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Ben Franklin Academy NewsletterVol. 3, Iss. 3
January 2013
In This Issue
:: SAC Parent Survey | Stay Curious Winners | Middle School Science Fair
:: Parent-Teacher Conferences | Book Fair | Writing Boot Camp | Box Tops | Father/Daughter Dance
:: Families Needed for Mentor Program | Volunteer for the BENefit Bash | Blanket Drive
:: Uniform Sale | Yearbooks on Sale | Volunteer Sign-In Computer
:: Middle School and Preschool Newsletters | Important Dates
Dear Parents, 

  

Knock on wood, car pool is running very smoothly, and we consistently finish afternoon car pool just before 4 p.m. We are so efficient that we often find ourselves waiting for parents to arrive. Please make every effort to arrive at school before 4 p.m.

  

I have observed several near misses with cars almost rear-ending other cars that are going into the waiting area. If you are directed to the waiting area, please put on your flashers to let everyone know you will be pulling over and not proceeding to the exit. If you do not need to go to the waiting area, please stay on the left side as you exit. Doing these things will reduce the likelihood of an accident.

  

We continually have a difficult time getting enough volunteers to assist with car pool. Please make this a priority and take your turn volunteering. It is not fair to rely on the same people day after day. I do realize that work schedules may interfere with volunteering during car pool, and I do not expect anyone to miss work or put your job in jeopardy to assist, but the simple truth is we need people to make car pool run efficiently. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

SAC Parent Survey
Survey

The School Accountability Committee (SAC) invites each family to complete one Parent Survey per family, even if you have multiple children attending Ben Franklin Academy. The survey should take five to 10 minutes to complete. Please submit the survey by Thursday, Jan. 31

 

The purpose of the SAC is to ensure that Ben Franklin Academy meets or exceeds the annual goals set for the school by its Board of Directors.  This survey was developed by the SAC and will provide the committee with valuable feedback on our parents' perception of the school's operation this year. Additionally, we will be able to compare results to last year's parent feedback. The information obtained from this survey will be compiled and presented to the Board at a later date, which will be announced on the Ben Franklin Academy website.

 

Thank you so much for your participation and valuable input!

Middle School Science Fair
Science Fair

 

This week, I had the pleasure of listening to many of the sixth and seventh graders present their Science Fair projects. The kids did an amazing job. I am so impressed with the quality of work I saw and the students' ability to explain their hypotheses.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 5, and Thursday, Feb. 7. You should receive an email from your teacher with directions on how to sign up for a conference time. I encourage you to meet with your child's teacher and discuss any questions or concerns you may have. This is a great opportunity to get some face time with your child's teacher(s) and to see how your child is performing.

Book Fair

Ben Franklin Academy will be holding a Scholastic Book Fair the week of Parent-Teacher Conferences, Feb. 5-7

The Book Fair schedule is as follows:
  • 2-8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 5
  • 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6
  • 2-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 7
This is a great time to purchase books for friends and families and donate a book or two to the school library.
Writing Boot Camp

With TCAP testing around the corner, Ben Franklin Academy is excited to offer an after school Writing Boot Camp taught by Cynthia Sieradski. This nine-day writing workshop will allow Ben Franklin Academy students to strengthen their writing techniques.  They will receive intensely focused instruction on how to analyze a writing prompt, clearly organize their ideas and write solid paragraphs and multi-paragraph essays. The workshop also will cover helpful test taking strategies. Mrs. Sieradski is a K-12 certified licensed teacher with a master's in education who specializes in writing and language arts. Her sons, Chase and Trey, are Ben Franklin Academy students.

The Writing Boot Camp schedule is as follows:
  • Session 1: Fourth and fifth grades, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 4, through Thursday, Feb. 14
  • Session 2: Sixth and seventh grades, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 19, through Friday, March 1
Tuition is $162. For more information, click here. To register, click here and click on "Writing Workshop." Registration is limited to 20 students per session.
Families Needed for Mentor Program 

The Parent Advisory Committee (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, email the PAC.

BFA's Make an Impact
2013 Blanket Drive

Ben Franklin Academy is proud to partner with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the DFM Annual Blanket Drive and will be collecting new and clean, gently used blankets for donation.
This is an exciting opportunity for our children to learn the virtue of humility and "being mindful of others" who are less fortunate. 
 
 
We are collecting items for the drive from Monday, Feb. 4, through Friday, Feb. 22, by grade level. Specifically, the schedule is as follows:
  • Feb. 4-8: Preschool, K-2nd
  • Feb. 11-14: 3rd-5th
  • Feb. 19-22: 6th-7th 

Parent volunteers will be counting the blankets daily, and the class with the most donations will get to proudly display a trophy signifying their stellar community outreach attitude! To volunteer, click here.

 

Accepted blankets:   
  • Twin, full, queen and king
  • Sleeping bags
  • Quilts
  • Comforters
(New socks also will be accepted.)
 

Please email the PAC or Erin Salehiamin with questions.

Newsletters
Middle School and Preschool

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

Stay Curious Video Contest Winners

Thank you to Blue Ribbon everyone who participated in the Stay Curious Video Contest! Forty-three very curious Ben Franklin Academy students submitted videos, and five will be awarded prizes. We applaud every student who chose to share his/her curiosity with us.

 

The prizes are as follows:

  • First prize goes to Whitney Chuhtna, kindergartener, for the thoughtful and creative way she demonstrated her curiosity via Curiosity Theatre (� la Masterpiece Theatre). She queries how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, if a tree makes a sound in the forest when it falls, how much wood a woodchuck chucks and what types of creatures live in our local lakes. Whitney will receive two tickets to a professional Colorado sporting event and an iPod Shuffle.
  • Ana Julia, first grader, takes second prize for her creative video inquiring about electricity. Ana has won two tickets to a professional Colorado sporting event.
  • The third prizewinners are William and Aiva Titus, third and first graders, respectively, for starring in a well-thought out video about simple machines. The Titus family wins an iPod Shuffle.
  • Mina Poleschook, first grade, takes fourth prize. She and her little sister showed their curiosity in wondering about kinetic force. Mina wins an iPod Shuffle.  
  • Fifth prize goes to Marissa Kersey, seventh grader, who is curious about global warming and chose to inquire about it in her Halloween costume. She also wins an iPod Shuffle.   

The prizes awarded to the top five video winners are courtesy of Matt Krohl (professional Colorado sporting event tickets) and 360 Media/Solie Swan (iPod Shuffles). Mr. Krohl and Mr. Swan are both members of the Marketing Comittee; Mr. Swan serves as the committee's chairman.  

 

Ben Franklin Academy students have done an incredible job Staying Curious. Keep up the good work kids! You can view each video by clicking here. If you have any questions about the Stay Curious video contest, please email the Marketing Committee. 

Box Tops for Education
Box Tops

Q: What is the best kind of money?
A: Free money!

Free money is exactly what Box Tops for Education means for Ben Franklin Academy. I was on the Box Tops for Education website today and noticed that Ben Franklin Academy has earned more than $4,500 since March 2012 thanks to students turning in Box Tops. This amount is great, but I challenge us to do better.

Box Tops is a great fundraiser for the school because it does not require your child to go door-to-door selling a product or for you to hit up friends and family time and again. Everyone has to go grocery shopping - sometimes multiple times per week. The Box Tops logo can be found on hundreds of items, many of which you use every week. All you need to do is clip the Box Tops logo and send them into school. The Ben Franklin Academy Box Tops coordinator and volunteers do the rest. The end result is more money for the school and our students.

January's winning classroom was Mrs. Goldin's fourth grade - they turned in more than 600 Box Tops! The next Box Tops collection date is Wednesday, Feb. 13
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 are in need of volunteers to help with the Father/Daughter Dance. If you are able to volunteer, please contact Melissae Andersen
The PTO Needs You!
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.

Uniform Sale

The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) will hold a uniform sale on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the school. Look for details in the coming weeks for information on how to sell your uniforms.
Yearbook and Dedication Sales Have Started! Yearbook

Yearbooks and dedications are 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.   

Volunteer Sign-In Computer
  
The volunteer computer in the main office is back up and ready for all volunteers to sign in when they are volunteering in the building. Please remember to do this each time you volunteer. 
Important Dates
Calendar Clip Art
  • Spelling Bee (grades 4-7): 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 30, Gym
  • Father/Daughter Dance: 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2, Gym  
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences: 4-8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 5, and Thursday, Feb. 7 
  • Formal Uniform Day: Wednesday, Feb. 6
  • 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  
  • Box Tops Collection: Wednesday, Feb. 13
  • Dress of Choice Day: Thursday, Feb. 14
  • Teacher Work Day (no school for students): Friday, Feb. 15
  • Presidents' Day Holiday (school closed): Monday, Feb. 18 

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  
  • PAC: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 7, Middle School Commons Area 
  • 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 
  • Boys' Basketball Tournament (A Team Only):  
    • 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26, SkyView 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.