Zaccaria Sept 19

Hello Families,

Our goal as educators is to get our students prepared for high school and beyond. With this year's theme, Level UP!, our 5th through 8th Graders have embrace the idea of pushing themselves to new heights, striving to improve and tackle challenges head-on. Students who are encouraged to Level UP! take a proactive approach to education, seeking to improve and expand their knowledge. They set goals, and work hard to achieve them, sometimes even pushing beyond their comfort zones in a short timeframe.

This is a time for them to make mistakes and navigate how to make corrections. 5th Grade even made their own "License to Make Mistakes". We are looking forward to seeing the growth our students will accomplish this year.

Richard Zaccaria
Assistant Principal
Ben Franklin Academy

Ms Svensen is our 7th Grade Science teacher, Soccer Coach, and plans our 7th Grade Outdoor Education trip, just to name a few.

Ms. Svensen has taught middle school for over 20 years. She received both her BA in Psychology and her Teaching License from CU Boulder and her MA in Education Administration & Supervision from the University of Phoenix.

Ms. Svensen has lived in Colorado her entire life. She enjoys staying active around Highlands Ranch as well as traveling to new places with her two daughters, who attend school at Mountain Vista High School and the University of Colorado in Boulder. She appreciates all that Colorado has to offer, including the parks and recreation, the mountains with skiing and boarding during the winter months, and hiking and paddleboarding during the summer months.

Ms. Svensen is grateful to be part of the BFA community. She looks forward to meeting all of her students and helping them maintain a love for education.

Here is a link to her favorites.

Ms. Khristen, as the students call her, is an important member of our Middle Team. Part of her job is to support the teachers, step in to be a substitute teacher at times, and she oversees our Study Hall electives, where she helps the students with homework. She is always helping and stepping in where needed.

Ms. Khristen is excited to be starting her 11th year at BFA. She started as a lunchroom aide, and has been a middle school aide for the last 4 years. She enjoys being a middle school aide, and getting to watch the kids mature and grow through their years in middle school. She loves the teachers and staff that she works with. She has 4 kids; all of them are adulting and enjoying life. She and her husband love to travel and now have more opportunities to do so.

We are so fortunate to have Ms. Khristen at BFA!

Here is a link to her favorites.

This year's student council election was full of talented students. We are very proud of every student who stood in front of all their peers to do a speech.

President: Ava Mills

Vice President: Rishikesh Lakkireddy

Treasurer: Elias Lidstone

Secretary: Obi Kim

Studying American history is very important in 5th grade, so being able to reenact in an event such as the Civil War, is an experience our 5th graders will remember.

Our 5th Graders have been busy rehearsing their parts for their big day on October 3.

Registration is open on Myschoolbucks.com. Cost is $15.16 for the students. Parents are free and an unlimited number of parents can come as spectators, arranging their own transportation (State park pass is the sole responsibility of spectators who are not riding the bus).

6th Grade is a huge growth year. So to encourage our 6th grade students, the teachers created a very creative Level Up bulletin board. Students who achieve a goal or are caught being amazing are recognized on one of game controllers for the entire grade to see their achievement.

6th Grade Outdoor Education provides a unique educational opportunity for our students. Our students, chaperones and staff spend 3 days at 100 Elks Outdoor Ed Center. They will experience the outdoors while hiking, team building activities and have memorable evenings gathered around the campfire and hiking under the stars.

Dates: October 7 – 9, 2024

Our registration is now online, including uploading forms to our Google Form. Go to the Outdoor Ed page on our webpage.

7th Grade Outdoor Education was an absolute blast. Lots of smiling but exhausted students from the trip. 7th Grade parents should have the link for the photos. Contact Info if you didn't get the link.

In our 8th grade science class, students were challenged to design and construct a bridge that will span a gap of 50 cm while holding up to 20 lbs made out of spaghetti. That is a lot of spaghetti but more importantly, the bridges look fantastic.

As a part of a Level UP! activity, our students had to compete in an activity called "Slingshot Monkey Catch."

Teams had 3 minutes to catch as many monkeys as possible - either with their hands or a net.

The 8th-grade breakfast was a huge success. As you can see, it was a great time for eating and hanging out. Thank you to families that contributed items!!!

In Life Skills, 6th grade is about time management skills. Ms. Hayes even raffled off some pocket 2023 planners and mini notebooks. The students LOVED them.

Mrs. Pierce is Leveling UP! fiber arts. They are making spiral art using thread, wire and nails. The students were making a bunch of noise using hammers to make these gorgeous art pieces.

They didn't stop there. Now they are dying macrame rope in many different colors to make great projects.

Ms. deBedout has been working on a small project to introduce ourselves in Spanish. My students created flaming hearts from Mexico and students added a short to say:

My name is…

I am from…

I am … years old

My favorite color is…

I like…

All in Spanish

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a unique opportunity now available to middle school students at Ben Franklin Academy! FLL brings the excitement of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to life for students ages 4-16 through a dynamic, hands-on learning experience like no other. In FLL, students dive into real-world problem-solving with a guided, global robotics program that inspires curiosity, creativity, and collaboration, helping to shape a brighter future for all.

The program’s Challenge division is perfect for middle school students who love to think outside the box. In this division, teams of students (ages 9-16) come together to tackle exciting challenges that blend research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering. Through friendly competition, students build and program a LEGO robot to navigate complex missions in a thrilling robot game. But that's not all — they also embark on an Innovation Project, where they identify a real-world problem and develop a creative solution to address it.

By participating in FIRST LEGO League, Ben Franklin Academy students will gain unparalleled experience in critical thinking, coding, design, and teamwork. This program helps students build confidence, grow their STEM knowledge, and develop a passion for learning that will last a lifetime. With its unique blend of creativity, competition, and collaboration, FLL is more than just a club — it's an opportunity to become tomorrow's innovators and problem-solvers.

FIRST LEGO LEAGUE COACH:

Warren Astler currently serves as Ben Franklin Academy's 8th grade science teacher.

SCHEDULE:

MONDAY and WEDNESDAYS: Practice Sessions beginning September 30.

SPECIAL PRACTICE SESSIONS: Nov. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

TIME FOR ALL SESSIONS: 3:30-5:00 (with the exception of Saturday Sessions)

FLL EVENT: Nov. 16 (Time and Location to Be Determined)

POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL SATURDAY EVENTS (NOTE: added fees might be needed)

TEAM DETAILS:

GRADES: 6-8

MAXIMUM STUDENTS: 20 students

MINIMUM: 4 students

COST: $100

REGISTRATION DEADLINE:

Friday, September 27, 2024

Sign Up Today!

Our Cross Country Team is running and rolling! They are improving times, winning championships and having a great time.

Our Girls Volleyball teams are making their way to winning many games. These groups of girls are working hard and improving every day.

Boys Soccer is in full swing. Go to the Monthly Calendar View to see their game schedules.

Parents-when you are attending functions after school, as a courtesy, please do not park in the 6 clearly marked parking spots for the BASE parents during the hours of 4pm-6pm.

Did you know that all our sports games are on our Event Calendar? Check it out and Come Support our Teams!

We can't make this event happen without our volunteers! We hope you’ll consider volunteering to help staff the event, or donating a cake for the cake walk! These are great, and FUN, hours that count towards those family totals!