The Falcon Flyer
The Official Newsletter of Brown Deer Middle School
November 2021 Edition
From the Principal's Desk
Greetings Falcon Families!
We are doing everything with C.A.R.E.- Collaboration, Accountability, building Relationships and demonstrating Empathy in everything we do. We are continuing to establish our culture and climate as a middle school and so many of our students are stepping up to meet our expectations. Our athletics are in full swing, along with our middle school cheer team and performance arts group. We had our first middle school play of the year and the cast, under the direction of Ms.Kender, did a phenomenal job! So many valuable lessons and skills are learned outside of the classroom, so we encourage all students to take part in an extracurricular activity.
What Are You Grateful For?
In the midst of everything going on, do you still find time to reflect on what you are grateful for? We are back in person 100% for the first time in 18 months. While we are still working to tweak systems that best support everyone, we are grateful to have the opportunity to serve and educate your students. We are grateful for you as our middle school families for providing us feedback on what's going well and what we can do to continue our growth.
Early Dismissal Procedures - Effective immediately, all students who are picked up prior to 3:10pm must be signed out by a parent/guardian in the middle school office. This is a safety precaution we are taking as a district to ensure all students are accounted for at all times.
Attendance - Some of you may have received an attendance letter if your student has been excessively late to their classes. In middle school, attendance is taken in every class. Students are given between 4-5 minutes to transition between classes and it is the expectation that all students have reached their class and the hallways are clear within that time frame. We recognize that middle school students are social beings and they love hanging out with their friends, however, some students are letting their social activity in the hallways get in the way of getting to class on time. We have had one on one conversations with students, teachers have reached out to the homes of students who have been late to class excessively and attendance letters have now been sent home. If students continue to be late to class, they are at risk of losing in-school or after school team privileges (if they are on a school team) or free time during Flex. We are conducting hall sweeps once class has started and students who are not in class on time will be talked to, phone calls home will be made, and then they will be escorted to class. We may also need to have mandatory parent meetings and/or social worker intervention if a student continues to be excessively late to class. We value the education of every student and when a student is late to class, it interrupts his/her learning and disrupts the learning of the other students who were in the class on time. Thank you for having a conversation with your student about getting to each class on time!
We appreciate you being active partners in your child's education. We value you.
Take care. You matter.
Trila Pitchford
Principal
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair. Hosted by our LRC staff, this event is an opportunity for students of all ages to build their home libraries and further their love of reading. As always, all purchases benefit our school.
After missing out on many beloved traditions, our fall Book Fair will be a familiar, welcome, and safe event for our students. Here’s what you need to know about the Fair, which will take place from 11/29/21 – 12/03/21 in the MHS LRC.
• Our Book Fair offers a cash-free payment option called eWallet. It’s a convenient digital account that your child can use for shopping at our Fair. Grandparents, friends, and others can contribute, too!
• If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop online at our school’s Virtual Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will also benefit our school.
Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and
online shopping: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/mhs
We’re excited to celebrate our love of books together at the Book Fair. We look forward to seeing your child there!
Thank you,
Miss D. Brown
Library Media Specialist
Parent Engagement Liaison
Falcon After Set Has Started!
Our new after school program, After Set, has started! After Set will run Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 - 5:30 PM at BDMS.
For more information, see the info flyer here, and the first semester dates are circled in blue on the After Set calendar.
Please contact either Mr. Henderson at jhenderson@browndeerschools.com or Ms. Griffie at sgriffie@browndeerschools.com for more information or if you have any questions.
Self-Care is Essential!
If you'd like to capture your child's memories from the 2021-2022 school year, click the link below to learn about how to order your yearbook now!
Dates to Remember
November 5 - Last day of Quarter 1
November 7 - Daylight Savings (Fall back one hour!)
November 9 - Falcon After-Set; 3:30pm-5:30pm
November 11 - Falcon After-Set; 3:30pm-5:30pm
November 16 - Falcon After-Set; 3:30pm-5:30pm
November 18 - Falcon After-Set; 3:30pm-5:30pm
November 19 - Professional Learning Day; no school for students
November 24 - Early release day at 11:15am
November 25-26 - No school; Thanksgiving break