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Vol. 10, Iss. 17
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May 7, 2020
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Dear Parents,
Thank you so much for the love and appreciation you've shown the teachers and staff this week. The outpouring of support from this community is amazing. On a personal note, I want to thank you for your generous SCRIPT gifts. I am so blessed to be part of Ben Franklin Academy!
We are wrapping up remote learning in the next couple of weeks. While we've probably all had moments when it seemed like this would be never-ending, in retrospect the last seven weeks have flown by. I know the teachers will miss seeing the kids over the summer.
We have established procedures for picking up student belongings and returning materials. During the last week of school, we will hold a curbside pick-up to return student belongings that were left in classrooms and lockers. We will be collecting any library books or textbooks at this time, as well as distributing yearbooks to those who ordered them.
Procedures for pick-up: Please pull into the campus the way you would for carpool, utilizing only the Zone A lane. You'll wrap through Zone A (same as normal carpool), and when you are in front of the building, a staff member will collect your student(s) belongings and yearbook, if ordered, from inside the school building and bring it all back out to your car. If you have library books or textbooks to return, the staff member will take those from you at the same time. If you have medications that need to be picked up, you will be directed to a separate area to pick those up, also curbside.
You should stay in your vehicle during this entire process.
Preparation before coming to school for pickup/drop off:
1. Please write on a piece of paper the following information to hand to your staff member:
- Family name
- Each student's first name, grade level, and homeroom teacher
2. Collect all library books to return.
3. Collect all textbooks. For textbooks, please place a sticky note INSIDE the front cover of the book listing student name and homeroom teacher.
Chromebooks
Students in grades 5-7, please keep your Chromebook and charger at home over the summer in a cool, dry, safe place so it's ready to go in the fall. No technical support will be available for Chromebooks during the summer. If any damage occurs, plan to drop your Chromebook off at BFA beginning August 11 for repair. Any physical damage incurs standard $50 repair fee. Do not attempt repairs yourself.
If your student is not returning to BFA for the 2020-21 school year, please return the device and charger to BFA during the curbside pickup process. Any BFA iPads or Chromebooks and chargers loaned to K-4 students should be returned during the curbside pickup process as well.
Reminder: Outgoing eighth grade students get to keep their Chromebooks.
Tuesday, May 19:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Last names starting with A-L
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.- Break/reset
12:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Last names starting with M-Z
Wednesday, May 20:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Last names starting with M-Z
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Break/reset
12:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Last names starting with A-L
All staff helping with this process will be wearing a mask and gloves. Please be patient as we will have limited staff on hand to help with this process.
We also have an update in this newsletter regarding BFA Summer Camp. We have decided to delay opening summer camp until June 15. We hope to have more information from the State about new regulations by the last week of May, and we will update the community again at that time.
Have a good weekend!
Diana Simpson
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2020 PTO ELECTIONS WRAP UP
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2020 PTO Elections. We are excited to announce our
2020-21 PTO Team (click on 'PTO Elections' across the top) and look forward to serving the BFA Community again next year. Additionally, thank you to the incredible 2019-20 PTO Team for your enthusiasm, volunteerism and all the wonderful things you accomplished during your tenure.
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A message from Mrs. Savoy and Ms. Harlow, your BASE summer camp directors...
Due to the current restrictions set forth by the state of Colorado and Douglas County School District, Lightning Bolts Summer camp will not be available from May 27 - June 12. Please know that we are continually assessing the situation; and, as soon as we can, we'll communicate our decisions for camp as well as the guidelines we will follow to keep everyone safe. We encourage you to still register for camp.
We are so sorry for the inconvenience. Providing the best possible camp experience for your student(s) is very important to us, so we're looking forward to being open as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at:
[email protected].
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STUDENT WINS SECOND PLACE IN DI T-SHIRT CONTEST!
Thank you to everyone who voted for BFA sixth grader
Téa Sunahara's artwork submission to Destination Imagination (DI) Colorado's T-shirt design contest for its 2020 shirts! Tea came in
second place in the voting.
Téa said she felt "so good" to win second place. Her idea came from wanting to show off Colorado's mountains and how they look different in each season. She also thought it would make a great four-part pin for DI Colorado. (Pin trading is one of the most popular activities at DI Global Finals in which participants engage with their peers from different states and countries in a way they wouldn't necessarily otherwise.) Téa will receive a set of DI 2020 Colorado pins for being one of the top three artists in the contest.
"Building friendships with teammates is enjoyable," Téa said. "DI helps you learn your team is your only competition, and it embraces the creativity in everyone."
Congratulations, Téa!
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AFTER SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS STUDENTS WILL PREFORM ONLINE MUSICAL!
The after school musical was cancelled, but these kids are resilient and they've spent April learning a new online musical: "The Show Must Go Online!"
Click on the link below to watch a preview. The show includes BFA students in grades 1-8, including the kids starring in the preview below. It will 'premier' online Tuesday, May 19, the performing arts challenge day.
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| Preview: The Show Must Go Online! |
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PRIVATE PIANO, GUITAR, UKULELE AND VOICE LESSONS AT BFA!
A message from Ms. Johnson, K-8 music director...
Harper Arts is honored to have been a part of the BFA community for the last four school years. I am so excited to be expanding Harper Arts lessons and coaching for our students. For the 2020-21 school year, students will have the option to have piano, guitar, ukulele, voice, acting and audition coaching during the school day! Students are approved to participate in this opportunity during DEAR, recess, specials, electives (middle school) and advisory (middle school). There will also still be a number of spaces available before and after school!
Virtual lessons are in session now and will continue over the summer.
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PLEASE CHECK YOUR PASSWORD FOR THE PARENT PORTAL
As you may remember, there are two important steps parents need to complete before the start of every school year for your K-8 BFA student(s).
Mid-summer you will be asked to complete DCSD Online Express Check-In, and before school starts, you'll complete BFA Annual Family Check-In. In the next few weeks, we hope to have additional details on these processes.
To access DCSD Online Express Check-In this summer and complete the first step, you'll need to login to the DCSD EngagED Parent Portal. Since BFA parents generally use the username and password for the Parent Portal one time per year, sometimes they forget their login credentials. Therefore, we'd like you to take the opportunity NOW to login to the EngagED Parent Portal. If you find that you do not know your username and password, please email BFA's registrar, Colleen Bobbin, by TOMORROW, May 8. We want to be sure you are prepared well before summer begins. Note: Families who have never had a K-8 student in a DCSD school will receive an email on or after July 1 to finalize their accounts.
Also, you may notice that DCSD has parent and student Infinite Campus apps. Please note, the DCSD Campus App is NOT required for BFA parents; however, you are welcome to download it and use it to see your student's schedule. The app cannot be used for DCSD Express Check-In.
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BE A ROOM PARENT NEXT YEAR!
The PTO is looking for Room Parents for next school year! Being an elementary school Room Parent is a great way to meet your volunteer quota, develop a relationship with your child's teacher, and get involved in the school. If you are interested,
please send an email to Amanda Trenck and Lauren Flint, co-room parent coordinators, K-5.
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This has been a year to remember, so don't miss your chance to commemorate it with a 2019-20 yearbook.
Yearbooks are $36, and can be purchased online at yearbookforever.com. Order yours today before
sales end TOMORROW Friday, May 8!
Can't remember if you've already ordered a yearbook? You can check
online. Enter your email address under "Find an Order" and the system will tell you if any orders have been placed using your email address.
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Tuesday, May 12, the Community Events Committee (CEC) will host a Zoom meeting at 7:00 p.m.. The details of the Zoom meeting are available on the BFA calendar.
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FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
All are welcome to attend the Finance Committee Zoom meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. The details of the Zoom meeting are available on the BFA calendar.
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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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