Weekly Update
A Message from Haley Maglieri, At-Large Director, BFA Board of Directors
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Dear Parents,
The BFA Board of Directors works for the students, parents and patrons of BFA in promoting the vision and mission of the school. As a Board, the members set policies and have oversight over financial matters of the school while focusing on the long-term strategic direction of BFA.
The stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic can impact the way we interact and communicate with others. More than ever, a strong sense of communication is essential to our community as a whole. As we near the end of yet another challenging year, BFA is committed to maintaining meaningful, direct, two-way communication between parents, teachers, staff and administration. This is a key component of continuing to build strong relationships and equipping our students for academic success.
Throughout the school year, it is common for parents to have questions or concerns about their student(s). When the school opened, a communication policy was developed as a guide for parents when those situations arise. For your convenience, the communication policy can be found here.
The policy also is available under the “Parents” tab on the BFA website (click on Policies, Uniforms & Forms). As detailed in the policy, for those experiencing issues concerning your child’s class or teacher, the first point of contact should be prompt and addressed to the appropriate teacher/staff member. Should the issue remain unresolved, parents should then contact their child’s Assistant Principal and subsequently, Principal Simpson, if necessary.
On behalf of the Board, we always welcome comments from members of the BFA community during the public comment portion of the Board agenda. Open comments can be submitted through the designated form before noon on the day a Board meeting is scheduled and is the best way for parents to bring questions or concerns to the Board’s attention.
Respectful, timely and effective communication is a high priority for the BFA Board and Administration. Following policies that have been established and having a positive presupposition that we are all doing our best during an incredibly challenging time, will continue to allow us to be better together.
Sincerely,
Haley Maglieri
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Second Step's Aha Moments |
The best part of teaching for many teachers is being there for the aha moment. It's a split second when a student has taken everything they have experienced about a topic (the basic facts, conversations and reflections, experimentation and experiences) and synthesizes it into their own. These moments happen in every subject and in every classroom throughout Ben Franklin Academy. Today, we’d like to spotlight a few Second Step aha moments.
The pictures below are the culminating project of the Bullying Prevention Unit from a third-grade classroom. The third grade students designed and created bullying prevention posters to share information and raise awareness among their peers at BFA. We included both a picture and a quote from each of the posters.
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Quote from the Giving Tree poster:
Recognize, Report, Refuse, Help stop bullying by listening to the three R's. Recognize that you're being bullied. Report that it's happening. Refuse it from your school. Don't let it spread, don't think about it in your bed. Everyone deserves respect even if they are different from you. Stop bullying.
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Quote from the Hippy the Happy Hippo poster:
What Hippy and the school are:
Nice, Happy, Kind, Caring, Helpful, Gentle, Brave, Thoughtful and TERRIFIC!
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Quote from the Jungle Room Tiger poster:
We love kind people. Let's make that all of us.
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Quote from the Jungle Room Lion poster:
The Chant to Stop Bullying
If you can stop anything, stop bullying because bullying is hurtful to others. You should treat others as you want to be treated.
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Quote from the Teddy Jungle Room poster:
Be kind everywhere you go. Don't bully.
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Preschool Enrollment for BFA Families |
Current BFA families can express interest in the preschool program for the three-year-old and four-year-old classes via the Intent to Enroll form on the preschool webpage. The Intent to Enroll form for the 2022-23 school year will be active beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6.
Preschool enrollment for new BFA families is on a first come, first served basis, so it''s a good idea to complete the Intent to Enroll form early; but we certainly encourage parents to fill out the form before Friday, Jan. 7, as it will be available to the general public 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. And, don't forget to look at the website for the preschool class schedule and tuition information for next school year.
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K-2 Author Visit - Order Your Book Today! |
We are very excited that BFA’s own children’s book author, Cara Brzezicki, is coming for a visit with kindergarten, first and second grade students at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, in the small gym.
Parents are welcome to pre-order books before the event. Click here to learn more about the book, and click here to order a book signed by Mrs. Brzezicki. While parents often enjoy attending author events as much as the kiddos, as part of our Covid mitigation strategy, this will be a student-only event.
Please submit your book orders by end-of-day on Monday, Dec. 6, so that she has enough time to sign them and get them to us before the event. Students can also purchase books for $10 (cash or check made out to Cara Brzezicki) the day of the event.
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Performing Arts Choir Musical and Volunteer Opportunity |
Some of our wonderful performing arts students in grades 2-8 have elected to participate in the after school choir musical, "Secret Santa." They’ve been working hard this fall to learn the basics of singing, performing and public speaking. All BFA families are welcome to come watch their performance beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in the Thunder Gym.
Also, Ms. Johnson is looking for some help sewing costumes for the middle school musical elective. If you, a family member or friend has some sewing skills, the cast and crew of "James and the Giant Peach" would appreciate your help! This is a great way to get volunteer hours at home. If interested, please email Ms. Johnson.
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Save the Date: Modern Market Spirit Night |
The PTO Spirit Night for December is from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16, at Modern Market in Highlands Ranch (537 W Highlands Ranch Pkwy). (Note the date/location change.) Modern Market will donate 30 percent of your meal’s price back to BFA for all dine-in or take-out orders. Please be sure to mention that you are with BFA before placing your order.
Our November Spirit Night at Modern Plate raised $659 for the BFA PTO. Thank you to everyone who supported our Spirit Night. Let's see if we can make the Modern Market Spirit Night even better! We appreciate your continued support.
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Middle School Girls Basketball Tryouts |
We are very excited for the upcoming middle school girls basketball season! Tryouts are scheduled from 4 – 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15, and Thursday, Dec. 16, in the Thunder Gym. Please register your girl(s) for tryouts through MySchoolBucks. After being placed on a team, parents will be contacted about how to pay fees for the season.
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Holiday Gift Giving with SCRIP Ends Sunday |
If you’re participating in SCRIP gifting, you have through this Sunday, Dec. 5, to place your orders for holiday staff and teacher gifts!
To place your SCRIP order and pay with credit card, visit MySchoolBucks. (There will be NO paper forms to submit and return to the office this year.) Staff are grouped by grade or category; click here for a current staff list. Select the appropriate grade or category to open the group window. Use the dropdown menu to select the staff member you’re gifting and enter your gift amount in the Amount to Pay box. You may designate how much you would like to give to each teacher/staff member in whole-dollar increments. (You may also elect to have your student's name only, not gift amount, shared with the recipient when you place your order.) Repeat as many times as needed until all of your staff gift orders have been placed. And, don’t forget to check out when you’re all done!
Due to the time needed to calculate all gift amounts, and place and coordinate all gift orders, we cannot accept orders after Dec. 5. Gift cards will be distributed electronically this year during the last week we are in school before the holidays, and will be in lieu of any other class gift/collection.
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.
Questions? Visit the PTO webpage or contact Natalie Lucero, SCRIP coordinator.
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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 Pediatric Dentistry
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
Madison & Co. Properties - Cassie Roberts
We value your support of our school!
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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.)
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Something to Celebrate? Rent the Rock! |
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 Ben Franklin Academy!
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? You can find answers to frequently asked questions on the PTO webpage, or contact Subashri Sadasivan, Spirit Rock committee manager.
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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.
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Ben Franklin Academy
2270 Plaza Drive
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
www.bfacademy.org
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Main Office Phone: 720-383-4519
Email: info@bfacademy.org
Attendance Phone: 720-432-9239
Email: attendance@bfacademy.org
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