BHMS News from the Principal - September 18, 2020

Hello Black Hawk families,

I want to recognize all of our amazing teachers, staff, students and parents/guardians in the Black Hawk community. We have successfully completed the first week of school, a week like none other! We are working hard to successfully implement the hybrid Cohort A & B in person and at home, as well as our all digital learning academy Cohort C. Although not perfect, we are working hard to ensure each student has a positive, accessible, and inclusive experience. We want them to feel supported socially and emotionally while being academically challenged and inspired to achieve personal success throughout this school year.

The compassion, care, and patience I have witnessed in our community is humbling. I wonder, what else can we do to support each other during this challenging time? I am looking forward to working more closely with our students and families to better understand the experience of those our faculty and staff serve. I’m curious, what is working well in this new format of education? What are the challenges? How can we work together to create the safest most equitable educational environment where all students can achieve during this time of uncertainty? Please reach out if you're interested in further dialogue and opportunities for Q & A with me, Principal Anne Kusch.

Daily Student Attendance

Students are responsible for taking their daily attendance in the Campus Student app when they are distance learning from home (3 days per week). When/if they are at Black Hawk, their Panther Time teacher will take their attendance (2 days per week). Digital Academy (Cohort C) must take their own daily attendance in the Campus Student app.

Directions for the Campus Student app are located on the Student Resources page of the BHMS Website.

Academics/Student Resources

Please request tech support using the TECH HELP form, also on the Student Resources site, or reach out to us at 651-683-8521.

Cohort C Students and ZOOM

Students in Cohort C, prior to entering your synchronous learning time you MUST update your Zoom name to your first.last name. If you are not identified by name you will not be able to enter the Zoom room. Entering into the room with a false name can cause disruption and confusion. When we only have a short time together it’s important that we know who we are with and are practicing positive digital citizenship skills.

Pledge of Allegiance

Per state statute and district policy the pledge will be recited on Mondays and Tuesdays by student volunteers.

Building Hours

Black Hawk Middle School doors open at 8:15 AM daily. Unfortunately, the middle school does not have before or after school child care/supervision.

Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up

If you need to drop off or pick up your student, please use the upper level parking lot. The lower level area is reserved for buses only. Please do not park or drop off in the yellow painted curb areas or painted crosswalk in the upper parking lot. Please drive slowly, with caution and yield to students in the crosswalk areas.

At the upper level parent drop off, please turn left at the barriers and drop off only at the painted crosswalk. A detailed drop off and pick up map can be found on the Family Resources page of the BHMS website.

Families/Family resources

Fall Athletics

Boys cross-country, girls cross country, boys soccer, girls soccer and girls tennis (no volleyball)

Sports Start Monday, September 21, at 3:35 and end at 4:45 PM.
Cohort A students and Cohort C students with last name starting with A-K will participate on Mondays and Thursdays; Cohort B students and Cohort C students with last name starting with L-Z will participate on Tuesdays and Fridays. No sessions will be held on Wednesdays.
Activity buses will depart from each middle school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday at 5:00 PM.. We have three bus routes and a map for students near our lower level entrance.
Students will be supervised in the cafeteria from 2:30-3:30 PM until practice begins at 3:35 PM.
Students coming to campus from Cohort C should report to the lower level by 3:30 PM to enter and meet their coaches.
Register on myPaymentsPlus (formerly FeePay) .
Participation fee is $50
Current physical must be on file with the school nurse.
Format will be “In-House” which will include skills development and intrasquad scrimmaging; there will be no traveling to other schools in or out of District 196 for competitions.
Players and coaches will adhere to COVID-19 health and safety protocol.

Black Hawk Spirit Wear

Interested in ordering Black Hawk spirit wear? Order through September 27.

Order Spirit Wear

2020-21 Plan Regarding Damage to District-Issued iPads

What happens if the iPad issued by the school district gets damaged? In previous years, the district offered an Optional Protection Plan for $20/device to assist families with accidental damage costs. However, due to the economic effect the pandemic has had on families as well as the conversion this summer from FeePay to MyPaymentsPlus as our online payment system, the decision was made to automatically enroll ALL iPads with this coverage at no cost to families for the 2020-21 school year.

What this means is the first incident (non-intentional damage) on each iPad that results in the district being charged will be covered by the district. Beyond that, the following will apply:

There is a $40 deductible for the 2nd incident
If there is a 3rd incident, the school and family will work out a plan that makes sense for each situation
Intentional damage to an iPad is not covered (including 1st incident)
Lost iPads are not covered and must be fully replaced by the family (estimated at $344) unless a police report is provided indicating the iPad was stolen in which case, it will be replaced at no cost to the family
Power cords/bricks are not covered under this plan as any replacements for those will be the responsibility of the family (unless covered under warranty)

A Message from Community Education

Below are classes offered starting on Monday, September 21, 2020 through Community Education.

Chess!

Learn the game played by kings, queens, presidents, and laureates for centuries. Chess benefits focus, sportsmanship, problem solving, mental fortitude, and more.

Chess for Beginners 1.0 - Online (grades K-5)

Mon | Sep 21 - Oct 12 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Wed | Sep 23 - Oct 14 | 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Thu | Sep 24 - Oct 15 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Chess for Beginners 2.0 - Online (grades K-5)

Mon | Sep 21 - Oct 12 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Tue | Sep 22 - Oct 13 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Thu | Sep 24 - Oct 15 | 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Chess Intermediate & Advanced 3.0 - Online (grades K-5)

Mon | Sep 21 - Oct 12 | 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Tue | Sep 22 - Oct 13 | 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Thu | Sep 24 - Oct 15 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Chess Advanced 4.0 - Online (grades K-5)

Tue | Sep 22 - Oct 13 | 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Wed | Sep 23 - Oct 14 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Live Online

Thu | Sep 24 - Oct 22 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. | 4 sessions | $52 | Skip Oct 1 | Live Online

Extreme Coding: AR & Augmented Reality (grades 4-7)

Sun | Sep 27 | 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. | $39 | Live Online

Coding Club - Level 1 Online (grades 2-4)

Wed | Sep 23 - Oct 28 | 4:45 - 5:25 p.m. | 6 sessions | $89 | Live Online

Also available on Thursdays and Saturdays

Hablemos Espanol-University Language Center Spanish-Online! (grades K-8)

Please register by September 28.

Grades K-1

Grades 2-3

Grades 4-6

Grades 6-8

Connect & Share: Virtual Visit Sheltering Seniors

Become a virtual visitor! Connect with a senior citizen and brighten someone's day. Reach out with a smiling face and a listening ear. Help keep our older adults connected to the community while social distancing is in effect. From the comfort of your home, you can connect with others and enhance their lives. Visits on the Zoom platform of 20 minutes may be scheduled by you, weekday daytimes, some evenings and some weekends. Pick a time that is convenient for you! Register now to receive an email from a senior living facility with a link and instructions to schedule your virtual visits. Just chat, read a book or a poem, play an instrument, sing, talk sports, share your pet or anything else you have in mind to share. Free!

Swim Lessons

Learn to swim in District 196 Community Swim Lessons. Our caring and dedicated instructors are Red Cross-trained to help you and/or child enjoy developing swimming and water safety skills in our positive learning environment. A parent or household member who is at least 15 years old must be in the water with all Preschool and Levels 1, 2 and 3 lessons. Fall sessions are on weekday evenings, Saturday mornings and early afternoons also Sunday afternoons and evenings beginning October 7 at our middle school pools. Visit ce.district196.org/swim for more information and to register.