We've had an emotional last few weeks at Birmingham, so I wanted to take the time to make sure you are aware of the support systems available at Birmingham. Each grade level has a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) team to address student needs. The MTSS team includes the following support personnel:

• 3 academic counselors
• 1 full time coordinator
• 1 psychiatric social worker (PSW)
• 1 dean
• 1 administrator
• 1 grade level clerk

Please refer to the Counseling Support Staff document for reference. In addition to these grade level teams, we also have a 1 A-G attendance counselor, 1 school psychologist, 1 career counselor, 2 college counselors, 1 school nurse, and 1 vocational nurse.

The goal behind having all of these support personnel, including the grade level teams, is to help make a big school feel a little smaller and more personalized to our students. We want every student at Birmingham to have an adult they trust to go to when they need help or support.

As we move through this challenging time, please know that our grade level support staff is here every day with the expressed mission to meet the needs of our students.

Enjoy the cooling weather as we move ever closer to the holiday season!

Respectfully,

Principal Bennett

The semester is almost halfway done! We are so excited with the hard work and progress you are making.

In September over 500 Juniors were given a certificate and REACH cards for being on the 1st Progress Report Honor Roll (GPA 3.0+). That is an amazing accomplishment and we are all impressed with your hard work! The next progress report will be coming out at the start of November. Please encourage your student to continue their hard work!

Graduation Checks are happening right now for all Juniors through their math classes. There will also be individual meetings with students who need extra support.

There are 2 college trips planned. Spaces are still available and permission slips can be picked up in the Blue and Gold Center.

November 3: Pomona College

November 14: UC Riverside.

Homecoming is October 10-14, with the football game on October 14 against Chatsworth and the dance on October 15. Students on the NoGo list will not be able to attend, so it is very important students are careful about tardies and fines.

If you are considering attending a 4 year college, start looking right now! Here is a site you can use to continue the search: https://collegematch.prephero.com/.

The 11th Grade Team

It was a pleasure meeting many of you at Back-to-School Night on September 22nd. We hope that you enjoyed the evening as much as we did. Thank you to those of you who purchased Boba to support 9th Grade Student Senate!

October is quite a busy month for our Patriot community. This week, we are in the midst of Spirit Week, during which we have themed days of the week leading up to our Homecoming festivities! Our Senate is also working hard on creating our Homecoming float. The theme is 2000s Nostalgia, and you will just have to come to the Homecoming Game to find out what they have created!

We encourage our students to attend both the Homecoming Football Game on Friday, October 14th, and the Homecoming Dance on Saturday, October 15th. These fun-filled activities are a great way for students to take advantage of all high school has to offer.

Another exciting event we have coming up is our Halloween Movie Night, which will take place on Friday, October 21st, at 4:30 PM in the P.A. Our student body voted, and we will be showing the movie Insidious! Admission will be free, and pizza, snacks, candy, and drinks will be sold. This event is co-sponsored by the 9th and 11th grade Senates but is open to ALL students.

Finally, at lunchtime on Halloween, all grade levels will be sponsoring several fun-filled games on the Quad!

We hope our students make the time to check out as many of these exciting opportunities as possible! Please encourage your child to do so, and remind him/her to stay on top of all assignments. The next grading window opens next week, and we would love to recognize even more students on the Honor Roll!

The 9th Grade Team

Round of applause for the students who were able to reclassify out of the English Learners program from the 2021-2022 school year! Some of those students are pictured below and although others could not attend, the celebration was in honor of everyone who achieved this great milestone.

67 students were able to reclassify in the 21-22 school year and as of now we already have 3 that have reclassified this school year and the first semester isn’t even over! Let's continue to actively support both our students who have reclassified and those still in the program. We hope to have the MPR full next time for our celebration!

Students are currently working on body systems posters and learning some new medical terms related to the twelve main systems of the human body (overview, anatomy, and functions). Students demonstrate creativity and learn the importance of working in teams. We will be voting on the winning poster and Ms. Epstein will be displaying them in her class.

Upcoming activities include resume writing and interviewing techniques. Students will also be getting CPR/First Aid certified in November/December through the American Red Cross. Students better understand the impact of CPR in emergencies, and they have an opportunity to learn a life-saving skill, become heroes, and enable them to resuscitate someone who goes into cardiac arrest.

We also have some wonderful guest speakers that will be talking to students about nursing and radiology careers, volunteering, and the qualities that are needed as a health care professional. This is a great way to learn from those that work in the medical field!

CAL-HOSA (Future Health Professionals) - is a nationwide organization that promotes teamwork and leadership for all students seeking health care careers. We are currently working with ASB to promote Breast Cancer Awareness and distribute flyers at lunch on 10/7 and at the Football game that evening. We really want to spread awareness to this very important cause. It is estimated that approximately 12.9% of women in the U.S. (about 265,000) will develop breast cancer at some time during their lives and remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we want to raise our voices together and help spread the word about the importance of breast cancer screenings and support.

Field Trips - We have two upcoming field trip opportunities in November. Students will be touring Valley Presbyterian Hospital for a Career Symposium Event. They will learn from the health professionals directly about nursing careers, working as a medical doctor, radiologist and clinical lab jobs, to name a few. Additionally, we will be touring a Senior Living Facility to learn about gerontology (caring for the elderly). We know that baby boomers are approaching retirement age and with that comes a growing need for gerontological nurses and health care professionals. It is estimated that approximately 70% of people over the age of 65 will need some form of long-term care. Students will get an opportunity to learn about some common diseases and conditions affecting the elderly and why there is such a growing need for health care professionals today.

Scholarship Information - For those students that enroll in the Patient Care Pathway - there are scholarships that are available if students want to get a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) Certification. Salaries in healthcare have increased due to the need of health care professionals. Beginning salaries for CNA's start at about $30.00 per hour. Students can enroll in Patient Care classes (Pre-Med Science 1 and Pre-Med Science 2) and take advantage of this opportunity! We participated in the College & Career Conference on Saturday, October 8. Students were available to share information about the Patient Care Pathway (Pre-Med Science Classes) as well as Cal-HOSA. If you have any questions, please contact Ellyn Epstein at e.epstein@birminghamcharter.com for more details.

Families, Parents, Guardians please visit our Attendance Page to learn more about how to report your student(s) absence: https://www.birminghamcharter.com/families-link/report-an-absence

Should you have any attendance concerns as it pertains to your child(ren) please contact the Attendance Counselor Ms. Rocha at n.rocha@birminghamcharter.com or via phone at 818-758-4476.

Come join the "Women's Choir" and "Chamber Singers" as they perform their Pop Song Concert on Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7:00pm in the Sally Field Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $5.00 in room J105 or at the door.

September 15 to October 15 is celebrated nationwide as National Hispanic Heritage Month, and at Birmingham we had many events throughout the month that honored the cultures and contributions from both Hispanic and Latinx communities. From music performances by a local folklórico and mariachi band, Latin dance and lotería lessons from our World Language department teaching staff, food sampling from the Patriot Cafe and Culinary Club, and crafts supported by ASB and Spanish Club, our students and staff were engaged in a variety of activities.

Homecoming Week is just around the corner! We invite you to join us during our "Dora The Explorer" Homecoming Week from October 11th - October 14th! We will be holding various activities every day, and we look forward to seeing you there! Our Spirit Week consists of:

Adam Sandler's Exploration Tuesday: Come dressed as Adam Sandler and join us in our Rainforest Pep Rally! Also, be sure to come out to the quad for various games (such as mini golf, and so much more!).

Boots' Pajama Wednesday: Come in your cozy pajamas and come out to the quad to play a game of knockout with inflatable tubes!

Swiper's White Lie Thursday: Wear a white shirt with a harmless "white lie" and come out to the quad during lunch for our obstacle course!

Lo Hicimos! Blue & Gold Friday: We did it! End the week by showing off your blue & gold Patriot Pride. We will be having a spirit booth at the quad and an obstacle course! This will be followed by our "Early 2000's Nostalgia" Float Parade @6 PM, Homecoming Football Game, BCCHS vs. Chatsworth, Senior Royalty reveal, fireworks, a halftime show by our many performers, and much more!

October 15th - Rainforest Nights Homecoming Dance: Lastly, let's celebrate the end of our Homecoming Week with our Rainforest Nights Dance taking place in the main gym on Saturday, October 15th @ 7 PM - 11 PM. Tickets will be sold up until Thursday, October 13th in our student store.

Hayley Rubinger

Activities Director