BHMS Weekly Update

As we prepare to celebrate Black History Month, we are excited to share a snapshot of the meaningful and engaging activities planned for February. These experiences are designed to honor Black history, culture, and excellence while building community and student voice.

All Month | Hallway Soundtrack of Black History
Throughout the month, students will hear instrumental or clean music by Black artists during class transitions, arrival, and dismissal. Playlists will feature a variety of genres and eras, highlighting the richness and influence of Black music.

All Month | Black History Read-Alouds
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, students will hear short texts, poems, or excerpts shared during morning announcements that highlight Black history and voices.

Feb. 2–6 | Door Decorating Week – “Local Legends”
Advisement classes will decorate their classroom doors to highlight local Black leaders and changemakers. PAC students will serve as judges, and prizes will be awarded to the winning advisement classes.

Feb. 9–13 | Black History Trivia Week (with prizes!)
Daily trivia questions will be shared during morning announcements, featuring Black contributors, scientists, inventors, artists, activists, and local Black history. Students will submit answers using a Google Form that includes their name and advisement.
Points will be awarded for correct responses based on submission time:

• 1st correct response: 3 points

• 2nd correct response: 2 points

• 3rd correct response: 1 point

Advisement classes will compete throughout the week, and the top advisement from each grade level with the highest total points will win a prize.

Feb. 23–27 | Black History Spirit Week
Flyers with visuals will be shared soon. Spirit days include:

• Monday – Black Excellence Day: Dress as a Black leader, innovator, artist, or athlete, or wear HBCU, college, or career gear

• Tuesday – Unity Day: Wear red, black, or green to show unity in diversity.

• Wednesday – Do It for the Culture: Celebrate the vibrancy of Black culture and wear clothing that represents your culture.

• Thursday – Blackout Day: Wear all-black to celebrate unity and solidarity.

• Friday – School Colors + Black History Matters: Show school pride and celebrate Black history with affirmations

We appreciate your support and participation as we honor Black history, culture, and excellence throughout the month.

This is a reminder to families about the BHMS traffic plan, to support student safety, keep traffic moving, and ensure continued access for our neighbors during morning drop-off.

Walking, biking, or riding the bus are always encouraged. If you drive your student to school, please follow these reminders:

• Use the Agnes Scott Drop & Walk Zone for AM drop-off only (do not park).

• Follow one-way traffic on Ansley Street, Kings Highway, and Adams Street.

• Do not stop in travel lanes or block intersections to drop students off. This includes stopping in both lanes on Adams Street or at parking lot exits.

• The front drop-off lane must remain continuously moving. Please do not idle, wait, or stop to make phone calls after dropping off your student.

• Do not drop students off on Kings Highway, including near the side entrance or parking lot corner. Stopping in these areas blocks crosswalks and creates unsafe conditions for students and crossing guards.

• Do not block the entrance to the bus loop.

• Please do not park in staff-designated parking spaces.

Thank you for helping us keep mornings safe, efficient, and respectful of our school community.

At Beacon Hill Middle School, our mission is to ensure every student feels Seen, Supported, and Successful. To achieve this, we rely on a strong partnership with our families. We invite you to participate in the annual GaDOE School Climate Survey, an anonymous statewide tool that measures perceptions of school safety, relationships, and our overall learning environment.

Your feedback is more than just data; we use it to revise and create our BHMS Action Plan (School 90 Day Plan). These insights allow our School Leadership Team to monitor progress and implement targeted strategies that directly enhance your child's daily experience. Please take 10–15 minutes to share your perspective and help us continue to elevate the standard of excellence at BHMS.

Beacon Hill Middle School Family Survey

City Schools of Decatur has a long-standing tradition of honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King by celebrating students who embody the values of freedom, justice, democracy, and service. The opportunity is open to students currently enrolled in City Schools of Decatur, from 3rd to 12th grade.

How to Participate: All BHMS students are invited to submit an original response to this year’s prompt through artwork, video, an essay, or a poem. For full submission details, the official prompts, and a student-friendly checklist, please refer to the 2025-26 CSK/MLK Family guide linked here. We can’t wait to see your creativity in action!

Important Dates:

• Virtual Information Session: Monday, January 26, 5:00 – 5:30 p.m

• Join via Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/pfk-pvzi-fro.

• Submission Deadline: Thursday, February 12, 2026, by the end of the school day.

District Awards Ceremony: Wednesday, February 25, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m

Our 6th-grade math team is bringing equations to life through inquiry-based learning! Grounded in our mission to ensure every student is Seen, Supported, and Successful, teachers Donegan, Frazier, O’Brien, Robillard, and Stroy have launched their latest unit with a hands-on, visual twist.

By implementing algebra tiles, our educators are moving beyond rote memorization to foster true conceptual understanding. This approach allows students to explore the Global Context of identities and relationships through the logic of mathematical balance.

Using this strategy, students:

• Make the Abstract Concrete: Students use manipulatives to "see" the relationship between variables and constants before transitioning to abstract notation.

• Master the Balance: This model reinforces the Key Concept of Form, helping students visualize how maintaining equivalence is essential to solving equations.

• Build Lasting Foundations: Strengthening these Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills—specifically critical thinking and transfer—ensures students can apply these patterns to complex, real-world problems.

We love seeing this high-impact, collaborative instruction that empowers our IB learners to take agency in their mathematical journey!

This week, our 7th graders stepped back in time to navigate the complex history of the African continent. Moving beyond the classroom walls, students engaged in a hands-on movement activity to visualize the "Scramble for Africa" and the rapid spread of European influence across the map.

Through a deep dive into partitioning and colonization, students explored how artificial political boundaries created over a century ago continue to shape the social and political landscape of Africa today. Highlights from the week included:

• Mapping the Shift: A kinesthetic map activity tracking the expansion of European empires.

• Critical Analysis: Evaluating political cartoons to uncover the motives behind the Berlin Conference.

• Connecting History: Analyzing the direct link between historical colonization and modern-day conflict.

BHMS Debate had a tremendous showing at the recent Sutton Middle School tournament! Our Varsity Bulldogs dominated the floor, bringing home multiple awards for both team strategy and individual speaking excellence.

Varsity Team Standouts:

• Bronze Medal Finish: Drew Nichols and Kat Kolesnikova (3rd Place)

• Top 10 Finishes: Grant Mann & Zerin Irier (7th) and Devon Chandra & Lucas Edgerton (9th)

  
  

Individual Speaker Excellence: A special shout-out to Drew Nichols for earning 3rd place overall speaker! He was joined in the top rankings by Zerien Irier (9th), Lucas Edgerton (10th), Grant Mann (11th), Kat Kolesnikova (13th), and Devon Chandra (17th).

Congratulations to all our debaters for representing BHMS with such poise and skill!

Your Art, Your Impact! 🎨 The 1st place design from BHMS is headed to the big stage! Our winning school design will be printed on official DEF t-shirts and sold at the CSD Art Exhibition (3/31–4/2). Every shirt sold supports the Zara Fund, directly funding arts projects for our students. Stay tuned to see which design will represent BHMS!

Read the January 29, 2026, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

PBIS BARK STORE
The PBIS B.A.R.K. Store celebrates students who demonstrate Best Effort, Accountability, Respectfulness and Kindness. Volunteers are needed on Fridays during student lunch periods (which run from 11 am to 2 pm) to help distribute items students have earned through BARK points. Do you have an hour to spare? Sign up here.

BHMS STAFF APPRECIATION: SECOND SEMESTER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

A few slots remain for donating items to the teacher/staff snack cart and lounge, as well as operating the cart on snack cart days, and helping with the end-of-year staff luncheon. Please take a moment to review the available slots in our sign-up link.

NOTE: We will host a separate series of events for staff during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4 through May 8. A sign-up will be spent specifically for that major event.

PTA CAR MAGNETS
Beacon Hill Middle School car magnets are a great way to show school spirit and support the PTA! They are available for $5 each through this payment link. (Please include your student’s name in the comment section.) Magnets can be picked up at the front office for pickup by you or your child.

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