Dear Beagle Middle School Families,
Here are some updates that we wanted to share at this time:
April 8th, PSAT for 8th Grade: Our 8th graders completed “Student Readiness” last week in Social Studies classes for the upcoming PSAT, which is a State Standardized Assessment, that will take place on Wednesday, April 8th. Students will use their chromebooks to take the assessment just like MSTEP and NWEA via an application known as Blue Book, which they explored during “Student Readiness.” If students want to engage in the practice test prior to the test, they may do so using the test ticket we provided them during Student Readiness, and they were also shown how to access the practice test during this time as well. The PSAT assesses student performance in both ELA and Math, taking the place of the MSTEP for these subject areas. The PSAT is a timed assessment, unlike the MSTEP, with a structured break between the two assessments. The ELA portion of the test is comprised of 54 multiple choice questions, and students in standard time testing rooms are provided 64 minutes to complete this section of the test. After the ELA portion of the test, students are provided a 10-minute break. The Math section of the assessment is comprised of 44 multiple choice questions and built-in calculator use (within Blue Book) is permitted for this test; students are provided 70 minutes to complete this assessment in standard time testing rooms. Students with approved accommodations in accordance with their IEP or 504 plans will test in accommodated sessions per the requirements of College Board. In short, College Board requirements for this assessment are very lock-step and regimented, resulting in us having to utilize the entire building and staff for testing the morning of April 8th; this is why there will be a delayed start for 7th graders that day (see next section below 7th grade families). In addition, instruction cannot go onward during the day until all extended time rooms have finished testing. Students may absolutely bring nut-free snacks of their own along with water bottles to their testing session. If students bring cell phones to school that day, testing proctors are required to have students turn them in at the front of the room, verifying they are turned off per College Board requirements. After testing is completed, our 8th graders will have lunch, engage in recess, and then attend all six classes on an altered schedule, which will begin at noon.
April 8th for 7th Graders, Delayed Start: As noted above, the testing requirements set forth by the College Board for the PSAT do not allow us to feasibly have our 7th graders on campus in the morning. Therefore, 7th grade students will be on a delayed start on April 8th. We will receive 7th graders at 11:50 am that day, and classes begin at noon following an altered schedule for all six classes (no CNC). Unfortunately, given the timing logistics and constraints in giving the PSAT, we will not be able to provide lunch to our 7th grade students. 7th grade students should be sure to eat lunch at home before coming to school. 7th grade students that ride the bus will be provided transportation to school on April 8th as transportation will be making two runs that day; bus drivers will inform their 7th grade students in advance approximately when they will be picked up at their specific stop. Students and family members can also track the location of their bus using the “Stop Finder” application. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience this causes to our 7th grade families.
Congratulations, Choir Students–A Message From Mrs. Burton: I am so proud of our Beagle Choirs and their successes at MSVMA Middle School Choral Festival. Not only did they perform well and sight read exceptionally, they carried themselves with poise and professionalism, representing our school and choir program wonderfully. All three Beagle Choirs received Division 1 Excellent. 7/8 Tenor Baritone Choir and 7th Grade Treble Choir both getting a strong score of 112/120 and 8th Grade Treble Choir getting a 118/120. All groups did an amazing job in the sight reading room, with two groups getting a perfect 30 in sight reading and one getting a near perfect 29. I am so proud of these kids and all their hard work. Bravo!
8th Grade Washington DC Trip Fundraiser Information: Students received the Ferris Coffee and Nuts Fundraiser brochure and information sheet last Friday. The forms and money are due on Wednesday, March 25th by 2:35 PM. Fundraiser Pick Up will be Tuesday, April 7 from 3:30-5:30 PM in the Beagle Cafe.
Elective Course Registration for Next Year: For rising 9th grade families, registration closes today at 4pm. However, GLHS school counselors will be pulling reports early next week and coming over to Beagle to work one-on-one with students that have not registered for high school courses next year. Rising 8th graders entered their elective course requests for next year this week during Science classes; we appreciate the support of our Science teachers with this effort. Rising 7th grade students currently at Hayes also began to enter their elective course requests into PowerSchool with the support of their 6th grade teachers. Once all requests are into the system, we will close student and parent viewability for course requests as we begin to actively work on building the master schedule for next year. This will remain off throughout the summer months as well for a variety of reasons, including staff changes, room updates, etc. Middle school schedules will be viewable in PowerSchool and available for pick-up during schedule distribution/school picture day on Monday, August 17th; more to come on this later in the year and in early August.
Beagle Talent Show: Thank you, in advance, to our community members coming out tonight to support our Comet Council sponsored Talent Show at the GLHS auditorium from 6-8pm. Complementary entry for all! We would also like to thank Mrs. Davis, Comet Council members, and all those performing in tonight’s show. This will be a great opportunity for our students to showcase their talents.
Second Trimester Honor Roll: The second trimester honor roll has been updated on our webpage: https://www.glcomets.net/ourschools/beagle-middle-school/honorroll/
Hayes/Beagle PTO Meeting: Our next PTO meeting will be held at Beagle Middle School in the Media Center on Tuesday, April 10th, at 6:30 p.m. If you’ve ever wondered how to get more involved at your student’s school—or how to stay up-to-date on what’s happening at Hayes and Beagle—the PTO is a great place to start. There is no cost to join, and attending a meeting is an easy way to hear updates, share ideas, and learn how fundraising supports programs and opportunities for students and staff. We’re also looking for volunteers, whether you can help once or several times during the year; we would love to have you involved. Come check it out and see how you can be part of supporting our school community.
Students of the Week: Here are our Students of the Week: https://www.glcomets.net/ourschools/beagle-middle-school/studentoftheweek/
Upcoming Events, District News, & Community Information: To review what the school district shares in newsletters about events, news, and information, please visit http://GLcomets.net/Upcoming.
Upcoming Important Dates:
3/27/26–4/6/26–Spring Recess, which includes 4/6/26 as it’s a teacher PD day.
4/8/26–PSAT Testing–Required by the State of Michigan for all 8th graders; 7th graders do not report until 11:50am this day for an altered schedule in the PM for all students. Transportation will be provided for both 7th and 8th grade students (2 pick-up runs; 1 PM run) on this date.
4/15-4/17–MSTEP 7th grade ELA and 8th grade Social Studies (in core classes); make-ups immediately after
4/22-4/24–MSTEP 7th grade Math and 8th grade Science (in core classes); make-ups immediately after
4/28- NWEA ELA (altered NWEA schedule)
5/6- NWEA Math (altered NWEA schedule)
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Take care,
Dave and Kelly
