Getting Ready for the 2023-24 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 31 – Aug. 2 (closed on July 5). If you have questions, you can also email info@bfacademy.org.
 
In case you missed our email earlier this summer, below are some key tasks for you can begin in June:
  • 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 on field trips.) 
  • Returning Families, Please Keep Carpool Tags: Please keep your carpool tags. We are moving to a new carpool system next year; we’ll share more details about it as the new school year approaches.
  • Medical Appointments: Any medication forms or health care 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: We’ve created this handy one-page document that highlights key dates you should add to your calendar as we prepare for the upcoming school year.

Middle School Electives 

Middle School parents and students should review the middle school Electives Catalog and mark the registration dates on the calendar. Registration for electives will be through MySchoolBucks beginning at 9 a.m. on the dates listed below, and is on a first come, first served basis. Note: New families should look at our payments webpage for instructions about how to set up your MySchoolBucks account, then add your middle school student(s) after July 15.

The following dates are when the registration window will be available by grade level. If the elective your student would like is not listed in MySchoolBucks, that means it is full and you must choose another class.

Electives registration will close on Tuesday, July 25.  We’re sorry for the delay and appreciate your understanding!

  • July 19 – Electives Open for Eighth Grade
  • July 20 – Electives Open for Seventh Grade
  • July 21 – Electives Open for Sixth Grade
  • July 25 – Electives Close

Additional details can be found in the Electives Catalog.

Reminder: We had to postpone electives registration because the District informed us that Infinite Campus would not be rolling over into MySchoolBucks until Saturday, July 15, this year. New families should wait until after July 15 to set up their student in MySchoolBucks. 

Necessary Steps for the 2023-24 School Year

STEP #1:  DCSD Express Check-In 

DCSD Express Check-In is NOW OPEN. This is a required annual process for all BFA K-8 students and we’d like our families to have it completed by July 31. This Check-In application allows parents to update household information, sign off on district forms, update health conditions and pay student fees (see below). The DCSD Check-In process allows for maximum flexibility, as you can check in any time during the window, and is significantly streamlined for returning parents. New families – this will take you a bit longer, but next year some of the data will be pre-populated making it much easier. One parent from the primary household should complete DCSD Express Check-In for each K-8 student. Normally, this is also when you pay student fees; however, again this school year, we were able to incorporate school supplies into our budget so there will be no K-8 student fees for supplies.

To complete a key step in the annual check-in process, you will need to be able to log in to the EngagED Parent Portal.

  • Parents of current DCSD K-12 students have a Portal username and password.
  • Parents who have never had a K-12 DCSD student created a Portal username and password when they completed Open Enrollment.

If you can’t log in, contact our registrar, Colleen Bobbin.

STEP #2: BFA Annual Family Check-In 

Parents and K-8 students should come to BFA to complete BFA Annual Family Check-In on their assigned date (see below).

Tuesday, August 8

  • 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.)  

Wednesday, August 9

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

When you come to BFA to check-in, make sure to:

  • Be ready to SMILE! Student and parent photos will be taken. Students should wear a BFA uniform shirt. Parents’ pictures will be used for their annual volunteer badges.
  • After picture day, parents can go to https://shop.jostenspix.com, create or log into the site, then view and order pictures.
  • Current families DO NOT need to bring in their carpool tag this year. New families will receive a carpool tag, and should allow extra time to learn about BFA’s drop-off/pick-up processes.
  • Bring student medications and completed required health forms from DCSD Express Check-In with parent and physician’s signature.
  • Bring copies of any legal documents or updates (custody, parenting plan, guardianship, etc.), if applicable.

Elementary School Teacher Assignments & Middle School Schedules

Elementary Teacher assignments can be found in the Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 2. 

Middle school parents should log into their Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal to view their student’s middle school schedule after 9 a.m. tomorrow, August 2. Please print the schedule and ask your student to bring it on his/her first day.

Note: the Infinite Campus parent portal is different from the EngagED Portal where you completed Express Check-In, but your credentials (username/password) are the same for both.

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 BA 23-24
  • 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. Select each student from the top right-hand corner of the window.

Middle School Math Placement Testing for Brand New BFA Students

On Aug. 11, middle school students new to BFA will complete math placement testing for the 2023-24 school year. Details to follow.

New BFA Parent/Guardian Orientation

Brand new BFA families are welcome to join us for an orientation from 5:30 – 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 10, at BFA.

Meet the Teacher/Family Picnic 

Meet the Teacher/Family Picnic 

Save the date! On the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 14, you’ll have the opportunity to meet your student(s) teacher(s) as well as other BFA families. Elementary and middle school families can come by BFA and meet their teacher between 3 – 5 p.m., then stay for the Community Events Committee’s informal school picnic which will be held from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. Bring your chairs and blankets, and join us for games, music, food trucks and fun with your fellow BFA community.

Featured food trucks include High Society Pizza, Slife’s Devil Dogs and Sweet Freeze Shave Ice* and Downtown Fingers. *Gluten Free options will be available.

PRESCHOOL IN–PERSON MEET AND GREETS:

On Monday, August 14, preschool will have our Meet and Greets for each classroom during the times listed below. We are asking that no siblings attend this important meeting. This should just be a time for you and your preschooler. We hope you’ll join us for the Back-to-School picnic later in the day!

  • 8:30-9:30 a.m.: MWF Adorable Owls 3’s – Mrs. McConnell’s Room
  • 9:30-10:30 a.m.: T/TH Adorable Owls 3’s – Mrs. McConnell Room
  • 11 a.m.-noon: MWF Busy Bees- Mrs. Olson’s Room
  • Noon-1 p.m.: T/TH Busy Bees – Mrs. Olson’s Room
  • 2-3 p.m.: MWF and T/TH Happy Campers – Mrs. Eframo’s Room

School Begins Aug. 16

The First Day of School for Grades 1-8 is from 8:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 16. Students should wear their Formal Uniform, which is a navy polo with the BFA logo and tan pants, shorts, skirt or a skort.

Kindergarten First Day of School and BooHoo/Yahoo

Kindergarten students also begin on Wednesday, Aug. 16, but for the first day of school ONLY, morning and full-day kindergarten begins at 8:30 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. School will start a bit later on the first morning for Kindies (8:30 a.m.) so parents can park and walk their students into school. Parents should plan on walking their students into school for a story and staying for our traditional BooHoo/YaHoo social event. (The BooHoo/Yahoo event also will be held around 12:45 p.m. for our afternoon kindie parents.) Additional details to follow.

Back to School Nights 

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. More information will be provided later in the summer.

  • Grades K- 4: Back to School Night Tuesday, Aug. 29, 6 – 8 p.m.
  • Grades 5-8: Back to School Night Wednesday, Aug. 30, 6 – 8 p.m.