2/20 BFA Elementary Newsletter

Dear Parents-

In elementary school, students quickly transition from learning to read to reading to learn. At BFA, we use Lexia Core 5 and iReady to track each student’s progress, providing valuable metrics that help identify areas of growth. This approach allows teachers to address learning gaps or offer more advanced challenges when needed. An article from iReady, shared by our 3rd grade teachers, offers insights for parents on how they can nurture and deepen their child’s love for learning through reading, making it an engaging and meaningful experience at home.

Knowledge of academic language:

Extend students´ word knowledge of general academic vocabulary.

• Teach multipurpose words such as associate, benefit, dialogue, dilemma, handle, indicate, method, occur, require, and structure.
• Remember that in order to learn a new word, students need to read, hear, and use the word multiple times in different contexts.
• Encourage students to play with these words and connect them to everyday life. Ask questions or use prompts such as "Which would more likely be a dilemma: Deciding whether to have cake or ice cream, or choosing whether to clean your room or play with a friend?" "What word do you associate with spaghetti?" (Repeat with other word associations.)

Introduce meaningful word parts:

Students can greatly expand their vocabulary by learning how prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of base words and root words.

• Teach or review the meanings of these prefixes: in-, dis-, mis-, non-, uni-, bi-, tri-, over-, de-, trans-, super-, ex-, sub-, en-, and em-.
• Teach or review the meanings of these suffixes: -y, -ly, -ily, -er, -est, -ness, -er/-or, -ent, -ion, -tion, -ation, -ition, -ist, and -ment.
• Provide instruction and practice in identifying base words.

Play with words:

• Explore word relationships such as synonyms, antonyms, and homophones.
• Engage students in word play by learning about idioms such as "hold your horses" and "play it by ear."
• Investigate the way authors use figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and alliteration. Encourage students to experiment with using figurative language to express their ideas.

Teach close reading:

Read-aloud a text, and model close reading. Then have students do close readings of texts read independently. Offer these prompts:

• Read the text several times.
• Determine the meaning of any unfamiliar words. Use a dictionary or ask someone.
• Think about the structure. What choices did the author make about organizing the text? Why did the author make those choices?
• Think about the author´s purpose. Why did the author write this text? What did the author most want you to understand?
• Think about the mood or tone. How did you feel after reading this passage? Did the author want you to feel that way? Why do you think so?
• Think about the choices the author made with language. Did the author use metaphors, similes, or other imagery? What was the author trying to accomplish with these choices?

Encourage extensive reading:

Young readers often have favorite subjects, authors, and genres. To support students in taking their reading further, encourage them to make connections among texts. For example, fans of folktales might compare and contrast two versions of the same folktale from different cultures.

This is why it is so important for our students to read for 20 minutes each day. Using goals in the Accelerated Reader (AR) program further motivates students by setting achievable targets, allowing them to track their progress and celebrate their success. By incorporating both daily reading time and AR goals, students can foster a love of reading while enhancing their academic growth.

Mr. Peterson

This is Ms. Ferguson’s seventh year teaching first grade at BFA. Before becoming a teacher, she served as a founding board member for five years, holding the position of secretary. After her term, she decided to pursue her passion for education and earned her teaching degree from Western Governors University with a bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies (K-6). She is also a certified Orton-Gillingham instructor and tutor. Ms. Ferguson is deeply passionate about teaching and finds joy in helping children learn to read and watching their skills and confidence grow.She feels fortunate to be part of the BFA first-grade team.

A Littleton native, Ms. Ferguson graduated from Heritage High School. She taught piano lessons for over 20 years before returning to school to become a teacher. Ms. Ferguson is married to her wonderful husband, Henry, and they have one son, Kyle, who is a freshman at Adams State University and plays lacrosse. Their family also includes Grizz, their 11-year-old rescue pup. She enjoys baking, cake decorating, hiking, camping—really anything outdoors—and watching sports.

Click here to see her favorites.

Teaching has always been a passion for Ms. Tickle, and she loves being part of the Ben Franklin Academy staff. With 15 years of teaching experience, she has taught fourth grade and currently serves as the K-5 Specials Technology teacher. Technology plays a vital role at BFA, and Ms. Tickle enjoys helping students effectively integrate it into their learning.

Ms. Tickle earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Purdue University in 2009. She holds a certification in Linguistically Diverse Education and a master’s degree in Information and Learning Technologies, both from the University of Colorado Denver. She was honored with the ‘Outstanding Student in the Program’ award upon completing her master’s coursework. This program not only advanced her own education but also equips her to bring innovative technology projects and ideas into BFA classrooms.

In addition to her academic achievements, Ms. Tickle is a Certified BrainPOP Educator and was recognized as an Innovative Educator by Tech4Learning.

A Colorado native, Ms. Tickle enjoys working out, watching football, traveling, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Cory—an audiologist with Colorado Ear Care—met through mutual gym friends. They have two children, Harper and Tanner, along with two dogs, Bettie and Clyde.

Click here to view her favorites.

Kindergarten recently wrapped up their fairy tale unit with a magical King and Queen Ball! Students dressed up in their finest royal attire and welcomed parents to join the celebration. Leading up to the event, students practiced dancing in the classroom, played fairy tale bingo, and enjoyed themed activities. At the ball, they showed off their new dance moves, played games, and shared delicious treats, making it a truly memorable day for all!

Reading centers are an important part of the daily schedule for our 1st graders. These small group rotations provide students with targeted reading practice, allowing them to build foundational skills such as phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Reading centers also encourage independence and help foster a love for reading by offering a variety of engaging activities tailored to meet each student’s needs. This dedicated time supports their growth as confident, capable readers.

A Pioneer Woman visited 2nd grade to give students a hands-on experience of life in the 1800s! She demonstrated how pioneers lived, showing tools, clothing, and chores they used to do daily. The students got to try out activities like weaving, using old-fashioned cooking tools, and learning about pioneer traditions.This helped our students connect what they are learning with history and understand what life was like during that time.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science is a favorite field trip for our third graders! Students explored fascinating exhibits on dinosaurs, space, and the natural world, discovering new facts about our planet and beyond. They learned about ancient fossils, and even visited the planetarium for a close-up look at the stars.

Now that third grade students experienced the planetarium, they are learning a more in-depth unit about the planets, moons, and other celestial bodies, exploring how they orbit the sun and their unique characteristics. They’re discovering the differences between rocky planets and gas giants, as well as the fascinating features of our solar system.

As part of the unit, students will research various aspects of the solar system and write a research paper to share their newfound knowledge.To support their research paper, students designed their own constellations, which you can see below.

Fourth grade is diving into the American Revolution unit. Students are learning about the key events, important figures, and the causes that led to the colonies fighting for their independence. They are exploring topics like the Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence, and the brave leaders who helped shape our nation. As part of their learning, they are learning the steps to writing a five-paragraph paper using the Step Up to Writing curriculum. This program helps students organize their ideas and develop strong writing skills, preparing them to craft well-structured essays.

Library Book Replacement & Fines

Due to special library binding, lost or damaged books must be replaced through the district-approved vendor to ensure compatibility. Parents cannot order from the vendor directly—replacements must go through the school. Books purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other retailers (even library-bound editions) do not qualify.

Important Guidelines:

• Do not send a purchased book as a replacement; it cannot be entered into our system.
• Do not send cash, checks, or charge cards with your student. Fines will be added to their MSB account and should be paid via MSB.
• If a lost book is returned in good condition within 90 days and has not yet been replaced, the fee will be removed from the student’s account.

Some students may not realize the impact of losing or damaging a book, especially if we have multiple copies. However, popular books are in high demand, and we work hard to maintain our collection. We always attempt to repair books before assessing a fine, but some damage is beyond repair. On average, over 20 books per week need repairs, and we make every effort to avoid charging students.

Unpaid fines for damaged books after six weeks may result in your student being unable to check out books.

If a book is mistakenly returned to Douglas County Library (DCL), it will be sent back to BFA within 2–3 weeks. If you suspect this has happened, please email Ms. Williams , and she will note your student’s account so they can continue checking out books.

Thank you for your understanding and support in keeping our library collection in great shape!

Our Art room is always in need of volunteers. If you are interested, just come on by the school and check in with the Front Office. No need to sign up or even let us know as Mrs. Hinkle can use your help everyday!

Did you know that your students can participate in private or semi-private music lessons during the school day? Music lessons help students develop a myriad of skills including confidence, patience, discipline, perseverance, collaboration, creativity and social skills! Not to mention, students who study music develop critical thinking skills!

We have several openings during the school day and we are ready for your students to join us today!

Click here for more information or go directly to the website to sign up now! We can’t wait to play music with you!

Just a great reminder that the weather can change fast in Colorado.

Appropriate outerwear should ALWAYS be sent with students. As outlined in our Parent Handbook, outdoor recess will be held every day unless it is raining or snowing heavily, or below "feels like" 20 degrees. We use Ambient Weather Network to determine our weather temperatures.

Please remember to label everything. A simple sharpie with the last name ensures items are returned to our students. Alternative options are finding inexpensive labels you can print at home or many companies that can print them. A friendly reminder to remove labels or put labels over names when buying used uniforms to ensure clothing and items get to the new owner.

Our Elementary Website can be found here.

It has wonderful information for parents and students. Each grade level has their own webpages also. You can find lots of information on homework, what your student is doing in class, what the upcoming week looks like and so much more.

Soon we will begin to have Parent Portals for each grade level which will replace our current webpages. While this will have the same look and feel of our webpages, it will be password protected to limit access to our sites.

Kindergarten

1st Grade - The new 1st Grade webpage is ready for parents. Look for a parent email for the password and save this new link.

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

February's Virtue is...

Industry – Keep on task. There is a time for work and a time for play – do both with a good attitude.

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.