The Bellflower Beat 11.7.22
Bellflower Middle/High School Newsletter
So far, so good!
Things in the second quarter are off to a good start! Listed below are just a few reminders:
- Bellflower Middle/High School does not permit any drop-offs or deliveries of food or other items. Please ensure that your student is prepared for the day when coming to school in the morning with their lunch, supplies, money, etc.
- Dress Code. Please be sure that your student follows the dress code and wears appropriate clothing and accessories. Bellflower hats are also the only school approved hat that can be worn at school.
- No returning back to campus. If a student has an early release (7th or 8th period), once the student leaves campus, they may not return to campus. Parents - please ensure that your students are going home early if they have the early release.
For a full list of student policies on attendance and dress code, please click here.
Cool Class Spotlight!
In today's newsletter, Bellflower Middle/High School wanted to highlight one of our middle school science classes, led by Mr. Chandler Jennings. The class shown in photos below participated in a hands-on activity on October 19th, where student participated in developing miniature cars that would move more than 20 feet, using only household materials. Students learned about concepts related to engineering and physics.
Talking to Parents and Youth About Fentanyl
In Los Angeles County, overdose deaths among teenagers doubled from 2019 to 2020 (during the covid pandemic), and in 2021, fentanyl was identified in about 77% of adolescent overdose deaths nationally. We are experiencing the worst overdose crisis in Los Angeles County history. Recent local tragedies include three Los Angeles County youth that had overdosed from MDMA that had been contaminated with fentanyl in May 2022. On September 13, 2022, a 15-year-old Bernstein HS student was found dead on campus in Hollywood after ingesting a pill containing fentanyl. There have been at least other 7 reported overdoses of other Los Angeles County youth.
Please check out the following flyer, attached below, which contains information about what to say to youth about fentanyl and overdoses, and how parents can talk to their children about the dangers of fentanyl and drugs.
Native American Heritage Month
Cerritos College
Cerritos Complete Promise Program Information Night
When: Wednesday, November 9th
Time: 6pm-7pm
Where: Zoom (English and Spanish)
Join us to learn how you can earn 2 years free at Cerritos College! See the flyer below for the Zoom links. Can't make this Information Night? Not a problem! BUSD will host a Cerritos Complete Promise Program Information Night on December 6th. More info to come...
Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week was celebrated from October 24th through October 28th, where Bellflower Middle/High School promoted a drug-free life. There were multiple activities throughout the week, including Red Ribbon Week Spirit Days and a few lunch rallies hosted by our Family Resource Center and LA CADA (Los Angeles Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse). Thank you to our PTSA for decorating the trees and campus, to our office aides that drew chalk art on the ground, and to our ASB for assisting with the Spirit Days. We also had a Halloween/Red Ribbon Week Door Decorating Contest as well. Check out some of the photos below!
Senior Night
On Friday, October 21st, seniors from Football, Cheer, Band, and Color Guard celebrated Senior Night, where these senior students and their families were acknowledged just before the football game. Below are some of the photos taken during this event.
Support PTSA's Pop-Up Shop!
The Bellflower PTSA will be hosting the 2nd Pop-up Shop for the school year. Join us on Saturday, November 19th from 9 am to 3 pm at the Nutrition Center Parking Lot located at 10247 Alondra Blvd. We will have food vendors, craft vendors, clothing vendors and much more for all your holiday shopping needs. Come out and support small businesses and student vendors. If you would like to be a vendor at any of our pop-up shop dates please contact any of your PTSA Board members or fill out the following google form - https://forms.gle/b3uGvZUgiWFCA69m8
Natural History Mobile Museum
The Natural History Mobile Museum was in residency at Bellflower Middle/High school from October 24-28th. Through simulations and a classroom lab, the Ocean Experience program gave students the opportunity to experience what it's like to be a scientist working in the field.
Fall Fest
Bellflower Middle & High School annual Fall Fest was held on Friday, October 28th. It was a huge success! Thank you to everyone that participated in the festivities. We had over 50 booths, where students were able to purchase food, snacks, and drinks or played games. We hope that you all had a great time! And get ready! We hope to host our first ever Spring Fest next semester!
Halloween Costumes
To everyone that came to campus on Monday, October 31st, we hope that you enjoyed seeing the wonderful Halloween costumes that our staff and students were wearing! We have very creative people on this campus. Below are just some of the amazing outfits that students wore.
Money Drive
California Junior Scholarship Federation (CJSF)
The California Junior Scholarship Federation club members are preparing for the annual DiGiovanna Award.
DIGIOVANNA MEMORIAL AWARD
In memory of long-time CJSF adviser / CSF-CJSF Board Member Joanna DiGiovanna, we are pleased to offer this award for CJSF students again this year.
ABOUT JOANNA DIGIOIVANNA
Mrs. DiGiovanna was a very dedicated teacher and CJSF adviser at Piute Middle School in Lancaster who was passionate about the CJSF members in her chapter as well as throughout California. She later served as a volunteer on the State Board of Directors for eight years as CJSF Vice President (South Central) and CJSF Registrar until her passing in June 2016.
- Students must write an essay
- Submissions will be accepted beginning: November 1st every year.
- Application deadline: January 13th every year.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Veronica Reynolds
Kaiser Hippocrates Circle Program
Kaiser Hippocrates Circle Program applications are due no later than December 2nd. Open to all 7th & 8th graders. Please watch the 4 - minute video for details. An application and flyer are also posted below the video.
School Holiday Approaching!!!
Just a reminder that there is NO SCHOOL on Friday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.
There is also no school from Monday, November 21st through Friday, November 25th in observance of Thanksgiving Break.
LAST CALL: Senior Portraits
Ahoy Class of 2023!!! Classic Image is our vendor for your senior pictures! If you have not taken your senior pictures yet, please make an appointment with Classic Image to do so ASAP!
Their hours are 9-5 Monday-Friday, so plan accordingly! The information about the packages is on the image attached to this message, listed below. Please contact Ms. Jass (Room 202) if you have questions, but you need to contact Classic Image for scheduling and questions about picture packages. You have until the end of November to take your senior photo (excluding the week of Thanksgiving). Click here to access their flyer with their contact information.
Paper Tutoring
Did you know that free online tutoring is being provided by the BUSD district?
PAPER Online Tutoring isavailable for all students in 4th-12th grade through their Clever account. Students may ask tutors questions through the chat feature using the PAPER APP to get help with homework, feedback on their writing, or support with studying for assessments. The APP can be found in the Google Play and Apple APP store.
Click here to register for a free parent webinar (provided in English and Spanish). If your child needs more information about how to use PAPER, they can watch the following videos for more information:
Click here to watch the video titled "How Do Students Access 24/7 Live Help on PAPER?"
Click here to watch the video titled "How Do Students Use PAPER's Essay Review?"
HelpNow Tutoring
Every Californian can now access free online tutoring at any hour of the day, thanks to a new initiative offering educational resources to K-12 students and adult learners. The resource is part of an investment in public libraries announced Sept. 12 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Real-time homework help is now available "on the websites of any of the 1,130 local public libraries around the state," and here. The HelpNow pilot program currently offers help in math and language arts, in English and Spanish, at any time of the day or night. Help for "other core K-12 subjects" is available between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, with no age limit to who can take advantage of the resource.
Panda Express Fundraiser coming soon! Friday, December 2, 2022
Support Bellflower High School on Friday, December 2! You can order at any Panda Express that permits order pick-up or delivery. All orders must go through the Panda Express website or Panda Express app; all orders must be ordered via the internet (not valid for orders placed inside the restaurant itself). Be sure to use the Online Order Code 909263
Thank you for your support! :)
Feel free to distribute the following flyer as well.
SENIORS: College Applications & FAFSA
Reminder to all seniors: UC applications opened in August (can only be submitted in November). CSU applications are open in October (due dates vary, with most having due dates in November). Community College applications can be submitted usually starting in December or January. We ask that students use the California Colleges website to submit their UC application, CSU applications, and FAFSA or DACA application. The California Colleges website enables students to automatically have their Aeries information and grades automatically transfer into their application! Mrs. Tripp (the senior counselor) visited senior classrooms to discuss college applications and FAFSA in more detail.
All seniors should work on their 2023-2024 FAFSA application (US citizens or eligible non-citizens) or California Dream Act application (for undocumented students), both of which open in October, and whose priority deadline is March 2nd. This is how community colleges, trade schools, and four-year universities will know how much financial aid you will be able to receive. Yes, it is possible to submit the FAFSA past the application's priority deadline, but you are not guaranteed the same amount of free money that you could have received (so don't procrastinate!). Even if you are unsure about attending a college/university after high school, you should at least submit the FAFSA, to keep your options open. What if you change your mind?
To work on completing the FAFSA or CADAA application online, it is helpful if you already have the information that is listed on the attached guide:
Should you need assistance completing a university application, or to complete your FAFSA, you can go to the College & Career Center (Room 401) during the times that it is open.
In addition, should have have the time, you can also review Dr. Tehrani's 2022 College Workshops, that were presented to students in March of 2022. Click here to access a Google Folder that contains slides and a 1-hour video recording of the following workshops:
College Workshop #1: Degrees, Resources, & Dormitories
College Workshop #2: Costs, Financial Aid, & Scholarships
College Workshop #3: Internships, Safety, Study Abroad, & Jobs
ELAC Meeting #2 - Wed, Nov 30 @ 8:45am
Parents and Guardians: Please join us on Wednesday, November 30, at 8:45am for our 2nd official ELAC Meeting for the 2022-2023 school year. The meeting will take place in Room 413 (meeting location may change). We will have a Spanish interpreter at the meeting as well. ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) invites any parent or guardian, but we especially would like to see parents of students who are English Language Learners.
Senior Ads and HS Yearbook Information
Please read the following information regarding the High School Yearbook. The current cost is $85, but that will increase after Winter Break. In addition, we also sell pages in the high school yearbook as well. The costs are listed on the attached flyer, posted below, that you can download. If you have any questions regarding the high school yearbook, please contact Ms. Lisa Jass, in Room 202. If you have questions regarding payments, please contact the ASB Office.
Parent University
Bellflower Middle/High School's Family Resource Center is proud to host a series of weekly workshops, starting Thursday, October, 6th through Thursday, December 15th. Different topics will be covered each week by the organization Parent Education Bridge for Student Achievement Foundation. These workshops will occur every Thursday at 9am in Spanish on campus in the Buc Family Resource Center, and 6pm in English (virtually) via a Zoom link, which is emailed out to parents. See the attached fliers below for further dates and information.
College Wednesdays
COVID-19 Information
College & Career Center
The College & Career Center (Room 401) is here to assist students with college applications, scholarships, financial aid, resumes, work permits, and other college and career information. Office hours are Monday: 10am-1pm, and Tuesday-Friday: 8:30am-11:30am.
Need assistance? Students can contact Ms. Ochoa at alejandraochoa@s.busd.k12.ca.us
Counselor Assignment Changes For the 2022-2023 School Year
Join PTSA!
SENIOR STUDENTS! Did you know that several PTSA groups in our community offer scholarships? But, you can only qualify to receive a PTSA scholarship if you are a member! So, join today!
Click here to be redirected to TOTEM, the website that our PTSA uses for online membership payments. Or, you can also go to the front office to pick up a membership envelope as well, if you prefer to pay with cash or check.
Thank you in advance for joining our Bellflower Middle/High School PTSA!
Bellflower Middle/High School
YouTube: @wearebellflower
Email: bhsprincipal@busd.k12.ca.us
Website: www.bellflowerhigh.org
Location: 15301 McNab Avenue, Bellflower, CA, USA
Phone: 562-920-1801
Facebook: facebook.com/wearebellflower
Twitter: @wearebellflower