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Ben Franklin Academy NewsletterVol. 6, Iss. 13
April 2016
In This Issue
:: Fifth Grader Competes at Colorado Geo Bee | NJHS Active in the Community | BFA Facility Expansion
:: Board Elections | Featured Special: Music | Get Mother/Son Event Tix NOW | CEC Social | 2016-17 PTO Positions | SAC Volunteer Opportunity
:: Support BFA at DI State Tourney | Home Depot Event & Ben's Brigade Events| BFA Summer Camp | 2016-17 Registration Dates
:: Birthday Bags | Robotics Summer Camp |Ultramarathon | Sponsors | Calendar

Reserved 
Kept for use only by a particular person or group

What an amazing community we have at Ben Franklin Academy. Everyday I am continually impressed by the commitment and generosity of our parents. You all give so much in many ways and it is greatly appreciated by me and everyone at the school. I do want to touch on the reserved parking spots that we have at BFA. One of the ways that parents give to the school is by purchasing a reserved parking spot at the silent auction. Parents pay a premium for these spots that allow them to have access to a designated parking spot whenever they are on school grounds (carpool, school functions during the day or night). Those spots are not available as an alternate carpool drop off or pick up spot.
 
I am asking that everyone please honor and respect this by not parking in any of the reserved spots. Simply put, it is not fair to those who have made the purchase and expect to use their parking spot when they are at school.  BFA does have plenty of parking available in the main parking lot or the overflow parking lot so there is no reason to park in a reserved spot.
 
Thank you in advance for your cooperation. 
GeoBeeMcVicker Fifth Grader Competes at Colorado Geo Bee   

On April 1st, Lincoln McVicker was invited to the State Geography Bee held at the University of Denver with 103 other students from across the state.  Lincoln was one of the youngest competitors to be part of the geography bee, which ranged from 5th grade to 8th grade.  Ben Franklin Academy is proud of Lincoln and his efforts competing in the State Geography Bee.
NJHS Active in the Community    
 
Our National Junior Honor Society was busy again this past weekend at a Brookdale Senior Living community,  which specializes in caring for seniors
with cognitive challenges such as Alzheimers. Organized by NJHS officers Will Metz and Jennifer Suson, students brought crafts, games and puzzles to do with the residents who loved spending the afternoon with the students.  
 
save the date BFA Facility Expansion    

Please join us on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:00 p.m. in the gym for a presentation and Q&A session about BFA's plans to improve our existing building in completion of the original vision for the property.  BFA's National Junior Honor Society members will provide childcare for BFA students during the meeting.  We are excited to begin this new chapter at BFA with even more positive learning opportunities for our students!  Thank you for your continued dedication to our students and community. 
BFA Summer Camp BFA Summer Camp 2016   

BFA is offering an exciting Summer Camp program again this year. The initial registration is NOW open! Click here to register.


***NEW***Summer Camp calendars have been added to the BFA website. We are working on setting up the daily registrations, so stay tuned for those! For now, check-out the calendars by clicking on the links below, get excited for all the fun activities, and get your students registered!

  
Whatever your situation - if you need full-time day care for the summer; looking to get a break from your children a few days; or if you're kids want to connect with other BFA kids and enjoy fun, summer social time - our Summer Camp program is sure to keep your kids safe and entertained. Our camp is staffed by people you know and trust.

Program Details
  • Hours: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Dates: June 1 - Aug. 12 (Closed July 4-8)
  • Days: Monday through Friday
  • Summer Camp is open to any currently enrolled BFA student 5 years old and above and in kindergarten. 
  • Registration Cost: $35 per child/one-time registration fee (all registered campers will receive a camp T-shirt and day pack)
  • Daily Tuition Cost: $35 per day per child for non-field trip days; $50 per day per child for field trip days
Any questions, please email Summer Camp. 
Science Fair Elementary Science Fair Volunteers Needed   
 
It's that time of year again...time for the Elementary Science Fair (April 12-13), and we need you! Don't miss out on the opportunity to participate and be part of this exciting time for our students. No science experience or science background? NO PROBLEM! Click here to sign up to support our students and talk with them about their amazing projects.
Ninja Don't Miss this Year's Mother/Son Event
 
Grab your son(s), don't be late, sneak like a ninja, let's celebrate! Join us for the Fifth Annual Mother/Son Event at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 16, at Xtreme Challenge Arena (located at 82 Inverness Dr. East, Englewood, 80112).

Tickets for a mother/son pair is $40; each additional son is $10. Tickets are on sale NOW through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, April 10. Don't wait! Purchase your tickets TODAY at the online BFA store by clicking here. A liability waiver must be completed (please follow instructions on the BFA Store ticket website). Questions? Contact Amber Clendening or Mindy Pooler via email.

Calling all BFA Fathers and Mother's with Daughters!  We need YOUR help!  The Mother/Son Event needs approximately 35-40 volunteers.  Volunteer Hours are on 
Saturday, April 16th from 5-8pm and we will FEED YOU dinner!  :)  If you are looking for a way to help your family complete their hours prior to the end of the school year, this is a great cause.  Please Sign Up today!
 
PTO Logo Want to Make a Difference at BFA? PTO Nominations Open!      
The PTO is an integral part of Ben Franklin Academy. Since it began serving BFA, the PTO has raised funds to provide all sorts of items needed by the school-everything from tables and chairs to playground equipment, library books, a climbing wall and LEXIA licensing as well as tools and resources needed by the teachers, staff and administration. In addition, we organize social events to bring together the entire BFA Community. When you join the PTO, you make a real, meaningful difference at BFA and you build lasting friendships with other BFA parents. There are all sorts of positions available next school year on the PTO, including many positions that can be done from home. Nomination forms and detailed job descriptions are available on the PTO page found here. Nominations must be submitted by Monday, April 11.   Please consider becoming a member of the PTO team!

Volunteer SAC Volunteer Opportunity    

The Student Accountability Committee (SAC) is looking for volunteers to join the SAC next school year. The SAC is a state-mandated committee composed of parents, community members and school personnel who are responsible for reviewing school progress and policies, making recommendations to the BFA Board of Directors, and conducting parent and student satisfaction surveys. The SAC meets monthly. If you are interested in learning more about the SAC, please attend our next meeting scheduled at 4:15 p.m., Thursday, April 21, in the conference room. This is a great way to stay involved with BFA and get volunteer hours!
HomeDepot Sign Up for BFA Home Depot Building Event      
 
Dads, bring your kiddo(s) to Home Depot on Saturday, April 16 at noon for the Home Depot Build Class. This is a great opportunity to spend time with your son or daughter while working on a project together. If you would like to attend, please click here to sign up.  

Dads-Mark your Calendars for these Ben's Brigade Events!

The next Ben's Brigade meeting will be held on Thursday, April 21 at the Target S
tarbucks in Town Center at 8pm. All BFA Dads are welcome to attend!

Ben's Brigade hosts a Spring Clean-up for our school every year. All BFA Dads are welcome and encouraged to participate in the clean up on Saturday, April 30, from 8am until noon.  
check this out Beverages with Bob (AKA Principal Barber)       
 
Ben's Brigade is hosting a Dad's Night Out on Thursday, April 28, from 6-8pm with special guest, Principal Barber!   The event will be held at Living the Dream Brewery. All BFA Dads, Grandpas, favorite Uncles, etc. are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!  
thankyou_basket_hdr.jpg BFA Sponsors
 
Thank you to our BFA Sponsors for the 2015-16 school year! 
voting_people.jpg
Board Elections 2016 

BFA Parent Voting Group: The Ben Franklin Board of Directors election ballots were distributed by email on April 4 and currently are available on the BFA website. Click here to access the ballot.  The deadline to cast your vote for the Seat 3 Class B director is FRIDAY, April 8, at 11:59 p.m. (MDT).
 
Please check the box on the electronic ballot next to the name of the candidate for whom you wish to vote. The candidate with the most votes will serve a three-year term as the Seat 3 Class B director on the BFA Board. Each family/employee is allowed one vote. If multiple submissions are made with the same family/employee number, both will be discarded.  If you do not know your family number (see your carpool tag) or employee number, please contact the office.
 
Results of the election for the Seat 3 Class B director will be announced and the appointment for the Seat 4 Class B director will be made on Tuesday, April 12, at the regularly scheduled Board meeting.
 
For the entire Board of Directors Election Policy, click here. If you have any questions, please contact Bill Castor, Board secretary, via email [email protected].
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.)

Kindie is working on steady beat. They are demonstrating that they can sing, play and hear a steady beat. They are learning a song "Burnie Bee" and are taking turns be the conductor and choosing the tempo/beat for their class to sing. They are also listening to the song "German Dance" by Beethoven and picking different motions to do to the beat.

1st grade is learning a new solfege pitch: "la." They can now read songs using the pitches do, mi, so and la. We are reviewing recognizing high and low notes. We are also composing rhythm patterns using ta, titi and rest.

2nd grade just performed their musical Let's Eat! This show was all about hungry kids and LOTS of food!
3rd grade is playing the always beautiful sounding recorder. They have learned the notes B, A, G, C and D. 

4th grade just created their own folk dance to an Israeli song. This week they are playing an accompaniment on xylophones to the song "I love the Mountains."

5th grade is rehearsing their musical "Summer Camp." It tells the story of a bunch of technology loving kids who get sent reluctantly to summer camp by their parents. Their performance is April 27th.
Middle School Choir is really impressing Ms. Johnson. They are learning very difficult 2 and 3-part choral music so quickly. They are also learning to sight-read music.

Middle School Theatre is rehearsing for the musical, The Grunch about a middle schooler who hates the theatre group at his school and joins the musical so he can ruin the play. (Think the Grinch!)
Destination ImagiNation Support BFA at Upcoming DI State Competition  
 
Congratulations to the three BFA teams who are competing at the Destination ImagiNation (DI) State Competition! Join the teams and  show your support this Saturday, April 9, at the Auraria Higher Education Center Campus (located at 777 Lawrence St., Denver, 80204). For more information, click here.

The BFA teams are as follows:
DI2016  
Performance Time: 12:57 p.m.
Performance Location:
PE/Event Center
Team Name:
 Awesome is Our Middle Name  
Challenge: Musical Mashup, Elementary Level
Team Members:  Sophia Bettis, Kaitlyn Blum, Mary Kodenkandath, Sahithi Mathukumilli, Sreehitha Sajja and Emma Thiessen
Team Manager: Sarah Bettis

DI2016
Performance Time: 12:39 p.m.
Performance Location:
Arts Center

Team Name: Connect the Dots   
Challenge: In Plain Sight, Middle Level
Team Members: Shrey Seth, Austin Singleton, Arya Shinde and Shreya Sundaresh
Team Manager: Nandini Sundaresh


DI2016  
Performance Time: 3:03 p.m.
Performance Location:
King Center
Team Name:
 BFA Believers   
Challenge: Get A Clue, Elementary Level
Team Members: Jackie Fustich, Evan McDermott,
Mina Poleschook, Tyler Sunahara, Siva Sundaresh,
Anson Washeck and Brynna West
Team Managers: 
Amy Sunahara and Missy Washeck
Summer Robotics Camp       
Our Technology teacher and First Lego League Robotics coach is offering a robotics camp in June! Click here for details!
Box Tops  
  
Keep clipping! Box top collection day is next Wednesday, April 20. 
 
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.          
Healthy Schools
BFA to Participate in Ultramarathon
 
BFA is one of 10 schools chosen to participate in the Douglas County School District's (DCSD) Healthy Schools Move Ultramarathon. BFA is challenging its students, parents and staff members to each accumulate 100 miles of movement between now and May. To sign up, click here. For more information and to register, please click here.  
School 2016-17 School Year Registration Dates

Save the date for 2016-17 registration days in August for New AND Existing Families:
  • FAMILIES with LAST NAMES A through L: Wednesday, Aug. 10; office hours: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1-2 p.m.)
  • FAMILIES with LAST NAMES M through Z: Thursday, Aug. 11; office hours: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1-2 p.m.)
  • BRAND NEW FAMILIES ONLY: Friday, Aug. 12; office hours: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Important Dates / Calendar of EventsCalendar Clip Art
  • Parent Voting for BFA Board of Director Seat: Now through Friday, April 8
  •  State Destination Imagination (DI) Competition: Saturday, April 9, at Metropolitan State University of Denver on the Auraria campus
  • Mother/Son Event Tickets Available: Through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, April 10
  • Elementary School Science Fair: Tuesday, April 12, and Wednesday, April 13
  • EXTRA Dress of Choice Day: Friday, April 15
  • Ben's Building Event: Noon, Saturday, April 16, The Home Depot (1200 Mayberry Dr., Highlands Ranch, 80129)
  • Mother/Son Event: 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 16, at Xtreme Challenge Arena (82 Inverness Dr. East, Englewood, 80112)
  • BFA Facility Expansion Presentation: 6:00p.m.,Wednesday, April 20, BFA Gym
  • Box Tops Collection: Wednesday, April 20
  • 2016-17 Registration Day for Families with Last Names A through L: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1-2 p.m.), Wednesday, Aug. 10
  • 2016-17 Registration Day for Families with Last Names M through Z: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1-2 p.m.), Thursday, Aug. 11
  • 2016-17 Registration Day for Brand New Families ONLY: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Friday, Aug. 12
  • Middle School Blog: Updated every Monday; click here for the latest edition
Upcoming Meetings
  • Finance Committee: 5 p.m., Monday, April 11, Conference Room
  • Board of Directors: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 12, Library; click here for the latest minutes
  • Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, Library
  • School Accountability Committee (SAC): 4:15 p.m., Thursday, April 21, Sanders Science Lab
  • Community Events Committee (CEC): 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, Library
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 4, Sanders Science Lab

 

Middle School Sports
(Click here for website.)
  • Girls' Soccer:
    • 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 12, at Platte River Academy
    • 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 14, at SkyView Academy
    • 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 19, at Aspen View Academy
    • 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 21, at Platte River 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.


Ben Franklin Academy | 2270 Plaza Dr | Highlands Ranch | CO | 80129