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Ben Franklin Academy NewsletterVol. 3, Iss. 2
January 2013
In This Issue
:: Upcoming Holidays/School Closures | Board Elections | Attendance Reminder | Milk Caps for Moola
:: K-5 Science Fair Parent Meeting | Sudoku and Art Clubs | Families Needed for Mentor Program
:: Father/Daughter Dance | BENefit Bash Silent Auction | Yearbook and Dedication Sales
:: Middle School Newsletter | Important Dates
Dear Parents, 

  

Ben Franklin Academy is honored to work together with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and DFM Annual Blanket Drive for the Homeless for our first ever Ben Franklin Academy Blanket Drive.

 

Starting Monday, Feb. 4, the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) will begin collecting new and/or gently used blankets until Friday, Feb. 22. Look for further details in next week's Thursday folders.

   

Geography Bee  

  

Congratulations to the 10 finalists for Ben Franklin Academy's first ever Geography Bee! The following 10 students advanced from the preliminary rounds and met in the school finals:

 

  • 4th grade: Aidan Hume
  • 5th grade: Austin Singleton
  • 6th grade: Lauren Jost, Mark Keplinger and Walker Sparling
  • 7th grade: Madison Duffy, Brenden Geiselhardt, Aubrey Gerken, Natalie Smith and Peyton Wright

 

It was a great competition with all of the students answering tough questions correctly. I am pleased to announce our runner-up and Ben Franklin Academy champion:

  • 1st place: Austin Singleton
  • 2nd place: Peyton Wright

Austin will now complete the written test to see if he qualifies for the Colorado State Finals. Way to go!

Upcoming Holidays/School Closures
Closed Sign

Don't forget: Tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 18, is a teacher work day (no students), and on Monday, Jan. 21, the school is closed in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  

Attendance Reminder

If your student is going to be absent from or late to school for any reason, please remember to contact the attendance line at (720) 432-9239 or via email at [email protected]. 

Elementary School Science Fair
Science Fair

Parent Meeting

 

There will be a Q&A session for any parent of K-5 students regarding the upcoming Science Fair from 6-7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 23, in the library. The elementary school Science Fair will be held the week of Feb. 25 to March 1. The Science Fair is non-competitive for the elementary school.

Sudoku Club
Sudoku

We are excited to offer a Sudoku Club to interested students starting after school from 3:30-4:30 p.m., Wednesdays, in Mrs. Crespo's room (264). It is open to all Ben Franklin Academy students and is free of charge. To sign up, email Mr. Cochrane and express your interest by providing your student's name(s), grade level and experience level with Sudoku math puzzles.

 

Dee Duncan, a dedicated volunteer and STEM committee member, will lead the after school club. All experience levels are welcome.

Art Club

Mrs. Hinkle will be starting an Art Club that meets from 4-5 p.m. on Tuesdays. The club is open to K-5 students. The cost is $15 per session. Students will be working on a variety of art projects. Please email Mrs. Hinkle for more details and to express your interest. Class size will be limited to 26 students per session.

Father/Daughter Dance
Dance
The Father/Daughter Dance will be held at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2, in the Ben Franklin Academy gym. Tickets are now available through the online store. Ticket prices include drinks, snacks and photos of the event. This will be a great night for our dads to help our daughters know they are special!

We also are in need of volunteers to help with the Father/Daughter Dance. If you'd like to help, the next volunteer meeting will be at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 23, at The Corner Bakery in Town Center. For questions, please contact Melissae Andersen.  
Newsletters
Middle School and Preschool

If you are a parent of a Ben Franklin Academy student in middle school, you can get more in-depth information by clicking on the link or icon below.
BFA web banner
Click here for the Middle School Newsletter

Board Elections
Vote Button

To clarify from last week's newsletter regarding Board Elections: Both Seats 3 and 4 are up for election, meaning that the current seat holders - Matt Matherly and Jason Sunahara - are eligible to re-run for the seats, as well as anyone interested in running for one of the seats. Both Matt and Jason are seeking re-election. For more information, review the Board Documents. Additional information will be available after the Tuesday, Feb. 12, Board meeting.   
Milk Caps for Moola
Milk caps

Do you use Longmont Dairy? If so, then save your caps! Ben Franklin Academy is now part of Longmont Dairy's Milk Caps for Moola program. We collect the milk caps, turn them in and the school gets paid. The money earned will be used to help fund Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) committee activities such as the STEM Expo and Science Fairs.   

 

There is a collection bin in the foyer to drop off your caps. Please make sure you wash the caps before turning them in. Only caps that come from Longmont Dairy glass bottles are eligible, including: milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, half-and-half, whipping cream, orange juice, lemonade, raspberry lemonade, classic eggnog and cinnamon eggnog.

Families Needed for Mentor Program 

The PAC is looking for mentor families to participate in the New Family Mentor Program. As a mentor, you will reach out to an incoming family to offer support, experience and share your knowledge of Ben Franklin Academy. Our greatest need will be for kindergarten and middle school, however, we need mentors in all grade levels. For those families who were new this year, especially at the kindergarten level, this would be a great opportunity to share what you have learned this last year. We will be assigning new families with their 2013-14 mentor family within the next month and need your help. If you would be willing to reach out and befriend a new Ben Franklin Academy family for the 2013-14 school year, please email the PAC. 

The PTO Needs You!
With Upcoming Silent Auction
BENefit Bash
We are looking for volunteers to help organize our upcoming BENefit Bash Silent Auction and Dinner to be held from 5:30-11 p.m.,  Saturday, April 27, at the Denver Marriott Tech Center. This fun and important event cannot happen without the contributions of our parent community. Please consider joining our team. For a list of available volunteer positions, please click here for details.

The next volunteer meeting will be held at
6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 11, at the Target Starbucks in Town Center. If you are unable to attend, but would like to help, please email [email protected] for more information.

Yearbook and Dedication Sales Have Started! Yearbook

Yearbooks and dedications are now available for purchase through the online store. Order early to receive a special discounted rate. Please note: Your yearbook order must be received by Friday, March 1. No late orders or extra yearbooks will be ordered. Yearbooks will be distributed in May at school. 

Important Dates
Calendar Clip Art
  • Benjamin Franklin's Birthday: Thursday, Jan. 17
  • Teacher Work Day (no students): Friday, Jan. 18
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (school closed): Monday, Jan. 21
  • Volunteer Meeting for Father/Daughter Dance: 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 23, The Corner Bakery Town Center
  • Middle School Science Fair: Wednesday, Jan. 23, and Thursday, Jan. 24, Middle School Commons Area   
  • Spirit Day: Friday, Jan. 25 
  • Father/Daughter Dance: 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2, Gym 
  • Jump Rope for Heart: Wednesday, Feb. 6, and Thursday, Feb. 7  
  • Volunteer Meeting for BENefit Bash: 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 11, Target Starbucks Town Center 

Upcoming Meetings 

  • Marketing Committee: 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 4, Conference Room
  • STEM: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6, Library 
  • SAC: Thursday, Feb. 7, Conference Room 
  • Finance Committee: 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 11, Library
  • Board of Directors: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12, Library   
  • PTO: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12, Middle School Commons Area  
Middle School Athletics
  • Girls' Basketball:  
    • 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 17, at Aspen Academy
    • 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 22, at BFA vs. Platte River Academy   
  • Boys' Basketball:  
    • 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 17, at BFA vs. Aspen Academy   
    • 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Platte River Academy   
Ben Franklin Academy Calendars
Sincerely,
 

Bob Barber
Principal
Ben Franklin Academy
Contact Us!
Ben Franklin Academy

2270 Plaza Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

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

Attendance: (720) 432-9239 or [email protected]

Web: http://www.bfacademy.org/

Fax:  (303) 974-1738  

Ben Franklin Academy's 13 Virtues: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.