BHMS Weekly Update
Thursday, August 17, 2023
October 19, 2023
Upcoming Events
10/20: DHS Homecoming Parade at 5:30 p.m. and Game at 7:30 p.m.
10/24: SLT Meeting 4:30 pm
10/25: Early Release 1:45
10/25: Cross Country Banquet
10/26: Fall Orchestra Concert BHMS Cafeteria
10/27: Principal's Coffee Chat @ 9:30 PTA General meeting right after
11/7: Digital Learning Day
Principal's Corner
Dear Beacon Hill Students and Families,
BHMS Bulldogs have enjoyed spirit week! The DHS Bulldogs will take the field tomorrow, October 20, for Decatur High School’s Homecoming Game and Parade. Come out and celebrate with the community tomorrow!
As a reminder BHMS students must be accompanied by adults at all DHS varsity football games. Book bags are not allowed in the stadium. Tickets must be purchased at gofan.co
Parade at 5:30 p.m. and Game at 7:30 p.m.
Principal’s Coffee Chat
Mark your calendar. Our next Principal’s Coffee Chat will be held on Friday, October 27, 2023 at 9:30 in the Beacon Hill Media Center. This chat was one of our most popular conversations last year as we tackled the topic of Teen Vaping. Feel free to invite your friends and neighbors who have kids of any age as this will surely be a great resource for all parents. The PTA general meeting will occur right after coffee chat.
Go Bulldogs!!
See you soon!!!
Derrick L. Thomas, Principal
Beacon Hill Middle School
It Only Takes One
đź“° BHMS News You Can Use đź“°
🔦Staff Spotlight BHMS Celebrates Mr. Thomas!🔦
Happy National Principals Month to our amazing BHMS Principal Derrick Thomas! It's truly inspiring to see the passion and dedication that Mr. Thomas brings to his role every day. By putting kids first, he sets a positive tone for the entire school and creates an environment where everyone can thrive.
Under Mr. Thomas's leadership, BHMS has become a place where students feel safe, supported, and encouraged to grow and learn. His commitment to the climate and culture of the school is evident in his collaboration with all the various stakeholders in our community.
We're incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and caring principal at our school, and we're excited to celebrate National Principals Month in recognition of all that Mr. Thomas does for us. Hats off to you, Mr. Thomas! Thank you for being a rockstar leader and for always having our staff and students' backs.
A Week In the Life of a BHMS Bulldog
Spirit Week Fun Sponsored by Yearbook Crew!
BHMS showed plenty of spirit this week in anticipation of the homecoming game tomorrow night! Stay tuned to find out which grade level won the Spirit Challenge Bone Hunt!
BHMS Marketplace Shout Out!
We did it! Our first BHMS Marketplace supporting our Visual/Studio Arts Dept & Design Engineering Depts. Thanks parents, friends, and students for coming out and showing love for our talented young artists and makers!
BSU and GENTS Host Unknown Lyric!
Beacon Hill Middle School Black Student Union (BSU) organized an engaging performance by Unknown Lyric. This event was co-sponsored by the BHMS GENTS Monday October 16, 2023. Unknown Lyric is an Acoustic Classically infused duo from Atlanta, Ga. Unknown Lyric fuses Beethoven, Urban Grooves, and Contemporary sounds.
Winners of Apollo Amateur Night in New York, Unknown Lyric has created a movement called " Classical Fusion". “We find inspiration from different yet unique artists, such as Beethoven, Mozart, Jimi Hendrix, and John Mayer just to name a few.” Shout out to BSU sponsors Fonta High, Sabrena Shields, and Jason Ferguson
BE CREATIVE! GET MESSY! HAVE FUN! YAY ART!
Ms. Crockett’s Studio Arts class just finished their Community Collage project inspired by Harlem Renaissance Artist, #romarebearden where they included included scenes from their own community and had to incorporate stylized buildings and people.
Students are getting messy in art with our paper maché Alebrijes! Ms. Nathaniel’s Visual Arts students studied the history of these magical creatures originating in the Mexican Folk art tradition. The next step is making them come to life by painting with vibrant colors and patterns utilizing 🪄🎨
Health Class
"7th and 8th grade health students participated in various activities while wearing Drunk Buster Goggles. These goggles allow students to experience the effects of different BAC levels and how vision and coordination are impaired. Several students admitted this changed their view on drinking alcohol before the legal age of 21"
Does your child need tutoring or time to complete make-up work? Sign up for Saturday School today! CSD teachers will provide academic support to students in grades 6-12. This program is free to CSD families. The time is from 9a - 12p at Beacon Hill Middle School.
Get Involved!
Check out some of the club and program opportunities below and you can find more clubs of interest on our website located here.
Disability Rights Education Education, Activism, and Advocacy: tmichael@csdecatur.net
Board Game Club: igillham@csdecatur.net
Social Justice Club: Ajohnson@csdecatur.net
8th Grade Gifted Resource Hosting Several Service Projects!
2nd-period students in Gifted Resources class are hosting a shoebox service project to assist a local pet shelter, PAWS Atlanta. A shoebox project is where we will collect supplies donated from the community, put them in decorated shoeboxes, and send them to the shelter. This project will help PAWS Atlanta by providing them with the materials they need to support the animals so that they can be better housed and hopefully find families! Questions? emal lgary@csdecatur.net
Students and Parents of Beacon Hill Middle School,
For the 8th grade gifted program, we are learning about service learning. Our class is hosting a food drive to donate to DEAM Decatur. They donate food and resources to those in need in our community. Items that are accepted include: Canned fruit (peaches, mandarin oranges, pineapple), Peanut butter crackers, Jelly, Canned Chicken, Canned tuna, Canned beef stew, Canned lasagna, beef ravioli, 1 lb packages of yellow rice, Tuna packets, Beans, Reusable cloth bags, Gloves, hats, scarves, Hand warmers, Toiletries.
Please fill out the google form so we can come collect your food!
Thanks for supporting DEAM Decatur.
FROM THE DESK OF THE BHMS FAB LAB-
The October FAB LAB MAKERSPACE workshop has been announced! This month's workshop we will be making Halloween-themed printed apparel!
Please see the registration form HERE if interested in attending and participating!
If you would simply like to just purchase a t-shirt or hoodie and not participate in making the apparel, you can order HERE
đź“šFrom our Media Centerđź“š
Book Fair Volunteers Needed
This year’s PTA book fair with Little Shop of Stories will run from November 13 to November 17. We’re still looking for volunteers, so sign up here if you want to help!
Thank you to the PTA for organizing the volunteers and supporting this event!
Weekly Grade Level Newsletters
Every Thursday, each grade level will publish its newsletter. Please check them out after you read the school Eblast. Here are the links:
💙💛From Our PTA💙💛
Join us for our PTA general meeting on 10/27 directly after the Principal's coffee chat!
Help Us Help Our Kids!
The BHMS Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) Store kicks off next Friday and will be open once a week on Fridays during all lunch periods through the end of the school year. Volunteers are needed on a weekly basis for a 25- or 50-minute shift to set up the rewards cart and distribute pre-purchased items. Sign up at https://bit.ly/PBISvolunteers.
Looking For Other Ways To Help?
The PTA needs volunteers to help with a variety of activities that can have a big impact with minimal time commitment. If iinterested in any of these opportunities, please email Emilee Terry at emileeraeterry@gmail.com. Thank you!
Student Center Support:
The BHMS Student Center is a safe space where students can de-stress, study, and have access to
snacks, clothing and other personal supplies. We need a parent volunteer lead who can assist the Student Center counselor (Sabrina Shields) and recruit other parents to get involved.Volunteer opportunities include: distributing snacks and drinks to students at the end of the day, updating the Student Center decor and sorting the clothes closet.
Event Photographers: We need skilled photographers looking to help capture memories of our
PTA-organized school events…school dances, Spirit Night, fundraising activities. Photographers should have their own camera (DSLR) and be available on an on-call basis.
PBIS Store Liaison: Serve as the coordinator between school personnel and volunteers.
Fall Fun for Families
Our friends at Glennwood Elementary are hosting a Fall Carnival and Chili Cook-off on Saturday, October 21 from 11 am to 2 pm (440 East Ponce De Leon Avenue). All BHMS families are invited to attend. The event will include carnival games, a bouncy house, face painting, music and a costume competition. Tickets are $20 each, $10 for the cook-off only. BHMS students who are looking for volunteer hours should sign up at https://bit.ly/glennwoodfestivalvolunteers. (Students may sign up for any available spots except classroom spots.)
CSD Celebrates Diwali
The 2023 Diwali Celebration organized by the City Schools of Decatur PTA DEI committees will be Saturday, October 28 from 5 pm to 7 pm at Oakhurst Elementary School (175 Mead Road).The programming is appropriate for all age groups with opportunities for BHMS students (and adults!) to volunteer. Planning to attend? RSVP below.
CSD News and Announcements
Grading Feedback Surveys
On Tuesday, October 10th, the initial draft of the grading policy was introduced during the CSD board meeting. We kindly request teachers, students, and parents to offer their feedback on this draft by participating in the following surveys. These surveys will remain accessible from October 11, 2023, through midnight on October 19, 2023.
Reminder!! City Schools of Decatur's upcoming Early Release Day is Wednesday, October 25.
Pre-K - 12:15 PM
Lower Elementary - 12:50 PM
Upper Elementary - 12:15 PM
Middle School - 1:45 PM
High School - 1:35 PM
College Heights' infant through preschool program will remain on its normal schedule.
The remaining schedule of Early Release Days includes the following dates:
Wednesday, October 25
Wednesday, November 29
Wednesday, December 20
Wednesday, January 31
Wednesday, February 28
Wednesday, March 27
Wednesday, April 24
Schools will communicate more specific details related to the schedule for the day, dismissal, and extracurricular activities.
Digital Learning Day on November 7, 2023
In September 2022, the Board of Education approved the 2023-2024 Academic Calendar, which includes a remote Digital Learning Day on November 7, 2023. The purpose of this day is two-fold. The remote Digital LearningDay will enable all staff to participate in civic engagement on Election Day and provide an opportunity to further grow the remote Digital Learning skills of students. Additionally, staff will have dedicated time to participate in training and professional development.
To assist in planning, CSD has linked an FAQ with answers to some frequently asked questions related to the remote Digital Learning Day. Families will receive communications directly from schools about specific digital day learning plans for individual sites.
America Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund Feedback Surveys
The City Schools of Decatur is reviewing its ARP ESSER LEA Plan and ARP ESSER Budget. We are soliciting stakeholder feedback through October 19, 2023.
Please share your input using the forms linked on the following webpage: https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/4415
Wear It Pink
CSD schools and staff will observe Wear It Pink Day in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Wear It Pink is typically observed on the last Friday of October. In 2023, this colorful event will take place on October 27th, allowing individuals and organizations to wear pink and participate in related activities to support the cause.
Decatur Virtual Academy
The window to sign up for Decatur Virtual Academy (DVA) by choice for Spring 2024 is open and closes on December 8. If you would like your student to attend DVA for Spring 2024, the form is available. Space is limited. Once DVA is full, families will be placed on a waitlist. This form can only be completed by a parent or guardian who has educational rights for a CSD student.
Flu Vaccine Event
The CSD School Health Team is partnering with the DeKalb County Board of Health to offer flu vaccines to the City Schools of Decatur school community. Students, staff, and families are invited to participate. Parents/Guardians interested in their student receiving the flu vaccine must be present at the time of service. Please bring your ID and insurance card for billing. Private and Medicaid Insurance is accepted, with the exception of Kaiser and TriCare Insurance plans.
Community Partner Announcements and Updates
Decatur Education Foundation
Did you know the Decatur Education Foundation has several college counseling & scholarship programs for Decatur students? DEF’s College Counseling Program empowers students to achieve their dreams of higher education through our partnership with Katy So and the counselors at College Ave Consulting. Students receive personalized support through every step of the college application process, from research to application, acceptance to enrollment. And we never want financial constraints to hinder a student's dreams. As part of our commitment to academic excellence, the Decatur Education Foundation proudly awards 19 prestigious scholarships to exceptional students from Decatur High School at the “Celebration of Excellence” each May. Visit DecaturEducationFoundation.org today to learn more about how we're shaping the future of Decatur's youth and how you can be a part of this transformative mission.
DEI Speaker Series 23-24
The Decatur Parents Network is hosting Screenagers the Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience. on November 5 from 3-4:30 pm at the Decatur Highschool PAC. Attendance is free, and teens may participate with an adult. Our registration link is https://bit.ly/ScreenagersTheNextChapter.
A Season of Giving
A Season of Giving is a neighbor led organization which helps purchase gifts directly for local children and seniors in need!
To apply for assistance, please complete an online application at https://aseasonofgiving.org/child-application/ by November 4th.
**NEW** Applications may be submitted for any child ages infant through 12th grade!
If you are not in need of assistance, please consider supporting our efforts. To become a donor for A Season of Giving, complete the form at https://aseasonofgiving.org/sponsor/.
To volunteer, complete the form at https://aseasonofgiving.org/volunteer/.
Madison Avenue Derby
Join the on Saturday, October 21, for a day of family-friendly fun and cheer on your favorite racers. This year’s event benefits Urban Recipe, an organization that addresses food insecurity in metro Atlanta.
Additional info if you'd like to learn more: