For the month of January, Vanessa Wilson has been selected as the Ben Franklin Academy Volunteer of the Month. She was nominated by the front office staff and is being recognized for the time she has spent volunteering on the PTO to create fantastic marketing materials, her work on branding guidelines, and recreating our school and committee logos. She’s amazing and we’re so happy to have her on our team! Thank you, Vanessa, for using your talents and skills to help the PTO and BFA!

Vanessa and her husband, Jesse, moved to Colorado 11 years ago for the snowboarding. Since then, she has been running her own graphic design business. They have two daughters at BFA, Lennox (2nd grade) and Isla (Pre-K). With no relatives in CO, their family hobby is definitely travel - all around the US and also internationally.

When asked what she loves about BFA, Vanessa said, “When we were a new family, the first thing that stood out about BFA was the genuine kindness of the staff and teachers. They really are the best! I have also loved all of the opportunities to be at school, volunteering in classrooms and at events - it's so fun to be a part of the kids' day!”

Congratulations - we appreciate you, Vanessa!

If you know someone who should be considered for volunteer of the month for outstanding volunteerism, please email Janelle Nichols, PTO President.

In order to have a diverse, dedicated, and passionate Board that is also representative of our BFA families, we need YOU (or someone you know)! Similar to last year, we are seeking a record number of nominations for the 2024 Board of Directors Election. We challenge each and every BFA family to nominate at least one qualified candidate when nominations

open on Feb. 1, 2024.

In April, the BFA community will elect (or re-elect) one (1) director to serve on the seven-director Board, for a term of three years. The current Board of Directors also will appoint one (1) director, in accordance with the Board of Directors Election Policy. We are seeking committed and passionate individuals with a broad range of skills and knowledge, including, but not limited to:

• Finance
• Education
• Real Estate
• Legal
• Governance
• Strategic or Long-Range Planning
• Business Ownership

Wondering Where to Begin?

Learn more about the BFA Board by attending our next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Save the Dates! 

• Nominations will take place from Feb. 1 - March 1, 2024. Additional information regarding the nomination process will be provided on Feb. 1.
• The Candidate Q&A will take place on March 26 prior to the Board meeting.
• Voting will take place from April 1 - April 12, 2024.
• The Election Results will be announced during the Board meeting on Tuesday, April 16. The current Board also will appoint (1) member to the Board of Directors during the April Board meeting.

For any questions please contact Keri Street or Adam Lucero.

If you know anyone interested in attending K-8 at BFA, please let them know the second round of Open Enrollment (OE) begins at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 22. Submissions during the Second Round of OE are added to the bottom of any existing waitlists from the First Round in timestamped order. Please tell prospective parents to go to our Enrollment webpage and/or the Douglas County School District (DCSD) Open Enrollment webpage for more information.

We continue to offer tours of the school, so we also encourage you to share the tour webpage link with any prospective BFA families.

If you know any families interested in BFA's preschool, please encourage them to complete the Intent to Enroll form on our website. For additional information or to schedule a tour, they can contact Preschool Director, Lori Hafner.

The 2023 Little Doctors After School Program has wrapped up and was an incredible experience! 

The Little Doctors program is an after-school course run by the Little Medical School Company, that exposes students to age-appropriate medical and veterinary skills. BFA students

who participated learned about the basics of physical anatomy using medical tools such as stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers (better known as blood pressure cuffs) along with many other devices. Students had so much fun, and were engrossed in every step of the learning process! 

BFA’s Little Doctors After School program culminated in a white coating ceremony, where students donned their white coats for the final time to receive their diplomas and their very own stethoscope! Family members were invited to attend the ceremony and heard from students about their favorite experiences.

The BFA Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee supported this after-school program by providing a 50 percent cost-share for the first 20 students who registered for the course. We hope to have more Little Medical School and other STEM-themed after-school programs offered at BFA in the future! If you are interested in learning more about the Little Medical School, feel free to look over the company website. Please contact the BFA STEM Coordinator, Kyle Nolting, if you want to see these or other STEM-related after-school programs offered at Ben Franklin Academy.

DCSD and BFA are committed to implementing equitable practices to increase access to advanced/gifted learning opportunities. Based on state and national recommendations and requirements, we implement Universal Screening for students in second grade (February).

Second Grade Universal Screen

As part of this process, ALL students in second grade not already identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) on Feb. 5 and 12. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.  

If your child is already identified for gifted programming, they will not participate in this universal screen testing. Your Gifted Education Facilitator will contact you directly with information about this process. 

Kindergarten/First Grade Gifted Identification Referral Testing 

• If your child is in Kindergarten or first grade and you believe he/she needs evaluation for Gifted Identification and Services, you may refer your child for testing by initiating the Gifted Identification Process.  
• NOTE: Requesting this assessment automatically initiates the process to evaluate for Gifted Identification. 
• Please request CogAT testing for your child by completing the Referral for Gifted Identification linked HERE.
• Upon receipt of this form the Gifted Education Facilitator will connect with you to discuss next steps in the gifted identification process.

Spanish Version

Hearing and vision impact learning, so it’s essential to conduct screenings. On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, we will be screening all students in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7, any students new to BFA, plus any referrals.

Vision: If your student wears prescription glasses or contacts, it is necessary that he/she wear them during the screening. You will receive a letter with instructions ONLY if your student does not pass the vision screening.

Hearing: If your student does not pass the hearing screening, they will be re-screened later in the spring. We do not send letters during the initial screening, but you will receive a letter with instructions if your student does not pass the hearing re-screening. All our hearing re-screening is done by the DCSD Audiology Department.

Re-screenings/Opt Outs:

Any student who did not pass the initial hearing screening will do a re-screening in March/April. We only do re-screenings for vision at parent/guardian request. If you want your student(s) to opt out of one or both of the screenings, please email us at health@bfacademy.org by Saturday, Jan. 20.

Volunteers & Donations Needed:

We need lots of help to make our Hearing and Vision Testing go smoothly. Please sign up to help in-person or donate some food items. Click here for more information about how you can help. 

All BFA girls and their father or special adult are invited to attend this year’s Sweetheart Ball, Mardi Gras Masquerade, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, at BFA. Suggested dress for the event is semi-formal attire and a masquerade mask! (There will be masquerade masks available at the dance.) Dessert and drinks will be served.

Tickets are on sale NOW through Tuesday, Jan. 23, and can be purchased online through MySchoolBucks. Tickets are $35 per couple, and $15 for each additional student. Get yours today, as tickets will not be sold at the dance! New this year, PRESCHOOLERS ALSO ARE INVITED TO ATTEND!



Volunteers Needed:

The PTO needs your help to make this event a success. If you are interested in volunteering to help at the event (decorating, crafts, games, etc.), you can sign up here, and if you’d like to donate desserts for the ball, please sign up here.

If you have any questions, please contact Katie Graham, Sweetheart Ball committee manager.

The PTO’s January Spirit Night will be from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Chipotle in Highlands Ranch (9579 S. University Blvd Lot 3A). Chipotle will donate 33 percent on orders to the BFA PTO.

Orders can be placed in store (tell the cashier that you are there for the Ben Franklin fundraiser and/or show them our digital flier) or online for pickup (use code 8WPRNHB on the Chipotle app or website; no third party platforms).

Please spread the word, and invite your friends and family. We hope to see you there!

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.

Their next meeting will be at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, at Max Taps Highlands Ranch (2680 E. County Line Road), and they would love to have more dads get involved!



Contact Curtis Anderson and Justin Mayhall, Ben’s Brigade co-committee managers to learn more.

Be sure to order your 2023-24 yearbook now for the best pricing! Right now, yearbooks cost $48 per book. (The price will go up to $50 on 1/27.) 

You may also order a yearbook dedication (parent tribute ad) for your student. Dedications are $40, and must be ordered by Wednesday, Jan. 31. These ads are a fun way to help commemorate a great school year!

This year, we are using a new company, Jostens, for our yearbooks. You can order and pay for your 2023-24 yearbook, and your dedication now!

We have partnered with the Colorado Rapids to reward and incentivize school attendance by giving students who have missed no more than two days of school, from Jan. 9 – March 1, a complimentary ticket to a Colorado Rapids match (with purchase of additional discounted tickets). 



The Rapids boast one of the most family-friendly and fun gameday experiences in town. From celebrating the goals together, to the roar of the stadium crowd, to the hot dogs at halftime, Colorado Rapids games are where memories can be made. Students who qualify will receive a ticket link voucher to redeem their complimentary ticket with purchase of additional discounted tickets. Vouchers will be redeemable for select Spring dates, to be determined. 

We know our parents are busy, and sometimes it's difficult to remember if you registered your student(s) for BASE since we ask that students are registered in advance. However, please remember that you can easily double check your BASE registration in MySchoolBucks! (Note: Using a desktop computer to view your sign-ups is more reliable than the MySchoolBucks app.)

And, as we announced in December, we need parents to register by the Friday deadline for BASE to ensure we have proper staffing. Families who do not register in advance will be charged a late registration fee. 

For questions, please email Leigh Savoy, BASE director, or contact Jen Jones, office manager.