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BCS News & Notes
A newsletter for parents, students, staff and community |
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P.O. Box 10007
Birmingham, Alabama 35202
(205) 231-4610
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January is Board Appreciation Month
Board of Education members play an important role in governing school systems and supporting efforts to improve outcomes for students. It is for these reasons that the Alabama Association of School Boards has designated January as School Board Member Appreciation Month.
Across the state, communities are recognizing school board members -- some 800 of them -- for their dedication and work. Board members not only attend board meetings, but must read dozens of pages of information before they vote on issues. They also show their support by attending numerous events at schools.
In Birmingham, board members have been supportive of changes being made in the Birmingham City School System. For example, we are in the process of recruiting students for the second year of the career academies that opened in six high schools in August. Two schools are candidates for the International Baccalaureate program.
They also support the district's efforts to increase the level of rigor at all levels such as pre-AP courses in middle schools and additional Advanced Placement classes in all of our high schools.
We all appreciate the efforts of our board members and their support in the ongoing improvements that are occurring for the benefit of our students in Birmingham City Schools.
Sincerely,
Craig Witherspoon
Superintendent
Birmingham City Schools |
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Bush teacher gets national grant
$5,000 award will help improve academic achievement
Moriel Purnell, a National Board Certified math teacher at Bush Middle School, has won the The NEA Foundations Student Achievement Grant. This grant provides resources to improve the academic achievement of students. According to Bush Principal Emeka Nzeocha, Bush has placed emphasis on mathematics skills that involve student interaction, peer-teaching and more practical based approach methods to mathematics. This grant will enable Purnell to explore avenues and resources that will increase student engagement in mathematics. She plans to use the grant to set up a math club that will utilize hands-on and experiences to illustrate math skills. The students will develop math projects and publish them in their journals and newsletter. This award is also the second grant Ms. Purnell's has received this year, totaling about $7,000. |
Robinson students study King
Dioramas represent events in civil rights leader's life
Second-grade students at Robinson Elementary School will have a new appreciation for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan 21 because of the study they have done on the civil rights leader recently.
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Asia Boyd, left, and Lakiriya Moye, right, show their dioramas about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. |
The students culminated their study by making dioramas about events in King's life, including several things that occurred in Birmingham.
They used boxes and then used construction paper, clay, markers and other materials to represent moments in time.
For example, Asia Boyd in Carla G. McDonald's class re-created King's incarceration in the Birmingham Jail. Classmate Lakiriya Moye chose King's delivery of his "I Have a Dream" speech.
In K. Moore-Stallworth's class, Jamari Owens selected the March on Washington, while Pierre Braxton Jr. focused on the Lorraine Motel.
In Rebecca Bittle's class, Raymond Rolley created a 3-D diorama of the famous "Letter from the Birmingham Jail." His re-creation depicted the cell, including the desk where King wrote letters to his family and to the world. Classmate Johnathan Foster made clay figures of a restaurant sit-in with King. His diorama demonstrates two Caucasians and two African-Americans eating at a restaurant in Birmingham.
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JROTC units to compete in state drill meet
Jan. 19 event is free and open to public High school JROTC drill teams, color guards and academic teams from Birmingham City Schools and districts across the state will compete in the Alabama State Drill meet beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at Boutwell Auditorium. Units will compete for the Best Team Award. The event is free and open to the public. |
Huffman hosting basketball tournament
Jan. 19 event involves 16 boys and girls teams
Huffman High School will host the Viking Classic basketball tournament Saturday, Jan. 19. Sixteen boys and girls basketball teams, including two from Florida and one from Atlanta, will participate. The schedule is: -
9 a.m., Huffman vs. Winterboro (girls) -
10:30 a.m., Blount vs. Midfield (girls) -
Noon, Sandy Creek (Atlanta) vs. Wenonah girls -
1:30 p.m. Blount vs. Minor -
3 p.m. Chipley (Fla.) vs. Hoover -
4:30 p.m., Brewbaker Tech vs. Center Point -
6 p.m., Malone (Fla.) vs. Smith Station -
7:30 p.m., Sidney Lanier vs. Huffman
Tickets are $7 and will be available at the door. |
District co-hosting indoor track meet
More than 50 schools expected at Jan. 21 event
Birmingham City Schools will co-host the Martin Luther King Track and Field Classic Monday, Jan. 21, at the Birmingham Crossplex. More than 50 high schools are expected to enter more than 1,700 athletes in the event. All seven BCS high schools will compete in the indoor meet,which will begin with opening ceremonies at 8:50 a.m. The meet is scheduled to end at about 7 p.m. Tickets, which will be available at the door, are $4 for students and seniors and $8 for adults. All proceeds will be used to fund the high school indoor track program at BCS high schools. Sponsors include the Southern Sports Group, Jack's Family Restaurants and the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. |
Family Poetry Night scheduled
Registration required for Jan. 25 event
Family Poetry Night, a poetry workshop for families of children in Birmingham City Schools, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, at the North Avondale Library, 501 43rd St. North. The event is a program of Birmingham Parent University and a partnership between the Birmingham Education Foundation, the Birmingham Public Library and Real Life Poets Inc. Family Poetry Night is free, but registration is required. Register by clicking here, by calling the library at 592-2082 or by going to the library. |
Coming events
The Birmingham Board of Education will have a work session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the auditorium of the Administration Building, 2015 Park Place. |
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