Ben Franklin Newsletter

Dear Ben Franklin Families,

It was great to see so many families come together this past week at our PTO sponsored Ice Cream Social! The dedication and hard work of our PTO truly made this event a success for our whole school community. A special thank you goes to our many BF teachers and staff members who volunteered their time to help serve ice cream and toppings! It was a fun night for all involved... thank you!

I also want to highlight our first PreK-3 Spirit Assembly, brilliantly facilitated by Mrs. Umbach, our BF School Counselor! It was an inspiring event where we welcomed our new students and staff, emphasizing the importance of social skills and character traits we will focus on throughout the year. Thank you to Mrs. Cimorelli, Mrs. LaFlamme, and Ms. Skorupa for helping to model Listening Position!

We also recognized our custodians, Mr. Gerald and Mr. Joe, whose hard work ensures that our school remains a safe and clean place for everyone. Additionally, students from Mrs. Smoot's class shared their creative "Pay It Forward" initiatives, showcasing how they have helped both the custodians and our Kindergarteners.

As we concluded the spirit assembly, we all came together to sing our school song! Thank you again to everyone who participated and contributed to our first assembly. It was wonderful to get everyone together and to show our BF spirit while also initiating our motto of "Work Hard, Be Kind"!

Sincerely,

Geoff Hewitt

Principal

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!

Just a couple weeks ago we held our 2024-2025 Back to School Night. The format that we opted to use this year was a change from the previous year. The evening provided an opportunity for staff members to provide presentations or to set up tables of information that could be shared. Being a new format this school year, we are looking for feedback. We hope that you will take a moment to complete this brief survey - https://forms.gle/kFUoTNRisZbtLZgH9 Thank you!

• Login to the Genesis Parent Portal
• Select your child’s profile that you need the password for
• Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says “Information”. You will see "Google Password" where you can now sign into Google to access services such as Google Drive, Google Classroom, etc.

This access may not be necessary for your PreK-3 children, however, please be aware that it is available should you need it.

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.

Join the Lawrence Township Education Association (LTEA) for the second annual Meet the Candidates Night on October 8, 2024 from 7-8 pm at Lawrence High School (LHS).

Use the QR code or click here to register.

See this flyer for more information.

Can’t attend? Join the live stream here.

Coin Wars: Monday, Sept. 16 thru Friday, Oct. 4th - The jugs/bins continue to fill up! Please consider sending in your loose change or even paper bills. The winning grade will receive a pajama day with extra recess and popcorn!!! Please click here to see the flyer.

Fall Fest is scheduled for Sunday, October, 6th from 1-4pm at Ben Franklin School. The annual event is open to all families and offers a variety of activities for our students. There will be a Magic Show in addition to craft stations, games, prizes, pumpkin painting, craft stations, mummy wrapping of Mr. Hewitt and more! Please click here to access the flyer for more details.

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.

Save the Dates:

• PTO Meeting: Monday, October 21st at 7:00 pm on Google Meet (Link to join - https://meet.google.com/pmu-idga-rgn)... no in person meeting
  
• Trunk or Treat: Saturday, October 26th

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

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.

Handbag BINGO!

The LTEF Handbag BINGO tickets went on sale yesterday to the public! Here is a link to the webpage with more information - https://www.ltefnj.org/events-fundraisers If you plan to purchase tickets, please visit this site - https://events.humanitix.com/ltef-s-handbag-bingo-fall-2024 The event will be held on Friday, October 25th and doors will open at 6:00 pm at the West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company.

Lawrence Has Talent Event

Save the date! This 2nd Annual event is scheduled for April 4, 2025! Details to follow in the future from the LTEF.

Now that we are a couple of days into the school year, you may have questions or may be looking for additional information about our school and procedures. Most answers can be found in our Ben Franklin Student and Caretaker Handbook. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or our main office. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

If your child's dismissal plan is different on a given day, please send in a written note with your child's name, the date, the change in dismissal plans, and your signature. A separate note must be sent each time your child's dismissal plan is different. In order to ensure the safety of your child, one note covering multiple days will not be accepted. If you need to change dismissal plans during the day, please call the main office at 609-671-5540.

Free/Reduced Lunch Applications

Please take a moment to complete the application found at our website, LINK HERE. This is a process that MUST be completed EACH school year. If the process is not completed, your child will be charged for a full price lunch in the cafeteria. Please reach out to the main office by calling (609)571-5540, by emailing ddelgado@ltps.org or ltennant@ltps.org, or by stopping by for assistance.

Menus and Payment for Meals

Students are able to have both breakfast and lunch at school (PreK-3). Here is a link to our food service provider's page on our website where menus can be found. In addition, here is a link to put money on your child's account along with contact information for any questions you may have. Please know that there is a fee for adding money on account digitally, however, you may also drop-off cash or a check to our main office to be added to your child's account.

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)

September:

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

28 - Voter Registration Drive at LHS

October:

2 - Cardboard Challenge/Caine's Arcade Showcase for 2nd grade families, 2:00 pm in the BF APR

3 - School Closed, Rosh Hashanah

4 - Last Day for PTO Coin War Donations!

6 - Fall Fest (PTO event), 1:00-4:00 at BF

7-11 - Week of Respect

8 - LTEA Meet the Candidates Night, 7:00-8:00 pm at LHS

9 -

• Walk/Bike to School Event at BF, 8:10-8:45 am (arrival)
• Board of Education Meeting at LHS, 7:00 pm

11 - 3rd Grade Kids in Nature, special science program during school day with TCNJ

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

15 -

• School Pictures (PreK-3)
• PTO Clothing Drive - Drop-offs begin (will run through January 13, 2025)

21 -

• Charleston Wrap Fundraiser (PTO) (Oct. 21st-Nov. 4th)
  
• PTO Meeting on Google Meet, 7:00 pm (link to virtual meeting - https://meet.google.com/pmu-idga-rgn)

25 -

• BF Spirit Assembly (during school day) - ALL students and staff members encouraged to wear spirit wear and/or wear blue and white!
• LTEF Handbag BINGO at West Trenton Firehouse Ballroom , evening

26 - Trunk or Treat at BF, 6:30-7:45 pm

27 - Trunk or Treat at BF, 6:30-7:45 pm (Weather Date)

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

31 - Parade, 2:00 pm

November:

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