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Weekly Update
A Message from Principal Simpson
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Dear Parents,
Welcome to our new Ben Franklin Academy (BFA) families! We will include you in our weekly newsletters moving forward. This newsletter is an excellent resource for information about camps, registration, orientation, uniforms, opportunities to get involved next school year, etc. The newsletter goes out every Thursday during the school year.
I am sure events over the past week, both at East High School and in Nashville, have profoundly impacted many of you. The staff at BFA are grieving as well. We are all devastated by the continued violence involving schools. My heart breaks for families directly impacted and the ripple effect these events have in communities across the United States, including ours.
Safety and security are a top priority here at Ben Franklin Academy. Our security protocols start with our secure front entrance. All visitors to the building must enter through the front office. Every volunteer or visitor is background checked by scanning driver's licenses through our system. No one is allowed in without proper identification.
All of our exterior doors are locked and are alarmed so that if they are propped open, an alarm will sound to alert us of a propped or open door. All of our windows and glass doors have ballistic film to prevent shattering.
We have a School Resource Officer (SRO), Deputy Koski, who is on our campus at least twice a day for extended periods. Deputy Koski interacts with students, checks doors, and works with administration regarding concerns in the building or our surrounding area. The administration also has a radio that allows immediate and direct communication with law enforcement and the district security team.
We have multiple layers of other supports within the building (cameras, staff training, drills, etc.) that help ensure BFA is safe and secure. You are always welcome to call the front office if you notice something unusual; but please don't hesitate to contact me directly with any safety or security concerns or questions.
When parents were asked about safety in the recent Parent Satisfaction survey, some comments mentioned concerns about behavior, discipline, or instances of perceived bullying. Our staff takes these concerns very seriously, and we want to be sure all children feel physically and emotionally safe at school. If there was a discipline situation this year that you thought wasn't adequately addressed, please fill out this form so that a member of the administration can reach out to you to discuss your concerns. This feedback will help us improve our systems and, hopefully, clear up any confusion.
Like everything we do at BFA, we are continuously evaluating our current processes and striving to improve, and that most certainly includes safety and security. We work closely with the District Security team and the Sheriff's department to incorporate the latest research regarding risk mitigation and security into our practices/procedures. We know that students and staff can only perform to their potential if they feel safe and cared for.
On a much lighter note, I hope to see all of you at the BENefit Bash on Saturday! The PTO has been working hard to make this a fun event to benefit the school and we’re grateful for your support.
Thank you,
Mrs. Simpson
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Class Picture Day is April 5 | |
Next Wednesday, April 5, is class picture day (and a Formal Uniform Day)! If you are interested in purchasing a class picture, see the options below:
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Click anywhere on this flier for a hyperlink that connects to the online ordering page.
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Go to www.mymjthomas.com and enter BFA's event password, C657CG. (It's also located at the bottom of the flier).
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Print the flier/order form, attach a check or cash, and bring it in on picture day.
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District Accountability Committee Seeks Charter School Parent Member | DCSD’s District Accountability Committee (DAC) is currently accepting applications for a charter school parent member. The District Accountability Committee (DAC) meets monthly throughout the year and makes recommendations to the Board regarding spending District money, charter school applications, improvement plans and parent engagement plans. If you have a child in one of our DCSD charter schools and are interested in serving on this important committee please complete and submit the DAC Application. | | |
Can't Attend the Bash? That's Okay - You can Still Support BFA! | |
We are looking forward to seeing you at the BENefit Bash from 5-9:30 p.m. this Saturday, April 1, at Freedom Golf Carts. This year, the PTO is raising money to go toward building enhancements. If you are unable to attend, please consider making a direct donation to the school.
In addition, we're excited to share that everyone will have the opportunity to bid on the silent auction items this year! A link will be sent out to all families prior to the auction.
Thank you all for your support of the 2023 BENefit Bash! If you have questions, please reach out to the PTO Fundraising Coordinator, Andreya Flanigan.
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Uniform Sales Starting Soon! | |
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! Educational Outfitters just sent us their sale flier as well as a menu of options that you might find helpful. Parents also can purchase uniforms from two other vendors--French Toast and Tommy Hilfiger.
You can find out more about uniforms on our website (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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Registration for Summer Camp Opens April 3 | |
It's almost time to get registered for BFA's Summer Camp! The initial summer camp registration will open on Monday, April 3, in MySchoolBucks. Please note, summer camp attendees need to register each summer before using the program. Registration costs $35, and includes a t-shirt and a day pack.
If you have a new incoming BFA student or Kindergartner to register, please reach out to summercamp@bfacademy.org to learn how you can register your child. The summer camp activities and field trip calendar also will be available on April 3. To see the calendar, please email us on or after April 3.
This summer, we’re able to offer parents the low weekly fee of $200 per child, per week because BASE received a grant last year from the State of Colorado. We’re very happy that we can still use the remaining funds this summer to keep costs down, but next summer, we will have to increase our fees.
Summer Camp will be open from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The first day of camp is Wednesday, May 31, and camp will run through Friday, Aug. 11. We will be closed July 3-7 for the holiday week. We will go on two field trips per week and have lots of other fun activities during the week.
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Have Fun at Cheer Camp this Summer | Ms. Whelan and Mrs. Harms are very excited for their Summer Cheer Camp! It’s for students headed into grades 3-8 who are interested in Cheer/Poms.The camp will be held from 9 a.m. – noon, June 26-30, at BFA. For more information and to register, see the flier. Please contact Ms. Whelan and Mrs. Harms with questions. | | | |
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Learn Something New at Photography Camp | Ms. Konesky is offering a Photography Camp this summer to help students ages 9+ learn about shutter speed, ISO, aperture, composition and more! It’s going to be a blast with walking photography trips to Flyin’ B park, along the canal trail, and in the surrounding neighborhoods. The camp is from 9 – 11:30 a.m., June 5-9, at BFA. See the flier for all the details, and click here to register. | | | |
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Sign Up for the Summer Bootcamp | |
Help prevent some of the inevitable Summer Slide by joining Sarah Harrell, and Ellen Cain, for their 5th annual Summer Bootcamp at BFA!
They will be hosting BFA Bootcamp sessions in BFA's Outdoor Classroom for incoming Kindies as well as first, second and third graders.
Incoming Kindies will meet for 1.5 hours per day, and all other students will meet 2 hours a day. The June and July Bootcamps will meet over 3 consecutive days.
Space is limited, so please see their sign up for additional information and to get registered.
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Be a STEAM SUPERHERO this Summer | |
Mrs. Tickle is offering a SUPERHERO STEAM CAMP this summer from 9-11:30 a.m., June 12-16, at BFA. The STEAM Camp is for students CURRENTLY in grades 2-4.
To find out more information, see the flier. Space is limited, so be sure to register today!
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There's Still Plenty of Time to Race to Read | Here we go! Race to Read through Bandimere Speedway is an exciting program that encourages students to read at home. Students have six weeks to complete five BINGO squares, document how they completed their BINGO sheets and return the sheets to the speedway. There are fun prizes and students can even receive a ticket/wristband for the NAPA Auto Parts “Night of Fire and Thunder.” Click here for additional information, as the contest starts on Monday, March 27, and will end on Friday, May 5. | | | |
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Save the Date for the Mother/Son Nerf Event | |
Calling all BFA moms and their sons! Save the date for an epic Nerf battle from 3-8 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, at Path Movement. Battle equipment, dinner and more will be provided! Ticket sales will begin in early April. Look for more details in future newsletters. There is limited availability, so be sure to get your tickets early!
Please contact PTO Social Coordinator, Ewelina Chrzanowski, with any questions.
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The Community Events Committee (CEC) will hold their April meeting from 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, at Living the Dream Brewery in Highlands Ranch. We would love to have you come check out what the CEC is planning whether you are interested in volunteering or simply getting more information. Don't forget, you earn volunteer hours for attending! Please RSVP by Monday, April 3, if you plan on attending so we can plan accordingly. | | | |
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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 school projects coming up as well as their end of year picnic, so they would love to have more dads get involved! Contact Curtis Anderson, Ben’s Brigade committee manager, to learn more.
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Burritos with Bros (formerly Donuts with Dads) will be held Friday, April 28. This is a fun opportunity for dads to spend a bit of time with their child(ren) at school to kick off the day. Additional details to come in the following weeks. | | | |
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Say Thanks with RaiseRight | |
BFA will use RaiseRight (formerly SCRIP) for end of year staff gifting again this year. This convenient, online program replaces room parent collections and facilitates convenient group gifting. Each family makes one payment through MySchoolBucks for all of their teacher and staff gifts. At the end of collections, each staff member will receive an email with the total collected on their behalf and is able to select gift cards they would like to receive.
Participation in the RaiseRight program is completely voluntary. You are welcome to participate with any amount, or alternatively gift the teachers and staff on your own. Families will be able to place RaiseRight 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 April 10-16 with gift cards being distributed during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (May 8-12).
Questions? Visit the PTO webpage or contact Rebecca Mullenix, RaiseRight committee manager.
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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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