From the Desk of Principal Simpson

November 18, 2021

Weekly Update

A Message from Principal Simpson

Dear Parents,

Our core virtues this month are humility and sincerity.

Humility: Be mindful of others before yourself. Treat them as you want to be treated. Think about how you can help others before being asked. Let others speak when it is their turn.

Sincerity: Be kind. Say kind words and treat others as you want to be treated. Encourage each other to succeed.

You may notice that these two virtues both include treating others as you wish to be treated. Treating each other with kindness is something that we work with students on each day. We try to model this in classrooms and the school, and I know you are all modeling this at home. I would ask that we remain mindful of this when sending emails as well. Kindness comes in all forms. We are all here because we care about our students and want the best educational experience for them. We are all on the same team and are better when we work together positively!

Another area where we need to work together and be kind is carpool. I had two reports of incidents involving our families (both on and off campus) just this morning that did not exemplify the virtues we are trying to instill in our students. I've had many recent reports of cars cutting each other off on Plaza turning into B lane from A lane, resulting in an unsafe situation for all involved. I have reached out to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to increase patrols during our carpool time so they can monitor for rude and/or aggressive driving behaviors. Please be courteous, kind and follow all traffic rules whether you're on school grounds, Plaza Drive, or on one of our surrounding neighborhood streets.

I know this has been a hard week. We had to quarantine the sixth grade earlier in the week, and quarantined a third grade class yesterday due to five positive cases. COVID cases are rising quickly. I hope the break will provide some buffer and that our case count will drop after Thanksgiving. However, next week also comes with more opportunities for students to be exposed while traveling or getting together with friends or family. If your student is exposed during the break, please keep them home for at least five days and get them tested before returning to school. There are three weeks of school between Thanksgiving and Winter Break. Our goal is to get through those three weeks without any additional quarantines.

Please email me during break if you have any COVID-related questions or any exposures or positive cases. I will be out of town and may not reply as quickly as usual, but I will get back to you to answer any questions or provide timelines or guidance.

I am thankful to be a part of a community that cares so deeply for its kids. I am grateful to lead a staff as dedicated and talented as ours is. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Diana Simpson

Second Step Program

Second Step's Research Base

According to the Committee for Children, the organization behind Second Step:

Social, emotional, and cognitive development are interdependent. Decades of research have shown that children need social and emotional competence to succeed in school. Regardless of socio-economic factors, social-emotional competence leads to improved relationships and increased school connectedness, which all provide powerful support for academic success.

For those of us who like the data and evidence, it seemed like a good time to share some more of these pieces from Second Step. Click on the links below to read more:

Alignment Chart of Second Step Program with Colorado Comprehensive Health Standards

Second Step Grades K-5: Research Summary

Second Step Grades K-5: Visual Review of Research

Second Step Grades K-5: Logic Model

Second Step Middle School: Review of Research

Second Step Middle School: Logic Model

How Social-Emotional Learning Helps Children Succeed in School, the Workplace, and Life - This ebook features perspectives from a number of leading teachers, administrators, researchers, and education experts.

BFA News

Important Reminders

Tomorrow, Nov. 19, is a Dress of Choice Day for all students (unless your student has received two uniform violations since the last DOC day).

There is no school next week, Nov. 22-26, as it is Thanksgiving Break. We hope you'll have a fantastic break and are able to spend quality time with family and friends.

Be sure to ask your student to check Lost and Found! We plan to donate items next month during Winter Break.

Thank You for Participating in the Veterans Day Celebrations

CEC Veterans Day Celebrations

The CEC would like to thank all those who helped make our annual Veterans Day Celebration a huge success! We would like to recognize the following:

Our speakers, David Ivey and Craig Morrison
The director of the Color Guard, Tony Nickerson, and his volunteers
Bagpipe players, Jim and Kelly Fitzrandolph
The trumpeter, Mark Stallins
Deputy Travis Kyle and his K9 dog, Sig
Our veterans day video co-creators, Julie Roper and Alyssa Gale Freund
The leader guiding the Kindergarteners in song, Mason Macdonald
Ben's Brigade for keeping everyone safe in carpool
Jaime Johnson for assisting with technology behind the scenes and coordinating the fourth grade performance
NJHS and Student Council for hosting our veterans and making them feel special
Corey Tuttle and Kelly Enders, managers from two of our local Starbucks, for donating coffee for our veterans day breakfast
Nikki Busto and Amy Marks for co-chairing the committee
And the many, many volunteers who decorated the school inside and out, as well as those who helped the day of the event and ensured the school was cleaned up afterwards.

Without your support this event would not be the success it is each year!

Click below to watch the celebrations (and please note, students without masks have exemptions on file):

Kindergarten and First Grade Ceremony Link - https://youtu.be/2zzPkx_dBv8
Second through Eighth Grade Ceremony Link - https://youtu.be/e4oUSN2Hukk

Thank You Blood Donors!

The CEC would like to thank Amy Marks for coordinating our first ever blood drive. To say the BFA community came through in a BIG way for our local community would be an understatement! We had more than 45 individuals participate in the drive and we surpassed our goal of 32 units by collecting 46 total units (and 18 were first time donors). The units donated will be used in the local community to enhance and/or save the lives of 138 individuals. Thank you to all that donated, encouraged others to donate, and got the word out about our drive! We appreciate all your support for this amazing cause.

VA Hospital Donation Drive Wrap Up

Thank you to all the families who participated in donating items to the VA Hospital for Veterans Day. Your donations will help those less fortunate in our community to stay warm during the winter season.

Anxiety Resources Provided by DCSD

Below is a resource recently shared by Douglas County School District’s Superintendent, Corey Wise.

Mental Health Resource of the Week

What do you say when you don’t know what to say? Watch this video, Seize the Awkward: Having Conversations About Mental Health, to learn some conversation techniques from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention so you can better help those in need.

Anxiety

Please take a few minutes to watch the next anxiety segment, Helping Kids to Understand & Overcome Anxiety: Segment 02, by Dr. Scott Cypers. This segment covers the vicious cycle of anxiety and provides insight into what triggers anxiety and how to overcome it. After viewing the video, if you are interested, you can log into a free live Zoom session with Dr. Cypers to receive additional support and get your specific questions answered.

Dr. Cypers will host a live Zoom session for any parents or teachers that would like to get more information after watching this video at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 22. To access, please click this link.

The previous video and future videos are available at: https://www.youtube.com/user/dougcoschools.

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

Each year, PTO sponsorships allow BFA to continue to grow and to meet the needs of our school, as well as our teachers, staff, and students. We’d like to thank the 2021-22 PTO sponsors:

Cherry Creek Mortgage - Jimmy Kinley

Groove Automotive

Blue Sky Pediatrics

Moody Insurance - Troy Moody

Schomp Automotive

Hinds Financial - Jon Kelley

Hotworx

Maglieri Mediation, LLC

Holt Orthodontics

Coldwell Banker - Amber Simonis

Lularue - Becky Mayka

Christin Harris MS LMFT

Suburban Girl Boutique - Brooke Svanda

Re/Max Edge Broker Associate - Amanda Trenck

We value your support of our school!

Final Day to Participate in Modern Plate Spirit Event!

Tomorrow, Nov. 19, is the last day to participate in our November Spirit Night with Modern Plate. Modern Plate is a locally owned and operated, family-run business. They deliver fully cooked, heat and serve, family-style (serves 4) meals within the metro area. If you order by 10 a.m. on weekdays, you can get your meal delivered the same day! It's the perfect dinner solution for busy days. Meals range from $19.99 to $37.99. Sides, soups, appetizers, and desserts are available as well. For more information, click here.

Purchase your meals through tomorrow, Nov. 19, by visiting www.modernplate.com. Use the code 'BFA' at checkout in the coupon code box at the top of the screen. Modern Plate will track our orders and donate 10 percent back to Ben Franklin Academy. Spread the word amongst your colleagues, neighbors, family and friends for our fundraiser to have a greater impact!

Plan on Attending SAC Meeting via Zoom

If you would like to be involved in reviewing policies that impact our school and your student(s), please consider joining the SAC for their monthly meeting from 4:30-5:30 p.m. tonight, Nov. 18, via Zoom. We will be reviewing the following policies: New Middle School Discipline procedure, Mobile Electronic Policy, Teacher Compensation Policy, Assistance for Qualified Free and Reduced Lunch Recipients. If you have any questions, please email Woody Haynes.

Love STEM? Attend Next Committee Meeting or Get on Email List!

The Ben Franklin Academy Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Committee invites you to join them at their next meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight, Nov. 18, via Zoom. (Meeting details on the BFA calendar.) The STEM Committee is a group of parent volunteers supporting BFA’s classrooms and school STEM events, including the annual STEAM Expo. All creative minds with an interest in STEM are welcome to join and provide their expertise to our group of parents and teacher liaisons.

Click here to join the mailing list if you are interested in:

Upcoming volunteer opportunities
Becoming a member of the STEM Committee
Contributing ideas for future STEM projects
Becoming a STEM speaker for classrooms
Participating in our monthly Zoom meetings

They look forward to your contributions, ideas and participation.

CEC December Meeting - Sign Up Today

The December CEC meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2, at Pindustry (7939 E Arapahoe Rd, Centennial). This will be a fun, holiday event for anyone who has either volunteered with CEC this school year or is excited to join them in planning their spring CEC events! The Pindustry reservation will need to be guaranteed by next Friday, Nov 26, (the day after Thanksgiving) so please RSVP today. Space is limited.

December PTO Meeting and Holiday Gathering

Please join members of the BFA PTO for their holiday gathering! This FUN event is for all of the adults who make BFA a special community (PTO members AND non-members) and will be held at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9, at Los Dos Potrillos (35 Springer Drive). Dinner will be provided by the PTO, and there will even be a gift exchange. They will also be giving away two monthly parking spots at the event. (Must be present to win.) Please check the SignUpGenius for more details and to RSVP. Happy holidays!

You’re also invited to join the PTO for their December meeting prior to the holiday gathering at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9, in the Sanders Science Lab. (Please note the date change.)

Say Thanks - Holiday Gift Giving with SCRIP

The BFA PTO will use SCRIP for holiday staff gifting again this year. This convenient, online program replaces room parent collections and facilitates convenient group gifting. Each family makes one payment through MySchoolBucks for all of their teacher and staff gifts. At the end of collections, each staff member receives an email with the total collected on their behalf and is able to select gift cards they would like to receive. Collections will take place Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, with gift cards being distributed during the week before Winter Break.

Participation in the SCRIP program is completely voluntary. You are welcome to participate with any amount, or alternatively gift the teachers and staff on your own. Families will be able to place SCRIP orders via MySchoolBucks and pay by credit card. You may designate how much you would like to give to each teacher/staff member in one-dollar increments.

Questions? Visit the PTO webpage or contact Natalie Lucero, SCRIP coordinator.

Before the Holidays, Sign Up for King Soopers Rewards and Amazon Smile

If you are a King Soopers or Amazon shopper, you can help earn money for BFA by signing up for King Soopers Community Rewards and Amazon Smile. Here's how:

To sign up for King Soopers Community Rewards:

Sign in to your digital account at King Soopers Community Rewards. If you haven't already set up an account, set up your account and link your King Soopers card or phone number to your account.
Click on Community Rewards, Enroll Now and search for Ben Franklin Parent Teacher Organization or enter our code XN773. Click Save.
Next time you check out at King Sooper or City Market, scan your card (or enter your alternate ID), and BFA will get money back from your purchase.

This program adds up quickly, so please consider participating.

To sign up for Amazon Smile:

Go to: smile.amazon.com, and click Get Started.
Enter ‘Ben Franklin Academy Parent-Teacher Organization’ in the search box, and select BFA PTO as the organization that you want to support.
Once you have signed up for Amazon Smile online, you can enable Amazon Smile through the Amazon app, by selecting Gifting and Charity from the menu in the lower right-hand corner, then Amazon Smile.

You can find out more information about the AmazonSmile program including how to link your Amazon account to BFA, click here.

Please email fundraising@bfacademy.org with any questions. Thank you, again, for your support of BFA and the PTO!

Open Enrollment - Time is Running Out!

Parents of ALL new/prospective K-8 students, including siblings of current BFA K-8 students and BFA preschool students, must complete Open Enrollment during First Round to be eligible for an enrollment offer and earn a priority status. The First Round is NOW OPEN and runs through Dec. 1. Plan to complete the process before Thanksgiving break as BFA is closed and DCSD IT Support will be limited during the break. Once the First Round ends, the next opportunity to complete the process will be in mid-January.

Open Enrollment submissions during the FIRST ROUND ONLY will have priority based on the following:

Children in the household of Founding Families;
Siblings of current K-8 BFA students. Siblings that share the same birth date (ie. twins or triplets) shall receive automatic enrollment;
Children of full-time teachers; and
BFA preschool students, as detailed in the Enrollment Policy.

IMPORTANT: To leverage priority status, please complete Open Enrollment during the First Round.

DCSD Open Enrollment Webpage - Review Important Details Here!

The most up-to-date information, instructions, and answers to commonly-asked questions visit the DCSD Open Enrollment webpage. After reviewing this page, if you have questions about enrollment or need your EngagED Parent Portal login please email our registrar, Colleen Bobbin before Thanksgiving break.

Parents who have had K-12 DCSD students should have an EngagED account already. DO NOT CREATE a new account. (Hint: This is the username and password you used to complete Express Check-In.)
Parents who have not had K-12 DCSD students, will need to create an EngagED Parent Portal account once Open Enrollment begins on Nov. 1.

Note: Parents can select “Email me my choices” to receive a confirmation email of the school choices made for your student. Registrars will not have access to this information until after First Round closes. Emailing your choices provides confirmation of completing the process. Should there be a question, parents will be asked to provide this confirmation.

Enrollment Paperwork - Get A Head Start!

If a parent completes Open Enrollment and receives and accepts an enrollment offer for their child, and that child is not a current DCSD student (BFA preschool students are not considered DCSD students), s/he will receive an email by December 22 with the required Enrollment Packet. The turnaround to complete and submit the packet is quick; the due date is Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

BFA parents who would like to submit the Enrollment Packet on or before Wednesday, Dec. 1, can get a head start! Mrs. Bobbin, BFA's registrar, will review all packets submitted by this deadline. Prior to the December break, she will confirm whether packets are complete or require additional attention on or before January 3, 2022.

If you are a BFA parent with an incoming kindergarten student who does not attend BFA's preschool, please complete this form. Once the packet is finalized, Mrs. Bobbin will email the packet to you.
If you are the parent of a current BFA preschooler who will start kindergarten next year, Mrs. Bobbin will provide the packet to Mrs. Hafner to send out to her preschool families. You DO NOT need to complete the aforementioned form designed for those who do not attend BFA preschool.

Current K-7 BFA Students

Current 2021-22 BFA K-7 students will automatically be enrolled at BFA for the 2022-23 school year. If your student will not return to BFA next year, please let the registrar know via email.

2022-23 Preschool Students

Preschool Enrollment for the three-year-old and four-year-old classes will take place via the preschool webpage on the BFA website. Preschool enrollment for current BFA families will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6. Preschool enrollment for the general public will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 10.

If you are interested in the Ben Franklin Academy Preschool program, please click here for more information.

Upcoming Events

BFA's Guiding Principles

Mission:

Our mission is to create young adults with character like America's founding Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin: well-read, scientifically curious, and civically engaged.

Vision:

Our students will excel academically through a challenging, sequenced curriculum that emphasizes math, science, the arts, 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 social emotional development, character, sports, and nature.

13 Virtues:

Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.