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Ben Franklin Academy NewsletterVol. 5, Iss. 31
November 2015
In This Issue
:: Mark Your Calendars | BFA Wins Poster Contest | BFA Stock Stars | BENefit Bash Reminders | Music: Featured Special
:: Attendance Guidelines | Picture Retakes | STACK UP Competition | Principal's Q&A | Restaurant Night | Original Works
:: Lost and Found | Timbuk Toys | Bus Passes | Grocery Cards | Yearbook Sales | Birthday Bags | Calendar
Veterans Day 2015
Lt. Col. Wiedenbeck (right) presents a U.S. flag that flew over Camp Morehead in Afghanistan to Principal Barber (left) and Assistant Principal Simpson (middle) at BFA's Veterans Day assembly yesterday.
Dear Parents, 

Thank You to Our Veterans and Active Duty Personnel

Celebrating veterans has become an amazing and incredibly powerful tradition at Ben Franklin Academy.

Yesterday, BFA students and staff honored and celebrated veterans. Our featured speaker was Brenda Smull, who served in the U.S. Army as a communications platoon leader in Operation Desert Storm and was deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq from 1990-1991. She did a great job speaking about her experiences and the history of Veterans Day.

Thank you to our students, volunteers, veterans, staff and entire BFA community for the success of this year's Veterans Day celebration. Special thanks are extended to Ms. Konesky for creating the BFA veteran tribute video, Mrs. Hinkle and her classes for the beautiful handcrafted poppies, Mrs. Ward and Mrs. Bauer for letting us borrow your classrooms, Ms. Johnson and her classes for leading the songs/audio and Cub Scout Pack 785 for presenting the flags. The Community Events Committee (CEC) loves creating this event every year, and it wouldn't happen without the support of so many. I hope everyone came away with an increased appreciation of the freedoms we enjoy and our wonderful veterans.

Lastly, I have to share what I believe was the most powerful thank you I have seen for any veteran. As the veterans entered the gym, hundreds of BFA
students greeted them with cheers and applause, as well as giving them a standing ovation. Many of the veterans mentioned just how much they appreciated our program.
 
During the afternoon assembly, BFA was honored by one of our parents who is still on active duty. Lt. Col. Wiedenbeck presented the school with a U.S. flag that was proudly flown in the face of the enemy over Camp Morehead in Afghanistan. This flag was given to BFA to show appreciation for our support of all veterans.
 
To all veterans and active duty personnel, you have my utmost respect and admiration. Thank you for your service.
Megaphone
Mark Your Calendars  
  • Spirit Day is TOMORROW, Friday, Nov. 13. Students are allowed to wear a spirit wear T-shirt (includes former Field Day T-shirts) along with their uniform bottoms of choice. If your child chooses not to wear a spirit wear T-shirt, s/he must be in full uniform.
  • If your child met his/her AR Goal, the AR extra dress of choice day is Thursday, Nov. 19.
  • The next dress of choice day for ALL students is Friday, Nov. 20.
  • There is no school the week of Nov. 23-27 for Thanksgiving Break. The office will be closed. Enjoy your week off, and have a safe holiday!
BENefit Bash
BENefit Bash Reminders  

We're looking forward to seeing you at the BENefit Bash this Saturday, Nov. 14!

A few reminders regarding the Bash:
  • The event is being held at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center (located at 200 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, 80112). Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and dinner begins at 7:15 p.m.
  • If you'd like to help make the auction a success, we still need volunteers for a few event night tasks. Please email the Silent Auction Committee to help.
  • There will be many terrific and unique items up for auction, so come ready to support BFA! We'll accept checks and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) upon checkout.
  •  If you are one of the first 100 guests, you will be offered our signature cocktail; after that, you are welcome to purchase beverages from the cash bar.
  • Cocktail attire or business casual dress is recommended, but feel free to wear whatever makes you comfortable.
  • Checkout begins around 9:20 p.m., but we hope you'll stay and listen to Mid-Life Crisis perform. They plan on rockin' until 11 p.m. (or until the Inverness kicks us out, whichever is later!). We'll see you there!
thank you
Thanks to our BFA Sponsors!
 
Nurse Health Attendance Guidelines
 
With the cold and flu season upon us, we would like to remind you of BFA's attendance guidelines. Please click here to review an important message from our school nurse.
Camera Picture Retakes
       
Reminder: ALL students will have their pictures retaken on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and Wednesday, Nov. 18, for the yearbook.

Picture order forms will be coming home to ALL students in today's Thursday folders. Because of the timing of school photos this year, it is recommended that parents submit the paper order forms rather than ordering online. In addition, there will be a picture make-up day from this vendor to be announced at a later date.

The schedule for picture retakes next week is as follows:

Tuesday, Nov. 17
  • Sixth Grade (Home Room/First Hour)
  • Kindergarten: Morning (Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Noonan's classes) and Full Day (Mrs. Klee's class)
  • Second Grade
  • Fourth Grade
  • Fifth Grade
Wednesday, Nov. 18
  • Seventh and Eighth Grades (Home Room/First Hour)
  • Kindergarten: Afternoon (Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Noonan's classes) and Full Day (Mrs. Kessler and Mrs. Walton's classes)
  • First Grade
  • Third Grade
Original Works Original Works
 
We hope you are enjoying the Original Works artwork that came home and that you've had a chance to look online. If you are ordering items, don't forget that ALL Original Works orders must be placed no later than Thursday, Nov. 19.  
Timbuk Toys Holiday Shopping at
Timbuk Toys
      

From Nov. 19-25, Timbuk Toys is donating 20 percent of their profits from BFA customers to our school. This year, Timbuk Toys gift certificates qualify toward purchases that benefit the school. So, stop by and grab a gift certificate, then return later to buy sale items for the holidays. You also can shop online at TimbukToys.com. Holiday shop and help BFA! Funds from this fundraiser benefit all grades. (Timbuk Toys is located in Town Center at 9315 Dorchester St., Highlands Ranch, 80129.)  
Gift card
King Soopers, Safeway and Target Cards, Oh My!
   
By shopping at King Soopers, Safeway and/or Target, you can earn money for BFA. And with holiday meals and celebrations right around the corner, now is the perfect time to get and use these cards.
 
The King Soopers and Safeway fundraising programs donate 5 percent of your purchases back to the school. 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 the gift cards for groceries and at King Soopers/Safeway Fuel Centers!
 
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. Our Target school ID is 152402. 
 
If you would like to purchase a pre-loaded $5 BFA King Soopers and/or Safeway card(s), go online to the BFA Store by clicking here. Select Grocery Cards and order your King Soopers and/or Safeway card. When ordering, be sure to include your FIRST/LAST NAME and FULL MAILING ADDRESS. Your King Soopers/Safeway card(s) will be mailed directly to the address you provide. Once the order is received, please allow five business days for processing.
For more information or questions, please email Amy Sunahara, grocery card coordinator.
Birthday Bags

Celebrating birthdays at BFA just got more fun! For $10, your child will receive the following:
  • A bag full of goodies, such as erasers, pencils, bouncy balls, etc. (no food or candy will be in the bags) delivered to their classroom by eighth graders

  • A birthday certificate for a free bake sale item at the next bake sale

  • A personalized note from you (if requested)

  • Eighth graders singing happy birthday to your child in his/her classroom while delivering the bag

Did your student already celebrate his/her birthday? Is his/her birthday in the summer? We also will deliver "unbirthday bags" for students who have already celebrated their birthday or "half-birthday bags" for summer birthdays. 

Thank you for supporting the eighth graders' trip to Washington, D.C.!

To order your birthday bags, click here. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Simpson.          
VeteransDay BFA Wins HR Veterans Day Poster Contest
       
Congratulations to BFA's seventh graders who swept the seventh/ eighth grade category in the Veterans Day poster contest sponsored by the Highlands Ranch Metro District! Caitlin Leonard, Cherry Doddapaneni and Lindsay Wall took first, second and third place, respectively. The seventh graders worked really hard on their posters and put a lot of thought into the project.  They were honored at the Highlands Ranch Library last night.
StockMarket
BFA Stock Stars
       
Congratulations to BFA's middle school Stock Market Experience elective students Ian Stieg (sixth grade) and Rocky Beers (eighth grade) who were named Stock Stars by the Colorado Stock Market Experience. They have received an invitation to the 2015-16 Annual Stock Market Experience awards ceremony at the Denver Zoo in May.
Instruments
Music: Featured BFA Special of the Week
   
Each week in this newsletter, we highlight one of BFA's Specials and what each grade in the school is learning in that particular Special. This week, we are focusing on Music. (You can always find information about BFA's Specials by clicking here.)

To watch a day of music at BFA (time lapse video), click on Ms. Johnson's web page here, scroll to Recent News and click on the video. It is so fun!

Kindergarten:Students are learning about dynamics (loud and soft sounds). They are playing the game Grumpy Grizzly to demonstrate singing with each dynamic.  

First Grade: 
Students have started rehearsing for their musical, Toys! Their show is all about how the toys under the Christmas tree come alive on Christmas Eve. Students are learning performance skills, such as how to use a microphone, sing on stage and memorize lines and music.  


Second Grade: Students are really starting to master sight singing in solfge. Students are give the music to a new song and have 30 seconds to silently sing the song in solfge. After 30 seconds, the class does their best to read and sing the music.

Third Grade: Students are learning about the symbol fermata. This symbol tells musicians to hold the note longer than usual. Students are practicing performing fermatas by taking turns being the conductor of the class.

Fourth Grade: Students just finished performing their musical (see photos below). They will watch a video of the performance and evaluate themselves. They also learned the Armed Forces songs for the Veterans Day assemblies.
   
Fifth Grade: Students are practicing reading rhythms. They are reviewing sixteenth notes, as well as reading these rhythms and drumming them.

Electives: In Acapella, students had their performance last week and were a huge success. They ran the concert themselves, introducing the concert and each song, as well as even counting off to start each song! This last week they watched their performance and evaluated themselves. In World Drumming, students are learning songs on drums, African percussion and xylophones. Right now they are playing The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Lean on Me.
4th Grade Musical 4th Grade Musical
Stacking Cups Do You STACK UP?
       
BFA will be participating in the
2015 World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA) STACK UP! competition from 4:15-5:15 p.m., today, Thursday, Nov. 12, in the gym. We need 30 to 35 student volunteers to sign up and play cups stacking games for 30 consecutive minutes. This opportunity will be on a first-come, first-served basis. This year, we will be using the jumbo cups that the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) purchased for us! It is sure to be a fun time.  If your child(ren) are interested in joining in on the fun, please email Mrs. Savoy, and she will get you signed up to participate.
FAQ Principal's Q&A    
 
The next Principal's Q&A is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 13, in the library. We look forward to seeing you there! 
Mici Mici's Spirit Night     
 
Please join us for our next school Spirit Night! It will be from 4:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Mici's Handcrafted Italian restaurant (located at 9245 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch, 80129). All dine-in, delivery and carry-out purchases qualify to earn money for BFA!     
Lost and Found
Lost and Found    
 
Please remind your students to check the Lost and Found for missing items. All unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity on Friday, Nov. 20 (the last day of school before Thanksgiving Break).
back-school-bus.jpg Second Trimester Bus Passes Now Available  
 
BFA bus passes for the second trimester are now available for purchase by clicking here.

The passes are as follows:
  1. Unlimited Trimester Ride Pass: This pass allows one student a ride to and from BFA every day school is open for that particular trimester. This pass is per student and nontransferable to another student in your family. A new unlimited trimester bus pass is required for each trimester. Deadline to purchase: Wednesday, Dec. 16
  2. 20-Day/40-One-Way Ride Pass: This pass allows your child(ren) to ride to and from school for any combination of 40 one-way rides in total for the trimester. This pass can be shared and used by one or more of the students in your family. This pass CANNOT be shared with non-family members. You must keep track of your rides. We are unable to tell you how many you have left. Any additional rides will be billed at the daily rate, and fees will be posted to your student's Infinite Campus account at the end of the trimester. Deadline to purchase: Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016
  3. Daily Ride Pass: This pass allows your child two one-way rides. Fees for daily rides will be posted to your student's Infinite Campus account at the end of the trimester.
*PLEASE NOTE* All passes DO NOT carry over to the next trimester. A new bus pass is required for each trimester. You will not receive a paper pass from BFA. Your purchased passes and rides will be reconciled at the end of the trimester.  
Yearbook Order Your Yearbook      
 
Order your BFA yearbook(s) this month BEFORE the price INCREASES! 
  • $26 Yearbook Deadline: Now through Monday, Nov. 30
  • $31 Yearbook Deadline: Tuesday, Dec. 1, through Monday, Feb. 29, 2016
  • $36 Yearbook Deadline: Tuesday, March 1, through TBD, depending on availability
Yearbook Yearbook Dedications       
 
'Tis the season to purchase your yearbook dedication! Make sure your special message is printed in the "Just Do It" 2015-16 yearbook. Don't miss the deadline!
  • Yearbook Dedications Deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016
  • Go to YearbookForever.com  
  • Type: Ben Franklin Academy. Click on the link.
  • Select: Buy a personal ad.
  • Select: Have the school design my ad.
  • Select from the following options:
    • Grades K-7: Select option "Size: 1/16 Price: $10." This is a word dedication ONLY - NO PHOTO
    • Grade 8: Select option "Size: 1/8 Price $15." This is a word AND picture dedication.
  • Fill out the word dedication per instructions and upload a photo if applicable.
  • Make your payment.
Order both yearbooks and dedications by clicking here.
Important Dates / Calendar of EventsCalendar Clip Art
  • STACK UP! Competition: 4:15-5:15 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, Gym
  • Spirit Day: Friday, Nov. 13
  • Principal's Q&A: 8:30 a.m., Friday, Nov. 13, Library
  • Sixth Grade Outdoor Education: Now through Friday, Nov. 13, Estes Park
  • Pumpkin Chunkin': Friday, Nov. 13
  • End of Trimester: Friday, Nov. 13
  • BENefit Bash: Saturday, Nov. 14, Inverness Hotel and Conference Center
  • Picture Retakes for ALL Students: Tuesday, Nov. 17, and Wednesday, Nov. 18
  • Prospective Parent Meeting/Tour: 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17
  • Restaurant Spirit Night: 4:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17, Mici's Handcrafted Italian restaurant (9245 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch, 80129)
  • AR Extra Dress of Choice Day: Thursday, Nov. 19
  • Original Works Orders Deadline: Thursday, Nov. 19
  • Timbuk Toys Fundraiser: Nov. 19-25, Timbuk Toys (located at 9315 Dorchester St., Highlands Ranch, 80129)
  • Dress of Choice Day: Friday, Nov. 20
  • Fifth Grade Young AmeriTowne: Friday, Nov. 20
  • Lost and Found Deadline: Remaining items donated to charity after Friday, Nov. 20
  • Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 23-27
  • $26 Yearbook Deadline: Through Monday, Nov. 30
  • $31 Yearbook Deadline: Tuesday, Dec. 1, through Monday, Feb. 29, 2016
  • Formal Uniform Day: Wednesday, Dec. 2
  • Principal's Q&A: 8:30 a.m., Friday, Dec. 4, Library
  • National Geography Bee (Grades 4-8): 1:45 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4, Gym
  • Deadline to Purchase Unlimited Trimester Bus Ride Pass: Wednesday, Dec. 16
  • Yearbook Dedications Deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016
  • Deadline to Purchase 20-Day/40-One-Way Bus Ride Pass: Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016
  • $36 Yearbook Deadline: Tuesday, March 1, 2016, through to be determined, depending on availability
Upcoming Meetings
  • Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18, Library
  • School Accountability Committee (SAC): 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19, Conference Room
  • Community Events Committee (CEC): 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1, Library
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2, Sanders Science Lab
  • Finance Committee: 5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 7, Conference Room
  • Board of Directors: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8, Library
    • Find the latest BFA Board of Directors minutes by clicking here
Middle School Sports
(Click here for website.)
  • Boys' Basketball:
    • 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, at Littleton Prep
    • 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19, vs. Platte River Academy at BFA
    • 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Aspen Academy
    • Thursday, Dec. 3, at 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  

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.