Your Birmingham Counselors are thrilled to welcome you back to a new school year. We hope that this year is your best one yet! As the school year begins it is an opportunity to reset and start brand new. It is a time to reinvent yourself to be the best version of yourself. Be curious about your learning. Be brave and get involved. Be yourself you're good enough. Reach out if you need help. Take a moment to envision where you want to be at the end of this school year and make every moment and opportunity count! We believe in you!

Welcome class of 2026! Hope your first few weeks of school have been going smoothly and you're feeling the Birmingham love! This month we will be calling you out to the MPR to review graduation and college requirements. We will also be looking at your grades to see what you can improve before the next grading period. If you need anything, reach out to your 9th grade counselors Mrs. Riusech (A-L) and Ms. Vasquez (M-Z)!!

Welcome to 10th grade, class of 2025! We hope you had a relaxing summer and are ready to have a successful 10th grade year. We are preparing to visit you in your History classes to review your current graduation and A-G status. We are also planning to meet with any students who are falling behind on the 6 week progress report. We are here for you! Your 10th grade counseling team, Mrs. Brown (A-G), Mrs. Perez (G-N), and Mrs. Palacios (O-Z).

Welcome back Class of 2024! We are so excited to have you back, ready for a great Junior year! We hope you all had a fabulous summer full of relaxation and fun with family and friends. We are starting our Junior Grad Checks which will involve A-G Status. We will be making visits to your Math classes to make sure you understand both graduation and A-G requirements. You will be able to ask questions and talk with your Counselor one-on-one. Your 11th grade counseling team, Ms. Gazarian (A-F), Dr. Harwin (G-N), and Ms. Mutia (O-Z).

Class of 2023 we welcome you back as seniors. This year will be filled of exciting experiences and a rollercoaster of emotions. To begin our preparation towards graduation the 12th grade counseling team will be meeting individually with students to discuss graduation requirements and college requirements.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), "By ninth grade, attendance was shown to be a key indicator significantly correlated with high school graduation".

1. The Law

Ed Code 48200: Compulsory Education: All students between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend school daily and on time.

2. School only gets harder when you stay home too much.

3. Missing 10% of school, or about 15 days, negatively affects your grades.

That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absenteeism

Potential Consequences of Chronic Absenteeism:

1. Parent/Guardian Conference

2. No-go list

3. Home visit

4. Impact on your Graduation Status

5. School Police Referral

PURPOSE:

The SAS Program is an accelerated program designed for highly motivated students that provide enrichment and ongoing support. SAS offers rigorous academic coursework preparing students to submit competitive transcripts to the most prestigious universities. SAS students will take a variety of college courses that help fulfill the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC).

BENEFITS:

• Access to a four-year community college class pathway, which allows students to complete the first two years of general education college courses (IGETC) while in high school with no cost
• Competitive transcript- augmented points on the GPA (ex. A= 5.0)

• Opportunity to take part in elite programs, such as National Equity Education Lab, where students are able to take additional college courses through universities such as Stanford, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and Howard
• Continuous support from SAS advisor in collaboration with student’s academic counselor.

Please check out our school counselor homepage for updated information and resources!

Instagram handle is @bcchs.counseling