 |
| Vol. 8, Iss. 3 |
January 25, 2018
|
|
Dear Parents,
Each year, the Foundation for Douglas County Schools asks the community to nominate teachers and support staff who demonstrate excellence in their field for the Apple Award. Based on recommendations from our parent community, the school selects two staff members to represent our school and attend the Apple Award ceremony, where the finalists and 2018 Apple Award winners will be announced.
I'm proud to announce the two
Apple Award nominees from BFA this year are (drumroll, please)...
Janet Harlow and Emily Ward! Congratulations to these wonderful teachers--your positive influence has impacted a broad range of students and we are proud that you are part of the BFA team.
Emily Ward, our Science Specialist, reinforces concepts taught in the classroom, helps kids grasp the scientific process and encourages them to stay curious. She is continuously looking for new and interesting ways to instill a love of learning and science in our kiddos. Maybe that is why so many of them want to be scientists when they grow up!
Janet Harlow plays many roles at BFA. She developed and teaches our middle school Life Skills class, works with the Student Support Services group and is an important part of the BFA BASE team. We appreciate the broad range of skills she brings to our staff, and students absolutely love her genuine, caring spirit so she often acts as a mentor to our kids. Janet is happiest when surrounded by BFA students.
We are tremendously proud of all our talented staff and relish this opportunity to highlight these two members of our team. Congratulations Ms. Harlow and Mrs. Ward!
|
LOG YOUR HOURS FOR EARLY PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE SIGN UP
As a special thank you to all of our outstanding volunteers, the PTO is happy to announce we will be offering early sign-ups for February Parent Teacher Conferences to all volunteers who have met their annual volunteer quota.
You must have your volunteer hours entered by today, Jan. 25, in order to qualify. The teachers will be reaching out to all eligible families prior to releasing the SignUp Geniuses to all families. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers for all your hard work!
|
Ben's Brigade is meeting from
8 - 9 p.m. tonight, Jan. 25, at the Starbucks inside Super Target (
1265 Sergeant Jon Stiles Dr, Highlands Ranch
). All BFA Dads, Stepdads, Grandpas are welcome to attend.
|
TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE
The Father Daughter Dance will be held from
6 - 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, at BFA. We hope our BFA girls (kindergarten through eighth grade) and the special men in their lives (dads, stepdads, grandpas) will make plans to join us down the rabbit hole for dancing, refreshments and fun activities!
Tickets are $20 per couple, and $5 for each additional child or guest. You can purchase tickets online through the BFA store until tomorrow, Jan. 26.
Tickets will not be sold at the event.
We need volunteers to help make this event a success, so
if you are interested, please sign up today!
|
Tomorrow,
Jan. 26, is a Spirit Day so students can wear a Spirit Wear T-shirt, a field day shirt from a prior year, or their fun run T-shirt.
|
GOT A SUPER SPELLER? QUALIFY FOR BEE JAN. 29
This year the spelling bee qualification will be done a little bit differently. In order to maintain consistency throughout the process, students who are interested in participating in the school spelling bee will need to come into school early on Monday, Jan. 29. They will need to report to
Ms. Poleschook's classroom (Rm. 274) at 7:30 a.m. to take the qualifying exam. Two students from each grade, 4-8, will be able to participate in the school spelling bee on Friday, Feb. 2. If you have any additional questions, please
email Ms. Poleschook.
|
GET READY TO GET YOUR GLOW ON!
The
Middle School Dance will be held from 6:30-9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, at BFA. When the sun goes down on Friday night, they're invited to a dance party that's sure to be BRIGHT! We hope our sixth through eighth graders will join us for dancing, fun and refreshments.
Tickets are $5 per student and can be purchased through the BFA Store (click on 'events') through Tuesday, Feb. 6. No dates please. Students are welcome to dress in formal or casual attire. If you miss the ticket deadline, you CAN purchase tickets at the door for $10 per student.
|
CELEBRATE YOUR PERFORMER WITH A CANDY GRAM
Let your little star know how special they are with a
candy gram for only two dollars ($2) each; then add your personal greeting to make it even more meaningful! Candy Grams now will be available at the concession table before performances.
Save yourself some time by preordering your Candy Gram at least two days prior to the performance, then pick them up and pay for them at the concession table. Let's recognize our performers for all their practicing and hard work. Proceeds benefit the Disneyland Choir Fundraising team.
Upcoming Performance Dates:
January 31
: First Grade Musical, Pajama Party, 6:30 p.m.
February 23 and 24
: Seussical Performance, 7 p.m.
|
Last Friday, our first through fifth graders met
Sam Leclaire, a first grader here at BFA. Sam, who was born with a 'special heart,' and his parents shared his journey at the Jump Rope for Heart Assembly.
It was extraordinarily meaningful to our kids to meet Sam and understand why we raise money for the American Heart Association.
This year, we are raising money for the American Heart Association in Sam's honor.
Let's top our last donation of $16,000, and raise $18,000 for kids like Sam who have 'special hearts' and need medications, surgeries or could benefit from research.
I
nformation and envelopes will come home in Thursday Folders today, Jan. 25. While we sincerely appreciate the money raised by students, they don't have to fundraise to participate in the
Jump Rope for Heart events on Feb. 15 and 20.
We encourage those interested in raising money for kids with 'special hearts' to send emails out to family and friends--experts say this is the best way to reach our
goal of $18,000. If we are able to meet this goal, the class with the most participation will get to turn
Mrs. Simpson,
Mr. Gomez, and
Mrs. Bauer into ice cream sundaes during an assembly. Envelopes can be turned in any time, but we'd like to receive all donations by the day of the event (Feb. 15 and 20).
Below is the schedule for the Jump Rope for Heart Event. (Students will participate during their specials time on the date shown.) Students in grades K-4 will rotate through different jump stations, while fifth graders will perform a jump rope routine they have created with their group.
Parents are welcome, and volunteers are needed!
Thursday, Feb. 15
- 8:20 - 9 a.m. - Knudsen and Walter - They will be performing jump rope routines. Parents are welcome to come watch.
- 9 - 9:40 a.m. - Whelan and Hinz
- 9:40 - 10:20 a.m. -Wall and Boyd
- 10:20 - 11 a.m. - Wilson and Marchisio
- 1:10 - 1:50 p.m. - Pitrone and Brook
- 1:50 - 2:30 p.m. - North and McGinty
Tuesday, Feb. 20
- 8:20 - 9 a.m. - Rooney and Dunn - They will be performing jump rope routines. Parents are welcome to come watch.
- 9 - 9:40 a.m. - Harms and Hildebrand
- 9:40 - 10:20 a.m. - Van Wyk, Lewicki, and Klee a.m. kindies
- 10:20 - 11 a.m. - Lindgren, Erbaugh, and Murray a.m. kindies
- 1:10 - 1:50 p.m. - Parsons and p.m. kindies
- 1:55 - 2:35 p.m. - DePasse and Triplett
|
THE VOTES ARE IN, NOW CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE!
Thanks to all our parents who took the survey to help the Community Events Committee (CEC) select the topic for this year's
parent seminar with Mr. Redford. And the winner (pretty convincingly) is:
- Executive functioning (selecting and successfully monitoring behaviors that facilitate the attainment of chosen goals).
Please join us for the seminar at
9.30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, in room 144.
|
FREE RESOURCE FAIR/SEMINAR OFFERED BY YESS
Youth Education and Safety in Schools (YESS) is offering a
free resource fair and seminar on Thursday, Feb. 1, to discuss Social/Digital Media and Human Trafficking. The resource fair will be held from 6 - 7 p.m. and the seminar will be from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Charles Schwab's amenities building (9800 Schwab Way, Lone Tree, 80124). Although there is no charge,
you need to RSVP to the event
.
F
or more information, please refer to the blue flier sent home today in your student's Thursday folder, or click
here
to read the flier. For questions,
contact
Phyllis Harvey,
YESS program coordinator.
|
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DAYBREAK WITH DADS
BFA is honored to host students and their
real-life superheros, their dads, on
Friday, Feb. 9. Join us from 7 - 8 a.m. in the BFA Lightning Gym for coffee, juice and doughnut holes.
This event is popular, so please arrive early and park in the overflow lot as not to disrupt carpool. Class will begin at the usual time (kids should be in class at 8:10 a.m.), but dads must remain with their children in the gym until 7:45 a.m.
Gluten free items available upon request.
|
YOUR WEEKLY GROCERY STOP CAN EARN MONEY FOR BFA--AND IT'S SO EASY!
Did you know you can earn money for BFA each time you shop at King Soopers and Safeway? Buy groceries, gasoline at fuel centers, lottery tickets and postage stamps while helping BFA at the same time! (Safeway gift cards also can be used at Albertson's locations.)
How?
Simply
order a dedicated BFA King Soopers and/or Safeway gift card from the BFA Store, and use it to buy your groceries. Then, re-load your King Soopers or Safeway gift card at Customer Service or at the register before you scan your first item.
Online shoppers can use grocery cards too! Shoppers using Safeway's online service can make purchases with their Safeway grocery card, while King Soopers online shoppers can pay using their grocery card when they pick up their order.
Ordering your King Soopers and Safeway cards is easy!
Just go to the
BFA Store, click on 'Grocery Cards' and order yours today. The cards are pre-loaded with $5. When ordering, be sure to include your FIRST/LAST NAME and FULL MAILING ADDRESS. Your King Soopers/ Safeway card(s) will be mailed directly to the address provided. Once the order is received, please allow five business days for processing.
Need a new card?
If it's been a while since you used your card, and it's been left with a zero balance, your card will expire! Please
order a new card through the store, as the zero balance card will no longer give rebates back to BFA.
The King Soopers and Safeway fundraising programs donate five percent of your purchases back to the school. BFA raised more than $5,500 through this program last year!
For more information or questions,
email
Rachel Molieri, PTO spirit wear and grocery card coordinator.
|
PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN
Our preschool is NOW ACCEPTING Intent to Enroll forms for the 2018-19 school year. If you know someone who is interested in a preschool that uses the Core Knowledge Sequence along with a nurturing environment and individualized instruction to ensure little ones are ready for Kindergarten, please encourage them to complete the Intent to Enroll form.
Please note that preschool slots are available on a first come, first served basis and spots do fill quickly. For more information, please email Kristen Goldberg, preschool director.
|
KEEP COLLECTING THOSE POP-TOPS;
The BFA middle school Student Council is excited to support
Ronald McDonald House Charities as their philanthropy project for the fall/winter. Ronald McDonald House provides a loving and low cost 'home away from home' for families needing to be near their seriously ill or injured children while they are being treated at one of our area hospitals. We've completed our collection of cleaning supplies, but are still taking soda pop-tops!
Please see this
flier
for specific product needs and collection details.
Please show your support for the Student Council's efforts in helping this worthy charity! Collection boxes are located in the lobby.
|
BASE USING AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS
As communicated previously, we have moved to an automated payment system for BASE.
BASE billing will continue to be processed on a weekly basis. The balance due on your account for the prior week's attendance will be automatically pulled from the account you specified. You are able to view your account details through MyProcare at any time.
Please note, any accounts that do not have an ACH authorization form on file will be charged an administrative fee of $25 each weekly BASE billing cycle.
|
FINAL WEEK FOR YEARBOOK PURCHASE AT LOWEST PRICE
There's still time to order your 2017-18 yearbook at the lowest price
. To guarantee your copy at the lowest price this season, order by Wednesday, Jan. 31. After that date, the price will rise incrementally until March 31, which is the final deadline for purchase.
While you're ordering, don't forget to submit a yearbook dedication for your student. The cost is nominal, and while several 1/8- and 1/16-page spots are still available, space is limited. This is a great way to recognize a graduating eighth grader or any other special student in your life. Please
email
Alissa Motazedi
with any questions
.
|
COUPON BOOKS STILL AVAILABLE, AND GOOD THROUGH AUGUST
Buy yourself something the entire family will enjoy--a coupon book containing discounts for some of our favorite places, including: Pierre Michele French Bakery, Indulge, Mici's, Cuba Cuba, Cold Stone, Honey Baked Ham, Gigi's, Timbuk Toys, Arts on Fire, Pirates Cove, Dart Warz and Junglequest.
Coupon books are only $35 each and is a gift that you or a loved one can use all year! The paper coupons can be used once, and with the app, you get the discount AGAIN with duplicate coupons. Also, this year your purchase includes a small card good for multiple uses at five businesses.
To purchase,
email Erin Fierro, D.C. Fundraising Committee Manager.
Hurry and get these valuable coupon books today before they're all gone!
|
DCEF DISCOUNT EVENT TICKETS
Hockey fans--get tickets to see the Colorado Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. Tickets start at $25, and a portion of every ticket will be donated to school of your choice. There is also a back-up option at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 16. Click on the flier to find out more.
If Lacrosse is your sport, check out the
Colorado Mammoth Lacrosse for just $10 per ticket! The Foundation for Douglas County Schools is sponsoring a community night at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, at the Pepsi Center. Click on the
flier for more information.
For a complete list of events, please see this flier.
|
WANT YOUR KIDDO TO HAVE THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER?
Send them a Birthday Bag!
Celebrating birthdays at BFA just got more fun! Order your child a Birthday Bag for just $10, and s/he will receive:
- A bag full of goodies such as erasers, pencils, bouncy balls, etc. (no food or candy will be in the bags);
- A birthday certificate good for a free bake sale item at the next bake sale;
- A personalized note from you, if requested; and
- A 'Happy Birthday' serenade by the eighth graders who deliver the bag to your student's classroom.
Did your child already celebrate their birthday or do they have a summer birthday?
We also will deliver "Un-birthday Bags" for students who have already celebrated their birthday, and "Half-birthday Bags" for summer birthdays.
You can purchase Birthday Bags online through the BFA Store.
|
SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE (SAC) MEETING
BFA's SAC is meeting from 4:10 - 5:10 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, in the BFA Conference Room. All are welcome to attend.
|
Ben's Brigade is meeting from 8 - 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Starbucks inside Super Target. All BFA Dads, Stepdads, Grandpas are welcome to attend.
|
Friday, Jan. 26, is a Spirit Day so students can wear a Spirit Wear T-shirt, a field day shirt from a prior year, or their fun run T-shirt.
|
STUDENTS TAKE EXAM TO QUALIFY FOR BEE
Students interested in participating in the school spelling bee should r
eport to Ms. Poleschook's classroom (Rm. 274)
at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, to take the qualifying exam. Two students from each grade, 4-8, will be able to participate in the school spelling bee on Friday, Feb. 2. If you have any additional questions, please
email Ms. Poleschook.
|
Join us for the first grade musical when kids show us how much fun brushing our teeth, picking up toys and putting on PJs can be! The performance will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31, on the performance stage.
|
TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE
The Father Daughter Dance will be held from
6 - 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, at BFA.
Tickets are $20 per couple, and $5 for each additional child or guest. You can purchase tickets online through the BFA store until tomorrow, Jan. 26.
Tickets will not be sold at the event.
|
Ben Franklin Academy
2270 Plaza Drive
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 |
Fax: (303) 974-1738
|
|
|
Our mission is to create young adults with character like America's founding Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin: well-read, scientifically curious, and civically engaged.
|
|
Our students will excel academically through a challenging, sequenced curriculum that emphasizes math, science, and literacy. We will be a data driven institution, focusing on individual students. Our students, teachers, parents, staff, and leaders will be held accountable for the success of our school. Finally, we recognize that an education is incomplete without fostering the arts, sports, nature, and character.
|
|
Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.
|
|
|
|
|
|
