The BMS Beacon (Oct. 30, 2026)

Monday, November 2

• NO SCHOOL for students
• PD Day for Staff

Tuesday, November 3 (ELECTION DAY)

• :-)

• WEB Wednesday (Zero Hour for 6th Graders)

Thursday, November 5

• Chelsea District Library @ Lunches

Friday, November 6

• Educator of the Month / Bulldog Best Announcements
• Unified Soccer @ Milan (11:30am)
• 8th Grade Community Meeting (Beach Block)

What I noticed at BMS this week...

6th Grade students had the opportunity to hear and learn from some U.S. veterans at the annual veterans panel this week. As part of this project and celebration, students will have the opportunity to write speeches, and the winning speeches will be presented at the community Veterans Day ceremony on November 11. "Don't say 'happy Veterans Day.' Say, 'Welcome home.'"

7th Grade Tech students built and raced cars in their annual competition. It's always fun to see which designs come away with the fastest time in the speed trials!

8th Grade scientists explored how friction and air resistance affect moving objects, investigating how contact forces transfer energy in a launcher system.

Families,

Conferences are coming up on Thursday, November 12! This year, students will have a half day of school, and conferences will run from noon until 7:00pm.

As a reminder, we of course love of our families and welcome all families to conferences, but we also have the unfortunate reality of limited time, which is why we try to prioritize meeting with parents/guardians whose students may need extra support to reach success. Teachers have been reaching out to some families over the last week and sharing their conference link if they feel they need to prioritize a meeting.

Please note that we are offering the option of virtual OR in-person conferences from 12:00 until 3:00pm. If you prefer a virtual conference, please put "virtual" in the comments. We will offer our normal in-person conference slots from 3:30 until 7:00pm.

If you did not receive a personal invite from a teacher, you are now welcome to sign up for open slots using the link here. Thank you for your partnership with us as we work to support students! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

If you are able and willing to help provide food for our staff on November 2 (all-staff PD) and/or November 12 (Parent/Teacher Conferences), please sign up here! The volunteer group is still looking for several slots to be filled. We at Beach are so grateful to our families for the support!

Please see the message below from one of our parents, who has generously volunteered to help coordinate meals for BMS staff on two upcoming dates:

Our teachers and staff have some very long days coming up, so let's help make sure they have plenty of fuel! Please volunteer to bring a homemade dish, grab-and-go snacks, or a cash donation to provide meals during professional development and parent-teacher conference days in November.

Grab & Go Snacks for November 2nd Professional Development Day: Sign up to bring individually packaged snacks and drinks to keep staff going during a full day of training. Drop off to Beach by October 30th or contact Cheri for other arrangements.

Catered Lunch for November 2nd Professional Development Day: Sign up to make a monetary donation for a catered lunch during full day training. Venmo @cheriszcodronski (last four of phone number is 5618) or contact Cheri for other options.

Potluck Dinner for November 12th Parent-Teacher Conferences: Sign up to stock a chili bar for teacher and staff to get dinner during a long evening of conferences. Drop off food items to Beach by 2:30 on November 12th or contact Cheri for other arrangements. Pick up any crock pots or dishes during the school day on Friday, November 13th.

Contact Cheri Szcodronski at cheri.szcodronski@gmail.com or 615-604-5618 with questions or to make drop off arrangements. Thanks for your support!

Homework Hut is back on Tuesday, November 2, and will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 - 4:15pm in the BMS Media Center.

We started Homework Hut last year as a drop-in, free small-group tutoring option for all students. All Beach students who could use an extra hour to work on homework or who could use some extra help with something in their classes are welcome to attend, provided that they use the time productively.

Homework Hut is staffed by a certified teacher and a paraeducator. In addition, we sometimes have high school students who are members of the National Honor Society volunteer to help tutor. Please note that we unfortunately cannot provide transportation after Homework Hut. If your student plans to take advantage of this opportunity, you will need to arrange transportation for them at 4:15, as that is the time that our staff leaves school.

Reach out to Mr. Schilt with any questions.

This month, our grade-level Community Meetings are focused on helping students build practical skills around organization, goal setting, and executive functioning. Sixth graders are learning the 4 C’s Method (10/30), seventh graders are focusing on breaking big goals into smaller steps (10/23), and eighth graders are exploring habits and systems that help them follow through (10/16).

Across all three grades, the message is simple: small steps lead to big success.

Families can continue the conversation at home by asking:

• What is one organizational strategy you learned this month that you could actually use?
• What is one goal you have right now, and what is one small step you could take toward it?
• What system could you use so you do not have to rely on remembering everything in your head?

You can use this form throughout the year to give shout-outs and messages of gratitude to our staff. No need to wait for an "appreciation week"! We will ensure that the staff member you select receives your words of kindness--they go a long way.

Thank you for submitting so many of these already! They have made a huge positive impact on our staff.

Here is our staff directory.

A note from Mr. Schumann:

8th grade families: Please check your email for important fundraising information that was sent on Wednesday, October 14. The message came from Nick Schumann using a Student Adventures email address.

If you don’t see it in your inbox, please be sure to check your spam or junk folder as well.

If you have not yet signed up for the Washington, D.C. Trip in May, please see the info below from trip coordinators Nick Schumann and Austin Elam:

Dates: 5/18-5/21

Registration - www.studentadventures.org

Click MyTrip

Trip ID: BMS2927

Boys basketball season has begun. If you have questions, please reach out to one of the coaches:

• Dennis Strzyzewski: <dstrzyzewski@chelseaschools.org>
• Chris Orlandi: <corlandi@chelseaschools.org>
• Mikal Nelson: <mnelson@chelseaschools.org>
• Corey Knight: <cknight@chelseaschools.org>

Wrestling signups have started. If you have questions, please reach out to Coach Shane Rodriguez (srodriguez@chelseaschools.org) or Coach Nick Schumann (nschumann@chelseaschools.org).

Adam Schilt, Principal <aschilt@chelseaschools.org>

Kaitlyn Gasparovich, Assistant Principal <kgasparovich@chelseaschools.org>

Erika Clark, Administrative Assistant <eclark@chelseaschools.org>

Amanda Syrovy, Office Clerk <asyrovy@chelseaschools.org>

Carla Freeman, Grades 6/7 Counselor <cfreeman@chelseaschools.org>

Austin Elam, Grade 8 Counselor <aelam@chelseaschools.org>

Noelle Rager, School Social Worker <nrager@chelseaschools.org>

Ryan Michaud, School Psychologist <rmichaud@chelseaschools.org>

Kristen Chandler, Project Success Coordinator <kchandler@chelseaschools.org>

Marie Larson, Youth Mental Health Coordinator <mlarson@chelseaschools.org>

Follow Us on Instagram: beach_bulldogs

Volunteering to help with a school trip or event? Find the ICHAT form here.

If you'd like to drop in and chat about something, I hold "coffee with the principal" meetings on Tuesdays and Fridays. These are 30-minute time slots, and I have four available each week.

I can do these in person or virtually. If you need to meet outside of these times, please reach out to my assistant, Erika Clark, to set up an appointment.

For Chelsea kids,

Adam Schilt

Kaitlyn Gasparovich