CHARGER WEEKLY 2026-2027

• Principal's Welcome Back
• August and September calendar
• Online Registration/Payment of student fees
• Back to School night August 26th
• Student Schedules
• Transportation Information
• School supply list
• OLC registration deadline approaching
• You can still sign up for the Washington D.C./NYC trip
• A note for AP GOV STUDENTS
• Important information from the School Nurse
• Athletic News
• Music Events
• Frequently Used Forms
• Parent Partners
  

Our Charger Weekly will be sent every Friday through the school year. Make sure to also follow us on Facebook and visit our website for additional school information!

Greetings Ben Franklin Families!

I am very much looking forward to a new year of continued success. Ben Franklin students continue to cement our reputation for develop students that are active and engaged in our community, leaders in school and out, and talented with both hands-on skills and academic achievement.

There is plenty of important information in this and the following Charger Weekly as we prepare for the start of the year. Right now, there are some important first steps for you,

• Complete the online registration (more information below)

• Check on transportation - that needs to be updated annually (information below)

• Check for fees and lunch balances. That is part of the online registration, but can also be checked separately in the Skyward Family Access portal.

• If you need assistance with your Skyward Family Access account, please contact the District Enrollment Specialist, Devon Zopfi at 715-345-5554 or enrollments@pointschools.net

Schedules will be available a week from today!

• Questions should be directed to your student’s counselor: Student last names A-L, contact Miranda Johnson (mjohnso@pointschools.net). Student last names M-Z, contact Trevor Neukirchen (tneukirc@pointschools.net).

• Course enrollment, including advanced courses, are based on space available. If requested courses are not available, we do our best to notify you in advance of the schedule release.

We look forward to seeing you at our Back to School Night on the 26th. Our Family Engagement Team will be ready to greet you in the main lobby. We hope you will get a good feel for the school and your student’s schedule as well as consider joining that Family Engagement Team. We are better for the different experiences and points of view that you all bring to our school community!

Sincerely,

Joel Burgener, Ed.D.

2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR

8/26: Back to School Night (4pm-8pm) *details below

8/31: 7th grade ONLY first day orientation *transportation and school day will run normal

9/1: First day of school for ALL grades

9/2-9/3: Ben Franklin Student and Staff PICTURE DAYS *details coming

9/7: No School - Labor Day

9/25: No School (Professional Development)

Ben Franklin daily schedule here

Instruction begins promptly at 7:40AM. Students need to be in their seats at this time.

Primary parents or guardians may complete back-to-school forms online through Skyward Family Access for the 2026-2027 school year. This is the same streamlined process used at SPASH.

• Verification of Student Information
  
• Student Handbook and Code of Conduct
  
• General Health Information
  
• Over the Counter Medication Form
  
• Student Participation Agreement
  
• Out-of-State/Overnight Field Trip Code of Conduct Agreement
  
• Free and Reduced Lunch Application (Go to the Food Service Tab and click "Application")
  

Forms such as the Student Participation Agreement and the Out-of-State/Overnight Field Trip Code of Conduct Agreement are required to be signed for all students to ensure you are aware of the policies; they do not enroll your child in any activities.

You can still pay school fees or submit a fee waiver in person at Back to School Night. For more information and directions on how to complete the online forms, please reference this resource.

**If you are unable to complete the forms online, paper copies are still available.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to make payment of school fees through Skyward Family Access. Parents will need their personal “parent” login and password. Using your student’s login and password will not give you access to the payment screen.

Please use a computer to complete these transactions. Payments will post immediately. MasterCard or Visa (debit or credit card) are accepted. A $1 handling fee is charged to cover processing costs.

If your family is experiencing financial hardship, you're welcome to fill out the following applications:

Fee Waiver for student and co-curricular fees

2026-27 Free/Reduced Meal Application Packet

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Additionally find the district's Meal Charge Policy

Breakfast

Elementary Students: Free

Jr. High Students: Free

Sr. High Students: Free

Adults: $3.50

Lunch

Elementary Students: $2.40

Jr. High Students: $2.60

Sr. High Students: $2.80

Adults: $5.00

The Food Service Department will provide Universal Free Breakfast to ALL students and free lunch to any student who qualifies for free or reduced price meals! Ala Carte prices at the Junior and Senior High Schools will be updated accordingly to reflect any price increases from our suppliers.

Join us for Back to School Night, Wednesday August 26th!

• 4pm-8pm
• 5:30pm-7pm *Teachers will be in attendance

Please join us to:

• Try your locker
• Drop off school supplies. We will have two carts at the main entrance for the extra Kleenex and Lysol wipes that were requested.
• Meet your teachers
• Familiarize yourself with the school
• Pay student fees
• Learn about BF Clubs

It is strongly encouraged to print or view your student's schedule ahead of Back to School Night to run through it that evening. Schedules are viewable in Skyward Family Access. (Instructions can be found here.) If you're unable to access it we will have staff available to print a copy.

Visit the District Transportation page for any busing questions.

Make sure to download the My Stop App for accurate arrival times, especially during the first few days when staff and students are still getting used to the new routines!

To promote student safety and assist in maintaining appropriate conduct, school buses owned by the Stevens Point Area Public School District or operated under contract with the District may be equipped with video and audio recording equipment.

Students, staff, and visitors should be aware that their actions and conversations may be recorded while riding a school bus. Recordings may be reviewed by authorized District personnel and, when appropriate, may be used to investigate incidents, support disciplinary proceedings, or assist law enforcement agencies.

By utilizing District transportation services, students and families acknowledge that video and audio recording systems may be in operation on school buses in accordance with District policy and Wisconsin law.

To make back-to-school preparation as smooth as possible, our district is now utilizing TeacherLists to host our school supply lists.

Say goodbye to hunting down lost paper lists or squinting at hard-to-read PDFs. Your school’s exact supply lists are now live, digital, and fully accessible right on our website!

This new tool was brought in to make life easier for our families by offering:

• Mobile-friendly viewing: Quickly check your child's list on your phone while on the go or out at the store.

• Instant translation: Change the entire list into multiple languages with a single click.

• Time-saving convenience: If you prefer to shop online, the tool allows you to instantly pre-fill a digital cart at major online retailers to save you a trip.

To view your student's list, head to your school’s website or BF's website and look for the School Supply List under the Students & Families tab 2026-2027 Ben Franklin SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST

Check out our Online Learning Center (the OLC)! The OLC offers a large variety of online courses in all core subject areas and many electives, including some titles that are not available in-person. OLC classes are a great fit for students who are Motivated, Mature and Manage time well who are looking for an online asynchronous learning experience. Adding an OLC class can help with schedule conflicts and four-year course planning. To learn more, go to our website: www.pointschools.net/olc where you can find our course list, access course descriptions, and complete the e-application. The deadline to apply for fall semester enrollments is Monday, August 31. If you have any questions, please email secondaryolc@pointschools.net or call 715-345-7337

Our dates of travel are March 14-19, 2027

AP Government information:

Welcome to AP Government with Mrs. Lobner. AP Gov students should have received their summer Jumpstart packet via email. We will switch over to using Skyward and Schoology closer to the school year. If you would still like to join AP Government, please contact your school counselor or Mrs. Lobner at mlobner@pointschools.net.

Please take a moment to review important information from our School Nurse

👉If you missed the FALL SPORTS MEETING - find info here

👉Order your Ben Franklin Athletics Apparel here - store closes September 7th!

👉Find current ATHLETIC NEWS here!

Coming soon!👉 2026-2027 Athletic Bus Shuttle information

👉You can find BF sports events and times here at the new Arbiter site

Any questions contact our Athletic Director Mr. Kirklewski, dkirklew@pointschools.net.

ATTENTION VISITORS attending sports events:

Please use Door 12 for entrance to all Ben Franklin events. It is located in the back, off of the back parking lot, near the tennis courts. All other doors will be locked.

Coming soon!

Student Release form (Appointment/personal/non-Athletic) *Reminder: Full day absences can be emailed to BenFranklin-Attendance@pointschools.net (you will need to type the email address)

Pre-Arranged Absence Form (out 3 or more school days)

District Volunteer Application (if volunteering, a new form has to be on file each school year)

English Free/Reduced Meal Application Packet

Spanish Free/Reduced Meal Application Packet

Hmong Free/Reduced Meal Application Packet

Fee Waiver for student and co-curricular fees

Harassment/Discrimination complaint form

Medication Forms

Health Conditions Forms

Immunization Form

Si necesita ayuda traduciendo información que se encuentra en el correo electrónico, por favor, contacte a Sue Worzalla al correo sworzall@pointschools.net o llame al 715-498-1976