Ben Franklin Welcome Back/Reopening Letters

August 31, 2020

Dear Ben Franklin Families,                                                                                                          

We are beyond excited to welcome you back to the 2020-21 school year! I would like to extend a special welcome to all of the new families joining the Indiana Area School District this year and welcome back all of our returning families as well! I am honored to be your principal. Our goal at Ben Franklin Elementary is to work together to provide our students with a rich learning environment. My vision, as the principal, is to ALWAYS put children first!  My belief is that all students can learn. As educators, we need to discover how each child learns in order to differentiate our instruction to support diverse learning styles. In a collaborative effort, we want children to thrive in all ways possible. Although this year looks different than any other year, we are dedicated to providing your child(ren) a memorable, interactive, engaging learning experience whether it is in person or at a distance.

A few reminders for our students and families:

*Ben Franklin Elementary doors will open at 8:30am for morning arrivals.

*Please help your child remember his or her facemask daily. If your child loses or forgets the face mask, we have masks ready to go for your child!  

*If you are dropping off your child daily, please pull up to the semicircle in front of the school (formerly our bus drop off loop) where you can wait in line (if there is one).  We have caring team members prepared to temperature check/ symptom check your child before exiting your car.   Please allow for a team member to check your child before exiting your vehicle. We ask that adults do remain in the car and wear a facemask as temperatures are taken.

*Bus Riders will enter the bus with a mask on.  Buses will also have extra masks available in case a student forgot his or her mask or damaged the mask while waiting for the bus.  Once your child’s bus arrives at school, students will have their temperatures checked as soon as they get off the bus.  

*If any student is showing a temperature above 100 degrees or symptoms of COVID, he/she will be escorted to a private space for the student to be monitored and cared for until a parent or guardian can arrive to pick up the student.  Our procedures are designed to maintain privacy and caring to students and families during this process.  

*We are providing all school materials for students. Every student has a personal plastic box to store his or her materials for school.  

*School safety will continue to be a focus throughout the district.  We have been reviewing and updating safety procedures, and I encourage you to review our IASD Health & Safety Plan.  The continued safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance!

*The Ben Franklin Elementary and IASD website is full of great information, and we urge you to check the website often for news and updates.  Visit our website at www.iasd.cc!  Make sure to check your email regularly as we will be sending a lot of communications electronically.

Student success is attributed to the partnership and the relationships we build within our community and this is MOST important now more than ever. It truly does take a village... and at Ben Franklin, we value teamwork and collaboration!  Education is a joint venture, and our team of BF Heros greatly appreciates the support you provide for your children at home and at school to help them meet their learning goals.  We have amazing teachers and team members preparing classrooms and learning spaces as we speak!  Please meet our Traditional Learning team members that will work with your children this year: