The Weekly Update #4

Dear Birmingham Families,

March is Women's History Month, a month to study, observe, and celebrate the vital role women play in American life and history. We will continue to encourage girls and young women to speak up, challenge expectations, and become trailblazers, pioneers, innovators, and leaders. And that includes encouraging them to advocate for their own mental health.

If your student needs additional help to reach their full potential, Care Solace can help connect them to mental health care. They will navigate the mental health care system, explain options, and quickly find available providers in our local community. Care Solace is a complementary and confidential care coordination service provided by Birmingham Community Charter High School.

• Call 888-515-0595. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365.

• Visit caresolace.com/bcchs and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

We promise to continue to do our part to ensure our students are thriving and learning.

For our English Learners, please be advised that the state English Learner exam known as the ELPAC will be conducted from Monday, March 9 - Friday, March 13. If your student is designated as an English Learner, please talk to them about the importance of the exam. English Learners must reclassify so they can waive out of English language support classes and take more advanced or elective classes. They are tested in four domains: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking to measure their progress in developing English proficiency.

Open House will take place on Thursday, March 19 followed by a minimum day on March 20. Soon, thereafter, we will have an unassigned day (no school) on Friday, March 27 in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. This immediately precedes spring break which will take place from March 20 to April 3. As Spring Break approaches, we encourage students to keep up in all their classes, so they can fully embrace this time off for relaxation and rejuvenation. Ideally, during this time, students will take a break from screens, reconnect with loved ones, and indulge in activities that bring joy.

This semester is a long one. Please help them take it one day at a time focusing on positive habits and consistency. It will pay off in the end.

Finally, I'd like to congratulate our winter sports teams for another incredibly successful season.

• Boys' and Girls' Wrestling won dual and city championships.

• Boys' finished 8th in the state to become the first Los Angeles City High School team to ever finish in the top 10 in the state two years in a row.

• Congratulations to Slava Shabazyan for winning the state championship in his weight class!!

• Girls' Water Polo won the Open Division City Championship for the second year in a row.

• They also won our first ever Southern California Regional Championship in Water Polo against Coronado High 13 to 4 in the Division III Championship at Long Beach City College.

• Girls' Cheer won the city championship, earned second in state and competed again in Orlando at Nationals.

• Girls' Soccer won the first ever championship for the Girls' Team in school history winning a dramatic victory over Banning in penalty kicks in Division I.

• Boys' Basketball will play Colony High on Tuesday, March 10th for the Division III Southern California Regional Championship. This would be the Boys' Team first ever regional title.

• Girls' Basketball finished as Open Division Runner up in the LA City Playoffs and made it to the Division II Southern California Regional Semi-Finals.

Congratulations to all the athletes and coaches for their dedication and achievement. We are proud of you!

Principal Bennett

Class of 2026 Prom Theme and Fashion will take place on March 26th during lunch on the Quad. Seniors can hardly wait to know what their Prom theme will be this year! During this event, The Senior Senate will head off the show with demonstrating several beautiful Prom attire. Prom Night will take place on Saturday, May 2nd at the Majestic Downtown LA from 7pm-11pm. Reminder that all students and guests attending Prom will be transported to and from the Prom via luxury buses…NO EXCEPTIONS. Prom tickets will go on sale beginning on March 16th and will end on April 17th. Don’t miss out and buy your tickets soon! If a Senior would like to bring a guest that is not a current Birmingham Senior and/or non-Birmingham student, there will be a mandatory guest form that will need to be submitted for approval before purchasing their ticket. Guest forms are now available at the Student Store or in H68-A. All guest forms are due no later than April 10, 2026 to the Student Store.

On Thursday, March 12th, we are having our 5th Annual Prom Boutique that will consist of free gently used and new formal dresses, men suits, shoes, and possibly accessories! ALL Seniors are welcome to attend from 3:30pm – 5:30pm in the Faculty Dining Room.

Open House will be on Thursday, March 19th from 5:30 - 8:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for families to come out and see what their child is currently working on in each of their classes. Open House will kick off the night with our School Band, Cheer Team and Dance Team. There will be a variety of food vendors along with other yummy desserts. We encourage all families to support our school clubs during this fundraising event.

Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful Spring Break!

March 27th - April 3rd

12th Grade Level Academy Team

Mr. Elmore - Administrative Director

Mrs. Franco - 12th Grade Coordinator

Ms. Piliposian - 12th Grade Dean

Mrs. Riusech - Counselor (A-F)

Ms. Aparicio - Counselor (G-N)

Ms. Vasquez - Counselor (O-Z)

Mr. Rodriguez - Psychiatric Social Worker

Ms. Sedani - 12th Grade Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Salvatierra - 12th Grade Clerk

Happy March, 11th Grade Families!

We are well on our way through the second semester. Progress Reports went out 2 weeks ago. 468 students were recognized for their achievement, which equals 65% of the class having over a 3.0 GPA.

The number of students recognized are as follows:

Silver (3.0 - 3.59) : 178

Gold (3.6 - 3.99) : 105

Platinum (4.0 +) : 185

The 11th Grade Counselors met with all students last month to review their graduation status along with selecting their college pathway. Students graduation status letter were emailed to parents and studnets. If you have any questions, please reach out.

There are many opportunities for students to explore college options this coming summer. Please keep an eye out to the Class of 2027 Google Classroom and the College Center Instagram for information about these opportunities. You can also reach out to Erika Lopez and Wendy Quinozes directly for more information and support.

Open House is March 19th. You will have the opportunity to meet with your students' teachers, visit the college center, and learn more about different programs and opportunities. See you there!

At the end of February, we took a fantastic field trip to CSUN. Our school was selected to join their Sophomores program, called “CSUN Destination.” All sophomores were invited to join us for this special day, which included transportation, lunch, a tour with CSUN students, a department showcase, and a student panel. We took 65 sophomores who signed up for the trip. Our amazing college counselors headed this trip. A big shout-out to them for organizing this great opportunity.

Important Dates for March 2026:

March 16th:Pep Rally Period 1 (10th)

March 19th: Open House March 20th: Minimum Day (All)

March 27th: Unassigned Day (No School)

March 30th-April 3rd: Spring Break

Sincerely, Amanda Fitzpatrick

10th Grade Level Coordinator

(818)758-4428 Office H-68 A

Class of 2028 Student Senate Advisor

Birmingham Community Charter High School

Dear 9th grade parents and students,

We have about 3 more months left of this school year! Let's keep the momentum going and finish your freshman year strong.

IMPORTANT EVENTS

Open House is March 19th and we are looking forward to having you on campus. Join us for a special presentation at 5pm in OA-1 to learn about summer school options and how to prepare for your student's sophomore year. Your student's counselor will be available to set up a meeting with you as well. Stop by and join us before Open House begins!

Unity Week is from next week. The goal of Unity Week is to bring our students and staff closer together by focusing on a student-centered issue and engaging in activities that help unify our campus. Unity Week begins with a Pep Rally on March 16th and ends with a Block Party after school on Friday, March 20th, which is a minimum day! On March 20th from 1:10PM - 3 PM, there will be music, face painters, henna tattoo artists, photobooth, crafts, lawn games, foam party, and food vendors.

Please encourage your students to participate!

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

Attendance is essential to academic success! Please contact Ms. Mirzakhanian to address your student's absence. It is important that we partner together to make sure our students are always at school except for valid reasons as established by the State of California Education Code and Birmingham’s Attendance Policy.

You can contact Ms. Mirzakhanian if you need to clear your child's absence at (818) 758-4484. You can also contact Ms. Aparicio (Attendance Counselor) at ​(818)758-4402 if you ​need any support with attendance issues.

As always, please reach out to anyone on our team if you have any questions or concerns.

Leila Haghi

9th Grade Coordinator

The 9th Grade Team

Edwin Avarca- 9th Grade Administrative Director

Leila Haghi- 9th Grade Coordinator/ Lead Teacher

Sami Brown, Ana Palacios, and Veronica Perez- 9th Grade Counselors

Taylor Ermoian -Psychiatric Social Worker

Joe Granish- 9th Grade Dean

Anne Mirzakhanian- 9th Grade Office Clerk/ Primary Parent Contact (818) 758-4484