For the month of December, Mason MacDonald has been selected as the BFA PTO Volunteer of the Month. He is being recognized for the time he spent volunteering to help make the BFA Veterans Day celebration an amazing event. He was the perfect MC—making everyone feel welcome and included (while ensuring we stayed on schedule). In addition, we appreciate the enthusiasm and energy he brought to the event—especially in his work with the elementary students and their demonstration of the military cadences. Thank you, Mason!

Mason and his wife Beverly are Colorado natives who love to ski, camp, and spend time with friends playing board games and trying out new restaurants. Mason served in the Army/National Guard, and retired after 24 years of service. Their daughter, Molly, is in fourth grade.

When asked what he loves about BFA, Mason said, “What we love most about the school is the sense of community we have experienced with the families that we have interacted with. We also like that the values we strive to instill in our daughter are reinforced at school.”  

Congratulations, Mason. We're very grateful for your volunteer service!

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

This week, we’re highlighting the third group of BFA PTO sponsors in the BRONZE category. We’re very thankful for their generous support and hope you’ll take a few minutes out of your day to learn about these sponsors.   

ROBEKS FRESH JUICE & SMOOTHIES, Angie Baker

At Robecks, we have amazingly delicious and nutritious smoothies, juices, acai bowls, and toasts. Everything is natural, fresh and made to order. BFA families get 10% off on all orders.

SUBURBAN GIRL BOUTIQUE, Brooke Svanda

Suburban Girl Boutique is an in-person and online shopping experience for women. They sell affordable clothing that make women look and feel their best! They are offering a 20% discount during Christmas for BFA families.

SUPER 3D PRINTER, Chris West

Super 3D Printer is where your wildest imaginings materialize into reality. From captivating movie props, mesmerizing wands, and functional magnets to essential BBQ supplies and arcade parts, they craft an eclectic range of items that push the boundaries of creativity. Step into a world where innovation thrives, and let them bring your ideas to life with unmatched precision and flair. They are offering BFA families 15% off via the button on their website; the discount never expires and can be used more than once.

Tomorrow, Dec. 15, is Fun Sock Friday!

And, to celebrate the holiday season, next week we'll have some extra fun with a door decorating contest, parties, and these theme days:

• Tuesday, Dec. 19, is Holiday Hat Day.
• Wednesday, Dec. 20, is PJ Day.
• Thursday, Dec. 21, is Ugly Sweater Day! Sweaters should be worn with uniform bottoms.
• Friday, Dec. 22, is a regular Dress of Choice Day, as well as elementary holiday parties.

Winter Break is Dec. 25 through Jan. 5. We'll return to school on Monday, Jan. 8.

The Ben Franklin Academy (BFA) community is seeking leaders who are passionate about and committed to BFA’s mission and vision to serve on the BFA Board of Directors (Board). In the spring of 2024, the BFA community will elect (or re-elect) one (1) director and the BFA Board will appoint one (1) director in accordance with the Board of Directors Election Policy to serve on the volunteer, seven-director BFA Board. We hope to receive a record number of nominations with a desire of having a diverse, talented and dedicated pool of candidates to draw from for BFA’s Board.

A critical element to the success of any charter school is its ability to advocate for its educational philosophy, successfully fulfill legal requirements, and carry out its mission and vision. Serving on the BFA Board is an opportunity for you to ensure that BFA is and remains “The Core Knowledge STEAM School of Choice.” Board directors use their backgrounds, experience and skills to focus on oversight and matters of strategic importance which can help improve BFA’s educational programs. In addition to helping teachers, staff and administrators lay a solid foundation in education for future generations and instill a love of learning in BFA students, the Board provides individuals a chance to grow personally and professionally, further develop skills, gain unique experience, and make lasting connections with a team of other passionate and motivated individuals.

The Board encourages all individuals with a passion to serve the BFA community to get involved in the nomination and election process this spring. More details on the election/appointment process, director qualifications and Board needs will be communicated in early 2024.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Adam Lucero or Keri Street.

A Message from the BFA STEM Committee...

We want to share our excitement and appreciation for everyone who was able to attend the STEM Committee’s second annual Family Fun Engineering Night! Last month’s event was aviation themed. Competitors used engineering principles to design and construct paper airplanes, which were then tested for furthest flight and most accurate flight. 

More than 70 BFA competitors participated in design, practice, and competition. Engineers and pilots tested their designs in three categories for the competition:

1. A traditional distance throwing competition with an 8.5in x 11in piece of paper;
2. A wild-card distance throwing competition with an open concept design; and,
3. An an accuracy competition, in which the planes were thrown through a hula hoop at varying distances. 

Prizes and ribbons were awarded to first, second and third place for each category. The Schenck family, won the first place prize for both traditional distance and wild-card distance. The Staib family, took home the first place prize for accuracy. Congratulations to all of our competitors, for showing up, thinking like engineers, and developing creative and innovative paper airplane designs. Very impressive! 

Be on the lookout for another Family Fun Engineering Night in March 2024. We will send out more information from the BFA STEM Committee soon. Put on your thinking caps!

If you haven’t already, make sure to order your glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts before this deal ends tomorrow! Through tomorrow, Dec. 15, more than 50 percent of your order price will be donated back to BFA when you purchase via our fundraising sales page! Simply buy online, visit your local store, and redeem using your code. Treat yourself, gift them to friends and family, or just share the link because the offer can be redeemed at any location in the country (except in Connecticut).

These are perfect for stocking stuffers, holiday parties, gifts, or enjoying at home. Our goal is 100 dozen sold which would mean $800 for the PTO! Please spread the word and enjoy some doughnuts!

Incoming Kindergarten Families:

If you completed Open Enrollment for your incoming kindergartner with the intent of your child attending kindergarten at BFA for the 2024-25 school year, please request the Enrollment Packet by emailing Colleen Bobbin, BFA's director of admissions and records. (This includes current BFA preschool students who were open enrolled for kindergarten.)

If your student receives an offer from BFA and you accept it, the Enrollment Packet deadline is 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. By requesting it now, as a BFA family, you'll have a bit more time to gather required documents and fill out the required district forms.

Important Reminders for All:

Parents who completed Open Enrollment should check the EngagED Parent Portal TODAY, if you have not done so already. If there is an offer for your child, and you'd like to accept it, you must do so before 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18.

All parents who accept a BFA enrollment offer must submit the Enrollment Packet by 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 8. Enrollment offers will be withdrawn if the Enrollment Packet is not submitted by this deadline and/or is incomplete.

Thank you to everyone who contributed during the PTO's RaiseRight collection earlier this month. A total of $24,312 was collected from BFA families. Staff were notified of their respective gift amounts, gift card selections have been made, and the order placed. Led by Rebecca Mullenix, RaiseRIght committee manager, the PTO is organizing all the orders and will distribute the electronic gift cards before Winter Break.

All BFA girls and their fathers (or special adult) are invited to attend this year's Sweetheart Ball, Mardi Gras Masquerade, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, at BFA. Mark your calendars! Tickets will go on sale after Winter Break.

If you have any questions, please contact Katie Graham, Sweetheart Ball committee manager.

Happy Holidays! No matter how much we plan, this seems to be the season of hustle and bustle, and trying to squeeze activities, performances, and shopping into our already busy schedules. Often all this “extra” can leave us short tempered, impatient and exhausted. So, this is a good time to reflect on December’s virtue, Temperance. BFA’s interpretation of this virtue is:

Temperance - Control is the key to improvement. Keep your words, actions, and temper in control. 

This season, take time to talk to your kids about strategies to help them speak kindly to others, have patience while waiting, and find the joy in everything they do this season. 

Due to an increase in students not picked up during afternoon carpool and not scheduled for Before/After School Enrichment (BASE), we will need to begin charging parents for late pick-ups. Generally, carpool and All Call end by 3:55 p.m. Parents are expected to pick up their students on time--in fact, we'd like parents to arrive on campus by 3:45 p.m. at the latest for afternoon pick-up. Beginning Monday, Dec. 11, students who are not registered for BASE and are not picked up by 4 p.m. will be charged $5 per student for the first offense and $10 per student for the second offense. Charges will continue to go up by $5 per student after each offense.

Furthermore, students not registered for BASE and not picked up by 4:15 p.m. will be charged an additional $2 per minute, per student beginning at 4:16 p.m.

Parents can sign up for BASE through MySchoolBucks. To find out more about BASE, see our webpage. 

In addition, we also are having trouble with parents missing the weekly (Friday) deadline to sign up for BASE in MySchoolBucks. Beginning Monday, Dec. 11, families will be charged $5 per student for the first offense and $10 per student for the second offense if they do not sign up their student(s) for BASE by the deadline. Charges will continue to go up by $5 per student after each offense.

For questions, please contact Jen Jones, office manager.

Last year, BFA moved our K-8 communications to School Messenger which is the primary messaging system used by the Douglas County School District (DCSD) as it pulls contact information directly from DCSD’s Infinite Campus (IC) system.

We'd like most BFA communications to go through the same messaging system, so beginning in January, we’ll begin sending general communications to preschool families through School Messenger, such as the Principal Newsletter, various reminders, and important notifications. All email communications from Mrs. Hafner and your preschool teachers will remain the same. 

During the month of December, we'll send general school communications both through the legacy system and School Messenger to ensure parents are receiving our messages. If you have any questions, please contact Carrie Keen, communications manager.

Harper Arts is accepting new students for our spring term! Waiting list emails have been sent out. We still have a few spots left on our roster for in-school, private and semi-private music lessons. We offer piano, guitar, ukulele and voice lessons for students in all grades. Check out all of our pricing and offerings at Harperarts.org and CLICK HERE to sign up TODAY!

Current BFA families can express interest in the 2023-24 preschool program for the three-year-old and four-year-old classes via the Intent to Enroll form found HERE or on the preschool webpage.

Preschool enrollment for BFA families is on a first come, first served basis, so it’s a good idea to complete the Intent to Enroll form early.

If you have questions, please contact the Preschool Director, Lori Hafner.

Please ask your student(s) to check Lost and Found or stop by school yourself to check for lost items before Thursday, Dec. 21. All remaining Lost and Found items will be boxed up during the school day on Thursday, Dec. 21, and donated.

If your student lost something valuable, such as glasses or jewelry, see the front office staff.

Be sure to order your 2023-2024 yearbook now for the best pricing! Right now, yearbooks cost $48 per book. (The price will go up to $50 on 1/27.) 

You may also order a yearbook dedication (parent tribute ad) for your student. Dedications are $38 for 1/8 of page if you order by December 31. After that, the price for dedications will go up to $40 (from 1/1 until the last day to order, 1/31). These ads are a fun way to help commemorate a great school year!

This year, we will be using a new company, Jostens, for our yearbooks. You can order and pay for your 2023-24 yearbook, and your dedication now!