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Vol. 9, Iss. 27
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October 3, 2019
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Dear Parents,
This week has been a busy one! It has been so fun seeing all the students participating in Spirit Week. It is one of my most favorite times of the year. Tomorrow is crazy hat day and I can't wait to see what the kids will come up with!
Our lockdown drill went very smoothly today. I was so proud of our staff and students who did exactly what they were supposed to. The administration team met with the security teams afterward to go over their suggestions. Please reinforce with your students that these drills are not meant to scare them, rather they are meant to keep them safe. We are fortunate to have such a strong partnership with the Douglas County Sheriff's department as well as the Douglas County School District's security team.
Speaking of Douglas County, there is an election around the corner. In addition to two important state-wide propositions (see Colorado's
2019 Blue Book), there are three Douglas County Board of Education Director
positions on the ballot. Elections matter and I want to personally encourage every Ben Franklin Academy parent to do your research, get involved and, most importantly, cast your vote!
I want to let you know that
The Alliance of Douglas County Charter Schools is hosting a forum for the six Douglas County Board of Education candidates next week. The forum is being moderated by two charter leaders -
Teri Aplin from Parker Core Knowledge and
Steve Colella, deputy executive director of schools for American Academy.
Please RSVP and submit questions for the candidates!
I'd like to wish the middle school Girls Volleyball and Boys Soccer teams good luck as they are in the playoffs this week! GO BOLTS!
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 volunteers each month. A volunteer will be chosen as the 'Volunteer of the Month,' and will get exclusive use of the dedicated, reserved 'Volunteer of the Month' spot in the parking lot for their respective month.
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WE'RE THRILLED TO RECOGNIZE THESE AMAZING VOLUNTEERS:
Congratulations, Matthew and Amanda Deutsch, and Jeremy Busto!
For the month of October,
Matthew and Amanda Deutsch and Jeremy Busto have been selected as the Ben Franklin Academy Volunteers of the Month. They are being honored for all the time and effort they put in organizing the STEAM Expo. Their demonstration of Ben Franklin's virtues of industry was clearly evident throughout the planning and execution of the event.
Each of them was responsible for coordinating some of the event's favorite activities including gold panning, math proofs, fire and ice tornadoes, and the Da Vinci bridge booths as well as bringing in Arapahoe County Public Works, the CSU fruit piano, and the llamas. For their efforts, we'd like to offer our sincere thanks and recognize them.
Matthew and Amanda Deutsch moved their family from Alberta, Canada, to Colorado in 2013. Their oldest son, Philip, started in preschool at BFA in 2016 and Isaac began in 2018. They look forward to their youngest daughter, Lilah, beginning in 2021.
When asked what they like best about BFA, Matthew responded, "We greatly appreciate the dedicated staff and faculty who help to make BFA a place that our kids are happy to go to and learn in everyday. We also appreciate all of the parent volunteers who are always helpful and maintain a positive attitude even if they're being asked to move dozens of buckets of water around for some gold panning. Thanks BFA!"
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Jeremy Busto and his wife, Nikki, married in 2009 and together, they are doing their very best to raise two boys, Logan and Cole. Logan and Cole joined BFA pre-school in 2017. Jeremy grew up in Lakewood, graduated with a degree in Business from The University of Colorado, and opened his own State Farm agency in historic downtown Littleton in 2012. Nikki has a habit of nominating Jeremy for volunteer work (thank you Nikki!), including coaching soccer for i9 Sports, riding a unicycle in front of preschool students on "U" day, and frightening students with a homemade fire tornado on STEM Expo day. He is also the first person to bring llamas to Ben Franklin!
When asked what he likes about BFA, Jeremy responded, "We love how Ben Franklin Academy actively invites parents and members of the community to take part in shaping the minds of our children. Please volunteer and get involved! You won't regret it."
Congratulations, Matthew, Amanda, and Jeremy! And, thank you again for all you do for our school.
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LAST DAY OF SPIRIT WEEK TOMORROW!
It's been a fun filled Spirit Week, and there is one day left! Tomorrow is Crazy Hat Day so wear your favorite, crazy hat with your outfit of choice. Thanks for participating and showing off your school spirit!
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GET YOUR TICKETS BEFORE SALES END ON OCT. 12
Bash ticket sales end next week on Saturday, Oct. 12. There are limited quantities of VIP tickets, and after party tickets are almost sold out! Don't miss out on attending our school's main FUNdraising event of the year.
The 2019 BENefit Bash begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Palazzo Verdi, and at 9 p.m. the Casino Night After Party begins at Max Taps! There are many ticket options to choose from between the two different events, and even an absentee option if you can't attend.
EVENT TICKETS
Main Event (Oct. 26, 5-9 p.m. at Palazzo Verdi) $50
After Party (Oct. 26, 9 p.m.-12 a.m. at Max Taps Co) $25
Main Event + After Party $70
VIP Ticket (Main Event + After Party, Reserved premium seating, early check in at main event, access to VIP lounge/bar) $100
Absentee Ticket $45
For more information on the BENefit Bash as well as more detailed explanations of the ticket options and packages,
go to the PTO webpage
and look under 'Fundraising/BENefit Bash.'
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STEAM EXPO WAS A FUN LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
The 2019 STEAM Expo is in the books! Last Friday, 53 volunteers joined the STEM committee and outside vendors to put on a special day for all of the students at Ben Franklin Academy.
Highlights included: gold-panning, origami, fire tornadoes, trebuchet
target practice, actual dinosaur bones from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, impromptu jam sessions facilitated by the Swallow Hill instrument petting zoo, renewable energy demonstrations by the National Renewable Energy Lab, concussion education from the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, and of course... LLAMAS from the Colorado State University Douglas
County 4-H extension! Thomas and Santiago spent the whole day at BFA and didn't spit at anyone! A rousing success by all accounts.
I hope your student came home inspired and curious about some new angle of STEAM. If they had a favorite activity/station that you would like to tell us about or if you have ideas for improvements/future exhibits, please
email STEM to let us know!
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NEW PTO VIRTUES AWARENESS PROGRAM
This school year, we will be recognizing BFA's 13 virtues in a new way. A handful of students in each grade will be recognized for displaying the current months' virtue.
September virtues are:
SILENCE - T
here is a time and place to speak up and a time to listen. You learn more by listening than speaking.
JUSTICE -B
e 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
.
October's virtue is:
ORDER -
All things have their place. Keep your work area in order; keep your day in order.
Grades K-4 will have a chance to receive a virtue tag. In fact, they will receive TWO tags, one to keep and the other to recognize another student displaying the same virtue. If your kid comes home with a virtue tag, be sure to ask why they were recognized!
Grades 5-8 will be participating in a similar program; they will be given TWO virtue cards, one to fill out with their name, and another card to hand to fellow student displaying that virtue. The cards will be entered in a drawing to receive a gift certificate.
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PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES NEXT WEEK
While you are welcome, and encouraged, to contact your child's teacher at any time about any questions or concerns you might have, our formal Parent Teacher Conferences are next week. Please mark your calendar for Conferences, which will be held on
Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Parents of kids in grades
K-4 have been sent a sign up by their teacher, and should have chosen a time to meet with their student's teacher. Please show up on time, and do your best to stay within the time frame allotted for your meeting. You are welcome to schedule a follow up discussion, if needed.
Fifth grade will offer 'drop in' conferences in the Sanders Science Lab, so feel free to come by any time between 4:15 - 8 p.m. Teachers will take a half hour break for dinner from 5:30 - 6 p.m. Please note, if your fifth grade teacher is not back in the science lab by 6 p.m., it may be because they were delayed in going to dinner.
Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers will be available to meet with parents in the Thunder (large) Gym from 4:15 until 8 p.m. Parents are welcome to come by during that time and talk to their student's teachers. The teachers will take a half hour break for dinner from 5:30 - 6 p.m. Please note, if your middle school teacher is not back in the Gym by 6 p.m., it may be because they were delayed in going to dinner. Kindly keep your discussions with the teacher to 10 minutes so all parents are able to meet with each teacher.
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Monday, Oct. 7, through Thursday, Oct. 10, is
Cancer Awareness Week at BFA. Although there are various months and colors associated with showing support for those fighting/surviving different types of cancers,
we've chosen to show our love and solidarity with our family, friends and neighbors who have been affected by cancer by wearing pink accessories next week. Students may wear pink accessories (in their hair, bracelets, shoe laces and socks - no hair dye or colored hair spray) with their regular uniform.
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BFA's Fall Scholastic Book Fair will be held
Monday, Oct. 7 through Thursday, Oct. 10.
- 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 9
- 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10
Please remember that the front office is closed during carpool from 3 to 4.
This year,
Scholastic is offering e-Wallet so that you don't have to worry about sending cash, check or your credit card with your child. See our Scholastic homepage for easy sign up
instructions.
Scholastic is also offering a
preview of all the exciting selections that will be offered this year.
If you visit the fair, please take time to enter your child's name in a drawing to be held after the fair, as we will be giving away great books and fun miscellaneous items!
We look forward to seeing you there!
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LAST CHANCE - SPIRIT WEAR SOLD AT CONFERENCES
The PTO will be selling spirit wear from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. at both nights of parent teacher conferences next week, so come ready to make your purchases; credit cards, cash, and check accepted. This will be your last chance to purchase new spirit wear items until the spring!
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ONLINE AUCTION PREVIEW OPENS TOMORROW
The BENefit Bash Procurement Team has been working hard on donation items for the online, mobile and live auctions. Starting Friday, Oct. 4, simply login or register for an account at
https://bfacademy.ptapal.com to see the items available for bidding. Registration is FREE.
BASH item distribution will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 4:30 - 8 p.m. in BFA Middle School Commons.
Each K-5 class or middle school grade with more than 75 percent parent registration will earn an extra dress of choice day during the second trimester!
If you've got an existing PTA Pal account, all you have to do is sign in to your PTA Pal account beginning tomorrow, Oct. 4, for your student to be counted toward the dress of choice incentive.
If you set up a new account or purchased an event ticket, you are registered and your student will automatically be counted.
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Please ensure you have completed your student's National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) registration. If your student turned in their paperwork on time and received an email last week inviting him/her into the program, then please go to MySchoolBucks and complete the online registration and pay the associated fees. Please note that all NJHS participants need a NJHS shirt, so please choose that option if you do not already have a shirt from a sibling. Tomorrow is the LAST day to pay NJHS fees; students will not be able to participate in NJHS if their parents do not pay the fee by Friday evening.
All fees are non-refundable.
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LET'S GET READY FOR VETERANS DAY!
It's time to start getting excited about BFAs Veterans Day celebration!
Here's how YOU can get involved:
Veterans Slide Show
We are collecting digital pictures of veterans for our annual slide show. The students always enjoy seeing their loved ones honored on the big screen at the assemblies! You may email your picture
to Julie Roper here. Please include the following information in your email:
- Veteran's Name
- Branch of the Military
- Rank
- Years of Service
- Name of BFA Student
- Relationship to Student
- Student Grade
In addition, we'd love for students to share a favorite story or memory and/or tell us why they would like to honor their veteran. Also, please let us know if your veteran will be in attendance on November 11!
Please email your photos
no later than Friday, Oct. 25,
to be included in the slide show.
Assembly Programs and Veterans Reception
We invite you to join us at our Veterans Day assemblies at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, at BFA. A reception will be held for veterans in between the two assemblies in the Sanders Science Lab.
Please invite the veterans in your family or neighborhood to attend - it's great for BFA students to be able to honor these veterans at school! Parents - please mark your calendars and plan to attend, as the more
parents and families we have there to honor the veterans, the more meaningful the assemblies will be!
Veterans Wall of Honor
Families who would like to submit information sheets about loved ones who are veterans can download the form here. Please return it to school no later than Friday, Nov. 1.
If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer for this event, please reach out to the Community Events Committee (CEC) by email.
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BENEFIT BASH 2019 - HOW CAN YOU HELP?
The BENefit Bash is right around the corner, and we could use your help!
Do you have items that you would be willing to donate? We are looking for things like:
autographed memorabilia, gas cards or rental car points, getaway/staycation donations, gift cards, items for kids and families, and sporting or concert event tickets. You can also purchase items from our
Amazon Wish List to help fulfill gift baskets for the auctions, or
donate an item of your choice.
Do you have a
bottle of wine or liquor that you would like to donate? Drop off all unopened wine and spirits at the front desk.
Can't make it into the front office?
Contact Taryn Peine at to arrange drop-off.
Want to
throw a party or host a social? Do you have a fun idea for a get-together, where you host, charge per-person to attend, and donate the proceeds to BFA? You could: host a BBQ in your back yard, a cooking class in your kitchen, bar hop, playdates, movie night, dinner party, or fitness class. The possibilities are endless!
To sign up, click here.
Questions?
Contact
Julia Porterfield, fundraising coordinator.
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FINAL DAYS TO SIGN UP FOR FALL BREAK BASE CAMP
For the week of
October 14-18, the BFA BASE program will have a Fall Break Camp, similar to the summer camp program we offer.
We need to have at least 15 families sign up for the program by Monday, Oct. 7
, otherwise we'll need to cancel the camp. The cost will be $35 per day for Monday-Thursday, but $50 on Friday as we will go on a field trip to Anderson Farms that day. Fall Camp will be open from 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. daily and our schedule of daily activities will be released soon.
Registration is OPEN NOW, and will close on Monday, Oct. 7. All registrations are non-refundable unless we do not have the required number of families. Enrolled families will be notified on Tuesday, Oct. 8, if we must cancel and refunds will be given at that time. Please register for the M-Th in house and Friday field trip separately. You will see the option for the in-house days and the field trip day on
MySchoolBucks. Register for all the days you'd like your student to attend.
To register, please go to: MySchoolBucks.com. Families that have not enrolled in BASE for the current 2019-20 school year will be contacted to complete registration forms. If you are new to BASE this school year, you will also need to pay the 2019-20 BASE registration fee of $25. To obtain the registration paperwork and read the parent handbook please contact
[email protected].
If you have any questions please contact
Leigh Savoy, BASE director at
[email protected].
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PARENTING SEMINAR POSTPONED
The Parenting Seminar scheduled to take place on Thursday, Oct. 3, has been postponed. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for the new date.
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The boys soccer team is playing North Star in the playoffs beginning at 4:15 p.m. TODAY, Oct. 3, at North Star. The winner will play on Oct. 8.
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GIRLS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
The girls volleyball teams are in the playoffs beginning at 4:15 p.m. TODAY, Oct. 3, in BFA's Thunder Gym. The A team plays North Star, and the B team will play Aspen View directly after the A team game.
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Tomorrow is the last day of
Spirit Week, and it's
Crazy Hat Day. Wear your favorite, crazy hat with your outfit of choice.
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The Middle School Dance is from 6 - 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5.
This dance is open to current BFA middle school students only and no tickets will be available at the door.
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Monday, Oct. 7 - Thursday, Oct. 10
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Monday, Oct. 7, through Thursday, Oct. 10, is Cancer Awareness Week at BFA. Students may wear pink accessories (in their hair, bracelets, shoe laces and socks - no hair dye or colored hair spray) with their regular uniform.
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BFA's Fall Scholastic Book Fair will be held
Monday, Oct. 7 through Thursday, Oct. 10.
- 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 9
- 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10
Please remember that the front office is closed during carpool from 3 to 4.
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TOURS FOR PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES
Group tours are offered at
9 a.m. every Tuesday from now - November 19, and again from January 21 - March 31. We'll also have a tour on April 7 and May 5.
Please note, there will be no tours while students are on break--Oct. 15 and March 17.
Anyone going on a tour should bring a Driver's License and arrive ten minutes early so we can scan their license before the tour begins. There is no need to RSVP, and tours last around 45 minutes.
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PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on
Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Parents of kids in grades K-4 have been sent a sign up by their teacher; f
ifth grade will offer 'drop in' conferences in the Sanders Science Lab between 4:15 - 8 p.m.; and s
ixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers will be available to meet with parents in the Thunder (large) Gym from 4:15 until 8 p.m.
The teachers will take a half hour break for dinner from 5:30 - 6 p.m.
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Boys basketball tryouts are scheduled from
4-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, in the Thunder Gym. We'll let you know the date/time for callbacks, if necessary.
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Students who have not received two uniform violations since the beginning of this school year will be able to wear Dress of Choice on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Please keep in mind what the
policy says regarding Dress of Choice (DOC) days, "
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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PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Parents of kids in grades K-4 have been sent a sign up by their teacher; f
ifth grade will offer 'drop in' conferences in the Sanders Science Lab between 4:15 - 8 p.m.; and s
ixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers will be available to meet with parents in the Thunder (large) Gym from 4:15 until 8 p.m.
The teachers will take a half hour break for dinner from 5:30 - 6 p.m.
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BFA's Finance Committee will meet from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, in the BFA Conference Room. All welcome to attend.
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There will be no school for students on Friday, Oct. 11, as it is a comp day for our teachers. Enjoy the long weekend and FALL BREAK!
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There will be no school from Oct. 14-18 for Fall Break. Enjoy the week off school!
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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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