

The Blackhawk Banner
October 2023
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Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences are right around the corner for us at Blackhawk. Parent/Teacher Conferences are Thursday, October 19th from 12:00 to 8:00 PM and Friday, October 20th from 8:00-1:00 PM. If you have follow up questions from our Curriculum Night or was unable to attend, this is the event to help you get answers. Blackhawk parents are permitted to sign up to meet with one of their child's teachers but can often speak with multiple teachers at these conferences. We highly encourage all families to sign up for a conference using this link: https://www.myconferencetime.com/blackhawkms
Hispanic Heritage Month
Over the past few weeks and for a few more, Blackhawk is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. On Tuesdays and Fridays, students have been taking over the morning announcements with readings of highlights about significant Hispanic figures as well as events in history and their impact on our world. One such topic involved The Act of Independence of Central America which featured actions by El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua who sought and achieved independence from Spain. Other topics addressed by our brave public speakers included information about Luis von Ahn, the creator of the computer application Duolingo and Erik Tran, the head animator of the The Simpsons show.
Musically Speaking
The Blackhawk Middle School 7th and 8th grade marching Hawks took to the field at Triton College Thursday night during the Fenton football game. Our students joined the Wood Dale Jr. High musicians as well as the Fenton High School marching band in the annual triple threat performance of all three schools. The three musical groups performed the Star Spangled Banner and the Fenton fight song On FHS as a large ensemble. In addition, all in attendance were treated to a rendition of the Smash Mouth hit song All Star. It was a good night of music and fun for our students as well a step toward acclimation to their next level as high school musicians. Thank you to all of our students who did an excellent job representing our school, and thanks to Mr. Winters for supporting our students through this experience.
Be Responsible
So many of our students are showing up to school each day ready for school demonstrating our Be Responsible STAR expectation. This is awesome to see each day! Being middle schoolers who are trying to cut their path in the world of responsibility and independence, it is always helpful to discuss the three things we are looking for each day with our students.
Be On Time: students coming to school on time sets the tone for a successful day of learning right from the start. Advisory is the first class of the day where students learn social/emotional skills that help them regulate their feelings and deal with challenges and stress.
Student ID: we expect students to bring their ID with them every day as it helps food distribution go quicker, it is used to check out books in the library, it is needed to get into BMS sporting events, and it is a life skill they will need to have.
Charged Chromebook: with the increase in digital platforms our students engage in each day, it is more important than ever to have a fully charged Chromebook. Students should establish a Chromebook charging habit each night to ensure they will be prepared for a day of learning in the digital age. If your child was given a loaner Chromebook because theirs was not charged enough, the loaner should be returned at the end of the day. If your child comes home with a Chromebook with an orange case, they left their Chromebook in the tech office and took the loaner Chromebook home.
...And In Sports
The Blackhawk varsity and junior varsity soccer teams closed out their season on Thursday afternoon against Glenside with double victories. The varsity won two to zero and the junior varsity won one to zero. The varsity team finished the season with a record of four wins and four losses while the junior varsity finished with a two wins, four losses, and one tie record. Congratulations to all of our Hawk soccer players and thank you to the coaches and athletic directors for their work in creating a successful soccer season for our students.
Our girls' basketball teams have begun their season with two games under their belts. Our 8th grade team remains undefeated on the season with two victories to start them out strong this season. Our 7th grade girls' basketball team has lost their first two games of the season but showed significant growth already, almost pulling out a victory in the second game. Both teams have three games next week with the 7th grade team having its first home game against Churchville on October 12th.
Students interested in attending indoor home sporting events must have their parent compete this form: https://tinyurl.com/bbwrsxtn and have their Blackhawk ID with them to enter. It is our expectation to not only support and encourage sportsmanship on the court but also off the court with all spectators.
Blackhawk Alumni Spotlight
This month's Blackhawk Middle School Spotlight shines on Brandy Brixy. Brandy was promoted from Blackhawk in 1988 to Fenton High School where she graduated in 1992. While at Blackhawk, Brandy enjoyed the theater offerings our school provided and participated in the Blackhawk band programs available to students. Brandy also shares that during her middle school years she was active in gymnastics.
While at Fenton, Brandy was the captain of the cheerleading squad and gymnastics team. She also played soccer for Fenton her senior year. After graduating high school, Brandy completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She graduated with a double major in Psychology & Speech Communications in 1996. After her undergraduate work, Brandy went on to study at Chicago-Kent Law School where she received a Juris Doctor degree in 1999. All of this study has paid off as Ms. Brixy has been working in the Cook County Public Defender's Office since 2000. She is currently the Chief of the Multiple Defendant's Division.
When asked what advice she has for our current Blackhawk students, she share: "Make sure to balance working hard, being involved in activities with having fun as a kid."
Calendar of School Events
Monday, Oct. 9 No School
Tuesday, Oct. 10 Jazz Band
Tuesday, Oct. 10 8th Gr Vision and Hearing testing
Wednesday, Oct. 11 8th Gr SOS Program
Wednesday, Oct. 11 Girls’ BB vs. IT 7A/8H
Thursday, Oct. 12 Girls’ BB vs Churchville 7H/8A
Friday, Oct. 13 8th Gr Vision and Hearing testing
Friday, Oct. 13 Girls’ BB vs. Hinsdale 7A/8H
Monday, Oct. 16 Girls’ BB vs. CHMS 7H/8A
Tuesday, Oct. 17 Soccer Club-8th graders
Tuesday, Oct. 17 Jazz Band in Rm163
Tuesday, Oct. 17 McTeacher Night @McDonalds
Thursday, Oct 19 Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, Oct. 20 Parent/Teacher Conferences
Monday, Oct. 23 Girls’ BB vs. Sandburg 7H/8A
Tuesday, Oct. 24 Soccer Club-6th graders
Tuesday, Oct. 24 Jazz Band in Rm163
Wednesday, Oct. 25 Halloween Haunted Hangout
Thursday, Oct. 26 Girls’ BB vs. Jefferson 7A/8H
Friday, Oct. 27 Girls’ BB vs. Churchville 7A/8H
Saturday, Oct. 28 8th Gr PSAT Testing @ BMS (Fenton)
Monday, Oct. 30 6-8th Grade- Anti Bullying Presentation
Monday, Oct. 30 Girls’ BB vs. Jackson 7H/8A
Tuesday, Oct. 31 Soccer Club-7th graders
Tuesday, Oct. 31 Jazz Band in Rm163
Thursday, Nov. 2 PTO Meeting
Blackhawk Lunch Menus
Blackhawk Clubs...Clubs...and more Clubs
Mondays:
Art Club 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Math Club 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Podcast Club 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Project Lit Club (once a month) 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Intramurals - Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday weekly 7:00 AM
Tuesdays:
Muscle Laboratory Fitness Club 7:00 AM
Soccer Club - grade level rotates 3:20-4:30 PM
Wednesdays:
Robotics Club 7:00 to 7:40 AM
Early Act Club (meets 2x a month) Announcements made in morning
We Belong Club 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Show Choir Club 3:00 to 4:15 PM
Gardening Club 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Thursdays:
Muscle Laboratory Fitness Club 7:00 AM
Sewing Club 3:00 to 4:30 PM - every other week
PALS Club 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Spanish Club 3:00 to 4:30 PM every other week
Math Club 3:00 to 4:00 PM