Weekly Update

Coffee Chat☕️

I would like to personally invite all parents to our upcoming Principals Coffee Chat. The Decatur Parents Network, in partnership with DPI, will speak with parents on marijuana, hemp-derived intoxicants, and other easily obtainable "local store" drugs (i.e. Kratom). This will be another great opportunity for parents to get as many resources as possible to help our kids navigate this world. We’ll begin at 9:30 on Friday, October 25, 2024.

GENTS Surpasses Water Drive Goal 💧🎉

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the community, the Beacon Hill Middle School GENTS club has exceeded their goal of collecting 5,000 bottles of water for hurricane relief. The donations will be distributed to families and communities in need through Caring For Others. I am grateful for the community's support and initiatives like these highlight the importance of fostering a culture of caring, service, and compassion in schools. #HurricaneRelief #CommunityService #GENTS #BeaconHillMiddleSchool

DEF Grants Awarded🌟

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of our teachers who took the time to apply for the DEF Teacher Innovation Grants. The teachers collectively received $10,871 from DEF! Your commitment to providing exceptional learning experiences for our students is truly inspiring.

Best regards,

Derrick Thomas, Principal

The Decatur Education Foundation (DEF) has awarded funding to eleven incredible BHMS projects through their Teacher Innovation Grants program! Thanks to the teachers creativity and dedication, our students will benefit from a variety of exciting new projects in the classroom.

Fully Funded Grants:

• Laura Stroer: Bringing sensory equipment and functional task boxes to her special education classroom (awards totaling $773)

• Liz Williams: Launching "The Great History Challenge" to engage students in historical exploration ($500)

• Jessica Nicks, Laura Gary, Char Miller King: Enriching student learning with the "WIN at BHMS" program ($475)

• Erin Crockett: Integrating creativity with "Lego Printmaking" ($1,100)

• Jesse McNulty & Beverly Beyer: Supporting student inclusivity with the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club ($1,400)

• Stephanie Ponte: Providing transportation access for students with disabilities through "Oh the Places You Will Go!" ($425)

• Kate Passin: Funding professional development for school counselors at the Georgia School Counselors Conference ($3,148)

Partially Funded Grants:

The DEF partnered with our PTA to offer partial funding for two additional projects, encouraging collaboration:

• Casey Boersma: "Visual Literacy for the Future" ($1,150 DEF contribution, $2,300 total)

• Tamara Braxton: "Decatur PREP Project: Parents Reading Engagement Program" ($1,500 DEF contribution, $3,000 total)

• Marjorie Vizethann & Zakiya Wicks: "Poetry Slam and Coaching Sessions with Professional Poet/Teaching Artist" ($400 DEF contribution, $800 total)

See the Full Impact:

Read the DEF impact stories to learn more about these projects and others being funded across the district. Thank you to these dedicated teachers for their innovative ideas, to DEF, and our PTA for supporting our students' success!

BHMS is piloting Lightspeed Classroom, a tool to help teachers keep students focused and engaged! This program offers real-time screen monitoring, promotes personalized learning, and provides valuable data for teachers. Focused on supporting student success, Lightspeed respects student privacy and is only active during school hours. Click here for more details

Are jackets, lunchboxes, and water bottles mysteriously disappearing from home? Our lost and found table is bursting with forgotten items! Don't let your child's belongings become part of the lost and found collection. Help them remember to pack everything they need before heading out the door. Send them to claim their items or claim them when you're here visiting or volunteering!

BHMS Celebrates Digital Citizenship Week with a Digital Citizenship and Device care Contest! Click here for information!

For questions about the yearbook please contact the school yearbook sponsor and media arts teacher Mrs. Boswell @ kboswell@csdecatur.net

Yearbook needs to know what you did last summer! Click here and share your story!

The BHMS PBIS Store is open each Friday from now through the Thanksgiving break. We need volunteers for a 50-minute time slot 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 candy bars.

Student volunteers are needed for the annual Diwali Celebration organized by the PTA/PTO DEI committees. All are invited to attend the event, which features food, drinks, crafts, music and other performances, on Saturday, October 26, 5-7 p.m. at Oakhurst Elementary. Sign up here.

We appreciate all you do to support the BHMS community. Interested in joining our generous supporters? Learn more about sponsorship levels here. Questions? Reach out to Laura Spriggs, our fundraising chair at fundraising@bhmspta.org.

Supper & Sips Returns!

Grab your friends and neighbors and help us celebrate the return of Decatur Education Foundation's highly-anticipated fall FUNdraiser - Supper & Sips! Join us on Thursday, Nov. 14th, from 6-10 pm at The Chapel on Sycamore for an evening of food, fun, and fellowship - all for a good cause. The Supper provides crucial support for DEF, allowing us to continue our work addressing unmet needs, providing enriching opportunities, and supporting our educators.

Get your tickets today! Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Email Meagan@DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

STEP UP for Decatur Youth!

DEF was founded more than 20 years ago by a group of residents who wanted to ensure that EVERY student in CSD had what they needed to learn and thrive. Today, DEF's mission remains focused on Decatur's kids and educators, and we are still 100% reliant on the support of the Decatur community. DEF puts the community's contributions where they will have the biggest impact on our students, and DEF's Step Up Circle is a special group of supporters that allows us to operate programs like Lighten the Load, Teacher Innovation Grants, behavioral health support, arts programming, and so much more. There are also benefits - for both businesses and individuals - to joining DEF's Step Up Circle (beyond the warm and fuzzy feeling you get from supporting Decatur's kids!). Visit https://decatureducationfoundation.org/step-up-circle/ to learn more about the different giving levels.

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