Weekly Update

The Beacon Hill Middle School Leadership Team (SLT) is an elected committee consisting of parents/guardians, BHMS staff members, community members and other personnel. BHMS has one parent 2-year term expiring this year.

There is ONE vote per STUDENT at BHMS. If there are multiple adults in a household, please coordinate your vote so that there is only one per BHMS student. The candidate with the highest number of votes will be the parent representatives on the SLT. Voting closes today, September 12th. Please use this link to cast your ballot:

Best regards,

Derrick Thomas, Principal

Join us tomorrow for another Principal's coffee chat where our instructional coaches help you stay in the loop about your child's academic journey.

Did you miss our August coffee chat? We've got you covered! Check out the August video recap to learn about our amazing counseling and admin staff and discover how they can support your child's success.

Want to know what contributes to making Beacon Hill Middle School's young men shine? It's the GENTS club! 🎩 This amazing group is all about teaching accountability, leadership, and positive interactions. Our GENTS are not just students; they're role models, mentors, and friends who are making a real difference in our school community. 🤝 This club was recognized for their success and the positive impact they're having on their peers at this month's Board meeting. GENTS, which is an acronym for Gentlemen Excelling with the Necessary Tools for excellence, is a club for young men at Beacon Hill Middle School. This group teaches young men accountability, increases student attendance and leadership skills, promotes equity, creates a culture of belonging within school, and facilitates positive interactions among its members and the school community. Shout out to the club sponsors Dr. Mcadoo, Mr. Stroy, Mr. Muse, and Dr. Radcliff who lead this crew and provide amazing opportunities!

#GENTS #BeaconHill #StudentSuccess.

September is Literacy Awareness Month! Let's celebrate the power of words and the joy of reading. Dive into new books, share your favorite stories, and spark a love of learning. 📚✨

Our students have been exploring the Media Center and learning how Mr. Bartl can help them improve their literacy skills. Get ready for some exciting literacy activities this month.

6th Grade: Our 6th-graders are about to embark on a literary adventure! They'll be using their creative and critical thinking skills to explore fictional and non-fictional stories that connect with their social studies lessons.

7th Grade: Our 7th-grade classes are diving headfirst into the world of true stories. We'll be analyzing factual events and comparing different memoirs based on the same happenings.

8th Grade: Our 8th-grade students are partnering with the Dekalb Public Library to get their library cards as well as kicking off the unit of science fiction stories.

Let's make this month a page-turner! 📖✨

This week, we honor the incredible educators who inspire and guide our students in the arts. From breathtaking visual arts to captivating performances, our talented young artists are thriving in media arts, fine arts, band, orchestra, chorus, and theater. Join us in celebrating the transformative power of the arts and the exceptional dedication of our teachers. Through a MYP IB-inspired inquiry-based approach, our students are developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills while exploring their passions. Pictured left to right:

Erin Crockett, Whitley Fowler, David Hirschorn, Christine Kraemer, Bobby Crosby, Kim Boswell, Sarah Nathaniel

#ArtsEducationWeek #CreativityIsKey #MYPIB

Important Information about Gifted Review

Each fall semester, the Gifted Review Team looks at existing student data to discuss students’ needs and determine if further evaluation for gifted identification is needed. If you are interested in having the team discuss your child’s needs, you may complete a Recommendation for Review Form and turn it in to one of our Gifted & Talented Specialist before Wednesday, October 2. No additional information is needed.

The Gifted & Talented Specialists for BHMS are Laura Gary, Jessica Nicks, and Robyn Tibbetts. For more detailed information about the review process and to obtain a copy of the Recommendation for Review Form, please contact the Gifted & Talented Specialist for your school or visit the Gifted and Talented Service webpage.

The PBIS Store Needs You!

Support BHMS students by donating supplies and your time for the PBIS Store, where students can redeem their BARK points on Fridays at lunchtime. Sign up at https://bit.ly/PBIS-Store. Donations may be dropped off at the front office. Please label them “PBIS Store.” We appreciate all levels of support!

What students and parents are saying about the PBIS Store…

“I felt proud of myself for being a good example in class. When you click that button to redeem your BARK points, you feel excited to know you are about to receive something special.” —

A.T.

“I enjoy the snacks from PBIS.” — Naya

“It’s great that the school has PBIS to reinforce positive behaviors our kids display. I feel joy and pride to know that my child was recognized.” — BHMS Parent

Our next PTA board meeting will be Tuesday, September 17 at 5:30 pm. 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.

Sixth graders had an amazing time last Friday at their first middle school dance. PTA would like to thank Gwin Hall for planning and Han Pham for the amazing photo booth. We appreciate all our parent volunteers and everyone who donated to concessions. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to host these events for our students. Check out the PTA Facebook page for more photos.

Seventh Graders…You’re Up Next! The Fall Dance will be held Friday, October 4. Stay tuned for details.

A Season of Giving is a neighbor-led organization that brings joy to local children and seniors through gift-giving.

For Assistance: To apply for gift assistance, please complete our online application at Apply by October 31st. We are excited to support children through 12th grade again this year.

Sponsor a Gift: Donors can purchase gifts based on individual wish lists for children or seniors. If you would like to be a sponsor, please fill out the form at Sponsor.

Donate Directly: If you prefer, you can make a donation, and we will do the shopping for you. Simply Donate at our website!

Volunteer: We would greatly appreciate your help! If you're interested in volunteering, please go to Volunteer and sign up.

Need Help or Have Questions? If you encounter any issues with the forms or have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at aseasonofgivingdecatur@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support and generosity of the Season of Giving!