For the month of September, Chantel Contiguglia has been selected as the Ben Franklin Academy Volunteer of the Month. She is being recognized for all of the time she has spent volunteering in the lunchroom and art room. She has set herself apart and set an excellent example of outstanding volunteerism! Thank you, Chantel--your dedication is much appreciated!

The Contiguglia family is excited to be entering their fifth year at BFA. Brie is in fourth grade and Brooklyn is in first grade. When asked to describe their family, Chantel said: “We love to spend our free time cooking, traveling, and taking on family adventures. We enjoy fast-paced experiences, and the thrill of the unknown. We have a passion for international travel, and enjoy learning about different cultures, and exploring new cities. We're always up for an adventure or two, and are always eager to build new experiences, explore new places, and overcome new challenges with our family and friends! BFA has played an integral role in opening our world to new communities and friends. Thank you BFA!”

Congratulations and thank you for all you do for BFA!

If you know someone who should be considered for volunteer of the month for outstanding volunteerism, please email Janelle Nichols, PTO president.

If you did not have a chance to read the carpool reminders sent out on Monday, please see below:

• When traveling westbound on Plaza, please do not speed past the cars waiting in line to cut over into the carpool lanes. On the flip side of that, please fill both A and B lanes on Plaza, don't leave B lane open while there is a line of cars.  
• Close those gaps! There have been large gaps between cars during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. If everyone moves slowly and follows directions, those gaps can be much smaller. Closing the gaps is important as it speeds the morning drop-off process, and helps get cars off Plaza Road and onto our property during pick-up. 
• Please be aware of bicyclists going both east and west on Plaza. Police are monitoring carpool to ensure the bike lane is accessible to cyclists. 
• Only turn into B lane when coming eastbound on Plaza and turning into carpool. Do not turn into A lane.
• Stay in your lane all the way through carpool.  
• When you are turning right to exit A lane onto Plaza Rd, please move over to the left lane as soon as it is safely possible. This helps cars in the B lane exit more quickly.
• Generally, we close Lane B around 3:45 p.m.; and it's recommended that you are on campus by this time. 

Thank you all for following these and our other carpool rules!

Do you know anyone interested in learning more about BFA? We’ve set up our K-8 grade tour schedule for the school year, and are looking forward to meeting prospective parents. Tours are scheduled from September through April, 2023. If you know someone who is interested in BFA but cannot make a tour, please share this video link to listen to what current and former students, teachers, parents, our Principal, and our Board president have to say about BFA!

Questions about K-8 enrollment can be directed to Colleen Bobbin, BFA's director of admissions and records. If you know parents interested in BFA's preschool, they can go to our webpage or reach out to Lori Hafner, BFA's preschool director.

We hope you’ll join us at the annual Franklin Fest for food and fun from 3-7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at BFA. There will be activities and games for all ages, including inflatables, a dunk tank, and the fan-favorite Cake Walk!

Some activities will include water, so kids may want to come prepared to get wet. And, students can be ready to take on their peers in rounds of battle cones to see who comes out on top. Also, the PTO will be serving Parry’s pizza, included with your admission.

Tomorrow, Sept. 9, is the last day to purchase your tickets at MySchoolBucks. No tickets will be sold at the door, so get yours today! Tickets are $15 per BFA student, with a maximum of $35 for a family (one student is $15, two students are $30, three or more children cost $35). Adults and siblings who do not attend BFA are free. Note: BFA students and any guests (friends, cousins, etc. who do not attend BFA) must purchase a ticket.

Families who have completed and logged their 30 hours of volunteer service (15 hours for single parent households) for the current school year by midnight on Monday, Sept. 12, will be given free admittance to the event!

Volunteer Opportunities Available

Volunteers are needed to make this event happen. We hope you’ll consider volunteering to help staff the event, or donating a cake for the cake walk or other baked goodies. Thank you in advance for your help in making the Franklin Fest a success!

Ms. Whelan and Mrs. Harms are looking forward to a terrific season of cheer with our middle school students! Please take a look at the details below and sign up today, as spots are limited.

Who: Students in grades 6-8

What: Cheer/Poms for the 2022 Boys Basketball Season

When: Starts Monday, Sept. 26

Practice: Mondays from 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Boys Home Games: Usually Tuesdays or Thursdays

Registration: Open NOW on MySchoolBucks

Cost:

• $200 (includes poms, sweatshirt, and locker sticker)
• Uniforms will be paid separately, more information to come

Please see the flier and contact Ms. Whelan with any questions.

The Community Events Committee (CEC) is excited to host the students and their grandparent(s) or special adult at BFA's Goodies with Grandparents from 6:45 – 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept.16. We ask that grandparents please arrive early, as this is a popular event. The festivities will begin in the Lightning (small) gym with coffee, juice and light morning treats. Students and their special adult(s) will continue to enjoy time together with games and photo opportunities.

Grandparents and students may begin leaving the gym at 7:45 a.m. and students should be in their classrooms at the normal time (8:10 a.m.).

Gluten Free options will be available upon request. Please email the event coordinator, Marissa Patterson, with any questions at cec@bfacademy.org.

Volunteer Opportunities Available

We are looking for volunteers to help make this event a success. Please see the SignUpGenius for available opportunities. We would love to have you be a part of this fun event! Thank you in advance.

Volunteers: Please do not show up earlier than your scheduled time for the library. Ms. Williams very much appreciates your enthusiasm, but has already allowed time for you to be trained if you are new to volunteering in the library. We appreciate your understanding, as Ms. Williams has meetings to attend or class prep work to finish when she is not with students. If you arrive early, she may not be available.

Donations: While we would like to take book donations, the district only allows us to enter Library Bound books into our system. If you have books to donate, please check with your child's teacher(s) to see if they might need them for their classroom library. 

Lost/Damage Library Books:

If your child has lost or damaged a book, the book will be charged to your students MySchoolBucks account. We cannot accept replacement books from Amazon or the bookstores. All of our library books have to be purchased through the district's approved vendors so that they have the right binding and barcodes on them.

Breaking News about Book Fair:

Scholastic notified us last month that they will now charge sales tax at all Book Fairs. They were acquired by another company during the summer, and have changed their policy.

If Scholastic can meet our dates, we will have the Book Fair Oct. 10-13. We'll send out more information and the Volunteer Sign Up Genius once they have confirmed our dates.

The music department is looking for volunteers to help with our upcoming musicals. Sewing, costume creation, and set building skills are helpful, but any type of assistance is welcome. This is the perfect opportunity for parents or grandparents to help with our upcoming musical performances. If you are interested, please email Ms. Johnson.

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. Sponsorship options for the 2022-23 school year are being finalized and will be on sale soon! If you have questions, please contact Cassie Roberts, sponsor committee manager. 

Join members of the PTO for their monthly PTO meetings to find out more about what’s going on at BFA and get connected with other parents. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month, and begin at 6:30 p.m. The first meeting will be next Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the Sanders Science Lab.

All BFA community members are welcome! Attendance at meetings counts toward your family’s volunteer hours. They look forward to seeing you there.

Want to learn more about the BFA PTO? Visit their web page.

Eighth grade parents are invited to attend the Washington, D.C. informational meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, via Zoom.

This eighth grade tradition provides students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about our country’s history with their peers. Please see the flier for additional details.

We hope you can join us to find out more!

Parry's Pizzeria and Taphouse (9567 S University Blvd., 80126) will be hosting a BFA Spirit Night from 5 - 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Parry's will donate 20 percent of purchases (dine in and carry out) 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 so the PTO gets credit for your purchase.

The PTO’s August movie night raised $805 for the BFA PTO! Thank you to everyone who supported our spirit night. Let's see if we can make the Parry’s Pizzeria spirit night even better! The PTO appreciates your continued support.

BFA’s Before/After School Enrichment (BASE) program is already busy and we’re enjoying seeing our returning families as well as meeting our new participants! For your easy reference, click here for an updated handbook.

Normally, we are able to offer a fall break camp for parents; but unfortunately, this year we will not have the appropriate amount of staff to safely and effectively conduct the program during fall break. We apologize for any inconvenience but hope making this determination early will allow parents to make other arrangements for their students. 

PALS Chess Academy is offering a Chess Club at BFA for students in grades K-8.

• Chess Club for students in grades K-5 will be held from 4 – 5 p.m. on Mondays beginning Sept. 12. See the flier for details.
• Chess Club for students in grades 6-8 will be held from 4-5 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 6. See the flier for details (but please disregard room assignment as that recently changed).

Click here to register!

ThunderRidge Elementary Instrumental Music (TREIM) is offering a before and after school musical instrument enrichment program for BFA students in grades 4 – 8. Students can meet the band teacher and rent an instrument from 6 – 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at Coyote Creek Elementary. Scholarships are available—click here for the application. See below for details:

Ben Franklin Orchestra at Coyote Creek Elementary:

Beginning Orchestra (begins 9/13): Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:40 - 4:25 p.m.

Intermediate Orchestra (begins 9/13): Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:40 - 5:10 p.m.

Instructor: Mr. Henning

For more information: kurtthetuner@gmail.com

Register now!

Band:

Beginning Band (begins 9/12): From 7:15 - 8:10 a.m.on 

Mondays and every other Friday

Intermediate Band (begins 9/13): From 7:15 - 8:10 a.m. on Tuesdays and every other Friday

Instructor: Mr. Sevy 

For more information:  bensevywoodwinds@gmail.com

Get started today!