
The Weekly Update #4
January 25th, 2024

Dear Birmingham Families,
I want to express my appreciation and gratitude for your cooperation and understanding through the recent severe storm. As we have in the past, our staff and students have demonstrated great resilience and continue to push forward with daily teaching and learning.
Amidst the backdrop of the torrential rain, we submitted our WASC Accreditation Report this past week and will now accelerate our logistical preparations for the WASC Team Visit that will take place next month from March 17-20.
Please join us at the Next Coffee with the Principal on February 27th, so we can share our findings based on local and state data and feedback from staff, parents, and students that we've collected for the past year. Based on the information we've collected, we've identified 4 critical areas that we want to focus our attention for improvement over the next 3-6 year cycle:
Improve math performance schoolwide.
Increase student attendance and decrease chronic absenteeism.
Improve our system of collecting, analyzing, and acting on formative student academic data.
Develop a more coherent vision for our instructional program with consistent student expectations across all subject areas.
Our report includes a comprehensive action plan to address each of these areas that we're confident will have a significant impact on our school's continued improvement.
In our self examination, we've also identified the following strengths:
High rate (78.6%) of students graduating having earned A-G university eligibility which has fueled a large increase in students matriculating to a 4-year university
70% of our students have met or exceeded state standard in English language arts, higher than almost all local schools in the West Valley and beyond
Comprehensive student support system which has helped increase student grade point average and decrease the percentage of students not meeting athletic and extra-curricular eligibility
Many educational options for students including the following programs: School for Accelerated Studies, Career Technical Education, Honors and Advanced Placement, dual enrollment college classes, intervention/seminar classes, and a large comprehensive arts, athletics, and extra-curricular program
There is so much to be proud of, and with our new school plan, we are excited for what our staff and students will accomplish in the future.
I hope you're able to attend the next Coffee with the Principal to hear more about these successes and how we plan to address school improvement. However, even if you aren't, I will continue to share updates on the plan and our preparation for school accreditation over the next six weeks.
I wish you all the best as we approach the end of winter and toward the growth and renewal represented by the beginning of spring.
Sincerely,
Ari Bennett
BCCHS Principal
Finally, as a reminder, we have two alternative Bell Schedule days coming up in March. Monday, March 6 is an early release day, so faculty can begin our self-study work in preparation for school accreditation next year. Please be on the lookout for more information about school accreditation.
- March 12 Dismissal 1:45
- On March 12, school will begin at the normal time (8:30) on Monday, but students will be dismissed at 1:45, so the faculty have time to work together.
- March 15 Dismissal 1:10
- We have a minimum day on Friday, March 15, the day after Open House. School will begin at 8:30 and students will be dismissed at 1:10.
Happy New Year and welcome back to the final semester for Seniors!
January was off to a great start! At the end of last semester, we had an outstanding number of Seniors that made the honor roll. There were 188 of our Seniors that completed their Fall Semester with a GPA of 3.0 - 3.59 earning them on the Silver Honors List. Another 124 students made the Gold Honors List by receiving a GPA of 3.6 - 3.99. The Platinum Honors List, was the largest honors list with 189 Seniors achieving a 4.0 or above! Our Birmingham family is proud to recognize all the students who performed diligently in their academics during the Fall Semester. CONGRATULATIONS!
Jostens will be on campus on February 15th during lunchtime at the Quad for Seniors to place their cap and gown order, as well as any other Class of 2024 memorabilia. Don’t miss this last opportunity to speak to our school's representative from Jostens. Any ordering questions and/or concerns pertaining to graduation ordering can be clarified at this time.
Seniors that had 10 or more (non COVID related) absences, 10 or more period by period absences, received 50% or more U’s, 6 or more tardies in the Fall Semester of 2023 will need to appeal in order to attend Prom. Students were notified via their school email, sent through the US postal service to their mailing address on file and were also hand delivered to them through their Academy Period in mid January. At which point students will need to follow the detailed instructions that were provided to them and must be returned no later than Friday, February 16th to Ms. Franco in H68A no later than 3:00pm. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ALLOWED.
Just a reminder that February is Black History Month and so, we take the time to acknowledge our fierce African Americans’ roles in our U.S. history. This annual celebration recognizes the achievements of these leaders who have brought forth change, fought for rights and desegregation. “The time is always right to do what is right.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
LET’S CONTINUE TO WORK HARD THIS LAST SEMESTER!
12th Grade Level Academy Team
Mr. Elmore - Administrative Director
Mrs. Franco - 12th Grade Coordinator
Mrs. Reisbord - 12th Grade Dean
Mrs. Martinez - Counselor (A-F)
Mrs. Marquez - Counselor (G-N)
Mrs. Mutia - Counselor (O-Z)
Mrs. Lopez - Psychiatric Social Worker
Ms. Sedani - 12th Grade Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Venegas - 12th Grade Clerk
Sophomores!
10th Grade Field Trip to CSU-Channel Islands & Northridge was on January 26, 2024
The response was fantastic as more than 200 trip slips were submitted for the 104 slots.
From GLA 10 Coordinator Amanda Fitzpatrick
The students had an amazing time and enjoyed the College experience by visiting two separate CSU campuses.
We couldn't have done this without the entire 10th GLA promoting it in the Academy and displaying it in their classrooms!
A Big shout-out out to the entire 10th-grade team for creating and supporting this event for our Sophomores!
It was truly heartwarming to see our students excited about college and thinking about their next steps.
Thank you everyone!
CSU Channel Island
CSU Channel Island's Gym
CSU Channel Island's Library
10th Grade Honor Roll Certificate Distribution Was on January 31, 2024.
We celebrated more than 385 Sophomores for Achieving Honor Roll for Fall 2023 GPA. Students were awarded a Certificate and an Honor Roll Pin during their Academy Period Class.
Status GPA Total Students
Silver: 3.00 - 3.59 -Total of 161 students
Gold: 3.6 - 3.99 - Total of 96 students
Platinum: 4.00 - Above- Total of 128 students
Thank you from:
10th Grade Level Academy Team
Mr. Climaco- Administrator Director
Ms.Fitzpatrick- 10th Grade Coordinator
Ms. Piliposian- 10th Grade Dean
Mrs.Riuesch- Counselor ( A-F ) Ms. Rocha- Counselor (G- N ) Ms. Vasquez -Counselor (O-Z)
Mr.Rodriquez -PSW
Mrs. Salvatierra- 10th Grade Clerk
Freshmen!
Dear 9th Grade Families,
Your students are more than halfway through their freshman year of high school, and time is certainly moving quickly.
Over the past couple of months, our 9th graders embarked on several field trips, including the Natural History Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, the Holocaust Museum, and the Museum of Tolerance. Below are a few photographs from these excursions.
Last month, students had the opportunity to visit our CTE Pathway elective courses to gain a better understanding of what each course and pathway entails before making their selections.
We are currently planning a field trip to UCLA in early May, so please remind your child to check their email regularly for updates.
As always, should you have any questions or concerns, you may contact any one of us on the 9th Grade Team.
Warm Regards,
Michele Wydra
9th Grade Coordinator
Isaac Alatorre
9th Grade Administrative Director
Lillian Galvez, Lisa Gazarian, Stephanie Scherrer, & Monica Montoya
9th Grade Counselors & PSW
Nick Halic
9th Grade Dean
Jenny Constanza
9th Grade Office Technician
Parent ESL Classes
Parent Technology Classes
F.A.C.T.OR Program
In partnership with the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP), Birmingham Community Charter High School aims to support students using the CCSPP "whole-child" school improvement strategy. This strategy mitigates the academic and social impacts that affect our local communities to improve school responsiveness to student and family needs, by organizing school and community resources to address barriers to learning.
As a Community School, Birmingham strives to be more than a center of education; we strive to be the new heart of our community and help create better conditions for teaching and learning. We aim to provide services to students, families, and community members that best serve their needs, while at the same time promoting stable, healthy neighborhoods. For more information visit our page on the school website: https://www.birminghamcharter.com/our-community/community-schools
Community Partners!
EduCare Weekly Program Calendar
For the month of February, PBIS is focusing on the schoolwide expectation EMPATHY. February is the month of LOVE, so BCCHS is asking all of our patriots to show empathy and support for one another. Patriots that go over-and-above will receive REACH rewards that can be used to purchase FREE items from the student store! As a community, we pledge to look out for one another and show our kindness, compassion, and consideration.
“Kindness is the universal language that can be spoken by everyone.” -unknown