As we approach the end of the school year, and the conclusion of my service on the BFA Board of Directors, I wanted to share some thoughts and highlights with you. 

Being a part of your Board, especially during these challenging times, has been very rewarding and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve this wonderful community. You are passionate about your students and their education–-and I, along with my fellow Board members, have worked hard the past few years to meet your expectations by ensuring our decisions align with BFA’s mission and vision, making student safety a priority, and recognizing BFA’s admin and staff who were striving to provide an exceptional education during the pandemic–-all while navigating through ever-changing mandates.  

Below are a few of my personal highlights from the past two years.  

2020-21: First Year of my Term

• I attended SAC and PTO meetings and provided input as needed on policies, events, and fundraisers by both amazing BFA groups. (All our committees do fantastic work for our school and are full of caring parents. If you have not explored serving on one of our committees yet, I encourage you to do so next school year!)
• All of our Board meetings were held via Zoom until June when I was happy to finally meet my fellow Board members in person for our strategic planning retreat.
• And, as you may have noticed, we discussed remote learning and quarantines ad nauseam throughout the year.

2021-22: Second Year of my Term

• The second year of my term began with an emergency meeting to listen to our communities opinions and concerns regarding the mask mandate.
• One of my favorite memories from the year was our in person holiday celebration with BFA’s amazing staff. It was really terrific to be together and celebrate them at our annual breakfast.
• Finally, I am proud to have participated in the Technology Committee alongside BFA parents and teachers. I believe our work will have a lasting impact, as we created a scope and sequence of technology curriculum for K-8 students. 

Thank you to all the families who make this school such an amazing community. I appreciate your trust in me and have enjoyed serving you and your student(s) the past two years. I look forward to volunteering in many other capacities around the school and meeting more families in the years to come. 

Cheers!

Karen Ramon

BFA uses multiple communication tools to ensure that parents keep track of all the exciting things happening at BFA. Check out the list below for more details about all the ways to stay connected:

• Principal Simpson’s weekly newsletter is sent out via email every Thursday during the school year. You can find back issues here.
• The BFA website is the central hub for news, calendars, policies, teacher webpages, committee webpages and essential quicklinks for absence/attendance reporting, lunch, payments and volunteer management. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the website!
• BFA has a public Facebook page and posts various announcements and pictures throughout the day.
• Teacher websites, newsletters and blogs ensure you stay abreast of all the happenings inside your student’s classroom.
• The Ben Franklin Academy app offers quick access to all the information you need from your mobile device, and if you enable notifications, you’ll also receive helpful reminders throughout the year. The app is available on IOS and Android devices–download it today!
• Be sure to follow our Instagram account, BFAmazing, to see what is happening every day. You never know who might pop up on the ‘gram!
• Additional communications will be sent routinely to Middle School and Preschool families.
• And, there are two Facebook pages run by BFA parents that can be helpful. They are not official BFA pages, so if you have a policy or calendar question, you should reach out to someone at BFA; however, they can help you connect with other BFA families in an informal way or even find used uniforms to purchase. There is a Buy and Sell Facebook page and Friends of Ben Facebook page. Additionally, some grade levels have their own Facebook page–contact your Room Parent or ask other parents in the classroom for more information.

Next week is the final week of school and it’s a very busy one!

Monday, May 23: It’s Field Day for grades 2-5. Yearbooks will be distributed.

Tuesday, May 24: Students in middle school will walk to Redstone Park for Field Day. Eighth grade students will have a celebration dinner catered by the PTO.

Wednesday, May 25: It's Field Day for students in kindergarten and first grade. Preschool graduation is at 5 p.m.

Thursday, May 26: It's an Accelerated Reader Dress of Choice Day for students in grades 1-5 who met their AR goal. The eighth grade clap out begins promptly at 2:30 p.m. Eighth Grade graduation is at 6 p.m.

Friday, May 27: It's the last day of school and a Dress of Choice for all students. No lunch will be served and our school day will end at noon. Carpool will begin at noon so please be in the carpool line by 12:15 p.m. at the latest.

If your student has medication in the health room, please plan to pick it up between 9 and 11:30 a.m. during the last day of school. Only a parent/guardian or a designated adult can pick up medicine. Parents also can request that their student take home any remaining medicine, but parents must email Teri DeBellis in our Health Room by TOMORROW, May 20, with the request. She will put the medicine in a sealed envelope and send it home with the student. She will not release any medication to a student unless she receives a written request from the parent. 

If applicable, you also will need to pick up any medication stored in BASE, as we will not transfer medications for summer camp. Any medication left at school after the school year ends will be disposed of per CDPHE rules and regulations governing schools.

Please email our Health Assistant, Teri DeBellis, with any questions.

At last Friday's STEAM Expo, the energy was electric, mechanical, chemical, potential, solar and kinetic! The STEM Committee plans to send out a separate email to share more details from the day, but below are some highlights:

• Students made Pom-Pom catapults, paper rockets with DaVinci Adventures, and Lego bridges with Snapology. 
• Arapahoe County Public Works showed off an awesome road painting truck and helped students learn about mapping, plumbing, electrical systems, and protecting our waterways - public works is awesome!! 
• South Suburban Parks and Recreation shared regionally native animals and invited students to imagine and draw animal mash-ups.
• The Colorado Geological Survey demonstrated earthquake safety and design (it resonated). 
• Students worked with the Code Ninjas to design some tools for Minecraft! 
• Red Rocks Community College demystified the world of photography explaining the science behind cameras, and may have inspired the next generation of graphic artists with multimedia displays and digital art tools.
• Chemistry and physics collided with Mad Science. Retro gaming allows students to explore digital logic and test out circuits. 
• The Colorado School of Mines Robotics club brought robot wipe-out and explained how robots work with motors and radio receivers. Virtual reality games brought the students to other worlds and occasionally giant sandwiches.
• BFA students led and learned with bubble physics and Rubik's cubes booths.
• The physics of trebuchets had tennis balls flying on the turf field, where the sun bags soared (when they weren’t being buffeted by the wind).
• Santiago (the llama) and Lilly (the baby doll sheep) visiting from Grace & Mercy Farm were fan favorites who taught students about animal science. 
• The Fox 31 Weather Beast truck made an appearance and an impression with its impressive roar and atmospheric science gear!

Whew--what a day at BFA! Thank you to all of the students who made us proud with their scientific curiosity and engagement and to all of the vendors, volunteers, and staff who contributed to the event. 

The CEC and Service Learning Committee would like to thank the BFA community for their overwhelming generosity--your kindness is astounding! 

The Summer Fun Drive for the Collaborative Foster Care Program (CFCP) in Douglas, Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties collected over FOUR LARGE bins of swimsuits, sunglasses, hats, goggles, bubbles, chalk, toys and many other fun items! Additionally, we EXCEEDED our gift card drive goal! We collected 60 gift cards for Red Robin, Chipotle, Chick fil' A, Target, VISA gift cards and many other restaurants and retail stores. We are proud to announce that our BFA gift card donations totaled almost $1,500! Your donations will provide encouragement, support, connection, and fun to so many vulnerable children and foster families. 

Additionally, we had a strong turnout at our Foster Parent Information Night last week. We appreciate everyone who took time out of their hectic schedules to learn more about children and teens in need and how to support and care for the honorable foster families in our community that care for them.  

One Act of Kindness Week is an opportunity to be reminded of the power of KINDNESS and GENEROSITY in our community. The CEC and Service Learning Committee are moved and humbled by the acts of warm-heartedness our school showed last week. THANK YOU!

Field Day is going to be tons of fun again this year! Please send your student to school with a water bottle and sunscreen already applied. (If your student would like to bring more sunscreen to school, he/she can apply extra sunscreen before going outside.) Students will be given Field Day t-shirts this week. They should wear their t-shirts with athletic bottoms and athletic shoes for Field Day. Below is the elementary schedule:  

• May 23, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Grades 4 and 5
• May 23, Noon - 3 p.m. - Grades 2 and 3
• May 25, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. – Grades K and 1

To volunteer for elementary field day, please sign up here.

Middle School Field Day is Tuesday, May 24, at Redstone Park. Students should bring a water bottle, apply sunscreen at home, and wear Dress of Choice and athletic shoes. Mr. Macias needs a few volunteers; please contact him if you are interested. The schedule is as follows:

• Sixth Grade: 9 - 10:45 a.m. 
• Seventh Grade: 9:30 a.m. - Noon 
• Eighth Grade: 10:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. 

Middle School parents should register and complete the release using MySchoolBucks.  

We hope to see all of the eighth graders from 6-8 p.m. next Tuesday, May 24, for the first annual Eighth Grade Dinner, sponsored by the PTO. This will be a catered dinner held in the middle school commons for eighth graders only. If you are interested in helping to plan the evening, please sign up NOW! 

Who: Incoming 2022 BFA fifth through eighth grade boys 

What: Summer boys basketball camp

Where: BFA - Thunder Gym

When: from 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, through Thursday, Aug. 4

Boys of all abilities are encouraged to attend and work on furthering the development of dribbling, shooting, offensive, and defensive skills through drills, game situations and fun activities! 

Please fill out the registration form attached here. Camp registration will cost $125 with no prorated options. The registration fee can be paid by cash, check (made out to Megan Mares) or Venmo (@Megan-Mares-2). Players are not officially registered until the form is complete and the fee has been paid.

Contact Coach Mares or Coach Macias with any questions. 

Thank you to all the families who supported the PTO Spirit Nights this year! The BFA PTO earned more than $1,300 for the BFA PTO with our last two Spirit Nights--$292 from Cold Stone Creamery and $1,036 from Skate City.

Looking for something fun to do this summer? Get a $5 Skate City summer membership card and enjoy discounted skating during any regular public skating session throughout the summer! For more details, check out the attached flier, and click here to purchase your cards! The BFA PTO will get $2 back for each card sold.  

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2022 PTO Elections. The PTO is excited to announce their 2022-23 PTO team and they look forward to serving the BFA community again next year. Thank you again to the incredible 2021-22 PTO team for your dedication, enthusiasm and volunteerism.

Thinking about volunteering for the PTO? There’s still time! The following positions are currently open for next year:

Secretary

Teacher Appreciation Committee Chair

Virtues Awareness Committee Chair

Spring Social Committee Manager

Sweetheart Ball Committee Manager

If you’re interested in volunteering for one of these positions, or want to learn more, contact Shauna Kramer, PTO secretary.

The School Accountability Committee (SAC) needs members for next school year. Being a member of SAC provides an excellent opportunity have an impact at BFA by reviewing school policies, advising the BFA Board and school leadership, and administering both the parent and student surveys. In addition, you’ll gain a better understanding of the inner workings of BFA.

If you would be interested in serving on the SAC for the 2022-23 school year, please email Woody Haynes and plan on attending the SAC meeting TONIGHT, May 19.

We’re encouraging all our readers to participate in the Douglas County Libraries (DCL) Summer Reading program again this year!

Registration is open now, and the program begins in early June. The school with the most sign-ups gets bragging rights AND a check for $500 to help buy additional books. Click here to get started!

Thank you to all the families who have volunteered this year. We sincerely appreciate all that you do for BFA! To show our thanks, the PTO is hosting a volunteer appreciation event--an evening at Pirates Cove--from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. All BFA families who have met and recorded their family's volunteer quota (30 hours per family or 15 per single-parent household) will be rewarded with FREE admission for their immediate family to Pirate's Cove. The PTO has rented out the park for the evening of our event, so it will be a private BFA-only event. We hope to see all of our dedicated volunteers there!

Please log your volunteer hours as soon as possible. The deadline for logging hours is May 31. We love to recognize our volunteers so please don’t let your hours go unaccounted. Volunteer hours recorded by May 31 will not only go towards your Pirates Cove admission, but if you earn 50, 75 or 100 volunteer hours, you will be awarded special BFA logo'd items (distributed at Pirate's Cove check-in) to show our appreciation for going above and beyond! 

Please note: No additional tickets will be sold at the door. This is an event ONLY for those families who have met and recorded their volunteer hours in Help Counter by midnight Tuesday, May 31. No exceptions will be made.

Incoming kindergarten parents – you’re welcome to sign up your student for the Kindergarten Boot Camp this summer! Students will be introduced to the Kindergarten academic atmosphere and to BFA's campus. Students will become familiar with kindergarten rules, expectations, activities, and have fun! Boot camps will be held from 9 – 11 a.m., June 6 - 9 and June 13 – 16.

Students who attend the camp will meet new friends so school in the fall won’t be quite as intimidating. Sign up here for one of the sessions (16 slots per session). The registration fee is $80. Please see the flier for additional details and email Ms. Monica McGinty at mmcginty@bfacademy.org with any questions.

If you enjoy science labs and experiments, come join us for one or both weeks of science camp this summer. Biology Camp will be June 13 - 15, with the focus on Biology. If you love learning more about life science, or a career as a doctor interests you, then you will love Biology Camp. We will learn interesting facts about vertebrates and invertebrates while dissecting more than six different animals including starfish, frogs, crayfish, worms, clams and a mini shark. 

Chemistry Camp will be July 11-13. If you love things that fizz, bubble, change color and form, or explode, then Chemistry Camp will be the perfect camp for you. We will focus on physical and chemical changes with dry ice, different types of slime, polymers, elephant toothpastes, fruit volcanoes, and so much more. Each day will have a new theme, and students will go home with experiments to show the family. For more information on either camp, see the links below.

•  Biology Camp 
•  Chemistry Camp

Attention all middle school (upcoming 6-8 grade) students interested in playing some soccer. We have two amazing opportunities for soccer enthusiasts this summer:

Kick Arounds will be Tuesday mornings all summer long from 9-10:15 a.m. We will strictly play a 75 minute game with breaks only if needed. Teams will be decided each week depending on attendance. Kick arounds are coed and an excellent way to have fun, get out of the house, and practice your soccer with friends. Please use the 2022 Kick Arounds link to sign up if you are interested. 

Soccer Camp will be July 25-28. Camp will focus on mastering key skills, and using individual ability in 1v1, 1v2, 2v2, 2v3 small group settings essential for the building blocks of the full field game. The camp will be held from 9 - 11:30 a.m. July 25-28 on the BFA turf. Several of our high school varsity soccer players will be helping with our camp, and hopefully even some of our previous BFA players. It's a fun way to get more exposure to the game and prepare for the following season. Please use the 2022 Soccer Camp link to sign up. 

Who: Incoming 2022 BFA fifth through eighth grade girls

What: Summer girls basketball camp

Where: BFA's Thunder Gym

When: 9 - 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 19 - Friday, July 22 

Girls of all abilities are encouraged to come while we work on furthering the development of dribbling, shooting, offensive, and defensive skills through drills, game situations, and fun activities! Camp registration will cost $125 with no prorated options. In order to keep camp costs down, we will not be using MySchoolBucks so registration can be paid with cash, check (made out to Megan Mares or Kevin Knudsen), or Venmo (@Megan-Mares-2). Sign up today!

Contact Coach Mares or Coach Knudsen with any questions.

If you are a King Soopers or Amazon shopper, you can help earn money for BFA by signing up for King Soopers Community Rewards and Amazon Smile. Here's how!

To sign up for King Soopers Community Rewards:

1. Sign in to your digital account at King Soopers Community Rewards. If you haven't already set up an account, set up your account and link your King Soopers card or phone number to your account.
2. Click on Community Rewards, Enroll Now and search for Ben Franklin Parent Teacher Organization or enter our code XN773. Click Save.
3. Next time you check out at King Sooper or City Market, scan your card (or enter your alternate ID), and BFA will get money back from your purchase.

To sign up for Amazon Smile:

1. Go to: smile.amazon.com, and click Get Started
2. Enter Ben Franklin Academy Parent-Teacher Organization in the search box, and select BFA PTO as the organization that you want to support.
3. Once you have signed up for Amazon Smile online, you can enable Amazon Smile through the Amazon app, by selecting Gifting and Charity from the menu in the lower right-hand corner, then Amazon Smile.

You can find out more information about the AmazonSmile program including how to link your Amazon account to BFA, click here.

Thank you, again, for your support of BFA and the PTO! Please email fundraising@bfacademy.org with any questions.