Weekly Newsletter
January 30, 2025
Thank you to our volunteers who helped our hearing and vision screening go smoothly this week. It was nice to see each of you in the building this week. We hope to see many more of you for parent-teacher conferences during February 10 - 13. Please refer to your student(s)' teacher emails for how to sign up for conferences.
We kick off the Kids Heart Challenge in partnership with the American Heart Association tomorrow. Grades K - 5 students will participate in fun activities, fundraising, and, most importantly, learn how to do simple, hands-only CPR throughout February. Mrs. Nichols, our elementary PE teacher, is heading up this challenge along with her middle school elective class. The middle school students have helped design activities and will also be going into classes to teach. In March, it is the middle school's turn. They will be supporting the American Heart Association with their charity week March 10 - 14. This fun week concludes with the eagerly anticipated Dodgeball for Dollars event. For our Level Up! challenge, we hope to raise $7,500 from all of these activities. If we do, all the students will get an extra recess in March!
Next Monday is our 100th day of school. That means there are only 72 school days left. Please encourage your child(ren) to keep up their hard work. Motivation is sometimes hard to come by in January and February, but the year is flying by, and the spring activities come fast and furious. Buckle up for a fun last few months!
Have a great weekend!
Diana Simpson
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Please visit to get the most updated events or other activities going on.
Important Upcoming Dates
👕 January 31 - Denver Nuggets Spirit/BFA Spirit Wear & Crazy Sock Day
❤️ January 31 - Kids Heart Challenge Kick Off (Grades Pre-K - 5)
🪩 February 1 - Sweetheart Dance
💯 February 3 - 100 Days of School
🐶 February 4 - 101 Days of School
🏫 February 4 - School Accountability Committee Meeting
👕 February 5 - Formal Uniform Day
🏫 February 5 - Community Events Committee Meeting
👕 February 7 - National Wear Red Day
👕 February 7 - BFA Spirit Wear & Crazy Sock Day
🏫 February 11 and 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences
👕 February 11 and 13 - Used Uniform Sale at P/T Conferences
🏫 February 12 - PTO Virtual Meeting
🏫 February 13 - K - 5 Valentine's Day Parties
🏫 February 14 - No School (Comp Day)
🏫 February 17 - No School (President's Day)
🏫 February 18 - Board of Directors Meeting
🥮 February 21 - Desserts with Dad
SAVE THE DATE
March 5 - STEM Family Night
March 8 - BENefit Bash
Middle School Kick Off - February 28
Middle School Charity Week: Kicking Off the Kid’s Heart Challenge!
Our 6th–8th grade students will launch their Kid’s Heart Challenge as part of Charity Week! They’ll start by designing and selling charity t-shirts, then wrap up the week with an exciting Dodgeball for Dollars event. We’ll be announcing soon when the charity t-shirts go on sale—stay tuned! 👕🎉
Let's get ready for a heart-thumping, crowd-cheering good time! ❤️🏆
Our 2025 Schoolwide Level UP! Challenge #3
Level UP Challenge: Supporting the Kid’s Heart Challenge!
Our next schoolwide Level UP Challenge isn’t just about getting our heart rates up—it’s about giving back! Our goal is to raise $7,500 for the Kid’s Heart Challenge.
- Grades Pre-K – 5 will participate through the Kids Heart Challenge website, where students can create personalized fundraising pages and reach out to family and friends for donations.
- Grades 6 – 8 will help raise funds by selling charity t-shirts and joining a Dodgeball team to support the cause.
If we reach our $7,500 goal, every classroom will earn an extra recess
during the week of March 24 – 28!
Let’s Level UP and make a difference! ❤️💪
Ms. Childs
Lisa Childs plays a vital role in supporting the health and well-being of BFA students. She provides care for minor injuries and illnesses, administers medications as needed, and ensures a safe and healthy environment for all. She works closely with staff and families to promote health awareness and safety initiatives, including hearing and vision screenings. Her goal is to ensure that every child feels cared for, supported, and ready to learn each day.
With years of experience in pediatric emergency care, Ms. Childs is grateful for the opportunity to serve both the students and the BFA community.
This is her first year as a staff member and she is excited to be part of the BFA team. Her daughter, Kayley, has been a BFA student since the age of 3, and Ms. Childs looks forward to many more years at the school. She is eager to connect with students, staff, and families—so be sure to stop by and say hello!
Click here to view her favorites.
Volunteering? Please keep future BFA students at home.
We love when you come and volunteer with us! It’s a great way to get involved, meet new people, and make a positive impact. However, to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, we ask that siblings, aka Future BFA students, stay at home for the day. This allows us to keep the focus on the activities and ensures that we can give everyone the attention they deserve. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to having you join us for a fun and meaningful time!
Want to earn hours while helping at home? We have lots of projects you can help while in the comfort of your home. Contact us to get on our email list. We have many opportunities throughout the year.
We are incredibly grateful for our volunteers and the positive impact you have on our students!
Do You Love Baking?🥘🥖🧁
The Baking Committee can use your help!
If you like to bake treats 🧁, you can help out the Sweetheart Dance on February 1. Sweetheart Ball baked goods on 2/1
You can help provide dinner 🥖🥣🍜 for our staff on February 13. Spring Conference dinner on 2/13
Colorado Rapids Attendance Celebration! ⚽
We have partnered with the Colorado Rapids to reward and incentivize attendance here at Ben Franklin Academy by giving students who have not missed more than 2 days, from January 20 - February 21, a complimentary ticket to a Colorado Rapids match with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Students who qualify will receive a ticket link voucher via email to redeem their complimentary ticket with purchase of additional discounted tickets. Vouchers will be redeemable for qualifying Spring 2025 games.
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)
2nd Grade Universal Screen
As part of this process, ALL students in 2nd grade not identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) the weeks of February 3 and February 10. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age. If your child is in K or 1st grade and you believe he/she needs evaluation for Gifted Identification and Services, you may refer your child for testing by initiating the Gifted Identification Process.
Read more about this testing in Mr. Peterson's Newsletter.
Last Day for Early Bird Tickets to the 2025 BENefit Bash!
The BENefit Bash, on March 8, is the PTO’s primary fundraiser this year. It’s a BFA tradition parents look forward to, so we hope you’ll PURCHASE your tickets TODAY! The Bash will be held from 5 – 10 p.m. at Cielo in Castle Pines. Early bird pricing is available through January 31.
We are still in need of silent and live auction items! We are looking for a variety of things: sports items, timeshares, lodging, gift basket items etc. Please consider how you can help!
If you have something you would like to donate, or if you’d like to volunteer, please reach out to Erin Wiley, PTO Fundraising Coordinator.
Desserts with Dad
The CEC is excited to host Desserts with Dads, Friday, February 21. The event will be held in the evening from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at BFA. This will be a fun time for students and their fathers, or other special adult. Get ready for a fun-filled evening with plenty of sweet treats, laser tag and bingo! No RSVP needed.
Volunteer Opportunities Available
We are looking for volunteers to help make this event a success. Please see the sign up for available opportunities. We would love to have you be a part of this fun event!
Two Seats Open on the BFA Board of Directors in Spring 2025
The Ben Franklin Academy (BFA) community is seeking leaders who are passionate about and committed to BFA’s mission and vision to serve on the BFA Board of Directors (Board). In the spring of 2025, the BFA community will elect (or re-elect) one (1) director and the BFA Board will appoint one (1) director in accordance with the Board of Directors Election Policy to serve on the volunteer, seven-director BFA Board. We hope to receive a record number of nominations with a desire of having a diverse, talented and dedicated pool of candidates to draw from for BFA’s Board.
The Board encourages all individuals with a passion to serve the BFA community to get involved in the nomination and election process this spring. More details on the election/appointment process, director qualifications and Board needs will be communicated in early 2025.
If you have any questions please reach out to Adam Lucero or Justin Mayhall.
Winter Sports are gearing up. Our game schedules will be posted in our Monthly Calendar for all our upcoming sports. Visit our Athletics Page for more information about our Athletics Programs at BFA.
Girls Basketball Game Schedule is available. Hope to see you at the games!
Home Games Parking: Please remember to park in Athletic spots ONLY. When attending after school athletic games, as a courtesy, please do not park in the 6 clearly marked parking spots for the BASE parents during the hours of 4pm-6pm.
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Our delicious lunch is provided by DCSD. Check out the menu and select the current month.
If a student has a specific dietary restriction or allergy, parents must contact DCSD Nutrition Services to arrange an allergy/restriction lunch section.
BFA does not provide breakfast at this time.