Weekly Update

You’re warmly invited to join us for our next Principal’s Coffee Chat on Friday, November 22 at 9 a.m. (please note the updated time). This session will focus on the critical topic of eating disorders and their effects on students’ well-being, academic performance, and overall development. We’ll be sharing important insights, resources, and strategies to support our students and address the challenges they may face around this issue.

Because this discussion is relevant to all age groups, we encourage you to invite a friend, neighbor, or any community member, even if they don’t currently have a student at Beacon Hill Middle School. This is an excellent opportunity to come together as a community to understand more about this topic, share perspectives, and explore ways to foster a healthy environment for our youth. We look forward to an engaging and informative conversation. See you there!

Best regards,

Derrick Thomas, Principal

K-12 Math Night and Pizza with the Principals on Wednesday, Nov. 6, was a big success! Families and students heard from BHMS principal Mr. Derrick Thomas and DHS principal Dr. Duane Sprull about their schools’ visions and missions and how math instruction impacts student success. Families and students participated in age-appropriate, hands-on math activities and went home with resources to promote engagement and home-to-school connection. Thanks to all attendees!

The Georgia Department of Education announced that they are recognizing schools with outstanding achievement or growth in mathematics as "Math Leaders." We are proud to share that BHMS has been named a 2023-2024 Georgia Math Leader School! This honor highlights the exceptional work of our dedicated math teachers in preparing students for success in mathematics. BHMS earned this prestigious recognition through significant growth in student performance on the Georgia Milestones assessment. Congratulations to our talented math team!

Our seventh graders had a blast at their overnight adventure at Rock Eagle in Eaton! They bonded with their classmates, learned about science, and challenged themselves with exciting team-building activities. Check out the fun they had in our photo collage below! Thank you to the seventh grade teachers and parents who volunteered for this trip! We could not have done it without you!

We are excited to share that the school counselors were recently awarded the Teacher Innovation Grant from the Decatur Education Foundation (DEF). This generous support from DEF allowed them to attend the Georgia School Counselors Association (GSCA) Conference in Savannah from November 6-8. The conference was a fantastic opportunity to connect with other counselors across the state, learn about the latest trends and best practices in school counseling, and bring back ideas to enrich the school community.

Sessions attended include:

• Building Resiliency

• Staff Mental Health

• Changing the Anxiety Conversation: Collaborating with Classroom Teachers

• Cultivating a Sense of Belonging

• Engaging Adolescent Boys

• Understanding and Coping with Addiction in Adolescents

We are so grateful to DEF for making this possible, and the BHMS school counselors look forward to sharing what they learned and putting it into action. Thank you for your continued support of school counselors and the Decatur Education Foundation!

Congratulations to our BHMS poets who entered and won Decatur Performs Hadstown Poetry Contest!

First Place: Adeline Pendley, 8th Grade
Second Place: Uma Raman-Baksi, 6th Grade
Third Place: Mackenzie Olson, 8th Grade

• ✨ Bonding Time: Shared stories = stronger connection.

• 💬 Emotional Growth: Dive into real-life issues together.

• 🧠 Focus Boost: Stretch that attention span beyond the screen!

• 👂 Listening Skills: Reading helps them focus & interpret.

• 💡 Creativity Spark: Ignite imagination & ideas!

Raising Readers Radical Action Step: Try a weekly “reading hangout”:find a cozy spot, grab a book you’ll both enjoy, and make it a special time for just the two of you.

Follow @DecaturPREPproject for more tips on building reading habits and engaging book recommendations.

The Decatur PREP Project is made possible through our partnership with the Decatur Education Foundation Teacher Innovation Grant and the BHMS PTA

Next Friday all items lost and not found will be discarded or donated! Please don’t wait until after the break to come looking for your lost items. Thank you!!!

Join Young Ladies of Excellence(Y.L.O.E.) in spreading hope this holiday season! From November 18-22, Y.L.O.E. will collect perishable items to create sack lunches for those in need. Students and families can bring donations to the main office or Ms. Q's office.

• Bread
• Lunchmeat (turkey, ham, chicken, etc.)
• Cheese slices
• Small bags of chips
• Fruit (apples and oranges)
• Bottled water or juice boxes
• Sandwich bags

The library is buzzing with excitement! From November 15-22, we're hosting the Little Shop of Stories Book Fair. Students will have the opportunity to shop from a wide range of exciting authors and titles.

We are also hosting a bookmark design contest to help kick off the book fair and can't wait to see the creativity of our students.

In addition to the book fair, the library is collaborating with classrooms to enhance informational literacy, focusing on middle school research skills. If you are looking for ways to support any of these initiatives please reach out to Mr. Bartl our media specialist!

To learn more or lend a hand, reach out to Mr. Bartl, our media specialist. 📚

Volunteers are needed to help students and families shop and check out. Sign up at https://bit.ly/BHMSBookFair2024.

DHS is hosting several events this week! Please remember the playoff football game requires an adult to be in attendance, and it will be a busy weekend on the DHS campus. Whether you're cheering from the football stands or enjoying an evening in the theater, there's a place for everyone to enjoy and support students' hard work and dedication.

The BHMS PTA Teacher Grants were awarded this week to the following recipients: Casey Boersma for Visual Literacy for the Future; Tamara Braxton for Decatur PREP Project: Parents Reading Engagement Program; Marjorie Vizethann and Zakiya Wicks for Poetry Slam and Coaching Sessions with Professional Poet/Teaching Artist; Maria Indacochea for Expanding Spanish Language Instruction through Professional Development in Salamanca, Spain; Becky Tussey for Independent Reading Bingo; Christie Chalberg for Sole-Protection Stations: Keeping Our School Clean; and Stephanie Ponte for Special Education High-Interest Class Library.

The BHMS Safe Routes to School (SRTS) team on Monday kicked off Crossing Guard Appreciation week at the Drop & Walk location at Agnes Scott College. They greeted many parents who have been using this as part of their regular morning routine, in addition to seeing lots of new faces. If you use the Drop & Walk, please snap a photo, post it to social media and tag one of your BHMS SRTS champions (Sarah Juul, Leah Manley and Laura Spriggs) so we can enter your name into our raffle. Learn more about Drop & Walk on the PTA website.

The BHMS Fall Book Fair will be held November 15-21 from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Students can shop with their ELA classes, request a pass to the Media Center or drop in after school. Purchases may be made by mobile tap-to-pay or card. Cash also is welcome.

Volunteers are needed to help students and families shop and check out. Sign up at https://bit.ly/BHMSBookFair2024.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, November 19 at 5:30 pm. Although this will be a board meeting, all BHMS families are invited to attend. Learn about upcoming events and ways to get involved. Can’t attend in person? Join through our Zoom link.

The BHMS PBIS Store is open each Friday from now to the week before Thanksgiving break. We need volunteers for 50-minute time slots during each grade’s lunch period. Can’t be on site to volunteer? Please consider donating treats to stock the store…particularly full-sized candy and candybars. Sign up at https://bit.ly/PBIS-Store.

You can find more information on the following:

Social Media pages:

• CSDBeaconhllmiddleschool Facebook page
• BeaconhillPTA Facebook page
• CSDbeaconhill Instagram page
• Beaconhllmiddleart Instagram page

Other:

• Whom to contact if list
• Counseling Website
• School Website