Dear BFE Families,

Welcome to a new school year!

As I begin my journey as CEO of Benjamin Franklin Elementary, I want you to know how excited I am to be here and how seriously I take the responsibility of serving your children and all the families here.

I believe that great schools are built when the people inside of them truly work together. That means teachers, staff, school leaders, parents, grandparents, caregivers, community partners, and, most importantly, our students. Everybody has a part to play.

As a parent myself, I understand what it means to trust a school with your child. You want to know that your child is safe. You want them to be loved and respected. You want them to be challenged academically. You want someone to notice when they are struggling and celebrate them when they succeed. And at the end of the day, you want to know that the people responsible for educating your child truly care about what happens to them.

I want those same things for every child at BFE.

There are many policies, procedures, expectations, and routines that help our schools operate successfully. There may be things that feel small, like arriving on time, wearing the proper uniform, communicating with teachers, completing assignments, and following school rules, but those small things help us create the kind of environment where teaching and learning can thrive.

I also want our families to know that partnership works both ways.

We will ask a lot of our students, and we will ask a lot of our families. You should expect a lot from us, too. Expect us to communicate. Expect us to be prepared. Expect us to treat your children with dignity and respect. Expect us to make decisions with students at the center. And when we fall short, expect us to listen, address concerns, and keep working to get better.

You will hear us say, “Real Work. Real Results.” For me, that means we cannot just talk about what we want for children. We have to do the work necessary to make it happen. And we will!

We are building something special at here Benjamin Franklin Elementary and Middle School Math and Science Academy.

There will be plenty of opportunities this year for us to celebrate, laugh, learn, and make memories together. There may be some difficult days, too. When those days come, my hope is that we will extend grace, communicate honestly, solve problems together, and always remember why we are here: our children.

Thank you for trusting us with them. Thank you for choosing “Baby Ben”, Thank you, in advance, for partnering with us as we work to make OUR school a place where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, belong, and succeed.

I am excited about what we are going to accomplish together.

Let’s get to work!

With gratitude,

Terri Williams
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
Legacy of Excellence Charter School

Real Work. Real Results.