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Vol. 9, Iss. 17
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May 9, 2019
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Dear Parents,
As this school year comes to a close, I want to share a few important reminders from our health room. According to state law, students entering sixth grade next school year must have received the Tdap vaccination to protect against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Students entering sixth grade, and students new to BFA for grades 6-8 must show proof of immunization. Records can be dropped off in the school health office, emailed to the health office, or faxed to 303-974-1738.
If your student has a medication in the health room, please plan to pick it up by the end of this school year--on or before Friday, May 24
. All medications that are not picked up by parents at the end of the school year will be disposed of (expired or not) beginning Tuesday, May 28, at noon. If you cannot personally pick up your student's medication, please send a signed note to school stating who will be picking up the medication. If your student will be attending the summer BASE program at school, you must transfer medications to this program by contacting the summer camp coordinators.
For those students that take medicine at school, per the Douglas County School District (DCSD), new medication forms are required at the beginning of each school year. Medication forms from the prior school year are considered EXPIRED. You can find the new forms on our website, and they will be available through DCSD Online Express Check-In this summer. If appropriate, please plan on taking the forms to your health care provider so he/she can complete them this summer and you can turn in the forms next school year. Forms must be dated July 1, 2019, or later to be valid for next school year.
At BFA Annual Family Check-In (formally called Registration), we'll begin accepting signed forms for the 2019-20 school year along with any medication (stored in a properly labeled container) your student needs at school. Also, please remember, the Provider Medication Authorization Form needs to be completed and signed before we can dispense over the counter medicine (OTC), and any OTC medicine provided to the school must be in the original container.
As I mentioned in my email to our BFA community yesterday, safety and security is a top priority for us; that includes working in partnership with you to help ensure our students stay healthy.
Thank you,
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Each month, a 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.
This month, Kristi Longo the winner of our drawing. She volunteered in science lab and helped with Thursday folders. She has won a Chick-fil-A gift card. Congratulations, Kristi! And, thank you again for your time and effort at BFA.
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PLEASE RETURN LIBRARY BOOKS TOMORROW
ALL BFA library books will need to be returned by tomorrow, May 10. Please remind your child to bring their books. Fines will be assessed Wednesday, May 15, if books are not returned. The library will be closed for check out the last two weeks of school. Thank you!
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2019-20 DISNEY CHOIR ELECTIVE PACKET DUE TOMORROW!
During the 2019-20 school year, BFA is proud to offer a
middle school choir elective that culminates in a performance at Disneyland.
These students will commit to a year-long elective to learn choral and sight-reading techniques. Next April, they will travel to Disneyland to perform and take a workshop with Disney performers.
We plan to offer this opportunity once every three years so this will be current middle school
students' only opportunity to participate. We are able to offer 45 spots, first come, first served.
Students will not need to audition for this choir. If your student is a
current fifth, sixth and/or seventh grader and you are interested in the choir but missed the meeting, please review and complete this
packet and return it to
Ms. Johnson by tomorrow, May 10.
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DI BOLTING FUNDRAISER ENDS SATURDAY
Saturday, May 11, is the FINAL day to "bolt" a fellow BFA family to help support the three Destination Imagination (DI) teams going to Di Global Finals.
You can do so via a tax-deductible donation of $25 to the BFA PTO and cover the lawn of BFA families with a dozen (12) Ben Franklin Lightning Bolts! Place an order on the BFA Store and enter the address of the family you want to bolt. When you enter the bolted family's address, you remain anonymous or let 'em know who bolted them. The DI teams will place the BFA "bolts" in the family's yard for which you paid. Then the family who is "bolted" can choose to have the "bolts" moved to another lawn for $25 by placing an order on the BFA Store
to keep the fun going. The DI teams will remove the "bolts" the following evening regardless of giving a donation. Let's be Frank(lin) about it - bolting is fun!
Note:
You will need the address of the family you'd like to "bolt." Helpful hint: Use the Directory On Tap app to look up an address to "bolt." DI teams can only deliver to families currently attending BFA. They cannot deliver to a public space or a townhouse, condo or apartment complex. Please email Missy Washeck with any questions. The Ben Franklin Bolting Fundraiser ends Saturday, May 11.
For the second year in a row, BFA has THREE Destination Imagination (DI) teams going to DI Global Finals. At the end of May, BFA's DI teams will travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to compete among more than 8,000 participants (approximately 1,400 teams) from more than 15 different countries. The cost to attend Global Finals is about $1,500-$2,000 per student. DI is a creative problem-solving program that integrates STEAM principles and teaches 21st century skills, including leadership, teamwork, positive thinking and project management.
Thank you for supporting the BFA DI teams!
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SUNDAY IS FINAL DAY TO SIGN UP FOR BASE ON LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
A message from the BASE director:
As you know, the last day of school (May 24) is a half-day. If you are in need of BASE after school care,
you will need to preregister for that day through this MySchoolBucks link. Registration is open now and will close on Sunday, May 12. This day will be treated like a summer camp day, so we'll have a planned activity, a movie, as well as outside and gym time offered.
We will be open from noon until 6 p.m. The cost for the day will be $45 per student; there will only be 60 spots available. If you have any questions please
email
Mrs. Savoy.
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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!
Already met your quota? Keep logging those hours! When applying for grants, the school reports our total number of combined volunteer hours. Every hour is important! AND, the PTO will have some special volunteer appreciation schwag for families who go above and beyond in volunteering with 50, 75, and 100+ hours recorded.
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2019 BENEFIT BASH VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Want to help with BFA's biggest fundraiser next year, but don't know how?
We are starting to plan for the 2019 BENefit Bash, and need your help to make this important fundraiser a success!
There are many volunteer opportunities for the 2019 BENefit Bash! Whether you want to volunteer for the night of the event or help with planning, we have many volunteer positions available with a range of responsibilities. Click here for details on the Auction Planning sub-committees that need your help, and see if there is a committee for you!
If you are interested in helping us make this year's event a huge success, please
email Julia Porterfield
, PTO fundraising coordinator.
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Have your kids had a growth spurt or are you ready to get new uniforms for next year? If so, mark your calendars for the upcoming
Uniform Consignment Sale from 9 - 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, in the Lightning Gym.
If you would like to sell your uniforms, please be sure your items are tagged properly and brought to the front office with the inventory form
between Monday, May 13, and Thursday, May 16,
as uniforms will
not
be accepted outside of this window. Please follow the
tagging instructions
and complete the
inventory form
.
Any unsold items will need to be picked up between 12-1 p.m. after the sale on May 18.
Note that items will not be held after May 18 unless previously arranged.
If you would like to shop at the uniform sale, please note that we
only accept cash or check. We have uniforms in all sizes and genders, so be sure to check it out! If you would like to volunteer to help with the sale, please visit the signup genius
link
.
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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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BUY ONE, GET ONE BOOK FAIR BEGINS MAY 20
School is almost over! Join us at our Scholastic Book Fair May 20 - 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.
- Monday, May 20, and Thursday, May 23: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 21, and Wednesday, May 22: 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Friday, May 24: 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
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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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FOURTH GRADE PARENTS- PLEASE VOLUNTEER IN CARPOOL!
FOURTH GRADE FAMILIES--please volunteer in carpool this MAY! 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 May, we'd like our Fourth GRADE families to sign up for open volunteer spots in carpool. If you
don't have a fourth grade 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.'
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: FIELD DAY CHANGES
The weather did not cooperate with our Field Day schedule, so we made some changes:
- Field Day for kindergarten and first grade will still be from 8:20 - 11:20 a.m. this Friday, May 10.
- Field Day for second and third grade is now from 8:45 - 11:45 a.m. on Monday, May 13.
- Field Day for fourth and fifth grade is now scheduled from 9 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14.
If you had planned to volunteer for Field Day events but no longer can, please let your classroom teacher know. If you volunteered for the bouncy house, you should receive an email with the new dates and you can delete your spot if needed.
As a reminder, your student will receive a t-shirt prior to their Field Day and should plan to wear the shirt with athletic shorts or leggings/sweatpants on Field Day. Please be sure to apply sunscreen at home before your student's field day activities and send them to school with a water bottle.
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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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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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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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LOOKING FOR A WAY TO CELEBRATE A SUMMER BIRTHDAY?
Does your student have a summer birthday? Surprise them with a birthday bag delivered in the last week of school! Birthday bags contain fun goodies and a personalized note from you. They are delivered to your child's classroom and presented with a birthday song sung by the eighth graders.
Birthday bag sales will end on May 15, but deliveries will still be made through the week of May 20.
Bags are $10,
and 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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PUT YOUR SCHOOL PRIDE ON DISPLAY!
GO BOLTS! Show your school pride by placing a BFA Bolts sign in your yard. There is a limited quantity of yard signs left, and they are being sold for only $10 each.
After you place your order on the
BFA Store, the sign will be delivered to your student at school. Now that the snow is starting to melt and spring is in the air, it's a great time to display your school spirit in your yard!
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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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Friday, May 10 , Monday, May 13, and Tuesday, May 14
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Elementary Field Day will take place on May 10, 13 and 14. Parents should apply sunscreen before school and ensure their student takes a water bottle to school. The PTO will supply t-shirts for the day; students can wear shorts or leggings/sweat pants. Below is the field day schedule by grade:
- Field Day for kindergarten and first grade will still be from 8:20 - 11:20 a.m. this Friday, May 10.
- Field Day for second and third grade is now from 8:45 - 11:45 a.m. on Monday, May 13.
- Field Day for fourth and fifth grade is now scheduled from 9 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14.
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SEVENTH GRADE FAMILIES - D.C. MEETING ON
MAY 14
We will be hosting an informational meeting for next year's Washington, D.C. trip at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, in the Middle School Commons. Ay information shared at the meeting will also be sent out via email on May 15.
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AFTER SCHOOL GROUPS PERFORM
Students in grades 1 and 2, and kids in grades 3-8 who signed up for the after school musical program will perform Puzzle Puppy and Jungle Book, respectively, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, on the BFA performance stage.
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ALL SCHOOL SKATE CITY NIGHT
The Student Council's all school Skate City night is from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, at the Skate City in Littleton. Free Icee with paid admission!
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FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
BFA's Finance Committee will meet from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, in the Conference Room. All welcome to attend.
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The Middle School Choir concert is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, on the BFA performance stage.
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Mark your calendars for the upcoming
Uniform Consignment Sale from 9 - 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, in the Lightning Gym
. P
lease note that we
only accept cash or check
. We have uniforms in all sizes and genders, so be sure to check it out!
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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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