The Roadrunner
Ben Franklin Elementary School
March/April Newsletter 2023
Dear Families,
We appreciate your attendance at conferences last week! Spring Conferences are a wonderful time to review & revise the learning goals based on the progress made during the year. We are all incredibly proud of all of our students! If you were unable to attend last week, please contact your child's teacher to reschedule.
Information for how to register upcoming Kindergarten students is included below. Once registration opens for all students, the office will inform our families. Completing registration in a timely manner allows us to better prepare staffing for the upcoming school year.
Ben Franklin Office - 701-746-2250
Ben Franklin Attendance Line - 701-746-2251
KINDERGARTEN PRE-REGISTRATION
We are excited to see you on April 13th as we prepare for your student’s kindergarten year at Grand Forks Public Schools!
The elementary school boundary line map can be found at https://www.gfschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=10181&dataid=16384&FileName=Elem_School_Boundaries_2021.pdf
If you know of a neighbor who has an upcoming kindergarten student, please share the preregistration link with them.
PTO
Meetings will be the first Thursday of each month (with three exceptions) @ 5:15 in the library.
March 9th (2nd thursday)
April 6th
May 18th
Dates to Remember
March 2 - 4:00-6:00 Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 3 - 11:20 Dismissal Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 7 - 4:00-6:00 Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 9 - 5:15 PTO meeting in the Library
March 10 - Report cards get emailed home
March 13 - 17 - No School
March 29 - Early Release @ 1:30 pm
April 6 - 5:15 PTO meeting in the Library
April 7 - 10 - No School
April 12 - Early Release @ 1:30 pm
April 13 - Kindergarten Registration
April 26 - Early Release @ 1:30 pm
Dismissal Procedures
Students will exit the building on a staggered schedule to prevent overcrowding in the hallway and to maintain some distance between classrooms.
Dismissal Options:
If you choose to utilize the turn lane when picking up your child(ren), stay on the right side to pick up your child and follow the turn lane guidelines pictured below.
1. Drive all the way forward to fill any open space regardless of which door your child exits.
The turn lane is meant for "stop and go" only and not for parking. If you choose to exit your vehicle, you may park on the street and cross at the crosswalks to pick up your child. It is important (and a City Ordinance) to utilize crosswalks.
2. If you choose to park on the street and walk up to the building to meet your child, please remain on the sidewalk as our students utilize the blacktop area.
Older siblings will remain with their own class while the crowd is heavy. When the crowd dissipates, we will have siblings join together.
If you are new to Ben Franklin or unsure of the turn lane rules, please read each of the guidelines posted below. We expect all family members and others who pick up your child(ren) to know and follow the rules for student and staff safety. A staff member will kindly remind you of the guidelines when they are not followed, please be courteous as they are doing their best to keep ALL students safe.
Thanks for your cooperation!
Parents Lead
As a parent/guardian, sometimes you may feel as though your child does not listen to you. It is important that you communicate your needs and feelings to your child in an effective way. A simple suggestion to improve communication between you and your child is to use “I” messages rather than “You” messages (which often create an oppositional situation). For example, instead of
saying, “You always leave your dirty dishes on the table. Can’t you pick up after yourself?” say, “When you leave your dishes on the table, I get frustrated because it makes extra work for me when I get home and I’m trying to make dinner.” Visit www.parentslead.org for more information.
Thank you!
Talk with your child about friendship.
Explain to your child what it means to be a good friend and that true friends protect, look out
for one another, and have each other’s back. True friends do not ask each other to do things that
they know are wrong and will get them in trouble, or things that are harmful. Talk often to your child about who their friends are and the things they do with their friends. Encourage them to stick to their beliefs and values and look for friends who share those values.
Source: www.parentslead.org
Safe Kids
Visitors & Attendance
We welcome you to visit our school! Please use Door #1 and sign in/out when entering the school. Adults are asked to wait in the entryway or office when picking up their student(s) or will be escorted by a staff member to their desired location.
School Meals -- Free and Reduced Application
Grand Forks Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day to make sure children are well-fed and ready to learn! This year meals are NOT free and so we ask that you complete the Free and Reduced Application as there are other events that take place during the year where the cost could be reduced for families.
An application is available online at https://www.gfschools.org/Page/8333, or download the form below, fill it in, and submit it to the Ben Franklin office. After the application has been reviewed by the Child Nutrition Department, you will be notified by letter of your status. All information is confidential - names are never disclosed. A copy of the application will also be shared at Open House.
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