MAY 9, 2022
SUPT SEARCH UPDATE
Our Board of Education continues to make progress on the hiring of the next Superintendent. Please see the newest update in the Superintendent Search process that was posted to our website here on Friday.
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Spring is such an exciting time of year for our students and staff! So many changes can be seen in our students in terms of growth and new skill development!
This spring is especially exciting as we are looking forward to our first PTO sponsored event here at school. The Carnival is set for this Friday beginning at 5:30 pm and running until 7:30 pm. Since we haven’t had the opportunity to gather in a long time, please take note of these reminders:
Children in attendance need a parent or caregiver present both inside and outside.
The weather is looking nice so some activities may take place outside, please set boundaries for your children, there is a large area outside to play and run around.
Please be respectful/mindful of social distancing, some people need more space than others.
I am looking forward to the event as well and can’t wait to see you and your children outside of the school day!
Finally, just a few safety reminders for arrival and dismissal:
Please take a moment to walk together with your children through the cross walk when dropping off children.
Please keep pets at home when dropping or picking up your children at school. If your family dog needs a walk, please wait at the sidewalk near the street to drop or pick up your child.
Have a fantastic week!
Mary Shannon
Ben Franklin Principal
5th GRADE ACTIVITY NIGHT
5th Grade Activity Night is on Friday, May 20 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Forest Park Middle School!
Admission is $5, and there will be many fun activities such as basketball, volleyball, arts and crafts, an inflatable obstacle course, dancing, and more! Concessions will also be sold throughout the night.
We are also looking for parent volunteers to help at this event. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Karisa Stiglitz at karisa.stiglitz@franklin.k12.wi.us.
CATCH UP ON DISTRICT NEWS
Please be sure to read the newest District Newsletter that comes out now every Friday. You can access all the issues here.
22-23 SPANISH OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
The Community Education & Recreation Department is again partnering with Futura Adventures to offer Spanish course opportunities this fall. Currently, “Early Bird Registration” is going on if you’d like to take advantage and sign your child up before June 1st.
Discover the Magic of SPANISH! Registration is now open for 2022/23!
Register by 6/1 to take $15 off your tuition during our early bird event!
Linked here is the 22/23 Early Bird Registration Flier.
SABER CENTER COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
MOVING OR TRANSFERRING?
If you know that you will be moving in the next few months or attending a different school next year please let the office know as soon as possible. It truly helps with our planning for next year. Please click here for the form and email it to Debra.Niestrom@franklin.k12.wi.us.
ATTENDANCE REMINDER
PTO MEETING - TONIGHT!
Please join us tonight, Monday, May 9th from 6:30 - 7:45 pm in the Ben Franklin School Library
Meet our new principal, Ms. Steffany Jewel and get an update about the Superintendant search from our School Board Liaison, Angela Bier.
We will be talking about plans for upcoming events yet this school year as well as what some of our plans and goals are for next school year. If you’re curious about PTO, come check us out and get all your questions answered.
SPRING CARNIVAL
Friday, May 13th, starting at 5:30pm in the Ben Franklin gym. This family-friendly event includes lots of fun games and prizes, bounce house, music, food, and more!
(4) game tickets will be provided for each child attending. Additionally, (1) bounce house ticket will be given for each child through grade 5. Reserve your tickets Free here: https://form.jotform.com/bzivney/SpringCarnival Tickets will be sent home with your oldest Ben Franklin student prior to the carnival.
We also need your help to make this event happen. Click here to view with volunteer sign-up to see which volunteer opportunity is best for you.
SAVE THE DATE
Thursday, June 2nd for the last PTO event of the school year! More details to follow.
Join our private Ben Franklin PTO Facebook Group to connect with other families and get the latest and greatest info!
FPS TEXT MESSAGE FOLLOW-UP
As shared earlier this week, on Tuesday, we sent an opt-in text message to all parents and guardians. This message came from number 67587 and stated:
Franklin Public School District alerts. Reply Y 2 confirm, HELP 4 info. Msg&data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. schoolmessenger.com/txt
We apologize if this message came across as confusing or sent up any flags where you would think this might be spam. As the text message states, in order to opt-in to receive messages from Franklin Public Schools, please reply to that message with a Y for ‘yes.’ Upon replying to the text message with Y, you will receive a confirmation. You can learn more about this service at schoolmessenger.com/txt Please note that text messages from FPS will come from 67587.
IF YOU NEED HELP: If you did not receive this initial message last Tuesday afternoon, please fill out this form to provide us with some information so we can look into this. Also, if you choose to reply with STOP to this or any future FPS text messages, you will not receive any messages from FPS going forward. If you did this by mistake, please communicate this to us using the same form here.
STUDENT AND FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM LAUNCHED
As we communicated with all families last Monday, Franklin Public Schools has entered a partnership with Advocate Aurora Health Care to provide counseling options for students and families on a variety of topics. The well-being of our students and families is paramount in helping us to be a better community. The Student and Family Assistance Program (SFAP) is operating now and is available to all students and members of their households within our district AT NO COST and offers up to (4) free one-hour sessions with a licensed counselor per issue on a variety of topics related to mental health. Please click here to read our original communication that contains the phone number to begin your services, a flier with more information and an informational video.
REC SOCCER PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM THIS SUMMER
The Community Education & Recreation Department is proud to partner with Challenger Sports to offer soccer opportunities for our youth ages 3-14 this summer. Challenger Sports runs over 3,500 professionally staffed summer camps and year-round coaching programs for players of all ages and abilities. In addition to helping develop your child’s core soccer skills and understanding of the game, Challenger's camp philosophy encourages children to: become independent learners; to develop socially; and to better understand the meaning of respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and leadership. Our innovative curriculum will engage, educate and entertain your child and will make this one of their most treasured soccer memories. Click here to register
UMPS BOWLING FUNDRAISER EVENT
Saturday, May 21, 2022, the Franklin United Music Parents organization (UMPS) is hosting a 9 Pin Tap Bowling Fundraiser at Root River. $15 per bowler gets you 3 games plus your bowling shoe rental. Cash prizes and a 50/50 raffle are also part of the event. The registration deadline is this coming Sunday, May 15th. Go to this link for all details or if you want to volunteer to help.
SUMMER YOUTH MUSICAL - FROZEN JR AUDITIONS
Forte Theatre Company is holding auditions for their summer youth musical production, Frozen Jr! Based on the 2018 Broadway musical, this enchanting show will bring Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life on the Saber Center stage!
Auditions: May 24th & 25th, 4-6 pm (please sign up for one 15 min time slot)
Audition location: FHS Choir Room
Ages: 10-18
Callbacks: Thursday, May 26th, 4-8 pm
Rehearsals: June 28th thru July 28th
Performances: August 5th - 7th at the FHS Saber Center
More info at www.fortetheatrecompany.org/youth-musical-summer-2022FRANKLIN SABER ROBOTICS LEGO LEAGUE INFO NIGHT FOR PREK-8TH GRADERS
Hot off their recent trip to the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Texas, the Saber Robotics team would like to hold an informational session to share about the FIRST Lego League that is a great way to get involved with robotics in the future. This parent and student informationals session will be held on Wednesday, May 11th in the Franklin High School Library from 7pm to 8pm. If you have a child in the PreK through 8th grade that is interested in legos, click here to read more about this meeting and plan to attend!
COVID-19 UPDATES
CASES ON THE UPTICK: We have been experiencing more positive COVID-19 cases this week amongst students and staff across the district. This is consistent with what is being seen in and around the community. We ask families to please be diligent in keeping your children home when they are experiencing symptoms or are sick. Please continue to report any symptoms or sickness through the online absence reporting form process.
TESTING CHANGES: Walk-in on-site testing through FPS is no longer available for students and their family members. Students and their family members who are at home and need access to testing are recommended to visit a community testing site. For more information, please visit the Summit Clinical Labs website or the DHS Community Testing page here. Students who are present at school and in need of access to testing can be tested in their building through the ongoing partnership between FPS and Summit Clinical Labs. For more information about testing, click here.
As shared in this update from the March 11th Newsletter, we will resume publishing dashboard updates if the Milwaukee County rating moves to high.
FRANKLIN CULTURE FEST IS BACK!
We have not been able to hold a Culture Fest since early 2020, but we are gearing up for the return of Franklin Culture Fest! See the ad below for all details and click the image if you want to sign up to help showcase your culture!
UW MILWAUKEE OFFERS 2-WEEK SUMMER EXPLORATION CAMP
The Mini-Courses Summer Exploration Camp is a two-week academic enrichment program that reinforces middle school students’ reading, writing, math, and science skills.
The two-week camp includes a math and science component one week, and a reading and writing component the other week. To learn more about this program, please click here or on the accompanying flier.
SPRING/SUMMER REC GUIDE IS OUT!
The Community Education & Recreation Guide for Spring/Summer is available online! Click here for the Spring/Summer guide. Registration opens online Monday, April 25th at the registration website here! Make sure you already have an account created to help your registration process to run smoothly.
FRANKLIN HEALTH DEPARTMENT BIKE RODEO!
The City of Franklin Health Department is hosting a “Bike Rodeo” on Saturday, June 4 from 9am-11:15am by appointment only (allow one hour). Participants will receive a free helmet, a free bike safety check, a certificate of completion, a free bike license (Franklin residents only) and get to ride through an obstacle course! Online registration for this event will open NEXT MONDAY, APRIL 25th. Make sure you have a Franklin Community & Education Recreation Department account created for recreation programming signups. Visit https://franklinwi.myrec.com to create an account if you don’t have one yet. Click on the attached flyer for more information about how to register.
KIDS CAMP SUMMER OFFERINGS
The Community Education & Recreation Department will once again be offering Kids Camp this summer for children who have completed 5K through those entering 6th grade. Click here or on the image to view all details. Registration opens next Wednesday, April 13th.
If your child is enrolled in FPS Summer Learning and wants to attend Kids Camp, there is a bus to Ben Franklin for Camp after FPS Summer Learning ends around noon. Kids Camp is also offered on Fridays if you are looking for options for your child since there is no FPS Summer Learning on Fridays.
FRANKLIN SPRING SPRINT 2 MILE RUN/WALK
KIDS CLUB EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
Kids Club registration is open for next year. For more information please see the Kids Club website by clicking here or contact Shana Gagliardo, Recreation Coordinator at shana.gagliardo@franklin.k12.wi.us if you have any questions.
LOOKING FOR ATHLETICS SUMMER CAMP INFORMATION?
Check out this Summer Camps Athletics page on our website that houses all the known and upcoming summer camp offerings including youth football, volleyball, basketball, and wrestling!
YOUTH FOOTBALL REGISTRATION IS OPEN THROUGH MAY 31ST
Registration is open for the next season of Franklin Sabers Youth Football. Please register for the grade level your child will be in for the 22-23 school year.
2nd Through 5th Grade for Fall 22-23 register at http://franklinjuniorfootball.com
- 6th Through 8th Grade for Fall 22-23 register at http://franklinyouthfootball.org
REGISTRATION FOR 22-23 IS NOW OPEN FOR NEW FAMILIES!
Our registration is now open for next school year for new families to the district and next year’s 4K. You can find all the necessary details on our website here. Please note that students already enrolled in our schools do not have to have a new registration completed. You may utilize the “Create Account” and “Forgot Password” buttons on the registration page to complete your registration or gain access if you have created an account in the past. Please help us share that registration is open with any new families to the area or those with younger children that would be entering 4K or 5K!
FPS HIRING OPPORTUNITIES
We are hiring for Food Service Workers ($15/hour starting wage, full and part-time), Kids Club Workers (working with students before and after school), and Custodial Aides ($17/hour starting wage, full and part-time).
SCHOOL INFORMATION
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Email: Susan.Behrens@franklin.k12.wi.us
Website: https://www.franklin.k12.wi.us/ben-franklin-elementary-school
Location: 7620 S 83rd St, Franklin, WI 53132, USA
Phone: 414-529-8270
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BenFranklinElemFPS/posts