For the month of November, Randi McFall has been selected as the Ben Franklin Academy Volunteer of the Month. She is being recognized for the time she spent volunteering at the book fair. She was willing to take on multiple tasks and was terrific at helping the students. Thank you, Randi, for being flexible, taking initiative and treating our kids like your own!

Randi and her husband Riley have three kids at BFA: Patrick (grade 6), Reagan (grade 5), and Rowan (grade 1). They have been at BFA since their oldest started kindergarten in 2017.

When asked what she loves about BFA, Randi said: “Our favorite thing about BFA is the amazing teachers and staff. We are thankful for their dedication to creating a positive learning environment and building character in each student. We are grateful to have found a school that has such a great sense of community and encourages parental involvement.”

Congratulations, Randi. And, thank you for all you do for BFA!

If you know someone who should be considered for volunteer of the month, please email Janelle Nichols, PTO president.

This week, we’re highlighting the second group of our sponsors in the SILVER category; we’re very thankful for their outstanding support and hope you’ll take a few minutes out of your day to learn about these businesses.   

5280 CHIROPRACTIC, Jason Kroese

5280 Chiropractic has been in downtown Denver for 13 years and specializes in posture correction, sports performance, pregnancy and pediatrics, accidents and injuries, and overall wellness. Book your first visit and get a BFA referral discount of 33%.

ALL-STARS CLUB, Scott Russomanno

The All-Stars Club is a local non-profit, with 7 Colorado locations, providing free events for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. These events not only provide All-Stars with an opportunity to stay active and socialize, but they also give parents and caregivers a much-needed rest. These programs are a great way for families and students to volunteer together and experience a meaningful way to make a difference. No experience is necessary to volunteer.

DESTINY DANCE STUDIO, Kim Hernandez

Destiny Dance Studio offers social, partner dance instruction for adults in over 40 dance styles ranging from salsa and swing to waltz and tango. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff provide one on one and group instruction in a fun and inviting atmosphere where you will feel comfortable and confident learning. No partner or previous dance experience necessary, just an urge to have a little fun. See you on the dance floor! BFA families will receive 10% off their first month’s membership.

• Tomorrow, Nov. 10, is Veterans Day and Fun Sock Friday!
• Wednesday, Nov. 15, is the end of first trimester. Report cards will be available after Thanksgiving Break.
• Thursday, Nov. 16, is an Accelerated Reader Dress of Choice Day for elementary students who met their AR goal.
• Friday, Nov. 17, is a regular Dress of Choice Day for students who have not had two uniform violations since the last regular DOC day.
• Nov. 20-24 is Thanksgiving Break so there is NO SCHOOL!

K-8 Open Enrollment

All BFA families who have INCOMING K-8 students, including our current BFA preschoolers, MUST complete Open Enrollment between Nov. 1 – Dec. 1 to receive first-round priority and be eligible for a BFA offer. Plan to complete the process before Thanksgiving break as BFA will be closed and DCSD IT Support will have limited staffing to address any technical issues.



*CURRENT K-7 BFA students, returning for the 2024-25 school year, will automatically be enrolled. Please do NOT complete Open Enrollment for these students.

Visit the DCSD Open Enrollment Webpage to access the EngagED Portal to complete Open Enrollment, as well as for the most up-to-date information, instructions, and answers to commonly-asked questions.

After reviewing this webpage, if you have additional questions or cannot login to the EngagED Parent Portal with your existing credentials, please email our Director of Admissions and Records, Colleen Bobbin no later than Friday, Nov. 10.

2024-25 Preschool Enrollment

Preschool Enrollment for the three-year-old and four-year-old classes will take place via the preschool webpage on the BFA website. Preschool enrollment for current BFA families will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Preschool enrollment for the general public will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10.



If you are interested in the Ben Franklin Academy Preschool program, please click here for more information.

We hope to see you at our Veterans Day celebration TOMORROW, Nov. 10. This year we will host two ceremonies.

• 10:20 - 11:30 a.m. - traditional ceremony including grades 4-8
• 12 - 12:45 p.m. - smaller ceremony including grades K-3

Seating will take place 15 minutes prior to each assembly start. We are excited to host our honored guests, and we believe kids and adults alike will enjoy our speakers and presentations.

We ask Veterans and their guests to please allow enough time to park and check-in prior to the start of the event. Don't forget, the front office will need to scan the Driver's License of our guests in the front office.

A huge THANK YOU to all our volunteers who have been a part of making this event happen! From the hours it took decorating the school, to planning the activities, to handling all the big and small details of the day--we could not do this without you. Thank you for your contributions honoring our veterans and service members.

We could still use a few extra volunteers for take down and clean up after the event. Please visit the sign-up if you are able to help.

There is still one last day to donate items for our community drive to support the VA hospital. As a reminder, this week we are collecting kitchen items for homeless veterans moving into their new apartments; for example, we need can openers, kitchen towels, cooking utensils, sponges, mops, dish soap, dish racks, coffee makers, etc. Also, we are accepting donations of hygiene items such as shampoo, body wash, tooth brushes, tooth paste, lotion, socks and winter gloves/hats. Please tell your student to drop their donation(s) in the designated bins in the main school entrance.

The Foundation for Douglas County Schools is proud to honor exceptional educators and staff who are inspiring a love of learning in students and are trailblazing extraordinary innovation in our schools through their Apple Awards Program. It is truly an honor for our staff to be nominated. 



Please consider nominating a teacher or staff member before Nov. 12!

The Community Events Committee (CEC) is holding the 2nd Annual Pie Appreciation Event this November. This is a wonderful opportunity to thank our BFA teachers, administrators and staff for their kindness, care and commitment to our students. The CEC is requesting $15 donations to cover the cost of each pie. You can purchase (donate) a pie via MySchoolBucks.

We had great success with our pie appreciation event last year, we hope you will join us by contributing a pie for their Thanksgiving tables again this year. In an effort to streamline the process, each staff member will select a pie of their choice and the CEC will purchase the pies; however, we can't do it without YOUR help. We thank you in advance for your generosity!

The BFA STEM Committee is excited to host an Engineering Night - Paper Airplane Competition from 5 - 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at BFA.

This event will be FREE and will include an informational presentation on aerodynamics, time for families and students to work together in teams to construct the most aerodynamic paper planes, and flight tests! Light snacks will be provided and prizes will be awarded in multiple categories.

Don’t miss out! Sign up to participate in this free, fun, STEM-tastic evening of friendly competition at BFA. Bring your thinking caps, teamwork, and a little ingenuity for this fun and brain-tingling night.

The PTO Spirit Wear store is OPEN and there are terrific new items, just in time for chilly weather and the holidays! Be sure to check out the new joggers and sweatshirt options; and keep scrolling to see the new youth caps and beanies. Also, pay special attention to the notes about items that are approved for the classroom. Click here to start shopping. All orders need to be in by Sunday, Nov. 19, when the store will close again so items can be processed. Merchandise will be delivered to your student’s classroom before winter break. 

The PTO's November Sprit Night is Thursday, Nov. 16, at Zell's Panini and Crepes – BOTH locations! Zell's will donate 20 percent on orders placed back to the BFA PTO. 

The Spirit Night event will run ALL day at BOTH locations:

• 2229 Wildcat Reserve Pkwy Suite A 4, Highlands Ranch (hours are 8 a.m.-7 p.m.); and
• 7521 S University Blvd, Centennial (hours are 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.).

You must mention that you are there for the BFA fundraiser. Online orders may be placed through www.zellscrepes.com (no 3rd party platforms); note on your order that it is for the BFA fundraiser.

Please spread the word. We hope to see you there!

Last month, Pre-K-5 students were sent home with their Original Works art, and all the necessary instructions so you can order beautiful, professional products featuring your student's artwork. A portion of your purchase goes back to our arts programs, so your support is greatly appreciated.

To order, simply follow the detailed instructions on the form. It's very easy and makes a terrific gift! Please order online by Thursday, Nov. 14. Orders should be available before our winter break. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Hinkle.

The days of falling leaves, family gatherings, and less daylight are officially upon us. It is a season of honor, gratitude and preparation. This month’s virtues, Sincerity and Tranquility, perfectly compliment the season as we celebrate our Veterans this week and prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The BFA interpretations of these virtues are:

• Sincerity- Be kind. Say kind words and treat others as you want to be treated. Encourage each other to succeed.
• Tranquility- Keep yourself from reacting poorly to others. People are not perfect and the world is not fair. Learn to deal with both despite imperfections. Be patient.



We can help our students practice these virtues at home by modeling them; for example, speak kindly about others, have patience when check-out lines are long or traffic is terrible, and offer words of praise when we see others practicing these virtues. May this be a season of renewing our commitment to kindness and patience to ensure that our students see the best examples of how Ben Franklin practiced treating others.

Join other DCSD families at the One Book One District Community Day from 9 a.m. – noon this Saturday, Nov. 11, at Kirk Hall in the Douglas County Fairgrounds. There will be tons of fun activities and donations will be accepted for SECOR Cares and the Douglas County Canine Rescue. The event also highlights the book, “BECOMING A GOOD CREATURE,” which will be read to classes in the Douglas County Schools. And, as a bonus, the school with the most attendees will receive $1000 in free books for their library!

The 2023-24 yearbooks are on sale now! Be sure to order yours early for the best pricing! Right now, yearbooks cost $45 per book. (The price will go up to $50 after Winter Break.) 

You may also order a yearbook dedication (parent tribute ad) for your student. Dedications are $35 for 1/8 of page if you order by November 13. After that, the price for dedications will go up to $38 (if ordered by 12/31) and then to $40 (from 1/1 until the last day to order, 1/31). These ads are a fun way to help commemorate a great school year!

This year, we will be using a new company, Jostens, for our yearbooks. You can order and pay for your 2023-24 yearbook here, and your dedication now!

We have been notified by the school district that the login process for parents to access the EngagED Parent portal has changed. The EngagED Parent Portal is the tool BFA families use to access Express Check-In each summer. NOTE FOR EIGHTH GRADE FAMILIES: You'll need this new login to Open Enroll to a DCSD high school other than your child's address-assigned "feeder."

Beginning now, parents will need to add “@p.dcsdk12.org” to their current user names when logging into EngagED. For example, when you log into EngagED, if your current user name is absmith, that will be changed to absmith@p.dcsdk12.org. Your password will remain the same. 

You should practice logging in NOW with the new user name. If you need to change your password or manage your account, you can do so on the DCSD website here. If you run into difficulty logging in to EngagED after the login process changes, don’t hesitate to reach out to the DCSD IT by clicking here, or calling 303-387-0001.

We realize this adds another step to the login process, but it's important to continuously enhance security. DCSD IT thanks you for your patience and understanding.