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Ben Franklin Academy NewsletterVol. 4, Iss. 13
April 2014
In This Issue
:: Student Appreciation | Restaurant Night | Elementary Science Fair | Summer Camp Registration
:: State Geo Bee Update | DI State Tourney | Stay Curious | MCO Wants You | BFF Social | Green Team Update
:: STEM Committee Openings | Ladies Night Out | Street Smarts | Volunteer of the Month | DCEF Events | Calendar
BENefit Bash 2014
Dear Parents,

Please read the following for EVERYTHING you need to know about the upcoming BENefit Bash Dinner and Silent Auction:

The BENefit Bash (BFA's premier fundraising and social event) is at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 26, at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center (200 Inverness Drive, Englewood).

 
You won't want to miss this fun, end-of-the-year event as we celebrate our year together with parents, teachers and staff. Never been to the Bash? Click here for FAQs about the event. 

*NEW* Kids Night Out   
Adrenaline Gymnastics will offer a Kids Night Out during the silent auction, which will run from 5-10 p.m. The cost is $25 per child and includes food, drinks and activities. This year, FREE babysitting will be provided for one child to families who have volunteered more than 100 hours to BFA! If you need a sitter for the night, click here to register. You must register by Wednesday, April 23, to reserve your spot. For details, click here. You will be contacted if your family qualifies for free babysitting.

*NEW* PTO Gives Back 
One of the goals of BFA's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to provide funding for extra projects at school that enhance the learning experience of students. Did you know that a portion of the proceeds from the BENefit Bash will go back to every teacher at BFA? We will be providing each teacher an equal portion of profits for improvements to their classrooms. Your children will be directly impacted by this event!  

 

*NEW* Tickets, Entertainment and Drawings! 
Tickets to the BENefit Bash Silent Auction and Dinner are $50 each.
Tickets will NOT be available at the door - ALL tickets must be purchased in advance
 
You've seen The Nacho Men performing around town, right? Now is your chance to boogie with them and your fellow BFA friends! That's right, The Nacho Men will be our entertainment at this year's BENefit Bash. Just another reason to attend this great night helping raise funds for our school and having fun at the same time!

Ellen Singleton is our second drawing winner. If you purchase your tickets by Thursday, April 17, you will be entered in a drawing to win a FREE ROOM at the Inverness Hotel. You can use it auction night or any other time you would like a close getaway (the drawing is for non-staff, as they get free tickets courtesy of the PTO). If a teacher purchases a ticket for his/her spouse/guest, s/he will be entered in the drawing.

 
Click here to purchase your tickets today!
 
Display Team Needs You
The Display Team needs volunteers to help with constructing and organizing baskets/items, as well as setting up the day of the BENefit Bash. If you are creative, organized and want to spend some fun time in April, join the Display Team by contacting Kimberly Kent.  

The Display Team still needs decorative baskets, boxes, cellophane paper, basket filler and ribbon. Please look around your home or use Michaels/ JoAnn's coupons and donate. These items may be dropped off in the front office.  

    

Volunteering for the Bash

We need a ton of volunteers to make this event successful.  It's a great way to get your volunteer hours done and meet other parents!
  • To help organize the baskets, please contact Kimberly Kent
  • To help set up the day of the event, click here.
  • To help with the Check-In/Check-Out Team, please click here.       
Student Appreciation
Student Appreciation 
 

Student Appreciation will be held tomorrow, Friday, April 11, in BFA's main hallway. This will be the last day to redeem Ben Bucks for this school year.

Science Fair
Be a Part of the Elementary Science Fair 
 

BFA's Science Fair for elementary school students will be Tuesday, April 15, and Wednesday, April 16. All of the judging will occur on April 15; April 16 will be reserved for parent and class viewing.  

 

Since all of the judging is completed in one day, we need lots of volunteer judges. This is a non-
competitive fair and a great opportunity to see how amazing our kids are. To volunteer, click here.  

State Geographic Bee Update   Geographic Bee    

 

We want to congratulate sixth grader Matthew Molfino for representing BFA so well at last week's Colorado Geographic Bee. Although he did not place in the top 10, he competed against 99 other students from across the state of Colorado, ranging in grades from fourth to eighth. The chances for qualifying for the state competition is less than one in 1,000!  

 

Marianne Kenney, Colorado Geographic Bee coordinator, said the following to all competitors, "Congratulations to all 100 students who participated in the 2014 Colorado Geographic Bee on April 4 at the University of Denver. It is truly an honor to act as state coordinator of this Bee!"   

 

For more information about the National Geographic Bee or if your child is interested in competing next year, click here.   

DI State Tourney This Weekend Destination ImagiNation
    
The BFA team that won in their category at the Destination ImagiNation (DI) regional tournament last month will be competing at the State DI Tournament on Saturday, April 12, at the Auraria Campus. They would love your support by watching them compete. For more information, click here
BFF Middle School Social   croissant2.jpg

Parents of middle schoolers, this Ben Franklin Friends (BFF) Social is especially for you! Do you want to get to know other Ben Franklin Academy families with kids in middle school? Come to the BFF Social from drop-off until 10 a.m., Monday, April 14, at the SuperTarget Caf� Starbucks in Town Center

The BFF Social is intended for parents to meet one another, ask policy questions, and voice feedback about their experiences at BFA. Kids who are home with you are welcome. While we're focusing on families with middle schoolers this month, BFF socials are always open to all BFA families. Hope you can join us! Please email the MCO with any questions.
Green Team Update Recycle

 

BFA is so lucky to have such an amazing Green Team. It consists of middle school students, STEM Committee members, teachers and parents. You should have received a flyer about a new recycling program for glue sticks, tape dispensers and glue bottles of which the Green Team is in charge. In addition, the Green Team picks up the recyclable trash cans every week from teachers' classrooms. Lastly, Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22, and the Green Team has a great program planned for that day, which includes a discussion on recycling by Waste Management.

PTO LogoPTO Ladies Night Out  
 
Need a night out to shop and socialize? Meet other BFA moms for a fun night out at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 17, at Hodsons at SouthGlenn. Get a special preview of some auction items and go shopping for a new outfit for the BENefit Bash! 
Volunteer of the Month Volunteer of the Month

 

The PTO highlights one volunteer each month who has gone above and beyond in his/her contributions to the school. This volunteer receives recognition in this newsletter and on the school website. S/he also has the privilege to park in one of our reserved parking spaces.  

For April, we have chosen Kristine Douglas. Kristine has been a dedicated volunteer at BFA since the day the school opened. This year, she single-handedly planned and executed a fabulous middle school Neon Bash. She is frequently seen helping at school and is available at a moment's notice with needs that come up at school.    

When asked what she likes most about BFA, Kristine responded,"
I love the staff and teachers at BFA. I appreciate their dedication to helping my children grow, not only as students, but into the people they will become tomorrow. My favorite part of each day is when I pick up my kids from school and neither of them can wait for the other one to finish talking about the great day they had and a story about one of their teachers. I just love that!"
 
Thank you, Kristine, for all that you do, and congratulations! Click here for more information about volunteering.
Restaurant Night

Don't feel like cooking? Join us for Restaurant Night from
now until 8 p.m., today, Thursday, April 10, at Freddy's in the Highlands Ranch Town Center
. Bring in the enclosed flyer, and Freddy's will donate 15 percent of its sales back to BFA. You can also show the flyer via smart phone. Click here for the flyer.
 
BFA Summer Camp Register for BFA Summer Camp  
 

Registration is open for Summer Camp 2014! If you need daily care for your child/children, or just a day or two a week, we are the day camp for you.

 

We offer a wide variety of activities, both in-house and field trips. Your child/children will learn and have fun at the same time. Since we only take current BFA students, your child/children will already have friends to play with. Current BFA employees are qualified to watch your child/children, so we are familiar with the children we are watching. Please consider using BFA Summer Camp this summer.

 

For more information on the registration process, please click here. For questions, please email Summer Camp. To register, click here.  

   

BFA's New Bench

Scott Walters, parent of a BFA second grader and fifth grader, made this awesome bench to display the tiles created by the 2013 Summer Camp kiddos. He donated all materials and his time to make the bench. Check it out in BFA's main hallway. Thank you, Scott!

Stay Curious

      

Did you Stay Curious on Spring Break? Don't forget to upload your photo(s) with Ben to the BFA website by clicking here along with an explanation of where you were. 
MCO Wants You BensBrigade

 

The Marketing and Community Outreach Committee (MCO) is looking for parents who want to be play a part in the school's marketing, community outreach and community service events for the upcoming 2014-15 school year. If your passion is in these areas, please consider joining the MCO. The committee offers positions for parents working both inside and outside of the home.  

 

This year's open positions include Chair, Policy Officer, Marketing Officer, Community Service Representative, Social Representative, Social Media Representative and Parent Representatives. If you are interested or for more information, email the MCO or share your interest by filling out an online form here.  

STEM Committee Openings STEM

 

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee has openings for anyone who would like to join.  The STEM Committee coordinates the Science Fairs (for elementary and middle school students), Destination ImagiNation (DI), BFA Green Team and STEM Expo. We are looking for people who would be interested in helping expand the committee and the activities it supports. For more information, click here. If you are interested, please email the STEM Committee.

Street Smarts at SouthGlenn Street Smarts at SouthGlenn

BFA is one of 20 schools in the metro area that gets to participate in the Street Smarts for Southglenn program. If BFA ends up being the school with the most points, we can earn $2,500 for the school.

 
Wednesday, April 30, is the last day to turn in your receipts. If you don't need your receipts returned, you can turn them into a box in the front office (near the name badges/window). Copies of receipts are not accepted by the program. Your receipts can date back to August 2013. If you received an email receipt, you may click here to submit your receipt.

 

Earn Triple Points

BFA can earn triple points from the following Streets at SouthGlenn stores by logging your receipts in April: Apricot Lane, Bath & Body Works, Chico's, Engineering for Kids, H&M, LOFT, Sur la Table, Victoria's Secret, White House | Black Market and Z Gallerie. 

 

Earn Double Points

BFA can earn double points from the following Streets at SouthGlenn restaurants by logging your receipts in April: 5 Star Burgers, Bar Louie, Caf� Rio, Chick Fil-A, Corner Bakery Cafe, Dairy Queen/Orange Julius, Diego Zhang's, Hodson Bar and Grill, Ivy at the Glenn, Mellow Mushroom, Noodles & Company, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Pho 95, Qdoba, Saj Mediterranean Grill, Skybox Bar & Grill, Smokin Joe's Barbecue, Snooze, Tokyo Joe's and Tropical Smoothie.

DCEF Events texture-graphic-community.jpg

 

The Douglas County Educational Foundation (DCEF) has several upcoming family and community events planned for the Douglas County School District. Events include discounted tickets to Colorado Rapids, Colorado Rockies and Denver Outlaws games, as well as Elitch's. For more information and dates, click here

Important Dates / Calendar of EventsCalendar Clip Art
  • Restaurant Night: 4-8 p.m., Thursday, April 10, Freddy's in the Highlands Ranch Town Center  
  • Student Appreciation (Redemption of Ben Bucks): Friday, April 11, Main Hallway   
  • Destination ImagiNation Colorado Affiliate Tournament: Saturday, April 12, Auraria Higher Education Center   
  • BFF Social (Middle School): After drop-off until 10 a.m., Monday, April 14, SuperTarget Starbucks in Town Center    
  • SAC Nominations Due: Tuesday, April 15
  • Elementary Science Fair: Tuesday, April 15, and Wednesday, April 16 
  • Dress of Choice Day: Thursday, April 17
  • PTO Ladies Night Out: 7 p.m., Thursday, April 17, Hodsons at SouthGlenn
  • No School for Students (Teacher Work Day): Friday, April 18     
  • PTO Elections: April 21 - May 2
  • Last Day to Buy BENefit Bash Tickets: Tuesday, April 22  
  • Box Tops Collection: Wednesday, April 23
  • Spirit Wear Day: Friday, April 25  
  • BENefit Bash Silent Auction: 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 26, Inverness Hotel and Conference Center (200 Inverness Drive, Englewood)   
  • Talent Show Permission Forms Due: Monday, April 28 
  • Talent Show Auditions: Tuesday, April 29, and Thursday, May 1 
  • SAC Elections: May 1-5    
  • Talent Show: 8:45-9:45 a.m. (K-3), 10-11 a.m. (4-8), Friday, May 23, Gym 
Upcoming Meetings        
  • Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 10, Library  
  • Grant Committee: 9 p.m., Monday, April 14, Teleconference
  • School Accountability Committee (SAC): 4 p.m., Thursday, May 1, Conference Room 
  • Marketing and Community Outreach (MCO) Committee: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 6, Library
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee: Wednesday, May 7, Sanders Science Lab (room 145)
  • Finance Committee: 5 p.m., Thursday, May 8, Library
  • Board of Directors: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, Library
    • Find the latest BFA Board of Directors minutes by clicking here.  
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  

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.