• Sign up Genius Links are Below
• Used Uniform Sales at Markell Hall 8-4

• Middle School Cross Country Begins - See Athletic Section Below for More Information
• Ring in the New School Year Raffle Drawing - See Information Below

• Robin Hall Arrival:

  8:00-8:15am Kindergarten - 1st Grade (class starts at 8:15am)

  8:15-8:30am Preschool (class starts at 8:30am)

  
  

• Markell Hall Arrival Times:

  7:45am 5th-8th Grade (class starts at 8:00)

  8:00-8:15 2nd -4th Grade (class starts at 8:15)

• Sugar Shack Ice Cream Truck
• Information Tables: Sports, Volunteering, Upcoming Events, Clubs and More!
• Time: After School till 4:30
• Location: Markell Hall

• September 6th - No School - Labor Day
• PALS Meet Up Coffee & Used Uniform Sale 8am Tuesday Sept. 14th
• PALS Meet UP Coffee 3:00pm Thursday, Sept. 16
• Herbs Cider PALS Operations Meeting - Details and Sign Up to Come
• Board Meeting September 21st 4:00pm
• Free Dress - September 24th
• TFA Parents Golf - Bellingham Golf and Country Club - TBA October

Franklin Academy Parents,

We are busy at work preparing for the new school year. Please help us with the following two items:

1. Complete a Parent Registration Form 2021-22 for EACH student (this replaces our previous use of Skyward registration). This form is mandatory for all Franklin Academy students and due prior to the first day of school (Sept. 1st).

2. Please open the attached class list to see who is your student(s) teacher/advisor. Sign up for an orientation on August 27th with your student's teacher/advisor below.

Preschool

Mrs. Mellos Early Preschool 2.5 Year Old Click Here

Ms. Camaya & Ms. Johnson Preschool 3 Day 3 Year Old Click Here

Mrs. Ho Preschool 5 Day 3 Year Old Click Here

Mrs. Pickerill Pre-K 3 Day 4 Year Old Click Here

Mrs. Killian & Ms. Jo TeVelde Pre-K 5 Day 4 Year Old Click Here

Mrs. Owen Early K 5 Day 4 and 5 Year Old Click Here

Lower School

Ms. Dizon Kindergarten Click Here

Ms. Yorks Kindergarten Click Here

Mrs. Rail Kindergarten Click Here

Mrs. Brewin 1st Grade Click Here

Mrs. Jorgensen 1st Grade Click Here

Ms. Pearman-Gillman 1st Grade Click Here

Mrs. Lyzwinski 2nd Grade Click Here

Ms. Belmont 2nd Grade Click Here

Ms. McDonnell 3rd Grade Click Here

Mr. Schultz 3rd Grade Click Here

Mrs. Misday 4th Grade Click Here

Ms. Dudley 4th Grade Click Here

Middle School

Hess House Brekke Bull Middle School 5th/6th Click Here

Hess House Kristen Jeffrey Middle School 7th/8th Click Here

Ershig House Danialle Segebart Middle School 5th/6th Click Here

Ershig House Lesley Smith Middle School 7th/8th Click Here

Kaiser House Grace Schmidt Middle School 5th/6th Click Here

Kaiser House Leigh Ann Freeman Middle School 7th/8th Click Here

Ferlin House Jared McMinn Middle School 5th/6th Click Here

Ferlin House Bre Harris Middle School 7th/8th Click Here

We look forward to seeing everyone at orientation!

Gretchen Bucsko, M.Ed.

Head of School

The Franklin Academy offers school care for families that need to drop students off early. The doors open at 7 a.m. and students will be dismissed to their classes at 8 a.m. Please ask Administrative Assistants at any front desk(s) for more information and to make payments. The price is $10 per student per day.

Arrival Times:

Preschool | 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. (Robin Hall) *class starts at 8:30 a.m.

Kindergarten – 1st Grade | 8:00 – 8:15 a.m. (Robin Hall) *class starts at 8:15

2nd – 4th Grade | 8:00 – 8:15 a.m. (Markell Hall) *class starts at 8:15 a.m.

5th-8th Grade | 7:45 – 8 a.m. (Markell Hall) *class starts at 8 a.m.

For more information contact:

Robin Hall: Rachel Lee rlee@thefranklin.academy

Markell Hall: Dawn Regier dregier@thefranklin.academy

After school care 2:30 – 6 p.m. Please ask Administrative Assistants at any front desk(s) for more information and to make payments. The price is $20 per student per day.

For more informaiton contact Rachel Lee rlee@thefranklin.academy

The Franklin Academy is pleased to provide the day to day supplies like pencils, markers, composition books etc. The link to the list below will provide you with the details about backpacks, masks, coats, and emergency kids.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:

Dawn dregier@thefranklin.academy

Rachel rlee@thefranklin.academy

Before you leave the house:

Answer the following questions:

1. Has your child had any of the following symptoms: 100.4 Fever or Higher, chills, cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea in the past 72 hours?
2. Does anyone in your household have any of the above symptoms?
3. Has your student been in close contact with anyone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19?
4. Has your student had any medication to reduce a fever before coming to school?

The student must be excluded from school if the answer to any of the above questions is "yes".

Remember to bring a clean mask to school every day.

Once you arrive:

The drop off will be at the back of Markell Hall and Robin Hall. At Markell Hall and Robin Hall the front doors will remain locked and parents will not be admitted to the building. Drive around the building and wait for the attendants will be there but no temperature taking this year. So far the guidelines are not requiring us to take temperatures.

Markell Hall Arrival and Dismissal Times:

Arrival Times:

7:45-8:00am 5th-8th Grade (class starts at 8:00)

8:00-8:15 2nd -4th Grade (class starts at 8:15)

Dismissal Times:

2nd Grade: 2:50pm

3rd Grade: 3:00pm

4th Grade: 3:10pm

5th-8th Grade : 3:15pm

Robin Hall Arrival and Dismissal Times:

Arrival:

8:00-8:15am Kindergarten - 1st Grade (class starts at 8:15am)

8:15-8:30am Preschool (class starts at 8:30am)

Dismissal:

2 1/2 Year Old Class: 2:30pm

3 Year Olds: 2:35pm

Pre-K 4 Year Olds: 2:40

Early-K 4 Year Olds: 2:45

Kindergarten: 2:50

1st Grade: 2:55

Details, along with a map, are included in the document below.

Dear Franklin Academy Parents,

I hope all of you are enjoying the last bit of summer. We look forward to seeing you soon. Next week we will send out our orientation sign ups and class lists.

Today, I will be sharing our COVID protocols for the 2021-2022 school year.

I know that we have parents on both ends of the spectrum in regard to protocols for COVID health and safety. The state is the lead decision maker in all of the requirements for schools (public and private) in Washington. We are required to follow all mandates from the governor and health department. If we do not, we risk being shut down. This is not a risk we are willing or wanting to take. Having quality in-person education in a safe environment for our students is our top priority.

Staff and students have been mandated to continue to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, for the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

All other Covid protocols are attached in the 2021-2022 Covid handbook. We have worked very hard to lessen the restrictions while maintaining the utmost safety.

We are now able to do our own in school Covid testing in replacement of some quarantining practices. Please read the handbook for all of these guidelines.

Thank you,

Gretchen Bucsko

Head of School

Come on down September 18th from 4-8pm to Herbs Cider and get to know more Franklin Academy families! Herbs is family friendly with cold cider and beer on tap. Add to that a DJ for some fun music and it will be a great time!

Herbs gathering will be family friendly from 4-8pm, dinner available for purchase from Lumpia Luv.

This event is RSVP only and the final day to sign up is Sept 10th.

For more information email pals@thefranklin.academy

Join TFA dads Tom Jentz and Blaise Bucsko for a fun day on the links!

October 1st starting at 2:30 PM through dinner you will get a chance to play at Bellingham Golf and Country Club with other parents of Franklin Academy students! Club members and non members are welcome!

The cost is free to members and $50 for non members.

Space is limited to 16 golfers to sign up by clicking below today!

After you finish your round of golf head to the clubhouse for a bite to eat.

We are excited to announce two opportunities for after school clubs this fall at Bellingham Coding and Robotics Club. Both opportunities are for our students at The Franklin Academy so we keep to our own "pod."

8 SPACES AVAILABLE: Middle School Robotics Team: Fridays 3:30-4:45 beginning September 10th. Hands on, Minds on! The middle school robotics team starts with the basics of building and programming robots. The teams of students are then tasked with designing and building a robot to play with other teams in a game-based engineering challenge around the Pacific Northwest (and beyond if they go on!). Classroom STEM concepts are put to the test as students learn lifelong skills in teamwork, leadership, communications, and more. Middle School Robotics: link

12 SPACES AVAILABLE: 2nd - 4th Grade Coding and STEM Classes: Fridays 3:30-4:45 beginning September 10th. Our unique fall 2021 group classes balances screen time with hands-on activities and opportunities to create and explore with 3D printing, makerspace and basic robots in addition to our signature coding curriculum. -Elementary School Coding etc: link

Instructions from Robin at Bellingham Coding and Robotics Club

1. They need to purchase a Franklin Academy only Monthly Membership by going to our Join Now page www.bellinghamcodingclub.com (don't forget the discount code to prorate their first month, it's on the website!)

2. Once they have purchased their Franklin Academy membership, they need to go back in and sign up for the class they want (middle school or elementary school) or their spaces will not be secured. Here are the private links for only Franklin Academy:

-Middle School Robotics: link

-Elementary School Coding etc: link

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Robin at admin@bellinghamcodingclub.com

Did you know there is a huge bell in the tower at Markell Hall? Sam and Yanolla Boulos, generously donated the bell when Markell Hall was built. Very few students have had the chance to ring the bell, and now you have a chance at ringing it too.

The Franklin Academy's Raffle - Ringing in the School Year - will help support the Annual Fund. Each year the Annual Fund and the Auction help support the school. Tuition covers about 65% of the cost to educate each student so the Annual Fund and Auction make up that difference.

Each raffle ticket is $20 and we will draw the winning number on Monday, August 30th 1:00 PM.

We will have your student ring the bell at 9:00AM once all students are in their classrooms. (If you have more than one child and your name is pulled you may have the siblings pull the rope to ring the bell together.)

Click on the link below to purchase your tickets!

Lands' End is having a 45% sale on select uniform items. Parents should note, some of the sizes are back-ordered until Sept.

Shop Land's End - Click Here

Preferred School Number: 900064791

If you cannot find the size your student needs, shop the Parents Actively Lending Support (PALS) uniform sale at orientation, Aug 27th 8-4 and Aug 31st 8am or at the Ice Cream Social, Sept 3rd, to get any last-minute items.

Please bring any gently used uniforms that your student has grown out of to Markell Hall M-F between 8:00 & 3:30. Or August 27th. Used uniforms are a great resource for new families.

If you have any questions about the Used Uniform Closet, feel free to contact the Used Uniform Closet Coordinator Laura C. at uniforms@thefranklin.academy.

6th-8th Grade Students may participate in Cross Country this year. The season will run from August 30th-October 22nd which means students need to turn in the necessary paperwork and begin participating prior to the actual start date of school this Fall!

Attached are the necessary Athletics forms which can be turned in any time prior and up to the first day of practice, which will be Monday, August 30th @3:15-4:45.

I look forward to working with students, coaches and parents as we navigate the return to Sports and Athletics at Franklin Academy. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Fox

sfox@thefranklin.academy

PALS is the place to go to get involved! Sara Jentz and Nneka London-Browne are excited to serve as the PALS Co-Presidents this year. Together with staff, teachers, and administration they hope to bring back community building events this year. COVID forced cancellations of Fall Festival, Family Fun Night, the Auction, Veterans Day Assembly, and Grandparents Day. We hope to bring back all these events and offer new, enjoyable get-together opportunities so we can get to know the new families and re-connect with returning families.

How can you be involved?

Read the Newsletter each week for the schedule and details about upcoming events.

The PALS section of the newsletter will keep you up to date on Volunteer Opportunities. Volunteering is a great way to get to know other moms, dads, and teachers!

Franklin Academy Volunteer Hour Requirement

There is a 30 hour per family volunteer requirement to be fulfilled over the course of the school year. Here are a few ideas about how to get those hours in:

• · Attend a PALS meeting
• · Attend the State of the School Meeting
• · Be a room parent
• · Help set up an event
• · Spend a morning laminating for the teachers
• · Take home the directory and assemble while watching Netflix
• · Take home tablecloths for the auction and launder them
• · Help spread bark at the school
• · Join the Auction Committee
• · Volunteer to hand out Port of Subs or Pizza Lunch (when we get the go ahead for this)
• · Drive on a field trip
• · Help in the Library
• · Be a judge in the Science Fair
• · Organize the Lost and Found
• · Create and install bulletin boards seasonally
• · As the year goes on many opportunities will pop up – watch the newsletter for ways to help
  

What if I work full time and cannot volunteer?

• · You may volunteer for a few hours and buy out the rest at the end of the year at the rate of $30 per hour.
• · You may buy out the hours at the beginning of the school year with a payment of $900 to PALS

We are excited for the start of the 2021-2022 School Year! Thank you in advance for your help. Together we will make this the best year yet!

If you have any questions, please contact Sara or Nneka at pals@thefranklin.academy

Thanks,

Sara Jentz & Nneka London-Browne

PALS Co-Presidents

Sign up to help set up, sell books, or clean up the book fair!

Email Markell Hall Librarian Treasure Samuel: tsamuel@thefranklin.academy for more information

Join the planning team for this fun annual event. This event is so much fun! Carnival games, cake walk, bouncy house, food, candy jars, face painting all while wearing your favorite costume.

A supportive community with STEM focused education in a safe, small class environment for all grades.

Website: https://thefranklin.academy/
Location: 1509 East Victor Street, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 733-1750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FranklinAcademyBellingham/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARBJZqnuWM2fzJSJOXO6X6qVO60w_ijnQdCgtmUFYZCSwnd0NO7wI_Jgq5_odVo2A3bLV76Yg91UH5TB

Gretchen Bucsko, Head of School: gbucsko@thefranklin.academy

Melanie Hurley, Associate Head of School: mhurley@thefranklin.academy

Dawn Regier, Administrative Assistant, dregier@thefranklin.academy

Rachel Lee, Administrative Assistant, rlee@thefranklin.academy

Natalie Bennett, Admissions Director, nbennett@thefranklin.academy