In partnership with Principal Simpson, the BFA Board of Directors is proud to work for the students, parents, and patrons of BFA in promoting the mission and vision of the school. The following summarizes the action taken during our September Board meeting.

BOD Updates:

Carpool

One of the duties of the Board is to set policies for the school. One of the duties of the BFA Administration is to create and oversee procedures. Carpool is an operational procedure managed by the Administration. As such, we ask that carpool complaints, suggestions (or even praises) be directed to the Administration moving forward. If it is determined that investing in a different system, for example, would impact our budget or require policy changes, the Board would be engaged. Principal Simpson provided helpful information for our Stakeholders:

• New families are trained on carpool procedures as they have been in prior years.
• B lane only closes when no cars remain in the lane.
• Any number of issues can slow the carpool flow: announcing for the wrong lane/zone, inability or failure to announce, failure to have the PikMyKid app downloaded, or delegated pickup person(s) (grandparents, for example) who are unfamiliar with our procedures.
• We are consistently able to get 800 students safely to their cars in approximately 35 minutes.

We are a data-driven institution. To that end, Principal Simpson collected carpool data that was shared during the meeting. That included average wait times from last Wednesday and Thursday. The wait times for cars arriving after 3:25 p.m. averaged between 13-15 minutes.

CMAS: Preliminary Framework

If you had a student participate in CMAS at the end of last school year, you should have received the results in the mail. As a school, we have received the Preliminary School Performance Framework. A copy of the Final Performance Framework will be available on the BFA website when it is published.

For those reviewing the reports, elementary results are comprised of grades 3-5 and Middle School results include grades 6-8. For both schools, we exceeded expectations in achievement! This is wonderful news as we have met the criteria for the John Irwin School of Excellence Award. We hope to receive that prestigious award again this year which is a testament to the hard work of our students and staff. Way to go!

On another note, we did increase our participation across the school this year. Thank you! Participation and corresponding results provide very useful data for our school each year.

Financial Oversight:

Treasurer Sarah Nisbet provided the financial focus during the meeting. July and August financials were reviewed and recommended for approval by our Finance Committee. We remain focused on our financial health, including appropriate spending and quality investments.

Financial documents are made available on the Financial Transparency page of the BFA website.

Policy Governance:

The Board reviewed several policies during the September meeting. The following briefly summarizes changes you can expect to see in the updated versions. The updated policies will be available on the Policy page of the BFA website on or before October 1, 2024.

Dress Code Policy

There were several changes made to this policy. Notice will be provided to the Community when the revised policy is posted and compliance with regard to changes will begin at that time. I am highlighting some but not all of the changes that were made.

• With regard to hair, tinsel is unnatural and is not allowed under our dress code. This will be enforced as a violation on the day students return from Fall break.
• Regarding shoes, crocs and sandals are not permitted.
• Please pay close attention to changes related to athletic uniforms. Those are only permitted on game days, but will not qualify for non-game day Spirit Days. Cross country jerseys will require a coordinating t-shirt underneath.
• Sports hoodies are permitted for Middle School but continue to require the school uniform underneath, including a belt and collared shirt.
• Athletic warm-up shirts are permitted but must be tucked in.

This list is not exhaustive. WE ASK THAT YOU CAREFULLY REVIEW THE REVISED POLICY AND UNIFORM STANDARDS CHART when notice is provided.

Document Retention Policy

Minor formatting changes were made to this policy.

Financial Accounting & Reporting Policies & Procedures

Minor formatting changes were made to this policy.

The following policies are currently scheduled to be reviewed at the October meeting:

• Board of Directors Election Policy
  
  

Board BOLTS:

The Board and Principal Simpson recognize that there are BFA students who go above and beyond and achieve excellence in academics, character, effort, and/or service both at BFA and within our greater Community. We are proud of these students and the characteristics they exemplify:

• Elizabella Rocke (Kindergarten)
• Jack Russomanno (2nd Grade)
• Landon Noble (2nd Grade)
• Riley Dehner (4th Grade)
• Baker Busbee (4th Grade)
• Hunter Cuttic (8th Grade)

If you would like to nominate a student to be considered as one of our Board BOLTS in October, please use this nomination form.

September Board Meeting:

The next BFA Board of Directors meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 22, in the Middle School Commons.

The Board is responsible for drafting school policy while the Administration is responsible for procedures related to the policies and enforcement.

Recipients

Elizabella Rocke (Kindergarten)
Jack Russomanno (2nd Grade)
Landon Noble (2nd Grade)
Riley Dehner (4th Grade)
Baker Busbee (4th Grade)
Hunter Cuttic (8th Grade)

We have partnered with the Colorado Rapids to reward and incentivize attendance here at Ben Franklin Academy by giving students with perfect attendance in the month of September, a complimentary ticket to a Rapids match with the purchase of an adult ticket.

The Rapids boast one of the most family-friendly and fun game day experiences in town. From celebrating the goals together, to the roar of the stadium crowd, to the hot dogs at halftime, Colorado Rapids games are where memories can be made. Students who qualify will receive a ticket link voucher to redeem their complimentary ticket with purchase of additional discounted tickets. Vouchers will be redeemable for Rapids home games on 10/2 & 10/5.

With our first full week of September finished, we can brag that last week's overall attendance for K - 8 is 98.3%. Which is 2% better than last week.

Here is a breakdown per grade:

Please visit our Bi-Monthly Newsletter dated September 12 for Grades K - 4.

Please visit our Bi-Monthly Newsletter dated September 19 for Grades 5 - 8.

Please visit our Preschool Newsletter dated September 19 for Pre-K 3s and 4s.

Please see all the wonderful things our School Committees are doing. This includes, Community Events Committe (CEC), Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), School Accountability Committee (SAC) and STEAM Committee.

Our very own Deputy Jensen was recognized at this year's Heroes Gala. She was recognized for her work as an School Resource Officer (SRO) and specifically her involvement in helping a family overcome some challenges here at BFA. Deputy Jensen was nominated by Linda Wilson. Ms. Simpson was also able to go to support and recognize Deputy Jensen.

In addition to the Heroes Gala, Deputy Jensen received another very special award.

She received the Unparalleled Community Impact Award today during a special assembly. Many of her colleagues, her family and many of our staff and students were able to be a part of this special assembly.

Deputy is a great presence at the school! She makes a point to be here to greet our students every morning. Sometimes you will see her doing a lesson in the class or playing basketball at recess. This kind of interaction can really help build a positive relationship between students and law enforcement.

Please join me in congratulating Deputy Jensen for being recognized as BFA's Hero!

Our picture retakes for PreK to 5th, 7th & 8th Grades will be October 9th.

6th Grade students will have their picture retakes on October 24th during advisory.

Students who have yet to get their pictures taken will be called down individually. Order forms will be sent to parents after the pictures are taken.

If you missed ordering pictures for your student, you can contact MJ Thomas to still order.

We would like all our cars to start using the Car tags along with PikMyKid. We would like you to hang them from your rear view mirror so our employees can see your name. Keep the tag up until your student(s) are in the car. Then you can take it down to show that you are ready to go.

If you are missing any tags or need an additional, we are printing them for those who email Traffic. A free set of 2 can be requested until September 30. After this time, you can purchase replacements on MySchoolBucks.

Once you arrive off Plaza Drive and you find that the other lane is empty, before 3:45 p.m., you can change into that lane. Don't worry if you have already announced. Staff can quickly move your delegation to the other lane.

Our Highlands Ranch location and book drop will be closed Sept. 16-30 for interior repairs. Upon reopening, there will be occasional building entry and exit detours during roof replacement.

This expansive library features interactive children’s areas, flexible meeting and community spaces with state-of-the-art technology, laptop borrowing, and a furnished terrace with shade structure.

Book Fair will be held the week of October 7 thru October 10, the same week as Parent-Teacher conferences. See our Book Fair Newsletter for more information.

Fall break is just around the corner. If you would like for your child(ren) to attend our week long camp on Oct 14-18, please register them through your MSB account.

Registration Is NOW OPEN. We need at least 20 more students to sign up. Check our Grade Level newsletters for more information!

Bookmark Our Events Calendar Now!

We are so fortunate to have an active community. We hope to see you all very soon at one of these events.

This time-honored event is a great way to connect with the whole Ben Franklin community! We hope you'll join us for activities, food, and fun on Saturday, September 28 from 3 - 7 p.m. at BFA. There will be games, bounce houses, obstacle courses, lawn games, face painting, balloon artists, cotton candy, and the always popular CAKE WALK!!!! Hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, and sides will be served between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale NOW through September 21 on MySchoolBucks.

We can't make this event happen without our volunteers! We hope you’ll consider volunteering to help staff the event, or donating a cake for the cake walk! These are great, and FUN, hours that count towards those family totals!

Read More about Franklinfest here.

We offer many before and after school Fine Arts clubs throughout the year. We update our webpage frequently, so look often.

Arts

Music

Fall Sports were in full swing this week. Our game schedules will be up on Events Calendar for Girls Volleyball, Boys Soccer, Co-Ed Cross Country and Landsharks.

Visit our Athletics Page for more information about our Athletics Programs at BFA.

Parents-when you are attending functions after school, as a courtesy, please do not park in the 6 clearly marked parking spots for the BASE parents during the hours of 4pm-6pm.

Our delicious lunch is provided by DCSD. Check out the menu for the first weeks of school.

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.

On August 27, the Douglas County School District Board of Education unanimously voted 7-0 to place a $490 million Bond on the November 2024 ballot.

If passed by voters, a $490 million Bond would be used to upgrade aging schools and facilities; build additional career and technical education pathways; upgrade school safety and security; and construct and expand neighborhood schools. The Bond would provide for two new elementary schools in growing areas of our county, as well as the expansion of one existing middle school.

A $490 million Bond would not increase current property taxes.

You can read more about DCSD’s funding challenges on our website. Thank you for being an engaged and informed member of our school community!

The Foundation has many events with discounts coming up. Please click on the flyers for more information.

Join Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Highlands Ranch Metro District park rangers to learn the basics or advance your angling skills. Colorado Parks and Wildlife will provide fishing rods for each participant to use and take home. This is a catch and release event.

Saturday, Sept. 28

8-11 a.m.

Fly’n B Park

$15 ($18 for nonresidents)

Discounted group rate available for registrations of 3 or more.

Register Here

Mission:

Our mission is to create 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, the arts, 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 social emotional development, character, sports, and nature.

13 Virtues:

Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.