I'm so excited that we're completing our first year back together after the 18 month school closure. The school year has been challenging for all of us, but we've faced the challenges together. I'm grateful for the support we've received from Birmingham families to help address student needs and to get feedback on how we can continue to improve.

Although only the class of 2022 students are graduating on June 3rd, it feels like a culmination for all of us who have been flexible, adapted, and persevered to make it through the myriad of COVID interruptions. We return to our normal single in-person summer session which will take place between June 7 and July 1. Students will have another credit recovery opportunity that is virtual and will take place in July through an online partner. Counselors will be connecting with students and families regarding these opportunities.

As the end of the school year fast approaches, please support your student(s) to do their best, finish strong, and stay COVID safe!

Be well and enjoy a happy, healthy summer!

Ari Bennett

BCCHS Principal

It was a “starry night” for our class of 2022 seniors at this year‘s prom. On May 7th, 600 students arrived at the L.A. Zoo and took a shuttle to the Treetop Terrace where there was music, dancing, photo booth, and dinner. The venue also allowed students to visit the elephants and ride the carousel. It was a memorable night for all!

The school year of many ups and downs is finally ending. Finals are scheduled for May 31 to June 3. Please do your absolute best on your finals, because ultimately it is these grades that will end up on your transcript as the final ones before you start applying to college.

Recognition for your Spring grades will happen in the fall, and there will be opportunities for several college field trips, so keep an eye out for those being posted on ParentSquare.

Juniors who have missing credits and are not on path to graduation will automatically be enrolled into summer school. A letter will be sent out explaining the importance of attending summer school and the consequences of not committing to summer school. The counseling team will collaborate with Assurance Online School to support students' academic needs over summer. If you want more information, please schedule a time to meet with your counselor ASAP.

The SAS program will continue over the summer. Students who are enrolled in SAS classes this semester have been enrolled for SAS summer school. Also, the College Bound Summer Institute is a great opportunity to begin preparing for the college application process.

This next year is going to go very quickly. As incoming seniors, you are going to have lots of events and deadlines happening. Please get started on your college applications EARLY and start getting documents ready for things like FASFA applications now.

You are an amazing group of students. There is one more year at Birmingham. Make it count!

Finals are coming up May 31st - June 3rd. Remember, the only grades that ultimately count are those at the end of the semester - those are the grades which go on the student’s transcript and which determine graduation status and eligibility to apply to university in Senior year. Let’s encourage our students to push to get the best grades on their transcripts that they can.

The end of this semester represents the half-way point of the high school experience for the Class of 2024 - and at that point, our students are referred to as rising-Juniors. Of course, with the entire Freshman year on-line, this has been an unprecedented and no-doubt difficult journey for our students. As things return to normal, this semester we were able to take a number of students to visit the campuses at CSU Northridge and CSU Channel Islands (see photos). We also recently celebrated the academic achievements of our honor roll students (GPA > 3.0) on the grades on their transcripts from last fall semester by providing a recognition pin. Let’s do it again! Next fall we are planning several field trips to local colleges. Keep an eye out on ParentSquare for announcements when school resumes.

Summer is a great time to think about self-care. With long sunny days and warmer weather, there are more opportunities than ever to switch up your routine and enjoy what the season has to offer. Use this self-care checklist to get some ideas for taking care of yourself this summer. We hope these suggestions will help you get moving, get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Use these ideas to make your own self-care checklist this summer. Even small changes to your routine can improve your self-care practice and overall mood. Focus on new ways you can be active, get outside and get involved with your community. Make this summer a season of self-care.

Last month, several 9th graders had the opportunity to visit UC Santa Barbara. We were fortunate to have two of our alumni meet us for a Q and A and to share their inspiring stories. One of these lovely young ladies will be working on her Doctorate degree in Geological Sciences at Cornell University this fall, while the other will be working on her Master's degree in Education at UCSB beginning

shortly.

9th graders, you have almost made it through your first year of high school! Now is the time to buckle down and finish strong. Parents, be sure to check your child's Aeries snapshot. It is important that missing assignments are completed and that students are prepared going into their final exams, which begin on May 31st.

Whether or not your child is attending summer school, he/she should continue to read daily over the summer. We encourage you to head to your local library (or Amazon!) and pick up some interesting reads.

Please be advised that as your child moves to 10th grade, so will his/her counselor. Counselors will remain with their students for all four years at Birmingham.

We wish you all a restful and rejuvenating summer vacation!

Congratulations to our ASB graduating seniors: Yasmine Forgues, Jethro Lopez, Luis Macias, Desteny Medina, Yaquelyn Morales, Emily Quintero, Kelsey Rivera, William Rosales, Aracely Sanchez-Zorrilla, Alexa Sasso, Yasmine Vardi, and Madeline Vesagas. We appreciate your leadership and service to our school.

We are proud to present the ASB class of the 2022-2023 school year. Looking forward to seeing these leaders shine!

This is an exciting time of year in the Patient Care Pathway! Students are completing their final project - Glossary of Medical Terms. They are very excited about all the new medical terms they learned this year. Students compiled a list of terms and identified the prefix, root word, and suffix, along with a description of the medical term.

A student by the name of Oscar Herrera earned a full-ride scholarship to pursue a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) Certification sponsored by Continuing Life. He is very excited to begin his training and will work at Oakview Health Center in Thousand Oaks while continuing to take additional classes in the medical field. We are very excited that he was chosen to pursue this opportunity. Best of luck Oscar! Your child may be eligible for a scholarship also that is valued at $5,500 to pay for tuition, books, and uniform expenses. Please contact Ms. Epstein for more information.

Health Care Bootcamp - 7/13-7/15 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. All students are welcome to sign up! (Please refer to the attached flyer)

Here - please add the flyer for the Patient Care Pathway.

We want to encourage students (10th-12th) to sign up for Pre-Med Science! Please speak to your Counselor about exploring health care opportunities and the ability to earn high wages in the medical field. Students can also get CPR certified. Come join the fun in Pre-Med Science 1! If you want to learn more, please visit Ms. Epstein in room B77 or you can email her at e.epstein@birminghamcharter.com. Students are also encouraged to speak to their Counselors.

Students have also been learning what normal blood pressure is along with risk factors for high blood pressure. Students recently researched myocardial infarction (heart attack), cerebrovascular accident (stroke) and what it means to have a cardiovascular disease. Other chronic disorders include asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), bronchitis, emphysema, and more. Afterwards, students learned how to take blood pressure readings on each other. They really enjoyed this hands-on activity!

Students participated in a field trip to tour UCLA on May 18th sponsored by Altus, an organization dedicated to mentoring health care students. This was a great way to learn more about the college while touring the campus. BCCHS students really enjoyed themselves and are even more excited to explore health care careers!

Academic counselors and Psychiatric Social Workers (PSW's) presented and discussed the career paths of mental health, the required education , and the difference between careers in mental health (psychology, school counselor, marriage and family therapist, and psychiatrist).