Weekly Update
A Message from Assistant Principal Gomez
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Dear BFA Community,
As we shared earlier this school year, the Foundation for Douglas County Schools offers parents and students an opportunity to nominate exemplary BFA staff members for the Apple Awards each year. This award recognizes outstanding educators and support staff who inspire a love of learning and innovation in our schools. It is quite an honor to be nominated--here is the link to all of the BFA staff who received nominations this school year.
We were happy to announce that the two Apple Award Representatives from BFA this school year were Becky Archunde, our occupational therapist, and first grade teacher, Erin Triplett. Both Mrs. Archunde and Mrs. Triplett are outstanding at their respective jobs, we’re happy to have them on our team, and they’re both very deserving winners of the overall BFA Apple Awards for the 2021-22 school year! Last weekend both Mrs. Archunde and Mrs. Triplett had the honor of being recognized at the DCSD Apple Award recognition party.
And, we’re THRILLED to share that, during the celebration, it was announced that Mrs. Triplett was awarded the “Elementary Educator of the Year” for all of Douglas County! This is a major honor and a first for our school. Congratulations to Mrs. Triplett! Click here to see the video highlighting all the District Apple Award recipients. (It’s under two minutes long!)
Thank you to Mrs. Triplett, Mrs. Archunde and all our staff for making BFA such an amazing and outstanding school!
Mr. Gomez
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Mrs. Triplett and Mrs. Archunde |
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Mrs. Triplett announced as Elementary Educator of the Year for Douglas County |
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Reflecting on Social-Emotional Learning |
The end of a school year at BFA involves reflection about what we did well, what we want to improve for next year, and ensuring we’re staying focused on our principles. The same is true as we reflect on our approach to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). As such, we thought you may be interested in knowing that, while there are many different definitions of social-emotional learning, following are four definitions which align with how we view and teach SEL concepts at BFA:
- Social-Emotional Learning is a methodology that helps students of all ages to comprehend their emotions better, feel those emotions fully, and demonstrate empathy for others.
- Social-Emotional Learning is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
- Social-Emotional Learning is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.
- Social-Emotional Learning is the vital framework through which people of all ages acquire skills in working towards their own unique goals, comprehending and managing their emotions, nurturing positive relationships, making informed choices, and feeling and exhibiting empathy.
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Calendar Reminders/Updates |
CMAS testing for grades 4, 5 and 8 continues through April 13. Please make every effort to be on time, and give your kiddo(s) a nutritious breakfast on test day. The testing schedules vary by grade, so please check the BFA calendar for specific details or look for an email from your student's teacher(s).
Please also note that we added an EXTRA Dress of Choice day on Friday, April 15, for students if their parents completed the SAC Parent Satisfaction Survey earlier this year. Our regular Dress of Choice day for the month is Thursday, April 21, and students do not have school on Friday, April 22, as it is a teacher planning day.
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CONGRATULATIONS - BFA DI Team Places First at State! |
Congratulations to the BFA middle school team that competed in the Destination Imagination (DI) State Tournament last Saturday, as they took FIRST PLACE in their challenge and division! The team – Calm and Collected Mother of a Cat Bottle – spent countless hours creating solutions to their challenge, and their team manager – Amber Clendening – volunteered numerous hours facilitating and coaching the team.
“The kids did great and had so much fun,” said Clendening, who was impressed with the team’s creativity and enthusiasm this year. “Since this is our last year at BFA, it was a wonderful way to close out this era of our children’s lives.”
The team members who took first place include the following BFA middle school students: Zaiah Bueno-Olson, Deagan Clendening, Sam Egolf, Connor Fillmore, Ryan Fillmore and Mac Wilt.
For this year’s Improv Challenge (Festival Frenzy), the team researched festivals from around the world; at the competition, they created and presented a two-act improv skit about a goal a character is trying to achieve at a randomly selected festival. The team also had to choose between two options to help the character attempt to achieve the goal while enhancing their skit with a set of boxes – something they did so creatively that they won a special award at the South Metro Regional Tournament. The team qualifies for DI Global Finals – the fifth time a BFA DI team has done so – which will be held in May in Kansas City, Mo. Congratulations!
Are you thinking about encouraging your student to participate in DI next year or volunteering as a team manager? Keep this in mind: DI is an international, educational program that gives kids an amazing outlet for their creativity, while teaching them leadership, teamwork, positive thinking, project management and more. Teams of two to seven kids from kindergarten through high school level solve one of six open ended challenges (scientific, engineering, fine arts, service learning, improvisation or technical) in their own unique ways, and present their solutions at regional tournaments. Teams also solve an on-the-spot Instant Challenge at the tournaments, where they must think quickly on their feet and work together to solve a problem in around five minutes. DI focuses on three main skills:
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Teamwork: Learn to recognize one’s own personal talents, skills and interests, as well as one’s teammates while developing a plan for maximizing team assets.
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Creativity: Learn and use the “creative process” every day, how and when to take risks and how to overcome failure in a safe environment while developing humor.
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Problem Solving: Develop a toolbox of skills and processes that work in a variety of situations, use current knowledge and skills to investigate new solutions, develop creative use of resources and skills that are available and accessible, recognize and explore unique opportunities and/or alternatives, and understand/learn about time management.
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Order Charity Week T-Shirt Before Sales End at 2 p.m. Tomorrow |
Each year Student Council selects a worthy charity to support as part of our mission to be civically engaged and give back to our local community. Our charity this year is RezDawg. Please visit their website for more information about this worthy cause, then order your t-shirt via MySchoolBucks (shirts are adult sizes). The two biggest fundraisers for middle school Charity Week are the funds raised from dodgeball and sales of the Charity Week t-shirt.
T-shirts are available in MySchoolBucks from today through 2 p.m. TOMORROW, April 8. (To have the shirts ready to hand out on April 21, we cannot extend the deadline past April 8.) Late orders will not be accepted. Middle school students may wear the shirt to school with uniform bottoms. The cost of the t-shirt is $20; and all proceeds, less the cost of printing the shirts, will go to RezDawg.
We’re kicking off the week on April 21 with a day-long dodgeball tournament! Middle school students can join one team for $5 or two teams for $10. We’re hoping to get at least two teams per class—but, if students prefer, they are welcome to watch and cheer on their favorite team. Keep in mind, every dollar raised goes directly to RezDawg! Please go to MySchoolBucks to sign up your student for dodgeball by Wednesday, April 20.
Thank you for supporting our Middle School students as they learn the importance of giving back to the community!
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Say Thanks with SCRIP - Collections END Sunday |
BFA will use SCRIP for end of year staff gifting again this year. Collections are taking place now through this Sunday, April 10, with gift cards being distributed during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (May 2-6).
This convenient, online program replaces room parent collections and facilitates convenient group gifting. Each family makes one payment through MySchoolBucks for all of their teacher and staff gifts. At the end of collections, each staff member will receive an email with the total collected on their behalf and is able to select gift cards they would like to receive.
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. Families will be able to place SCRIP orders via MySchoolBucks and pay by credit card. You may designate how much you would like to give to each teacher/staff member in one-dollar increments.
Questions? Visit the PTO webpage or contact Natalie Lucero, SCRIP coordinator.
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One Act of Kindness Highlights Foster Care |
Did you know May is National Foster Care awareness month?
The Community Events Committee (CEC) and BFA's Service Learning Team have partnered to host BFA's annual One Act of Kindness (OAK) week. OAK will take place from May 9-13. This year we will focus our efforts on foster care and how to support foster kids, as well as the foster parents that care for them!
Are you a current or past Foster Parent? If so, we would love to connect with you. Please reach out to Amy Marks by Friday, April 15, for unique opportunities to collaborate with the CEC.
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Cold Stone Creamery Spirit Night |
I scream, you scream, we all scream for…Cold Stone Spirit Night!
Come enjoy some yummy ice cream from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at the Cold Stone Creamery in the Highlands Ranch Town Center. Cold Stone will give back 20 percent of all orders to BFA!
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Disneyland Choir Informational Meeting |
The middle school music program takes a trip to Disneyland to perform and take on-site workshops once every three years. This is an incredible opportunity for our students and the next trip is scheduled for the 2022-23 school year. That means that the current fifth, sixth and seventh graders will be eligible for this trip.
If you think your student would want to come on this trip, the kick off informational meeting will be at 6 p.m. next Monday, April 11, in the Middle School Commons. Attendees will learn about how to sign up, the costs associated with the trip, as well as other important information.
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NERF Battle Mother Son Event - Tickets On Sale Tomorrow
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Calling all BFA moms and their sons! The spring Mother-Son social event is just around the corner. It will be held from 3-8 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at BFA. Tickets go on sale tomorrow through MySchoolBucks, and sales will run through Friday, April 22. Space is limited, so don’t wait to get your tickets!
Tickets are $25 per couple, and $5 for each additional participant (with a maximum cost of $35 per family). Please note that ticket sales are time-specific based on the age of your child, but you are welcome to come for the entire time (3-8 p.m.) to participate in all of the other activities and enjoy the food!
In addition to the epic Nerf battles, there will be other fun activities including board breaking and jousting. And, of course there will be food. Come prepared to have tons of fun!
Please contact Alissa Motazedi with any questions.We look forward to seeing you there!
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Seventh Grade Parents - 2023 Washington, D.C. Kick-off Meeting |
Going on the trip to Washington, D.C. is a special eighth grade tradition. Students see important historical sites with their classmates, and the World Strides tour guides make every day interesting and fun. If your seventh grader is interested in going to Washington, D.C. for the eighth grade trip, please attend the kick-off meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 18, via Zoom. Zoom details are on the BFA calendar and in the email seventh grade families received earlier this week.
During the meeting, we will go over all of the details of the trip including a sample itinerary, the costs, as well as the reasons we partner with World Strides. Please don’t hesitate to send Principal Simpson an email if you have any questions.
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Donuts with Dads Details and Volunteer Opportunities |
The CEC will be hosting students and their dads (or other special adults) from 7 – 8 a.m. on Friday, April 29, in the BFA Lightning (small) gym.
Come start your day with a donut, fruit, and coffee or juice. There will also be games in the Thunder (big) gym, photo ops, and a small craft that kiddos can take home. This is a popular event, please plan to arrive early and park in the upper lot to ensure carpool is not interrupted. Dads can hang out with their kids until 7:45 a.m., then students can go to their classrooms. All students should be in class by 8:10 a.m.
Gluten free options available upon request. Donuts are being provided by Mr. Donut located in Lonetree.
We hope you can join us to celebrate all BFA's SUPER DADS!
Earn Volunteer hours!
Volunteers are needed to help the CEC make Donuts with Dads a special event! They need help to set up the event on April 28, as well as the morning of the event. Sign up here to claim your spot.
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Moms Night Out after PTO Meeting |
Ladies of BFA--it's time for our spring mom’s night out! The PTO will be renting out the Library Room at Lansdowne Arms from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, following the PTO meeting. (The PTO meeting will be held at 6 p.m. that evening in the Sanders Science Lab.)
Come meet and connect with other mamas, let off some steam, and learn about BFA's incredible PTO organization! Finger foods will be provided. Please see the SignUpGenius to RSVP. All are welcome. Come for the mom’s night out, the PTO meeting, or both. We hope you’ll join us!
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Ben's Brigade Offers Dads an Opportunity to get Involved! |
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. Ben’s Brigade handles work projects around the school, provides volunteers for school functions, and hosts a number of social events throughout the year - some just for dads and some events with kids as well.
They’ll soon be working on spring school projects, as well as hosting an end-of-year picnic and they would love to have more dads get involved!
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2022 Summer Camp Registration Open |
It may be hard to believe, but it’s time to start thinking about summer camp! Ben Franklin Academy will offer another exciting Summer Camp program this year.
Do you need full-time day care for the summer? Or perhaps you are just looking to get a break a few days per week. Maybe your kids would like to connect with other Ben Franklin Academy kids and enjoy fun activities and social time. Whatever your situation, our Summer Camp program is sure to keep your kids safe and entertained. And, the best part is that our Summer Camp is staffed by people you know and trust!
Please note: If you have never signed up for BFA’s Before/After School Enrichment (BASE) program, you will be required to do so before you are able to register for summer camp. If you need the link, please email base@bfacademy.org and it will be sent to you.
Program Details
Dates: June 1 - Aug. 17; camp will be closed July 4-8
Hours: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Days: Monday through Friday
Summer Camp is open to any currently enrolled BFA student age 5 and older. Your child must be 5 on or before Wednesday, June 1, to participate.
Costs
One-time Registration Fee: $25 per child; All registered campers will receive a camp t-shirt and daypack.
Tuition: $200/week/child
In February, the BASE program was awarded a grant from the state of Colorado. With the funds we received, we lowered the registration fee to $25 per student. In addition, we've lowered the weekly fee to $200, and will not be charging more for the field trips and other special activities we are planning for this summer.
Registration is OPEN NOW though MySchoolBucks! Watch for the summer camp activities/field trip calendar to be available in April. Please send any questions to: summercamp@bfacademy.org.
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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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