From the Desk of Principal Simpson

November 11, 2021

Weekly Update

A Message from Principal Simpson

Dear Parents,

What a day! Our Veterans Day celebrations were terrific! It was so heartwarming to be able to welcome veterans back into the building to thank them for their service. I am very proud of our students; they were respectful and did an excellent job honoring our esteemed visitors.

One Veteran remarked to his daughter that he had been a part of several different ceremonies throughout his life but had never felt more honored than he did today. We can't ask for more than that! A HUGE thank you to the CEC and the Veterans Day committee headed up by Nikki Busto. We had some last-minute challenges, but so many CEC members, Ben's Brigade Dads, and other parents stepped in to help make things go smoothly today! We filmed the events, and we will share the video with the community in the coming days. In addition, there are pictures posted on our public Facebook page, and on our website.

Unfortunately, I also need to provide a COVID update today. We have seen a resurgence of the virus both here at BFA and in the surrounding community. At the end of October, we had no active cases. Currently, we have 20 positive students and two positive staff members. We have cases in every grade level except second. We have notified all classrooms involved in these exposures. Here’s the breakdown of cases:

Kindie - 1 case
First - 2 (both were outside exposures and did not lead to exposures here at school)
Third - 2 (classified as connected cases)
Fourth - 4 (2 are connected)
Fifth - 3 (2 are connected)
Sixth - 5 (these are connected to the outdoor ed outbreak)
Seventh - 2 (not connected)
Eighth - 1 case

Why is it important if the cases are connected? Connected cases are what lead to an outbreak and quarantines of classes or grade levels. Five connected cases require a quarantine. Sixth grade just finished up their quarantine that started after outdoor ed. We are hoping that no other grade levels or classrooms will need to quarantine between now and Thanksgiving. Last year, between Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break, we saw a significant increase in cases. Please remain vigilant and do not send your children to school if they are sick.

I am optimistic our numbers will look better again next week. I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Diana Simpson

Volunteer Appreciation

BFA loves its volunteers, and we want to show our appreciation for all of your work. The PTO recognizes two volunteers each month. A volunteer will be chosen as the Volunteer of the Month, and will get exclusive use of the dedicated, reserved Volunteer of the Month spot in the parking lot for their respective month.

In addition, each month a volunteer will be randomly chosen through a drawing to win a fun, surprise gift. All you have to do to be eligible to win, is log at least ONE hour of volunteer service in the month prior to the drawing.

Thanks to all our volunteers for your continued support of BFA!

Congratulations Allie Ashley

For the month of November, Allie Ashley has been selected as the Ben Franklin Academy Volunteer of the Month. Allie is a long-standing volunteer in various capacities at BFA, and she is being recognized for going above and beyond as a volunteer in the library. She is always willing to help, and frequently covers volunteer shifts for others who have to cancel. Thank you, Allie! We appreciate all your efforts throughout the years.

Allie and her husband, Allen, have two boys at BFA: Levi (fifth grade) and Griffin (first grade). When asked what she likes about BFA, Allie responded, “I love the community here and how easy it is to find interesting ways to be involved. Getting to know the staff is such a great benefit to volunteering as well. My favorite place to volunteer is in the library, particularly the book fair!”

Congratulations again, Allie, and thank your commitment to volunteering at BFA!

If you know someone who should be considered for volunteer of the month for outstanding volunteerism, please email Denise Battista, PTO president.

Thank You Emily and Kyle Schlenker

This month, Emily and Kyle Schlenker are the winners of the PTO drawing for their volunteer time in October. Emily volunteers as the assistant room parent for Mrs. North’s class, and helped with the Halloween party; she also sorted a box of math flash cards for Mrs. North’s class. In addition, both Emily and Kyle volunteered in Science Lab. They have won a $10 gift card to Gelato & Co.

Congratulations, Emily and Kyle! And, thank you again for your time and effort at BFA.

BFA News

Veterans Day Celebrations

Thank you to all our volunteers for helping us to celebrate veterans!

Veterans Day Volunteers Needed for Take Down - Sign Up TODAY!

It is never too late to volunteer! We need many hands to help take down inside/outside decorations from the Veterans Day Event that took place earlier today. Please check out the Sign Up Genius to sign up for a spot from 4:10-5:30 p.m. (or any part of that time) on Friday, Nov. 12. Thank you in advance for your help!

Veterans Day Donations - TOMORROW - last day to donate!

Tomorrow is the last day to donate items to our annual drive for the VA Hospital to support Veterans in our community. Please bring in gloves/mittens, scarves, fleece blankets and hand/toe warmers. Donation boxes are located in the main entrance of the school. Thank you in advance for your generous donations!

Menu Changes for Next Week

Nutrition Services has let us know about three menu changes for next week. Below is what they plan to serve:

Monday: Chicken Nuggets and Pesto Veggie Wrap
Thursday: Beef Chili and Bistro Box with Build Your Own Trail Mix
Friday: Teriyaki Chicken Bowl and Ham Croissant

New Twist on Spirit Night!

For the PTO's November Spirit Night, they are partnering with Modern Plate, a company that makes meals and delivers them to your doorstep. Modern Plate is a locally owned and operated, family-run business. They deliver fully cooked, heat and serve, family-style (serves 4) meals within the metro area. If you order by 10 a.m. on weekdays, you can get your meal delivered the same day! It's the perfect dinner solution for busy days. Meals range from $19.99 to $37.99. Sides, soups, appetizers, and desserts are available as well. For more information, click here.

Purchase your meals through November 19 by visiting www.modernplate.com. Use the code 'BFA' at checkout in the coupon code box at the top of the screen. Modern Plate will track our orders and donate 10 percent back to Ben Franklin Academy. Spread the word amongst your colleagues, neighbors, family and friends for our fundraiser to have a greater impact!

Plan on Attending SAC Meeting via Zoom

If you would like to be involved in reviewing policies that impact our school and your student(s), please consider joining the SAC for their monthly meeting from 4:30-5:30 p.m. next Thursday, Nov 18, via Zoom. We will be reviewing the following policies: New Middle School Discipline procedure, Mobile Electronic Policy, Teacher Compensation Policy, Assistance for Qualified Free and Reduced Lunch Recipients. If you have any questions, please email Woody Haynes.

Say Thanks - Holiday Gift Giving with SCRIP

SCRIP is the staff gifting program that the PTO introduced a few years ago to facilitate convenient group gift-giving. Through this program, each family makes one payment for all of their teacher and staff gifts. Then, each teacher/staff member receives an email with the total amount collected, and selects which gift cards they would like to receive. By consolidating donations, we are able to provide teachers and staff with meaningful gifts.

This program allows the PTO to purchase the requested gift cards at discounts ranging from 2 - 21 percent, depending on the retailer. That discounted amount comes back to BFA from SCRIP, and will be used for PTO funded programs at school.

Families will be able to place SCRIP orders via MySchoolBucks and pay by credit card. You may designate how much you would like to give to each teacher/staff member in one-dollar increments. Collections will take place Nov. 29 – Dec. 5.

Participation in the SCRIP program is completely voluntary. You are welcome to participate with any amount, or alternatively gift the teachers and staff on your own.

The gifts will be given to the staff the week before Winter Break, and will be in lieu of any other class gift/collection. Look for more information in future newsletters regarding details on how to contribute to your teacher's gift!

Questions? Visit the PTO webpage or contact Natalie Lucero, SCRIP coordinator.

Open Enrollment for 2022-23 Has Started

Parents of ALL prospective K-8 students, including siblings of current BFA K-8 students and BFA preschool students, must complete Open Enrollment during First Round to be eligible for an enrollment offer and earn a priority status. The First Round is NOW OPEN and runs through Dec. 1. Plan to complete the process before Thanksgiving break as BFA is closed and DCSD IT Support will be limited during the break. Once the First Round ends, the next opportunity to complete the process will be in mid-January.

Open Enrollment submissions during the FIRST ROUND ONLY will have priority based on the following:

Children in the household of Founding Families;
Siblings of current K-8 BFA students. Siblings that share the same birth date (ie. twins or triplets) shall receive automatic enrollment;
Children of full-time teachers; and
BFA preschool students, as detailed in the Enrollment Policy.

IMPORTANT: To leverage priority status, please complete Open Enrollment during the First Round.

DCSD Open Enrollment Webpage - Review Important Details Here!

The most up-to-date information, instructions, and answers to commonly-asked questions visit the DCSD Open Enrollment webpage. After reviewing this page, if you have questions about enrollment or need your EngagED Parent Portal login please email our registrar, Colleen Bobbin before Thanksgiving break.

Parents who have had K-12 DCSD students should have an EngagED account already. DO NOT CREATE a new account. (Hint: This is the username and password you used to complete Express Check-In.)
Parents who have not had K-12 DCSD students, will need to create an EngagED Parent Portal account once Open Enrollment begins on Nov. 1.

Note: Parents can select “Email me my choices” to receive a confirmation email of the school choices made for your student. Registrars will not have access to this information until after First Round closes. Emailing your choices provides confirmation of completing the process. Should there be a question, parents will be asked to provide this confirmation.

Enrollment Paperwork - Get A Head Start!

If a parent completes Open Enrollment and receives and accepts an enrollment offer for their child, and that child is not a current DCSD student (BFA preschool students are not considered DCSD students), s/he will receive an email by December 22 with the required Enrollment Packet. The turnaround to complete and submit the packet is quick; the due date is Monday, January 3, 2022.

BFA parents who would like to submit the Enrollment Packet on or before Wednesday, Dec. 1, can get a head start! Mrs. Bobbin, BFA's registrar, will review all packets submitted by this deadline. Prior to the December break, she will confirm whether packets are complete or require additional attention on or before January 3, 2022.

If you are a BFA parent with an incoming kindergarten student who does not attend BFA's preschool, please complete this form. Once the packet is finalized, Mrs. Bobbin will email the packet to you.
If you are the parent of a current BFA preschooler who will start kindergarten next year, Mrs. Bobbin will provide the packet to Mrs. Hafner to send out to her preschool families. You DO NOT need to complete the aforementioned form designed for those who do not attend BFA preschool.

Current K-7 BFA Students

Current 2021-22 BFA K-7 students will automatically be enrolled at BFA for the 2022-23 school year. If your student will not return to BFA next year, please let the registrar know via email.

2022-23 Preschool Students

Preschool Enrollment for the three-year-old and four-year-old classes will take place via the preschool webpage on the BFA website. Preschool enrollment for current BFA families will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6. Preschool enrollment for the general public will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 10.

If you are interested in the Ben Franklin Academy Preschool program, please click here for more information

Upcoming Events

BFA's Guiding Principles

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.