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Vol. 9, Iss. 19
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May 23, 2019
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Dear Parents,
Tonight we have the honor of recognizing Ben Franklin Academy's Class of 2019. Many of these students started at BFA as first graders when the school opened in 2011. Since then, they have gone on to accomplish so much and I'm proud of every one of them. They truly are a hard-working, fun-loving, group. These students will go on to attend fifteen local high schools. I will miss them but hope to hear from them again as they fill up our newsletter's Alumni Corner with their achievements!
I wish them all the best in their future endeavors and have no doubt this class will make a positive difference in the world!
Sincerely,
Diana Simpson
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The last day of school is tomorrow, May 24. It's
also a Dress of Choice Day (assuming your student has not received two uniform violations since the last Dress of Choice Day). NO LUNCH will be served tomorrow, and similar to last year, there are no parent-run classroom parties tomorrow.
We will dismiss at noon tomorrow. Carpool will end by 12:30 p.m., and all students must be picked up as there is NO BASE tomorrow.
If your child has medication in the health room, please come into school today or tomorrow to retrieve your medicine and sign it out.
Report cards will be available in Gradelink on Wednesday, May 29.
Please note that any monies remaining in you're My School Bucks school lunch account will carry over to next school year.
We'd like to end the year with no outstanding fees. If you have outstanding fees, please go to MySchoolBucks and make a payment immediately.
Parents of students with missing library books received a message earlier this week. If you received a message and found the book, please return it today or tomorrow and the fees will be voided.
Please ask your student to check the Lost and Found tomorrow for missing items.
Have a GREAT summer and we'll see you next school year!
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IMPORTANT REMINDERS AND KEY DATES FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR
As noted in the Principal Newsletter last week, below are several important reminders and key dates for next school year.
Carpool
Returning families, please keep your carpool tags and bring them with you to BFA Annual Family Check-In (previously called Registration). At that time, we'll give you the new 2019-20 validation sticker. New families will receive two carpool tags at BFA Annual Family Check-In. You may order additional carpool tags through our payments system MySchoolBucks. If you place your order before Aug. 1, the additional tags will be available during BFA Annual Family Check-In.
Uniforms
The current uniform policy can always be found on our website under the 'Parents' tab. Keep in mind that Educational Outfitters, our only uniform vendor, is having a 20 percent off sale now through May 31, a 15 percent off sale June 1 - 15, and a 10 percent off sale June 16 - July 10.
Summer Office Hours
Beginning May 29, the front office will only be open Wednesdays from 9 a.m. until noon, except the week of July 1.
K-8 District and BFA Check-Ins for 2019-20 School Year - Two-Step Process
On July 15, you'll receive a link for DCSD Online Express Check-In, which is the first step in the check-in process. To complete DCSD Online Express Check-In, you must have an active Parent Portal and be able to access it. If you have forgotten your username or password, please email our registrar by Monday, July 1. Please note: Parents of K-8 students NEW to DCSD will receive an email from DCSD on Monday, July 1, with instructions for setting up and activating their parent portal. Each parent should set up their own portal account.
DCSD Online Express Check-In will open on Monday, July 15. To avoid delays at the BFA Annual Family Check-In, you must complete DCSD Online Express Check-In AND pay your student fees by Tuesday, Aug. 6.
When you go through DCSD Online Check-In, you'll notice that there has been a change to our student fee schedule. We are excited to announce that we have cut student fees for next year by 50 percent! When the mill levy was passed last November, the administration and the Governing Board wanted to make sure that some of that increased revenue to the school was used to cut costs to families. One way we are doing that is through these reduced student fees. We also have created some field trip funds for each grade level so that there should be fewer requests for field trip payments throughout the year. Following are the annual student fees for the 2019-20 school year:
- Half-Day Kindergarten: $60
- Full-Day Kindergarten through Fifth Grade: $85
- Middle School (Grades 6-8): $92.50
The second step in the check-in process takes place Wednesday, Aug. 7 - Friday, Aug 9. Parents of K-8 students should plan on coming to BFA to complete BFA Annual Family Check-In on their assigned date (see below). It is important to complete all required paperwork from DCSD Online Express Check-In and bring it, along with your carpool tag, to BFA Annual Family Check-In. Keep in mind, student photos will be taken during Annual Family Check-In, so students should wear a uniform shirt. Parent photos for volunteer badges will also be taken during this time.
If you have a new address or moved over summer, please bring Proof of Residency (POR) documents (warranty deed, tax notice, deed of trust, rental or lease agreement) to Annual Family Check-In. Addresses cannot be changed without POR. In addition, if there are updated legal documents for your student, this is a good time to bring those to our Registrar.
BFA Annual Family Check-In dates are as follows:
Wednesday, Aug. 7
Families with last name beginning A-L
Check-In Hours: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. (with lunch break from noon until 1 p.m.)
Thursday, Aug. 8
Families with last name beginning M-Z
Check-In Hours: Noon - 6 p.m. (with lunch break from 2 - 3 p.m.)
Friday, Aug. 9
New K-8 BFA Families ONLY
Check-In Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Middle School Electives
The complete Middle School Elective Catalogue will be sent to middle school parents in the near future. Parents will receive an email in July with instructions on how to select and pay for electives:
- Eighth graders will be invited to choose their electives beginning Monday, July 8;
- Seventh graders can choose electives beginning Wednesday, July 10; and
- Sixth graders may select their electives beginning Friday, July 12.
All elective choices should be made by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17.
Teacher Assignments/Middle School Schedules
Elementary parents will be notified of their student's homeroom teacher via email on August 1. Middle school schedules will be available in the Parent Portal beginning Aug. 1. (We will not hand out printed schedules during registration.)
Other Important Dates to Note
Kindergarten Teacher Meet and Greet
- Look for a Sign-Up Genius from your teacher by Aug. 2.
Monday, Aug. 12
- Teacher Meet and Greets - First through eighth grade students can stop by their teacher's classroom from 9 a.m. until noon, or from 1 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 14
- First day of school! Students should wear their Formal Uniform, which is a navy polo with the BFA logo and tan pants, shorts, skirt or a skort.
Wednesday, Aug. 28
- Back to School Night from 6 - 7:30 p.m. for kindergarten through fourth grade parents.
Thursday, Aug 29
- Back to School Night from 6 - 8 p.m. for fifth through eighth grade parents.
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Congratulations to
Emily Alder and Olivia Velasco (Team GOAT in a Boat) who are the
winners of the 2019 Amazing Race BFA Edition! Students in the elective visited four continents, 11 countries, and traveled more than 29,000 miles over the course of the trimester. They completed tasks that included a visit to the
Louvre in search of a stolen artwork, recreating the London Eye out of Pringles, painting Venetian masks, decoding secret messages, translating hieroglyphics, solving Mayan math problems, and taste testing Japanese soda. Not only did they learn about other cultures, but they developed their teamwork and communication skills in a fun competition!
Ms. Dychus and Ms. Gibson want to the thank all the students for an amazing trimester. We can't wait for next year's Race!
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Congratulations to Thomas Reager in Ms. Erbaugh's class (pictured here)! He read more books than anyone in the school--a whopping 167! He received a $15 Gift Certificate to the BOGO book fair.
And, Liam Brown from Mrs. Hildebrand's class read 163 books! Great job Liam! He received a $10 Gift Certificate to the BOGO book fair.
Mrs. Hildebrand's class read the most books--1,680--and won a popsicle party.
The top ten classes read a total of 11,679 books for the year. We're proud of our readers!
- Mrs. Hildebrand 1,680
- Mrs. Wilson 1,467
- Ms. Boyd 1,214
- Mrs. Hinz 1,205
- Ms. Erbaugh 1,156
- Mrs. McGinty 1,090
- Mrs. North 1,020
- Mrs. Ferguson 977
- Ms. Marchisio 974
- Mrs. Van Wyk 896
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BUY ONE, GET ONE BOOK FAIR THIS WEEK
School is almost over! Join us at our
Scholastic Book Fair now through May 24 to stock up on some great books to keep your kids reading all summer! Books, posters, and miscellaneous items will all be buy one, get one free.
- Thursday, May 23: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Friday, May 24: 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
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Mr. Macias will be offering a fitness boot camp/workout this summer for kids in grades K-8. Participants will work on improving their speed, agility and overall strength, as well as participate in fun obstacle courses. He'll break kids into two groups, grades K-3 and 4-8, for the majority of the work; but some of the obstacle courses will be for all campers. There will be 10 sessions from 8 - 9:30 a.m. each Wednesday from May 29 - July 31. (Camp will be held the week of July 1.) It will be $150 for all 10 sessions. Please contact Coach Macias for registration.
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TIME TO SIGN UP FOR DCL'S SUMMER READING PROGRAM
Sign up for the Douglas County Libraries (DCL) Summer Reading Program this year! This fun program is for all ages, including adults. Thanks to you, last year we won their contest with the most participants signed up, and our BFA Library received $250.
This is a great program that helps make reading exciting for kids, and we can always use additional funds for the Library, so please SIGN UP TODAY!
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A FUN THEME TO GO WITH THE FANTASTIC VENUE!
The BENefit Bash Committee is excited to announce the
2019 Bash theme: 'Lights, Camera, AUCTION! A Night at the Academy Awards.'
Be ready to walk the BENefit Bash red carpet on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Palazzo Verdi!
In addition to the night's festivities, we also will be holding a group costume contest around our theme. Groups of four or more who dress alike as their favorite Hollywood stars (new or old) or Hollywood characters (real or fiction) can compete for a chance to win. Start planning now to earn those bragging rights and a special award announced in the fall.
Additional information about the Bash will be posted all summer long on the PTO Fundraising webpage.
Check back often for volunteer opportunities, updates on sponsorship, exciting donation announcements, ticket prices AND MORE!
The procurement committee will be meeting over the summer to obtain auction items for our event, and would love your help! Meetings will be at a variety of locations and most are kid friendly. Dates, times and locations can be found on the this sign up. We'd love to see you at one of the meetings!
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GET REGISTERED FOR SUMMER CAMP!
If you need full-time day care for the summer, want to schedule your own summer break, or are looking for a safe, fun way for your student to connect with other Ben Franklin Academy kids, then please sign up for Summer Camp!
Summer Camp will operate on either a weekly or a daily registration schedule; and the costs will be as follows:
Weekly registration
: Tuition will be a flat $195 fee, per child/day, which is a $60.00 discount rate from the daily tuition rate.
Daily registration
: If registering for specific days only, tuition will be $45/child/day for general/in-house activities and $60/child/day for off-site field trip or special in-house activity days.
Program Details
Dates: May 29 - August 9; Closed July 1-5
Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Days: Monday through Friday
Summer Camp is open to any currently enrolled BFA student 5-years old and above. Your child must be 5 on or before May 29 to participate.
All child(ren) must be registered using the online system in advance. Registration will close at 11:59 p.m. (MST) on Sunday, two (2) weeks prior to the date you would like your child(ren) to begin camp. For example, on Sunday, June 2, you can register your kiddo for Summer Camp beginning on Monday, June 17.
The summer camp calendars are now available. If you would like a copy please email us! (For your reference, the email is
[email protected].)
If you have any questions please
email
Leigh Savoy or
Janet Harlow.
Go to MySchoolBucks or click here to register.
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SUMMER CAMP FAMILIES RENT THE ROCK ALL SUMMER!
2019-20 ROCK SIGN-UP OPENING DATE ANNOUNCED
Have a student attending Summer Camp at BFA?
Rent the rock to celebrate your student's summer birthday or share a fun message. It's just $15 per day for you to display your message!
Want to secure a Rent-the-Rock date for next school year? The 2019-20 Paint the Rock SignUp Genius will be available starting August 7.
For more information on how to rent and paint the rock, visit the PTO webpage. Questions? Contact
Sara Hope,
spirit rock committee manager.
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WANT TO BE A ROOM PARENT NEXT SCHOOL YEAR?
The PTO is looking for Room Parents for next school year! Being a Room Parent is a great way to get your hours in, develop a great relationship with your child's teacher and get involved in the school. If you are interested, please send an email to Amanda Trenck and Emily Tenhundfeld
, co-room parent coordinators, K-5.
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THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! ENJOY A BFA-ONLY NIGHT AT PIRATES COVE THIS SUMMER!
Thank you to all the families who have volunteered this year. We sincerely appreciate all that you do for BFA! To show our thanks, the PTO is hosting a volunteer appreciation event - an evening at Pirate's Cove - on July 13 from 6 - 8:30 p.m.
All BFA families who have met and recorded their family's volunteer quota (30 hours per family or 15 per single household) will be rewarded with FREE admission for their immediate family to Pirate's Cove. The PTO has rented out the park for the evening so it will be a private BFA only event. Hope to see you there!
It's not too late to get in your volunteer hours for this year -
keep on volunteering and be sure to record your hours!
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CO-ED BASKETBALL CAMP FOR KIDS IN GRADES 5-8
Mr. Knudsen, Ms. Mares, and Mr. Macias would like to invite incoming fifth-eighth grade boys and girls to their basketball camp this summer from 9 a.m. - noon, July 29 - Aug. 2, in the Thunder gym.
Kids will work on dribbling, passing, shooting, offense, defense, and of course scrimmaging. The cost is $110 which includes a t-shirt and daily prizes! Please make a check out to Mr. Macias, Mr. Knudsen, or Ms. Mares on July 29.
If you have any questions, please email Mr. Macias.
Go Bolts!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCCER CAMP
Boys Middle School Soccer Camp will be help from 8:30-11:30 a.m. July 22-25 on the BFA turf. For more information and to sign up please use this link. Camp is only offered to incoming sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys. Take advantage of the early registration discount and sign up early! Hope to see many of you out there this summer.
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AVOID THE SUMMER SLIDE WITH BOOTCAMP AT BFA!
Help prevent some of the inevitable 'summer slide' by joining us for Summer Bootcamp at BFA! Ellen Cain and Sarah Harrell will be hosting two Bootcamp sessions to review math, reading and writing skills for incoming first, second and third graders. Each session will meet for two hours per day, for four consecutive days. They will host both a June and July Session. Please visit the SignUpGenius for more information. Space is limited sign up now. Feel free to email Ms. Cain or Mrs. Harrell with any questions.
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REGISTER FOR VOLLEYBALL SUMMER CAMP
Incoming fifth through eighth grade BFA boys and girls are invited to a Summer Volleyball Camp! T
here are two sessions from July 8 - 12, a morning session for incoming fifth through eighth grade beginners and an afternoon session for incoming sixth through eighth grade experienced players. Each session is $150. There are also t
hree evening clinics available July 8-10; these are separate from the two daytime sessions and cost $50 for all three clinics. Register for the day camp and/or evening clinics!
Registration is NOW OPEN through MySchoolBucks and closes June 30. Please see the
flier for more information.
If you know a current high school player who would like to volunteer that week, please ask him/her to contact Coach Haufschild. We are also looking for parent volunteers who want to earn 2019-20 volunteer hours. Sign up today!
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SEND YOUR KIDDO TO STEM CAMP THIS SUMMER
Are you looking for something interesting and fun for your rising third, fourth and fifth graders to do this summer? Look no further, because
Mrs. Lewicki is offering two STEM Camps at BFA this Summer!
Students will work in teams to perform experiments, discover the principles behind the experiment, innovate a new design with their team, and perform the experiment again. The fun increases throughout the week as teams compete against each other to earn points. The winning team at the end of the week will receive a mad scientist award. Limit 10 students, and the
registration deadline is May 20.
Email Mrs. Lewicki for registration details.
Session 1: NATURAL DISASTERS, June 25-28, Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. $150
Change on earth can be violent and amazing. Explore natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, mudslides, and floods. Build simulations and create the your own natural disasters. Learn how these natural events work and how they change the earth. As a team, engineer structures that will withstand these disasters.
Session 2: PHYSICS,
July 23-26, Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. $150
Physics is tricky. What do you know about friction, buoyancy, speed, thrust and lift? Explore the physics behind things that fly, float and zoom. Engineer ways to make different objects move. Then, test, improve, and test them again until you can make them move!
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Incoming Kindergartners--
join Mrs. Brook for a Kindergarten Boot Camp this summer! This fun camp provides an introduction to kindergarten literacy and math.
The Kindie Boot Camp is designed to provide an opportunity for new kindergarten students to become familiar with BFA and the kindergarten classroom.
Campers will learn a new letter and number every day, gain new skills, make friends, and work on crafts.
There are three boot camp sessions, and space is limited to 16 kids per session. Camps will be held June 24 - 28, July 15 -19 and July 22 - 26; sessions are from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, at BFA. Parents should not sign up for more than two sessions so others can have a chance to register. The cost is $65 per session (cash or check). Please bring payment on the first day of your session and make checks payable to Debbie Brook. See the flier and sign up for a session today!
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GET YOUR DISCOUNT TICKETS TODAY
The Foundation for Douglas County Schools
Community Events Program
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. Go to their website for the latest information on discount tickets.
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Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24
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BUY ONE, GET ONE BOOK FAIR
Join us at our Scholastic Book Fair now through May 24 to stock up on some great books to keep your kids reading all summer!
- Thursday, May 23: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Friday, May 24: 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
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The School Advisory Committee (SAC) will meet from 4:10 - 5:10 today, May 23, in the BFA Conference Room.
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EIGHTH GRADE GRADUATION ACTIVITIES
Eighth grade families, we hope to see you at the Clap Out/Red Carpet and Graduation! One of our favorite BFA traditions is the eighth grade 'clap out/red carpet' when all the kids come out of their classrooms and 'clap out' the graduating eighth graders, who then walk the red carpet out of school on their last day. Be ready to line the halls at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 23. (Remember to bring your Driver's License if you don't have a volunteer badge!)
Eighth Grade Graduation is at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, in the Thunder Gym. Students should arrive at 5:45 p.m. Light refreshments will be served following the ceremony.
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LAST DAY OF SCHOOL/DRESS OF CHOICE
Friday, May 24, is the last day of school and a Dress of Choice Day (assuming your student has not received two uniform violations since the last Dress of Choice Day). This year, the last day is a half-day, and carpool begins at noon.
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The BFA Board will have their annual retreat on Monday, June 10, in the Dana Library. For more information, see their agenda which will be posted on the BFA website prior to the meeting.
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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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