Franklin Center

The Bridge Newsletter

January 11th, 2024

Coffee and Convos Reminder


Join us for our first Coffee and Convos of 2024 on Friday, January 19th! Starting around 8:00 am, stop in for conversation with fellow Franklin parents and delicious breakfast treats made by our Culinary Science class. Hope to see you there!

Tuition Assistance


Beginning Tuesday, January 16th, we are accepting tuition assistance applications through Blackbaud for the 2024-25 school year. We ask all families who received tuition assistance for this school year to reapply for next school year.


The deadline for applications is Friday, Feb 16, 2024. You will be asked to submit income and tax information for 2023, so we encourage you to file your 2023 taxes at your earliest convenience. Incomplete applications or those not containing verifying documents may not be considered.


For technical questions regarding the Blackbaud online application, please contact: 1 (800) 360-8027 or [email protected]

Winter Weather Reminder


If a decision is made to close the school or start late due to snow and/or driving conditions, you will receive an email, text, and voicemail to the contact information you provided at the start of the school year. In the case of a snow day, our goal is to inform you as early as possible, typically by 6:00 am, to allow for proper planning. We also post our closing on KARE 11 and WCCO-TV. Classes will continue virtually. Please keep in mind there will be no after-school activities if Franklin Center is closed.

COMING UP

January 12th

Activity Day

No School

January 15th

No Activity Day

No School

January 19th

Coffee and Convos

February 2nd

No Activity Day

No School

View the 2023-2024 Year at a Glance Calendar on our Parents' Page

Live Calendar

Franklin Academy's Family Corner

Welcome in Greenlandic

Classroom Highlight: Pigeon River

By John Gabriel


This year, Pigeon River has been talking about the Westward expansion of the United States in our Social Studies classes. Students learned about the daring nature of some of these expeditions and the immense impact they had on our country. Recently, we have had a lot of in-depth and excellent discussions about the treatment of Native populations within the United States. Next week, we'll learn about the nineteenth-century doctrine of Manifest Destiny and how the United States spanned from coast to coast. Pigeon River just finished a SEL unit on bullying, where students learned how to spot and categorize bullying. They even wrote and starred in skits, complete with hand-made props! This was great practice for everyone to learn about and notice the differences between joking and bullying, which can be cloudy in adolescence

Start of School Day Reminder


A friendly reminder that the school day starts at 8:10 am. Please ensure your student arrives on time for a smooth and timely beginning to the day. If you are running late, contact the office or your student's Homeroom Teacher.

Letters from Leaders

Kimberly Strandemo, Academy Principal


Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope this message finds you well and in high spirits as we gear up for another exciting semester. Looking back on “last year”, there are many highlights to share with you. Students enjoyed welcoming guest speakers to their classrooms. Our first spirit week of the year was very successful, and a majority of our students participated. Parent engagement in fall conferences was very high and Special Person’s Day was another huge success. Finally, our after-school clubs have been very well attended. 


As the last half of the year unfolds, we hope to continue hosting guest speakers and planning both a second spirit week and an all-school assembly. We hope that our Conferences in February will be as successful as in the fall, and, if you can believe it, we have already started planning for Graduation. Please stay engaged, we will have many opportunities for you to come on campus.


Our new semester starts on January 22, 2024. Teachers and CBTs will be working on finalizing grades and comments to share in February at our Winter conferences. WIPPs (Whole Individual Progress Plans) will be sent out on February 9th.


As we get back into the swing of things, teachers are revisiting the expectations set in the fall. It always takes a little bit of time to adjust. I’m sure you are also seeing sleep and eating patterns return too. If we can help get your child back on track, just let us know! In a week or two things should be back to normal.


We are working on the 2024-25 Academy Calendar and will have a board-approved calendar for you after the Board's February meeting.


Wishing you and your family a fantastic return to school. 


Warm regards,


Kim Strandemo

Franklin Enrichment

Enrichment Flyers


If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Activity Day Flyer

Donna Grubka

Parent Connections

[email protected]


Kim Snow

Executive Director

[email protected]

Kim Strandemo

Academy Principal

[email protected]