Weekly Update

Interested in Joining our School Leadership Team (SLT)?

The Beacon Hill Middle School Leadership Team (SLT) is an elected committee consisting of Beacon Hill parents/guardians, staff members, a community member, and a district representative. The purpose of the SLT is to make decisions that support the continuous improvement of the school in accordance with the provisions of the District Charter.

The SLT is focused on school governance, student achievement, and family engagement. Some of the responsibilities of this team are to:

• Develop and approve the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and monitor the continuous school improvement planning process

• Determine the allocation of the school's instructional and technology budget

• Review student achievement data

• Recommend and support school needs to the CSD Board of Education during the annual budget process

• Help with the interview process of potential BHMS employees

We’ll have one open slot for SLT this year. If you’re interested in joining the SLT, please submit a bio/purpose statement to Principal Thomas by Friday, August 30, 2024, at dthomas@csdecatur.net

Warm regards,

Derrick L. Thomas, Principal

Beacon Hill Middle School

CSD Weekly to Distribute the BHMS Weekly Update, Beginning September 5

Beginning next week, Thursday, September 5, 2024, the BHMS Weekly Update will be distributed via CSD Weekly from the City Schools of Decatur email. Parents and subscribers who have not opted out of CSD news will automatically receive CSD Weekly. However, parents and subscribers who have opted out of CSD news and community members will only receive future school newsletters by subscribing here and selecting to receive news from “City Schools of Decatur.”

CSD Weekly includes links to all school newsletters and provides the latest district news, enabling families with students at multiple schools to conveniently access updates using one source. Additionally, CSD Weekly aims to improve consistency in messaging about district and community news by communicating it in a centralized location.

This week, 8th grade math students at BHMS were deepening their understanding of complex mathematical concepts. In Mr. Deloach's class, they applied their critical thinking to translate real-world scenarios into algebraic equations. Meanwhile, in Ms. Olsen-Wilson's class, students collaborated in groups to devise effective strategies for solving multi-step algebraic equations.

A big shout-out to Ms. Olsen-Wilson and Mr. Deloach for creating such engaging and challenging learning experiences. These opportunities are helping our BHMS bulldogs develop essential non-academic skills while mastering rigorous mathematics.

From September 4-9, all 6th-grade students will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). Unlike traditional achievement tests, which measure how well a student has learned the curriculum, the CogAT assesses a child’s ability to reason abstractly and recognize patterns and relationships in the world around them. Teachers can use CogAT scores to better understand a child’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Our school district also uses CogAT scores to identify academically gifted students. More information is here.

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 the Gifted & Talented Specialist at your child’s school 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 at or visit the following website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/581.

Beacon Hill Middle School’s Curriculum Night and Spirit Night were a huge hit! By rotating through different classrooms, parents received a firsthand look at what their students learn. Parents had the opportunity to see how their children are learning at BHMS and the expectations all teachers have that will maximize student success this school year.

We celebrated our BHMS Bulldogs the following night with a fun-filled Spirit Night. Parents and students danced the night away with our mascot, enjoyed delicious food, and cheered on our football team. DJ Julien and the Bulldog kept the crowd energized! Visit the PTA Facebook page to see tons of action shots of students enjoying the evening and NOT being on their phones!

Congratulations to our Beacon Hill Middle School Cross Country teams! Both the Girls’ and Boys’ teams took 1st place in their first meet of the year.

Don’t miss our first football game this Saturday, August 31st, at 10 am at Decatur High School. Let’s show our school spirit and support our team!

The year started off with a harmonious bang as BHMS Dr. Hirschorn collaborated with the DHS Changing Voices Chorus for a memorable Tenor/Bass and Cambiata Community Sing! Led by our talented teachers Elise Eskew Sparks and David Hirschorn, students and parents alike enjoyed a night of beautiful music and community spirit.

CSD congratulates Beacon Hill MS student, Onyx Nguyen, the winner of the 2024 Budget Book Cover Design Contest! Onyx's artwork graces the cover of the CSD 2024-25 Budget Book, which details how CSD manages its finances to educate students. The book covers the district's history, financial records, and organizational setup to ensure the safety, visibility, and success of all students. We appreciate Onyx for submitting their artwork that embodies the essence of CSD.

The 2025 Budget Book and more information about the City Schools of Decatur's budget is on our finance webpage.

This is a student led club! For questions contact Benjamin Li.

Attend DEF's Battle of the Bands, a family-friendly community concert, and you could help your school win a $1000 music grant! Head to the Legacy Park lawn on Friday, Sept. 6 from 5-9 p.m. for a fun evening of live music, yummy food, and community! Four CSD bands will be bringing the tunes – you BYOB (bring your own blanket) and your school spirit! The school with the largest percentage of representation will win the music grant for their school... along with a trophy and bragging rights, of course! We’ll have food vendors and sweet treats to supplement your picnic. Adults are $10 and KIDS ARE FREE! Buy tickets here.

*If cost is an issue, please email Drew@DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

Thank you to all who helped make this year’s Spirit Night a huge success! We celebrated our BHMS football team, which has its first game this Saturday (August 31 at 10 am) at Decatur High School. DJ Julien kept the crowd dancing, and a good time was had by all. Shout-outs to Mojo Pizza, as well as our sponsors (Green Orthodontics, Quest Orthodontics, Huntington Learning Center and Mathnasium) and partners (Decatur Education Foundation, Decatur Boosters and Decatur Perfoms) who were in attendance.

Our fall dance party for sixth graders will be held Friday, September 6 from 4 pm to 5:30 pm. When school is dismissed, students will be directed to the cafeteria, where chaperones will be ready to greet them. This is not a formal dance; students may wear regular school attire. Admission is $5 per student. Snacks will be sold for $1 each. (Please send small bills. Credit cards and mobile payment also accepted.) Purchase tickets here.

As with so many PTA events, we need your help. Please look at the signup and help as you are able. If you can’t volunteer in person, then consider donating some of the drinks and snacks on the list for concessions.

PLEASE NOTE: The event date was changed from September 13 to avoid conflicts with DHS Homecoming festivities. Families needing a refund for tickets already purchased for students who cannot attend on September 6 should send an email to president@bhmspta.org. Our apologies for the inconvenience!

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. Please drop off donations at the front office and label “PBIS Store.” We appreciate all levels of support!

PBIS also can be used for recognizing and thanking our teachers. The BHMS PTA would like to offer our teachers BARK points for spending extra time tutoring students, sponsoring a club, staying late to supervise a dance and undertaking other activities that help our students beyond their regular teaching duties. Selections might include having a parent bring them a restaurant lunch to school, having a volunteer cover their lunch duty, or obtaining gift cards to local businesses.

We are looking for someone interested in working with our staff PBIS liaisons and school admins to help us build a reward system for teachers and staff. If you are interested in getting to know our staff better and rewarding them for going the extra mile for our students, now is your chance! Email president@bhmspta.org if you are interested.