Weekly Update

We’re thrilled to invite you to our upcoming Principal’s Coffee Chat on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 9:00 AM. This session will focus on school safety and will feature Mr. James Brown, CSD Director of Safety and Security, as our guest speaker. Everyone is welcome to join us for coffee and meaningful conversation!

Best regards,

Derrick L. Thomas
Principal, Beacon Hill Middle School

CSD continues to monitor the weather due to the potential of severe weather conditions next week. The safety of our staff and students is always our top priority. Staff and families should check email, the CSD website, and social media channels for updates.

CSD will host five hearings in January for the public to learn more about the district's plans to exercise the one-time option for local governments to opt out of Georgia House Bill 581, which establishes a statewide floating homestead exemption and cap on property taxes.

The schedule for the remaining public hearings is:

Tuesday, January 21, 6:45 p.m. (virtual only, access the meeting here)

Thursday, January 30, 10 a.m. (virtual only, access the meeting here)

Thursday, January 30, 6:45 p.m. (virtual only, access the meeting here)

Passed during the 2024 Legislative Session, HB 581 impacts property taxes for cities, counties and school districts by capping the annual increase in property values for tax purposes, effective January 1, 2025. The bill aims to provide property tax relief for local residents, using the Consumer Price Index as an inflationary index. Since school districts rely heavily on property taxes for funding, this cap could impact the availability of CSD schools' resources and programs.

The Board of Education will follow the legal procedures to opt out of the exemption, including holding the three virtual public hearings. Following the hearings, the board will vote to adopt an opt-out resolution at the February Board of Education meeting and file the resolution with the Secretary of State by March 1, 2025.

CSD has shared new Standard Response Protocols (SRP) posters and documents with schools to educate students, families and staff about best practices for responding to a crisis. Schools will display posters in highly visible areas, handouts will be sent home for families, and students will receive small reference cards to keep with them. English and Spanish versions are available for these documents.

What is SRP?

Developed in collaboration with law enforcement and the I Love U Guys Foundation, SRP is a set of terms and actions that students, CSD staff and first responders can incorporate into a school safety plan to train school communities to respond more effectively to emergencies.

SRP Terms and Actions:

• Lockdown: Secures a room and keeps people quiet and in place

• Evacuate: Moves people from one location to another

• Shelter: States the hazard and safety strategy

• Hold: Students stay in their classroom or area until the "All Clear" is announced

• Secure: Students get inside and lock outside doors

Char Miller-King, BHMS engineering and woodworking teacher, is featured in an upcoming commercial telling her story of becoming a woodworker after leaving corporate America. Cultivate Brands selected Mrs. King as a feature on builders who are passionate about their work and take pride in creating quality projects. They will produce a short film showcasing her story and the build of a project using Pro Wood's products, a client of Cultivate.

Students from Mrs. King's first semester classes will be involved, using power tools and interacting with the furniture they built. Cultivate provided the lumber for the project, and students worked through the design cycle, learned to use power tools and created full-scale workbenches, storage racks and Adirondack chairs for an outdoor woodshop near the classroom.

Mrs. King has previously been highlighted by the magazines "Fine Woodworking" and "Woodworking Journal" and serves as vice president of the board at Decatur Makers. The commercial will be filmed in BHMS's engineering classroom and will air online in the early Spring

In alignment with our goals around high quality instruction for all students, our math, ELA, I&S, and science teachers had a dedicated half-day for professional development this week. During this time, they focused on:

• Collaborating with content teams: An effective strategy for improving student outcomes is ensuring teachers engage in professional learning communities with colleagues

• Developing engaging, interdisciplinary units: This means students will have opportunities to explore connections between different subjects and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

• Professional Learning with district experts to ensure the highest quality of instruction: This commitment to excellence ensures that your child receives the best possible education. Teachers explored defining and using “success criteria” in their planning to create student focused “roadmaps” for students to know how to succeed.

Information to help guide you and your child in course registration is available on the district's Teaching and Learning webpage and the links below.

Helping your child identify main ideas and key details in a story is crucial for developing reading comprehension skills. A simple and fun way to practice this at home is the Story Snapshot strategy. In just seven minutes, your child can strengthen their ability to summarize a story’s main components.

Here’s how: Choose a story, read it together, ask guiding questions, and have your child retell it in their own words. This activity builds critical thinking and communication skills while making reading enjoyable.

CLICK HERE to watch the strategy in action and download your FREE Story Snapshot Parent Pack TODAY and give it a try!

When: January 24-26: Runtime: ~120 minutes + 15 minute intermission

Where: DHS Performing Arts Center

• Friday 1/24, 7:00 pm - Cast L
• Saturday 1/25, 2:00 pm - Cast L
• Saturday 1/25, 7:00 pm - Cast K
• Sunday 1/26, 2:00 pm - Cast K

This Show Is Rated G And Is Suitable For All Ages. DISNEY’S LION KING JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.co

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

Plans are underway for another amazing event to raise money for Decatur Athletics – The Bulldog Bash! Save the date for this year's event on Saturday, March 22, at Independent Distilling Company. The event will feature a live online auction that includes everything from artwork and experiences to trips, restaurant gift cards, sporting event tickets, self-care, and more.

Do you have a connection, talent, vacation home or something unique that can help us raise money for our student-athletes? If so, please fill out this form! More information to come!

The Decatur Prevention Initiative (DPI) seeks the community's help in learning more about community perceptions and concerns regarding underage drinking and substance misuse among Decatur's youth. Please take this anonymous survey to help DPI plan, implement, evaluate and sustain programming.

Register to Run While Supporting Decatur Athletics

Did you know that Run With the Dogs 5K is one of Decatur Bulldog Booster's biggest fundraisers? In addition to being a Peachtree Road Race qualifier and a great community event, all proceeds go to support team play needs for 1,100+ athletes on 57 teams, representing 19 sports at DHS and BHMS. Register today and get an amazing t-shirt designed by Decatur's Adam Pinsley! Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 25 – you won't want to miss it!

​​​​​​​2025 Run With the Dogs Sponsors:

Event Sponsors

Decatur FC

Green Orthodontics

Presenting Sponsors

Amy Widener, Realtor

Body 20 Decatur

Associate Sponsors

Fleet Feet Decatur

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Decatur

M. Cary and Daughters Plumbing

The Law Office of Ken Lanier

Are you a young storyteller with a passion for writing? Enter the Young Georgia Author's Competition and let your creativity shine! This statewide contest celebrates K-12 students' original written works, from poems and essays to short stories and personal narratives.

No prompts or genre requirements- with a limit of 1,900 words—submit your unique voice on paper! Winners at the state and district levels will gain recognition and a chance to inspire readers across Georgia.

Let your imagination soar and be part of this exciting celebration of young talent! All submissions are due to your ELA teacher by January 17 by 3 p.m.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 21 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 will run every Friday until the February 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. We need full-size candy bars and candy in general. Sign up at https://bit.ly/PBIS-Store.

The annual Mead Road Mardi Gras Parade will be held Saturday, March 1. If you’re interested in being part of a BHMS parade krewe, then please email president@bhmspta.org. This could involve as little as reminding students the date and location to line up or as much as creating a float and costumes. Proceeds from this event support the Decatur Education Foundation’s music grants in all CSD schools. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the good times roll!

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.

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 - December 12, 2024

• BHMS Weekly Update-December 5, 2024

• BHMS Weekly Update - November 21, 2024

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