Bell High School
Principals Update Week 24
From The Desk of Rafael L. Balderas, Principal
Greetings Bell HS Family,
I hope this message finds you and your family in great health and sound in mind.
February is Black History Month -- the traditional time to recognize what African-American women and men have given to our world. February was chosen for Black History Month because it is the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two figures instrumental in the abolition of slavery.
At Bell High School, we value diversity and are dedicated to creating a community enriched by young women and men of diverse backgrounds and respectful of differences. Diverse perspectives and experiences are central to academic excellence because they expand creative thought and analysis, test unexamined assumptions, challenge accepted truths and broaden understanding of ourselves and our world. We must be able to draw from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives to foster a community marked by hope and love.
I am proud of the many ways our staff and students understand and appreciate different ideas and different perspectives. Your sons and daughters listen, are empathetic and act wisely; they are well on their way to becoming leaders able to discern, articulate and promote justice for all.
In the past, I have mentioned on may occasions, it is our moral imperative as educators to eradicate racism, and teach truth and respect in our school community. As principal I will continue to challenge staff, students and community to embrace our differences and mobilize towards a more perfect community. I leave you with the thought provoking statement from Fredrick Douglas said "Without a Struggle there can be no Progress".
In conclusion, I will continue to reiterate, If we are to return to any model of learning, EVERYONE must do their part by wearing a mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands and remain home. We Can Get Through This!
In Partnership,
Rafael L. Balderas, Principal
NEED CASH FOR COLLEGE? WE GOT FAFSA WORKSHOP SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 20, & 27, 2021!
Saturday, February 13, 20 and 27, 2021 Bell HS and all High Schools in the Community will be hosting a Financial Aide FAFSA Workshop to ALL Seniors. Please join us to get help on navigating the FAFSA to receive money for college. Remember we do NOT want to leave money on the table!
Saturday - 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Please Log Into our Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 841 7811 3927
Password: 758954
WE GOT COLLEGE CENTER SUPPORT FOR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS AND FASFA FOR SENIORS!
Attention ALL Seniors, from our College Counselor Mr. Marquez, we have schedule College Application support with our TELACU Talent Search, UCLA EAOP and ETS team every Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 am to 1 pm by logging onto the following Meeting ID: 841 8564 889 Passcode: COLLEGE. Or you may visit the College Center for a drop-in every Wednesday from 3 to 4 pm by logging onto the following meeting ID: 827 4332 5772.
Please note there a very important due dates:
- FASFA should be completed by March 2, 2021
- California Dream Act Applications are due March 2, 2021
For additional information please email Mr. Marquez at fxm94721@lausd.net or please visit our Bell High Schol Virtual College Center at: https://bit.ly/BellCollegeCenter
Do We COVID TEST? YES, We COVID TEST!
LAUSD has embarked on an ambitious plan to Covid test our staff, students and families. The test is free to all members of the school community. In an effort to help keep our communities and schools safe, we ask for members of our learning community to register and make an appointment at https://achieve.lausd.net/covidtestingappt
As a reminder our Testing Center for all Bell HS students and families is located at Maywood Academy HS at 6125 Pine Avenue, Maywood CA. Please make an appointment prior to your arrival.
@Home Learning? YES We Teach Remotely!
Shout out to everyone for this week of teaching and learning! As a reminder, attendance is MANDATORY, based on the following schoology & zoom logon analytics we have for the following week:
Week of February 8 to 12, 2021
Students Virtual Attendance = 2,325 out of 2,383 students for a 97%
Weekly Log-on Grade Leaders (schoology & zoom)
Grade 12 – 97.2% / Grade 11 – 96.9% / Grade 10 – 94.9% / Grade 9 – 95.4%
Congratulation Class of 2021 “Seniors” Grade 12 You Are Still on Top!
Social, Emotional & Mental Health? We Got SEL!
We know from the data that students and families continue to feel isolated and alone, the Los Angeles Unified Launched Mental Health Hotline To Help Students and Families. Please have them call (213) 241-3840 – Please be mindful our students and parents world has been turned upside down and we need to make sure students have the support they need. In the event that you need immediate emergency assistance, please call 911.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call either of the following phone numbers for mental health support:
- LAUSD Mental Health Hotline (213) 241-3840 M-F 6am-6pm
- LA County Department of Mental Health (800) 854-7771
- Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Hotline (877) 727-4747 (24 hours)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-TALK (8255) (24 hours)
- Bell High School Confidential Text Tip Line (323) 989-3750 (24 hours)
For immediate contact with the Bell High School’s Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team, please communicate with one of the following SEL Team Members:
- Sara Soto, PSW – sara.soto@lausd.net
- Keilah Gomez, Psychologist - keilah.gomez1@lausd.net
- Julia Carrera, Psychologist - julia.carrera@lausd.net
- Marissa Franco, PSA - marisa.franco@lausd.net
Purple & GOLD Bell Schedule from Tuesday to Friday
As a reminder please follow our regular Tuesday to Friday bell schedule, see schedule below:
How are we doing in feeding our community? We Feed Our Learning Community!
As a reminder to our families and community members Bell HS will host its next Food Banks on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Also, our schools Grab & Go Food Distribution Center continues to serve meals everyday from Monday to Friday from 7 to 10 am! Please drive up on Pine Ave. and NO ID is required. Our motto will always be “No Family Will GO Hungry”.
PRESIDENTS DAY IS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2021 NO SCHOOL
Do We Have Social Media? Yes We Got Social Media!
ALPHA Academy @BHS_ALPHA
Bell High School @bellhighschool
AVID Academy @BHSAVID_familia
Global Studies Academy @BHSGlobalStudy
MTCA Academy @bhs_mtca
STEM Magnet @BHSGiftedMagnet
Bell Senior High School
Email: Bell-SH@lausd.net
Website: www.bellhs.org
Location: 4328 Bell Avenue, Bell, CA, USA
Phone: (323) 832-4700
Twitter: @bellhighschool