Welcome! This is the Principal Newsletter that is sent to families every Thursday throughout the school year. It's important to you because it contains information about summer activities, uniforms, opportunities to get involved at BFA, and tasks to complete this summer in preparation for next school year.

In addition, we’ve created a webpage especially for you to help answer some of the questions you may have about BFA. You can go to the Getting Started at BFA: Helpful Information for New Families webpage now, or find the webpage later by going to the BFA website and looking under the Parents tab.

If you are enrolled for next school year and have not attended a BFA tour, we are happy to provide one additional opportunity before we break for the summer. Join us at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Thunder gym. Doors will open at 5:45 p.m., then we'll divide into groups and start the tours promptly at 6 p.m. This tour is the same one we’ve offered prospective parents all school year, and will likely last 45-60 minutes.

The tour can be lengthy for younger children, but if you decide to bring them, we kindly ask that you leave strollers at home. We anticipate a large group and that will help us move from floor-to-floor more quickly.

We'll be providing a lot of information during the next few months, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please contact us at info@bfacademy.org.

By Thursday May 11, make sure you can log in to the EngagED Parent Portal.

• Parents of current DCSD K-12 students have a Portal username and password.
• Parents who have never had a K-12 DCSD student created a Portal username and password when they completed Open Enrollment.

During the summer, there are two required steps BFA parents/families need to complete for every K-8 student. If you don’t know your username and password, you won’t be able to complete them.

• Mid-July all DCSD parents will log in to the EngagED Parent Portal to complete Express Check-In; and
• In August before school starts, your family will complete BFA Annual Family Check-In, in-person at BFA.

Parents will also need their username and password to access student teacher assignments/schedules in August.

Additional details about these processes will be in future communications. For your action TODAY – please ensure you can log in so both check-ins go smoothly. If you cannot log in, please email BFA’s registrar, Colleen Bobbin, by Thursday, May 11. 

Current Families with Medicine in the Health Room or BASE

If your student has medication in the health room, please plan to pick it up between 9 - 11:30 a.m. on the last day of school. Only a parent/guardian or a designated adult can pick up medicine. Parents also can request that their student take home any remaining medicine, but parents must email Kelley Marie Paulson in our Health Room by Friday, May 20, with the request. She cannot release any medication to a student unless she receives a written request from the parent. Please see the letter from our health room for details.

BASE MEDICATION: If applicable, you also will need to pick up any medication stored in BASE, as we will not transfer medications for summer camp. 

Any medication left at school after the school year ends will be disposed of per CDPHE rules and regulations governing schools.

Students Who Plan to Take Medicine at School Next School Year 

For those students who take medicine at school, per Douglas County School District (DCSD), new medication forms are required at the beginning of each school year. Medication forms from the prior school year are considered EXPIRED. These medications include prescriptions as well as Over-The Counter Medication. New forms/plans and medications can be brought to school during BFA Annual Family Check-In, Teacher Meet and Greets, or on/after the first day of school. Forms can also be emailed to the health office or faxed to 303-974-1738. 

Herbal and homeopathic remedies may not be administered at school.

Vaccinations

If your child is not compliant with vaccinations for the next school year, you will receive an email from the Health Room by May 26. If you receive this email, it will contain information on necessary steps for compliance, either by vaccination or the exemption process. If you have questions about whether your student is compliant but do not receive this email, please contact us.  

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issues letters each year about immunizations for the next school year. Below are the most recent versions currently available. These letters are important as they provide information about required vaccines, resources for low cost vaccines, and details about the exemption process.

Preschool Immunization Letter

K-12 Immunization Letter

Upcoming 6th Grade Student Tdap Immunization Letter

All new immunization records and exemption letters should be provided to the school by Friday, Aug. 25.  

Information about the Nonmedical Exemption Process for Vaccinations

Per the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, if you choose not to have your child(ren) vaccinated according to the current recommended schedule, you must submit a Certificate of Medical Exemption or Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption to the school. All exemptions must be submitted annually and dated between July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Downloadable certificates and the online education module are available at:
https://cdphe.colorado.gov/vaccine-exemptions.

If you have questions about any of these processes during the summer, please contact our school nurse, Peggy Brown.

Tomorrow, May 5, is Spirit Day and Fun Sock Friday. For Spirit Day, 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. And, all students are welcome to wear fun (but appropriate) socks.

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is coming up next week, May 8-12! The PTO will be recognizing all of our amazing teachers and staff who lift us up and make BFA such a special place for our children. This year’s theme is Hollywood.  

Take a look below for details about the events we have planned for them and how you can participate. The PTO will be bringing in food and treats for the teachers, and we’d love to have your students make cards and/or bring in a flower for their teacher on Friday, May 12.  

Monday: Santiago burritos 

Tuesday: Popcorn

Wednesday: Breakfast from Robeks and Suburban Girl Boutique

Thursday: Girl Scout cookies

Friday: Students bring in flowers and cards for the teachers

The STEM Committee is so excited to announce their upcoming 2023 STEAM Expo will be held from 9:15am - 3pm. on Friday, May 12. This is a FANTASTIC BFA tradition for our students and a FUN volunteer opportunity for our parents!

We will be hosting more than 25 STEAM related booths and exhibits from local businesses, organizations, and students! As part of this BFA tradition, all of our students will have an hour to explore the Expo during the school day. Through hands-on activities and demonstrations, students will learn about the wonderful STEAM opportunities at our school and in the local community. 

If you have any questions about the event or are interested in stopping by, please contact STEM Coordinator Kyle Nolting. The event is catered towards our students but we are happy to invite parents who are interested! 

This is also a great chance to get those final volunteer hours of the year in! Please visit the STEAM Expo Sign-Up and pitch in to help make the Expo a success.

STEAM Expo Class Schedule:

• 8:30-9:15 - Vendor/Volunteer check in and set-up
• 9:15-10:15 - Preschool, Kindergarten, and Fourth
• 10:15-11:15  - Seventh and Eighth Grades
• 12:00-1:00 - Second and Sixth Grades
• 1:00-2:00 - Third and Fifth Grades
• 2:00-3:00 - Preschool, p.m. Kindergarten, First Grade

On Friday, May 12, please be conscious of multiple exhibitors parked in the pre-school parking area and more than usual movement happening during carpool drop-off and pick-up. Look closely and you may even see some mini-horses, musical instruments, robots, or a fire truck!

Get ready for a STEAM-filled day!

Want to find out more about Ben’s Brigade? Join them at their end-of-year Dads and Kids picnic from 12-2:30 p.m. this Sunday, May 7, at Redstone Park (3280 Redstone Park Circle). Ben’s Brigade will be providing hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks. Please RSVP if you plan on attending, so they know how many to expect.

Ben's Brigade is a PTO group open to all BFA dads that provides a place for dads to get to know each other, as well as opportunities for unique ways to give back to the school and earn volunteer hours. 

Contact Curtis Anderson, Ben’s Brigade committee manager, to learn more.

The 2023 BFA Science Fair is quickly approaching and we need judges! You don’t need prior experience, and volunteers can be parents from any grade. Judging will take place on Monday, May 8, and Tuesday, May 9. Please fill out the judging signup today!

Remember, families will have an opportunity to view all of our student's amazing experiments from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9. After carpool has finished on May 9, bring your family to the Science Fair! All students will have a chance to view the experiments on Wednesday during the day.

It's time for the Douglas County Libraries (DCL) Summer Reading Program--DOG DAYS of Summer. They have a goal of our community reading for 9 million minutes. Let’s help them achieve that goal AND raise money for our school library to purchase new books! There are tons of prizes for those who participate—including prizes to sign up, finish, AND 10 days of giveaways.

Registration is OPEN NOW for students, siblings, teachers and parents! If you’ve participated in the past, it only takes a minute to update your family’s information and click on the ‘Dog Days of Summer’ challenge to join in on the fun!

Be sure to include our school name and your student(s) grade when you register so our school gets credit. We'd love to win the $500 prize and purchase new books for our library! See the flier for details.

Thank you to all the fathers, special adults and children who woke up early to attend Breakfast with Bros last week. The CEC had a great turnout, and hopes everyone who attended enjoyed the event. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the morning a success--we could not have done it without YOU!

The CEC would like to thank Torchy's Tacos and Mr. Donut for providing breakfast burritos and donuts. A huge shout out to Curtis Hill for his coordination with Torchy’s, Nikki Busto for coordination with Mr. Donut and of course to the event coordinators Marissa Patterson and Anneke Delpiccolo for their hard work.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this year's spring social Mother-Son Nerf event a success! The PTO was happy to host about 200 mothers and sons for nerf battles, coordinated by Path Movement. Everyone came out of their matches with huge smiles, pink cheeks, and ready to chow down on pizza!

A HUGE Thank you to our sponsor, Path Movement, for hosting such a fun event. A link with pictures of the event will be sent out soon, and the mother/son pictures will be distributed in the coming weeks.

The School Accountability Committee (SAC) is meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 4, in the BFA Conference Room and via Zoom. All are welcome!

The meeting link and agenda can be found here. 

Attention eighth grade families, please save the date for the Annual Eighth Grade Dinner coming up from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, in the Middle School Commons. This will be a catered dinner for eighth graders only, brought to you by the PTO. If you are interested in helping during the dinner, please contact Ewelina Chrzanowski, PTO Social Coordinator.

Did you know that one of the BFA PTO's traditions is a private summer event at Pirate's Cove for families who complete their recommended volunteer hours? That's right! Your entire immediate family can attend a private BFA night at Pirate's Cove on the PTO!  

Not only that, if you earn 50, 75 or 100 volunteer hours, you will be awarded special BFA logo'd items (distributed at Pirate's Cove check-in) to show our appreciation for going above and beyond. So, mark your calendars for this year's Pirate's Cove BFA Night which will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. Be sure to log those volunteer hours. You don't want to miss it!

Please note: No additional tickets will be sold. This is an event for those for families who have completed and recorded their family’s recommended volunteer hours (30 hours per family or 15 hours per single household) in Help Counter by midnight Wednesday, May 31, ONLY. No exceptions will be made.

Thank you to all the families who have volunteered this year. We sincerely appreciate all that you do for BFA! 

The next PTO Used Uniform and Spirit Wear Sale will take place from 9 – 11 a.m. and from 2 – 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, in the Lightning Gym. Come stock up on uniforms and NEW spirit wear items for next school year.



Families who would like to sell their own items at the sale can sign up for a slot to manage the sale of their items. The PTO will supply table space. We also need volunteers for the sale. See the sign up for details! 

We are in need of several volunteers to help with the elementary field day activities. If you are interested, please click here to sign up!

Questions? Contact Janelle Nichols, Elementary PE Teacher.

Please join the members of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for their end-of-year meeting! The meeting will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, at Redstone Park in Highlands Ranch. The PTO will provide dinner. 

Please RSVP and indicate on your sign-up if you have gluten-free and/or vegetarian dietary needs. The PTO will do their best to accommodate. Hope to see you there!

In August 2023, there will be changes to the way BFA’s Before/After School Enrichment (BASE) program will operate. We are moving to a mandatory pre-registration system, similar to what the summer camp program uses. 

You will be required to sign up one week in advance of the week your students(s) need care. Families will need to sign up for the next week by the Wednesday prior, and will have three options: only morning BASE, only afternoon BASE, or both morning and afternoon BASE. You will pay weekly through MySchoolBucks as there will no longer be a drop-in option, and there are no refunds or credits. 

See below for 2023-24 school year cost details:

• The Annual Registration Fee is $25 per family. 
• Morning BASE will cost $35 per week, per child.
• Afternoon BASE will cost $70 per week, per child.
• Both Morning and Afternoon BASE will cost $105 per week, per child.

If your child(ren) in grades K-7 will not return for the 2023-24 school year, please email BFA's registrar, Colleen Bobbin, TODAY, May 4. Specific information and, in some cases, forms are needed to initiate the withdrawal process. In addition, if a new school requires records, this will allow us time to prepare them before the new school year.

It’s time to start rounding up BFA library books! Your student may have time to read their favorites one more time, but everything should be turned in by Wednesday, May 17.

Please ask your student to check the Lost and Found! The last day to claim items is May 25. All Lost and Found items will be packed up and donated after morning carpool on the last day of school.

And, if you or your student left something at Path Movement during the Mother-Son event, please check BFA’s Lost and Found.

The PTO is looking for Room Parents (K-5) for next school year! Being a Room Parent is a fun way to get your volunteer hours in, develop a great relationship with your child's teacher and get involved in the school. If you are interested, please send an email to Anne Chacon, the PTO room parent coordinator.

It's time to get registered for BFA's Summer Camp and sign up for the weeks you want! The initial summer camp registration is open in MySchoolBucks (use your desktop or laptop--not the app). Please note, summer camp attendees need to register each summer before using the program. Registration costs $35, and includes a t-shirt and a day pack.

The individual weeks are starting to fill up quickly, register now to reserve your spot!

If you have a new incoming BFA student or Kindergartner to register, please reach out to summercamp@bfacademy.org to learn how you can register your child. 

The summer camp activities and field trip calendar is available; please email us to see it.

This summer, we’re able to offer parents the low weekly fee of $200 per child, per week because BASE received a grant last year from the State of Colorado. We’re very happy that we can still use the remaining funds this summer to keep costs down, but next summer, we will have to increase our fees.

Summer Camp will be open from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The first day of camp is Wednesday, May 31, and camp will run through Friday, Aug. 11. We will be closed July 3-7 for the holiday week. We will go on two field trips per week and have lots of other fun activities during the week.  

Have your kids asked about the music lessons that happen during school? Harper Arts is thrilled to be returning next school year to offer music lessons and coaching at BFA. Students will continue to have the option to have piano, guitar, ukulele and voice during the school day! Students are approved to participate in this during DEAR, recess, specials, electives (middle school) and advisory (middle school). There will also be a limited number of spaces available after school. The cost of this program is $155 per month for the school year (small supply and book fees apply as well). These prices are based on one student for 20-minute lessons. Sibling discounts are available. Unlock your passion and potential with Harper Arts at BFA! 

Click here to sign up today! 

BFA offers a variety of summer camp opportunities whether your student is interested in chemistry, science, crafts, sports or just getting out of the house and having fun!

Click below to see all the options.