The Franklin Academy
Weekly Update Newsletter November 7th - 11th
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
Best Overall Halloween Costume
Homemade Minecraft Costume - Gavin - Hess House
Best Overall Judge of Halloween Costumes
Paige Adriance - Accounting/Administrative Clerk
Learn more about Paige in our "GET TO KNOW OUR STAFF" section below.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
Sunday, November 6th
- DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME - ROLL THOSE CLOCKS BACK!
Monday, November 7th
- Veterans Day Assembly Meeting - Markell Hall - 8:15 - 9:15 am
- Girls Basketball Game - Markell Hall - 4:00 pm - The Franklin Academy vs. Lynden Christian
Tuesday, November 8th
- Used Uniform Sale - Markell Hall - 8:00 – 8:30 am - LAST ONE FOR THIS MONTH!
- State of the School - 5:30 - 7:00 pm - Markell Hall
Wednesday, November 9th
- Auction Meeting - 8:15 - 9:15 am - Holly Hall - 3230 Meridian Street
- FAMILY NIGHT OUT AT MOD PIZZA - Present the enclosed flyer for dine in or take out for PALS to get 20% back - see flyer below
Thursday, November 10th
- Veterans Day Assembly - Markell Hall - 10:00 - 11:00 am
- Chess Club - after school until 4:30 pm
Friday, November 11th
- NO SCHOOL
NEW ADDITIONS and CHANGES to the CALENDAR:
- Chess Club
- Girls Basket Ball - Everyday - October 25- Friday, December 9th - 3:15 - 4:45 pm
- Middle School Student Store Open - Monday/Wednesday/Friday- During Middle School Lunch - 1:00-1:20 pm
- FINE WINE FRIDAYS - SEE DETAILS BELOW
- STATE OF THE SCHOOL - DATE CHANGE TO NOVEMBER 8TH - 5:30 -7:00 pm
- Family Night Out at Mod Pizza in Barkley Village, November 9th all day! Present the enclosed flyer for dine in or take out for PALS to get 20% back - see flyer below
PHILADELPHIA & WASHINGTON DC - REGISTRATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 17TH
- NO PIZZA SERVICE THE WEEK OF THANKSGIVING
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
ANNUAL REPORT
The Franklin Academy Families,
Today your student was sent home with our 2021-2022 Annual Report. Enclosed in the Annual report are remarks from President Board of Trustees Tung M. Ha, DO, and Head of School Gretchen Bucsko. We hope you enjoy reviewing the past year's activities and accomplishments.
We want to thank you for being a part of this community, supporting your student's educational journey, and helping keep The Franklin Academy thriving.
FREE STUDENT TICKETS - Bellingham Chamber Music Society
November 20th the Bellingham Chamber Music Society is performing the following:
Piazzolla Oblivion and Libertango for oboe and guitar
Schubert Arpeggione for cello and guitar
Schubert Octet for violins, viola, cello, bass, clarinet, bassoon and french horn
There are free student tickets available at the Markell Hall office.
The price of general admission tickets is $25 for parents
Children 6 and up are welcome to attend.
Franklin Academy Part-Time Marketing Position Available
The Franklin Academy is looking for a parent who is interested in helping our school with marketing. We are interested in someone who is self motivated, has the spare time and energy to follow through with the below tasks. Schedule is flexible and should take approximately 5-10 hours per week.
Upon completion of these job tasks we will provide you with the price of one tuition for the following school year. We would like this person to start as soon as possible.
Job Tasks:
Recruit parent volunteers for marketing committee, host 3 to 4 meeting a year
Overall branding of the school: website and Parent Portal
Coordinate print ads (Leisure Guide/Alive Magazine, Bellingham Families Magazine)
Outline the content and put together Franklin Academy newsletters (2 publications a year)
Social media (four posts a week on Facebook and Instagram)
Coordinate any postcard mailings, brochures, radio ads, and update online reviews
Prepare and email the school’s weekly Friday newsletter
If this marketing opportunity sounds like something you might be interested in, please send a cover letter and/or resume to: frontdesk@thefranklin.academy.
UPCOMING EVENT AND SCHEDULE DETAILS:
PARENTS ACTIVELY LENDING SUPPORT - PALS EVENTS
Present the MOD PIZZA FLYER for dine in or take out for PALS to get 20% back
MORE PALS EVENTS COMING UP -
Get your Christmas shopping done Dec. 4-10 locally at Launching Success and they will donate back to PALS! Info coming soon!
Family Ice Skate and Indoor Soccer Day-Details coming! December 22nd at the Sportsplex!
COMING THE FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY - Jimmy John's Sandwiches - lunch sign ups will be coming soon!
Veterans Day Assemblies - Agendas & RSVP
Robin Hall Assembly
Date: November 10th
Where: Robin Hall
Time: 9:00 - 9:15 am
Who: Preschool students only.
Agenda: Ken Putney, a Franklin Academy parent, and former Navy Officer, will come dressed in his uniform and share stories with students.
Markell Hall Assembly
Date: November 10th
Where: Markell Hall
Time: 10:00 -11:00 am
For: K-8th Grade Students, Parents and Veterans
Please join us and help us honor those who have served. Do you have a Veteran you would like to honor, a family member, or a friend? We invite you and your Veteran to join us at Markell Hall. Students will sit with their Veterans and share with us who they are, their military branch, and when they served.
We appreciate the support and participation in commemorating all who have served our country.
PLEASE RSVP BY NOVEMBER 4TH!
JANUARY 28th, 2023 at Silver Reef Casino
The Franklin Academy welcomes your support of the upcoming Formal Gala and Auction. Whether you'd like to attend, sponsor a table, donate an item, or volunteer. Below you will find all the information you need to get involved.
The circus themed formal event will be one that will ignite the feeling of magic within as we celebrate our school under the "big top."
Questions? Contact Co-Chairs:
Katie C. Dement - kcole@thefranklin.academy
Ken Putney - ken.putney@gmail.com
Let the Magic Happen Gala and Auction Website
You can also learn more about the gala and auction via our TFA Auction Website - click the link below. What to sponsor? Purchase a table? You can do that all online, or fill out the sponsor sheet in your packet and bring it to school. We thank you for your support and hope you can join us at the event.
PHILADELPHIA & WASHINGTON DC - REGISTRATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 17TH
USE THE QR CODE BELOW TO REGISTER
For those looking to see salmon this year, the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) will host free weekly Salmon Sightings events across the county starting on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. The events will last through November. Times are 12 to 3 pm each time. Most are on Saturdays, with a few Fridays (including Veterans Day).
FRANKLIN ACADEMY HAPPENINGS:
HALLOWEEN
On Halloween, The Franklin Academy halls were full of witches, unicorns, cats, students riding dinosaurs, and more. We hope you enjoy these fun-filled pictures of students celebrating the holiday.
Lower School Activities - Witches Brew with Mrs. Ho & Halloween Costume Parade
Robin Hall students watched in amazement as Mrs. Ho "boiled" her witches brew. Students also enjoyed visiting Markell Hall to join in the a Halloween costume parade.
2ND GRADE FESTIVITIES
Classroom parent joined in the Halloween spirit as they hosted 2nd graders with snacks, spider art, cookie decorating and bingo. Nice work classroom parents!
Markell Hall - Middle School Halloween Assembly
On Halloween, students went head-to-head in a fun costume competition. The Franklin Academy students were energized as they cheered for their classmates. Four judges voted on in each of the following categories:
- Most Creative
- Quirkiest
- Funniest
- Most Iconic
We want to commend all our Franklin Students for their fun and creative Halloween costumes, and we congratulate our winners!
The winner from each of the 4 categories received 5 house points and were judged in the category of Best Overall. The winner of Best Overall will receive 10 points for their house. The assembly also had 3 different games see what they were below.
Most Creative Winner -
Homemade Minecraft Costume - Gavin - Hess House
Quirkiest -
Sophia - Hess House
Funniest -
Evan - Ferlin House
Most Iconic -
Alex - Hess House
Best Rappers
Each house came up with Halloween rap songs and the winner was....HESS HOUSE.
Best Face Paint of a GHOST on a House Advisor
Each House chose one student representative to paint a ghost face on their House Advisor. The winner was....ERSHIG HOUSE.
Best Pumpkin Carvers
Each House chose four student representatives to carve a pumpkin. The winner was....ERSHIG HOUSE.
Five Pumpkins - Spanish with Mrs. McDonnell
Throughout Preschool and Early K Spanish classes, students practiced their "counting to five" skills - uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco. Students acted out a story called "Cinco Calabazas" (Five Pumpkins) using orange blocks as pumpkins. The story followed five little pumpkins who were sitting on a fence. One by one, the pumpkins fell off the fence. Throughout the story, students counted to five in Spanish and said "Adios calabaza!" as each pumpkin fell down. In the end, the farmer arrived with five new pumpkins. This video provides a visual of what each class enjoyed! - Señora McDonnell
THE READING CORNER WITH MRS. SAMUEL
Hello Franklin Academy Community,
I’ve had several students ask me recently if the school libraries take donations of books they
have outgrown. Absolutely! Many of the books in our collections have come from home library
donations. You are welcome to send your student with the books and they can drop them off at
the library, or you can arrange to meet me at the office if you have a large number of books.
Thank you for thinking of the school library!
If you would like to donate in other ways, I maintain a wish list through Village Books. I use it to
track student requests, books missing from series that we have, copies that need to be replaced
due to wear and tear, and books that would help fill in some subject or genre gaps that we
have. If you ever want to take a peek at my VERY LONG list it is here: https://www.villagebooks.com/wishlist/537
If you ever want to see if the library already has a book in the collection, you can access our
school’s online catalog here: https://search.follettsoftware.com/metasearch/ui/44373
As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns! You can email me at
Happy Reading,
Mrs. Samuel
FROM THE CHAPEL - NOVEMBER CHARACTER THEME:
FROM THE CHAPEL - NOVEMBER CHARACTER THEME:
Hello families of the Franklin Academy!
Greetings from the chapel! This month in chapel we are centering our discussions around the theme of Gratitude. A Harvard Health article states that “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” My hunch is that we all agree that these are things we hope our students will experience. Gratitude, therefore, makes for a great theme to investigate. Here’s the general outlook for the month:
Week of Nov 7
*Focus Question: What is gratitude?
*Activity: In all the chapels I will introduce the concept of gratitude, and we will generate age-appropriate definitions. I hope to accomplish this through story in the younger grades, and analyzing quotes with the older grades.
Week of Nov 14
*Focus Question: What am I grateful for?
*Activity: In all the chapels we will personalize gratitude by reflecting on our own lives and experiences. With the help of Chapel Service Guild prepared materials, students will share what they are grateful for. Note: I am grateful for the Chapel Service Guild :)
Week of Nov 21
*Focus Question: What are the benefits of gratitude, and how can I make it an ongoing practice?
*Activity: In an all school chapel, I plan to share stories of gratitude, lead a discussion on its benefits, and brainstorm with students how we can practice gratitude on a regular basis.
As always, please let me know if you have questions or thoughts, and if there are ways I can serve and support your family.
Gratefully,
Aaron
Service Elective
Service Elective Students read with second graders this week. They all had an enjoyable time reading together and sharing stories.
ATHLETICS:
VOLLEYBALL CLINICS
Hi Parents of Girls in 6th-8th Interested in Volleyball Clinics,
Please use the following Sign up Genius links to register for the upcoming Volleyball Clinics.
Please make payments at the Markell Main Office. Checks payable to Franklin Academy.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Fox
Boys Basketball Season Starts soon!
What's required?
Sports Eligibility Packet
Sports Physical
Athletics Fee: $175
**Packets and sports physicals available outside the main office. Submit payments to Dawn!
SEEKING BOYS BASKETBALL COACH
Franklin Academy is accepting applications for a Boys Basketball Coach.
For more information please email Mrs. Fox: sfox@thefranklin.academy
DEVELOPMENT:
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Click on the icons below to sign up-
OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Please contact pals@thefranklin.academy if you're interested in any of these volunteer opportunities:
- Chapel Guild - organizes chapel guild projects, training provided
- Paint Hopscotch at Robin Hall - on the weekend before the temps drop!
- Outdoor Grounds - pruning, trash pick up, painting games for kids, adding mulch, etc
- Field Day and School Picnic (coordinate with Mrs. Fox and PALS)
- Family Fun Night - needs multiple coordinators
GET TO KNOW OUR STAFF:
Paige Adriance
Hello! My name is Paige Adriance, and I am finishing my second year working at The Franklin Academy.
I consider myself lucky to have been born and raised in Washington state. I grew up in Marysville and graduated from Marysville Pilchuck High School. My childhood was typical with 2 older brothers, my mom worked from home as a piano teacher, and my dad worked in aerospace. I grew up with lots of energy which I used in soccer, swimming, karate, ballet, snowboarding, wrestling, Civil Air Patrol, and later roller derby.
We did lots of camping and hiking growing up. My dad took us all on our first overnight backpacking trip by the time we were 10. My trip was a little longer than my brothers', extended after I managed to get myself good and lost for 3 days at age 8. I still love being out in the wilderness and completed the Enchantments loop in one day while 25 weeks pregnant.
After graduating high school, I left for an exchange program and lived in Stuttgart, Germany. When I returned to the states, I moved up to Bellingham, and it quickly became home. I started working in restaurants as a dishwasher and moved up to bar manager and loved every minute of it. I enjoyed getting to know my customers and finding ways to improve their days without them noticing. One of those customers stuck around so long we got married. : )
A few years ago, my husband and I bought property on Lummi Island, which is where our free time goes. During the pandemic, we relocated to the island and turned an old horse barn/chicken coup into a tiny house. Then last year, we heard about the Pan Abode house in Tacoma that was torn down for reconstruction. An agreement was made with the owners, and we took that house apart board by board, loaded it up into trucks, and brought it up to Whatcom County. We are slowly getting ready to reassemble it on Lummi Island, where we will truly appreciate having an indoor bathroom again.
Three years ago, my husband and I enrolled our son, Oscar, in the preschool program here at Franklin Academy, and he fell in love with the school. During that time, I ended my 15+ year run in the restaurant industry and completed a Finance and Accounting Degree at Whatcom Community College. Oscar was so happy here that when I saw an open position, I applied for it instantly. Oscar is now in kindergarten, and we are a Franklin Family through and through. I have loved getting to know the staff and families in this school and can say that I truly enjoy my job.
Paige Adriance
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
The Franklin Academy
Website: www.thefranklin.academy
Location: 1509 East Victor Street, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 733-1750
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheFranklinAcademy
The Franklin Academy Points of Contact
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
Katie C. Dement, Development and Marketing Director, kcole@thefranklin.academy
PALS (Parents Actively Lending Support) pals@thefranklin.academy