Ben Franklin Academy Newsletter	Vol. 4, Iss. 34 December 2014

In This Issue

:: Dress of Choice Day | Fun Run Final Numbers | Lost and Found | Yearbook Deadlines SOON

:: Classroom Parties/Parking | School Closed | Spring Choirs | Creativity Contest | Movember Photo Winners

:: Used Uniform Sale | Preschool Enrollment | Holiday Shopping | Father/Daughter Event | Girls' Basketball

:: Target REDcard | Nuggets Night | Streets at SouthGlenn | Calendar

Dear Parents,

Happy Holidays! I hope you, your families and loved ones have a great winter vacation and enjoy the time off together. I cannot believe how quickly this year is flying by. I am so happy to see BFA in such great standing in the community and, more importantly, to see how good the students are performing. Every day, I am greeted by so many students with big smiles on their faces and who tell me how much they like coming to school. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Calendar

The calendar for the 2015-16 school year has been approved. To view it, click here.

Dress of Choice Day

Don't forget: Tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 19, is dress of choice day!

Lost and Found

Believe it or not, but the Lost and Found is full again. Please check it while attending classroom parties or at drop-off/ pick-up. Remaining items will be donated to charity after school, tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 19.

Classroom Parties and Parking

During Friday's classroom parties, please do not park in the following areas: car pool lanes, any curbs painted red or in front of the school. These areas are designated as no parking zones. Kindly make use of the overflow parking if the regular parking lot is full.

School Closed

Don't forget! BFA will be closed from Monday, Dec. 22, through Friday, Jan. 2, 2015, for Winter Break. School resumes on Monday, Jan. 5, 2015.

Spring Sessions of Choir/Junior Choir

Registration for the spring sessions of Choir and Junior Choir will open soon.

Choir is for students grades 3-8. They will be singing at a choir festival at Elitch Gardens in May. The class meets on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:15 p.m. The first class is Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2015. For more information and to sign up, click here.

Junior Choir is for students grades 1-2. The class meets on Mondays from 3:30-4 p.m. The first class is Monday, Jan. 12, 2015. For more information and to sign up, click here.

Movember Photo Winners

Congratulations to Mark Torres! His photo was the most LIKED on BFA's Facebook page and is the winner of Ben's Brigade's Movember photo contest. Matt Keillor's photo came in second place; as fate would have it, he is the random drawing participant winner. The winners of the contest will receive two lower level tickets to the Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars game on Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Pepsi Center. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Used Uniform Sale

The PTO is hosting the next used uniform sale from 9-11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, in the middle school commons. Cash and check will be accepted; sorry, we are unable to accept credit cards.

Sellers: If you are interested in selling your items, please click here for instructions. All items must be turned into the office by noon, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. To access the Inventory Form, click here.

Preschool Enrollment

BFA preschool enrollment for the 2015-16 school year is now open for current BFA families! If you are interested and need more information, please contact
Mrs. Goldberg, preschool director.

Father/Daughter Event

Mark your calendars: The BFA Annual Father/Daughter Event will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, at BFA. More details to come in January. The event is open to fathers and daughters of all ages, so please join us! If you are interested in volunteering for the event, please email the Social Coordinators.

Register for Middle School Girls' Basketball

Middle School girls' basketball begins the week of Jan. 5, 2015. For more information and to register, please click on the BFA athletics website here.

Please remember: You must complete the online registration, as well as fill out the medical form and the form that allows you to drive students to away games. The two additional forms also can be found on the website. If you turned in a medical form for volleyball or cross country and it is still current, then you DO NOT need to fill out another one. We have it on file. Unfortunately, the vehicle insurance form is specific for each sport and needs to be filled out again.

Registration will close at midnight, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. The earlier you register, the earlier you will begin to receive information emails from the coaches.

Douglas County Night at the Nuggets

Douglas County Community Night with the Denver Nuggets, sponsored by the Douglas County Educational Foundation (DCEF), is scheduled for the Denver Nuggets vs. Charlotte Hornets game at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, at the Pepsi Center.

In addition to the Community Night, discounted tickets are available to the following games:

7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, Pepsi Center, Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, Pepsi Center, Denver Nuggets vs. San Antonio Spurs

Discounted Tickets:

Upper Level: $15 (regularly $30-$40)
Lower/Club Level: $35 (regularly $72-$150)

A portion of each ticket purchased will benefit the DCEF and Douglas County school of your choice.
Order tickets online by Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, by clicking here. For additional information, click here for the flyer. Questions may be addressed to Ellese Gold, Denver Nuggets representative, at (303) 405-1679 or via email.

Fun Run Final Numbers

The final numbers from the BFA Fun Run collected are $67,000! Again, thank you to everyone for your contributions and help. It was a huge success and all because of your support. The PTO appreciates it, and the monies raised will be used for technology needs in our school.

Yearbook Sales and Dedication Deadlines

Yearbook Dedication Sales Deadline: Sales for dedications in the BFA yearbook end Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 - NO EXCEPTIONS. (See below for ordering information.)

Yearbook Prices Deadline: Yearbook prices increase to $28 on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. The deadline for the $26 price is Wednesday, Dec. 31.

Get your yearbook(s) today!

Yearbook Dedication Sales Order Information:

Go to: YearbookForever.com
Select: Purchase a personal ad.
Select from the following options:

K-7th grade: Select option 1/16 = $10 - Word Dedication only
8th grade: Select option 1/9 = $15 - Picture and Word Dedication

Fill out word dedication information. If applicable, upload your favorite picture.
*NEW* Parents: Click on "Enter Special Instructions," and please enter/specify your child's grade and teacher in this section of the order form.
Make your payment.

Yearbook Pricing Info/Deadlines:

There will be a limited amount of books to purchase after Jan. 31, 2015, so order your yearbooks early! There will be NO "late" orders available after our last yearbook is sold. To order and pay for your 2014-15 BFA yearbook, click here.

$26 per yearbook if ordered NOW through Wednesday, Dec. 31.
$28 per yearbook if ordered between Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, and Tuesday, March 31, 2015.
$36 per yearbook if ordered from Wednesday, April 1, 2015, to be determined by availability.

For any questions about yearbooks and/or dedications, click here.

Student Sponsors Creativity Contest

Taylor Eubanks, BFA seventh grader, is sponsoring a creativity contest as part of achieving her Girl Scout Silver Award. Students can create, color or take a picture with the coloring page of Baxter, the chief executive officer (CEO) of The Wags and Menace Make a Difference Foundation. Students may turn in their coloring pages to Mrs. Hinkle in the art room by tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 19, or mail them directly to Taylor by Wednesday, Dec. 31. For project details, click here; for the article Taylor created and links to the coloring sheet (scroll to the end), click here; for more information about the project, click here.

The Wags and Menace Make a Difference Foundation seeks to provide medical treatment for sick animals in Colorado and the United States; to fund organizations and activities that benefit animals; and to inspire, teach and motivate other individuals and organizations to achieve similar objectives.

Holiday Shopping

As you complete your holiday shopping this year, remember BFA earns money simply by you shopping at certain stores and online. Specifically:

Use AmazonSmile when shopping on Amazon. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know but donates 0.5 percent back of what you spend to the charitable organization of your choice - in other words, BFA! Go to smile.amazon.com, choose Ben Franklin Academy Parent-Teacher Organization as your charity, and start shopping.
Load up your BFA King Soopers and/or Safeway gift cards. Both stores' fundraising programs donate 5 percent back to BFA. All you have to do is load your King Soopers and/or Safeway gift card at customer service or the register before you scan your first item. You can use them for groceries and at King Soopers/Safeway Fuel Centers! Currently, BFA is receiving nearly $650 per month on average from the use of these grocery store cards.
Use your Target REDcard when you shop at Target. Target's REDcard donates 1 percent of your purchases to BFA. For more information, see the following Target article.
When you shop at the Streets at SouthGlenn, make sure you get a duplicate copy of your paper receipt and turn it into Guest Services or in the envelope in BFA's main office to earn points/credit for BFA. The points turn into dollars for BFA near the end of the school year. For more information, see the following Streets at SouthGlenn article.

Target REDcard

Did you know that by shopping at Target you can earn money for BFA? Specifically, BFA received $4,400 from Target from purchases made during the last school year!

With holiday meals and celebrations right around the corner, now is the perfect time to get and use your Target REDcard.

Target's REDcard donates 1 percent of your purchases to BFA. You can obtain a Target REDcard debit or credit card at any Target location or online by clicking here. BFA's Target school ID is 152402.

Shop and Dine at Streets at SouthGlenn

Shop and/or Dine: If you're planning on doing any holiday shopping and/or dining at the Streets at SouthGlenn, don't forget to get duplicate paper receipts and turn them into Guest Services (next to the parking garage) or in the envelope in BFA's main office to earn points for BFA. You also can email electronic receipts by clicking here.

Earn Triple Points: Log your receipts from the following stores by Jan. 15, 2015: 18 | 8 Fine Men's Salon, Andrews Jewelers, Chuck & Don's, Linen Loft, Floyd's 99 Barbershop, Just Pet's, Salon AKA, Thomas Kincaid Gallery and Tropical Smoothie.

Earn 2,000 Points: When you buy a Streets at SouthGlenn gift card in any amount over $20 (with a $2 service fee).

For more information/bonus offers, click here or check out this week's Thursday folder regarding all of the events taking place at the Streets at SouthGlenn.

If you have any questions about the Streets at SouthGlenn collaboration with BFA, email Vanessa Leonard.

Important Dates / Calendar of Events

Dress of Choice Day: Friday, Dec. 19
Holiday Parties: Friday, Dec. 19
Deadline to Sign Up for Stock Market Experience (Grades 6-8): Friday, Dec. 19
Winter Break/School Closed: Dec. 22 - Jan. 2, 2015
$26 Yearbook Sales Deadline: Wednesday, Dec. 31
Baxter's Backyard Creativity Contest Submission Deadline: Wednesday, Dec. 31
$31 Yearbook Sales Begin/Deadline: Jan. 1 - March 31, 2015
Yearbook Dedications Deadline: Monday, Jan. 5, 2015
Used Uniform Sale: 9-11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, Middle School Commons
Deadline to Register for Middle School Girls' Basketball: Midnight, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015
Formal Uniform Day: Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015
Discounted Nuggets Night: 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, Pepsi Center, Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
Discounted Nuggets Night: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, Pepsi Center, Nuggets vs. Spurs
Nuggets Community Night: 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, Pepsi Center, Nuggets vs. Hornets
$36 Yearbook Sales Began/Deadline: April 1, 2015 - TBD

Upcoming Meetings

Grant Committee: 9 p.m., Monday, Dec. 29, Teleconference
Marketing and Community Outreach (MCO) Committee: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, Library
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, Sanders Science Lab (room 145)
School Accountability Committee (SAC): 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, Conference Room
Finance Committee: 5 p.m., Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, Library
Board of Directors: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, Library

Find the latest BFA Board of Directors minutes by clicking here.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19, 2015, Library

Middle School Sports

Girls' Basketball:
- 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, at BFA vs. Southeast Christian
- 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, at North Star Academy

Ben Franklin Academy Calendars

Sincerely,

Bob Barber
Principal
Ben Franklin Academy

Ben Franklin Academy

2270 Plaza Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Main Office: (720) 383-4519 or info@bfacademy.org

Attendance: (720) 432-9239 or attendance@bfacademy.org

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.