Ben Franklin Elementary staff and parents presented the school’s engagement plan to the Franklin Board of Education at its Jan. 15 meeting, describing a set of strategies the school says it is using to boost student, staff and family participation.

The presentation focused on three engagement goals: more students reporting they enjoy coming to school, greater staff recognition and celebration of growth, and increased family conversations about student strengths and goals. School leaders said these goals are measured by engagement surveys of students, staff and families.

Principal Mr. Hein said the school introduced the Ben Way — “Believe in yourself, Encourage others, Never stop learning” — this year and is linking daily activities to that set of values. The school uses “Benway bingo” boards in classrooms and a staff edition of the bingo board to surface examples of the values; winners are drawn weekly and small prizes awarded. First grader Nolan described what he enjoys about school and named music, art and weekly Ben Way meetings as highlights.

Teachers and the PTO described other actions aimed at family engagement: a monthly birthday table that invites family members to a child’s lunch period, display cases in the entryway for students’ collections, proactive parent outreach early in the school year, a weekly parent newsletter, and a “Parent Learning Connection” (PLC) that pairs a short weekly topic with a follow-up Google Meet for parents to ask questions. Jen Manbilla, PTO president, described several successful PTO events and fundraisers that she said helped build community and raised funds for student and classroom needs.

Teachers also described building-wide activities that connect older and younger students, including buddy classes and “Bobcat Bashes,” mixed-grade teams that meet every other month for social-emotional lessons and community-building activities. Presenters said staff are tracking curriculum and assessment work alongside engagement efforts and plan to report achievement-linked metrics later in the year.

Board members thanked staff and parents for the presentation and asked one clarifying question about the origin and history of the Ben Way slogan; a parent-volunteer indicated the phrase has local history and recent PTO involvement in evolving it.

Board members did not take any formal action on the presentation; it was delivered as an informational item.