BHMS Weekly Update
Thursday,November 3, 2022
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Principal's Corner
Dear BHMS Families,
I hope you all have a wonderful break. We will return to school November, 28th!
Derrick L. Thomas, Principal,
Beacon Hill Middle School
Crossing Guard Appreciation Week Recap
In celebration of last week’s Crossing Guard Appreciation Week, BHMS’s Safe Routes to School representatives, Laura Spriggs and Patricia Liscio, hand delivered gift bags filled with gift cards to 12 of our City’s amazing crossing guards. They mean so much to all of us in the community. Our crossing guards directly care for our students on their walks to and from school, and were so grateful for this appreciation! Thank you all for your generous contributions and helping show love to these wonderful people!
From Our PTA
A Few Days Remain for Our Donate-a-thon!
Have you heard about our BHMS PTA Fundraiser Donate-a-thon? Our goal is to raise the roof and hit $25,000 to support our amazing students and staff.
Don't forget to check out our new website https://www.bhmspta.org to signup for your PTA membership, updates, events and more!
Give here https://givebutter.com/bhms2022fundraiser or click on the button below!
PTA Sponsored 6th Grade Dance Friday December 2nd!
All 6th grade students are invited to the BHMS 6th Grade dance with DJ Julien Virgin from 4-6pm. Tickets are $5 per student
to purchase a ticket - please add your student's name
https://givebutter.com/BHMS6thGradeDance2022
Concessions will be available for purchase - please send small bills. All sales benefit the BHMS PTA and will go towards funding future dances and community events.
Volunteer/ Snack Donation Sign-Up
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094fabad23a2fac43-bhms
Please arrive promptly for pick up at 6 pm or have your student walk home in groups. Don’t forget it will be dark!
BHMS News You Can Use
Attendance Procedures Update Begins 11/21/22!
Excused Absence Reporting change:
- We are moving to the use of a google form to report excused absences starting 11/21/22. Please bookmark this form which is also on the website.
- If a student is going to have a planned excused tardy do not call ahead or email. The student/family member will turn in the excuse once they arrive and the absence will be updated. A folder is located by the kiosk in the front office that is checked to update attendance.
Early Check-outs:
Check-outs must occur before 3:15. It is not necessary to contact the main office ahead of check out time. Please ring the buzzer for assistance and be prepared to show a photo ID to our front office staff.
If you have any questions, please email Ms. Valerie Jackson our school registrar(vjackson@csdecatur.net).
For more detail on absences, tardies, residency, and tours click here
Extended Day Tutoring Session 1 Ends
Thursday, November 17, is the last day of Extended Day Tutoring for Session 1. Session 2 will begin in February 2023. Eligible students will receive an invitation letter.
World Language Thanksgiving Food Drive!
Thank you to all of our Beacon Hill families who contributed to the annual World Language Thanksgiving Food Drive. We were able to support over 50 families from our own Beacon Hill community and we could not be more grateful for the generosity shown.
Band Performances and Celebrations
Winter Band Concerts coming up!
Thursday, December 1 - 6th grade Winter Concert with the Honors Ensembles @7:00 PM in the Cafeteria
Tuesday, December 6 - 7th and 8th grade Winter Concert with the Honors Ensembles @7:00 PM in the cafeteria.
Beacon Hill MIddle School Clarinet Honors ensemble has been selected to perform as a lobby group during the Georgia Music Educators State Conference. This is a huge honor because small ensembles across the state on the Middle School, High School and Collegiate levels apply for these performances each year. We are so proud to represent not only BHMS and the City Schools of Decatur, but also Middle School small ensembles across the state.
District Honors Orchestra Success!
Over the weekend we had 21 DHS and BHMS orchestra students participate in the District Honors Orchestra. These students spent all day on Saturday working with guest clinicians and conductors to prepare and present a concert with other top-performing students from our GMEA district.
Save The Date Family Movie Night December 16th!
We are hosting our first annual Family Movie Night at Beacon Hill! On Friday, December 16th at 6:00pm we will be offering a variety of movies to choose from for families to come and enjoy together.
- Tickets are $10 each and concessions such as drinks and snacks will be available.
- All tickets will be pre-sold as there is a limited quantity.
- Tickets will go on sale starting Monday, November 28th in the lobby of BHMS in the morning and in the cafeteria during lunch.
- Please note that all students must be chaperoned by an adult. We are looking forward to sharing a night at the movies with our Beacon Hill community!
Save the Date! REACH HIGHER Week Dec 12-16
Reach Higher week is intended to promote and bring awareness to the many post-secondary opportunities our student will have after high school. Activities will include a college sweatshirt/t shirt day, door decorating contests, college student guest readers, and much more! To find out more visit about this initiative visit the Reach Higher website, and look for details in our next newsletter!
The BHMS Book Fair is Coming Soon!
The PTA needs volunteers for set up and to help with sales, so please consider signing up for a shift by clicking here. Thank you for helping us make this event happen!
Families can purchase Book Fair Bucks for their teachers to spend on new reading material for their classrooms. Click here to contribute. You can also make a donation to buy books for a BHMS student in need by visiting this website.
Questions? Contact our media specialist Ben Lynch at blynch@csdecatur.net Courtney Sollie at courtneysollie@gmail.com or Lauren Brown at laurenbrown216@gmail.com.
BHMS Club Updates
Way to Go BHMS Debate Team!
44 Beacon Hill students competed in an Atlanta Urban Debate League tournament on Saturday at Decatur High School. Several students were honored with speaker or partner team awards, and our squad again took first place overall in the sweepstakes for the tournament!
BHMS was also named AUDL Community of the Month, honoring not only our awesome students, but the enthusiastic support we get from parent volunteers that make tournaments possible.
FAB LAB Workshop and Holiday Catalog!
- FAB LAB Workshop - This month's FAB LAB Makerspace workshop will be November 29th from 5-8 pm at the BHMS FAB LAB in room 1201. This month we will be making Kitchen Calculator cutting boards! All participants are welcomed to bring their own board to place the calculator onto. Participants can also purchase a cutting board at the workshop if they choose to. Please see the registration form for more information!
- FAB LAB Holiday Catalog - Please take a look at the FAB LAB Club Holiday Catalog for all sorts of fantastic decorations, gift ideas and more! The Club can make and customize any of the items you see in this year's catalog. All items are made to order and all proceeds help benefit the BHMS FAB LAB Club to help grow our makerspace for the BHMS Community! Please see the Catalog for options and more info.
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:
News from the Decatur Bulldog Booster Club
Celebrate Our Bulldogs with $25 Flags
Flags are available online and at this Friday’s game in the lower concession. Get them while they last!
Bulldog Swag Makes the Perfect Gift
PJs, hoodies, hats, tees and more – check out all our spirit wear (including Beacon Hill items) online.
Concession Help Needed
Not only is concessions a key fundraising initiative for DBB, selling food and drinks at games helps to enhance the fan experience. Please help us out (opportunities will be available in the spring too): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D4BA5AD2FAA8-20222023
Next DBB Meeting: Nov. 14
Decatur Bulldog Boosters is made up of parents and guardians who plan fun events, build Bulldog spirit and raise money to support 750 student athletes on 25 teams representing 17 sports at DHS and BHMS. We’re always looking to expand our team. Join us at our next meeting in the DHS Performing Arts Center (PAC) hospitality suite at 6:30 p.m.
Register TODAY for Run With the Dogs (RWTD) 2023!
Join us on Saturday, January 28, 2023 for Run With the Dogs, a Decatur tradition now in its 19th year.
We’re back at Beacon Hill Middle School for the 5K and Pup Trot, and we are pleased to announce that this year’s race is an official qualifying event for the Peachtree Road Race!
The nomination period for the Face of the Race has closed, and the race committee will narrow down the adorable candidates to four finalists. Make sure to check our website (rwtd5K.com) beginning on November 11 to cast your vote for this year's winner. One vote per email address will be accepted during the voting window, which ends at 11:59 pm on November 16. The 2023 Face of the Race winner will be announced on the race website and social media on November 18.
Run With the Dogs is an annual fundraiser of the Decatur Bulldog Boosters and supports the athletic programs at Decatur High School and Beacon Hill Middle School. All race participants will receive the coveted long-sleeved T-shirt designed by local artist Adam Pinsley.
Click here to register. For more information, visit rwtd5K.com.
CSD Athletic News and Updates
Congratulations to our BHMS Swim Team!
Congrats to our swim team for their performance at Woodward last night! Our boys' team got 1st place and our girls' team got 2nd place.
Special shout outs to Will Sauer for beating his own 100 backstroke record, Julia Sollie for her performance in the 500 freestyle, and Albert Li for his leadership on the 400 freestyle relay.
Swimmers, your coaches want to thank you for your flexibility and sportsmanship with all the last minute relay changes. We also want to thank the staff members who came out to support us; we know it meant the world to see their teachers and principal there cheering them on. We are looking forward to our final meet of the season, the middle school championships at Marist on December 10. Go Bulldogs!
Beacon Hill Basketball Season Schedule!
Come out and Support! the next home game is 11/30/22. The boys play after the girls!
CSD News and Announcements
Buy DHS Band Spiritwear in Time for the Holidays! 2 weeks only!
The Decatur High School Band is holding a quick sale of our two most popular DHS Band spiritwear items -- hooded sweatshirts & car magnets -- in time for holiday gifts. Great for tweens, teens, parents, grandparents, everyone on your list!
For this sale, we're removing the shipping cost and offering free porch pickup in Winnona Park.
The sale will only be open for a short time - order deadline is Monday, November. 28. Place your order today so you don’t miss your chance!
From the Desk of the Nutrition Department
The Nutrition Department is in the process of reaching out to parents about student negative meal balances. These efforts to send the low-balance communications will continue weekly through the automated infinite campus messenger or a personal phone call. Some accounts may have had outstanding balances prior to being approved for free or reduced meal benefits. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nekee Mathis at nmathis@csdecatur.net. or (470) 237- 0368 ext 7607.
Note: A free and reduced lunch application can be completed anytime during the school year. Currently, the district policy allows students to receive meals, not extra items, for example, i.e. bag of chips. However, a child's negative meal balance will continue to incur debt as they receive meals. Click on the links below if you need help adding a reminder to your school email account, adding a low balance alert on your nutrition meal account, and/or adding funds to your school nutrition account.
Community Partner Announcements and Updates
The Decatur Parents Network
The Decatur Parents Network is collaborating with DHS staff and the Student Center to offer an evening for parents and caregivers on November 17 @ 6:30 at the Student Center. For more information and to register, go to https://bit.ly/DecaturParentsNetworkNov17.
Decatur Education Foundation
Giving Tuesday is coming up on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, and is a global day of generosity – a day to support the causes that are meaningful to you and your community. With a donation to DEF, you are helping us support Decatur’s kids. It’s our mission to help EVERY student in Decatur learn and thrive. Every kid learns differently; every kid has different needs. We help students through our programs that address racial and economic inequity, opportunity gaps, food insecurity, and behavioral health needs.
Please consider making a donation of any amount (every dollar counts) at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/donate. Together we make a difference for our kids.
Are you great at math, science or languages? Your skills could help a Decatur student in just one hour per week as a Virtual Pal Tutor! We pair 2nd-8th grade students with upper high school or adult tutors to help with homework, organization and motivation. It’s an easy way to give back to your community in a meaningful way (and for high school students to earn volunteer hours).
Click here to apply: https://forms.gle/VJuyncb7qce6R7Jq5
Can’t volunteer but want to help out? You can donate to our Lighten the Load program which keeps the snack pantry stocked at Beacon Hill Middle School. For those families in our community experiencing food insecurity, we also have a weekend backpack program. Both have unique Amazon wish lists that are updated monthly.
You can donate directly to them using these links:
Beacon Hill Middle Snack Program: https://a.co/d0HJHTr
Weekend Backpack Program: https://a.co/6Etc74W
GaDOE Posts New ELA Standards for Public Comment
Based on the recommendation of State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the Georgia Department of Education has posted new K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) standards for a 30-day public comment period. If approved, the standards will be implemented in the 2024-2025 school year, following teacher training.
Click here to review the draft standards and provide feedback.
The draft standards leverage the insight and expertise of thousands of Georgians to support ELA instruction that is Georgia-developed, age and developmentally appropriate, and provides a strong foundation beginning in the early grades. Drafted by Georgia ELA teachers with input from educational leaders, parents, students, business and industry leaders, and community members, the standards are designed to be clear, understandable, and present a balanced amount of content to cover in each year – so that students can truly master concepts rather than simply being quickly exposed to them.
The survey will close at 5:00 PM EDT on 12/5/2022