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Ben Franklin Academy Newsletter | Vol. 3, Iss. 26 September 2013 | |
Dear Parents,
Don't forget! Tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 27, there is no school for students (teacher work day), and Wednesday, Oct. 2, is formal uniform day.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
October is right around the corner, and with it comes our first session of Parent-Teacher conferences. These 15-minute meetings give you a chance to meet with your child's teacher and discuss the progress that has been made so far this year. Conferences this year will be from 4-8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Your teacher will provide you with assessment data from our beginning-of-the-year tests. They will share work samples and information about classroom behavior and attitude. It is also a time for you ask questions or share information about your student that the teacher may need to know (outside activities, family changes, illnesses, etc.).
These conferences are limited to 15 minutes and, for most grade levels, will be with homeroom teachers. If you need more time or would like to meet with a different teacher (specialists or ability group teachers), however, please contact that teacher and s/he will be happy to set up an alternative time. Specials teachers will be available on conference nights for drop-in conferences. Middle school conferences are structured a little differently, and middle School parents will receive a separate communication about those conference procedures.
Since there is a short time frame to meet, please come to your conference prepared. For grades 1-5, please check Gradelink to look at your student's grades. It is often helpful to go over the grades with your student before conferences so there are no surprises. Also, if you have any questions, writing them down will help guide your meeting.
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STEM Update
STEM Expo - Thank you to everyone who made the STEM Expo a great event today!
Destination ImagiNation (DI) - We are still looking for Team Managers. Anyone interested in having his/her child participate in DI should email the STEM Committee. Please include your send child's name and grade.
StarLab - The StarLab was a success this week, and the students were very excited about it. All sessions were taught by Jason Cochrane, Academic Director.
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Ben's Brigade
Ben's Brigade (the new BFA Men's Committee) is holding their first meeting from 8-9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30, at Lansdowne Arms (9352 Dorchster St.) in the Highlands Ranch Town Center. Bring your ideas on how BFA can get more male role-models involved in a positive, visible and fun way.
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Ask DCSD Lunch Your Questions
Representatives from the Douglas County School District (DCSD) lunch program will be at the next PTO meeting, scheduled at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3, in the library. Feel free to attend and ask questions or let them know how much you like the lunch program.
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School Directory
The PTO is putting together an online school directory that will be on the BFA website and accessed through a
password. You may opt out of the directory. If you choose to opt out of the directory, you must do so by Monday, Oct. 7. To opt out, please click here.
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Scholastic Book Fair
We will be having a Scholastic Book Fair the week of Parent-Teacher Conferences. The Scholastic Book Fair will be held on the following dates: - 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8
- 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9
- 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10
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Turn In Your Box Tops!
The first Box Tops collection date is Wednesday, Oct. 9.
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Street Smarts at SouthGlenn
Do you like to shop the Streets at SouthGlenn? Now when you shop, go to Guest Services located in the Concierge Lobby in the building next to the parking structure, and get your receipts validated for BFA. Let them know you want your receipts to go towards points for BFA. At the end of the school year, BFA can earn up to $2,500!
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Student Appreciation and Ben Bucks
The PTO has created a new committee this year called Student Appreciation, which recognizes BFA students for displaying the 13 virtues and/or excellent behavior throughout the school year.
The committee has given each teacher "Ben Bucks" to give to his/her students for showing exemplary actions that go above and beyond expectations. The following includes FAQs about Ben Bucks:
Q: How many Ben Bucks does it take to redeem a prize?
A: The prizes will range between one to 10 Ben Bucks.
Q: Will ALL students receive Ben Bucks?
A: The idea behind Ben Bucks is to show appreciation to those students who demonstrate the virtues above and beyond the typical good behavior. We think that the majority of students will be able to earn at least one Ben Buck. Q: Can students carry Ben Bucks over to the next redemption time?
A: Yes. Students are allowed to save their Ben Bucks for the second redemption date; however, they are responsible for keeping track of the Ben Bucks and will not be given replacements for lost Ben Bucks. (Redemption dates for Ben Bucks are Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, and Friday, April 11, 2014.)
Q: Will there be a top prize?
A: There will be a limited number of top prizes for those students with 25 or more Ben Bucks. This will be a small number of students.
Q: How many Ben Bucks should be handed out?
A: Ben Bucks should be handed out sparingly. They are not meant to be handed out frequently - but rather when a student is going above and beyond in the classroom and demonstrating one of the 13 virtues.
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Board of Directors Minutes
Find the latest BFA Board of Directors minutes by clicking here.
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Harvest Festival a Success!
BFA's annual Harvest Festival brought in more than 900 parents and students this year! The kids had a great time running from room to room to play games.
Special thanks to the Baking Committee, which donated more than 150 cakes to the event. The Cake Walk was a huge hit!
The correct number of candies for the Candy Corn Guess was 753. The winners are:
- Student winner: Alexis Bronson (Ms. Dychus' class) won the jar of candy corn and a Jamba Juice gift card
- Parent winner: Matt Keillor (father of Natalie in Mrs. Saleh's class) won a Which Wich gift card
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Muffins with Mom
Calling all moms, grandmas and aunts: Please join us with your student(s) at 7 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the gym for muffins, breakfast beverages and visiting.
Hope to see you there!
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Middle School Social
BFA Middle School students are invited to attend the Corn Maze Social from 7-10 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4, at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. Tickets are $8 per person for the corn maze and hayride combo. The haunted maze portion (opens on Oct. 4) will be an additional cost. More information will follow as the time draws near. Denver Botanic Gardents at Chatfiled is located at 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Rd., Littleton, Colo., 80128.
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Fire Prevention Week
Littleton Fire Rescue wants you to be safe by helping observe Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12. This year's theme is "Prevent Kitchen Fires." For fire prevention tips, click here. For additional information, click here.
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BFA Networking Social
Come out and meet other BFA professionals for this casual meet-and-greet networking social from 5-6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Landsdowne Arms (9352 Dorchster St.) in the Highlands Ranch Town Center. This is a great way to introduce your business or services to other professionals in the BFA community. Please RSVP so space can be reserved for our group in advance. Plan to meet on the upstairs patio (or inside in the event of inclement weather). To RSVP or if you would like to be added to the BFA Business Network Professionals group, please contact Amber Simonis via email or phone at (303) 905-5137.
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There will be a silent auction meeting at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 24, in the BFA Library. For any questions, please email the Silent Auction committee.
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How's the WeatherBug?
You may have noticed a new display in our front office. During the first week of September, we installed a WeatherBug weather station on our roof. Shortly thereafter, it was hooked up to our network and began producing real time weather data straight from BFA.
The system will be used in a variety of ways at BFA. Its will be used mainly for education, but it will also serve to help determine safe weather conditions outside during recess since we can take a look at wind chill and the heat index on-site.
The educational benefits of our weather station will predominantly belong to the fourth grade, which has the largest weather unit. They will be able to look at wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity, pressure and view rain gauge information. Our middle school newscast elective is planning to utilize the station for live weather broadcasts in their weekly newscasts. Also, as a part of the package, we will have access to an online interactive lesson suite called WeatherBug Achieve. Students in a variety of grade levels will be able to take advantage of these interactive lessons.
From home and on your mobile device, you also have access to our weather data:
- On a computer, you may click here to see a flash display of our data. You may also access historical data and trends by clicking here.
- On your mobile device, you can download the WeatherBug application and do a quick search for Ben Franklin Academy using our area code. This will bring up our station's current data for your viewing pleasure.
We look forward to the exciting things to come from this system, and we hope that your student(s) find excitement in knowing they have some wonderful opportunities to come as they move through their educational endeavors here at BFA.
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Important Dates
- STEM Expo: Thursday, Sept. 26, Gym
- No School for Students (Teacher Work Day): Friday, Sept. 27
- Preschool Informational Meeting: 9 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1
- Formal Uniform Day: Wednesday, Oct. 2
- Muffins with Mom: 7 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 2, Gym
- Ask DCSD Your Lunch Program Questions: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3, Library
- Middle School Boys' Basketball Online Registration Deadline: Midnight, Thursday, Oct. 3
- Middle School Corn Maze Social: 7-10 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4, Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
- Online School Directory Opt Out: Monday, Oct. 7
- Parent-Teacher Conferences: 4-8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Thursday, Oct. 10
- Scholastic Book Fair: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9, Library
- Box Tops Collection: Wednesday, Oct. 9
- Dress of Choice Day: Friday, Oct. 11
- Fall Break (no school): Oct. 14-18
Upcoming Meetings
- Ben's Brigade: 8-9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30, Landsdowne Arms
- Grant Committee: 9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30, Conference Call
- Marketing Community Outreach (MCO): 6:30 p.m, Tuesday, Oct. 1, Library
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee: Wednesday, Oct. 2, Science Lab
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School Accountability Committee (SAC): 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3, Conference Room
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Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3, Library
- Finance Committee: 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7, Library
- Board of Directors: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, Library
- Find the latest BFA Board of Directors minutes by clicking here.
- BFA Networking Social: 5-6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, Landsdowne Arms
- Green Team Committee: 4:15 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9
- Silent Auction Committee: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 24, Library
Middle School Athletics
- Girls' Volleyball:
- 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, at SkyView Academy
- 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1, at BFA vs. Aspen Academy
- 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3, at Platte River Academy
- 9 a.m., Tournament: Saturday, Oct. 5, at Sky View Academy
- Boys' Soccer:
- 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, at SkyView Academy vs. North Star Academy
- 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1, at SkyView Academy
- 4 p.m., Tournament: Wednesday, Oct. 2, and Friday, Oct. 4, at Sky View Academy
- Cross Country:
- League Meet, Friday, Oct. 4, Legacy Academy
- Legacy Invitational, Friday, Oct. 11, Legacy Academy
Ben Franklin Academy Calendars
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Sincerely,
Bob Barber Principal Ben Franklin Academy |
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Contact Us!
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Mission: Our mission is to develop young adults with character like America's founding Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin: well-read, scientifically curious, and civically engaged.
Vision: Our students will excel academically through a challenging, sequenced curriculum that emphasizes math, science, and literacy. We will be a data driven institution, focusing on individual students. Our students, teachers, parents, staff, and leaders will be held accountable for the success of our school. Finally, we recognize that an education is incomplete without fostering the arts, sports, nature, and character.
13 Virtues: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.
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