Ben Franklin Focus

Dear Ben Franklin Families,

Summer isn't over yet, but we wanted to send this newsletter out to welcome you to Benjamin Franklin Middle School and keep you informed about our upcoming school year. We are so thankful to have you here and we look forward to the opportunity to get to know and work with you and your child throughout the upcoming school year. At Ben Franklin we work hard and have fun! We know that with the start of school comes many questions, so we wanted to provide as much information to you as possible. Please know that if you ever have any questions, concerns, or ideas, we welcome you to contact us. We are here for you. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Sincerely,

Jeanie Sienkowski & Andy Sargent

August

5 - Schedules and Locker Information Available in Skyward Family Access

7 - 6th Grade Locker Jamboree from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. (6th Graders Only)

8 & 9 - Building Open from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. for Students & Parents to Walk Schedules

13- 6th Grade & New Student Orientation from 8:00-10:15 a.m.

14 - First Day of School

15 - Open House for Parents from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

22 - Picture Day

September

2 - No School - Labor Day

27 - 1/2 Day for Students - 11:30 a.m. dismissal

We want you to stay connected! For up-to-date information throughout the school year, please visit:

• Ben Franklin's Website

• Facebook

• X

My name is Andy Sargent and I am thrilled to be returning to Ben Franklin as assistant principal. I started my career in education as a teacher and coach at Taft Middle School and Crown Point High School where I taught for ten years. After moving into school administration I was fortunate to work as the assistant principal at Ben Franklin for 8 years and after pursuing some career goals and leadership opportunities in other school districts, I am excited to be returning to Ben Franklin as assistant principal. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family, fishing, running, and playing golf and tennis. I am looking forward to a great school year at BF supporting students, families and teachers!

My name is Megan Molnar, and I will be teaching sixth grade math at BFMS. I have lived in Valpo most of my life, and I am thrilled to be teaching at my former middle school with such amazing people! For the past five years, I taught third grade at Heavilin Elementary and helped coach our school’s Math Bowl team. Some fun things about me: my fiancé and I got an Aussiedoodle puppy named Bogey over the summer, I love going on daily walks, and I will be getting married in July 2025. I am looking forward to a great school year!

Greetings! My name is Melissa Pfeifer, and I will be teaching 8th grade ELA this year. I am excited to join the Ben Franklin team! This will be my 16th year teaching, and I have a background in teaching both 7th and 8th grade ELA. I attended Purdue University where I met my incredible husband. We have two sons and an adorable “fur baby” named Chloe! In my free time I love to hike, read, and watch sports. Bear Down! I can’t wait to get this school year started and join the Ben Franklin community!

Hello! I am Abbey Rauch and I am so excited to be a Viking and part of the Ben Franklin team! This is my 8th year teaching Special Education, however my first 7 years were at the Elementary level in Crown Point, so I am ready to take on Middle School. I moved to Chesterton with my family in the fall and we have loved spending our time exploring all that Porter County has to offer. I'm looking forward to a great school year at Ben Franklin!

Lockers (Student Information tab) and Schedules (Schedule tab) will be posted in Skyward Family Access on Monday, August 5th.

P.E. uniforms are recommended for the upcoming school year. All students may purchase physical education uniforms from Blythe's Sport Shop. You can purchase online and ship to your home or pick it up at the store (located at 2810 Calumet Avenue) for a cost of $20.00 ($12.00-shorts, $8.00-shirt). Students are welcome to wear uniforms purchased for older siblings. Purchase Online

Tuesday, August 13th, is our 6th grade and new student orientation day!

All 6th grade and NEW 7th and 8th grade students are expected to attend school from 8:00-10:15 a.m. on this day. Students will meet their teachers, follow their class schedule, and practice opening their lockers. All 6th grade students will start their morning in their 1st hour class. All new 7th and 8th graders will meet in the auditorium. From there, students will be dismissed to go through their daily class schedules. Don't worry! There will be numerous staff on hand to help students find their classroom locations.

If your child rides a bus, pickup information can be found soon on Skyward Family Access by clicking on the “Busing" tab. This will give the time and location of both pick up and drop off approximate times. Bus riders will be picked up Tuesday morning and dropped off after our 10:15 a.m. dismissal.

Students are asked to bring their schedule and locker information. 7th and 8th grade students who have already attended BFMS should remain at home on this day.

We can't wait to see your kids!

Middle school classes begin at 7:50 a.m. and end at 2:50 p.m. on Monday - Friday.

2024-2025 School Year Calendar

Pick up and drop off information can be found on Skyward Family Access by clicking on the “Busing” tab. Be sure your child is at the bus stop at least 5 minutes ahead of the scheduled pick up time and please understand that the afternoon drop off times are an estimate only and will most assuredly run a little later the first few weeks of school.

The student handbook is in assignment notebooks which each student will receive on the first day of school. It is important that both students and parents read the handbook since it contains a wealth of information designed to improve communication between home and school. This assignment notebook should help students stay organized and inform parents about assignments and other information. We hope you find it helpful!

If a student must be absent, the parent must call the attendance office before 8:00 a.m. the day of the absence at 219-531-3020 ext. 4200. Additional information can be found in the student handbook.

To access information regarding school lunch prices, payment options and menus, please visit the VCS School Nutrition website.

Below you will find information and starting dates for all fall sports at BF. In order to participate in sports at BF, your child will need to have a physical dated AFTER April 1, 2024. Please set up a Final Forms account, complete the parent and student information, and upload the student physical. For more instructions see the Parent Playbook.

Cross-Country will begin on Wednesday, August 14th. Practices will be Monday-Friday from 3-4:15 p.m. Cross-Country is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and is for runners of all abilities. Make sure your child has a physical submitted in Final Forms so they can participate. If you have any questions you can contact Coach Otto or Coach West.
aotto@valpo.k12.in.us
kwest@valpo.k12.in.us

Any girls entering 6th-8th grade in the Fall who are interested in trying out for Middle School Gymnastics should contact Coach Cook at lcook@valpo.k12.in.us. The season runs from mid-August through the third week in October, with practices at Valparaiso High School and meets against other local schools. Completed physical information through Final Forms need to be submitted before tryouts begin August 15 and 16 from 3:30 -5:30 p.m.

There will be a Parent Meeting for anyone interested in trying out for the Middle School Girls Gymnastics team Tuesday, August 6th at 6:00pm in the VHS Fieldhouse.

Football practice will begin on Monday, August 5th from 6-8 pm. Football is open to 7th and 8th graders only. We will be practicing in shorts and t-shirts for the first couple of days. The first week of practice will be 8/5 from 6-8 pm, 8/6 from 6-8 pm, 8/7 from 6-8 pm, 8/8 from 6-8 pm, and 8/9 from 8:00-10:00 am. Further practice schedules will be given at practice. Please make sure your child has a physical submitted in Final Forms so they can participate. If you have any questions, you can email Coach Osburn or Coach Salomon.

sosburn@valpo.k12.in.us

lsalomon@valpo.k12.in.us

7th and 8th grade girls volleyball tryouts will be held on Wednesday, August 14th through Friday, August 16th from 3-4:30 p.m in Annex and Boucher gyms. Please be sure your child has a physical submitted in Final Forms so they can participate.

It is very important to attend all of the try out dates. If you have any questions, you can email Coach Mersman (8th Grade) or Coach Mendoza (7th Grade).

kmersman@valpo.k12.in.us

rmendoza@valpo.k12.in.us

If your child must leave early, please be sure to provide a note with the time you will picking up. Your child should bring the note to the office first thing in the morning to receive a pass. Parents must come to the school office and provide a picture ID before picking up their child. Students will not be permitted to meet parents in the parking lot. Only adults whose names appear on the child’s emergency information in Skyward will be permitted to pick up a student from school. Please enter Door 2 off of Campbell Street.

We are unable to pass along messages or deliver items to students during the school day except in the case of emergencies. Parents may bring forgotten items to Door 2 off of Campbell St. Your child will then be able to retrieve these items from the office during one of their passing periods. Please note that items such as flowers, balloons, or fast food are not able to be delivered.

If you are new to BFMS or you would like more information about the tools available to you through Skyward Family Access (attendance, grades, and school news) or Canvas (classroom resources, teacher information, etc.), then please contact the office at 531-3020.

We are so fortunate at Ben Franklin to have such a wonderful community of families. Thank you for that! While we do not have an official parent group, such as a PTO or PTA, there are times we are in need of parent input and feedback, including how we can best support your child, how our school can improve, and resources that best meet the needs of our students. Because of this, we have a parent advisory group. We may occasionally meet as needed, or we may just reach out to you through email or a phone call. If you are interested in being a part of this group, please complete the form below.

Benjamin Franklin Parent Advisory Group

If you are interested in contributing to our Ben Franklin Staff Appreciation Group, please reach out to Ben Franklin parent Raynelle Howlett via email at raynellehowlett@yahoo.com or you can join our BF Staff Appreciation Facebook group for updates and events. Thank you!

We look forward to working with you and your child this coming school year! We know that we are going to have a wonderful time together. Thanks for all you do and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if there is anything you need!