The BFA Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the strategic direction, policies, and governance of Ben Franklin Academy (BFA). The BFA Board, along with the leadership of Principal Simpson, has taken a methodical and strategic approach to ensure BFA remains the Core Knowledge STEAM School of Choice. We remain steadfast in our focus on BFA students as they continue the pursuit of academic achievements and educational excellence.

The ability of BFA to carry out the school’s mission and vision depends upon the strength of our organizational foundation, beginning with the Board of Directors. This fall, the current Board of Directors will appoint one (1) director to fill a recent vacancy, in accordance with the Board of Directors Succession Plan. This newly-appointed director will serve until May 2023, the remainder of the term for Seat 7, Class C.

If you or someone you know shares the passion of making a difference, I encourage you to visit our election webpage to find out more, then nominate yourself or that individual to serve on the BFA Board of Directors. To nominate someone (including yourself) for the BFA Board, click here to complete the nomination form. Nominations must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. (MST) on Aug. 24, 2022.

Don’t know where to begin? Learn more about the BFA Board by attending our first meeting of the 2022-23 school year at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 23.

Please Save the Date! A Nominee Q&A Session is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Also, you're welcome to email Director Haley Maglieri or any of our BFA board members with questions.

Matt Keillor, President (mattk@bfacademy.org)

Sarah Nisbet, Vice President (sarahn@bfacademy.org)

Mette Castor, Secretary (mettec@bfacademy.org)

Adam Lucero, Treasurer (adaml@bfacademy.org)

Keri Street, Director (keri@bfacademy.org)

Haley Maglieri, Director (haleym@bfacademy.org)

Absences and late arrivals must be reported by 8:30 a.m. via one of the following methods:

• Email attendance@bfacademy.org
• Submit attendance form on the BFA app
• Leave a message on the attendance phone line (720.432.9239).

Please be sure to include the following information in your message:

• Student’s name
• Teacher’s name
• Reason for the absence/tardy
• The name of the person reporting the absence/tardy

Additional information regarding the Student Attendance Policy can be found on the policy webpage.

Students can bring a lunch, or get lunch at school. See the Nutrition Services webpage for more information. Douglas County Nutrition Services (DCNS) provides lunch and strives to offer healthy options. This school year, the prices for lunch at BFA are as follows:

• Meal: $3.75
• Double: $2.50
• Milk: $1.25 

You can view the lunch choices for the week on the Nutrislice website, and set up a payment account through MySchoolBucks. 

Nutrition Services has found that some parents do not want their students to purchase extra food (snacks or doubles) or have a negative account balance. If you DO NOT want your child to have extra food and/or create a negative balance (charging) on their account, complete the online form on the MySchoolBucks.com Parent Welcome page or click here. Please note, that you will need your student's ID number. 

Please make sure your child knows when they should order hot lunch and what their choice is for that day (including whether they'll be purchasing doubles). Teachers are asked to give a count of how many students will be ordering lunch and what choice they would like each morning. This year students will use their student ID number to purchase lunches. Teachers will help them remember their number, but faster they learn it, the quicker the line will go each day.

BFA uses multiple communication tools to ensure that parents keep track of all the exciting things happening at BFA. Check out the list below for more details about all the ways to stay connected:

• Principal Simpson's weekly newsletter is sent out via email every Thursday. 
• The BFA website is the central hub for news, calendars, policies, teacher webpages, committee webpages and essential quicklinks for absence reporting, lunch, payments and volunteering.
• BFA has a public Facebook page and posts various announcements and pictures throughout the day. 
• Teacher websites, newsletters and blogs ensure you stay abreast of all the happenings inside your student's classroom.
• The BFA app offers quick access to all the information you need from your mobile device, and if you enable notifications, you'll also receive helpful reminders throughout the year. The app is available for apple and Android devices - get it now on the App Store or Google Play. And, if you already have the app, please download the latest update!
• You can also follow BFA on Instagram again this year—BFAmazing.
• Additional communications will be sent routinely to Middle School and Preschool families.

If you are not receiving communications from Ben Franklin Academy, please contact Carrie Keen.

Come kick off the school year with a fun outdoor movie spirit night on Saturday, Aug. 27, at BFA. The PTO will be showing "Sing 2" on the turf field. The gate/turf access will open at 7:30 p.m. and the movie will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 per family and can be purchased through MySchoolBucks. Popcorn, juice, and water are included with admission. Bring your blankets and chairs, and come enjoy a fun movie night under the stars!

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 with kids as well.

We have our first meeting coming up at 8 p.m. next Thursday, Aug. 25, at Max Taps Highlands Ranch (2680 E. County Line Road), and we would love to have more dads get involved!

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

Now's the time to get your BFA spirit wear! The PTO's online store for spirit wear and spirit items will open next Monday, Aug. 22. You can shop for all your BFA gear including logo t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, baseball caps, desktop calendars, and more! 

The desktop calendars are being printed now and will be delivered to you as soon as they arrive. They also have just a few fleece jackets and vests left (new inventory is coming!), so don’t wait to get yours. Find all your items at MySchoolBucks.

Orders will be delivered and sent home through your child's classroom. Questions? Contact Amy Marks, PTO Spirit Wear committee manager.

If you are a King Soopers or Amazon shopper, you can help earn money for BFA by signing up for King Soopers Community Rewards and Amazon Smile. Here's how:

To sign up for King Soopers Community Rewards:

1. Sign in to your digital account at King Soopers Community Rewards. If you haven't already set up an account, set up your account and link your King Soopers card or phone number to your account.
2. Click on Community Rewards, Enroll Now and search for Ben Franklin Parent Teacher Organization OR enter our code XN773. Click Save.
3. Next time you check out at King Soopers or City Market, scan your card (or enter your alternate ID), and BFA will get money back from your purchase.

It's FANTASTIC how quickly this program adds up and how much our school can earn. Last year (July 2021 - June 2022) the BFA PTO earned $9,475 back from this program! THANK YOU!

To sign up for Amazon Smile:

1. Go to: smile.amazon.com, and click Get Started
2. Enter Ben Franklin Academy Parent-Teacher Organization in the search box, and select BFA PTO as the organization that you want to support.
3. Once you have signed up for Amazon Smile online, you can enable Amazon Smile through the Amazon app, by selecting Gifting and Charity from the menu in the lower right-hand corner, then Amazon Smile.

You can find out more information about the AmazonSmile program including how to link your Amazon account to BFA, click here.

Please email fundraising@bfacademy.org with any questions. Thank you, again, for your support of BFA and the PTO!

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, PTO Spirit Rock committee manager.

Coach Johnson and Coach Case are looking forward to another great season of middle school Cross Country (XC)! We are working on getting registered for 5-6 XC meets and will send out that information once it is finalized. 

Tryouts are from 4 – 5:15 p.m. on Aug. 22 and Aug. 24. We’re also asking students to run a timed mile from 4 -5:15 p.m. on Aug. 26. Students must register to participate in tryouts through MySchoolBucks.

Practices: Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 - 5:15 p.m. on the Top Turf and Fly’n B Park.

Cost: $200 includes sweatshirt, warm-up, locker sticker, league meets, and coaches fee.

Please bring appropriate running attire, water bottle, and running shoes to tryouts and each practice.  

Please contact Coach Johnson and/or Coach Case if you have any questions

Landsharks is a non-competitive youth program to introduce running to young athletes in a safe and fun environment. The focus is on self-improvement, being an encouraging teammate, and making new friends. The Fall XC Series is a fun-based program open to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Practices consist of running games and workouts with a strong focus on fun. Registration is open now through 5 p.m. on Sept 5, or until limits are met. See the flier for details.

Harper Arts is thrilled to be returning again this school year to offer music lessons and coaching at BFA. Harper Arts teaches piano, guitar, ukulele, voice, acting and audition coaching during the school day and after school.

All the sessions are full at this time, but please click here to get on the waitlist!

If your student in grade K-5 is interested in participating in a co-ed cub scout pack, please click on this flier.

If your student in grades 4-6 is interested in playing basketball for the ThunderRidge high school feeder program, please see this flier.