Bernheim Middle School

🎃👻 It was a spooktacular Friday in Bruin Nation as we celebrated our Boo Bash! We kicked off the festivities with a Halloween-themed concert from Mr. Webb and our talented band students, who treated us to some frightfully fantastic music! 🎶 We ended the day with our BruCrus getting into the seasonal spirit with a pumpkin decorating contest and a spirited round of Halloween trivia that put their spooky knowledge to the test! We wish all of our Bruins and their families a Happy Halloween and hope everyone has a fun and safe evening! 🎃🍬

October is National Principals Month, and we are so grateful for the leadership Mr. Goff brings to Bernheim Middle School each and every day! His commitment to our students and staffulty goes far beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of being a principal. He believes in what our Bruins are capable of, challenges us to keep growing, and works tirelessly to make BMS a place where students and adults alike can thrive. His vision, encouragement, and dedication to our school community are helping us create a Legacy of Excellence with every single Bruin! 💙 To show their appreciation, our BruCru students celebrated Mr. Goff in a way that was uniquely him! Knowing how much he loves his coffee, they designed and decorated a collection of one-of-a-kind, themed coffee cups for him to enjoy! ☕ We are fortunate to have Mr. Goff leading our school, and we hope he knows how much his work matters to all of us! BRUIN CLAP ON 3! 👏👏👏

Big Smiles is coming to Bernheim Middle School for in-school dental exams and cleanings on Thursday, November 5! Your student can receive convenient dental care right at school, without needing to miss work or schedule a separate appointment. There is no cost for children covered by Medicaid/CHIP. Sign your student up by scanning the QR Code or following this link: https://www.myschooldentist.com/35294_schsrm

Mrs. Perkins' 8th grade STEM students recently put their creativity, engineering skills, and problem-solving abilities to work as they designed and built their very own pull toys! 🛠️ After bringing their designs to life, students took their creations on parade, showing off their hard work for Mrs. K's class! 🎉

We are proud to celebrate Mrs. Amanda Korby, who presented at the Advance Kentucky Fall Forum on Math Class Structures Within Project-Based Learning (PBL)! 📚✏️ Mrs. Korby shared how intentional structures can support meaningful, student-centered authentic learning while maintaining a strong focus on mathematical understanding and skill development. Way to represent Bernheim, Mrs. Korby! 🐻💙💚

What an INCREDIBLE night to be a Bruin! 🐻🎪 Thursday night's Community Contributor Carnival was one for the books! With over 600 visitors in attendance, we set a NEW RECORD for Carnival Night at BMS!

Over the past several weeks, our BruCru students worked hard to learn about and support 18 local nonprofit organizations. They connected with representatives from of those organizations, designed carnival games and informational booths, and developed service action projects to make a difference in our community.

Our Graduate Profile competencies were on full display! Students demonstrated what it means to be Community Contributors, Effective Communicators, Productive Collaborators, and Innovative Problem Solvers as they confidently shared their learning, engaged with visitors, and led their carnival activities!

We loved welcoming so many of our nonprofit partners to celebrate alongside us, including Barktown Rescue, WHAS Crusade for Children and the Shepherdsville Fire Department, Honor Flight Bluegrass, Active Heroes, David Vittitoe Memorial, Mark 12 Ministries, Alpha Ministries, Miracle League of Louisville, Ronald McDonald House, and even the Hamburglar himself!

A special THANK YOU to Alpha Ministries for donating hundreds of hot dogs for our families, and to our incredible students, staffulty, nonprofit partners, and community members who made this night possible!

Carnival Night was about so much more than games and donations. It was about helping our Bruins recognize the needs in their community, discover the people and organizations working to meet those needs, and understand that they, too, have the power to make a difference!

Creating a Legacy of Excellence! 💙💚

Last week, our 7th grade Bears House hosted their Tiny Home Expo in Ms. Bush’s classroom, showcasing a quarter of incredible cross-curricular learning! Throughout the project, students worked across all four core content areas to design energy-efficient tiny homes for real clients—staff members right here at BMS! Students connected their learning to Mark 12 Ministries and its Grace Village tiny home community, exploring how thoughtful design can help meet the needs of others. Along the way, students explored the importance of community through their study of feudalism in Social Studies, applied their understanding of thermal energy in Science, and used scale calculations in Math to bring their designs to life. At the expo, students proudly presented their scale models and design decisions to their clients, as well as their 6th and 8th grade peers! 🌟 What an incredible example of our Bruins growing as Innovative Problem Solvers, Productive Collaborators, and Mastery Learners!

Students in Mrs. Beeny's Media Literacy class recently explored the art of photography! After learning photography techniques, they put their skills to the test by capturing and composing creative images around our school. Students then hosted their own photography gallery, inviting other classes to view their work and provide feedback! 💚💙 What a great example of our Bruins growing as Mastery Learners by applying new skills, seeking feedback, and using it to improve their work!

🥧 Finding Pi in the Real World! 📏 Our 7th graders put their math skills to the test during their Access to Algebra lesson, “Finding Pi!” Students measured the circumference and diameter of everyday objects, then divided to see who could get closest to π (3.14)! Hands-on learning that helps students see math in action! 💚💙

Our Bruins are getting ready for the Community Contributor Carnival! For the past several weeks, each of our BruCrus has been hard at work creating a carnival experience to support one of 18 local nonprofit organizations! On Friday afternoon, students visited one another’s BruCrus to provide feedback on their carnival games, promotional materials, service action projects, and booth designs. This week, they'll use that feedback to make final improvements before the big night! 🎡 Join us Thursday, October 22, from 6:00–7:30 PM at BMS for our Community Contributor Carnival! Come enjoy an evening of fun while our students showcase their hard work, raise awareness for 18 incredible nonprofits, and collect donations to support their missions! 🍿 FREE carnival food! 🚚 Alpha Ministries Food Truck with a full menu available for purchase! 🍧 Kona Ice ☕ Tom's Coffee 🍋 Exsqueeze Me Lemonade More than just a carnival, this project gives our Bruins the opportunity to put their Graduate Profile competencies into action as Community Contributors, Productive Collaborators, Innovative Problem Solvers, and more! We can't wait for our community to see what our students have created. Come out, have some fun, and help our Bruins make a difference! 💙💚

13 of our 8th grade Beta Club students attended the Kentucky Beta Club Leadership Summit, where they developed valuable leadership skills, strengthened their teamwork, and learned strategies they can bring back to our school. They look forward to using these skills to positively impact our school community and serve as leaders among their peers. We are also proud to announce that six students competed in the Collaboration Connection and qualified for the National Beta Club Convention in Fort Worth, Texas! Congratulations to our Beta Club members on their accomplishments!

Today is National Instructional Coach Day. We are grateful for Ms. Watkins and the work she does for our students and Staffulty. From leading the Community Contributor Carnival to supporting our students through cornerstone authentic learning experiences, she shows up in big ways.

Ms. Watkins does many things behind the scenes that often go unnoticed. She meets with our teachers to plan and support work that go on in our classrooms. She leads our Design Studio and PLC process to support our staffulty in planning and preparation. She prepares lessons for our strategy classes and is always willing to lend a helping hand. BMS is better because of the work she does each day!

Bruin Clap on 3!

💧🌍 How does access to water impact communities and civilizations? That driving question connected learning across our 6th grade classrooms throughout Quarter 1! 📚 In Language Arts, students read A Long Walk to Water. 🌊 In Social Studies, they explored how water shaped ancient river valley civilizations. 🔬 In Science, they investigated ecosystems, clean water, and filtration. 📏 In Math, they calculated the distances some children travel to access safe water. 🎮 In STEM, they even created Bloxels games inspired by their learning! It all came together at our 6th Grade Water Expo last week, where students shared their learning with 7th and 8th graders through hands-on displays, water filters, and water walks. Best of all, our Bruins are learning what it means to be global citizens and Community Contributors by turning their learning into action. Through their support of the Ugandan Water Project, they are helping provide access to safe, clean water for a school community in Uganda. We are so proud of their work! You can continue to support their efforts this week by clicking this link and donating here: https://ugandanwaterproject.com/bernheim/ 💙🌍

Math Meets History at BMS! 📐 As our 8th graders prepare to host a Revolutionary War Encampment for 5th graders from LJES and CGES, learning is coming to life across their classes! Former BMS teacher Major Kegan Davis, joined by Bullitt Central JROTC students, helped students connect translations, rotations, and dilations to the military drills Baron von Steuben used to train troops at Valley Forge. On Encampment Day, our 8th graders will become the teachers, leading lessons they’ve designed for our 5th-grade guests and putting their Graduate Profile competencies into action as Effective Communicators, Productive Collaborators, and Mastery Learners.

🎶 Workin’ 9 to 5… but make it Bruin Nation! 💙💚 We had a whole lot of fun celebrating 9/25 Dolly Parton Day at BMS! Everyone showed up in their best Dolly-inspired fashion, students spread a little cheer by writing kindness notes to classmates during lunch, and our staffulty got a much-needed visit from the Cup of Ambition Cart! ✨

💧 Help our Bruins make a global impact! 🌍 Donate here: https://ugandanwaterproject.com/bernheim/ Our 6th graders have been learning about the importance of clean water through A Long Walk to Water and our cross-curricular Water Project. Now, they’re turning that learning into action! Our goal is to raise $3,800 for the Ugandan Water Project to help provide access to clean water for a school in Uganda. Every donation gets our Bruins one step closer to seeing the impact they can make beyond the walls of BMS. If you’re donating on behalf of a BMS student, please dedicate your donation to them so we can celebrate their contribution to our campaign! 💧 Every gift matters. Every Bruin can make a difference. Let’s reach $3,800 together! 🐻🌍

Yesterday, our 8th graders stepped back in time with a visit from the Sons of the American Revolution! 🇺🇸 Students experienced Revolutionary War history firsthand as they explored military encampments, period clothing, soldiers’ provisions, and the Culper Spy Ring through hands-on activities and secret-message decoding. The experience was especially meaningful as our 8th graders prepare to host their own Revolutionary War Encampment later in October for 5th graders from LJ and Cedar Grove. Not only did they learn more about the Revolution, but they also got to see how to engage an audience and bring history to life!

Yesterday, 8th graders interested in pursuing a healthcare pathway had the opportunity to tour the University of Louisville School of Nursing with Mrs. Clyde! Students got an inside look at nursing education and learned more about the opportunities available to them as they begin thinking about their future education and careers.

A big Bruin thank you to Perry Cooke of Mark 12 Ministries for spending time with us last week at BMS! Mr. Cooke met with our Bears House teachers to share insight from his work developing Grace Village, a tiny home community for local veterans, helping make our 7th grade tiny home project even more authentic and connected to our community. Mark 12 Ministries is also one of our Community Contributor Carnival nonprofits! Mr. Cooke visited Mrs. Tucker’s BruCru to share more about the organization as students work to create a carnival game, booth, and service action project that will raise awareness for their work. We are grateful for community partners like Mr. Cooke who help our Bruins connect their learning to authentic needs and discover what it means to be a Community Contributor! 🐻🏠💙

This week, our 6th graders welcomed Kyle Taylor from the Ugandan Water Project as part of their cross-curricular water project! Students are exploring the importance of clean water across ELA, science, math, and social studies, with their learning culminating in our 6th Grade Water Expo on October 1. Through our Wavemaker Campaign, students are taking their learning beyond the classroom and discovering what it means to be Community Contributors who can make a global impact. Our goal is to raise $3,000 to help provide clean water for a school in Uganda! 🌍 💙 Support our campaign: https://ugandanwaterproject.com/bernheim/ If you donate on behalf of a BMS student, please dedicate your donation to that student so they receive credit toward the campaign!