Dear Beagle Middle School Families,
Here are some updates we wanted to share with you at this time:
LCC Trip 8th Graders: Today, our 8th graders engaged in a tour of Lansing Community College’s Career and Technical Training Program, which they can participate in as a high school student beginning in 11th grade. Prior to the visit students chose to view specific technical areas based on their Educational Development Plans (EDPs) that were updated a few months back.
Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences: Mrs. Hernandez sent an email last week regarding sign up for Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences. Parents interested in signing up for conferences must do so by March 10th. Please look for the email sent by Mrs. Hernandez last week.
PSAT–8th Graders Updates and Digital Readiness: The PSAT is a required state assessment given only to 8th-grade students at the middle level; the PSAT assesses two areas: math and reading. As we have been sharing with families, 8th graders will take the PSAT on Wednesday, April 10th. 7th graders will not be coming to school on April 10th due to logistical constraints that come with the rules and procedures for administering the PSAT, which are directed by College Board. Beginning later next week, 8th-grade students will be called down to the media center based on their CNC class to engage in “Digital Readiness.” We will be working with up to 3 CNC classes per day to complete this process, and this process will run all the way up to Spring Break. Digital Readiness ensures that students have access to “Bluebook,” which is the digital platform where they will take the test on April 10th. In addition, this process ensures that student demographic information is correct so that parents receive scores in a timely fashion. The good thing about the PSAT is that parents are typically provided with their student’s results within 6-8 weeks of taking the assessment unlike the MSTEP, which usually takes anywhere from 6-9 months to receive scores. To recap, this is an 8th-grade-only assessment taking place on April 10th, no 7th graders come to school on April 10th, Digital Readiness begins next week for 8th graders, and we will have more information about the specifics for April 10th in subsequent newsletters. 8th graders received an email from us yesterday regarding important PSAT information that CNC teachers will be reviewing with them over the next few days as well.
7th Graders: No School on April 10th: 7th-grade students will not be coming to school on Wednesday, April 10th as our 8th graders will be taking the PSAT. This is due to the testing protocols set forth by College Board.
MI Student Voice Survey: As noted within Dr. Barnes’ email this week, we will be engaging in the MI Student Voice survey, beginning March 18th. Please click here for more information: https://www.glcomets.net/downloads/beagle_middle_school/glps_template_parent_guardian_communication_.docx_1.pdf
Track Team Parent Meeting: There will be a parent track meeting on Tuesday, March 19th at 6 pm here in the Media Center. Coach Dan Brunk, current Hayes teacher, along with other coaching staff will provide parents with information. Please click here for more information: Beagle MS TF 2024 (1) (1).docx
Washington DC Updates: Students who are attending the trip to Washington, D.C. received a Scholarship Application last Friday from their history teacher. If your family is interested in applying, please assist your child with completing the application. Applications are due no later than Wednesday, March 13th to your child's history teacher. Popcorn fundraiser money and forms are due Thursday, March 14th.
Rising 9th Grade Families: GLHS staff will be working with our rising 9th graders on Monday during Science classes to make schedule requests for next year. Our 8th-grade Science teachers will support our rising 9th-graders through this process. During May and June, GLHS administration will be reaching out directly to our rising 9th-grade students and families with more information.
Rising 8th Grade Families: On March 13th, we will meet with all of our current 7th graders regarding the process to request elective-based courses for next year. This presentation will be shorter than the presentation received while in 6th grade. After our meeting, students will work with their families to select elective requests for next year using an all-in-one document and worksheet to pencil in their requests, and then Science teachers will support students in placing requests into PowerSchool the following week.
Rising 7th Grade Families, Current Hayes 6th Graders: On April 9th, we will head over to Hayes Intermediate to meet with our rising 7th-grade students for the Elective Roadshow. This is a great opportunity for us to connect with our rising 7th-grade students and explain how our daily schedule works. During this time, we will also review our elective offerings, discuss how to make elective requests, and how those requests will be entered into PowerSchool with the support of the Hayes team. Students will receive an all-in-one document that includes elective course descriptions along with a worksheet where students can pencil in their elective course requests under the guidance of their parents.
International Night: previously hosted annually at Delta Center, this year’s International Night Celebration will be even bigger and hosted here at Beagle Middle School! Join us on April 13th from 2-6 pm to explore the different international cultures represented in GLPS. Please see the flyer attached for more details and for information on how to audition to represent your culture. Reach out to Amanda Gabriel at gabriela@glcomets.net with any questions. Please click here for more information: International Day Flyer and Sign-Up 2023-2024.pdf
Student Talent Show: Our Beagle Comet Council will be hosting a student-based talent show at GLHS on April 16th at 6:30 pm, free admission. In the future, we will share more information with our families. We thank our Beagle Comet Council student members for organizing this event. For more information regarding our Beagle Comet Council, we encourage our students and families to access their link on our website: https://sites.google.com/glcomets.net/cometcouncil/home
PTO Meetings: The Hayes/Beagle PTO meetings will be hosted here at Beagle Middle School in our media center. Parents should enter through the cafeteria doors as they are open for athletic events. The media center is located in the first hallway to the left once in the cafeteria. Meetings are held from 6:30-7:30 pm in a hybrid fashion–in-person and virtually. Families interested in attending virtually can do so by using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82744686994. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 19th. We greatly appreciate parent support and participation at these meetings. In addition, please follow the Hayes & Beagle PTO Facebook page for more information and updates regarding upcoming events.
Students’ of the Week: To view our Students’ of the Week, please click here https://www.glcomets.net/ourschools/beagle-middle-school/studentoftheweek/. Please note that Students’ of the Week are updated to our website the Monday after receiving their certificate on Friday.
Family Communication Archive: Please click here https://www.glcomets.net/ourschools/beagle-middle-school/parent-communication-archive/ to review family communications (current and previous newsletters) sent to Beagle Families.
District and Community News: To review district-wide and community news, please click here https://www.glcomets.net/parentcommunityresources/fun-things-to-do/#upcoming
Looking Ahead:
- March 12th,14th, and 15th–Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences
- March 15th–Half day for students, no PM classes, end of second trimester
- March 18th–Third trimester begins
- March 22-29th–Spring Break, no classes
Looking Way Ahead….Spring Testing Schedule:
In an effort to be as transparent as possible while also providing our families with as much notice in advance, we will continue to run our Spring Testing (PSAT, MSTEP, and NWEA) in our subsequent newsletters. We kindly ask parents to avoid scheduling appointments, if possible, on these dates in an effort to ensure smooth testing and having to avoid pulling students from classes (first, best instruction) to make up these assessments.
- PSAT–April 10th, 8th grade only reports this day; 7th grade does not come to school.
- 8th grade MSTEP Social Studies–April 17/18
- 8th grade MSTEP Science–April 24/25
- 7th grade MSTEP Math–May 1/2
- 7th grade MSTEP ELA–May 8/9
- NWEA Math–May 21 (with organized break by hallway and snacks)
- NWEA ELA–May 28 (with organized break by hallway and snacks)
These are all of the updates that we wanted to pass along at this time. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Take care,
Dave and Kelly
