to-School Night for Parents Gr. 6­-8

   August  30  

Booster Club Welcome Back BBQ  

September 1   

Back-to-School Night for Parents Gr. 9-12  

  Let's Talk About Lunch...  Q & A  

As we launched our new lunch program, we have had some additional questions. Please click here for information which you may find helpful. 

New WA water bottles, coffee cups and t-shirts (long-sleeve and short-sleeve), along with WA hoodies are now available in the school store!

 School Store Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 7:45 - 8:15 AM. The store will be closed on Tuesday mornings.  

The store is also open Monday-Friday in the afternoon from 2:45 - 3:30 PM. The School Store is located in the gymnasium, with an external entrance near the lower school entrance.   

For your convenience the store will be open on:

Saturday, August 20 from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, and during 

all of our Back-to-School Nights. 

Parents' Back-To-School Night  

Early every school year, we invite our parents to enjoy an evening walking through their child's schedules and meeting with their teachers. This is a ten-minute introductory time for you, our parents, to find out what each class is about, receive a copy of each class syllabus, and ask questions. The middle school date was moved due to a scheduling conflict, so please note the new date is Monday, August 29, 2011.  

The high school Back-to-School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2011. Each night we will begin classes at 7:00 PM. Our PTF provides refreshments throughout the evening, so please come early and enjoy refreshments and fellowship with other parents. 

We look forward to seeing you at Back-to-School Night!

              Keys to Success for the PSAT Test

One of the keys to success for the PSAT is knowing what to expect!    

EXPERT TEST PREPARATION OF SOUTH FLORIDA, taught by Teri Lynn Betor, will begin a 7-week PSAT course for Westminster Academy (juniors only) beginning Wednesday, August 24.

Please contact Sharon Curlee at curlees@wacad.edu or 954.771.4615, ext. 2522 to register.  

CASA/Hang Time--After School Opportunities for Students



We are excited to offer children a safe and fun place
 to go to after school! CASA is for children from preschool (beginning at two-years-old) to the 5th grade. Children have time to rest, have a snack, do homework, and enjoy being a kid!

We also have a great "Hang Time" experience for middle school students. "Hang Time" students have the opportunity to finish their homework, have a snack, and enjoy some time with friends.

Please click here to sign your child up for CASA, and click here to sign up for Hang Time. You may also call Lynn Koffler at 954.632.7466, ext. 2519.

The national publication of Teaching Music

magazine published by *MENC has published an article in their August issue, written by Patti Kranz '11 and submitted by Mr. Jeff Carroll about the Concert Band trip to Costa Rica last spring.

Featured in the magazine's "Going Places" department, the article discussed wonderful opportunities the band had performing for and learning about the country. This magazine is published and sent as a subscription to almost every music teacher in the country and to music educators around the world.

Thank you, Concert Band members, for how you represent our school and community on the local, national and international stage!

* MENC: The National Association for Music Education, among the world's largest arts education organizations, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. Through membership of more than 75,000 active, retired, and pre-service music teachers, and with 60,000 honor students and supporters, MENC serves millions of students nationwide through activities at all teaching levels, from preschool to graduate school