December 5, 2022
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
It is hard to believe that we have been back in school for almost a week since the Thanksgiving break and Winter break is just 14 school days away! Prior to the Thanksgiving break, we welcomed kindergartener Jayden C. into the office as “Principal for a day.” Jayden got a glimpse of what I do on any given day and also got the opportunity to experience some “behind the scenes” moments. I started off the morning by announcing Jayden as the principal, then we walked the building to check in on classrooms. Students in many rooms paused to say good morning to Jayden and ask him what it was like to be the principal. Jayden then had the opportunity to see some parts of our building that students don’t typically get to see, like the staff lounge, mail room, receiving area/workshop, the boiler room, and the roof! He then picked out a book that I read to his class for their read aloud time. We ended our time together by putting together a small treat for staff that we left in each of their mailboxes. When I asked Jayden what his favorite part of the day was, he told me he liked seeing the roof. Below are a few pictures of Principal Jayden!
Most Sincerely,
Steffany Jewell
Principal
REGISTRATION FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IS NOW OPEN!
Registration opens at noon on Monday, December 5th for the 2023-24 school year on our website here. Registration is for any new families to Franklin or new students looking to register for next year in 4K, 5K or up through 12th grade. If you have any friends or family in Franklin that plan to have children attend Franklin Public Schools next year, please pass this information along to them! Registering early helps to get all information in our system for planned communications.
Please note that any student that is already attending Franklin Public Schools DOES NOT need to register for next school year as a new student. This includes students already in Preschool Speech, Early Childhood, and 4K. All parents/guardians will be required to review your student’s data during our summer Back-To-School Online Check-In process. Any family who knows a student will not be returning for the next school year should notify your school’s main office staff.
PARENT DROP OFF/PARENT PICK UP REMINDERS
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been noticing some congestion in the parking lots at drop off and pick up. Please refamiliarize yourself with the drop off and pick up procedures for the start and end of the day. In addition here are a couple of specific reminders:
When dropping students off at the north entrance in the morning, be sure to follow the lane markings as you enter the parking lot. We have traffic both in AND out of the lot at this time of day and are noticing that parents are pulling into the lot in the exit lane to make a wide berth for the parent drop off line. This does not allow for traffic to exit the parking lot.
If you are picking up your child with a vehicle, please do so through the parent pickup line whenever possible (rather than parking and coming to the sidewalk in front of the school). We are rolling the parent pick up line early, rather than waiting for all of the buses to come through. This creates additional traffic in the area to begin with. Having parents parking, exiting their vehicles, and crossing over the parent pick up/bus lane is creating additional traffic that slows the process down and creates additional safety concerns. Parent pick up has been taking approximately 10-15 minutes to complete from start to finish.
DRESS FOR THE WEATHER
Wisconsin weather is upon us! Please make sure your son/daughter is dressed appropriately for the cold weather with hats, gloves, scarves, boots and snow pants. Snow pants and boots are required to be worn in order for students to play in the snow. However, this being Wisconsin, it can become warm and sunny by noontime. Please remind your child if they choose to remove their jacket during recess they are to be tied around their waist and not left on the playground.
The decision to have an outdoor or indoor recess is based on both the wind speed and temperature at 11:30 am. All students are required to go outside for recess daily unless the windchill is below zero or it is raining. If it is an outside recess day, all students must go outdoors. Please label your child's coat, hat, boots, & mittens with their name.
LOST & FOUND
Please have your student(s) check the school office for items in our lost and found. Our lost and found is growing rapidly. It is also suggested that if possible, student items be labeled with their first and last name on it so that we can get it back to the student if it becomes lost. Click HERE for pictures of our lost and found items. We will be donating items after Winter Break. Please contact the Ben Franklin office at 414-529-8270 to claim items or with any questions.
ATTENDANCE REMINDER
ANY absence including leaving early and arriving late are reported on a google form. HERE is the link to report absences. It would be a good idea to bookmark this link for your convenience.
If you are picking up your student to leave early, please bring your drivers license or state id.
STAFF HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
Hosted annually but PTO, the Staff Holiday Luncheon is coming up soon, Friday, December 16th. The Hale House has generously committed to providing the main meal and salad for the event! We are also asking for a couple of sides, desserts, beverages etc… to round out this meal for our nearly 60 staff members!
Please click HERE to sign up to bring something and/or click HERE to help with set-up and clean up.
GIFT GIVING
As we approach the gift-giving season, your PTO would like to help families with their buying decisions based on school and classroom needs and personal preferences. Click HERE to view. Gifts for any occasion are welcome and appreciated, however never expected.
HELP NEEDED
Bingo Night is scheduled for Friday, January 27th. In order to make this event possible, we need volunteers to help with planning and facilitating. Your help is greatly appreciated. Please email Kristin with interest or questions.
SAVE THE DATE FOR PANERA!
Add Thursday, January 12th to those new 2023 calendars and plan to visit Panera in Greenfield (7840 West Layton Avenue) between 4-8 pm to support Ben Franklin Elementary. More details to come.
Stay informed about Activities, Events, Fundraisers, and more on Ben Franklin PTO’s website!
Join our private Ben Franklin PTO Facebook Group
ATTENTION 5TH GRADE FAMILIES
We can’t believe it, but it is almost time for our 5th grade students to choose their classes for the 2023-2024 school year!
A virtual presentation with an introduction to Forest Park Middle School will be made available to all parents on January 10th. A school counselor will be visiting each elementary school in the days following to speak with students about middle school courses. Registration in PowerSchool will open on January 13th.
As a family, we encourage you to have conversations with your student(s) about their hopes for middle school. Our middle school classes are one of many ways for students to begin exploring their interests and learning more about themselves. We will continue to include transition information in our weekly bulletin for families. As always, if you ever have a question, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
4K-5th GRADE WINTER ACTIVITY DAY ON SAT 12/10
The FHS Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) student group is sponsoring, organizing and running an event for 4K through 5th grade students on Saturday, December 10th at Franklin High School. Winter activity themed stations, activities, crafts, games and snacks will be offered. Parents can drop their children off for the 1-4pm event! See the associated flyer for more details and click on the flyer to head to the online registration information form.**
**Please note that both the online registration information form AND the online $15 Ticket Spricket form need to be completed per child attending the event. The Ticket Spricket form is linked at the end of the registration form. Reach out to Advisor Lauren Zomboracz with any questions!
YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
As part of the School-Based Mental Health Grant we received as a district, we have prioritized continued opportunities to train staff and community members in Youth Mental Health First Aid. Two more opportunities to engage in this course will be offered in the Winter and Spring this year for Franklin staff in addition to training that will be offered to parents and community partners. During this course, participants develop an understanding of the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents, the importance of early intervention, and how to help an adolescent in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge. Participants will engage in a 2-hour self-paced course followed by a 4.5 hour in-person session with a district trainer. There is still room to participate in the in-person sessions on January 18th and May 2nd from 4:30-9:00 PM. You will be paid for your time with grant funding. Please complete this survey to indicate your interest in participating in either of the sessions by December 9th. This is the same course we have offered over the last 3 years, so please only sign up if you have not yet been certified. A confirmation email will be sent to finalize your enrollment in the course and next steps. If there are still spots available after this round of surveys for the May training, a survey will go out again closer to that date.
CATCH UP ON DISTRICT NEWS
Miss the last District Newsletter? Be sure to catch up on district happenings! You can access the archive of all District Newsletters here.
SCHOOL INFORMATION
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Email: Jennifer.Russell@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