Greetings Berkshire Families:

Last call for Trivia Night tickets!!! Trivia Night will be taking place this Monday (3/20)! The Berkshire Proud Dads Club is very excited to host their annual trivia night on Monday from 6 - 9 pm at Hazel's in downtown Birmingham.  This fun filled adults only event (moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors are all welcome) will give an opportunity for Berkshire families and staff to connect as a community, play a competitive trivia game, and participate in a silent auction with some very unique items that will raise money to support Berkshire Middle School. Tickets are $40/person ($30 for BPS employees) and can be purchased in advance (https://tinyurl.com/BerkshireTrivia) or at the door). Admission includes heavy appetizers, trivia, and there will be a cash bar.
In addition, please know that Wednesday (3/22) will be a half day of school. Students will attend all classes (hours 1 – 6, but no C3) and dismissal will take place at 11:25 am. BPS staff will be participating in professional development during the afternoon.
Have a wonderful week and thanks for reading the following Berkshire Family Update!

Jason Clinkscale
Principal
Berkshire Middle School

Monday 3/20
Girls Soccer Meeting, C3, choir room
Girls Volleyball (Silver) vs. WB

Tuesday 3/21
Honors Orchestra 7am
Girls Volleyball (Silver) vs. WB
Girls Volleyball (Black) @ EH

Wednesday 3/22
Half day, dismissal 11:25am
Kind Club 7:30am, room 120
Read it and Reap with Mrs. Sweeney, 7:40am room 217
Brightmoor Community Service Project, 11:25am-12:30pm, cafeteria

Thursday 3/23
Show Choir 7:15am
Forensics 3:15-4:30pm, room 217

Friday 3/24
Morning Bagel Sales
7^th grade Field Trip to the Henry Ford Museum (bring bagged lunch)

Saturday 3/25
Spring Break begins - NO Saturday School

8^th Grade Cedar Point Trip: Thursday (6/8)
The Berkshire PTA Sponsored 8th Grade Cedar Point Trip will be taking place on Thursday (6/8) and this will be the final activity for the year for our 8^th graders. Please see the details below and on the attached flyer.
Register Online: https://myxxtours.com/mykidz/
Cost: $150
Payments Due: $75.00 Deposit Due March 24, 2023 $75.00 Balance Due April 28, 2023
Package Includes:

• Roundtrip Motorcoach Transportation
• Admission to Cedar Point
• Unlimited Drink Voucher
• Xstreme Snacks » Chaperones & Tour Operators
• Medical Technician

BPS Climate Survey 2023
For information and opt out details for the upcoming BPS Climate Survey that BPS students will be taking please see the attached PDF found at the bottom of the email.

Berkshire Girls Soccer
There will be an informational meeting for girls interested in joining the Girls Soccer Team on Monday, 3/20, in the choir room. For more information, see this letter from Coach Kacin: https://birminghamk12mius-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/jkacin_birmingham_k12_mi_us/ESq237QROWRLrEpwEhxD8nMBVFlcFqQUlTjv-ZlXKlqSSQ?rtime=RM_sN3Ql20g

Community Service Opportunity: Assemble Easter Baskets for RBI
Wednesday, March 22nd, 11:25-12:30pm
Would you like to contribute to our Easter basket filling project for RBI? Are you signed up to volunteer? Volunteers should plan to bring something for the Easter Baskets (candy is always good, something from our Amazon wish list, or snacks for the group, also on the Amazon wish list). Generous donations from families always appreciated!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4CAFA62DA4FA7-20231

BYA Youth in Service Nominations
BYA is seeking nominations for the annual Youth in Service Awards. If your child volunteers their time for others, please contact their counselor or Pam Lucken. We would love to nominate them for the chance to win the award. Deadline to apply is March 22^nd!

Chartwells Hiring at Berkshire - please share with friends and family
Work at Berkshire Middle School. Awesome schedule Monday-Friday flexible hours, no nights, weekends or holidays!! Paid holidays and sick days.  Free lunch during your break! Great employee discount program for brands like Kohler, Nike, Disney, Costco and more!! Text Pattie for an interview at 248-228-7172

Important Testing Information
District and State required assessments are necessary data points for your child’s educational pathway. We wanted to make you aware of testing dates for the second half of the school year.  We realize it’s harder and harder to find time for dental, doctor and personal appointments, but your child’s attendance on test dates is important. When they are absent on a test date, they need to be pulled on other dates or from other classes for make-ups- this can be disruptive to their learning. Please make every effort to refrain from appointments on testing dates. Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated! 8^th Grade Parents: PSAT is extremely important, please make every effort to have your student in the building, on time, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

6^th Grade

• End of Year iReady Testing Window for ELA & Math: May 1^st-19^th
• MSTEP Math: 5/2/2023-5/4/2023
• MSTEP ELA: 5/5/2023, 5/8/2023-5/9/2023

7^th Grade

• End of Year iReady Testing Window for ELA & Math: May 1^st-19^th
• MSTEP ELA: 4/24/2023-4/26/2023
• MSTEP Math: 4/27/2023-4/28/2023, 5/1/2023

8^th Grade

• End of Year iReady Testing Window for ELA & Math: May 1^st-19^th
• PSAT: 4/12/2023-** This test is very important and an integral part of SAT practice testing
• MSTEP Science: 4/17/2023-4/19/2023
• MSTEP Social Studies: 4/20/2023-4/21/2023

Questions regarding testing? Please contact Wendy Cummins at Wcummins@birmingham.k12.mi.us

6^th Grade Families: mark your calendars
On Friday, May 26, 2023 there will be no school for current Berkshire 6^th Graders. Berkshire will be hosting 5^th grade students for Move Up Day. 7th grade students, and 8^th graders not attending the Washington DC trip will have school as usual. 

Yearbook Order
The 2022-23 yearbook is selling fast. ONLY PRE-ORDERS ARE GUARANTEED. We cannot promise there will be copies to sell the last week of school. To ensure your child gets a yearbook, order now. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/2s496my3 to purchase a book. Yearbooks are on sale now for $42, (the price is going up in February). Berkshire works with Walsworth Publishing Company to create our book, and all sales will made online through their platform. Students will receive their books during the last week of school. If you have any questions or concerns, the Yearbook Adviser, Chelsea Gacki, can be reached at cgacki@birmingham.k12.mi.us.

PTA News: Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser
Would you like to treat the family to a nice meal and help Berkshire PTA raise money? 

Come to Chick-Fil-A at 28588 Telegraph Rd. Just south of 12 Mile road on April 14th.

Just say “Berkshire,” 10% of sales will be donated to the PTA

For other PTA News, see our PTA Newsletter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IopKiNbeKF44lVbKEN7hGkcUDrGqu3zSEOT3bHcyWtE/edit?usp=sharing

Berkshire Bucks
Congratulations to this week’s Berkshire Bucks winners
Names were drawn from the many people who were spotted doing great things:
8^th grade: Molly F., Niles F., Sophia B., Chloe M., Mason G., Juno V., Aaron W., Taye M.
7^th grade: Pearl S., Liam F., NyAri G., Jill J., Teagan T., Connor M., Eleni B., Ethan C., Michael M.
6^th grade: Gia C., Savvy, Ella S., Octavius C., Kyan R., Layla T., Sophia D., Elowyn B., Dakota N., Henry N.

We are excited to celebrate great behavior with positive incentives, and thank families who have built up our stash of prizes! Our students always love $5 or $10 gift cards to Starbucks, Target, Door Dash, etc., or anything on this Amazon wish list:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1EGCAX3YZZFJK?ref_=wl_share
If this speaks to you, and you would like to support, THANK YOU! Items can be dropped off at our front desk, c/o Pam Lucken or Berkshire Bucks.

BPS AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH FUNDRAISER
April is typically known as “Autism Awareness Month.” Since 2011, there has been a push from the Autistic community to shift the language to “Autism Acceptance Month.” The word “acceptance” was chosen intentionally because it conveys a shift in thinking, and goes beyond just being aware that autistic people exist. It’s about equal rights and justice for the autistic community, treating autistic people with autonomy and respect, and adopting a “nothing about us without us” mindset that autistic people should be at the center of conversations about autism. The Autistic community is using the rainbow infinity symbol to demonstrate the vast diversity within the spectrum, and red as the color for representation.
This April, in order to increase our collective community acceptance of our Autistic students, we are selling shirts with this messaging. Every purchase made will raise funds for our students. The students in our ASD classrooms will be voting on how these funds can be used in their schools and classrooms later this spring. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt in preparation for autism acceptance month, you may do so here.
If you are interested in further education regarding the culture shift surrounding autism acceptance, please check out any of the resources below.

• Why is the puzzle piece becoming taboo?
• Why Autistics don’t consider “light it up blue” a good thing?
• Neurodiversity & Autism
• Identity-first language: Autistic Person versus Person with Autism

BPS Girls in STEM Events
The last Girls in STEM event at Oakland Schools Technical Campus is on 4/4.  Register for this awesome event: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-YfrUEGk9Eahv8Zbg6ArB-rzKon0TDC4qZAIEhAMtzI/edit?usp=sharing
There will be additional Girls in STEM events to come in late April and in May.

Upcoming Community Events and Volunteer Opportunities
Looking for ways to stay involved with Berkshire, to get your own kids involved in Berkshire service projects, or to find service opportunities for your Groves student?
Bookmark our community service page, which will be updated with signups, and new dates as they are set.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XDxKUVHp71cJlvfxh7AM1o3WERXBK7Pds9DcfjgF_2U/edit?usp=sharing

Volunteer Opportunity for NJHS!
Bingham Farms STEM Night 5-7:45pm
28 volunteers needed to help with activities from the Hands on Museum, Robot Garage, and iCode.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A054AA5AC23ABF85-stem  

Collecting Socks for Saint Vincent De Paul
A local Eagle Scout is collecting socks for Saint Vincent De Paul as part of his Eagle Scout Project. Donations can be sent in and placed in a bin near the front office between now and April 4th. If you’d like to send socks from Amazon, here is a wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/252QKEDWP5WDK?ref_=wl_share

Spring 2023 Birmingham SNAP Flag Football League
April 15-June 4^th
Non-contact, recreational, once a week, teams for boys, teams for girls. Register now by 4/1
www.communityed.net

STORYTELLING - CREATING – PRODUCING
The Birmingham Family YMCA and YArts are thrilled to partner with NiceWork Public Media to pilot a new curriculum for The LegaciesProject. This is an intergenerational story capture program where teens work as production teams to produce short documentaries from interviews they conduct with area seniors. MEETINGS Mondays March 20th - May 22nd & Wednesday May 31st (no class on March 27th) 6:00-7:30 PM AGES 13 - 17 COST Only a $20 registration fee!  ymcadetroit.org/yarts

Caddie Training
Forest Lake Country Club – April 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th
To register please text David Morton at 248-417-3632 or email davidkmorton98@gmail.com

Attachments:
messages/attachments/dc7d83829b850cf02ae7e49128714b36/BPS_Climate_Survey_Informational_and_Opt-out_Family_Letter_2023.docx.pdf (81.1 KB)
messages/attachments/980059ab7a1664c07ef5fd73884e3ce4/8th_Grade_Cedar_Point_Trip_LYT_2023_CP_Explosion.pdf (244.3 KB)