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| Vol. 8, Iss. 24 |
Sept. 13, 2018
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Dear Parents,
One of the qualities that differentiates us from other schools is our focus on Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues. Our teachers focus on one or two virtues each month by emphasizing these virtues in classroom discussions and activities. In addition, teachers recognize students who live out these virtues in their daily lives. Reinforcement of these virtues at home is a key part of helping our kids understand their importance, as well as how best to incorporate these virtues within your family.
Therefore, it would be wonderful if you could have contemporaneous discussions with your kids about the current month's virtues. While the 13 Virtues are on our website, we want to make this easy for you so we plan to highlight the current month's virtues in one of our weekly newsletters. The virtues we focus on in September are silence and justice.
Silence:
There is a time and place to speak up and a time to listen. You learn more by listening than speaking. We practice this in September by reminding students to be quiet and respectful in the hallways, raising their hands to speak in class, and listening while the teacher (or another student) is speaking. We encourage all students to participate and contribute, but by practicing the virtue of silence, we show that there is a lot to be learned by listening as well as speaking.
Justice:
Be respectful. Give everyone a chance to work or play. Give others a chance to express themselves. Share. Remember that others are counting on you, so live up to your duty. This also is a virtue that is important to introduce early in the year, because it emphasizes sharing and being respectful to each other. For our older students, it's an opportunity to emphasize that school is their 'job' right now, and they need to take this responsibility seriously.
Switching topics a bit, I wanted to say
thank you to the CEC for hosting Goodies with Grandparents yesterday morning. It was so fun meeting all the grandparents! It was easy to see how much our students enjoyed spending time with their Grandparents and showing off their school. I can tell you from experience, that these are the days they will remember. My son, who will be 22 next month, just commented on how much he enjoyed it when Grandma and Grandpa came to have breakfast with him at school. Thank you to our CEC for giving our families that same memory-making opportunity!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Diana Simpson
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BFA loves its volunteers, and we want to show our appreciation for all of your work. This year, the PTO will be recognizing TWO volunteers each month. One volunteer will be chosen as the 'Volunteer of the Month,' and will get exclusive use of the dedicated 'Volunteer' spot in the parking lot for their month.
Each month, a second volunteer will be randomly chosen through a monthly drawing to win a fun, surprise gift. All you have to do to be eligible to win, is log at least ONE hour of volunteer service in the month prior to the drawing.
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CONGRATULATIONS RENIE LINDEN!
For the month of September, the PTO has chosen
Renie Linden as the 'Volunteer of the Month.' Renie is being recognized for her countless hours of work serving as the
PTO's online store administrator
. Additionally, Renie volunteers with the
baking committee and as a
room parent
. She is always willing to step up and help with any task and consistently demonstrates a positive attitude. Renie and her husband have two children - a daughter in first grade and a son in preschool.
Congratulations again, Renie! Thank you for all you do for our school.
THANKS AMY WILSON!
This month,
Amy Wilson
is the winner of our drawing for her volunteer time in August. Amy graciously volunteered during
afternoon carpool
last month and won a
$10 gift card to Torchy's Tacos
.
Congratulations, Amy! And, thank you again for your time and effort at BFA.
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HARVEST FESTIVAL IS THIS SATURDAY
Join us for a night of family fun at the
Harvest Festival from 4 - 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, at BFA.
Tickets are $10 per child; adults and children under three are FREE!
Your admission fee gets you into the: carnival games, inflatables, outdoor field games, and of course, the CAKE WALK! Also included are: face painting, balloon twisting, popcorn, lemonade, apple juice and assorted baked goods.
You can purchase dinner and/or a refreshing treat at the Harvest Festival this year, to
o.
The eighth grade Washington, D.C. students will be selling Chick-fil-A
(cash, check and credit cards accepted) and
Kona Ice
will be available outside.
We still need volunteers to make this event a success. If you can help, please
sign up to volunteer for an activity.
And, click here, if you'd like to donate baked goods for the goodie table and/or cakes for the cake walk.
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ONLINE COOKIE DOUGH SALES END SUNDAY
Want props for being the
BEST PARENT EVER? Just keep some of everyone's favorite cookie dough in your freezer ready to thaw and use any time!
Our eighth graders are working to raise money so they can go to Washington, D.C. by selling Eileen's Cookie dough.
Ask an eighth grade friend or neighbor how to purchase your three-pound (approx. 33 cookies)
tub of frozen cookie dough, and be ready to choose from among their most popular cookies--
Chocolate Chip, Monster Oatmeal, Snickerdoodle, Peanut Butter, M&M, Sugar Cookie and Oatmeal Raisin.
Eileen's cookies are perfect for that after-school snack on a crisp fall day; save them to bring to your student's Halloween party; or keep them on hand for Thanksgiving guests. The cookie dough is
only $15 per three-pound tub! (And, you can re-freeze it after it thaws.)
Eighth graders will sell the dough from NOW through Sept. 30. This is their BIGGEST individual fundraiser of the year so please consider supporting them individually; however, if you'd prefer, you can also purchase the dough via
the
BFA Store
through THIS SUNDAY, Sept. 16
, and the
proceeds will benefit the entire group of students headed to Washington, D.C. Please keep in mind,
dough purchased through an individual student will be delivered to your front door the week of Oct. 15
, and
dough purchased through the BFA Store will be available for pick-up at fall parent teacher conferences on Oct. 2 and 4
.
See this
flier for additional details. Thanks for your support!
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KINDIE PARENTS: TWO WEEKS LEFT IN THE CARPOOL CHALLENGE
Kindie families--it's your turn! To help fill crucial carpool volunteer roles, we're asking parents in each grade level to make a special effort to volunteer one month of the school year. In September, we'd like our kindergarten families to sign up for open volunteer spots in carpool. If you don't have a kindergarten student, but enjoy volunteering in carpool--we still need you so please consider signing up today. Just log into HelpCounter and click on 'Check for Upcoming Opportunities.'
If you are a new family and have not logged into HelpCounter yet, or want to volunteer but simply can't help with carpool, see our Volunteer Management webpage. Get ready eighth grade parents, as we'll be asking you to help with carpool In October.
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SAY CHEESE! PICTURE RETAKES TUESDAY
Students and volunteers in need of a picture retake, please mark your calendar for picture retake day! Lifetouch will be here to take pictures from
9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Students in need of a retake should
bring the photo packet they received earlier this month. Parents taking a photo for their volunteer badge should
bring their Driver's License and check in at the front office.
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PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS BEGIN NEXT WEEK, SO REGISTER NOW
If you're interested in performing arts,
Ms. Johnson has set up some terrific after school programs for our students. Check out this
guide for more information.
Registration for many of the programs is now open, but will close this weekend for the offerings that begin next week. Review the catalog and sign up today!
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SIGN UP TO HELP WITH STEAM EXPO
The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Committee is in need of
parent volunteers for the activities tables at the STEAM Expo on Friday, Sept. 28. This is a fantastic way to interact with kids while demonstrating a COOL activity. There is something for everyone--even if you're not a STEAM expert. You can choose a morning (9:15 - 11:30 a.m.) or an afternoon (12 - 3:30 p.m.) shift. If you are available the entire day, please sign up for both! Each shift includes time for learning the activity and a bit of clean up. Lunch will be provided between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.
We hope you'll sign up to help the STEM team on this FUN day.
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BASE FALL CAMP REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
During
BFA's fall break, Oct. 8-12, the BFA BASE program will offer a Fall Break Camp. It will be similar to the Summer Camp program, with a field trip, activities, movies and fun the entire week! We need at least 15 families to
sign up for the program otherwise it may be cancelled.
The camp will be open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m.; and, the cost will be $50 for the field trip day and $35 for each of the other days.
Registration IS OPEN now and will close on Tuesday, Oct. 2
.
All registrations are non-refundable unless we do not have the required number of families. Enrolled families will be notified of the status on Wednesday, Oct. 3, and refunds given if we need to cancel.
To register online, please go to
payments on the BFA website,
and choose BASE Camp.
Families that have not enrolled in BASE for the current year will be contacted to do so and also pay the 2018-19 BASE registration fee of $25. To obtain the registration paperwork and read the parent handbook please click
here
.
If you have any questions please email Mrs. Savoy.
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COLD STONE CREAMERY SPIRIT NIGHT
I scream, you scream, we all scream for....Cold Stone Spirit Night!
Come enjoy some yummy ice cream, scooped by our wonderful BFA teachers, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Cold Stone Creamery in the Highlands Ranch Town Center (9338 Dorchester St).
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SHOP THE BOOK FAIR AND MAKE IT A MAGICAL FALL BREAK
BFA's
Enchanted Forest Fall Scholastic Book fair will be held Monday, Oct. 1, through Thursday, Oct. 4, in conjunction with Parent Teacher conferences. This is also the week before fall break, so whether you're traveling or staying home, be sure to pick up something fun for your student to read! The fair will be open as follows:
- Monday, Oct. 1, and Wednesday, Oct. 3: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 2, and Thursday, Oct. 4: 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
- Please remember the front office is closed during carpool from 3 - 4 p.m.
See this preview of all the exciting selections that will be offered this year. And, when you visit the fair, you can enter your child's name in the raffle drawing to be held after the fair. We will be giving away books and miscellaneous items. We are looking forward to seeing you there!
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LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SUPPORT BFA AND PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS?
The new school year means another opportunity to participate in the BFA PTO Sponsorship season! Each year, annual PTO sponsorships allow BFA to continue to grow and to meet the needs of our school, as well as our teachers, staff and students.
If you are interested in a sponsorship opportunity, check out this flier or visit the PTO webpage
for details and information on how to secure your sponsorship. Questions can be
sent
to Denise Battista, sponsor committee manager.
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TIME TO DIG OUT THOSE PIGGY BANKS!
The Middle School Social Committee is hosting a
bake sale from 7:45 - 8:10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, at BFA. The Middle School Social Committee plans parties for the entire middle school student body and this is their only fundraising opportunity for the year, so p
lease support their efforts!
Interested in helping out with the bake sale? Contact Lynsey Humphries, middle school social committee chair.
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REGISTRATION OPEN FOR CHEER CLUB, GRADES 5-8
BFA is happy to announce that we are starting a
Cheer Club for kids in fifth through eighth grade
! Cheer club will be year-round with the option to participate in two different seasons. During each season the Cheer Club will have weekly practices and
cheer at home games for volleyball, soccer and basketball, as well as at school pep rallies!
Practice:
Mondays 4 - 5:30 p.m., beginning Monday, Sept. 17. (except Mondays the school is closed)
Cost:
$50/season and a one time uniform fee of around $60 (your child will keep the uniform and be able to use it for both seasons and following years).
If your child is interested in learning basic cheers, jumps, stunts and showing their school spirit,
please register for cheer club today!
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Is your son/daughter a bookworm? Do they enjoy competition? If so, check out a reading program called
Battle of the Books.
This year's teams are coached by Mrs. Lewicki and Ms. Rooney. For information about the sixth grade competition, your sixth grader can talk to Ms. Mares; and to preview the books, students can check out the folder outside Ms. Rooney's classroom. Please click to read the letter from the coaches if you think your son/daughter is interested.
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If you missed the Destination Imagination (DI) meeting this week, but are still interested in finding out more information and/or participating, please click one or more of the following:
BFA DI FAQ or the
DI Informational Presentation.
If you are
interested in participating in DI, please fill out the following form:
BFA DI Interest Form
and
email
to
Jason Sunahara
, BFA DI Coordinator, by
Monday, Oct. 1
. You also are welcome to
contact
Jason
with any additional questions.
While DI is a BFA-sponsored program, it relies solely on parent volunteers to serve as team managers (and appraisers for competitions and South Metro's Instant Challenge Day). While the BFA DI coordinators are happy to create a team for interested students, teams can't come to fruition without the support of a parent volunteer(s) to serve as a team manager(s). There is no guarantee that your child will be placed on a team simply by filling out the interest form. In addition, once your child is officially part of a BFA DI team, there is a registration fee of $65 per participant ($30 for Rising Stars! which are DI's non-competitive participants). More information on the registration fee will come from your team manager/BFA DI coordinators at a later date.
DI's vision is "
to teach students the creative process and empower them with the skills needed to succeed in an ever changing world." Annually, DI offers seven new academic challenges in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), fine arts, service learning and early learning. In solving a challenge, students learn the creative process from imagination to innovation and the skills needed to thrive in school, their careers and beyond.
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DOES YOUR STUDENT LOVE TO RUN?
It's time for the
7th Annual Mountain Vista elementary one-mile cross country race! Students in grades 3-6 are invited to race against the other elementary runners in the Mountain Vista High School feeder area. The race is at
5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the Mountain Vista High School cross country course. Warm up with the State Champion Vista Nation cross country athletes! All racers will receive a Vista Nation XC T-shirt and a finisher's medal. We have ribbons for the top 10 boys and girls in each race and a gift card raffle at the end. Pizza, chocolate milk and cookies will be available for purchase after the race.
Registrations and fees ($10) are due on Thursday, Sept. 20, to the BFA front office. Late (after Sept. 20) and walk-up registrations are $15.
Click here for more information or email Sara Hope. Go BFA runners!
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The PTO is excited to announce that this summer, BFA installed its very own
buddy bench. A buddy bench is
special place on the playground where a child can go when they want someone to talk to or play with. This year's Fun Run organizer,
Boosterthon, purchased the bench on our behalf.
Working together with Mrs. Simpson, the PTO added an inscription that reads, "Ben Franklin Academy Buddy Bench - Kindness begins with me." We hope you'll tell your student(s) about the bench so they can find a buddy to hang out with during recess or make a classmate's day by asking them to join in their activity/game.
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GOODIES WTIH GRANDPARENTS
The Community Events Committee would like to thank all of the students and
grandparents who joined us
Wednesday morning for Goodies with Grandparents! It was a tremendous success, with 420 attendees enjoying coffee or juice and
a breakfast treat.
Another huge thank you to the volunteers who helped make everything run smoothly - we couldn't have done it without you!
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Please remember there is no school on Friday, Sept. 21, as it is a professional development day for teachers.
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EARN VOLUNTEER HOURS WHILE CHEERING ON OUR STUDENTS DURING MILE RUN
Are you looking for a FUN and EASY volunteer opportunity? If so, Mrs. Bauer needs a few volunteers to help cheer on our fourth and fifth graders and keep them safe during the mile run.
Sign up today!
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PERFORMING ARTS STUDENTS GO TO DISNEYLAND
Did you know every three years the middle school performing arts students take a trip to perform at Disneyland?
The next trip is in the
spring of 2020 and it is open to current
fifth, sixth and seventh graders.
Students will spend
four days in California and visit Disneyland, Universal Studios as well as the beach. At Disney, students will perform 30 minutes of music in either Disneyland or California Adventure theme park. They also will participate in a Recording Studio Workshop. At the workshop, students will work with a Disney music director and sight read two Disney songs. Then they will record the pieces and sync them with the original Disney movie.
There is room for around 40 students on this trip.
Sign ups to join will be in the spring but you can start fundraising now!
Email
Ms. Johnson if you would like to help get a head start on fundraising.
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DON'T FORGET YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE!
Please remember your driver's license the first time you come to the school to pick up your student early, volunteer or attend a meeting. For safety reasons, every person who enters the school needs to have their Driver's License scanned each school year. Please keep in mind, this is also a requirement for any friends or relatives who would like to enter the school.
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SPREAD THE WORD - SCHOOL TOUR TUESDAYS
Do you know any families interested in sending their student(s) to BFA? If so, we'd love to show them our amazing facility! Tours for prospective K-8 families will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays through Nov. 27 (with no tours on Oct. 9 and Nov. 20 due to school breaks). At that time, Principal Simpson will show prospective parents around the school so they can see firsthand why we are the STEAM School of Choice in Douglas County. Anyone going on a tour should bring a Drivers License and arrive a few minutes early so we can scan their license before the tour begins.
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GOT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE?
RENT THE ROCK!
Have a birthday to celebrate or a team to cheer on? Then rent the Spirit Rock! You've probably already seen the fun messages painted on the rock, and it's just $15 per day for you to display your message.
For more information on how to rent and paint the rock, visit the PTO
webpage. If you have questions,
email
Sara Hope
, spirit rock committee manager.
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MAKE YOUR STUDENT'S BIG DAY SPECIAL--SEND A BIRTHDAY BAG!
Order your birthday bags today and help our eighth graders who are going to Washington, D.C. next spring. For just $10, our
eighth graders will deliver a bag of goodies (no food included) to your child's classroom and surprise him or her with a special Happy Birthday song. We're happy to celebrate half birthdays too! Bags are available for
purchase on the BFA online store. Please order early to ensure delivery on your child's special day.
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SPIRIT WEAR AVAILABLE UNTIL OCT. 31
Now's the time to get your BFA spirit wear. Inventory is stocked and the online store is open!
You may purchase your spirit wear online at the BFA Store from now through Oct. 31. All purchases will be delivered to the classroom and sent home with your student. If you want to purchase in person, we'll be selling spirit wear in October at parent teacher conferences. The online store will close Oct. 31 and remain closed until the spring. So make sure to get your spirit wear now.
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GET YOUR DISCOUNT TICKETS TODAY!
The Foundation for Douglas County Schools
Community Events Program
is out with their latest fundraisers! The Foundation works with our community event partners to provide substantially discounted tickets to cultural venues and sporting events; and, best of all, your ticket purchases benefit DCSD.
Please see this flier for details about all the events happening this fall/winter including how to get discounted tickets to Oklahoma!, Corduroy, A Christmas Carol and White Christmas.
If you'd like to purchase discounted tickets to the CU Buffs game on Oct. 27, at Folsom Field, go to www.cubuffs.com/promo and use code 2018DCSD.
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FOURTH GRADE NATIONAL PARK PASS
The National Parks has launched its
Every Kid in a Park program, which provides an opportunity for each and every
fourth grade student
(and their families) across the United States to experience their public lands and waters in person throughout the 2018-19 school year for
FREE
. To obtain your pass, click
here
.
Be sure to bring your printed out pass to the National Park you visit (electronic copies are not accepted) and exchange it for your free pass (or use it for access until you can).
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Join us for a night of family fun at the
Harvest Festival from 4 - 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, at BFA.
Tickets at the door will be $10 per child.
Your admission fee includes:
carnival games
,
inflatables
,
outdoor field games
,
and of course, the
CAKE WALK! Also included are: face painting, balloon twisting, popcorn, lemonade, apple juice and assorted baked goods.
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FALL SPORTS TEAM PICTURES
Fall sports team pictures will be at 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 17. BFA athletes should look for more information from their respective coaches.
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PROSPECTIVE PARENTS CAN TOUR SCHOOL
Tours for prospective K-8 families will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays through Nov. 27 (with no tours on Oct. 9 and Nov. 20 due to school breaks). At that time, Principal Simpson will show prospective parents around the school so they can see firsthand why we are the STEAM School of Choice in Douglas County.
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Lifetouch will be here to take pictures from
9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Students in need of a retake should
bring the photo packet they received earlier this month. Parents taking a photo for their volunteer badge should
bring their Driver's License and check in at the front office.
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There is a
Dress of Choice day on Thursday, Sept. 20, for all students, except those who have had two uniform violations since the last Dress of Choice day. Per the uniform policy, "Clothes worn by all the students during the DOC days shall be modest, in good condition, and neat in appearance. Students are not allowed to wear pajama items or clothing that contains wording or images that could be interpreted as racial, vulgar, or offensive in any way. Revealing clothes are not acceptable (i.e. tank tops, midriffs, sleeveless, etc.)."
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Please remember there is no school on Friday, Sept. 21, as it is a professional development day for teachers.
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Ben Franklin Academy
2270 Plaza Drive
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 |
Fax: (303) 974-1738
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Our mission is to create young adults with character like America's founding Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin: well-read, scientifically curious, and civically engaged.
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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.
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Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.
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