Hello!
First of all, welcome to Kindergarten at Thurman Francis Arts Academy! I am so glad you are here! TFAA is a great place to be! In kindergarten we begin our year with a "phase-in day" where only 1/3 of the class attends one of 3 days. This allows students to become acclimated to school at a gradual pace. Phase-in days for the '25-'26 school year will be August 12, 13 and 14. Your child will attend only one of those days. If you are a parent of a new kindergarten student, you will be getting an email that will contain a link to a Sign-Up Genius page to schedule your child for his or her first day of school. The first regular full day of kindergarten (when all students will attend) will be August 18. Additionally, we will have a kindergarten-second grade parent orientation on August 7. The kindergarten orientation will begin at 5:00 pm. Afterward, we will all go to the gym for a collaborative orientation meeting with K-2 parents, teachers, and administration. Please make plans to attend! We will introduce and discuss many important kindergarten and school-wide topics as well as have a Q&A time.
Next, I want to let you know a little bit about me. I have a bachelor's degree from Belmont University in elementary education with an emphasis in early childhood education. I also have a master's degree in education from Tusculum University. This will be my 11th year teaching kindergarten at TFAA, and my 21st year teaching overall. Most of my teaching experience is in kindergarten.
I am a native of east Tennessee and have lived in Murfreesboro for 16 years. My husband Phillip and I just celebrated our 32nd year of marriage, and we have 2 daughters. Rebekah, our oldest, is married and has a precious little 2-year-old, Ellie and a 6-month-old Hallie. Rachel, our youngest, is working at my alma mater in the Office of Study Abroad! For hobbies, I enjoy being outdoors, travelling, biking, running, and spending time with my family most of all.
The first year of school is an important one in the life of every student, so this year will be a special one for your child. I am looking forward to getting to know your child and learning and growing together! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. Class Dojo is a form of communication that I will use this year. You may also contact me via my email at
[email protected]. I look forward to a wonderful year!
Rhesa Umbarger
