Dear Birmingham Family,

Happy September. Please find the latest news from Birmingham.

We've been conducting assemblies for each grade level with an emphasis on building community, strengthening relationships, and being inclusive and supportive to all members of the Birmingham community regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual identification, disability, or language. These assemblies are being led by the Grade Level Academy Teams including the coordinators, counselors, deans, and social workers to ensure all students have an understanding of our value system and clear expectations for the rules of the school.

I'd also like you to be aware of a new opportunity for students to share their voice at Birmingham. I emailed the student body an application to be on the Principal's Student Advisory Council. I'm looking for 8 students, ideally 2 in each grade level and representatives of at least most of our programs on campus. Objective: To ensure that student voice is heard by the principal and that there is ongoing feedback about what is working and what isn’t working from the student perspective.

• Meeting Time and Dates: (12:15-1:00; lunch provided) Sept 25, Oct 23, Nov 20, Jan 29, Feb 26, March 26

• Application Due Date: September 16, 2024, at 12:15 pm.

• Students that are interested in being selected for this Advisory Council must complete the application and include a paragraph explaining why they would like to participate and include details as to what they would contribute during meetings.

• Directions: Complete the application and email it to Mr. Bennett (a.bennett@birminghamcharter.com)

• Please discuss with your student and if your student is interested, please encourage them to apply.

September Activities/Events/Meetings:

• Wednesday, September 11th: Due date for teachers to submit grades for the first reporting period.

• Friday, September 13th: Movie Night for 9th Grade students and Link Crew Leaders

• Monday, September 16th, HR Committee Meeting at 3:45 in the Counseling Center Conference Room

• Tuesday, September 17th, Coffee with the Principal 9:00 am and 7:00 pm (MPR)

• Wednesday, September 18th, Late Start: School Begins at 9:40

• Wednesday, September 18th, Curriculum and Instruction Committee Meeting at 3:45 in the Faculty Dining Room

• Thursday, September 19th, Back to School Night 6:00-8:00

• Friday, September 20th Senior Sunrise: 6:00 am - 8:15 am on the soccer field

• Friday, September 20th, Minimum Day: Dismissal at 1:10

• Tuesday, September 24th, Student Services Committee Meeting at 3:45 in the Faculty Dining Room

• Wednesday, September 25th: First Day of School Tours for prospective families (contact Parent Center for more information)

• Thursday, September 26th: Finance Advisory Committee Meeting at 3:45 in the Counseling Center Conference Room)

• Saturday, September 28th: Board Meeting at 9:00 am in the MPR

What are Committee Meetings? The Birmingham Charter created the following Standing Committees of the Board to focus on governance tasks and/or policy recommendations.

• Student Services Committee: Addresses policies related to student welfare, student safety, student discipline, attendance, and student activities

• Members:

• Administrative Director

• Dean

• 3 Certificated Employees

• Student (assigned through Associated Student Body)

• Social Worker

• Parent (contact s.obloy@birminghamcharter.com for more information)

• Board Member

• Curriculum and Instruction Committee: Addresses schoolwide curricular and instructional initiatives including taking the lead on proposing school instructional calendars

• Members:

• Every Department Chair (10)

• Administrative Director

• Parent (contact Dr. Carlo Purther at c.purther@birminghamcharter.com for more information)

• Student (Assigned through Associated Student Body)

• Board Member

• HR Committee: Addresses employee benefits, incentives, and work-related issues

• Members

• Director of HR

• Classified Employee

• Certificated Employee

• Administrative Director

• Facilities Committee: Addresses all issues related to facility maintenance, repair, and renovation

• Members:

• Chief Business Officer

• Chief Executive Officer (Principal)

• Athletic Director

• Board Member

• Finance Advisory Committee: Provides oversight and policy recommendations regarding the fiscal operations of the school including annual internal and external operations

• Members:

• Standing Committee Chairs (5)

• Chief Business Officer

• Chief Executive Officer

• Board Member

I hope the beginning of the school year has started off smoothly for your student and your family. Keep cool and be safe:)

Sincerely,

Principal Bennett

Happy fall to our Class of 2028 parents and students!

Tips for Success!

Progress report one will be coming out this month. It is an excellent way to check how your student is doing academically so far. Here are some tips for success:

• Aeries

• Monitor your student’s Aeries portal for grades, attendance, and missing assignments.

• Google Classroom

• Ask your student to log on to their Google Classrooms and click “View Your Work” to see what is “Turned In” or “Missing.”

• Communicate with Teachers

• Communicate with your student’s teachers through email or Parent Square

• Tutoring in

• Before school in OA-2 : M, T, TH, F (7:30-8:20AM), W (8:30- 9:20 AM)

• After school in OA-2: M, T, W, TH (3:30-4:30 PM)

• After school in B-79: before every progress report with LinkCrew

• Tutoring may also be available with individual teachers. Your student should ask their teachers.

• Setting Expectations with your student

• What is your expectation of your student? (Ex. Grades of Cs or better)

• What is the consequence if your student’s grades drop? (Ex. taking cell phone away, removing video game console)

Events

The freshmen have already experienced so many exciting events and there are more on the horizon. Students attended the Welcome Back dance on August 24th where we had food trucks, dancing, and an amazing DJ! Students played carnival booth games to play prizes and video games as well. On September 13th, students get to explore all the clubs offered at Birmingham during Club Rush. Clubs are a great way to build community and we strongly encourage your student to join a club that interests them. This year, we have all types of clubs for everyone! Some examples are anime club, skate club, film club, Academic Decathlon, Freshman Senate, and more!

There are several upcoming events to get excited about as well! On September 13th, it's showtime because Linkcrew is hosting a Movie Night. Students can unwind, enjoy, and dive into the magic of movies with choices including Disney, comedy, horror, and more! Movie snacks will be provided so stop by for an awesome way to socialize and make new friends! Back to School night is also on the horizon. Back to School Night is an important part of your child's time here at Birmingham! Please come meet your child’s teachers and see all that our amazing school has to offer on September 19th.

Finally, Freshman Tailgate will be October 4th. This will be the first home game that our football team has this season and freshmen get free entry if they bring their ID. There will be food, games, and chances to meet new people before the Junior Varsity and Varsity football games. Encourage your student to stop by and watch our fantastic football teams play!

Leila Haghi

9th Grade Coordinator

The 9th Grade Team

Edwin Avarca Leila Haghi

9th Grade Administrative Director 9th Grade Coordinator/Lead Teacher

Oversees 9th grade Academy Coordinates/supports students and staff

Hiyas Mutia, Sabrina Marquez, Cindy Martinez, & Brooke Lopez

9th Grade Counselors & PSW

Supports students academically and emotionally

Melissa Reisbord Rebecca Venegas

9th Grade Dean 9th Grade Office Clerk

Addresses discipline and behavior matters Leads on attendance/communication

Primary parent contact- (818) 758-4481

August 2024 Newsletter We're thrilled to welcome back our Sophomores for the new school year 2024-20245! It's fantastic to see them off to a great start for the 2024-2025 school year.

I'm delighted to share that our first Class of 2027 Student Senate meeting took place on Monday, August 19, during lunch. We've got a lot of exciting plans, discussions, and fun activities lined up! All Sophomores are encouraged to join us every Monday in F-39 at 11:40 am.

For our Spring 2024 Honor Roll Students, we will be recognizing achievers with Silver, Gold, and Platinum honors. We'll be celebrating 178 students for Silver (3.0-3.59), 130 students for Gold (3.6-3.99), and 74 students for Platinum (4.0-above). The recognition will be for students with a Spring GPA of 3.0 and above. Each student will receive a certificate and pin based on their GPA.

The first student progress report for this school year will be submitted on September 11th, and progress reports will be sent home with your student on September 16th.

Club Rush is scheduled for September 13th in the Quad at Lunch. The Class of 2027 Student Senate will be promoting the Sophomore Senate, along with other amazing clubs on campus. This is the perfect opportunity for students to explore the wide range of clubs available on campus.

Back to School Night is set for Thursday, September 19th from 5-8 p.m. We encourage you to visit our Sophomore booth and meet our dedicated sophomore grade-level team. Our team includes Administrator Director Tadeo Climaco, Grade Level Coordinator Amanda Fitzpatrick, Counselors Lisa Gazarian (A-F), Lilian Galvez (G-N), Stephanie Scherrer (O-Z), PSW Monica Montoya, and Dean Nick Halic. Please be aware that we will have a minimum day on Friday, September 20th.

Looking ahead to October, it's going to be an exciting month! We have our Homecoming Spirit Week from 10/15 to 10/18, leading up to the homecoming game on 10/18. As the Class of 2027, we'll have our float before the Varsity game. Additionally, our Homecoming Dance is scheduled for 10/13 from 6-10 pm, and tickets will be available for purchase in the student store. Stay tuned for the announcement of the theme! Here's to a fantastic month of August and more exciting things to come next month.

Amanda Fitzpatrick 10th Grade Level Coordinator Class of 2027 Student Senate Advisor Birmingham Community Charter High School

Class of 2026 Families,

Progress Report 1 will be passed out to students on September 16. Ask your students for their progress report then, or check their grades on Aeries. This is a very important year for students, and we want to ensure they are set up for success after graduation. Please reach out to your students’ teachers and counselor for questions and support.

Back to School Night is September 19.Because of this, September 20 will be a Minimum Day. Student dismissal is at 1:10 PM.

For students considering attending a 4 year college, start looking right now! Birmingham uses Naviance to support your college and career searches. The directions to log-in can be found here: https://www.birminghamcharter.com/our-programs/counseling/college-career/college-center

There are lots of resources available at BCCHS to help you plan the future!

Planning for a career (or getting a job right now):

Angela Zook at (818) 245-5297 or at a.zook@birminghamcharter.com.

Planning for college:

Erika Lopez (818)253-9556 or e.lopez@birminghamcharter.com

Wendy Quinonez (818)233-0193 w.quinonez@birminghamcharter.com

We had our first Class of 2025 Student Senate meeting on Monday, August 26th during lunch. We have a lot to plan, discuss, design and simply enjoy all that it entails this final high school year! ALL Seniors are welcome to join! We are currently working on our first Senior event, SENIOR SunRISE, which will take place on Friday, September 20th from 6:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. On the day of the event, students may come in their pajamas to enjoy a hot breakfast with beverage, yoga session, selfie photo booth, giant outdoor games, all while listening to their favorite music on our Ramirez Soccer Field.

The first student progress report this school year will be submitted on Wednesday, September 11th. Our Back to School Night will be from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 19th with a minimum day dismissal on Friday, September 20th.

Schedule of Back-to-School Night Activities:

5:00-7:00 p.m.- Food sale, Families Pick Up Schedules & Visit Community Partners

5:30-6:00 p.m. - Student Performances and Information Tables on the Quad

5:55– 6:00 p.m.- Welcome Announcements

6:00 -8:00 p.m. - Classroom Visits

Something to look forward to in the next month is Homecoming! Homecoming Spirit Week is set for October 14th - 18th. Our Homecoming game will be Friday, October 18th and the Homecoming dance will be Saturday, October 19th.

More to come next month...Have a wonderful September month!

The 12th Grade Team

Mr. Elmore - 12th Grade Administrative Director

Ms. Franco - 12th Grade Coordinator Dr. Garnish - 12th Grade Dean

Mrs. Brown - Counselor (A-F)

Mrs. Perez - Counselor (G-N)

Mrs. Palacios - Counselor (O-Z)

Mr. Ermoian - Psychiatric Social Worker

Ms. Sedani - 12th Grade Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Mirazakhanian - 12th Grade Clerk

Last year, 50 of our Emergent Multilingual Students successfully reclassified, marking a significant milestone in their academic journeys. We celebrated their outstanding achievement during the ELAC Celebration Ceremony held on September 29, 2024. Proud parents, students, and faculty came together to honor the dedication and hard work of these exceptional students. The celebration featured speeches, certificates of recognition, and a Birmingham pin for our honorees, making the day truly memorable.

To achieve reclassification from the EL program, our students demonstrated their proficiency by passing the ELPAC, a state-mandated assessment outlined by EC sections 313 and 60810. The ELPAC measures the English language proficiency of students whose primary language is other than English. Successfully passing this assessment signifies that our students have met the rigorous standards required to excel in mainstream academic environments, in conjunction with the other three locally determined required reclassification criteria. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and the perseverance they've shown throughout this journey.

Congratulations to all of our reclassified students! Your hard work and determination have paid off, and we are excited to see what you will achieve in the future!