Greetings Berkshire Families:

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for a fantastic first week! I hope everyone is staying dry and safe after the sudden thunderstorms on Thursday. I am so grateful all of our Wildcats made it home safely right after dismissal.

Middle school can certainly be demanding as everyone adjusts to new schedules and expectations, but with our incredible school community, we have got this! Enjoy a restful and well-deserved long Labor Day weekend with family and friends. Please take a moment to review the upcoming dates, athletic updates, and safety reminders below as we prepare for the busy weeks ahead.

Sincerely,
Jason Clinkscale
Principal
Berkshire Middle School

Franklin Labor Day Round-Up
Looking for a fun way to connect with the community and earn service hours? The annual Franklin Labor Day Round-Up is a wonderful local tradition featuring activities for all ages and opportunities for students to get involved. Learn more about the event and volunteer opportunities here: Franklin Labor Day Round-Up.

Join Our Berkshire Team – Noon Aides Needed!
Berkshire is looking for Noon Aides to help support our students during lunch and recess. This is a great opportunity to be part of our Wildcat community while helping us create a safe, positive, and welcoming environment for our students.
Schedule:
Monday–Friday
Time: 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Alana Purnell at apurnell@birmingham.k12.mi.us.
We would love to have you join our Berkshire team! 

Bike, Scooter & E-Bike Safety Reminder
As more students choose to ride bikes, scooters, and e-bikes to and from school, we want to take a moment to remind everyone about the importance of safe and responsible riding. Recently, some parents and community members have shared concerns about students engaging in unsafe behaviors such as riding at excessive speeds, ignoring stop signs, performing tricks, and not sharing sidewalks and pathways safely with pedestrians. These behaviors create safety risks for riders, walkers, drivers, and neighbors. Concerns similar to these were recently shared with the school by a parent who observed students riding unsafely on their way to and from Berkshire. 

We ask all families to review appropriate riding expectations with their students. Riders should obey all traffic laws, stop at stop signs, ride in a safe and controlled manner, yield to pedestrians, and be respectful of community property and neighborhood rules. Students should also avoid riding side by side in ways that block sidewalks or pathways. Most importantly, always wear a helmet when riding.

We are glad to see many students taking advantage of the new sidewalks and pathways that connect our community to Berkshire. Whether students walk, bike, scooter, or ride an e-bike to school, it is important that everyone use these routes responsibly and respectfully so that pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers can travel safely.

Thank you for partnering with us to reinforce these expectations and help keep our students and community members safe during their commute to and from Berkshire.

Thank you for your support.

CURRICULUM NIGHT - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
We are hosting our Berkshire Curriculum Night for parents/guardians on Wednesday, September 9^th from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.  This is your opportunity to live the Berkshire Middle School day of your child.  You will follow your child’s odd schedule of classes in PowerSchool.  Below you will find the time allotted for each period during Curriculum Night.  All classes will begin promptly at the designated time listed below.

• Arrive early and consider carpooling, due to limited parking.
• Follow your child’s ODD day schedule for Semester 1.
• Teachers will supply a class syllabus for each of your student’s classes.
• This evening is planned for parents/guardians – given class size constraints, students and younger siblings should not attend.
• If unable to attend, feel free to email your student’s teachers to receive information.
• Students should fill out their odd day schedule below for parents before Wednesday evening.

Period	Time (P.M.)	Class	Room
Arrival	6:30 – 7:00	Socialize/Sightsee	School
1st Period	7:05 – 7:15
2nd Period	7:20 – 7:30
3rd Period	7:35 – 7:45
4th Period	7:50 – 8:00
5th Period	8:05 – 8:15
6th Period	8:20 – 8:30

Berkshire Athletics – Fall Sports Reminder
Fall sports are getting underway soon, and we’re excited to see our Wildcats back in action! Families, please make sure your student-athlete is ready to participate by completing the following:

• Register for fall athletics through Final Forms: https://birmingham-mi.finalforms.com/ 
• Upload a current physical dated April 15, 2026 or later. Students must have a valid physical on file before participating in practices or tryouts.
• The payment link in Final Forms will be available Monday, September 7, 2026.
• Be sure to check Final Forms and your email regularly for important updates and communication from coaches.
• Please contact Berkshire’s Athletic Director, Alana Purnell with any questions: apurnell@birmingham.k12.mi.us 

PICTURE DAY - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Order forms will be sent home with students the week of September 7.  Parents/guardians may preorder pictures using the link below and entering Berkshire’s School ID Code: 26BERKSHIRE27
Direct Link: Click here to Preorder your Berkshire Middle: 26/27 School Pictures from Kaiser Studio

Middle & Elementary School Students Attending High School Football GamesFor the safety and enjoyment of all spectators, the following guidelines for all BPS middle and elementary school students in attendance at Groves and/or Seaholm home varsity football games must be followed:

• Students must be accompanied by an adult/guardian. 
• Students must remain under the supervision of that guardian while at the stadium.
• Students must remain seated with their parent/guardian in the bleachers.
• Middle school students must also have their IDs at all times while in attendance at the stadium.
• Standing, loitering or horseplay under and/or around the bleachers or any other area is prohibited.

Honoring Senora Rodriguez
Berkshire students and staff are thinking of our beloved Senora Rodriguez ❤️‍🩹.
Join us in supporting one of the nonprofit organizations Senora and her Equestrian Club worked so hard to support. Canter helps find homes for retired racehorses. 
You can find Canter Michigan’s PayPal and Zeffy here: https://share.google/BJjObK6hyb2wwh6RZ

BERKSHIRE BAGEL FRIDAYS
Preorder your Friday bagels, helping us achieve accurate ordering, and supporting Berkshire initiatives and local nonprofit organizations along the way. Thanks to our preorders, we have already made a donation to Canter in memory of our beloved Senora Rodriguez.

Those who have ordered will pick up their bagels as usual on Friday from our bagel crew, and a limited amount will be available for purchase at that time as well.

To purchase, fill out the form with your order, and pay $30 for 32 bagels during the year: Berkshire Bagel Order Form
Bagel sales will begin next Friday, September 11th.

PLASTIC GROCERY BAG COLLECTION
Help our Green Club by donating some of your CLEAN plastic grocery bags. We will be turning them into plarn, which will then be used to make sleeping mats for people in need. A collection bin will be outside the front office.

BERKSHIRE IS AN NWF GREEN FLAG SCHOOL 
Thanks to the work of the Green and Garden Clubs, as well as Mr. Wriska's C3 and some of Berkshire's longstanding environmentally careful choices and environmental learning opportunities, Berkshire has been certified as a National Wildlife Federation Green Flag School! This is an honor and represents many hours contributed by the Berkshire community, and we are proud 

2026-27 YEARBOOK ORDER
The 2026-27 yearbook is on sale now!
Please visit https://www.yearbookforever.com/school-store/IJV1Uu2n7lB0g4MWE4w6H2vA to purchase a book.
Yearbooks are on sale now for $45. Purchase now before the price goes up December 1st. Berkshire works with Walsworth Publishing Company to create our book, and all sales will be made online through their platform. Students will receive their books during the last week of school. Any questions can be directed to the Yearbook Adviser, Chelsea Gacki at cgacki@birmingham.k12.mi.us

🚀 Girls in STEM Is Back!
Girls in STEM gives middle school girls the opportunity to explore, create, and have fun with STEM! Throughout the school year, girls will participate in exciting, hands-on experiences, explore STEM careers, meet inspiring professionals, and discover just how many possibilities there are in the world of science, technology, engineering, and math. A few past experiences have included visiting Victor’s Aviation, exploring extended reality, visiting a veterinary hospital, and learning to fly drones.
Ready to get your daughter involved with Girls in STEM? Click here to learn more and sign up to receive notifications about upcoming events!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12VZN7WM6WSRqiaYqxKyfxe
OiQ0YoFODyN7X5yKmbKJ8/edit?usp=sharing

Berkshire Parking Lot Rules for Student Drop Off and Pick Up
Parents/families… We need your help in the Berkshire parking lot! Berkshire is committed to maintaining a policy of safety and respect regarding transportation and parking. The following guidelines have been established to promote this policy.  Please read this carefully as you prepare to begin dropping off and picking your child up from school. Thanks for your support in helping keep our parking lot safe and accident free.

Parent/Driver/Student Rules:
Drop Off - Students that are being driven to school should be dropped off curbside (sidewalk) in the driveway circle or along the sidewalk surrounding perimeter of the parking lot. To assist with the flow of traffic, please pull your car forward as far as possible in the circle. We do not want any students walking across lanes of traffic or through the parking lot.  Please do not leave any vehicles unattended in the circle.  If you need to come into the building, please use one of our many available parking spaces. 
Pick Up - Parents that are picking students up after school should line up along the perimeter of the entire parking lot and circle drive.  DO NOT line up in the parking lot lanes. Students should enter vehicles curbside (sidewalk) and should not cross lanes of traffic or walk through the parking lot without an adult to get to a vehicle.  Again, please do not leave any vehicles unattended unless they are parked in an appropriately marked parking space.
You MUST obey all traffic laws on the streets surrounding the school at ALL times. We will be enlisting the help of law enforcement throughout the year.  Parking lot speed is 10 MPH.
Understandably, mornings and afternoons can be extremely hectic as we are all rushing to get to many different places.  However, our students’ safety has to be our first priority.  Therefore, please take time and drive slowly through our parking lot.  Your cooperation with these basic safety rules is greatly appreciated.

CHARTWELLS DINING SERVICES
All Birmingham Public School students will have the option of a free breakfast and lunch, which includes a fresh fruit and veggie bar!  Nutrition Team members will encourage a complete meal, but students have the choice.  If they don’t take a fruit or veggie, there is an ala carte charge.  Milk is not required but it’s offered.