There is no school for students TOMORROW, April 26, as it is a teacher planning day.

Wednesday, May 1, is a Formal Uniform Day; and Friday, May 3, is an EXTRA DRESS OF CHOICE DAY!

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.

The FUN RUN is happening TODAY, April 25, but students still have time to get donations toward their fundraising goal and earn GREAT prizes!

You still can make donations, check out prizes, and more at the fundraising website (password: franklin24). The PTO would like each student to set a fundraising goal of $75 in order to reach the $50,000 school fundraising goal.

• All donations are due Thursday, May 2.
• If a donor sends cash or check, please put it in an envelope clearly marked with your student’s name and teacher name, and turn it into the front office. Checks should be made out to BFA PTO. 
• If you have donations that are not showing up online, it is most likely due to a misspelled name or nickname. Please be assured that we will match all donations prior to prizing; no donations will be missed!

The last day our Library will be open this school year is Friday, May 10. We will not check out any books after May 10, and all books must be returned by Wednesday, May 15. If you have a lost or damaged book, the fee will be posted in MySchoolBucks. (Note, if you return the book undamaged before the end of the school year, the fine will be removed.) If there are unpaid fines at the beginning of next school year, your student will not be able to check out books.

The STEM Committee is so excited to announce our upcoming 2024 STEAM Expo is from 9:15 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Friday, May 3, at BFA. 

We will be hosting STEAM related booths and exhibits from local businesses, organizations and students! As part of this BFA tradition, all of our students will have an hour to explore the Expo during the school day. Through hands-on activities and demonstrations, students will learn about the wonderful STEAM opportunities at our school and in the local community. 

If you have any questions about the event or are interested in stopping by, please contact the STEAM Coordinator, Kyle Nolting, at knolting@bfacademy.org. The event is catered towards our students but we are happy to invite parents who are interested! 

This is also a great chance to get those final volunteer hours of the year! Please visit the STEAM Expo Sign-Up and pitch in to help make the Expo a success.

STEAM Expo Class Schedule:

• 8:30-9:15: Vendor/volunteer check in and set-up
• 9:15-10:15: 3rd, K, morning K, and Preschool
• 10:15-11:15: 7th and 8th
• 12:00-1:00: 2nd, 6th, 
• 1:00-2:00: 5th and 4th
• 2:00-3:00: 1st, Afternoon K, and Preschool

On May 3, please be conscious of multiple exhibitors parked in the preschool parking area and more than usual movement happening during carpool drop-off and pick-up. Look closely and you may even see some dinosaur bones, farm animals or a fire truck!

Get ready for a FANTASTIC, STEAM-filled day!

We're happy to share that the 2024 Ben Franklin Academy Science Fair is going to be held from May 6 - 8 with a parent viewing night from 4 – 7 p.m. on May 7. Parents of third and fifth graders, please put these dates on your calendars. The event will be held in the lightning (small) gym.

If you would like to volunteer during student viewing times please fill out the viewing volunteer sign-up. If any parents are interested in helping us judge students' science fair presentations, please complete the judging sign-up. We only ask that you refrain from signing up to judge your child(ren)’s grade(s). 

More information will be sent out closer to the event date, including Science Fair project expectations, viewing and judging logistics. If you have any other questions, please refer to the BFA Science Fair Handbook linked on the BFA Science Lab website.

Thanks to Mrs. Flint, Science Specialist, and Mr. Nolting, STEM Coordinator, for all their work on the Science Fair!

The PTO was happy to host about 200 mothers and sons for mini golf and dinner, coordinated by Big Sky Bounce. A HUGE thank you to Erica Reese for planning such a fun event!  

You can view photos of the event (password: photos123). The pictures are for your personal use--please do not post pictures of other attendees as some families prefer not to be on social media. The mother-son pictures will be distributed in the coming weeks. 

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this year's Spring Social Mother-Son Mini Golf a success! 

Did you know that one of BFA's traditions is a private summer event at Pirates Cove for families who complete their recommended volunteer hours? That's right! Your entire immediate family can attend a private BFA night at Pirates Cove on the PTO! Not only that, if you earn 50, 75 or 100 volunteer hours, you will be awarded special BFA logo'd items (distributed at Pirates Cove check-in) to show our appreciation for going above and beyond! So, mark your calendars for this year's Pirate's Cove BFA Night which will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, June 8. Be sure to log those volunteer hours! You don't want to miss it!!

Please note: No additional tickets will be sold. This is ONLY an event for those for families who have completed and recorded their family’s recommended volunteer hours (30 hours per family or 15 hours per single-parent household) in Help Counter by midnight, Wednesday, May 29. No exceptions will be made.

Thank you to all the families who have volunteered this year. We sincerely appreciate all that you do for BFA! 

The PTO is looking for elementary (K-5) Room Parents for next school year! Being a Room Parent is a fun way to get your volunteer hours in, develop a great relationship with your child's teacher and get involved in the school. If you are interested, please send an email to the PTO Room Parent Coordinator, Amy Marks, at roomparents@bfacademy.org.

I scream. You scream. We all scream for ICE CREAM! Save the date for a fun spirit night from 3-9 p.m. on Monday, May 13, at Gelato & Co. in Highlands Ranch (1509 Park Central Drive). Gelato & Co will donate 20 percent of all BFA sales that night, so be sure to let them know that you are with BFA to make your purchase count! Mark your calendar. You won't want to miss out!

Eighth grade families, save the date for the Annual Eighth Grade Dinner coming up from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, in the Middle School Commons. This will be a catered dinner for eighth graders only, brought to you by the PTO. If you are interested in helping during the dinner, please contact PTO Social Coordinator, Ewelina Chrzanowski, at ptosocial@bfacademy.org.

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 that will be held from 12 - 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, at Redstone Park. Ben’s Brigade will be providing food and drinks. If you plan on attending, please RSVP for the picnic, so they know how many to expect.

Contact Ben’s Brigade Committee Manager, Justin Mayhall, at BFABensBrigade@gmail.com to learn more.

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.

Each year, the parent community is asked to vote for open executive officer and committee chair positions. Your vote is important. Voting is open NOW 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.

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

Uniform Consignment 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.

Middle school field day is May 22 at Redstone Park. Registration and the completion of a waiver is required to attend; registration is open in MySchoolBucks. 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.

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.

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. 

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!