Counseling Newsletter

As second semester begins it is important to start off strong. Remember students start off with A's and every assignment they do not complete they remove points of their grade. Every quiz or test they are not prepared brings the grade down further. Encourage your student to not have any missing assignments and monitor their grades on Aeries. You too can do the same!

In March, your student will meet with their counselor individually to select classes for the next school year! Counselors will review your transcript, missing classes, and create a schedule for your student that may include summer if they earned any D's or F's.

Spring Programming:

• 9th grade - Biology Classes

• 10th grade - English Classes

• 11th grade - History Classes

The Aeries Parent Portal is a secure website that allows parents/guardians to have "real-time" access to view their students' data including:

• Attendance
• Grades
• Class Schedule
• Transcripts (student permanent grades earned)
• Graduation Status (is student on track or not on track)
• Current Class Progress

For questions or concerns, please send email to aeriessupport@birminghamcharter.com.

January 29th, 2024 was the 100th day of school!!!! Congratulations to all the students with excellent attendance on the first 100 days of school. On Friday, February 2 we held an Attendance Celebration during lunch with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts that were a great hit!

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.

Make School Attendance a Priority

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
• Help your children maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and non-urgent related medical appointments during the school day.
• Keep your student healthy, and if you are concerned about Covid-19, call your school for advice.
• If your children must stay home because they are sick, make sure they have asked teachers for resources and materials to make up for the missed learning time in the classroom.

• If your family or your child needs attendance support, please reach out to Ms. Aparicio, for help at (818) 758-4403.

Help your Teen Stay Engaged

• Find out if your children feel engaged by their classes, and feel safe from bullies and other threats.
• Make sure your teens are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact the school and work with them to find a solution.
• Monitor you teen’s academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary.
• Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
• Encourage your child to join meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.
• • Notice and support your students if they are showing signs of anxiety

Students are monitored! They must check in and notify staff about what subject they need tutoring in. Students will be checked out when ready to leave. Parents can call counselors to find out if student attended tutoring as well as time spend there! We highly recommend if your student is earning any D's or F's that you encourage your student to attend tutoring until the grades improve.

Located in Oral Arts 2 before and after school

• English
• History
• Science
• Math

ASL Tutoring in B78 with Ms. Smith on Wednesdays and Fridays 3:30 PM- 4:30 PM

Sophomore counselors will begin meeting with students to schedule them for junior year. Sophomore counselors have been calling students out who are missing PE and Health graduation requirements. We have referred students to complete these requirements at Assurance Academy during Spring break, March 25th - March 29th. Parents need to follow up with the enrollment process. The deadline to be enrolled in Assurance Academy will be March 15th. We have also referred some students who are eligible to complete Health in our after-school CBIS program. This will also begin in mid-February. The students will need to attend twice a week from 3:30 PM- 4:30 PM. In addition, students will need to continue to work online from home.

Junior counselors will be meeting with students starting March 4th to discuss academic status and program classes for senior year. This is a crucial time for juniors. There is only one summer session left to recover those Ds and Fs. It is important that you pass all your classes with Cs or better. If you are currently struggling in a course please attend tutoring and communicate with your teachers. Please remember that your Grade Point Average (GPA) is directly tied to how much money you will receive for Financial Aid for College, so the effort you put in to get those As are worth dollars in your pocket in the future! Our goal is for all of our students to be A-G eligible so that you all have the option to apply to a 4-year college.

Senior counselors will begin meeting with students starting February 5th for graduation/A-G check meetings. Documents discussed during one one-on-one meetings including transcripts will be mailed home and emailed in the upcoming weeks. Grades and attendance are important this semester! Seniors need to clear all absences and tardies in order to participate in senior activities including the graduation ceremony. Prom Appeals are due February 16th. Please see the email from Ms Franco with more information. We encourage seniors who need additional support to see their counselors. We are here to support you!

FEBRUARY IS FINANCIAL AID MONTH

Learn about the different types of financial aid: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tow1HgiGqP9ebwieur2hhB6NwCgbSK0n/view?usp=sharing

Learn about the Better FAFSA/Better CADAA: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14CwVGyAMallcNoS262qkuMmDuiGQCGwa/view?usp=sharing

SCHOLARSHIPS

9th Grade Scholarships: http://bit.ly/scholar9

10th Grade Scholarships: http://bit.ly/scholar10

11th Grade Scholarships: http://bit.ly/scholar11

12th Grade Scholarships: http://bit.ly/12scholar

*FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM FOR SCHOLARSHIP AND COLLEGE INFO!

Big Shout Out to Mrs. Zook our Career Counselor who coordinated the visits for our 9th and 10th grades to explore CTE options at Birmingham. Also big shout out to all the CTE Teachers that opened up their classes both days to share about their programs. Lastly big shout out to the PE Teachers that guided their kids to all these CTE classrooms. Students were able to do this through their PE and Sports classes. It was a huge endeavor and our students were able to experience the CTE Pathways in action! Just. a reminder CTE Pathway is a graduation requirement.

Schedule an appointment using the links below.

Wendy Quiñonez

College Counselor (Last Names A-L)

w.quinonez@birminghamcharter.com

Schedule Meeting:

calendly.com/wq1

Erika Lopez

College Counselor (Last Names M-Z)

er.lopez@birminghamcharter.com

Schedule Meeting:

calendly.com/er-lopez

Angela Zook

Career Counselor

a.zook@birminghamcharter.com

Schedule Meeting:

calendly.com/a-zook

We are partnering up with ASB to celebrate Kindness Week: February 12th-16th! PSW and H.O.P.E. Club will be tabling with activities to honor self-love during this week! Stop by the quad during lunch this week!

Resources for mental health and the referral process for mental health support on campus.

STEP 1:

Student must have and maintain a 2.0 GPA (All grades of C or higher) to qualify for work permit.

STEP 2:

Download B1-1 Work Permit Application

*Click B1-1 Application link and download a copy at home or come to the Blue & Gold Center to pick one up.

STEP 3:

Fill out the B1-1 Work Permit Application and have your parent and employer sign it.

*No digital signatures/scanning permitted*

STEP 4:

Return the B1-1 Work Permit Application filled out and signed back to school. Drop-in, no appointment necessary.

• To: Mrs. Margie Curtis
• Where: Blue & Gold Center
• When: Monday - Friday
• Time: Between 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

STEP 5:

Either Mrs. Curtis or Mrs. Zook will print your work permit.

*Student must be present to sign the work permit

These are the minimum requirements that should be completed by each grade level for both graduation and college with a minimum grade of C or higher. Grades of D's and F's will be assigned summer school automatically.

This will let you know exactly what is an excusable absence.

See Below for more information!