Keeping up-to-date with BHS & Academic Choice

Incoming Academic Choice families are strongly urged to join both the Academic Choice e-tree and the Berkeley High e-tree as soon as possible. These electronic bulletins are an important communications tool for every BHS family.  You can easily subscribe to the Academic Choice e-tree by sending an e-mail to:
academicchoice-request@lists.berkeleypta.org
with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

Subscribe to the Berkeley High e-tree by sending an e-mail to bhs-request@idiom.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

Upcoming event-Wednesday, May 14, 7:00-8:30 pm
AC Parent General Meeting-College & Career Center 

New families are particularly encouraged to attend this meeting. It's a great way to plug into the AC community, learn from AC teachers and parents about what's going on with AC, and have an opportunity to get your questions answered.

Welcome to Academic Choice at Berkeley High!!

During the 2007-2008 school year, our teachers and administrators have been working together to further refine our program. Many of our newer 9th and 10th grade teachers have introduced innovative teaching methods into their classrooms while collaborating on common curriculum and standards for their courses.

Through the spring and summer of 2008, 11th grade teachers will work on the curriculum for our non-AP classes: American Literature and US History. Our intent is to rework these courses in order to provide more engaging and challenging curriculum for those students who choose not to take the AP courses.

Incoming 9th-11th graders will be required to complete a ‘senior thesis’. This will be a faculty advised 10-15 page paper on a controversial topic where students will employ the skills they have developed during their four years in the AC program in critical thinking, writing and research.

Our governing body, the Academic Choice Advisory Council (ACAC), consisting of teachers, parents, students and administrators is gearing up to provide resources and support for our AC teachers, students and parents. Though our program technically includes only courses in the humanities, we are working towards a more holistic approach in our efforts to support students in all of their classes.

For 2008/2009, Berkeley High School has hired a Student Support Coordinator whose job it will be to help all programs and disciplines to connect their students with existing tutoring resources and to assess areas where we need additional support.

Mark your calendar: Upcoming events for 08-09

We hope you will plan on joining us Sunday, August 24 at Berkeley High School, for our annual AC Family Pot Luck Picnic. This event is a wonderful opportunity to meet other AC students and their families.

In the fall, Academic Choice will be hosting annual gatherings such as our 9th and 10th grade Potluck Dinners, (tentative dates are 9/25 & 10/16) our AC General Meeting, our January “What’s Up With College?” night and our Spring Gala fundraiser.  Please plan on joining us in our efforts to make Berkeley High a community of involved and engaged students and families.
        
An important reminder! Be sure that your student attends his/her scheduled orientation day in August -- it's critical in order to check your class schedule and submit course change requests promptly.  Typically, the last day to submit schedule change requests is the end of the first week of school.

We look forward to working with you to improve Academic Choice at Berkeley High.

Your donations at work

Here are some of the ways that AC has put parent and community donations to work to make a difference every day for the 1836 students that we serve:

AC Teacher Professional Development
AC provides funds for substitute teachers to allow AC English and History teachers to have time off to develop curriculum for their classes.

9th & 10th Grade Student Assessment in English Language Arts and Reading
Three (3) times a year, AC students’ English Language Arts and Reading skills are evaluated, targeted, and supported.  This assessment allows AC teachers to find student weaknesses and act accordingly in a more timely manner than ever before.  The per student cost is ~ $26.

Social Living Curriculum Development and Materials  
This program funds the 9th & 10th grade Social Living Course which educates students about drugs, alcohol, and sexually- transmitted diseases.  This fund supports program teachers, consultants, teacher textbooks, videos, and materials at a cost of $13 per student. 

Student Tutoring
AC provides support for after-school tutors.  We also hire UC Berkeley graduate students to read and correct AP English papers.

 ‘What’s Up With College’ Night
Now in its third year and open to all BHS students (and their parents), “What’s Up with College” provides information about college from the perspective of BHS Alum. This program allows students and parents to hear first-hand experiences from students enrolled in many different types of colleges.

Study Skills Workshop
The goal of the program is to teach good study habits to both the student and their families.  Now in its third year, over 120 students take advantage of the program. Tuition is fully subsidized by AC at a cost of $10 per student.

Community Building Events
AC works well because we are a community of committed parents, students and teachers. To provide continued community strength building, AC sponsors the Freshman & Sophomore Potlucks (each fall after school begins to share a meal and gathering with core teachers and parents) and the Summer AC Family Picnic (bringing parents and students together at the beginning of the year).

AC Course Materials
AC supports our teachers with materials critical to the success of their job.  These materials are provided at a cost of roughly $2.25 per student. Examples include:

Teaching Teachers
AC teachers attend day-long seminars that provide ongoing training to help them teach better in a diversified classroom.

Mobile Apple Computer Lab – To Be Funded
Currently, we have one lab of 30 mobile computers to use between 2,300 IB and AC students.  With a $37,000 investment, we plan to provide another computer lab to all AC English and History classes. Initial cost per student is only ~ $16. Amortized over the 5 year life expectancy of the lab, the cost per student is only ~ $3.25.