Dear East Hills School Community:

As we head into March, it is the time of year that we begin to plan and collect information in preparation for next school year.  This includes important deadlines for middle school and high school course selection sheets. Sign-up is now available for current 8th-grade families to set up their individual meetings with Bloomfield Hills High School counselors.  Also if you have a current third-grade grader in your home, we are excited to share that we will be hosting a Virtual Incoming Fourth-Grade Parent/Guardian Orientation Night on Thursday, March 18, beginning at 7:00 p.m.  

“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.”
–Althea Gibbons

Mr. Rubel

With the Board of Education vote to a full return to school starting on Monday, April 5, 2021, we are adjusting the calendar accordingly:

• Quarter 3 ends on March 26, 2021 (rather than April 9, 2021) 
• Quarter 4 begins on April 5, 2021 (rather than April 12, 2021)

This adjustment provides for a clean transition after Spring Break - concurrently closing out a marking term with the end of the am/pm hybrid model and decreases the number of transitions that students experience in the new learning model.

Please join us for our March Virtual PTO meeting Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00 p.m. Charlie Hollerith, Bloomfield Hills High School Principal, will be joining us to share information about the high school experience at BHHS!

As the date approaches, we will send out another announcement with the Zoom link information. We hope to see you at the meeting!

As we enter March, we will be starting the scheduling process for next year. Students in fifth grade, sixth grade, and seventh grade will receive course selection information soon.  Along with the course selection, you will want to consult our Bloomfield Hills Schools Middle School Course Description Book for more information about our course offerings. Fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade course selections are due Friday, March 26.  It is important that the course selections are turned in on time as it helps in preparing for next school year. If you have any questions, please contact your child's counselor.

• Tom Kalanquin – 5th Grade & 6th Grade Counselor – tkalanquin@bloomfield.org or (248) 341-6203
• Tamarcus Southward – 7th Grade Counselor – tsouthward@bloomfield.org or (248) 341-6204

Friday, March 5 marked the halfway point of the third quarter.  During the week of March 8, teachers will complete progress reports for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. Once the reports are complete (usually around mid week), you will be able to review the progress report in MiStar.  Progress reports are paperless. If you would like a progress report mailed to your home, please contact the main office (248) 341-6200 or email Mrs. Bridges at kbridges@bloomfield.org

Picture day has been scheduled for Friday, April 9. While an exact schedule for that day has not yet been established, please know that:

• AM in-person students will have pictures taken during their AM cohort.
• PM in-person students will have pictures taken during their PM cohort.
• Distance Learning (Remote/Virtual) students will have a block of time set aside to come to the building to have their pictures taken.

More information, as well as a link to order pictures online directly through Lifetouch, or to a downloadable picture order form, will be included in a future News from East Hills broadcast.

As an IB student, I recognize that all people are different.  I listen to the points of view of others and consider many possibilities before making a decision. I respect, appreciate and celebrate the differences that make all people unique.

March SEL Weekly Lessons - Diversity & Inclusion
Throughout the month of March we focus on Social Awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

8th Grade High School Transition Activities for Students Moving Up to Bloomfield Hills High School - Fall 2021
There are important dates for the transition activities for 8th graders moving on to Bloomfield Hills High School in the Fall of 2021. 

---Monday, March 15: High School Counselor Virtual Group Meetings for Students Only

---Monday, March 22: 8th Grade Students and Parents/Guardians - Virtual Individual Counseling Meeting

Please check out your email and our website for more detailed information as action is required by both students and their parents/guardians.

The faculty and administration at East Hills are looking forward to welcoming current third-grade students to East Hills next fall.  To provide you with information about East Hills, you are invited to attend the Virtual Incoming Fourth-Grade Parent/Guardian Orientation Night on Thursday, March 18, beginning at 7:00 p.m.  A Zoom link will be sent out closer to the actual presentation date.  Our Virtual Orientation Night will be hosted by Mr. Rubel (Principal), Mrs. Konzen (Associate Principal), and Mr. Southward (Counselor).

We cannot wait to connect with all of our third-grade families and are very much looking forward to the 2021-2022 school year!

EHMS and BHHS Science Olympiad teams competed in the annual Regional Competition for Oakland County. A total of 9 EHMS teams and 14 BHHS teams won medals ranging from 2nd to 8th place. Congratulations!

The East Hills PTO is excited to host parenting author Michelle Icard on Zoom for our families!  Michelle is an expert in parenting tweens & teens and she is coming to answer all of our parenting questions LIVE on Zoom!  She has written a new book, 14 Talks By Age 14, which is about having conversations with your child about becoming independent, living with technology, and changing friendships. The virtual meeting will be on March 24th, from 7:00 p.m. Link will be provided after registration.  The books are available for purchase online and pickup from East Hills. Order early, books and spots for the virtual meeting are in very limited numbers!

While our 8th-grade students have been transitioning between classes while in-person all school year, our 6th-grade and 7th-grade students began to do so in March.  Designated spaces are labeled and adult supervision exists throughout the hallways to ensure that students are spaced out during the transitions between classes/rooms.  All table/desk surfaces are sprayed and wiped down in between classes by the teachers, and students continue to have seating charts in each classroom.  For the month of March, 6th-grade and 7th-grade students will remain cohorted and travel as one group.  This process allows for students to be able to move and connect with friends from a distance.  Additionally, teachers are able to utilize all the resources found in their classrooms to provide the best possible instruction. 

Register Now for the Bloomfield Baseball League 2021 Spring Season. The BBL offers baseball for boys and girls for grades pre-K through high school. Teams are generally organized by school and by age group, so your kids will have a chance to play with their friends and classmates.  Team placement is done by order of registration, so register soon for the best chance to play for your school team. If you have any interest in volunteering as a head or assistant coach we have a place for you as well.  For more information or to register visit our website at www.bloomfieldbaseball.com or visit us on Facebook. 

Michelle Parks, 4th grade teacher at East Hills Middle School, was recently visited by State Representative Mari Manoogian to be awarded “Teacher of the Month.”

All children are eligible to receive meals from BHS at this time. Curbside pickup is available:

Mondays and Thursdays
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills High School

March is Reading Month is fast approaching!  As in previous years, the East Hills Media Center in collaboration with the Bloomfield Township Public Library and the East  Hills PTO is organizing March Reading Madness, where 16 books will compete to earn the title as the East Hills Book of the Year!  For the success of this wonderful program, we are asking our community to help support and purchase books to contribute to this year’s book wish list.  If you would like to participate, you can reach out to Mrs. Amatulli, our East Hills media specialist at lamatulli@bloomfiled.org

Thank you for all your efforts supporting literacy at school and at home!

Bloomfield Hills Schools has Summer Camp opportunities for all ages, all abilities, and all interests! New this year, families have the option to select individual days, an entire week, and an option to pay for the entire summer. Camps include:

• Huck Finn (Grades K-3)
• Bloomfield Summer Fun (Grades 3-7)
• Sports and Adventure (Grades 3-7)
• Bowers Farm Summer Camps

Questions? Contact Recreation@bloomfield.org.

East Hills office staff is available during school hours on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday to families who need to pick up pre-arranged learning resources, art supplies, Chromebooks or Chromebook accessories. THE BUILDING IS CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS. 

NOTE ABOUT CHROMEBOOKS: Chromebook pick-up or exchange must be arranged in advance by e-mailing Mrs. Heppler, the East Hills Media Center Para at pheppler@bloomfield.org   

NHS Tutoring is back up and running! Please use this NHS Tutoring link to sign up. Tutoring will be available to all middle school and high school students throughout the remainder of the school year. Subject areas include English, Social Studies, Science, Math, and World Language. If you find a student with a specific tutoring need/course not on the form, please reach out to Mrs. Laliberte (klaliberte@bloomfield.org) to help pair the student up with an NHS tutor in that respective area.

BHS families and staff are strongly encouraged to report ALL student or staff possible or positive COVID-19 cases using this form.