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September 2012, Vol. 2, Iss. 25
Room Parent Sign Up
Middle School and Preschool Newsletters
Car Pool Update
Spirit Day
STEM Expo
Formal Uniform Day
BFA Plants the Seeds of Knowledge
Stick with Name Bubbles
BFA Cookbooks
BSA @ BFA
Destination ImagiNation Update
Book Fair
Lego Mindstorms Robotics Class
After School Activities
Upcoming Middle School Sporting Events
Check Out HelpCounter
Business Professionals Network

Important Dates

Back-to-School Night (4-7):

     Sept. 27 

Spirit Day:

     Sept. 28

STEM Expo:

     Sept. 28  

Fly'n B Park Cleanup:

     Sept. 30 

Recipes and Pre-Orders Due for BFA Cookbook:

     Oct. 1

Boy Scouts Join Night:

     Oct. 1

Formal Uniform Day:

     Oct. 3

Boy Scouts Parent Info Night:

     Oct. 8

Book Fair

     Oct. 9-11 

Boy Scouts First Den Meeting:

     Oct. 15 

 

Upcoming Meetings

STEM Committee:  

     Oct. 3

School Accountability Committee:

     Oct. 4

Parent Teacher Organization:

     Oct. 4

Finance Committee:

     Oct. 8

Board of Directors:

     Oct. 9  

Parent Advisory Committee:

    Oct. 11 

 

Ben Franklin Academy

Address: 2270 Plaza Drive

Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Main Office: (720) 383-4519
Main Office Email: [email protected]

Attendance: (720) 432-9239 

Attendance Email:
[email protected]

Fax:  (303) 974-1738

Dear Parents,  

We apologize for the delay of the newsletter.  The provider we use to email the newsletter, Constant Contact, has had severe technical/server issues today, which is the reason for the delay.

Reminder:
Back-to-School Night for grades 4-7 is from 6-8 p.m., today, Thursday, Sept. 27.  The purpose of Back-to-School Night is to help parents become better acquainted with the school, staff and information specific to their child's grade level.  Please click here for a note from Principal Barber, and click here for an agenda.

Room Parent Sign Up  

Looking for a classroom volunteer position?  It's not too late!  The last day to sign up is today, Thursday, Sept. 27.  This is a great opportunity to earn your volunteer hours!     

 

Directions to Sign Up:

  • Go to the Ben Franklin Academy website and click on "Teacher Pages." 
  • Select the grade, and find the teacher's name.
  • Under the teacher's name, there will be the teacher's email address, web page, and finally the SignUp Genius link, which allows parents to sign up for a volunteer position.

Click here for a description of the available Elementary (K-5) classroom positions.

Click here for a description of the available Middle School (6-8) classroom positions.

 

If you have any questions regarding classroom positions, please email the designated contacts indicated on SignUp Genius.

Middle School and Preschool Newsletters            

If you are a parent of a Ben Franklin Academy student in middle school or preschool, you can get more in-depth information by clicking on the links or icons below.   

 
BFA web banner
Click here for the Middle School Newsletter
 
Preschool Newsletter Image
Click here for the Preschool Newsletter

Car Pool Update  

Car pool continues to run great.  I could not be more pleased with the new software and the quick times it takes to complete car pool.   

 

I have heard from a few parents asking why we require 10 of your volunteer hours to be spent volunteering in car pool.  The answer is that we need people to help ensure the safety of the students.  The car pool process is dependent on the volunteers we can get.  If we do not have enough, we may have to close down loading Zone B.  I do not want that to be an option.  Thank you to the parents who have volunteered so far, and I look forward to seeing new faces volunteering in the future.

Spirit Day            

Ben Franklin Academy's first Spirit Day is this Friday, Sept. 28.  Students are allowed to wear the white BFA spirit T-shirts, new red Lightning Bolt logo T-shirts or last year's Field Day T-shirts with their uniform bottoms of choice.  Students who choose not to wear spirit wear must still dress in their uniforms.   

 

This year, we will have Spirit Day once a month.  Spirit wear T-shirts may be purchased online through the BFA Store.   

STEM Expo  

The STEM Expo is this Friday, Sept. 28!  The STEM Committee still has openings for volunteers, so please go to HelpCounter to see what volunteer opportunities are available.   

 

If you are planning to attend the STEM Expo during the parent visitation time of 3:45-5 p.m., when you arrive at the school, get in the far right lane (Zone B).  Tell the person who is scanning numbers that you are here for the STEM Expo.  You will be given a white "Special Events" tag.  Follow Zone B around, and you will be directed to park in the overflow parking.  Please arrive after 3:45 p.m.

Formal Uniform Day     

Formal uniform day is Wednesday, Oct. 3.  Students are expected to wear their navy blue polos with the Ben Franklin Academy logo and khaki bottoms.

BFA Plants the Seeds of Knowledge

Ben Franklin Academy is committed to providing unique learning opportunities for all of its students.  Thus, we have designed the Planting the Seeds of Knowledge:  A Greenhouse Lab project to permit an incomparable opportunity for students to simulate different habitats while learning how physical factors and climates relate to plant types and growth.  Through hands-on, inquiry-based experiments, our students will develop crucial laboratory and science skills; explore and better understand the world around them and how to be stewards of the environment; and apply and further develop their mathematics, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills as they make measurements, record and organize data, perform calculations and interpret results.  For more information, please visit our website.

 

Ben Franklin Academy appreciates all of its generous donors for their support of the Planting the Seeds of Knowledge:  A Greenhouse Lab project and specifically thanks the following: Ben Franklin Academy Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), Kent and Monica Barwind, Bouma Construction, Matt and Paige Brock, Bill Castor, Farmers Insurance, Highmark School Development LLC, LT Environmental Inc., Lunch on the Go Catering Inc., Nighthawk Production LLC, Jason and Amy Sunahara, UMB Bank Colorado, Scott and Lori Walters and Xcel Energy.

 

The school also thanks Greenhouse Acquisition Team members Jason Cochrane, Dawn Czesh, Dee Duncan, Diana Simpson and Chuck and Linda Wilson for their hard work and dedication to this wonderful, educational opportunity.  

 

To support our Planting the Seeds of Knowledge:  A Greenhouse Lab project, please click here for a printable donor card or make an online donation.  Remember, many employers have matching programs for such donations.

Stick with Name Bubbles    

Never lose your kid's stuff again!  You can with Name Bubbles - personalized, self-adhesive labels that stay put through the laundry and dishwasher.  When you buy Name Bubbles, 20 percent of the proceeds go directly to Ben Franklin Academy!  

 

To order, go to NameBubbles.com, and choose your favorite labels.  Enter BFA2012 in the Promotional Code section when you are ready to purchase, and click "Apply" to activate the code.  You can order Name Bubbles any time throughout the year, but get your order in before Sunday, Sept. 30, to be included in our fall fundraising check.  For more information, click here.   

BFA Cookbooks

The Baking Committee needs your favorite recipes for the inaugural BFA Cookbook!  The cookbook will be delivered the week of Thanksgiving, which makes it a fun - and tasty - gift for the holidays.  Cookbooks are $13 each, and each main section will feature artwork of a Ben Franklin Academy student.   

 

If you would like to submit a recipe, go to G&R Publishing.  Log in with username BFA.recipe and password bake2012The deadline to submit recipes is Monday, Oct. 1.  You also can pre-order cookbooks before Oct. 1 via the online store.  For questions or to pre-order and pay via cash/check, email Kelli Stratton, Baking Committee. 

BSA @ BFA

The Boy Scouts are coming to Ben Franklin Academy!   

  • Join Night is at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 1, in the Middle School Commons Room for all interested students and parents.   
  • Parent Information Night (this is a parent-only meeting) is at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 8.   
  • The first den meeting is at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 15.   

The Boy Scouts also will be available for questions at Back-to-School Night.  If you are interested in being a leader or assistant leader, please email us.  For more information, click here.     

Destination ImagiNation Update      

Destination ImagiNation (DI) teaches creative problem solving, teamwork, time management and a multitude of skills students can use in all areas of their lives  If you are interested in having your child participate, please email the STEM Committee by Sunday, Oct. 7.  

 

We are in need of Team Managers (parents) to lead the teams.   If we do not have enough parent volunteers, then kids will miss an amazing opportunity.  If you have questions, please email Dawn Cseh.  This is a great opportunity to get volunteer hours in a fun way! 

Book Fair  

Ben Franklin Academy will host a Scholastic Book Fair Oct. 9-11.  The Book Fair will be open for purchasing during the day and Parent/Teacher Conferences:

  • 2-8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 9
  • 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., and 3-6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 10
  • 2-8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 11

Lego Mindstorms Robotics Class       

We are pleased to offer another great after school activity - Lego Mindstorms Robotics.  This robotics class starts Tuesday, Oct. 16, and is for ages 8 and up.  For more information, click here.

After School Activities    

Ben Franklin Academy offers several after school activities for students.  Check out what we offer:  

  • Middle school sports at Ben Franklin Academy has officially started.  We have a girls' volleyball team, boys' soccer team and boys'/girls' cross-country teams.  Please click here or see below for a calendar  of upcoming events.    
  • French and Spanish are scheduled to begin the week of Oct. 16. 
  • We also have a number of other programs underway, including music with SERA Schools, chess class with Denver Chess Champion Todd Bardwick, sign language for grades K-7, a wonderful new drama program with KidStage and Tae Kwon Do all year for all ages.  Visit the Activities page on the Ben Franklin Academy website for more details on enrollment and general information.

Upcoming Middle School Sporting Events  

Girls' Volleyball (all games start at 4 p.m.)

  • Thursday, Sept. 27, at BFA
  • Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Aspen Academy
  • Thursday, Oct. 4, at BFA

Boys' Soccer (all games start at 4 p.m.) 

  • Thursday, Sept. 27, at Legacy Academy
  • Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Platte River Academy
  • Thursday, Oct. 4, vs. Aspen Academy, location TBA

Cross Country (all meets start at 3 p.m.) 

  • Friday, Sept. 28, Mammoth Invite
  • Friday, Oct. 5, League Meet at Legacy Academy

Check Out HelpCounter

Remember to check HelpCounter frequently for the latest volunteer opportunities by clicking here.

Business Professionals Network Committee 

The Business Professionals Network Committee has set up a Ben Franklin Academy Network on LinkedIn.  Join us today to network with parents and staff at Ben Franklin Academy and keep updated on networking events.  Start a discussion or share articles of interest with the Ben Franklin Academy community.

 

We also are compiling a Business/Service Directory.  If you own a business or provide a service and would like to be included in the directory, please submit your information to the BFA Business Professionals Network.  Once compiled, the committee will post a link on the Business Professionals Network page via the Ben Franklin Academy website.  This is a terrific opportunity for free advertising, and we can all reach out to the services within our community!

Sincerely,  

 

Bob Barber 

Principal

Ben Franklin Academy