Congratulations September 'Bolt of Kindness' Honorees:

Throughout the school year, we periodically schedule Spirit Days when students can wear a t-shirt purchased through the PTO which has the official BFA logo, a t-shirt/sweatshirt from a BFA sport, or a prior year's BFA Field Day shirt. These spirit tops should be worn with regular uniform bottoms. 

We've also scheduled several Spirit Days throughout the year to recognize the season opener for some of our favorite teams within the community. Tomorrow, Oct. 7, students may wear a Colorado Avalanche (or other NHL team) shirt with regular uniform bottoms OR they can choose to wear a regular spirit wear shirt.

As October begins, we welcome cooler weather and focus on the virtues of Cleanliness and Order, which Ben Franklin himself believed were important to the development of character. The Virtue Cards linked below are for you to copy and display as you engage your children in discussions about these important virtues.

• Virtue Card for Cleanliness
• Virtue Card for Order

To ensure the safety of all our students, the small parking lot on the north side of the building will be used for preschool parents during drop off/pick up and BASE parents. (It also will remain a play space for kids during the school day.) You may notice the new sign (pictured) to remind parents that this lot is for BASE parents between 4 - 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Please refrain from parking in the preschool lot from 4-6 p.m. during the weekday when BASE is in session unless you are a BASE parent. However, there will be an exception for our sports spectators who are not as mobile. Within the next few weeks there will be five smaller signs posted under the basketball hoops stating that these spots are only for grandparents of either home or away teams attending after school games. Once these five spots are filled, the rest of the spectators will need to park in the upper or main parking lot, leaving the remaining spots for BFA BASE parents. 

If you have any questions or concerns please email Leigh Savoy, BASE director, at base@bfacademy.org.

BFA’s mission is to develop young adults with character like America’s founding Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin: well-read, scientifically curious and civically engaged. Our character education program is modeled on Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues which can be found here.

We need your help in recognizing November’s virtues, Sincerity and Humility:

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

• 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’s their turn.

During parent/teacher conferences (Oct. 11 and Oct. 13), you will find tables equipped with markers and lightning bolts. Please take a few minutes and share thoughtful, kind and encouraging words for our students and staff. We will display your bolts during the month of November in our effort to (1) highlight the virtues for which our character education program is modeled; and (2) prepare for National Parent Involvement Day (Nov. 17). 

This is an exciting opportunity for us to honor and highlight the powerful contributions parents and caregivers provide to support student success. We cannot wait to share what you create!

Now that school is underway, it is time to update and add new families to the BFA directory! 

This year, the BFA PTO will be using DirectorySpot for our online school directory. It's an incredibly handy resource that contains each family's class roster(s) and contact information, as well as the entire BFA directory.  

DirectorySpot is an app-based online directory. The free app is available for download through the App Store and Google Play, simply search for DirectorySpot. Once this year’s directory is ready, you will receive an email from DirectorySpot with your one-time password. This year's directory will be available Oct. 15.

If you would like to update your family's information for the directory or opt out, you need to act today! You have until Thursday, Oct. 13, to do the following:

1. If your child goes by a nickname or shortened name, contact ptovp@bfacademy.org.
2. If you have recently moved or changed an email address or cell number, update your information in the Infinite Campus database AND email the school registrar at registrar@bfacademy.org.
3. If you DO NOT want any or all of your personal information listed in the directory, contact ptovp@bfacademy.org. You may OPT OUT completely or partially. If you take no action, your information will be included in the BFA Directory.

If you have questions, please contact Alissa Motazedi, PTO vice-president.

We're excited to host another book fair from Monday, Oct. 10, through Thursday, Oct. 13, with a preview day tomorrow, Oct. 7. Book Fairs are a fun way for kids to explore new offerings by their favorite authors and discover new books. In addition, the school is able to purchase new books for our library based on Book Fair Sales. Click here for our school's homepage, and be sure to check out the book trailers.

Dates and Hours

• Friday, Oct. 7: Wishlist Day for K-5 students, NO SALES 
• Monday, Oct. 10: Book Fair open for sales 8 a.m to 3 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 11: Book Fair open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed during carpool
• Wednesday, Oct. 12: Book Fair open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 13: Last day of Book Fair 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed during carpool

Sales Tax will now be charged on all sales. This is a big change so please remember this when sending students with money and/or setting up an e-Wallet.

National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) will offer Parent-Teacher conference babysitting services for children who are no longer in diapers. You will need to take them to the Makerspace Room located around the corner from the Dana Library and sign them in. Parents may not drop off children and then leave the building. 

No child, regardless of age, may be left in the Dana Library without adult supervision during the Parent-Teacher conferences. This is a very busy and crowded time for us, and we hope you'll understand. This includes older students; they may not bring their younger siblings into the library to wait. 

Once again, Scholastic will offer e-Wallet so that your child does not have to bring cash to the Book Fair. 

Students bringing a parent's credit card will need to send in a note of permission specifically stating that the student is approved to use the credit card and what the limit should be. You also can email Ms. Williams, our librarian, at  dwilliams@bfacademy.org.

Next week during our fall Parent-Teacher conferences, our wonderful Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) will organize dinner for the teachers. They normally order a meal from a local restaurant for one of the conference nights, and ask for parent support to serve a meal the second evening. If you’d like to help the PTO's Baking Committee provide dinner to the teachers on Thursday, Oct. 13, please sign up here. Thanks in advance for your support as this helps ensure our teachers get to eat dinner on long school/conference days!

Now's the time to get your BFA spirit wear! The PTO's online store for spirit wear and spirit items is open NOW and will remain open through Friday, Nov. 11. You can shop for all your BFA gear including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, baseball caps, and more! Many items have been restocked and we anticipate more items coming in from Educational Outfitters in the next couple of weeks. Find all your items at MySchoolBucks.

Orders will be delivered and sent home through your child's classroom. Please note that orders placed during fall break will be sent home following the return from break. Questions? Contact Amy Marks, PTO spirit wear committee manager.

Our Veterans Day celebration will be here before you know it. This is a wonderful opportunity to show our respect and appreciation for veterans and active duty service members in our families and community. The celebration will be held on Friday, Nov. 11. Please see the attached invitation with additional information. We need your help to make this event a success! Please see the SignUp Genius for available volunteer opportunities.

Veterans Video - Deadline: Wednesday, Oct. 19

The deadline to submit digital pictures or videos for our annual BFA Veterans Day video is quickly approaching. If you have photos or videos of veterans or current service members you would like included in the video, please complete this Google form. Videos must be no longer than 30 seconds. Please contact Heather Kimball at hkimball23@gmail.com with any questions. Please note, no late entries will be accepted due to the time intensive nature of producing this video. 

Veterans Wall of Honor Forms - Deadline: Friday, Oct. 28

We are proud to decorate the BFA halls with decorations, grade-level art, flags, and Wall of Honor forms to show our respect to those who have or are currently serving our country. We invite BFA families to complete a Wall of Honor Form for loved ones who are veterans or active duty service members. Don't delay submitting your Wall of Honor forms. We want to fill the halls with these forms honoring our veterans and active duty members. We have currently received only 20 percent of the targeted submission goal.Forms can be downloaded and printed here. Please return all Wall of Honor Forms to the front office no later than Friday, Oct. 28. Please do not use original pictures, as they will not be returned.

Attention Veterans and Service Members - RSVP by Thursday, Nov. 3.

We invite all BFA family members who are active duty service members or veterans to be honored guests at our Veteran's Day Celebration. If your family member is planning to join us, please RSVP to cec@bfacademy.org no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, so the CEC committee can plan accordingly. 

The PTO is hosting TRUNK OR TREAT again this year on Friday, Oct. 28! It's going to be a fun day for ALL preschool through eighth grade BFA students! Throughout the day, classes will be invited to step outside with their class and participate in Trunk or Treat where volunteers will be distributing trinkets, candy, popcorn and/or fruit snacks from the trunk of their own vehicle parked in an assigned spot. This year ALL parents are invited to come and watch your children at Trunk or Treat! A schedule will be sent out as we get closer to the date.

We need parent support for the individually wrapped snacks and candy as we’ll have almost 1,000 kids trunk-or-treating from 25 cars. We're requesting bulk items (200+ pieces) as well as standard sized bags (50+ pieces). Please see the SignUpGenius and consider supporting by donating treats for our students! All donations can be dropped off in the BFA front office from NOW through Friday, Oct. 13. We are also looking for volunteers to help organize the give-a-way items, as well as distribute items during Trunk or Treat. If you’re interested in helping organize or distribute items, please see the volunteer SignUpGenius. If you have any questions about the Trunk or Treat, please reach out to Erin Wiley, PTO Trunk or Treat committee manager. Thanks in advance for all of your support!

K-5 Halloween Classroom Parties will also take place from 1:45-2:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28. Party volunteers will be limited to a max of three per classroom. As much as we love welcoming our families into the school, we also ask that no additional siblings come with you if you are volunteering in one of our classroom parties. Instead, please make plans to attend the Trunk or Treat if you would like to participate in our Halloween festivities. If you have any questions about the elementary party coordination, please reach out to 

Anne Chacon, PTO room parent coordinator.

There is a continued need for blood donations within our community. In fact, you've probably heard, "every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood." The Community Events Committee (CEC) is organizing a blood drive from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the BFA parking lot. (Look for the bloodmobile!)

Signing up to participate is easy! Just visit donors.vitalant.org, select the radio button "Blood Drive Code" (below the field to enter your zip code), enter BFA’s code (10485), and select "Find Location." Please select the time you are interested in donating at BFA, and follow the prompts to secure your appointment. 

If you cannot attend the blood drive at BFA, you can always schedule an appointment at a Vitalant blood donor center and provide our code (10485) so BFA will receive credit. 

Unfortunately, walk-ins CANNOT be accepted. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions please contact Amy Marks at amymm630@gmail.com.

Middle school students, this is your chance to perform in "The Little Mermaid!" In a magical underwater kingdom, the young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home—and her fins— behind and live in the world above. But first, she'll have to defy her father, King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, and convince Prince Eric that she's the girl whose enchanting voice he's been seeking.

Please fill out this form, if your student would like to be in the cast of "The Little Mermaid." There are roles for performers who want to sing solos and performers who do not! Space in this second trimester performing arts elective is limited to 40 spots. The deadline to fill this form out is Thursday, Oct. 13. After the deadline, we will let you know who is in the class and register you. Everyone in the class will be in the show (no cuts).

This class meets on B DAY elective. You must be available after school for performances on March 2, 3 and 4, 2023.

Zell’s Creperie (2229 Wildcat Reserve Parkway A4, Highlands Ranch) will be hosting a BFA spirit night from 3:30 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27. Zell’s is new to the area, but it looks delicious; and they will generously donate 15 percent of your purchases back to the BFA PTO. Please remember to let them know that you’re with BFA so we get credit for your purchase!

The 2022-23 yearbook sales have launched! Be sure to order yours early for the best pricing! Right now, yearbooks cost $30 per book, but the price will go up to $35 after Winter Break, and $45 after Spring Break. 



You may also order a yearbook dedication (ad) for your student. Dedications are $15 for 1/16 of page and $30 for 1/8 of a page. What a fun way to help commemorate a great school year!

Order and pay for your 2022-23 yearbook and dedication today!

The Spirit Rock is an opportunity to share exciting events with our school community by painting your own message. Parents, students, and staff may “Rent the Rock” to recognize a student’s birthday, show school spirit, wish a team good luck, thank a teacher, announce an event, etc. It is a great way to spread positive messages and increase excitement! The rate to rent the Rock is $20 per day. All proceeds benefit the BFA PTO.

Want to rent the Rock? Here’s how:

• First, reserve the date you want by visiting the ‘Rent the Rock’ SignUpGenius. 
• Then, pay for your reservation through MySchoolBucks.



Have questions? Contact Lindsay Bullock, spirit rock committee manager.

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.