BHMS Weekly Update

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Dear Families,

Principal’s Coffee Chat

Mark your calendars for a phenomenal Principal’s Coffee Chat held on March 3, 2023 at 9:00am in the Beacon Hill Media Center.

Derrick L. Thomas, Principal,

Beacon Hill Middle School

This week's teacher spotlight is on world language teacher Taylor Blankstein. When we think of Taylor we think of the IB learner profile attributes of caring and knowledgeable. When Prof. Blankstein is not leading her class by teaching Spanish, she is leading our school PBIS team! Taylor also serves on our district PBIS committee, and she has provided PBIS professional learning to teachers in our building. She’s seeks ways to recognize students who exhibit our BARK and IB attributes on a consistent basis while sharing research based best practices with colleagues. When Taylor saw a need for a class for our new to BHMS students, she stepped up to create such a class. Taylor’s favorite part of teaching Spanish is the unit on travel and helping kids expand their understand of cultures different than their own. You can also find her engaging students in reviewing Spanish by playing games- students have so much fun they forget they are learning! Thanks, Taylor for being a true Beacon!

• Friday, Feb 24th 4pm -5:30pm at the BHMS Cafeteria
• Tickets are $5 and you can buy them here: https://givebutter.com/BHMS8thgradedance
• There will be a DJ, snacks for sale and a fun photo wall to capture the moment.

We would love volunteers and snack donations to help make this event the best one yet. Please sign up using the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084babaa2ca6fc1-8thgrade/1445134#/

The Beacon Hill Middle School Safe Routes to School (SRTS) parent representatives are taking this opportunity to recognize and celebrate our wonderful bus drivers, who safely get our kids to and from school every day, regardless of the weather or how much traffic is on our streets!

As we did for our crossing guards, we are collecting contributions for our CSD bus drivers until February 21st. Any donations will be converted to gift cards and distributed to our bus drivers in the last week of February.

If your children ride the bus to and/or from school and you would like to contribute, please reach out to Patricia Liscio (pliscio@gmail.com) or Laura Spriggs (gospriggs@gmail.com) or Venmo/PayPal us directly.

You can also drop off gift cards at the BHMS front office, or deliver your own notes of kindness to your bus driver. Please also remind your children to greet and thank their driver!

Venmo: @gospriggs

PayPal: @pliscio

Let’s show our love and appreciation! Thank you for all your support.

BHMS SRTS Committee

BHMS Saturday school will be held at DHS. They will need to enter through the bus loop entrance facing Commerce Dr.

Term two report cards will be available to view in Infinite Campus Friday 2/24 as well as a hard copy sent home. The PDF found in the document section of Infinite Campus reflects your child’s progress in the second 12 weeks of school. While you can always access your child’s grades in Infinite Campus, the report card offers a holistic picture of how your child is doing at each 12 week mark. Every 12 weeks you will receive a report card that shows the progress of your child. The final report card will reflect your child’s final grades.

Many of you have likely heard that with new math standards rolling out in SY 23-24, the math pathways are changing. We have had one meeting earlier in the year to discuss the shifts here in CSD. On March 2 @ 6:30, we will host another informational meeting about the options for students in their math trajectory. You can join us in person or virtually. We will send out the virtual link next week.

Over the February break the BHMS and DHS orchestras (7th grade, 8th grade, and High School) travelled to Orlando, FL to participate in a Sound Design workshop hosted by Universal Studios (... and spend a few days in the parks, of course!). During the workshop the students performed and recorded part of the backing music to Despicable Me and also created the voiceovers, learned about the art of foley and sound design.

On February 28th at 6:30pm, we will have our culminating Black History Month event, the Africana Fair. Join us as we celebrate the African Diaspora with food and celebration!

Beacon Hill placed third in the regional competition, ahead of ten other teams from across the metro Atlanta region.

The hard work of the members and their coach, Ms. Tammie Willis certainly paid off. Our team members practiced every week from their first meeting in the beginning of the year in the media center, and sometimes on the weekends, so be sure to congratulate them when you see them!

Middle Winners:

1st Place – Sutton Middle School, Atlanta Public Schools (Advances to the 2023 State Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Finals)

2nd Place – Charles R. Drew Charter, Atlanta Public Schools

3rd Place – Beacon Hill Middle School, City Schools of Decatur

Fab lab The February BHMS FAB LAB Makerspace Workshop has been announced! This month all participants will get to make and take home their very own BHMS Bulldog apparel customized to their liking! Participants will bring their own article of clothing and choose from the several options that will be made available to show off their BHMS School Spirit with options to choose from such as images and text to personalize their apparel. Please see the registration form for more info or reach out to the BHMS FAB LAB Club Director Mr. Matt Heuser at mheuser@csdecatur.net. See you in the Lab!

Every Thursday, each grade level will publish its newsletter. Please check them out after you read the school Eblast. Here are the links:

6th Grade Website

7th Grade Website

8th Grade Website

Decatur Bulldog Boosters (DBB) will host our annual Bulldog Bash on March 18 at Legacy Park to support athletics at DHS and BHMS. The adult-only event features food trucks, bands and an online, silent auction – all to raise money for the Decatur Athletics. Please save the date and look for more information to come. In the meantime, we are looking for donations for the silent auction, including anything from gift cards and gift baskets to products, services, trips and experiences. This is a great way to market your business while supporting DBB. Please email Diana Yassanye with questions or complete our online form here.

Beacon Hill Spring Sports have begun. Check the website for game schedules to see when you can catch the Bulldogs in action! Go Bulldogs! decaturbulldogsathletics.com

All cheerleaders interested in participating in tryouts for the 23-24 DHS cheer team should attend an informational meeting held at DHS on March 1. Cheerleaders should meet the coaches at the front of the DHS building at 4 pm. This includes rising 9th-graders.

It’s not too late… to celebrate! ALL CSD students, staff, families, and community members are invited to participate in CSD Black History Month Spirit Week, February 20-24!

Thursday 2/23:

Rock apparel from an HBCU. If you attended an HBCU, meet us at the Wilson Center by Ebster at 4 PM for a photo opp.

Friday 2/24:

Demonstrate how you contribute to the CSD village by having group discussions in your building or department based on the following quote:

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."

- Booker T. Washington

• What does the quote mean?

• How can you put the quote into action?

Send any photos, videos, or stories from the week to adowner@csdecatur.net of you (or your group) demonstrating you lifting yourself up by lifting up someone else.

Please continue to check your local school newsletters and websites for upcoming Black History celebrations throughout the month. Please send your photos and/or videos to andowner@csdecatur.net.

We want to hear from you! As part of the CSD strategic planning process, we are reviewing and updating our vision and mission statements. The survey is now open and we want to hear what you like and what you think we should change or add to these foundational parts of our strategic plan.

Why are we doing this? Vision and mission statements help ground the work school districts do and represent the shared values and goals that everyone in the school community is committed to working toward. They form the foundation for developing and implementing policies and practices to support staff members, families, and students.

Call to Action: Please take 5-7 minutes to complete the CSD Vision & Mission Survey, review the current vision and mission statements (both are included in the survey for your reference), and share your thoughts with us. Don’t delay and complete by March 5th!

Launchpad for Learning

CSD Parents:

It’s time to register for Launchpad for Learning Summer Camp hosted by CSD! Registration ends July 3rd at midnight. Spaces will fill up quickly so register soon.

Launchpad for Learning is an exciting, 1-week summer camp hosted by the City Schools of Decatur for students in grades K-8 in the 2023-24 school year. The Launchpad for Learning Summer Camp will be held July 10-13. Launchpad for Learning Summer Camp is a great opportunity for students to be introduced to upcoming grade-level standards with hands-on activities and fun experiences. This year our activities will have a S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Music) focus for $225 per student.

Attached is a Registration Help Form that will guide you through the registration process, and there is a video showing how to register posted here. We are excited about Launchpad and the possibility of helping our students transition into the new school year! If you have any questions, please feel free to email Eddie Johnson, District Launchpad for Learning Coordinator at ejohnson@csdecatur.net.

ALL CSD students, PK-12, are invited to apply for their school's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King Awards. This joint award recognizes student teams who best demonstrate the beliefs and visions of two great Civil Rights leaders. Complete this application (one per team) by Monday, February 27, at 4 PM EST. Contact Anthony Downer at adowner@csdecatur.net for more information.

Join the Atlanta Hawks on March 3, for City Schools of Decatur Night at State Farm Arena. Each ticket includes $10 worth of food and beverage credit that can be used at our restaurants inside the arena the night of the game. Special pregame performance by the BHMS Chorus!

To purchase tickets, click here. See flyer for details.

Would You Like to Learn How to Conduct Family Meetings?

Are you tired of constant family arguments?

Are you tired of feeling as if your family is disconnected?

Are you tired of your family not knowing the schedule for the week?

Then perhaps Family Meetings are for you! Participants will learn how to conduct effective family meetings that will benefit all family members and encourage cohesiveness. Family Meetings have been shown to increase family members’ self-esteem, communication & conflict-resolution skills and instill a sense of belonging & resilience.

When: Wednesdays, beginning March 1

What: 5 weekly, 45-minute Google Meet sessions from 12:00 - 12:45

How: Attend weekly interactive meetings with camera on & ready to participate!

Cost: FREE and limited to 6 families

Click here to register and learn more!

Decatur Launches 200 Stories Initiative

In celebration of City of Decatur’s bicentennial, the City has launched the 200 Stories Project- a community story vault- to preserve and document the history of those who are and have been part of the Decatur community. Through the power of storytelling, participants will help shape a shared vision for the future of Decatur.

Whether you are new to Decatur or have been around for a while, the City invites you to contribute to this historical moment by sharing your experiences. There is no script – simply volunteer to sit down and talk with an interviewer.

Interested in connecting with other community members? There is also an opportunity to volunteer as an interviewer. To participate, email 200stories@decaturga.com, or call Aileen de la Torre at 678-553-6596 or Renae Jackson at 678-553-6561.

Donations are needed to help food-insecure students and their families. Our BHMS snack pantry and weekend backpack programs are in need of replenishing. You can help by donating directly to them using these links:

Beacon Hill Middle Snack Program: /a.co/d0HJHTr

Weekend Backpack Program: https://a.co/6Etc74W

Early Bird Registration EXTENDED ONE WEEK for the 21st Annual Tour deCatur at www.tourdecatur.com. Decatur’s favorite 5K and one-mile fun run is scheduled for Saturday March 11th. All adult participants who register on or before February 23rd will receive a race t-shirt. Youth participants for both the Fun Run and the 5K will receive a participation medal. As DEF’s biggest fundraiser, your participation helps fund everything we do to help our students learn and thrive. Presenting Sponsor Mathnasium of Decatur and Platinum Sponsor Realtor Amy Widener will be there at the race with giveaways!

Amplify Decatur is hosting their Spring Concert in the Square on Saturday, April 29th and DEF is so pleased to be one of the beneficiaries. The line-up is chock full of some amazing musicians – check them out and purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/amplify-decatur-music-festival-tickets-527859721637. Your evening of live music will support DEF, Decatur Cooperative Ministry and Giving Kitchen.