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Weekly Update
A Message from Board President Haley Maglieri
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BFA Board of Director Meeting Summary - April, 2024
In partnership with Principal Simpson, the BFA Board of Directors is proud to work for the students, parents and patrons of BFA in promoting the mission and vision of the school. The following summarizes action taken during our April Board meeting.
BOD Updates:
Board Succession - Election and Appointment Announcement
The BFA community voted to re-elect one (1) director to serve on the Board and the current BFA Board voted to appoint one (1) director to serve on the Board. Congratulations:
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Haley Maglieri (elected by BFA Community)
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Justin Mayhall (appointed by the current Board)
Thank you Adam Lucero and Keri Street for your work on the Succession Committee this year!
Spring Parent Survey Results
SAC Chair Betsy Brown presented the results of the Spring Parent Satisfaction Survey. We received approximately 80 valid responses with 5th grade having the most responses! Here are some of the highlights:
- Almost everyone feels welcome as a parent of BFA;
- Most do not utilize the online or other resources for Envision Math;
- Most feel that BFA offers a safe environment for their students and that the addition of a full-time SRO increased their satisfaction with school safety;
- Almost everyone indicated that they can easily use the PikMyKid app for carpool;
- 92% of responders believe the Board values parent feedback;
- 25% of responders do understand the implications and benefits of being a Core Knowledge school;
- Most believe that the 13 virtues foster character development for students;
- BFA’s greatest strengths were (1) academic programs; (2) parent involvement; and (3) our teachers;
- BFA’s biggest challenges were (1) extracurricular programs; (2) enforcing rules; and (3) student to teacher ratio;
- Those families new to BFA this year that completed the survey, unanimously indicated that they feel they are part of the BFA family;
- Almost all who responded indicated that their child(ren) like(s) coming to school; and,
- Almost all who responded indicated that they expect to have their child attend/continue BFA’s Middle School.
The full report can be found on the SAC webpage. Thank you to our SAC for their hard work on this Spring Parent Survey.
Charter Renewal
The Board voted to approve execution of the Charter contract! This has been a lengthy process and we couldn’t have done it without the help of Principal Simpson, Sarah Nisbet, Halsey Hoff and our amazing students and staff.
Financial Oversight:
Treasurer Sarah Nisbet provided the financial focus during the meeting. March financials were reviewed and recommended for approval by our Finance Committee. The Board reviewed the 2024-25 Proposed Budget, which included (for example) increases for curriculum, repairs, and improvements, including technology equipment and new lunch tables! Also reviewed was the draft of the 2023-24 Final Revised Budget.
We remain focused on our financial health, including appropriate spending and wise investments. As always, financial documents are made available on the Financial Transparency page of the BFA website.
Policy Governance:
The Board reviewed the Homework and Student Attendance Policies and made the following changes:
Homework Policy:
The policy has been expanded to allow for homework to be modified based on individual student needs. For students, the revisions pertain to student advocacy and communication with teachers regarding missed work. For parents, revisions related to encouraging their students to self-advocate. For staff, feedback to students was expanded to include rubrics, graded work, class and/or individual student discussion and google classroom comments.
Attendance Policy:
The current policy addresses classwork missed when a student is absent. Revisions will be included to allow for alternative assignments upon the student’s return.
A section will be added pertaining to Long Term Assignments and Tests. This section will indicate long-term assignments assigned more than seven (7) days prior to the absence are due the day the student returns to school. Test dates announced more than seven (7) days prior to the absence will remain the same. If the student misses a test for an absence, they will be able to take the test within two (2) school days upon return. Exceptions will be made if students have missed content or instruction related to that test. Teachers will work with students to catch up on materials missed and schedule an appropriate test date.
The revised policies will be available on the website on or before May 1, 2024.
Board BOLTS:
The Board and Principal Simpson recognize that there are BFA students who go above and beyond and achieve excellence in academics, character, effort and/or service. We are proud of these students and the characteristics they exemplify. Our Board BOLTS for April are:
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Matthew Rodriguez (7th)
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Lilian Sutherland (8th)
If you would like to nominate a student to be recognized as one of our Board BOLTS in May, please use this nomination form.
May Board Meeting:
The next (and final) BFA Board of Director meeting of this school year will take place on Tuesday, May 14, in the Middle School Commons.
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Calendar Updates/Reminders | |
Morning BASE will not be available tomorrow, April 19, due to anticipated low attendance because of the CEC Daybreak with Dads event.
The Run4Funds is next Thursday, April 25! Students can wear their Fun Run/Field Day t-shirt with bottoms of choice.
- Shirts will be delivered to classrooms tomorrow, April 19, and used for both the Fun Run and Field Day.
- Pants/shorts/skort worn for the Fun Run should adhere to normal Dress of Choice guidelines.
- Middle school students will participate in a Color Run; so should keep that in mind when choosing an outfit. (The color should wash out, but you may not want to wear your brand new white shoes!)
There is no school for students on Friday, April 26, as it is a teacher planning day.
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News from the Health Room | We’ve noticed several cases of 'Pink Eye' this week, so want to share this helpful handout on conjunctivitis for your reference. We’ve asked for extra cleaning to be done around the school, but it’s also important to remind your students to wash their hands, try not to touch their eyes, and do not share personal items with their friends. | | | |
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School Accountability Committee | |
The School Accountability Committee (SAC) is looking for new members. This crucial committee has several openings for next year. The SAC focuses on parent and student satisfaction surveys and provides input to the administration regarding school data and our Unified Improvement Plan. Please consider if you can help and fill out this SAC Interest Form if you are interested in joining this committee.
Also, please note that the May SAC meeting has been rescheduled and is now from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.
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Need Volunteer Hours? Help with the Mother-Son Social! | |
Looking for volunteer hours? We need your help to make the Mother-Son LED mini-golf event a success! The event is from 3-8 p.m. this Saturday, April 20, at BFA. If you’re interested, please sign up to help with Mother-Son social!
Please contact PTO Social Coordinator, Ewelina Chrzanowski, at ptosocial@bfacademy.org with any questions.
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Daybreak with Dads TOMORROW
Volunteers Still Needed
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Daybreak with Dads is TOMORROW, April 19! We are excited to see students and their fathers (or special adult). The morning will begin at 6:45 a.m. in the Lightning (small) gym with donuts, breakfast burritos and refreshments. The fun will continue in the Thunder (big) gym with a magician performance 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. 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 may take longer so please be patient.
Volunteer Opportunties
Volunteers are needed to help make this a special event. Please see the Daybreak with Dads sign-up for available volunteer positions. We thank you in advance for any assistance you are able to provide.
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Save the Date for Robeks Spirit Night | |
We hope you'll support one of our wonderful PTO sponsors at the next BFA spirit day/night from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. THIS SUNDAY, April 21, at Robeks in Parker (12235 Pine Bluffs Way, 80134). Click to see the Robeks Spirit Night flier.
They will give back 10 percent to the BFA PTO for those who mention BFA in their order, so we hope you’ll stop by to enjoy their smoothies, juices, avocado toasts, and more!
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Run4Funds Kicks off Tomorrow! | |
The PTO Run4Funds Fundraiser kick-off assembly is TOMORROW, April 19, and the run is scheduled for Thursday, April 25. This is the BFA PTO’s largest fundraiser of the year and we need your help to make it successful! We are asking each student to set a fundraising goal of $75 in order to reach our $50,000 school fundraising goal.
Learn more about the run by watching this short video.
What You Can Do Now:
- Save the date--Thursday, April 25--to cheer on your student(s).
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Take a tour around our custom fundraising website.
- Start thinking about who you can ask to support your student(s), and plan to help your student(s) send out informational/donation request emails when the fundraiser kicks-off TOMORROW.
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Calling All Dads - Ben's Brigade Needs You! | |
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.
They have spring school projects coming up as well as their end of year picnic on Sunday, May 19, (more details to come) and would love to have more dads get involved!
Contact Ben’s Brigade Committee Manager, Justin Mayhall, at BFABensBrigade@gmail.com to learn more.
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PTO Elections Open Sunday - Meet the Candidates | |
The PTO is an integral part of the BFA community, whose mission is to seek resources to strengthen, enhance, and encourage the educational and social experience at Ben Franklin Academy. Since it began serving BFA, the PTO has raised funds to provide all manner of items for the school, including playground equipment, library books, a climbing wall, the outdoor classroom, and the MakerSpace as well as tools and resources needed by the teachers, staff and administration. In addition, we organize multiple social events to bring together the entire BFA community.
Each year, the parent community is asked to vote for open executive officer and committee chair positions. Your vote is important. Voting will be open from Sunday, April 21, through Sunday, April 28. Each family unit is permitted to cast one vote per position. Election results will be announced at the PTO meeting on Sunday, May 5.
Thank you to everyone who accepted a nomination. We have a great slate of candidates! To view the candidate bios, please visit the PTO webpage, and click on PTO Elections.
Thinking about volunteering for the PTO? There’s still time! The following positions are currently open for next year:
Ben’s Brigade Committee Manager
Bulletin Board Committee Manager
Raise Right Committee Manager
Welcoming Committee Manager
Social Media Committee Manager
If you or anyone you know would be a good fit for these positions, please contact PTO Secretary, Kelly Dees, at ptosecretary@bfacademy.org.
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Middle School Field Day Details | |
Middle school field day is May 22 at Redstone Park. Registration and the completion of a waiver is required to attend; registration will be open in MySchoolBucks tomorrow, April 19. Please see the field day agenda for details.
A couple of important items to note...
1. Bring lots of water and sunscreen.
2. Bring a sack lunch (lunch will not be provided).
3. No electronics (phones, airpods etc.); Mr. Macias will provide music.
4. Please wear the field day shirt provided and appropriate athletic shorts.
5. Students and parents need to sign the Ninja Nation waiver to participate in the course. The waiver is in MySchoolBucks.
6. Students and parents need to register in MySchoolBucks to participate in field day.
7. Bring a positive attitude.
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Spring/Summer Uniform Sales | |
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! French Toast just sent us their uniform sale flier (see below), and Educational Outfitters sent us a menu of options that you might find helpful (their flier is below as well). Parents also can purchase uniforms from Tommy Hilfiger.
You can find out more about uniforms on our uniform webpage (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.
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Summer Enrichment Camp Catalog | Summer is right around the corner! Each year BFA teachers offer different enrichment camps throughout the summer. We have such a wide variety of camps this year, that we created a catalog of choices. There are camps for all interests and age groups. Please see our Summer Enrichment Camp Catalog for all the details. | | | |
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Order a Yearbook before April 30 | |
Be sure to order your 2023-24 yearbook BEFORE the online ordering deadline of Tuesday, April 30! Right now, yearbooks cost $50 per book. A limited number of yearbooks will be available for purchase the week of distribution but will be $60, cash only. So don’t wait, order yours today!
This year, we are using a new company, Jostens, for our yearbooks. Order and pay for your yearbook now!
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Support BFA while you Shop! | |
If you are a King Soopers shopper, you can help earn money for BFA by signing up for King Soopers Community Rewards. For details on how to sign up for King Soopers Community Rewards visit their webpage or click here for instructions.
It's CRAZY how quickly this program adds up and how much our school can earn. From July - Oct. of 2023, BFA earned $5,341 back from this program!
Please contact Andreya Flanigan, PTO fundraising coordinator, with any questions. Thank you, again, for your support of BFA and the PTO!
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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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