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Vol. 10, Iss. 24
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Sept. 17, 2020
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Dear Parents,
I hope you've had a good week! I also hope you saw my email earlier this week detailing decisions made at the Board meeting on Tuesday night. I know it can be a bit confusing to figure out the schedule for each week, so I wanted to recap here:
Week of Sept. 21: K-5 students report every day! Students in grades 6-8 remain on the Hybrid Schedule and everyone (in grades 6-8) is remote on Wednesday.
Week of Sept. 28: Students in grades 6-8 go to full class sizes. All students (K-8) are remote on Wednesday.
Week of Oct. 5: All students report Mon.-Thurs, and are off on Friday.
Week of Nov. 2: All students report Mon., Tues., and Thurs. They are remote on Wednesday and off on Friday.
Week of Dec.14: All students report for all five days.
All other weeks between Fall Break and Winter Break, the students come to school four days and are remote on Wednesdays.
These changes will be reflected on the online calendar and in the app for your easy reference.
Following is the financial update I promised last week. We have been given CRF (COVID Relief Funds) and ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds to pay for some of the expenses we have incurred due to the pandemic. Here's a quick summary of how this money has been spent so far:
- Cleaning supplies for classrooms and the school, including sanitizer and extra cleaning machines
- Disposable masks, reusable masks for staff, face shields and lanyards
- Micro-Ban Floor Wax
- Revamp of the entire ventilation system of the school
- Air purifiers for every room
- Stipends for the Teachers for completing the Google Classroom course over the summer
- Stipends for teachers for remote learning
- Recess equipment for each classroom and playground area
- Chromebooks and iPads to support remote learning
These are just the highlights of how we are currently spending this grant money. We have money left and will continue to use it wisely for the health and safety of our staff and students. If you'd like a more detailed look at how these dollars are being spent, please email me.
Just a reminder: If your student is currently learning in-person, and you would like them to move to remote learning because we are returning to full class sizes, please fill out the form linked HERE. This form needs to be completed by 4 p.m. tomorrow, Sept. 18.
At the Board meeting on Tuesday, a couple of people asked how big the class sizes will be when we return. Listed below are the average class sizes for each grade level. If you would like to know the numbers for your specific class, please email me, and I can provide that information to you.
Kindergarten: 14
First Grade: 21
Second Grade: 22
Third Grade: 21
Fourth Grade: 21
Fifth Grade: 23
Sixth Grade: 24
Seventh Grade: 23
Eighth Grade: 23
Reminder: There is no school tomorrow, as it is an In-service day for the teachers.
Have a wonderful weekend! We are looking forward to seeing all of our K-5 in-person students on Monday!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Simpson
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There will be no school tomorrow, Sept. 18, as it is a Professional Work Day for teachers.
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BFA DIRECTORY - LAST CHANCE TO MAKE CHANGES
BFA's 2020-21 online school directory will be available soon. If you would like to update your family's information for the directory or opt out, you need to act today! You have until tomorrow, Sept. 18, to do the following:
1. If your child goes by a nickname or shortened name, contact Denise Battista, PTO vice president, at [email protected]. 2. If you have recently moved or changed an email address or cell number, update your information in the Douglas County School District database AND email the school registrar. 3. Go to the following site and complete the online form if you DO NOT want any or all of your personal information listed in the directory. You may OPT OUT completely, or partially, by filling out this form. If you take no action, your information will be included in the BFA Directory.
For more information, to view the flier or contact Denise Battista, PTO vice president.
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REMOTE KINDIES - LAST DAY TO PICK UP GIFT IN OFFICE
The Community Events Committee (CEC) distributed a small gift to REMOTE Kindergarten families last week . If you have a REMOTE Kindergartner, and you were unable to pick up your gift, please feel free to do so TODAY at the front office. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mindy Pooler, CEC Co-Chair.
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JOIN US TONIGHT AT PARRY'S PIZZA
YOU GET PIZZA, PARRY'S GIVES BACK! Parry's Pizzeria and Bar (9567 S University Blvd., 80126) will be hosting a BFA PTO Spirit Night from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Sept. 17. Parry's will donate 20 percent of the purchases (dine in, carry out, or delivery) back to the BFA PTO. So, make plans for a pizza night and help BFA! Please remember to let them know you're with BFA.
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For the week of Oct. 12-16 the BFA BASE program is excited to offer Fall Break Camp. The fall camp is similar to the summer camp program we offer--meaning we try to ensure the kids have lots of fun! The cost is $35 per child per day, and we'll be open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Information on daily registration will be forthcoming. To offer the camp, we need at least 15 families or 15-20 children daily. All registrations are non-refundable unless we do not have the required number of families. Enrolled families will be notified and given refunds if we need to cancel. Families that have not enrolled in BASE for the current 2020-21 school year will be required to do so and pay the BASE registration fee of $25.
If you are interested, please read the parent handbook found on our webpage and contact b[email protected] to get the registration link.
If you have any questions please contact Leigh Savoy.
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AFTER SCHOOL MUSICAL OFFERING
We have " SUPER HAPPY AWESOME NEWS"--Ms. Johnson has a new after school musical offering! The musical is for students in grades 3-8, and rehearsals will be held in person on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:10 p.m. The performances will be filmed and shared with families online. The cost is $90. Click here to sign up!
By the way, full-time online students can sign up too! They will meet with Ms. Johnson three times over zoom to rehearse and practice their part of the musical and then film it at home.
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SUPPORT BFA WHILE PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS
The new school year means another opportunity to promote your business while supporting BFA. 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. Sponsorships will go on sale, Friday, Sept. 25! They are limited in quantity, and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. For details on the various sponsorship options and pricing, see the flier or visit the PTO Sponsorship webpage and then click 'Sponsors.'
If you are interested in a sponsorship opportunity, please contact Anne Giusti-Chacon, PTO sponsor committee manager.
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PARENTS PLEASE HELP WITH RECESS
Please consider helping out with recess! We ask parents to sign up
in advance, then on the day you're volunteering, check in at the front office to get your badge and your assigned recess zone. It makes a big difference to have a few more adults watching over the kiddos, so thank you in advance for your help!
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PAINT THE SPIRIT ROCK - NEW DATES RELEASED
We are excited to announce that new dates have been released on the BFA PTO Spirit Rock SignUpGenius. If you've got something or someone to celebrate during the end of the first trimester (through November 13), reserve your date now before someone else claims it. The PTO will continue to release additional dates as the year progresses. Please do not pay in MySchoolBucks until you have secured your date in SignUpGenius as the PTO cannot offer refunds. See the flier for additional details.
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All BFA dads are welcome to attend the Ben's Brigade meeting from 8 - 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Max Taps on their outdoor patio (2680 E County Line Rd A). This is a great way to get to know other BFA dads and learn more about how you can help the school.
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SWEATSHIRTS, HOODIES AND JACKETS - OH MY!
Colder weather means it's time to make sure you have a BFA hoodie, sweatshirt, fleece jacket or vest that fits. Check out the PTO's selection of BFA cold weather gear on MySchoolBucks. Hoodies and sweatshirts are available in navy or red with either the embroidered BFA logo or BFA in plaid letters. Fleece jackets and vests are available in red or navy with the embroidered BFA logo. All are available in youth and adult sizing. And, only middle school students (grades 6-8) may wear the hoodies in class. The PTO's store for spirit wear and spirit items will remain open through the first trimester. There will be no in-person sales this fall. All orders must be placed online at MySchoolBucks. Then orders will be delivered and sent home through your child's classroom. Masks and gaiters are not returnable. If you are a remote learning family, please contact Rachael Hamburger, PTO spirit wear chair, to coordinate delivery.
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TARDY AND EARLY PICK-UP PROCEDURE DURING COVID-19 MITIGATION
While we'd like all students in the building by 8:10 a.m. in the morning, we understand that life sometimes gets in the way of being on time for school! When students are tardy, parents must park and accompany their student inside the building to sign them in; however, with the current restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we can only have two parents in the front office at the same time. Therefore, please park, escort your tardy student into the office, quickly (but legibly) sign them into school, and head back out to your car. This allows other parents into the office, if necessary.
If you need to pick up your student early, you must do so before 3 p.m. Similar to the tardy procedure, we'd like to ask that only two parents are in the front office waiting area at a time, and the remaining parents can form a line outside. When one parent leaves, another can come in and take his/her place in the front office to sign out his/her student.
As an alternative, parents can call the front office and speak to a staff member or send an email to [email protected] for late drop off or early pick up. Be sure to include the student's full name, grade and teacher, as well as a reason for late drop off/early pick up.
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PARRY'S PIZZA SPIRIT NIGHT
Parry's Pizzeria and Bar (9567 S University Blvd., 80126) will be hosting a BFA PTO Spirit Night from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17. Parry's will donate 20 percent of the purchases (dine in, carry out, or FREE delivery) back to BFA. Please remember to let them know you're with BFA.
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There will be no school tomorrow, Sept. 18, as it is a Professional Work Day for teachers.
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ELEMENTARY RETURN TO FULL
We are happy to announce that K-5 classes will return to full class sizes on Monday, Sept. 21. Our 6-8th grade students will return to full class sizes on Sept. 28. In order to continue to provide time for our building to get a deep clean during the week and our teachers dedicated time to focus on planning, we decided to make several Wednesdays fully remote days for students. Please see the calendar for details.
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The School Accountability Committee (SAC) will meet from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, via Zoom. The call details will be available on the BFA calendar prior to the meeting.
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All BFA dads are welcome to attend the Ben's Brigade meeting from 8 - 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Max Taps on their outdoor patio (2680 E County Line Rd A).
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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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