Greetings Berkshire Families:
It was another fun and engaging week at Berkshire Middle School this week. Thank you to all of the parents/guardians that took time to join us at conferences this week. If you were unable to attend conferences, please feel free to email your child’s teachers and set up a time for you to connect. Anybody who has children or works closely with children knows and values that it truly takes a village. We look forward to continuing a strong partnership between Berkshire and your home to best support your child.
I’ll continue with our theme of having a strong partnership between school and home by inviting you to come out tonight and join our Proud Dad’s Club annual Game Night from 6 – 8 pm. I can’t think of a better way to spend my Friday night than with my wife and daughter at Game Night singing karaoke, playing in the 3 on 3 basketball tournament, dancing to DJ Tim Stanley’s tunes and possibly sneaking in my first Fortnite gaming experience in the mobile arcade. Although, my daughter is only two years old, so she might spend most of the night dancing to Mr. Stanley’s music in the cafeteria.
I wanted to shout out our entire math team and our Berkshire students for making such a fun Math Week at Berkshire! As a former Berkshire math teacher, I left this week feeling inspired by all of the smiling faces and laughter that filled our hallways with various challenges and opportunities to have fun with math. Mr. Clinkscale will be arriving fresh off his flight from Finland this weekend and will return to Berkshire on Monday, March 18th. We are eager to learn from his visit and how we can continue to grow our educational practices both at Berkshire and in our school district.
Thanks for reading the following Berkshire Weekly Update and have a great weekend!
David Brooks
Assistant Principal/Athletic Director
Berkshire Middle School
Stay Informed by …
…receiving and reading Mr. Clinkscale’s Berkshire Weekly Update email.
…signing up for Mr. Clinkscale’s Remind text messages by texting the message @berks to 81010 from your mobile device.
…visiting the Berkshire Middle School webpage (http://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Berkshire).
…following us on Twitter (@Berkshiremiddle) and FaceBook.
Upcoming Events:
Monday (3/18)
Girls Volleyball Black @ East Hills MS (4 pm)
Girls Volleyball Silver vs. Abbott MS (4 pm)
Tuesday (3/19)
Girls Volleyball Black vs. Country Day (4 pm)
Girls Volleyball Silver @ Orchard Lake MS (4 pm)
Berkshire Wrestling vs. West Hills MS (4 pm)
Wednesday (3/20)
Thursday (3/21)
Berkshire Wrestling @ Derby MS (4 pm)
Friday (3/22)
Saturday (3/23)
Saturday School (9-11 am in the media center)
Ms. Eggert’s Extended Absence
Ms. Eggert is dealing with a family emergency that is going to keep her out of Berkshire through spring break. In the meantime we will have a certified math teacher, Ayanna Yearby, fill in as a long term guest teacher that will be working closely with Ms. Eggert to continue teaching and learning for our 6th grade math students. Please keep Ms. Eggert in your thoughts and prayers. Please feel free to contact Mrs. Yearby with any questions or concerns about your child’s progress in math at ayearby@birmingham.k12.mi.us . Mr. Gary Nicholls will be the guest teacher during the last week of Ms. Eggert’s absence, which will be the week of March 25th. We will provide an update on contact information for Mr. Nicholls as we approach the week he is taking over.
Summer Forensic and Debate Opportunity in Birmingham
This summer, Courtney Bassett and Hayley McKinney will be running both Debate and Forensic workshops at Birmingham Covington School. This is a MIFA sanctioned event. The Forensics workshop will take place from June 17th to June 21st and students will have an opportunity to explore a variety of forensic categories and participate in a mini tournament. There will be a Debate workshop from August 19th to August 23rd where students will work on basic argumentative skills, learn the basics of public forum debate and begin researching the fall resolution. Please see the attachment to the weekly update for more details.
Spring Sports Registration OPEN
Spring sports (Track & Field, Girls Soccer) registration is now open. As a reminder, all student athletes must have a physical dated after April 15th, 2018 turned into the front office to be eligible to participate. You can register your son/daughter for these sports by clicking on this link: https://secure.infosnap.com/family/gosnap.aspx?action=17931&culture=en
Boys Tennis is also a spring sport that we offer at Berkshire, but you must register and pay in person ($135 cash or check only) at the front desk with Mrs. Borovsky. All spring sports practices will begin Monday, March 25th. To receive more information about each sport, please be sure to sign up for Mr. Brooks’ Remind text messages by sending the text @dkc7c to 81010.
Front Office Help Needed
We are in need of more parent volunteers to work the front desk with Mrs. Borovsky this month! We would greatly appreciate any parents that are able to volunteer their time at Berkshire and get to know our school on a whole new level. Here is a link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0c4badab28aa8-front5
Attention 8th grade Families: Summer School Registration – opened 12:01 AM, March 1st, 2019
The 2019 Academic Summer School Brochure: https://birmingham.augusoft.net/customers/birminghamps/files/2019_HS-final.pdf
Questions? Concerns? Contact Catherine Henne * Community Education Office * Seaholm High Direct: (248) 203-3816 * Email: chenne@birmingham.k12.mi.us
Berkshire PTA Update
Skywarn Spotter Training Program
Skywarn is an effort to save lives during severe weather emergencies by expanding networks of spotters and by encouraging the widest possible participation in tornado warning programs. Skywarn Weather Spotters provide a valuable service to the National Weather Service by reporting storm damage, precipitation and other observed weather phenomena. There is no way to stop tornadoes, and not all tornadoes show up on radar, but they can be seen. See the following link for more details: Skywarn Spotter Training Program
Homework Club – Wednesdays weekly 3:15-4:15 room 124a (not on ½ days)
The Berkshire Homework Club has resumed and will throughout the school year on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15pm in room 124a. It is a great place for students to get caught up, get organized, print off work, or get that little extra help they might need. No sign-up is needed and there is no cost to attend. Parents should be ready to pick-up students promptly at 4:15pm. If you have any further questions, please contact Todd Wriska @ twriska@birmingham.k12.mi.us. *Note: there is no Homework Club on half-days for students.
Want to see a calendar of events by grade level?
Now you can! Simply visit the Berkshire Homepage; click “Quick Links” along the left-hand side; select your child’s grade and check out the calendar events posted on the page. https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Page/27
Mark Your Calendars: 2019 Spring Assessment Schedule
Winter is here and spring is soon to follow! Your child’s springtime curriculum is filled with district and state-wide mandatory testing. As you make vacation plans, dental/ doctor appointments, please consider the following dates:
8th grade PSAT test April 9th
8th grade NWEA test April 11th-May 3rd
8th grade MSTEP test April 22nd-May 3rd
7th grade NWEA test April 11th-May 3rd
7th grade MSTEP test May 6th-May 17th
6th grade NWEA test April 11th-May 3rd
6th grade MSTEP test May 6th-May 17th
*Your child’s presence at school on testing dates is extremely helpful.
Looking for a travel opportunity for Spring Break 2019 or 2020?
2020 Travel to Spain: DON’T MISS THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY! 8 DAYS IN SPAIN DURING SPRING BREAK NEXT YEAR! How can two cities that share so much history still have their own unique cultures and character?
In bustling Barcelona step inside the playful and imaginative mind of Antoni Gaudí. In elegant Madrid the scene is just as artistic and lively, as you'll discover at the Prado (arguably the world's best museum) and during your very own flamenco lesson.
Would you love to send your students on this once in a lifetime opportunity or perhaps share this experience with your child? Looking for more information? Please click on the link below or contact Mrs. Goldberg! www.eftours.com/2148389nn
Berkshire Yearbook Orders
The Berkshire Middle School 2018-2019 yearbooks are on sale now! All sales are online and the company managing all yearbook sales is Kaiser. Visit our website to place your yearbook order now (https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Page/1606). Here are other important details
Thanks for ordering your Berkshire yearbook to help preserve your Berkshire memories!
BPS Family Pride 2018-19 School Year
Four years ago Greenfield's LGBTQ parents wished to bring families from around the district together for informational meetings and social gathering on a monthly basis. We want to continue to gather ways to be more inclusive of our district's diverse families. Below are a list of monthly meetings and social events that BPS Family Pride has organized. Everyone is welcome and we have activities for students who attend as well.
2018-19 Meetings – Greenfield Media Center
Monday, March 4th – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – guest speakers – BPS counselors- Sherree Wilson & Nicole Festian
Monday, May 13th – 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. - Review mission statement
2018-19 Social Events
District end of Year Picnic – Friday, May 31st 6:30-8:00 p.m. – playground at Greenfield
Middle School Summer STEM Camp
Registration is now open!
This June and July, Oakland County middle schoolers can participate in hands-on, high-tech, project-based camps at Oakland Schools Technical Campuses. These camps will focus on STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Have your child spend this summer with like-minded students eager to get involved in career and technical education.
When? Incoming 6th graders: June 24-28 Incoming 7th graders: July 8-12 Incoming 8th graders: July 15-19
Cost? Just $190 per week, including lunch, snack and aftercare!
Sign me Up! Visit oaklandstem.com to register.
Registration is now open! Questions? Contact Daphne Hoeft at cfe@oakland.k12.mi.us or call 248.209.2516.
BPS District Code of Conduct
https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/cms/lib/MI01908619/Centricity/Domain/45/CODE%20OF%20CONDUCT.pd
March 4-22, 2019
BPS Book Drive
Donate new or gently used children's books between March 4-22 to benefit RX for Reading Detroit. Thank you to Groves, Derby, BCS, Beverly, Bingham, Harlan, Pembroke, Quarton and West Maple for serving as drop-off points! Learn more at https://goo.gl/3E7BN5
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Seaholm Boys Soccer
New and returning players
Join a Parent and Player Information Night on Wednesday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. in Seaholm’s Little Theater for details on the upcoming soccer season. New families are encouraged to attend and returning families also welcome. This will be an informal gathering with Boosters and Coaches to discuss the upcoming season. All NEW and RETURNING players need to register for the upcoming 2019 season. Register your player on Seaholm’s Soccer website: seaholmboyssoccer.com under “2019 Player Registration”. Once registered, you’ll be put on an email distribution list for all soccer program communications including camp and upcoming events. Questions? Email seaholmboyssoccer@gmail.com.
Save the date
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Muslim Unity Center “Get to know your Muslim neighbor”
1830 W. Square Lake Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48322
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Join the Muslim Unity Center and the Muslim parents of Birmingham Public Schools for a community dinner on Wednesday, April 10. Seats will be reserved in honor of BPS families and staff, with a max of three seats per family and one seat per staff. Learn more atMUCinterfaith@gmail.com.
Caddies Wanted (Please visit oaklandhillscc.com to apply)
Caddie at Oakland Hills Country Club
Home of the 2004 Ryder Cup/ 2008 PGA Championship/ 2016 U.S. Amateur Earn up to $15.00 an hour to start
Last year's top caddie earned over $25,000 Registration Fee of $50.00 cash
Includes 5 days of training, training video, caddie hat, and ball mark repair tool No Golf Experience Necessary. lust be 13 years of age and able to carp' a 30I1) bag for 4.5 hours Benefits: Flexible hours, excellent wage, scholarship opportunities (50+ winners last year), Monday golf for caddies, caddie tournament and banquet Please email Jim Roschefski with questions: OaklandHillsCaddies@yahoo.com
BPS is happy to announce that PowerSchool Registration, powered by InfoSnap, is also being implemented for Athletic Registration.
You may find the link, by clicking below:
https://secure.infosnap.com/family/gosnap.aspx?action=17931&culture=en
(As a reminder, this is an online student registration/data validation system, which allows the district to verify all student demographic, emergency and medical information, prior to the start of the athletic season. It is critical to ensure we have the most up-to-date contact and medical information for all students. The system is a secure and green process supporting our focus on safety and security. Electronic registration platforms of all kinds engage parents to ensure that information is entered properly, significantly reducing errors. The system will also allow families to electronically sign the annual permission forms. Reminder: you must still submit a physical to the Athletic Offices prior to participating. All physicals must be dated after April 15, 2018.)
