Weekly Update
A Message from Principal Simpson and Assistant Principal Gomez
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Dear Parents,
It has been such a fun week at BFA showcasing the many talents of our BFA students. The middle school musical, “James and the Giant Peach,Jr.” was fabulous! It was so great to see months of hard work by the performers and members of the tech crew come to life. Our Destination Imagination team competed in the South Metro Regional Tournament and won their competition this past weekend. They were so creative in their problem solving and really stood out from the other teams. In addition, the 3rd/4th grade Battle of Books team worked really hard and was extremely well-prepared for their battles. They made it all the way to the Highlands Ranch Branch Championship! They lost their battle last night, but we’re really proud of their amazing season. Last, but certainly not least, the middle school girls basketball teams are wrapping up their seasons. The A team made it to the semi-finals and lost a close, hard-fought game on Tuesday. The B team won their semi-final game and will play in the championship at BFA this evening. Let's fill the gym to cheer them on!
I love watching the diverse talents of our students and am grateful that BFA can offer so many different opportunities for them to shine--whether in performing arts, during various academic competitions, or on the court!
Please see below for important information form Mr. Gomez about CMAS testing.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Simpson
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Dear Parents,
Thawing out from winter and heading into spring, means CMAS season! CMAS (Colorado Measure of Academic Success) is the state mandated assessment that we implement on an annual basis. BFA students have traditionally performed exceptionally well on this state standard assessment throughout the years.
One of the honors given to a very select number of Colorado schools is the John Irwin School of Excellence Award. This award is tied directly to the outstanding CMAS scores that students achieve. We were recognized as a John Irwin School of Excellence in 2018 and 2019. (Due to COVID-19, it was not awarded the past few years because of insufficient data.) As a school (staff and students alike) we pride ourselves on doing well on CMAS.
This year, the CMAS testing window for BFA is from April 4 -13. We’ll be testing the students as follows:
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Third – eighth grades, English/Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics
- Fifth – eighth grades, Science
We look forward to a successful CMAS testing experience and encourage our students to try their hardest so we can see how much they've learned. If you have any questions about CMAS you can contact me at: agomez@bfacademy.org.
Sincerely,
Mr. Gomez
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The third annual, International Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Day is on Friday, March 11! SEL Day is an opportunity to collectively spread the word about the importance and impact of social-emotional learning. Working together, we can raise awareness for SEL, bring on new SEL stakeholders, create artifacts that demonstrate SEL in action, share SEL best practices…and more!
Below are a few things you can do at home on this day:
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Talk with your family about this year's SEL Day theme, Finding Common Ground, Pursuing Common Good. Ask your kiddo(s) to complete the following sentence: I'm finding common ground with my classmates by _____ this school year.
- See how many boxes of SEL Bingo your student can cross off by the end of the day, or even the week.
- BINGO CARD
- Work with your child(ren) to perform an act of service which helps your community and also helps counteract the effects of stress and anxiety.
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Calendar Reminders/Updates |
Students in grades 1-5 who have met their Accelerated Reader goal can wear Dress of Choice tomorrow, March 4. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s teacher.
March 11 is a regular Dress of Choice Day, and March 31 is an EXTRA Dress of Choice day to celebrate your generosity to the PTO's direct giving campaign.
Also, please note that Friday, April 1, is a comp day for teachers and will be a day off for all students. This is a change to the original Academic Calendar, so please make sure you mark it down on your family calendar!
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There is a menu change for tomorrow, March 4, as well as Monday, March 7.
Tomorrow Nutrition Services will offer waffles and sausage, as well as a Bistro Box with a Nature Valley oatmeal round, a cheese stick and Sunflower Seeds. On Monday, they’ll serve cheese enchiladas or a Ham and Swiss cheese croissant.
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BFA DI Team Places First, Advances to State |
Congratulations to the BFA middle school team who competed in the Destination Imagination (DI) South Metro Regional Tournament last Saturday! They did their best and gave an excellent performance at the competition; in fact, they came in FIRST PLACE and earned the RENAISSANCE AWARD for music they made spontaneously with boxes during their improvised skit. The DI Renaissance Award recognizes those who demonstrate extraordinary amounts of effort and preparation in their solutions or outstanding skill in engineering, design or performance.
The team, Calm and Collected Mother of a Cat Bottle, and their team manager--Amber Clendening--put in countless hours and tons of hard work to prepare for the Regional Tournament. The team advancing to the State Competition on April 2 is as follows: Zaiah Bueno-Olson, Deagan Clendening, Sam Egolf, Connor Fillmore, Ryan Fillmore and Mac Wilt.
Save the date to watch the team compete in Festival Frenzy (Improv Challenge) on Saturday, April 2, at the Auraria Higher Education campus in downtown Denver. We will share the team’s competition time when it is announced.
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We'll See You TOMORROW at Muffins with Moms! |
The Community Events Committee (CEC) is excited to see students and their moms (or other special adult) tomorrow from 7 – 8 a.m. beginning in the BFA Lightning (small) gym.
Come make memories over muffins, fruit, juice, and coffee. A small craft will also be available to create as a memento. Once you are finished eating, you can head to the Thunder gym for photo opportunities and games.
This is a popular event, so please arrive early and park in the upper lot so carpool is not disrupted. Moms should remain with their children until 7:45 a.m., after which students can head to their classroom. Please note, students should be in class by 8:10 a.m. A gluten free option will be available upon request.
Please email the event coordinator, Alyssa Gale Freund, with any questions.
Volunteers Still Needed
The CEC wants to thank everyone that has signed up for a volunteer position for this event. They still have several volunteer positions available if you’d like to help! This is the perfect opportunity for dads to get some volunteer hours so our BFA moms (and committee members) can attend with their kiddos. Please sign up NOW!
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Come join the Community Events Committee (CEC) for their monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. tonight, March 3, in the Lightning gym. This will be a quick meeting before the Muffins with Moms set up at 7 p.m., but feel free to help out afterwards to get additional volunteer hours!
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Have your kids had a growth spurt? Do you need a few extra uniforms? Are you looking for some volunteer hours? If so, mark your calendar for the upcoming Uniform Consignment Sale from 10 a.m. - noon on Saturday, March 26, in the outside courtyard between the gyms. (If the weather isn’t cooperating, we’ll be in the small gym.) We’ll have uniforms in all sizes and styles, so come check it out!
If you’d like to consign items, drop off your clean, tagged garments at the office between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, March 21, through Thursday, March 24. Please follow the tagging instructions, and if you’d like guidance with pricing your items, see the Suggested Resale Pricing Guide. After the sale, any unsold items you’d like back need to be picked up between 1-2 p.m. on March 26. Unsold consignment items that are not picked up will be placed with the PTO donations.
Looking for some volunteer hours? If you would like to volunteer to help with the sale, please visit the SignUp Genius.
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New Sweatshirt; Store Remaining Open |
The PTO just received a long-awaited shipment of new, college-style sweatshirts (pictured) so they are extending online sales for three more weeks! The shop will now close for the year after Friday, March 25. Shop MySchoolBucks TODAY for new spirit wear and spirit items. Make sure your kids have sweatshirts for chilly classrooms and fleece jackets or vests for recess. We also have gaiters, water bottles, wireless phone chargers, car magnets and decals, and more!
Orders will be delivered and sent home through your child's classroom. Masks and gaiters are not returnable. Questions? Contact Jacqui Condon, PTO Spirit Wear Chair.
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Are you Interested in Making a Difference, Meeting New People, and Having Fun? |
Then the PTO is the place for you! The PTO is looking to fill volunteer positions for the 2022-23 school year, and they would love for you to join their team!
They have a variety of volunteer positions that can be done from home or school, and that fit any schedule--days, nights or weekends. The PTO offers behind-the-scenes volunteer opportunities, as well as those that put you front and center. You name it, they’ve got it!
PTO elections will be held April 26-30. For more information on the PTO, including job descriptions of the volunteer positions, please visit their webpage, and click on PTO Elections.
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One Week Left for Parent Satisfaction Survey |
The School Accountability Committee (SAC) would like your feedback about this school year. Please complete the Parent Satisfaction Survey (one response per family) expressing your thoughts and opinions before end-of-day on Friday, March 11. We genuinely value your feedback and hope to hear from every BFA family. The survey should take less than 15 minutes, so please make time to complete it today!
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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 Ben Franklin Academy!
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? You can find answers to frequently asked questions on the PTO webpage, or contact Subashri Sadasivan, Spirit Rock committee manager.
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2022-23 Immunization Letters |
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would like us to share the following letters with you regarding immunizations for next school year. These letters are important as they provide information about required vaccines, resources for low cost vaccines, and details about the exemption process.
Please contact our school nurse, Peggy Brown, or email our Health Assistant, Teri DeBellis, with any questions.
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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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