Ben Franklin Newsletter

Dear Ben Franklin Families,

We held our October Spirit Assembly on Friday this week and kicked it off with our BF Cheer Squad cheering our slogan, "WORK HARD. BE KIND"! Students later enjoyed being entertained by our Kindergarteners as they sang two fall-themed songs and performed. A number of students in all grades were recognized for going above and beyond in their demonstrating respect throughout the month. In addition, staff members (Mrs. Povell, Ms. Klemmens, and Mrs. Tonge) helped to make clear how to appropriately greet each other... our social skill of the month, "Greeting Others". All students participated in singing Pumpkin Bones and our BF Song as well! Mrs. Umbach facilitated the assembly with Mrs. LaFlamme, Ms. Skorupa, and the K teachers. Prior to heading back to class, students went out to the front of the school for a special performance by the LHS Marching Band under the direction of Director Mike Drobish and the LHS Cheerleading Squad! Check out all the pictures below of the Spirit Assembly.

Tonight our BF PTO will host the annual Trunk or Treat at Ben Franklin (in the large parking lot). The event will begin at 6:30 and run through 7:30. We hope to see many of our BF families there!

Looking forward, we hope to see you at the Community Conversation on Tuesday evening at Slackwood (for all elementary schools) and also seeing you on Thursday this week for the Halloween Parade. Details are within this newsletter for both events.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the fall weather!

Sincerely,

Geoff Hewitt

Principal

Thank you to all who have donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. and/or who participated in wearing pink on Thursday this past week. The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. donates over 80% of collected funds directly to the fight against breast cancer. If you would like to donate, please do one of the following:

• Visit BF Donation page - https://fundraise.nbcf.org/fundraiser/5883456
• Send cash in an envelope marked "Fight Against Breast Cancer" in your child's backpack
• Drop-off cash at the main office

We will continue to fundraise through Thursday, October 31st.

We are looking forward to celebrating Halloween on Thursday. Students will have classes in the morning and the afternoon will be dedicated to classroom celebrations (organized by the classroom parents with the teachers) followed by a parade in the front of the school beginning at 2:00 pm. If you plan to attend the parade, please be sure to plan ahead as parking will be challenging! The students will parade in the front of the school, therefore, to keep everyone safe, no parking will be available in the loop out front.

Costumes:

• Students should be able to bring/carry their costumes to school with them that day and carry them on their own
• Time will be provided for students to put their costumes on prior to the parade and staff members will be available to assist students in putting on simple costumes
• Parents will not be able to come into the building during the class celebrations or prior to the parade. *Classroom coordinators will be able to come into the building to assist with setting up celebrations
• Please note - students will not be able to carry weapons such as swords, sticks, poles, etc. as part of their costumes. Please do not send these props to school.

Students Who Do Not Celebrate Halloween...

We realize that not all families celebrate Halloween. If you would prefer that your child not participate in the classroom festivities or the parade on Thursday, October, 31st, please be sure to let your child's teacher know. We will be providing fun-filled activities for your child during the afternoon (in place of the classroom celebration and parade). We want to be sure that all students enjoy the day!

Mrs. Cimorelli and Mr. Yates have created a spooky gymnasium for our students to enjoy as they focus on students working through an obstacle course and see skeletons (a topic recently studied)! The students have visibly enjoyed working through the course with their peers, having fun, and staying physically active!

This past week, Mr. Fishman's 3rd graders were connected with a school in India. Students in both India and here at Ben Franklin connected virtually and were able to interact with one another as they asked prepared questions to learn more about one another. In addition, students shared presentation that focused on learning more about art, recreation, clothes, foods/drinks, shelter, and holidays! It was a wonderful learning experience for all involved.

Trunk or Treat - TONIGHT!! (Saturday, Oct. 26th) 6:30-7:30 pm - We are excited to announce Trunk or Treat! This event is open to Ben Franklin families only and it is free! If you love Halloween, this is the event for you!

Dine to Donate at Shake Shack: Wednesday, November 6th from 11:00 am to 9:30 pm Please come on out and join us for the next dine to donate at Shake Shack! A very generous 25% of the proceeds goes to BF PTO.

Charleston Wrap! -This fundraiser helps to both raise money for the PTO and to get ready for the holidays as well as just to order other useful items. There are holiday items that include Hanukkah, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween. In addition, there are many other items such as household decorations, food, kitchenware, accessories, etc. Check it out!

PTO Meeting: Monday, November 18th at 7:00 pm on Google Meet (Link to join - https://meet.google.com/yjp-dezv-vcv)

Clothing Drive - This year's clothing drive will begin in mid-October and run through mid-January. Click on the link to see the flyer for more information.

Meet our Amazing PTO Executive Board Members:

Executive Board Members:

President: Megan Coopersmith

1st Vice President: Petra Crevier

2nd Vice President: Lindsay Walsh

Recording Secretary: Ilana Hernandez

Corresponding Secretary: Nicole Bottrel

Treasurer: Kristen Paladino

BF PTO Website: www.bfpto.org

Email: bfptorocks@gmail.com

The Lawrence Township Public Schools will be hosting an Elementary School Community Conversation on October 29, 2024 at 6:00 pm. Save the date! The event will be held at Slackwood School and be open to all families. Please RSVP here by 10/25.

We do keep a Lost and Found area outside the entrance to our All Purpose Room. It is quickly filling up with sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, etc. To help avoid items from ending up in Lost and Found please be sure to label items with your child's name. Any items labeled will be more easily and more quickly returned. Thank you!

We have opened the feature in Genesis that allows you (as the parent/guardian) to mark your child absent. This allows you to use the app or the website to simply go into the system and mark an absence for the day or for a day in the future that you know your child(ren) will be absent. Here are the directions for utilizing this system.

Please know that the Ben Franklin Attendance email and phone line do remain active, however, we encourage you to take advantage of this "Notify Attendance Office" feature for a more direct and immediate response. Should you need any assistance or have questions about your parent portal account (link to parent portal), do not hesitate to contact our front office staff at (609)671-5540.

In an effort to continually improve safety and security within our district of all members, the district has set up a Tip Line. Please check out this brief (1 minute) video to learn more about the purpose of the Tip Line and how to access it: Tip Line Video

Link to LTPS District Calendar (2024-2025)

October:

21-Nov. 4th - Charleston Wrap Fundraiser (PTO) (Oct. 21st-Nov. 4th)

26 - Trunk or Treat at BF, 6:30-7:30 pm

27 - Trunk or Treat at BF, 6:30-7:30 pm (Weather Date)

29 - Elementary Community Conversation, 6:00 pm at Slackwood School

31 -

• Halloween
• Costume Parade, 2:00 pm at Ben Franklin (PreK-3)

November:

1 -School Closed (for students), Staff Professional Development

2 - Daylight Savings (Clocks turn back one hour)

5 - Election Day

6 - Dine to Donate (PTO fundraiser) at Shake Shack, 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

7-8 - School Closed, NJEA Convention Weekend

12 - Veterans' Day Assembly at BF (during school day)

13 - Board of Education Mtg., 7:00 pm at LHS

18 - PTO Meeting, 7:00 pm (Google Meet link to follow)

19-26 - Scholastic Book Fair (PTO event)

21-22 - Early Dismissal Days (K-3 students dismiss at 1:20 & PreK students dismiss at 1:40), Conferences

21 - PTO Sponsored Staff Luncheon (Thank you 3rd Grade Families for Hosting!)

22 - BF Spirit Assembly (during school day) - ALL students and staff members encouraged to wear spirit wear and/or wear blue and white!

23 - PTO Turkey Trot & Teacher Experience Raffle at BF

26-27 - Early Dismissal Days (K-3 students dismiss at 1:20 & PreK students dismiss at 1:40), Conferences

28 - Early Dismissal Day (K-3 students dismiss at 1:20 & PreK students dismiss at 1:40), Thanksgiving Recess Begins

29-30 - School Closed, Thanksgiving Recess