Ben Franklin Newsletter

Dear Ben Franklin Families,

It was a busy week with Global School Play Day, the 3rd Grade Fitness Challenge, AmeriKick assemblies, and a delayed opening to boot! Students and staff alike enjoyed the events that each offered different experiences. Pictures and information from various events can be found within this newsletter. Thank you to Mrs. Cimorelli and Mr. Yates for organizing the challenge and the Amerikick events as well as all teachers for making Global School Play Day so engaging for our students!

In addition to the events during the day, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who attended the district's Town Hall on Tuesday night at LMS regarding the upcoming bond referendum. It was wonderful to see so many families engaged and eager to learn about the exciting opportunities this referendum could bring to our school community. Your questions and insights are greatly appreciated. If you were not able to attend the Town Hall and are looking for more information about the referendum, here's a link to the referendum website and here is a link to the most recent PTO meeting's minutes where Dr. Klim held a Q&A about the referendum (the full Q&A is noted in the minutes).

This past week was also National School Counseling Week! We want to thank Mrs. Umbach for ALL she does for our students, families, and whole school community. It was evident how much we all appreciate Mrs. Umbach as students took time to create and deliver messages to her of gratitude and appreciation.

This upcoming week is sure to be a busy one as well as we celebrate the 100th day of school on Thursday and Valentines' Day on Friday with some questionable weather coming our way as well! Please be sure to have your emergency contact information up to date in Genesis (Parent Portal Access) and a plan in place should there be an unexpected closing, delayed opening, or early dismissal.

Sincerely,

Geoff Hewitt
Principal

With so many different ways that information is delivered - TV, online videos, various social media platforms, word of mouth through face to face conversations, phone conversations, text messages, etc. - it is more important than ever to be sure that children are not overhearing or seeing information that is not appropriate for them at these early elementary school ages. Children are often more aware of what is being said around them when adults are talking or gaining information from different people/sources than we sometimes are aware. 3-9 year old children (our PreK-3rd grade students) are often confused by and/or frightened by topics currently being discussed in adult day-to-day conversations. Whether it be seeing wildfires burn through homes or discussions around threats of families being deported or discussions of LGBTQ rights, children are listening and watching.

Please monitor your child's online time and refrain from exposing students to topics that may confuse or scare them unless you are able to take the time to address the topic with your child in a way that helps them to developmentally appropriately process the information. Without the understanding of what is and is not appropriate, children will likely repeat what they hear or see and end up with consequences as a result.

Here are some tips and/or resources that you may find helpful in today's times:

• Monitor any time spent on smartphones/tablets/TV/etc.

• Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior.
• Keep the computer/devices in a common area where you can watch and monitor its use, not in individual bedrooms.
• Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
• Online Safety (KidsHealth)

If you ever have a question or concern, please know that we are more than happy to partner with you to brainstorm the best way to handle difficult conversations or situations. Please feel free to reach out to the school. Mrs. Umbach, Mr. Hewitt, and other members of our Ben Franklin School are more than willing to help navigate the situation/conversation with you and your child(ren).

First graders have created Winter Tree Silhouettes using watercolor, tissue paper, torn paper, and tempera paint. Thank you to Ms. Skorupa for partnering with the Mercer County Library and displaying our students' artwork! The artwork is on display for the month of February. Check out the pictures below, but be sure to stop by the Mercer County Library to see it in person as well! Thank you, Ms. Skorupa!

Mrs. Cimorelli and Mr. Yates facilitated this year's 3rd Grade Fitness Challenge on Wednesday morning. Mr. Hewitt was challenged to 5 different events and by 6 third grade competitors (due to a tie for the Shuttle Run - Jack and Sawyer)! The 3rd graders put Mr. Hewitt to shame with their athletic ability as Lil, Emma, Jack, Sawyer, Matthew, and Dylan each showed us all why they were the top in their events! Here is a link to a video of the start of the event - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CCjwpRK98PWTsXSYiaGthb4x_pmIg7mm/view?usp=sharing

Global School Play Day was this past Wednesday, February 5th. Throughout the school students were given time to focus on play, a developmentally appropriate and necessary need of our students. Students experienced boardgames, puppets, drawing, stenciling, acting, etc. throughout the building. We thank our teachers and staff members for supporting students through their creative process, problem solving, and social interactions. Students also practiced patience, kindness, and teamwork. Please see some of the photos below from our BF Global Day of Play.

In addition, all classes were able to visit the gym to experience the AmeriKick assemblies that were organized by Mrs. Cimorelli and Mr. Yates. We are grateful for this partnership with AmeriKick and look forward to continuing to work together. Pictures from this experience can be seen below as well :)

Thank you SO MUCH to all of the 2nd grade families for sponsoring this past week's staff luncheon! A special thanks to Lindsay Walsh for organizing the luncheon. Everything was delicious and so very much appreciated!! Despite the delayed opening that day, everyone came together and provide such a beautiful and delicious spread... thank you!

Minutes from January's PTO meeting These minutes include notes from the Q&A with Dr. Klim about the referendum.

Science Night & 3rd Grade Science Fair! Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 6:00 pm

• Science Night
• You are ALL invited to our annual Science Night on Thursday, February 20th from 6pm to 7:30pm. Join us for a body science themed night of hands on experiments and games. This event is open to BF students of all grades.
• We are in need of volunteers to make Science Night a success. Please consider volunteering your time to help out. If interested, you can sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0548A5AA22ABFD0-54184508-bfscience
• 3rd Grade Science Fair

• The BF PTO is hosting its annual Science Night on Thursday, February 20 from 6pm to 7:30pm. A big part of Science Night is the 3rd Grade Science Fair and your child is invited to participate!

• Third graders are welcome to show off their science knowledge by demonstrating ANY scientific experiment or concept of their choice through a display board or model. Students are also welcome to do a joint project with a friend, if they’d like. These projects will be showcased at our Science Night event for other BF families to view. All participants will receive a certificate and ribbon.

• If your child is interested in participating, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/BCEKejsHCm1oKBv7A

• If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Ilana Hernandez at bfptorocks@gmail.com

PTO Meeting: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 7:00 pm on Google Meet (Link - https://meet.google.com/wkk-qavw-ywo)

Multicultural Night - There are lots of ways to participate in this wonderful evening of learning about different culture while also celebrating the diversity that we are fortunate to have at Ben Franklin. If you are able to participate in any way, please complete this Signup Genius (for families and staff members to RSVP): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BABAF2AA4F5C52-54337023-multicultural?

BF PTO Website: www.bfpto.org

Email: bfptorocks@gmail.com

The 3rd Grade Party Committee is holding a Payjama Day on Friday, February 21st. The event is for the whole school (PreK-3rd). Students and staff are welcome to wear their PJs to school and it is suggested that anyone who participates donates $2 or any amount they are comfortable with donating. Please note - a donation is not required to participate... all are welcome to wear PJs regardless of whether they donate or not. Click the image to the left to enlarge and read the details!

We all want the very best for our children and their education. On Tuesday, March 11, Lawrence Township residents will have the opportunity to vote on the district’s proposed bond referendum, which would provide funding for significant improvements to our schools, benefitting our students for years to come.

If approved, this referendum would allow the district to access additional state aid and finance several critical projects, including:

✅ A modernized and expanded middle school to serve grades 6-8, replacing outdated facilities and creating more space for learning.
✅ Updated classrooms for general education, special education, science, technology, arts, and music.
✅ New life skills classrooms and flexible learning spaces to support small group instruction.
✅ A renovated performing arts center for students and community use.
✅ A new gymnasium that can hold the entire middle school (900 people) and be used after school hours.
✅ Improved traffic flow for safer and smoother drop-off and pick-up at LMS and LHS.
✅ Additional parking so students no longer have to park on the street.
✅ A new multi-sport turf field to support growing athletic programs.
✅ Restroom facilities and a concession stand at sports fields.
✅ Infrastructure repairs and more.

To learn more about these proposed projects and the impact they will have on your children’s education and the future of Lawrence Township Public Schools, please visit the district’s referendum page, www.ltps.org/referendum.

LTPS Referendum '25 - Lawrence Township Public Schools

Make sure to check your polling location and vote on Tuesday, March 11.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hIhP322R6q-TI4tbK-b3zRJoNFYUJWI1/view?usp=sharing

The district's Preschool Website now has the application posted and the application will be available through April 11, 2025. Click on the image to the left for details!

The Lawrence High School (LHS) Arts and Humanities Academy and Black Student Union are proud to present the 12th annual Black History Celebration on Saturday, February 22! The event is sponsored by the Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEA).

This year's theme is "Overcoming by Faith, Fortitude, & Resistance." The event will kick off at 3:00 p.m. with a variety of vendors and delectable foods, followed by the official program at 5:00 p.m. Admission is free and all are welcome to join at one of the biggest events of the year!

Felissa Szold and Amanda Taglairino will be working together to put together the 3rd grade yearbook this year. They are beginning to collect information from families through a Google survey. This information includes each student's class, permission to use the child's photo, how to display the child's name, and also a brief message to their child. Here is a link to the survey for 3rd grade families to complete - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zwGvkqwzA6-3lzEBb4pO3d-pRR-CkW-U5o_BHjsuzPA/preview Please complete this survey at your earliest convenience.

In addition, here is an email address that can be used for all communication regarding the yearbook - benfranklinyearbook2025@gmail.com This is the email address that all communication to families will come from and that can be used to send photos (class photos, students photos at school events, etc.) to Felissa Szold and Amanda Taglairino.

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)

February:

10 - 1st Grade Campfire Lessons

12 -

• Love the Bus Month Observance - Wear yellow to support bus drivers, bus assistants, and transportation department staff members
• BOE Meeting at LHS, 7:00 pm

13 - K Campfire Lessons

14 -

• 100th Day of School

• Valentine's Day

• Early Dismissal & In-Service - Students Dismissed beginning at 1:20 pm

17 - School Closed, Presidents' Day

20 -

• K Campfire Lessons
• 3rd Grade - The Kids Heart Challenge (during school day)
• Science Night & 3rd Grade Science Fair (PTO) at BF, 6:00 pm

21 -

• Payjama Day (3rd grade fundraiser)
• 1st Grade Campfire (make-up session)

22 - 12th Annual Black History Celebration at LHS beginning at 3:00 pm

24 - 1st Grade Campfire Lessons

26 - Virtual Community Referendum Information Forum, 6:00-8:00 pm on Google Meet (Visit www.ltps.org/referendum for the link to join the meeting)

27 - Kindergarten Campfire Lessons

28 - BF Spirit Assembly (2:00 pm) - ALL students and staff members encouraged to wear spirit wear and/or wear blue and white!