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Vol. 10, Iss. 18
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May 14, 2020
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Dear Parents,
We are wrapping up remote learning. Thank you all for supporting your students throughout this time. Next week should be extremely fun!
Mrs. Crespo,
Mrs. Hinkle,
Ms. Johnson and
Mr. Macias have worked hard on developing plans for each day that will have your kids moving, singing, dancing, and creating! I can't wait to see some of the videos and pictures!
We have a couple of staffing announcements. First, we have hired
Lori Hafner as our new preschool director.
Mrs. Hafner is working closely with
Mrs. Goldberg to make sure that the transition is a smooth one.
Katie Carvalo, our MS Mild/Moderate specialist, has accepted a position closer to her home. We are sad to see
Mrs. Carvalo go as she has such a heart for her students. We are excited, though, to welcome
Stephanie Leonard into this position.
Ms. Leonard has several years of experience and has already been working closely with the team.
Normally, at this time of year, we are communicating plans for the next school year. As we all know, this year is anything but normal. While I wish I had concrete information to share with you about what August will look like, we just don't have enough information at this time. Believe me, this is not a comfortable feeling for someone who likes to plan ahead! While there are many unknowns, there are a few things that I can tell you with confidence at this time:
- All of us here at BFA will be here to educate your kids. There are many possibilities of how next year will look, and we are preparing for all options (in-person, remote learning, a hybrid of the two, and many other scenarios). Regardless of how instruction looks, I know our staff will be ready to provide a high quality of education that all of you have come to expect from BFA.
- We will follow all state and district guidelines and regulations. As a charter school, we do have some flexibility to do things differently than other schools; however, the health and safety of our students and staff is our number one priority during this time, and we will make sure we are in compliance with guidelines provided to us.
- We have learned quite a bit from the last eight weeks. We will be analyzing what worked well during this time and what didn't to make sure that we are applying best practices in August. Many lessons we learned during remote learning apply to in-person learning as well as virtual learning. We will continue to learn and grow as we plan this summer.
- Any decisions will reflect what is best for the students at BFA and will reflect our mission and vision.
- We plan to communicate frequently during the summer about our plans for the 2020-21 school year. Any announcements will be transparent and timely. As soon as I know something, I will share it with the community.
We hope to have more information to share next Thursday. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns!
Have a good weekend!
Diana Simpson
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READ YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER THIS WEEK
Open up your Community Newspaper this week and look for our ad recognizing BFA's graduating class of 2020! If you get any of the following papers in your neighborhood, be sure to check it out!
Community Newspapers:
Highlands Ranch Herald, Centennial Citizen, Englewood Herald, Littleton Independent, South Platte Independent, Castle Pines News Press, Castle Rock News Press, Douglas County, Lone Tree Voice, Elbert County News and the Parker Chronicle
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LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
During the final week of school, we'd like to celebrate our amazing Specials team and give our students a chance to show off their (non-academic) skills! Here is our "Schedule of Events" for next week:
Monday: Obstacle Course Challenge
Tuesday: Performing Arts Challenge
Wednesday: Art Challenge
Thursday: Virtual Field Day
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We have established procedures for picking up student belongings and returning materials. Next week, we will hold a curbside pick-up to return student belongings that were left in classrooms and lockers. We will be collecting any library books or textbooks at this time, as well as distributing yearbooks to those who ordered them.
Procedures for pick-up: Please pull into the campus the way you would for carpool, utilizing only the Zone A lane. You'll wrap through Zone A (same as normal carpool), and when you are in front of the building, a staff member will collect your student(s) belongings and yearbook, if ordered, from inside the school building and bring it all back out to your car. If you have library books or textbooks to return, the staff member will take those from you at the same time. If you have medications that need to be picked up, you will be directed to a separate area to pick those up, also curbside.
You should stay in your vehicle during this entire process.
Preparation before coming to school for pickup/drop off:
1. Please write on a piece of paper the following information to hand to your staff member:
- Family name
- Each student's first name, grade level, and homeroom teacher
2. Collect all library books to return.
3. Collect all textbooks. For textbooks, please place a sticky note INSIDE the front cover of the book listing student name and homeroom teacher.
Chromebooks
Students in grades 5-7, please keep your Chromebook and charger at home over the summer in a cool, dry, safe place so it's ready to go in the fall. No technical support will be available for Chromebooks during the summer. If any damage occurs, plan to drop your Chromebook off at BFA beginning August 11 for repair. Any physical damage incurs standard $50 repair fee. Do not attempt repairs yourself.
If your student is not returning to BFA for the 2020-21 school year, please return the device and charger to BFA during the curbside pickup process. Any BFA iPads or Chromebooks and chargers loaned to K-4 students should be returned during the curbside pickup process as well.
Reminder: Outgoing eighth grade students get to keep their Chromebooks.
Tuesday, May 19:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Last names starting with A-L
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.- Break/reset
12:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Last names starting with M-Z
Wednesday, May 20:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Last names starting with M-Z
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Break/reset
12:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Last names starting with A-L
All staff helping with this process will be wearing a mask and gloves. Please be patient as we will have limited staff on hand to help with this process.
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IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH ROOM
If your student has a medication in the health room,
please plan to pick it next week during the distribution of student belongings on May 19 and 20. Only a parent/guardian or a designated adult can pick up medicine. Medication(s) for your student(s) will be brought to you curbside. Two staff members will document that the medication was returned to you, so you will not need to sign for the medication. If you will not be attending the pick up, please let us know who will be picking up the medication(s).
If applicable, you also will need to pick up any medications stored in BASE, as we will not transfer medications to BASE for summer camp this year. All medications that are not picked up by parents will be disposed of (expired or not).
For those students that take medicine at school, per the 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.
In preparation for next school year, as in the past, prescription and over-the-counter medications will be administered to students at school only on the specific written request of the student's parent/guardian and with the written authorization of the student's physician.
Provider Medication Authorization Forms, Asthma Care Plans, Allergy Care Plans, and Medication Request and Release forms are available in the school office, on the school website and are linked below. If your student(s) have a doctor's appointment during the summer, that's a good time to get the paperwork completed.
Records can be emailed to the health office, faxed to 303-974-1738 or dropped off during BFA Family Check-In.
All prescription medications must be provided in the original pharmacy labeled container. The pharmacy label must match the accompanying Provider Medication Authorization. All over-the-counter medications must be provided in the original packaging, which includes dose and frequency information, the dose must match the Provider Medication Authorization.
Reminder: Acetaminophen or any other over-the-counter medication cannot be administered at school without an order from the health care provider (Provider Medication Authorization Form). Ben Franklin Academy provides Acetaminophen in 80 mg chewable tablets and 325 mg pills. If your student needs a different dose or form, you will need to provide the medication.
Herbal and homeopathic remedies may not be administered at school.
Not sure which form you need to have completed?
Provider Medication Authorization Form: If your student will need a medication administered at school, either daily or as needed, please complete the top portion of this form and have the student's health care provider complete the lower portion of the form.
Asthma Care Plan: If your student has asthma and will have an inhaler or other treatment at school, have your student's health care provider complete this form. Also complete the Medication Request and Release Agreement (below).
Allergy Care Plan: If your student has a severe allergy and will have an epinephrine auto-injector or other medication at school, have your student's health care provider complete this form. Also complete the Medication Request and Release Agreement (below).
Thank you for adhering to these processes. As always, our highest priority is to keep all students safe at school.
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TDAP TIME FOR INCOMING SIXTH GRADERS/NEW BFA MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
According to state law, students entering sixth grade next school year must have received the Tdap vaccination to protect against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
Students entering sixth grade, and students new to BFA for grades 6-8 must show proof of immunization. Records can be emailed to the health office, faxed to 303-974-1738 or dropped off during BFA Family Check-In.
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IT'S EASIER THAN EVER TO EARN BOX TOP CREDITS
Thanks to all who have clipped Box Tops and scanned receipts for Box Tops credit this year!
So far we have earned $1,330.10 toward our $1,500 goal. We still have a little time to work toward our goal, so please keep scanning your receipts!
If you don't already have the 'Box Tops for Education' app, click
here for a video explaining how to use the app to scan receipts for Box Top credit, no clipping necessary!
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Generation Wild Colorado is encouraging all students and families to Ring in Summer at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 29. They hope Coloradans across the state will join together to officially ring in summer. They also hope this joyful noise will lift spirits and help us all look forward to better days ahead. They encourage you to help spread the word and share your bell-ringing videos on your social feed using #RingInSummer and #GenerationWild. For more information, visit their website.
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A message from Mrs. Savoy and Ms. Harlow, your BASE summer camp directors...
Due to the current restrictions set forth by the state of Colorado and Douglas County School District, Lightning Bolts Summer camp will not be available from May 27 - June 12. Please know that we are continually assessing the situation; and, as soon as we can, we'll communicate our decisions for camp as well as the guidelines we will follow to keep everyone safe. We encourage you to still register for camp.
We are so sorry for the inconvenience. Providing the best possible camp experience for your student(s) is very important to us, so we're looking forward to being open as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at:
[email protected].
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Whether you have uniforms to sell or need some new-to-you pieces, the PTO's uniform buyback sale is the best fit for you.
The next uniform buyback sale is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, pending gathering limitations. Please keep an eye out for communication with updates and selling procedures as we get closer to the sale date.
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BE A ROOM PARENT NEXT YEAR!
The PTO is looking for Room Parents for next school year! Being an elementary school Room Parent is a great way to meet your volunteer quota, develop a relationship with your child's teacher, and get involved in the school. If you are interested,
please send an email to Amanda Trenck and Lauren Flint, co-room parent coordinators, K-5.
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FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
All are welcome to attend the Finance Committee Zoom meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. The details of the Zoom meeting are available on the BFA calendar.
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BFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
All are welcome to listen to the BFA Board of Directors meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. (The meeting begins at 5 p.m. with an executive session, so the community will be able to join the meeting around 5:30 p.m.) The details of the Zoom meeting are available on the BFA calendar and on the Board agenda.
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On May 19 and 20, parents can stop by the school to drop off text books and other items, as well as pick up medication and yearbooks (if applicable). Below is the schedule for May 19.
Tuesday, May 19:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Last names starting with A-L
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.- Break/reset
12:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Last names starting with M-Z
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On May 19 and 20, parents can stop by the school to drop off text books and other items, as well as pick up medication and yearbooks (if applicable). Below is the schedule for May 20.
Wednesday, May 20:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Last names starting with M-Z
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Break/reset
12:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Last names starting with A-L
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SCHOOL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
All are welcome to attend the SAC Zoom meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 21. The details of the Zoom meeting are available on the BFA calendar.
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Friday, May 22, is the last day of school. We hope you have a terrific summer and look forward to seeing you next school year!
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Ben Franklin Academy
2270 Plaza Drive
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 |
Fax: (303) 974-1738
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Our mission is to create young adults with character like America's founding Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin: well-read, scientifically curious, and civically engaged.
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Our students will excel academically through a challenging, sequenced curriculum that emphasizes math, science, 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 the arts, sports, nature, and character.
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Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.
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