Help us kick off October with clean, functional student devices! Please review your student's device at home this week using these quick guidelines:

🏷️ Remove Personal Stickers: Safely peel off all personal stickers and labels. Only official BHMS logo and asset/QR barcode stickers are permitted.

🍿 Clear Food Wrappers: Remove taped snack packaging immediately. Food wrappers must never be used as covers or identifiers.

🧼 Wipe Down Safely: Gently clean screens and keyboards with a soft, dry or slightly damp microfiber cloth. Never spray liquids directly or use chemical cleaners.

Thank you for demonstrating Accountability and Best Effort by keeping our technology safe and ready for learning!

H.O.T. Spotlight: Celebrating Attendance & Our Winning Bulldogs!

What a sweet way to wrap up September! Our H.O.T. (Here On Time!) Attendance Month ended on a high note before break with an awesome Waffle Party for our raffle-winning advisement class.

We extend huge gratitude to the team behind the magic: Principal Ms. Glenn, MTSS Lead Erica Godfrey, Social Workers Rhea Kavina and Melvin Ratcliff, and Student Center Counselor Sidney Minor. Thank you for organizing a month full of fun, motivating incentives that reinforce our values—helping our students give their best effort, stay accountable, and thrive every single day!

🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Calling all word wizards and super spellers! The official study lists for this year’s Spelling Bee are officially live. Whether you're aiming for school champion or just looking to sharpen your vocabulary, now is the time to start practicing.

Download your grade-level word list:

6th Grade Classroom Spelling Bee List

7th Grade Classroom Spelling Bee List

8th Grade Classroom Spelling Bee List

Stay tuned for upcoming announcement dates regarding classroom bees and registration deadlines. Happy studying, and may the best speller win!

Get ready to be transported to Arendelle, Bulldogs! Auditions for this year’s fall musical, Frozen Jr., ave officially wrapped, and the energy across our halls is electric. Drama director Ms. Greene shared that selecting this year’s show was a truly collaborative effort. Interest was extraordinarily high this season, with over 126 students auditioning for 65 spots across cast and crew.

🗓️ Performance Schedule:

🎭 Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7:00 PM 🎭 Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:00 PM 🎭 Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:00 PM

🎭 Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2:00 PM

BHMS Phone Lock Boxes: What to Expect

This is in response to Georgia's new cellphone ban in schools.

By Orla Calanan

BHMS has added new phone lockers to every Advisement classroom as of the beginning of the 26-27 school year. Students are expected to leave smart devices in the box all day.

Here is what to expect:

A daily routine of putting your phone/smartwatch in a lock box every adv. class
You will have an assigned phone slot in the locker to help ensure it doesn't get misplaced or stolen.
If you are seen with your phone during school, there will be major consequences such as getting it taken away and talking with Ms. Glenn.
It helps the school manage the students better and follow the new law

The school administration has added new phone lox boxes to every classroom for the students in each teacher's advisement class. They expect students to put up their smart watches and or phones to prevent any distractions so kids can focus on school and they get them back at the end of the day.

Some people enjoy having this, and some don't. Kids who like it say that it helps to prevent distractions for them and they can focus on school more. Other students say that it's annoying to have to waste time and put them up every day.

“It affects me because it takes time to have everybody put their phones and watches and electronics in the lock boxes, and now we have Advisement at the beginning and end of the day because of this, which wastes class time; I feel they are a little bit overkill I mean last year we just put our phones in our lockers and everything was fine,” Raina Tataria, a student at BHMS said. The people who don’t like the phone lock boxes have very strong opinions on them, which seems to be most students.

Other students don’t seem to mind them. According to the article, Georgia school cellphone ban: What it means for students and parents, “ Supporters pointed to research and classroom data suggesting that limiting phone access can improve academic performance and student behavior. State Rep. Scott Hilton, who sponsored the bill, cited studies from Emory University and Georgia Southern University showing measurable benefits.” Some benefits are being able to focus more in school and not having to worry about any notifications you might get, since phones are a big distraction for teens.

Some safety advocates say even though they can benefit us, phones may be necessary in emergencies. Layla Renee Contreras, a student organizer said, “Access to phones can be critical in crisis situations.”

Photo Credits: Yearbook Staff

Beacon Hill's Academic Bowl team is a fun and challenging extracurricular that needs your Middle Schoolers!

As a club we practice Jeopardy!-like quiz-bowl trivia questions in a variety of subjects (mostly academic but also pop culture and sports) to compete with other Middle Schools in online and regional competitions. We have a lot of fun along the way, and there are always snacks provided ⭐️

We are an award-winning group, having placed third in the state (at the PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) State Championship) two years ago in our second year as a club, and since the beginning, we’ve routinely placed into competition finals. We’ve also finished first in the nation for three years in a row in our online Knowledge Master Open (KMO) competition. Last year, we had enough participation to field both a sixth-grade novice team and an upper-grade veteran team at competitions, and we hope to do the same this year.

We are fortunate enough to have a new faculty sponsor, Mr. O'keefe, stepping in after the retirement of our wonderful former sponsor Ms. Williams. Alongside Mr. O'keefe, Dr. Lewin will be returning as a parent coach for the team, and the club's founder, Asher Lewin, currently a 10th Grader at Decatur High, will return to coach as well.

Our informational, first meeting will be held after school on Wednesday, October 5, until 4:50pm in Mr. O'keefe's classroom (Room 1115). We will be holding weekly practices at this time and place until mid-March.

Make the Season Brighter – Apply, Sponsor, Donate!

A Season of Giving is a neighbor-led effort bringing holiday joy to our local children and seniors through personalized gifts.

⏳Apply for Gift Assistance — Deadline: October 31
We're thrilled to support kids through 12th grade again this year!

Want to Give Back?
⭐️Sponsor – Choose a wish list and shop for a child or senior.
💝Donate – Let us do the shopping with your contribution.
🤝Volunteer – Lend a hand and help spread the joy!

❓Questions? Email us at aseasonofgivingdecatur@gmail.com

TOMORROW NIGHT!!

We are kicking it off this school year with the first annual Beacon After Dark, presented by DEREK WOOD Realty, an adults-only evening benefiting the Beacon Hill Middle School PTA!

Grab your friends, make it a date night, or gather your Beacon Hill crew for a fun evening of great food, live music, and community—all while supporting our amazing school.

We'll be bringing a little Roaring Twenties flair to the evening, so feel free to dress up with a touch of Gatsby-inspired style...or simply come ready to have a great time!

Your ticket includes:

🍽️ Dinner bites and hors d'oeuvres

🎟️ Two drink tickets (additional beverages available for purchase at the cash bar)

🎶 Live music (band announcement coming soon!)

🎉 A fun night supporting Beacon Hill Middle School

📍Event Details

Friday, October 2, 2026

6:00–10:00 PM

Roaring Social - Decatur

Adults Only (21+)

Every ticket purchased helps support the Beacon Hill Middle School PTA and the programs, events, teacher grants, and campus improvements that make our school community so special.

Come raise a glass, reconnect with friends, meet new faces, and help us make our first Beacon After Dark an unforgettable evening.

We can't wait to celebrate with you!

🚀👽 7th Grade OUT OF THIS WORLD Dance

PTA presents the 7th Grade OUT OF THIS WORLD Dance

**sponsored by Green Orthodontics**

October 2nd 4:00-5:30! Students will report to the cafeteria directly from their Advisements. Please send cash (small bills) or tap to pay if your student would like to purchase concessions.

Tickets on SALE now!

*We Still Need Volunteers* Volunteer HERE !

**No Student Admittance after initial 4:00 check-in commences - even if in the building for other activities

📆 PTA Save the Dates!

🚲 🚶October 7th - First Walk&Roll!!

👻🧌October 30 – Monster Mash! An 8th grade only spooky soiree

🍪☕️Staff Appreciation - Ongoing! Sign up to support our staff in various ways!

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🌐Visit our *NEW* website:www.bhmspta.org

📸Follow us on social media!

Facebook: Beacon Hill Middle School PTA

Instagram: @bhms_pta

Email: president@bhmspta.org