Getting Ready for the 2025-26 School Year

We’re looking forward to having your student(s) at Ben Franklin Academy this fall! We will continue to communicate with you throughout the summer, but please read below for important information and action items. If you need anything from the office, we’ll be open during the summer from 9 a.m. until noon on Wednesdays from May 28 – July 30 (closed on July 2). If you have questions, you can also email info@bfacademy.org.
 

Below are some key tasks to complete early in the summer: 

 
  • Uniforms: It’s a good idea to get an early start on purchasing uniforms for the next school year. We have three uniform vendors—Educational Outfitters, French Toast and Tommy Hilfiger. Go to our uniforms webpage (select uniforms at the top of the page) to learn more and get direct links to all the vendors. Please remember to purchase a Formal Uniform, which is a navy shirt with the red BFA logo and tan pants, shorts, skirt or a skort. (As a reminder, the Formal Uniform is worn on the first day of school, the first Wednesday of every month and, generally, on field trips.) 
  • Returning Families, Please Keep Carpool Tags: Please keep your carpool tags. We still plan to use the carpool app for afternoon pick-up, but the carpool tags are also an important part of the pick-up process.
  • Medical Appointments: Any medication forms or health plans need to be completed prior to the start of school, but forms should be dated after July 1. Be sure they are filled out by the doctor and signed by the parent. We also need vaccination forms for kindies and updated forms for incoming sixth graders to show they’ve received the T-dap vaccine. For more information, see our health webpage.
  • Key Dates: Key dates can be found on our School Calendar. This is helpful as we prepare for the upcoming school year.

Summer Office Hours

The office will be open during the summer from 9 a.m. until noon on Wednesdays from May 29 – July 30 (closed on July 2). If you have questions, please email info@bfacademy.org and we’ll respond to you as soon as we can. Keep in mind, our hours are limited in the summer.

How to Reach Us During the Summer

Main Office Phone: 720-383-4519 

General questions – info@bfacademy.org

Questions regarding enrollment – Select the ‘Enrollment’ tab from the BFA homepage.

Information for new families – Look under the ‘parents’ tab from our main webpage or see the webpage we created for you.

Necessary Steps for the 2025-26 School Year

Complete DCSD Express Check-In (E Check-In): July 23-31

Express Check-In ​is a required annual process for DCSD. BFA parents/guardians must complete a separate check-in for each K-8 BFA student between July 23-31.  

Why Is E Check-In Required?

DCSD and BFA need up-to-date information for the 2025-26 school year. During E Check-In, parents/guardians will:

    1. Review/Update:
      • Household address
      • Phone Numbers
      • Email Addresses
      • Student emergency contacts
      • Student health conditions 
    2. Complete district- and BFA-specific forms. 
    3. Pay annual student fees. Note: For the 2025-26 school year, BFA will not charge student fees. BFA will provide the necessary school supplies and materials our students and teachers need! 

To access the EngagED Parent Portal to complete E Check-In, parents/guardians must have an existing Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal account. 

Parents/Guardians who are BRAND NEW DCSD (have never had a K-12 student attend a DCSD school until the ​2025-26 school year can access/create accounts in July.

  • If you completed Open Enrollment (OE) for your student(s) to attend BFA, you already created a username and password. In July, your IC Parent Portal account will be automatically generated with the username and password.
  • If you were not the person who completed Open Enrollment (OE) for your student(s) to attend BFA, you can expect an email from DCSD’s IT Support Center (ITSC) with set-up instructions in July.

Accessing the EngagED Parent Portal to Complete E Check-In

IMPORTANT: From the Single Sign-On screen, when prompted for an email DO NOT enter your personal email address. Instead, enter your Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal username followed by @p.dcsdk12.org.

Login Issues?

 

Attend BFA Annual Lightning Launch – August 5 & 6

Tuesday, August 5

Families with last name beginning A-L
Hours: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. (School closed for lunch break from 2-3 p.m.)

Wednesday, August 6

Families with last name beginning M-Z
Hours: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. (School closed for lunch break from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.)  

Before coming to BFA Lightning Launch, you must have completed E Check-In for each BFA K-8 student, completing all required forms and paying student fees (no fees for 2025-2026 Academic Year).

Preparing for Lighting Launch

    1. Student Photos – Preschool through 8th Grade
      Kindergarten through 8th Grade Students need to wear a BFA uniform shirt.  Preschoolers can wear regular school clothes.
      Order Info: MJ Thomas Flyer – see information on how to order
      Picture Make Up day is scheduled for October 
      We no longer take parent photos during this time. Visit our Front Office once school begins to inquire about a Volunteer Badge.       
    2. Carpool Sessions
      New K-8 Families: During these sessions, parents/guardians will receive their family’s carpool tags and will learn about the drop-off-pick-up process and PikMyKid app.
      Returning BFA Families Keep your carpool tags and we will run through a quick refresher for the carpool process. 
    3. Student Medications: Bring student medications and completed required health forms with parent and physician’s signatures. Access all forms here. 
    4. Legal Documents: Submit copies of legal documents, including updates, regarding custody, parenting plan, guardianship, etc., if applicable. 
    5. Visit our Volunteer Opportunity Tables
      PTO (Parent Teacher Organization): Purchase BFA Logo Apparel, Used Uniforms and Spirit Wear
      CEC (Community Events Committee): Learn about volunteer opportunities.
      SAC (Student Accountability Committee): Learn about volunteer opportunities.

New BFA Parent/Guardian Orientation – August 7

Brand new BFA families are welcome to join us for an orientation from 5:30 – 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7, at BFA.

  • Come learn more about BFA and how you can get more involved in our Community.
  • Hear from our staff and teachers
  • Learn about what your students will be doing this upcoming year.
  • No RSVP is needed
  • Children can accompany parents but it may be worthwhile to have something to keep their attention during the presentation
  • A tour will follow the orientation presentation, for those who did not attend one previously.

Teacher Meet and Greet – August 11

Students and Parents come to meet their teachers from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. for an open house meet and greet.  Middle School students will get locker information and can bring locker items.  Join us for our annual CEC Back to School Bash directly after Meet and Greet.

  • K-8: Meet your Teacher from 3 – 5 p.m. 
  • Students with Medication needed during school hours can drop off medication and forms during this time. 
  • Pre-K: Meet and Greets are based on Classroom. Parents will receive an email to sign up for a time to meet with the teacher.

CEC Back to School Bash- August 11

Join CEC and our BFA Community as we kick start the year!  From  3:30 – 6:30 p.m., we will have Food Trucks, games and more.  

First Day of School – August 13

  • First Day of School for Grades 1-8 is from 8:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 13. We expect our students to be in their seats and ready to learn at 8:15 a.m. so we ask you to be on campus by 8:05 a.m. with carpool ending at 8:10 a.m.
  • All K – 8 students will wear their Formal Uniform, which is a navy polo with the BFA logo and tan pants, shorts, skirt or a skort.
  • Kindergarteners:  Parents are invited to walk their students into their first day of Kindergarten.  To view more information regarding the first day, please click on the “Grade K-5” tab above.
  • Preschool: Morning and All-Day starts at 8:15 a.m. We expect our students to be in their seats and ready to learn at 8:15 a.m. so we ask you to be on campus by 8:05 a.m. with carpool ending at 8:10 a.m.
    Afternoon preschool starts at 12:30 p.m. Afternoon and All-Day preschool ends at 3:30 p.m.
    Note: Preschool Tuesday/Thursday students will begin on Aug. 14. 

Back to School Nights & State of BFA – August 26 & 27

Every year, parents are invited to a Back to School Night to help them become better acquainted with the school, staff and information specific to their child’s grade level. 

There will be 2 identical sessions for each classroom/grade level as well as the State of BFA, presented by our principal, Diana Simpson.  Information will be updated in our weekly newsletters.

  • Grades K-4: Back to School Night from 6 – 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
  • Grades 5-8: Back to School Night from 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

Middle School Electives 

Middle School Electives begin July 8 and end July 11.  Please see our Fall Electives webpage for dates for each grade level to register as well as the catalog  Students who do not register will be slotted in open electives. 

Password for the Electives webpage was emailed to parents. If you did not receive the password, please email us at info@bfacademy.org.

Middle School Schedules available August 1

Returning students class schedules will be posted by 5:00 p.m. If your student is new to BFA this year, their schedules will be available after the Math Placement testing.

Middle school parents should log into their Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal to view their student’s middle school schedule on Aug. 1. Please print the schedule and ask your student to bring it on his/her first day.  New students will receive their schedules via email after the math placement test.

Note: the Infinite Campus Parent Portal is different from the EngagED Portal where you completed Express Check-In. For the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, your credentials are your username (WITHOUT the ‘@p.dcsdk12.org’ ) and password.

Instructions for Pulling Up Teachers/Schedules in IC

Here’s how to view BFA teacher assignments and/or middle school schedules in IC:

  • Login to your Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal 
  • From the left-hand menu bar, select: Schedule
    • If that does not work for you, click Documents, then 0135 BFA 25-26
  • Elementary students will see their homeroom teacher, and middle school students can print their schedule

If you have multiple BFA students, you will need to view their schedules separately.

Middle School Math Placement Testing for Brand New BFA Students – August 8

On Friday, Aug. 8, middle school students new to BFA will complete math placement testing for the 2024-25 school year. Details including how to sign up, will be emailed to parents closer to August. 

Teacher Meet and Greet & Locker Move-In – August 11

Students and Parents come to meet their teachers from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.  Middle School students will get locker information and can bring locker items.  Stay tuned for more information for our annual Family Bash directly after Meet and Greet. 

As this is a day for our students to meet their new teachers, we ask you to refrain from visiting previous teachers on this day.

Students with Medication needed during school hours can drop off medication and forms during this time. 

Elementary School Teacher Assignments – August 1

Elementary teacher assignments will be posted by 5:00 p.m. and can be found from the Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal. 

Note: the Infinite Campus Parent Portal is different from the EngagED Portal where you completed Express Check-In. For the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, your credentials are your username (WITHOUT the ‘@p.dcsdk12.org’ ) and password.

Instructions for Pulling Up Teachers/Schedules in IC

Here’s how to view BFA homeroom teacher assignments in IC:

  • Login to your Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal 
  • From the left-hand menu bar, select: Schedule
    • If that does not work for you, click Documents, then 0135 BFA 25-26
  • Elementary students will see their homeroom teacher only.

If you have multiple BFA students, you will need to view their schedules separately. 

Homeroom Teacher Meet and Greet  – August 11

Students and Parents come to meet their homeroom teachers from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.  Drop in during these times to see classrooms, have a brief chat with their teacher.  As this is a day for our students to meet their new teachers, we ask you to refrain from visiting previous teachers on this day.

Students with Medication needed during school hours can drop off medication and forms during this time. 

Kindergarten First Day of School and BooHoo/Yahoo – August 13

  • Kindergarten students also begin on Wednesday, Aug. 13, but for the first day of school ONLY, morning and full-day kindergarten begins at 9:00 a.m; afternoon kindergarten starts at the regular time (12:30 p.m.).
  • Students should wear their Formal Uniform, which is a navy polo with the BFA logo and tan pants, shorts, skirt or a skort.
  • Parents should plan on walking their students into school for a story and stay for our traditional CEC BooHoo/YaHoo social event. (The BooHoo/Yahoo event also will be held around 12:45 p.m. for our afternoon parents.) 
  • Parents who plan on walking their student in, must get a visitor badge from the front office.  Parents can come during Lightning Launch or Teacher Meet and Greet to get pre-scanned or come between 8:30 a.m. to 8:55 a.m. (or 12:00 p.m. to 12:25 p.m.) on August 13.
  • Please note:  This event is intended for parents/guardians only and is not open to additional adults or siblings.

Homeroom Teacher Meet and Greet  – August 11

Parents will receive an email to sign up for a time to meet with the teacher.  Please arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled time to ensure your student (and parents) gets their special one on one time with their new room and teacher.

As this is a day for our students to meet their new teachers, we ask you to refrain from visiting previous teachers on this day.

Students with Medication needed during school hours can drop off medication and forms during this time.