Throughout the school year, we periodically schedule Spirit Days when 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. 

We've also scheduled several Spirit Days throughout the year to recognize the season opener for some of our favorite teams within the community. Tomorrow, April 7, is Rockies Spirit Day when students may wear a Colorado Rockies (or other baseball team) shirt with regular uniform bottoms OR they can choose to wear a regular spirit wear shirt.

Thursday, April 20, will be a Dress of Choice (DOC) day for all students who have not received two uniform violation since the last regular DOC day.

There is no school for students on Friday, April 21, as it is a professional work day for teachers.

Morning BASE will not be available on Friday, April 28, due to the CEC Burritos with Bros event.

BFA’s Destination Imagination (DI) team consisting of current seventh grade students Grayson Wilt, Luke E. Smith, and Ryan Fillmore (pictured above) took third place at last Saturday’s Colorado State Destination Imagination Finals! Keian Martinez also was a key part of the DI team, but couldn’t compete at the State Finals due to a schedule conflict. The team did a great job with their core Improv competition. The Improv had to incorporate an expert, a competition, and a complication. For our team, their randomly selected expert was Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the competition was Arm Wrestling. Their complication was the late arrival of an arm-wrestling contestant on a bus. They did a wonderful job of integrating all of the components in the Improv routine and got quite a few laughs out of the judges. 

Their Instant Challenge was described as being much tougher than during the State Tournament but the team definitely did well with the challenge. They qualified for the Global Destination Imagination Finals in Kansas City later this spring; however, the team has decided to not attend the Global Finals this year. Depending on how they do next year, they may try to raise the $5,500 entry fee to attend the Global Finals in 2024. 

For those unfamiliar with the Destination Imagination program, it’s a STEAM rooted challenge that promotes creativity and encourages kids to develop critical thinking, problem solving, and leadership skills. You can find out more about DI here.

The School Accountability Committee (SAC) is meeting at 4:30 p.m. tonight, April 6, in the Conference Room and via Zoom. Please see the attached agenda for all the details.

We had a great time raising money for the school at the BENefit Bash this past Saturday! Thank you to all who attended, and special thanks to all of our vendors who helped to make the event possible: Ken and Sariah Arrington with Freedom Golf Carts (venue), Cranelli’s (food), Debbie Scheer (MC/auctioneer), Sparta Media (AV), Bolder Events (event software), Strings Attached (live music), Vanessa Wilson (graphic designs), April Johnson (caricature), and All Seasons Rental. Thank you also to the PTO Fundraising Coordinator, Andreya Flanigan, and her team, Gen Townsend, Dana Smith, and Lindy Busbee for all of their hard work in making the Bash such a success!

If you were unable to attend, we encourage you to click here and make a monetary donation directly to the BFA PTO! In addition, there are two NEW, fantastic auction items available on the auction site from Rocke Orthodontics and Crete Jack. Plus, this is your opportunity to get a personalized, commemorative brick that will be installed on our Pathway to Learning at BFA. Don't wait--check out these items and place your bid/order today before the auction closes at noon TOMORROW, April 7.

Thank you all for your continued support! If you have questions, please reach out to the PTO Fundraising Coordinator, Andreya Flanigan, at fundraising@bfacademy.org.

Calling all BFA moms and their sons! The mother-son social event will be held from 3-8 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, at Path Movement! Tickets are on sale NOW through April 21 on MySchoolBucks. 

Tickets are $25 per couple and $5 for each additional participant (with a maximum of $35 per family), and include dinner. Please note that ticket sales are time specific based on the age of your child. Times may be adjusted based on total participants in order to accommodate everyone. Boys may bring their own nerf guns; nerf ammo will be provided. 

There is limited availability, so be sure to get your tickets early!

Please contact PTO Social Coordinator, Ewelina Chrzanowski, with any questions.

The CEC is excited to host all students and their fathers (or other special adult) for a morning of fun from 6:45 - 7:45 a.m. Friday, April 28. The morning will begin in the Lightning (small) gym with burritos, donuts and refreshments. Festivities will continue in the Thunder (big) gym with games and photo opportunities. We ask that you arrive no later than 7:30 a.m. as this is a popular event. Fathers and students may begin leaving the gym at 7:45 a.m. so students can head to class. Students should be in their classrooms by the normal time (8:10 a.m.). Gluten free options will be available upon request.

Parking for the Event

Please park in the upper lot to allow our teachers and staff the opportunity to park in the lower lot. Should the upper lot fill completely, overflow parking will take place in the “B” carpool lane. "A" carpool lane will remain open for regular morning carpool drop off.

For those not attending, morning carpool will take longer so please be patient.

Volunteer Opportunties

Volunteers are needed to help make this a special event. Please see the sign-up for available volunteer positions. We thank you in advance for any assistance you are able to provide.

There will be NO BASE care the morning of April 28 due to this event.

RaiseRight collections for staff gifting will take place April 10-16 with gift cards being distributed during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (May 8-12).

To place your RaiseRight order and pay with credit card, visit MySchoolBucks.com. 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!

Participation in the RaiseRight 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 Rebecca Mullenix, RaiseRight committee manager.

Make plans to support one of our wonderful PTO sponsors at the next BFA spirit night from 12-6 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, at Robeks in Parker (12235 Pine Bluffs Way, 80134).

They will give back 20 percent to the school for those who mention BFA in their order, so we hope you’ll stop by Robeks to enjoy their smoothies, juices, toasts, and more!

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 spring school projects coming up as well as our end of year picnic on Sunday, May 7 from 12-2:30 p.m. at Redstone Park. We would love to have more dads get involved!

Contact Curtis Anderson, Ben’s Brigade Committee Manager, to learn more.

It's time to get registered for BFA's Summer Camp! 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.

There will be a new parent informational meeting about summer camp at 6:10 p.m. next Wednesday, April 12, in the BASE room. Please meet in the front of the school and we'll escort you into the building. Attend if you can, and bring all your questions. 

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.  

Incoming students in grades 5-8 interested in learning how to make lotions, bath bombs, soaps, and other fun products, please join us for a four-day Chemistry Camp 4 Future Entrepreneurs! The camp is from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 19 – 22 at Ben Franklin Academy.

Ms. Svensen and Mrs. Paulson will teach you how you can make your own great products and learn from an industry professional while investigating how daily hygiene products are made. Click on this link for more information and to sign up.

Any incoming middle schooler interested in playing soccer this summer, can sign up for the Soccer Kick-Arounds and join us every Tuesday morning for some friendly soccer games. Games will be from 8:30-10 a. m. on Tuesdays, May 30 - August 8. Click on the Kick Arounds link for more information and to register. 

Join us for a fun and exciting Biology Camp from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. June 12-15 at BFA. We will learn interesting facts and then dissect various organisms, while we look at characteristics of life around our school, rivers, and oceans. The camp is hosted by Ms. Svensen and is open to all incoming 5th-8th graders. 

Join us for a fun and exciting Chemistry Camp from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. July 10-13 at BFA. Each day will have a different theme around chemistry. If you love anything that fizz, bubbles or explodes, this is the camp for you! The camp is hosted by Ms. Svensen and is open to all incoming 4th-8th graders.

All incoming 2023 BFA 5th-8th grade BOYS and GIRLS are welcome to register for the co-ed volleyball camp held at BFA! Mrs. Murphy is hosting the day camp from July 24-28, with a morning session for beginners and an afternoon session for experienced players.

In addition, there are evening clinics on July 24, 25, and 26 for those who want to focus on specific skills. The evening clinics run from 5:30 – 7 p.m. To find out all the details, please see the flier; to register, complete this form.

2023 BFA Summer Soccer Camp run by Ms. Svensen is open to any incoming student in grades 5 – 8 for 2023-2024 school year. Soccer camp will focus on mastering soccer's essential skills, and using individual ability in 1v1, 1v2, 2v2, 2v3 small group settings essential for the building blocks of the full field game, both indoor and outdoor.

The camp is scheduled from 8:30-11 a.m. July 17-20 on the BFA turf and large gym. Whether you want to play for BFA or want to try something new, it's a great opportunity to play some soccer with other middle schoolers this summer. 

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make Amigurumi Dolls? Or just learn how to crochet? This three-day camp hosted by Mrs. Paulson and Mrs. Jones will get you started for only $100. This camp is for incoming 4th graders to outgoing 8th graders, and runs from noon to 3:30 p.m. June 12 - 14 at BFA.

During this camp, students will learn the basics of crocheting, while making cute worry worms, an Amigurumi Chick, and one additional animal that students will select at camp.

Space is limited to 25. The early bird discount is $75 and runs through May 15. Click here to register.

Ms. Whelan and Mrs. Harms are very excited for their Summer Cheer Camp! It’s for students headed into grades 3-8 who are interested in Cheer/Poms.The camp will be held from 9 a.m. – noon, June 26-30, at BFA. For more information and to register, see the flier. Please contact Ms. Whelan and Mrs. Harms with questions.

Ms. Konesky is offering a Photography Camp this summer to help students ages 9+ learn about shutter speed, ISO, aperture, composition and more! It’s going to be a blast with walking photography trips to Flyin’ B park, along the canal trail, and in the surrounding neighborhoods. The camp is from 9 – 11:30 a.m., June 5-9, at BFA. See the flier for all the details, and click here to register.

Help prevent some of the inevitable Summer Slide by joining Sarah Harrell, and Ellen Cain, for their 5th annual Summer Bootcamp at BFA!

They will be hosting BFA Bootcamp sessions in BFA's Outdoor Classroom for incoming Kindies as well as first, second and third graders. 

Incoming Kindies will meet for 1.5 hours per day, and all other students will meet 2 hours a day. The June and July Bootcamps will meet over 3 consecutive days.

Space is limited, so please see their sign up for additional information and to get registered.

Mrs. Tickle is offering a SUPERHERO STEAM CAMP this summer from 9-11:30 a.m., June 12-16, at BFA. The STEAM Camp is for students CURRENTLY in grades 2-4.

To find out more information, see the flier. Space is limited, so be sure to register today! 

Uniforms are an important part of school at Ben Franklin Academy, and this is the time of year when our uniform vendors have their best sales of the year! Educational Outfitters just sent us their sale flier as well as a menu of options that you might find helpful. Parents also can purchase uniforms from two other vendors--French Toast and Tommy Hilfiger.

You can find out more about uniforms on our website (click Uniforms to find vendor information). We’ll share additional sale information via our public Facebook page and/or in our newsletters, as we receive it.