Weekly Update

Thank you to everyone who attended last month’s Principal’s Coffee Chat. We appreciated the insights shared by our guest speaker, Mr. James Brown, Director of Safety and Security, who discussed the various measures in place to enhance school safety, along with future initiatives.

One key topic he covered was our Districtwide Standard Response Protocol (SRP), which uses clear, common language while allowing flexibility in emergency response. We encourage you to review the SRP with your students to ensure they are familiar with these important procedures. You may access the SRP here.

As we continue strengthening safety measures across the district and within Beacon Hill Middle School, you may notice some minor adjustments. For example, when you arrive at school and ring the doorbell, please wait for the assistant to ask, "How can I help you?" While we recognize most of our parents, this added step is an important part of our safety protocol.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation as we work together to keep our students and staff safe.

Best regards,

Derrick L. Thomas

You are invited to attend a student-led conference with your child during the week of February 24th-28th! Your child's 5th-period teacher will be hosting these conferences so if you have not heard from them please reach out. These conferences offer a wonderful opportunity for your child to lead the discussion about their academic progress, strengths, growth areas, and goals.

What to Expect:

Your child will be leading of the conference and will spend 15-20 minutes sharing their academic strengths, growth, and goals. You will have the opportunity to:

• See and hear your child's reflections on selected summative work.

• Listen to your child reflect on mid-year assessment data.

• Provide written feedback for your child at the end of the conference.

• Most conferences will be held in your child's 5th-period classroom after early release on Feb 26th.

Make sure to schedule your conference with your child’s 5th-period teacher.

Beacon Hill Middle School for the past 15 years. The show’s first broadcast took place in September 2010, originating as a suggestion from then-principal, Derrick Thomas, CTAE Teacher Dr. Charlie McAdoo, and Media Specialist Steve Bartl. Their vision was to create a platform that would engage students with school news, teacher announcements, student shoutouts, and community involvement.

Since its inception, The Morning Bow Wow has remained a consistent part of the Beacon Hill Middle School community. Broadcasting 170 days each school year, the show keeps students informed and connected. For 15 years, middle school students in the City Schools of Decatur have enjoyed the Mr. Thomas Minute and Mr. Bartl’s Joke of the Day, both of which have become beloved traditions. Over 100 students have participated in the show as showrunners, audio engineers, video engineers, and hosts, gaining hands-on experience in broadcast production.

This year, the senior crew includes Mackenzie Herndon, Christophe Owusu, and Ana Maria Pope. The Morning Bow Wow serves as an extension of the Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) program, allowing students to develop real-world media and technical skills. The program is sponsored by CTAE teacher Dr. Charlie McAdoo, who supports students in producing high-quality broadcasts that reflect the vibrant school community.

Pictured left to right in photo below:

Qushon Taylor-Bertram (8th Grade), Sidney Minor (Student Center), Jordan Muse (Support Services), Ragan Hudson (6th Grade), Kate Passin (7th Grade)

This is a week designed to promote and bring awareness to the many post-secondary opportunities our students will have after high school. These opportunities include vocational training programs, technical schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges or universities. Week-long initiatives included college sweatshirt day, Reach Higher word wall and trivia, "Who's that Grad?" mural, a staff college map, a college pennant wall and HBCU wall, media center displays, and morning announcements focusing on post-secondary education. For more photos from the week visit the BHMS Counseling Department website!

Congratulations to the BHMS student award recipients recognized at the 2024-25 CSD MLK/CSK Awards Ceremony, celebrating the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Awardees were acknowledged for exemplifying the values of freedom, justice, democracy, and service. Georgia State Representative Omari Crawford (District 89) was the guest speaker. Board Chair Dr. Carmen Sulton, Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker, district leaders and staff, families, schools, and community members were among the attendees. Kudos to the YLOE and GENTS participants, the Equity Department, and the Office of the Deputy Superintendent for an excellent program!

BHMS 2024-2025 MLK/CSK Honorees:

Charlie Moore, BHMS

Stella Grow, BHMS

Kimberly Grant, BHMS

Olivia Wilke, BHMS

Parents, as the 35th state to sign and adopt Erin's law, Georgia requires public schools to provide a sexual abuse prevention curriculum to their students in grades kindergarten through 9th grade every year. Teen LuresTM Prevention is a research-based program that City Schools of Decatur uses to teach the importance of healthy relationships and its connection to personal safety by way of class discussions, student handouts, video clips and corresponding activities. Beginning Tuesday, February 25th through the end of March, BHMS school counselors will offer lessons from the Teen LuresTM Prevention program to students in grades 6-8. Please review THIS letter for additional information. Questions? Reach out to your child's school counselor.

Does reading feel like a chore for your middle schooler? You’re not alone, but the good news is that small changes can turn it into an activity they love!

Reading opens doors to imagination, adventure, and learning, but when kids associate it with pressure, it’s no wonder they avoid it. By making reading fun, you can change their perspective.

Here are five quick strategies to try:

• Let your child choose books they’re excited about.

• Explore audiobooks for an engaging, hands-free experience.

• Turn reading into a game with fun challenges.

• Read aloud together to make it a shared activity.

• Celebrate reading milestones to build motivation.

Curious to learn more?

👉 Read the full article for detailed tips and pro advice.

Thanks to the Decatur Education Foundation and Beacon Hill PTA for supporting our free resources!

Please take our school’s climate survey and make your opinion count! This survey expires March 31, 2025. Survey participation is critical because the data will be used to calculate School Climate Star Ratings for the 2025-26 school year. City Schools of Decatur appreciates the contributions of parents, students, and staff! Click to complete

As we create more opportunities for dialogue around CSD, families are invited to attend an upcoming winter listening session where Dr. Whitaker will hear directly from our community about the issues that matter to them.

Remaining Winter Listening Session:

• Monday, February 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (virtual)

Your Safe Routes to School (SRTS) champions would love your support to help recognize and celebrate our wonderful bus drivers, who safely get our kids to and from school every day, regardless of the weather or how much traffic is on our streets. Many of our bus drivers work double duty…getting students to games, events and field trips.

As we did for our crossing guards, we are collecting contributions for our CSD bus drivers until Friday, February 7. All donations will be distributed to our bus drivers at an event on February 11. If you would like to contribute, donations may be sent to Laura Spriggs through Venmo or PayPal (@gospriggs). You also can drop off gift cards at the BHMS front office or deliver your own notes of kindness directly to your bus driver. Please remind your children to greet and thank their driver this month…and every day!

Raising middle schoolers can be hard! Would you like to talk about it...or anything else...with other BHMS parents? Join us for a casual meet-up of BHMS parents and caregivers at Waller's Coffee Shop (240 DeKalb Industrial Way) on Saturday, February 8 from 8:30 am to 10:30 am. Drop in for a few minutes or the whole time...because it takes a village!

Aspen Grove Counseling and Wellness in Decatur is offering a six-week middle school parent support group on the challenges of raising adolescents, covering social issues, mental health and academic pressure, with a focus on improving parent and child connections and prioritizing parent self-care. They have offered a few discounted spots, and some scholarships are available through the PTA. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to president@bhmspta.org. Participation is capped at eight people, but if there is enough interest, additional groups will be offered in the future.

When: Tuesdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, starting February 25

Duration: Six weeks

Cost: $25 per session (with a six-session commitment)

For more information and to register, reach out to Keri Challen at keri@decaturgacounseling.com or (770) 430-0919.

The BHMS PBIS Committee needs 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. We need full-size candy bars and candy in general. Sign up at https://bit.ly/PBIS-Store.

As the new year and second semester kick off, please consider getting involved with the PTA. Maybe fall was too busy for you and you have more time for spring events? We appreciate any help you can provide…whether for an individual event or as part of a recurring committee. Express your interest here: Volunteer Interest Form.

Tour deCatur Registration is Open!

Get ready, get set, get registered for Decatur Education Foundation's 23rd annual Tour deCatur! Sign up at www.tourdecatur.com!

The fun happens on Saturday, March 15, at the Decatur High School stadium. This year, in addition to the 5k (a Peachtree qualifier), the 1-Mile Fun Run, and the adorable Tot Trot (for our friends ages four and under), DEF is offering a "None-Run" for anyone who wants to support Decatur kids without breaking a sweat! This is DEF's largest fundraiser and supports programs and initiatives that remove obstacles, provide opportunities, support educators, and strengthen the Decatur community!

To prepare for the race, all K-2 elementary schools in the district are participating in the iRun program, which teaches students the fundamentals of fitness skills that make running, jogging, and walking enjoyable and safe and prepares them to run the one-mile fun run in March. For more information about DEF's initiatives and how you can get involved, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org.

DEF Offers Community-Wide Suicide Prevention Event

Through Joe's Fund (DEF's behavioral health fund), we offer "Let's Talk About Suicide: Prevention Takes a Community" on Monday, February 24, from 6-7:30 p.m. This adult-only event will be held at the Decatur High School Media Center (the entrance is near the bus loop on Commerce Drive). Speakers will include Erin Harlow-Parker and Dr. Kimberly Jones. Attendees do not have to be parents of CSD students. This event is open to the entire Decatur community. Please RSVP on our website.

You can find more information on the following:

Read recent issues of the weekly update below. Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage or on our BHMS website

• BHMS Weekly Update - January 30

• BHMS Weekly Update - January 23

• BHMS Weekly Update- January 16

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