BHMS Principal's Update 12/20/21
Spirit Week, Covid Update, Security Update
Keeping Up with What is Going on at the Hill!!!
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you and your support at BHMS over the last two weeks. There have been numerous things to celebrate and also further precautions as we have seen a study increase in positive cases of COVID-19 in each of the schools. As if that wasn't problematic enough, we were inundate with irresponsible people across the country and in our community making general threats of violence, thus inciting fear. I'm thankful to you as families that we are all able to work together to communicate about the virus and these issues. Personally, it's upsetting where these outside influences have an impact on the schools. The week leading up to winter break should be a time to celebrate the hard work of the school year, the excitement of seeing family and friends, and the possibilities that a new year will bring.
Through this all, I have found that your children and our staff tend to be a resilient bunch as we strive to maintain focus on being the best Bulldogs we can. Many of our students have worked in their studies and most continue to think of others over themselves.
In this newsletter , we have some important dates to cover as well as some important information. For you to be aware of this coming week. Thanks as always for your constant. communication with us. We wish you this best this holiday/winter break and hope you get to spend substantial time with loved ones. It's so important to reconnect. Everyone so needs this opportunity to recharge.
Sincerely,
Mike D'Ostilio
In this Newsletter:
- New and Important Information
- COVID-19 Updates
- Toy Drive
- Monitoring Social Media
- Coat Drive
- What it Means to Be a Bulldog
- Bulldog Bash
- Picture Info and Yearbook Update (Buying personal ads)
- PTO Information
- Signing Up for Remind Text Notifications, Facebook, and Twitter
- Building Better Bulldogs Mission and Vision
New and Important Information
Some Important Dates:
December 14...7pm...BHMS Holiday Concert...Band/Chorus/Orchestra
Decmeber 21...7pm...BHMS 6th Grade Orchestra.. BHMS Cafeteria Stage
December 23...Early Dismissal for Winter Break
January 10...Last Day to Order an Ad for the BHMS Yearbook
Spirit Week Coming To BHMS 12/20-12/23
Reminders about Protocols Updated 12/2/21
The Superintendent Keeps the Community Update about Different Protocols for Quarantine. Beginning, on 12/17/21, the district will follow the quarantine and testing regulations that recently came out by the NJDOH. That guidance is listed here: NJDOH Guidance. This information was recently posted on the district website.
Rise in Positive Cases in the District. Changes at BHMS for the Week.
Typically, each year, we have class and school wide assemblies/pep rallies in the gym to celebrate the upcoming winter break. During the school day, students get to hear and watch performances and participate in teambuilding and competition games. We had planned to have 3 different assemblies this year (1 for each class), but due to the increase in numbers, it is likely we will postpone this experience. We have consulted with with our performing arts teachers and club advisors. It seems irresponsible for us to put 200 or more students crammed in a gym for 40 minutes to have such an assembly. It would not be considerate to others if someone had to quarantine through the holidays as a result of those assemblies. We will continue to have our spirit week and the orchestra concert in the evening and other sports practices and clubs, but we will not be having an entire class in the gym. We will certainly have pep rallies or assemblies like this soon, but it is not prudent to do this at this time.
This saddens us because of how hard some students were working to put on this holiday show during the school day. Hopefully, we can have them perform virtually so we can send some holiday cheer in video format.
Holiday Toy Drive at BHMS
Please Help Us Combat the Behavior over Social Media. Please Monitor Your Children's Accounts
Recently, we have had a counseling lesson on social media etiquette in the 8th grade with the support of Officer Hamilton and will continue to have these talks with the entire school in the upcoming year.
Some things you should know:
1. Snap Chat: Please check and ensure parent filters are enabled on your children's snapchat and especially set to private so only your child's friends can "snap" each other. We've had situations where random people infiltrated our students' snap chat with inappropriate images or messages. Also with snap chat, people can send pictures or message that quickly erase. Unless your child screen shots things, these messages are hard to retrieve and the hate or bullying has already been done.
2. Tik Tok or Discord: Again these platforms (like snap chat and if the parental controls and privacy settings are not enabled) students can be met with an onslaught of negative information. Most of our country's threats of violence are happening on Tik Tok. The vandalism that was going on in the fall was a result of Tik Tok challenges. Tik Tok is highly unregulated content. The challenges and threats in Tik Tok can have felony or misdemeanor charges With Discord, we had a recent threat on that platform as well.
3. Instagram: With Instagram, we have had our own students make fake pages, especially talking about students. The owners of these pages make fun of students, make lies about students, antagonize drama between people, or make up that students are in relationships with each other. Regardless of the content, the sole purpose is to tear people down. Please ensure that your children do not follow anything like this. By following these pages, it gives credence to these students who seek to emotionally harm their peers.
Shoot For the Bulldog Bash
Building Better Bulldogs (3Bs) Mission and Vision
This pandemic has created so many questions and concerns for students that are well beyond academics. We are committed to providing a safe environment where students can express themselves as they question the ebb and flow of their world around them. Please see below our affirmations about Buidling Better Bulldogs and the people we as Bulldogs aim to be.
Bunker Hill Middle School: Home of the Bulldogs
Email: ddijohn@wtps.org
Website: https://www.wtps.org/bunkerhill
Location: 372 Pitman Downer Road, Sewell, NJ, USA
Phone: 856 881 7007
Facebook: facebook.com/OfficialBHMS
Twitter: @Official_BHMS