Welcome! This is the Principal Newsletter that is sent to families every Thursday throughout the school year. It's important to you because it contains information about summer activities, uniforms, opportunities to get involved at BFA, and tasks to complete this summer in preparation for next school year.

In addition, we’ve created a webpage especially for you to help answer some of the questions you may have about BFA. You can go to the Getting Started at BFA: Helpful Information for New Families webpage now, or find the webpage later by going to the BFA website and looking under the Parents tab.

We'll be providing a lot of information during the next few months, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please contact us at info@bfacademy.org.

BFA uses multiple communication tools to ensure that parents keep track of all the exciting things happening at BFA. BFA sends most communications to current K-8 parents using School Messenger.

• Current BFA Parents and Douglas County School District (DCSD) Families should have their contact preferences set up within their IC Parent Portal account to receive General, Attendance and Emergency notifications via (1) a phone call, (2) a text message and/or (3) through email.
• We will share instructions this summer with new DCSD families so they can set up their preferences on/after July 1, when their parent portal accounts are set for the 2023-24 school year by the District.

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!
• 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.

We want to thank everyone for their incredible thoughtfulness during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. With your help the teachers and staff enjoyed a week full of treats, flowers, cards, gifts, and other surprises! Special thanks to all of our wonderful PTO sponsors:

Santiago's Burritos

Chris West - Super 3D Printer

Lexie Christensen - Cryo Cupboard

Brooke Svanda - Suburban Girl Boutique

Angie Baker - Robeks

Becky Glaze - Clean Becky

Randy Kennedy - Crete Jack

Renet Greer - Greer Law

Chad Roberts - Canvas Credit Union

Erica Reese and her First Grade Girl Scout Troop

Starbucks Park Central

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week would not have been successful without the time and effort of many! Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped make this week possible. It is wonderful to see BFA come together to support the amazing teachers and staff at our school!

This year's science fair was a huge success! Thank you to all of the third and fifth grade students for your amazing projects—we can tell you put a lot of effort into them. The judges were truly impressed with the amount of work and understanding of science concepts displayed in each project.

To earn a medal, the student had to go above and beyond the basic requirements of the project while demonstrating ownership and understanding of their project. There were 16 third graders and 10 fifth graders who earned this high honor! These students demonstrated enthusiasm as well as conveyed their understanding of the science in their presentations. They impressed the judges and earned a perfect score!

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New this year were the honorable mention ribbons which went to those students who also went above and beyond the basic requirements but narrowly missed that perfect score. There were 19 third graders and 13 fifth graders who earned this award.

We also added a People's Choice Award this year where the students, parents and other adults were able to vote for their favorite project. There were 488 total votes. Our fifth grade winner was Autumn Matthews with 16 votes for her Guinea Pig Madness project, and our third grade winner was Waverly Felux with 14 votes for her Do Dogs have a Favorite Color project!

Congratulations to everyone who participated--you all should be so proud of your hard work! Our winners are listed below (with the exception of a few students who prefer no media coverage).

Thanks to the Collaborative SCFD Grant BFA received, our students experienced more visual art, theatre, music, opera and science programs than ever before!

This school year, the SCFD grant helped us engage with 15 different arts, culture and science organizations who provided 42 individual workshops or events! 

Total Grant Award: $10,000 

Additional $1,191.17 awarded

Total Grant spent: $11,191.17

We’re very grateful that Mrs. Tickle, Mrs. Hinkle and Ms. Johnson took the time to apply for the SCFD grant, as it broadened our students' knowledge of the arts, exposed them to talented, local artists and performers, and provided immersive learning experiences. We’re thrilled to share that we’ve already been awarded the grant again next school year, and we’re excited to work on implementing additional programs for the 2023-24 school year.

Attention eighth grade families, please save the date for the Annual Eighth Grade Dinner coming up from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, in the Middle School Commons. This will be a catered dinner for eighth graders only, brought to you by the PTO.Please RSVP if your student(s) will be attending.

If you are interested in helping during the dinner, please contact Ewelina Chrzanowski, PTO Social Coordinator.

Field day for our elementary students is next Monday, May 22, and Tuesday, May 23. Path Movement has let us know that each participant needs to have a waiver completed. Please click HERE and complete a waiver for EACH student so they can participate.

We are in need of several volunteers to help with the elementary field day activities. If you are interested, please click here to sign up!

Questions? Contact Janelle Nichols, Elementary PE Teacher.

Each month, a volunteer will be randomly chosen through a drawing to win a fun, surprise gift. All you have to do to be eligible to win, is log at least ONE hour of volunteer service in the month prior to the drawing.

For the month of April, Jennifer Borstad is the winner of our drawing for her volunteer time in March and she has won a $10 gift card to Starbucks. Congratulations, Jennifer! And, thank you again for helping out around school!

Check out this link for photos from the mother-son Nerf War event. You may download any pictures that you would like to keep. Each family who took a photo, will receive a 5x7 print in the coming weeks. Contact Ewelina Chrzanowski, PTO social coordinator, with any questions.

The 2022-23 yearbooks will be distributed TOMORROW, May 19. If you haven't ordered one yet, there will be a few extras available for purchase in Ms. Svensen's classroom after distribution for $50, cash or check (made out to BFA PTO) only.

Thank you to the middle school yearbook staff for all their hard work on the 2022-23 yearbook! 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2023 PTO Elections. The PTO is excited to announce their 2023-24 PTO Team and they look forward to serving the BFA community again next year. Thank you to the incredible 2022-23 PTO team for your dedication, enthusiasm and volunteerism.

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

Franklin Fest Committee Manager

If you’re interested in volunteering for this position or want to learn more, contact Erin Crowe, PTO secretary.

In August 2023, there will be changes to the way BFA’s Before/After School Enrichment (BASE) program will operate. We are moving to a mandatory pre-registration system, similar to what the summer camp program uses.

Next year, parents will need to register one week in advance for the day(s) their student(s) need care. Registration should be completed by the Wednesday prior to the week care is needed. Drop-in care will no longer be an option. This is to ensure appropriate staffing. 

Next school year, BASE will be available on Professional Development Days when students are not in the building, but teachers are working. We have three Professional Development Days next school year – Sept. 22, Nov. 3, and April 26. Additional details will be available this summer, but parents will be required to register in advance through MySchoolBucks.

A BASE rate change is necessary for next year as well. We have not increased rates since BFA opened in 2011, and staffing costs during those same years have increased dramatically. There will be 45 spots available each day. Once the 45 spots have been filled, you will not see a drop-down option in MySchoolBucks for that day.

You can choose from the following options:

• Morning BASE (6:45 - 7:45 a.m.), at a cost of $7 per day, per child.
• Afternoon BASE, (4 - 6 p.m.), at a cost of $14 per day per child. This is the new flat rate.

Before using BASE, each family must pay the $25 yearly registration fee and update their ELV account. 

Please ask your student to check the Lost and Found! The last day to claim items is May 25. All Lost and Found items will be packed up and donated after morning carpool on the last day of school.

The PTO is looking for Room Parents (K-5) 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 Anne Chacon, the PTO room parent coordinator.

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! BFA will get $2 back for each card sold. 

We all need additional tools to deal with the challenges of life, so we wanted to share information about this FREE opportunity for young girls age 10-15 to build self confidence through fly fishing and the outdoors. Girls on the Fly has developed an educational based curriculum with eight focus areas that help provide tools for the backpacks of these young girls lives. Visit their website for more information: www.girlsonthefly.org.

It's time for the Douglas County Libraries (DCL) Summer Reading Program--DOG DAYS of Summer. Let’s help DCL achieve their community reading goal AND raise money for our school library to purchase new books!

Registration is OPEN NOW for students, siblings, teachers and parents!

Be sure to include our school name and your student(s) grade when you register so our school gets credit. We'd love to win the $500 prize and purchase new books for our library! See the flier for details.

If your student has medication in the health room, please plan to pick it up between 9 - 11:30 a.m. on the last day of school. Only a parent/guardian or a designated adult can pick up medicine, unless the parents/guardian requests that their student take home the remaining medicine. This should be done in writing by sending an email to Mrs. Paulson in our Health Room by Friday, May 20. Please see the letter from our health room for details.

BASE MEDICATION: 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.

Did you know that one of the BFA PTO's traditions is a private summer event at Pirate's Cove for families who complete their recommended volunteer hours? That's right! Your entire immediate family can attend a private BFA night at Pirate's 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 Pirate's 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 Sunday, June 25. Be sure to log those volunteer hours. You don't want to miss it!

Please note: No additional tickets will be sold. This is 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 household) in Help Counter by midnight Wednesday, May 31, ONLY. 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! 

It's time to get registered for BFA's Summer Camp in MySchoolBucks (use your desktop or laptop--not the app). 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.

The individual weeks are starting to fill up quickly, register now to reserve your spot!

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 is available; please email us to see it.

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.  

Have your kids asked about the music lessons that happen during school? Harper Arts is thrilled to be returning next school year to offer music lessons and coaching at BFA. Students will continue to have the option to have piano, guitar, ukulele and voice during the school day! Students are approved to participate in this during DEAR, recess, specials, electives (middle school) and advisory (middle school). There will also be a limited number of spaces available after school. The cost of this program is $155 per month for the school year (small supply and book fees apply as well). These prices are based on one student for 20-minute lessons. Sibling discounts are available. Unlock your passion and potential with Harper Arts at BFA! 

Click here to sign up today! 

BFA offers a variety of summer camp opportunities whether your student is interested in chemistry, science, crafts, sports or just getting out of the house and having fun!

Click below to see all the options.