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BCS News & Notes

A newsletter for parents, students, staff and community

March 9, 2012
 
In This Issue
Wenonah wins 5A state championship
Phillips student placfes in C-SPAN contewst
Ramsay senior wins two honors
AHSGE set March 12-16
Quick Links
Alabama State Department of Education, www.alsde.edu

P.O. Box 10007
Birmingham, Alabama 35202
(205) 231-4610
Parents asked to complete survey

If you look at the Birmingham City Schools as a business, then students -- and their parents and guardians -- are our primary customers. Businesses, of course, want to get feedback from their customers, and so do we.

If you are a parent or guardian of a student in the Birmingham City Schools, please go to our website and fill out the parent survey there. The deadline for completing it is March 31.

We will use the information we receive from the survey to help us plan for the next school year. Your input is important.

We appreciate your support of the Birmingham City Schools and look forward to finding out what you and other parents think.

Click here to take the survey.
 
Sincerely,

Craig Witherspoon

Superintendent
Birmingham City Schools

Congratulations to the Wenonah boys basketball team!
Dragons win second 5A state championship in a row
 
Congratulations are in order for the Wenonah High School boys basketball team, which won its second 5A state championship in a row March 3.
Members of the Wenonah basketball team celebrate in the parade

The Dragons beat Lee-Huntsville 65 to 58 at the championship game played at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center.

Lee-Huntsville is the same team Wenonah beat to win the championship in 2011.

Wenonah celebrated the victory with a parade through downtown Thursday, March 8.
Phillips student places in C-SPAN video contest
Talia Moore is one of four second place winners

Talia Moore
Talia Moore, an eighth grader at Phillips Academy, has a major achievement under her belt if she decides she wants to become a filmmaker when she grows up. She is one of four second place winners in the middle school division of the national C-SPAN StudentCam competition for 2012.
 
Talia's documentary takes viewers to several civil rights landmarks in Birmingham, including Phillips Academy, located in the former Phillips High School building.
 
She learned of her prize this week, when C-SPAN announced the winners. The network said a record-setting 1,203 films were entered in this year's competition. More than 2,000 students from 43 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico were part of the competition.
 
The makers of the top 75 documentaries will share in a total of $50,000 in cash prizes.
 
To watch Talia's video, click here.
 
Ramsay senior is a winner of two honors
Krystal Rivers is National Achievement finalist, Bryant-Jordan honoree

 

Krystal Denise Rivers is a Ramsay High School senior with am 4.48 grade point average, a score of

Krystal Rivers

of 31 on the ACT, an SAT score of 1950 and a rank among the top of her graduating class.

 

Now she has been chosen as the Region 4 winner in the Bryant-Jordan Foundation Scholar-Athlete Awards and has learned that she is a finalist in the National Achievement Scholarship competition.

 

A varsity volleyball and tennis player, Krystal also has earned qualifying scores in AP chemistry and U.S. history and is vice president of Ramsay's FFCLA/4H organization.

 

 
Parent Camp draws a crowd
Parents have fun while learning

The Family Involvement Program hosted its 10th annual Parent Camp March 8 at the Lincoln Professional Development Center. The day began with a hearty breakfast to give the campers energy to do all the activities planned for them.

 

The parents were greeted by Board of Education Member W.J. Maye Jr., Superintendent Craig Witherspoon and Dr. Martha Barber, chief academic officer

 

The hallways and training rooms on the first floor were crowded with parents learning, laughing and networking to release some of their inner child energies. Parents represented 41 schools.

 

Parents participated in workshops on visual arts, musical expressions, physical fitness, financial literacy, emergency preparedness and use of the Birmingham City Schools website and library resources.

 

Community partners included the Birmingham Public Library, Better Basics, Alabama Public Television, Bradford Health Services, Jefferson County Emergency Preparedness and Response and Auntie Litter. These partners provided resources for the parents.

 

Evaluations and comments from parents indicated that Parent Camp was worth the time they spent there.

 

Graduation exam sets March 12-16
Here are some tips for successful testing
 
High school students across the Birmingham City Schools are sharpening their pencils -- and their test-taking skills -- in anticipation of the spring administration of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam March 12 to March 16.

The schedule is:
  • 9 a.m. Monday, March 12 -- Language
  • 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 13  -- Social studies
  • 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 14 -- Biology/science
  • 9 a.m. Thursday, March 14 -- Mathematics
  • 9 a.m. Friday, March 16 -- Reading

The reading, language and social studies tests are open to sophomores and juniors, seniors and former students who have not passed those sections.

 

The math test will be administered to sophomores, juniors, seniors and former students who have not passed it, as well as students who have successfully completed algebra I before 10th grade.

 

The biology test will be given to sophomores, juniors, seniors and former students who have not passed it, as well as students who have successfully completed biology I before 10th grade.

 

Tips for a successful test include getting a good night's sleep and eating a good breakfast before the test.

 

Test-takers should be sure to bring everything they need, including plenty of pencils and scratch paper. They also should go over any practice materials, sample problems and other items they have to help them prepare for the exam. Getting to school early and doing a 10-minute power study just before the test can get your brain turned on and tuned up. 

 

Coming events 
 
The Birmingham Board of Education Extracurricular Ad Hoc Committee will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, March 12, in the auditorium of the Administration Building, 2015 Park Place.

The Birmingham Board of Education will have a regularly scheduled meeting at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, in the auditorium of the Administration Building, 2015 Park Place.
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