ROARing News!

Hello Baldwin Community, 

We have been busy at Baldwin since we returned from Winter Break! All of the children have been reacquainting themselves with their friends and classmates and with the expectations set out by their teachers for each of their classes.  

When we returned in January, students in Kinder through 3rd grades participated in a Percussion presentation by a member of the Austin Symphony. The gentleman that came to Baldwin provided our children with a brief explanation of each of the different instruments he brought with him on that day. The students learned a little history about the instruments as well as learning about the different sounds that are made with the instruments. We are so lucky to have the Austin Symphony partner with Austin Schools and share this knowledge and experiences with our children. 

Every year, Austin schools participate in selecting a Teacher of the Year. I am proud to announce that Baldwin's 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year is Mrs. Abbey Smart! She has been teaching at Baldwin for 5 years and has been an asset to our campus since she joined us. She is  a role model to our children and staff. Every year she creates strong, positive learning environments in which all children thrive and succeed. She sees the potential in all children and helps each one succeed by building on his/her individual strengths. She reachers all children with simple, yet profound, motherly instincts and empathy, coupled with complete professionalism. She does not work or serve for awards or accolades, but simply to inspire and impact all those she comes in contact with each day. She teaches her students to strive for excellence, to love reading and writing, and to respect each other and she teaches us (her peers) to give our best for our students every day! Congratulations to Mrs. Smart! We are so proud that Mrs. Smart is a Baldwin Bobcat!

If you haven't heard, last semester we started "Track Attack" and have received and observed very positive feedback from children and parents regarding this early morning opportunity for children and adults to run/walk the track before classes begin. Coach McGray has sent the following message in the Weekly ROAR: 

"Track Attack has been huge success! Kiddos are working hard to stay active and are developing healthy habits that will be with them for a lifetime. We are striving to create a community invested campus and would like to open the opportunity for you to join in and lead our Track Attack mornings.

 

This a great opportunity to show your student that physical activity is fun family activity, get to know the other students in your child’s grade level and promote a strong bond between Baldwin and the community.

Here are a few highlights:

• 15-20 min in the morning before school
• You can sign up for the morning(s) of your choice
• You can choose to run with your child or just count and supervise
• You will have trained student leaders to support you and staff available for assistance.

If you are interested or just have additional questions please email Coach Shawna McGray and attend the informational meeting on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:45am in the Gym." Please consider helping our children and staff with this awesome endeavor!

Parent-Teacher spring conferences are around the corner; these are scheduled to take place on February 15th or during that week. Be sure to reach out to your teacher(s) to schedule the conference. This is an important time to learn more about your child's progress and of ways to support his/her learning at home.

Thank you for your continuous support of Baldwin! I look forward to seeing all of you around our school! 

Roaring with Pride, 

Dr. Peña

 

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.

ROARing News!

Happy 2016 Baldwin Community! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break and that you rang in the New Year with a roar! I am excited to get our spring semester started with all of our children and their families. 

 

We ended the 2015 fall semester with many great events, accomplishments and successes! Before the Thanksgiving Break, we held our second annual Multi-Cultural Fest with parents and grandparent as our presenters and volunteers. The day was a beautiful day of sharing and learning about the diverse community that makes up Baldwin. Every class had the opportunity to visit at least three different locations of interest and learn with our volunteers. Each of the presenters did an amazing job sharing about their country and helping our children expand their knowledge and awareness about each other. Events like this one helps all of us appreciate each other for who we are and the many unique qualities that make up our special learning community. Thank you to our presenters and volunteers; we look forward to next year's event. Thank you to Mrs. Lauren Linahan for organizing this event for our school! 

 

The month of December was a busy one for sure! We had many different activities, field trips and events that took place. The students in grades 2-5 had a special opportunity to learn more about the solar system and our earth by visiting the planetarium that our generous PTA brought to Baldwin. Once again this  year, our students were able to make many science and social studies connections with these presentations. So thank you to our PTA for sponsoring this event again this year at Baldwin!

 

We also held our annual Jingle Bell Run the last week before winter break. I observed all of our children having fun as they ran the course that our coaches set out for them. I heard lots of laughter and saw determination on all of our children's faces as they ran the course. This is one of the many physical fitness events that our school sponsors for our children and families. The Jingle Bell run gave the students a chance to add more miles to their individual Marathon Run charts. Thank you to our coaches for providing this annual event for our children. 

 

I want to thank all of our families for the yummy cookies that were shared with our staff during the December Cookie Exchange. The staff lounge was converted into a bakery on this special day and we all enjoyed so many yummy treats! Thank you for sharing your special treats with us!  Many of us also received very special Christmas Gifts and we are very grateful for your generosity and love. Thank you for showering us with gifts and for sharing your treasures with us! You make us feel very special!

 

Thank you to our PTA for sponsoring Santa Night again this year! This event is always a special way for families to come together at our school to share some quality time with family and friends. I don't know about you but when I saw Santa, I was reminded that I still Believe! Thanks PTA!

Also, a Big thank you to all of you that visited our December Book Fair. It was a great week of shopping and your support will continue to help us stock up our school library with many book that your children love to read! The book fair always reminds me of how I loved visiting the public library when I was a young girl and how much I love the feel of books and the places they take me! I hope you found time to read during the winter break and if you didn't, it isn't too late to start now. 

 

Congratulations to our Robotics Teams! The different teams competed during the fall semester and were recognized in several different categories for their great work. Two of our teams will proceed to the next level, the Invitational Tournament! Way to go Robotics Teams!

 

"Ice Breakers"-Winner of 1^st Place Robot Game Score, 1^st Place Champions and will proceed to Invitation Tournament. The team members are: Cara G. , Helena H., Marissa M., Nadia P. and Ava W.

 

"RoboWolves"- Winner of Most Innovative Solution for Project. The team members are: Jake J. 

Ty J., Alex R. and Joseph W. 

 

"Techtonic Robots"- Winner of Inspiration Award for Core Values. The team members are:  Gabriel D. 

and Major M. 

 

"Lighting Strikers"- Winner of Mechanical Design for their Robot and will proceed to Invitational Tournament. The team members are: Grant B. , Samya C. , William G. , Marcus L. and Darren T.

I look forward to sharing more of our great news and accomplishments throughout the spring semester. Thank you for your continuous support of our school and our children!

Roaring with Pride, 

Dr. Peña

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.

ROARing News!

Hello Baldwin Community, 

It is hard to believe that we have completed our first nine weeks of this school year!  During these first nine weeks, the students have been extremely busy learning new routines and procedures as well as specific skills and expectations for their grade levels. Our teachers have also been busy preparing hands-on learning opportunities and incorporating more technology within their lessons. For example, the fourth grade students have been working on "flipped" assignments. The students complete passive learning activities such as reviewing specific video models as homework and then come to class with more background knowledge on certain topics, which then allows the teachers to more deeply engage with students in class. They are using their in-class time for more active learning activities. I encourage you to ask your child how technology is being used in their classrooms. You will be surprised how much your children know about the use of technology for learning. 

During these first nine weeks, I observed your children working collaboratively with their classmates and solving problems during reading, math, science and social studies lessons. I also saw and heard them asking questions and using accountable talk to explain their thinking. We have also continued to teach our SEL (Social Emotional Learning) lessons every week stressing the importance of understanding perspectives and feelings and being accepting of others. Be sure to read the Weekly ROAR, our electronic newsletter, for information about our SEL lessons. 

On October 16th we had our annual PTA Baldwin Carnival and what a great family event it was! We had so many families attend the carnival and all of the children and adults seemed to be having a fabulous time. Thank you to our PTA carnival chair and assistants for organizing such a great event. Thank you also to all of our family and community sponsors; we would not be have been able to provide all of the fun activities without your help! I went home that night with about 7 dozen confetti eggs in my head and it was all worth it! The carnival was a HUGE success and we are very grateful to all of you for coming out to have fun with us!

This Friday, October 30, we will be hosting our Annual Vocabulary Parade and I highly encourage you to come out and see this fun event. The parade will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will be led by the Gorzycki Middle School Drum Line. We sent home all of the information 2 weeks ago, so be sure to review it with your child so that he/she can be prepared to represent his/her vocabulary word for the parade. It is a great learning experience for all of our children! I look forward to seeing all of you at the Vocabulary Parade on Friday! 

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the generous gifts that you gave to all of the support staff at Baldwin at the end of September. You honored us with many beautiful cards, flowers and gifts. Thank you for making us feel extra special during Staff Appreciation Week! It is an honor to work for the Baldwin Children and Community! 

Thank you for your continuous support of the Box Top and Labels for Education programs, the Great Leaps Reading program, and for helping us in the cafeteria every day.  Your time is valuable and we appreciate all that you do to help us. I look forward to seeing you at Baldwin!

Roaring with Pride, 

Dr.  Peña

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.

ROARing News!

Hello Baldwin Community,

 

Our 15-16 school year got off to a great start! These past two weeks have been filled with excitement for our students and teachers. It has been a time for reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, as well as getting to know our new teachers and their expectations for this school year. We have grown in our enrollment numbers this year and have filled every classroom inside and outside of our building. We are very excited to welcome all of our new Bobcat Families and we hope that each new family will find opportunities to visit and get involved in our school.  

 

The mission of Baldwin Elementary is to promote a learner-centered education, where the unique and whole development of each child is nurtured in a shared partnership between caring, creative staff, parents, and community. We seek to create a challenging learning environment, provided in a nurturing, inclusive, and safe atmosphere that encourages high expectations for success. This learner-centered education inspires children to achieve their potential academically, physically, socially, emotionally, and artistically; fostering a life-long desire to learn.

 

As I walked through classrooms these past few weeks, I observed students showing their talents and asking questions. In every classroom, I noticed eager and attentive students working with their classmates and their teachers. I am also happy to report that our students continue to use the SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) skills we learned last school year. This will be our second year of implementation of this curriculum and through these lessons we will continue to help all of our students build their cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies.  Be sure to read the Weekly Roar; our new counselor will keep you updated on ways for you to continue this learning at home.

 

This next Thursday, Sept. 10th, will be our first Back to School night event for all parents of students in Prek through 2nd grades. The following week on Sept. 17th, we will host our Back to School night event for all parents of students in grades 3-5. I encourage all of you to attend these events so that you can learn more about the curriculum and expectations for each grade level. At these events, you will also learn about ways to get involved in your child's learning and about the many volunteer opportunities at our school. The school to home connections and relationships are vital to each child's learning. I look forward to seeing all of you at our Back to School night events.

 

I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage all of our families to join the Baldwin PTA. The PTA provides ongoing support to our students and teachers. A single membership is just $8.50, but join as a family and you receive a discounted rate of $15. You can find a link to the PTA membership application on the Baldwin website, as well as a list of this year's budget and a listing of ways the PTA has supported our school in the past. Don't wait, join today!

 

I also highly recommend that everyone join the listing to receive the Baldwin Weekly ROAR! This is a weekly electronic newsletter that keeps you informed of all events and activities at our school. You can find the link to join on the Baldwin website. In this week's ROAR, I sent a plea to all of our families asking all of you to consider giving one hour a week to our school by volunteering in our cafeteria. This will help us continue offering a 30 minute unstructured recess time for all classes. The sign up link can be found in this week's Weekly ROAR. Thank you to the parents that have already signed up to help!

 

I look forward to a successful and fun school year! Enjoy your Labor Day and I will see everyone bright and early Tuesday morning!

 

Roaring with Pride,

Dr. Peña

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.

Roaring News!

Dear Baldwin Community,

 

This past Thursday and Friday, the Baldwin PTA held their annual Gifts of Time auction items. The children were very excited at the opportunities they might have to share some special time with their teachers, the PE coaches, Art and Music teachers, Betty J., and the administrators. Thank you to everyone that dropped by the school and signed up for one of the many events that were available. I personally cannot wait to share my time with those that were the highest bidders for lunch, bedtime story reading, my ice cream dates, principal for 1/2 day, subbing in a class and the recordings of my telephone message by nine weeks. I know that I will have a blast with all of these students!

 

Perhaps you didn't get to participate in this year's Gifts of Time, well, there is still another fun event that is right around the corner that you can come and enjoy. The annual Baldwin PTA Bash will be held this coming Friday, April 24th and I guarantee that you will have a great time with friends as well as have the opportunity to bid on some amazing baskets and other items in the silent auction. Please join us this Friday for this exciting event that benefits our school; put on your boots and scoot your way to the Baldwin Bash!

 

I also want to remind everyone that this week is our second round of STAAR testing. The school will be closed to visitors Monday through Wednesday due to the administration of our state assessments. Your children and our teachers have been concentrating and learning all of the required Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills all year at each of the grade levels, and I am confident that the children are well-prepared and will succeed on their assessments. Please be sure your children get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive to school on time, especially on these three days.

 

If you haven't read this week's ROAR, please make some time to read it. I sent a congratulatory note to our students, teachers and families for their hard work and you don't want to miss it! Also in the ROAR there are some important dates for some fun spring time events you won't want to miss. So check out the Weekly ROAR and mark your calendars for all of the fun-filled events that are scheduled for April, May and June.

 

Thank you again for your continuous support! I look forward to seeing you at Baldwin.

 

Roaring with Pride,

 Dr. Peña

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.

ROARing News!

Dear Baldwin Community, 

As our fall semester comes to an end, I wanted to express my gratitude to all of our students, parents and staff members for the amazing work that was accomplished during this time. We began our year with the implementation of our Social Emotional Learning initiative and the students and teachers have been using these skills regularly. There was clear evidence throughout this first semester of these new learned skills. Our established positive school climate was enhanced by this work.  

We had many events and activities that took place during the fall semester that provided our students with extended learning opportunities. I would like to highlight a few of these events that I know I enjoyed tremendously and that I heard students and parents talking about for weeks. 

Our annual Vocabulary Parade took place at the end of October, and once again this year, our students were creative with their words and costumes. The Gorzycki Drum Line led the parade for us down Meridian Park Blvd, around to Espina and through the back of the school. Many of you came to the parade and witnessed the amazing words and costumes our children chose to represent this year. We took all of the vocabulary words and hung them on the walls in the foyer and every day students would stop by to read the words. Thank you for encouraging your children to participate in this fun learning opportunity. I hope you and your children are already thinking about next year's vocabulary parade word, I know I am!!

 

In November,  we  held our first Multi-Cultural Fest. We sent a survey home to all of our families inquiring about their family cultures and traditions. Based on the information we received, we tried to represent as many countries and cultures by grade levels. Each grade level traveled through one continent and explored and learned about different countries that represented our Baldwin families. We had many parent volunteers throughout the grade levels that came on that day to present to our students. We learned so much from all of our presenters and from the parents that helped us prepare for the presentations. I want to thank all of our volunteers because you are what made this day very special for all of us! We look forward to next year's Multi-Cultural Fest! 

In December, our technology specialist, Ms. Ashley, taught our students about coding. The students visited the computer lab and Ms. Ashley took them through a variety of lessons to learn more about coding. We had Kindergarten students learning with the robots, while the other grade levels learned through many fun lessons. You can still learn more about coding and doing some of this at home with your children by visiting the Baldwin website and following the links. Thank you Ms. Ashley for sharing this knowledge with our Bobcats!

Lastly, I want to thank all of the students and parents for the beautiful Holiday gifts and treats you gave to us! You are very kind and generous with all of us and on behalf of the Baldwin Staff, I thank you for sharing so much with us. Remember, we are now officially on Winter Break and that classes resume Monday, January 5, 2015. I look forward to a successful spring semester. I wish you and your family a Joyful and fun Holiday Season! 

Roaring with Pride, 

Dr. Peña  

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.

ROARing News

Dear Baldwin Community,

 

For the past seven weeks at Baldwin, all of our students and teachers have been working extremely hard to meet the many expectations that have been set for us for the start of this new school year. I am very proud of the learning and work that I am seeing in all classrooms!

 

In the second grade classes, I had the pleasure of observing students present their "Past, Present, and Future" projects. The students were very poised, articulate and they knew the topics they had chosen very well. I was also in one of the music classes when third graders were "composers." The students were able to identify pitch and rhythm through hand signals and movements. They used this knowledge to make connections to literature and to their own lives. These third graders and Mrs. Stevens were amazing! These are just two examples of the many wonderful lessons that have occurred at Baldwin. Be sure to check out the bulletin boards in the hallways and our teachers' websites to see some of this great work.

 

I have also seen many of you, our children's parents, at our school volunteering in many different capacities. Our Great Leaps program is well on its' way because of the dedicated volunteers that come every day to read with our first graders. Thank you to Mrs. Fellinger for setting up a great program for us again this year! I have also seen many volunteers in classrooms, in the copy room, cutting out laminated posters and instructional materials, and in the office. I want to thank all of you for giving your time and talents. You are greatly appreciated!

 

A few weeks ago, many of you also shared your treasures with the Baldwin staff as part of Staff Appreciation Week. I want to personally thank Mrs. Beeler's students and families for the wonderful treats you showered me with every day during that week. The box of cookies, the flowers, the lunch and the beautiful cards were very much appreciated! You made me feel very special! This is true for all of the other support staff that was appreciate during that same week. The amazing posters that were made for the different individuals are still hanging by their doors and in the office and the luncheon you provided for all of us was delicious. Thank you for being so generous with all of us!

 

Just a friendly reminder that this Monday is a student holiday, therefore, we are not scheduled for classes on this day. However, it is parent-teacher conference day for us at the elementary level. Some of you have already met with your child's teacher but many of you are scheduled for Monday and for the days that follow. If you have not already scheduled a time to meet with your child's teacher, please do so as soon as possible. This is a perfect time of the year to learn more about how your child is progressing and how you can partner with our teachers to help your child succeed! In the next edition of the Weekly ROAR, you will find some tips to help you prepare for the conference. Be sure to read the ROAR on Sunday!

 

The Weekly ROAR is our weekly communication with the Baldwin Community, so if you are not receiving this electronic communication, be sure to visit the Baldwin website to subscribe to this important service. I want to thank Paige Newman for continuing to support us with the Weekly ROAR. She does an amazing job every week of taking all of our information and sending it out to you in a format that is informative and easy to read. Thank you Mrs. Newman for your help each week!!

 

Also, don't forget that our Baldwin Carnival is coming up this next Friday, October 17th. The PTA has been working very hard since last spring to get this organized and to make it fun for the whole family. Please make plans to attend. The details for this fun event can be found in the Weekly ROAR and on our website.

 

I look forward to seeing you on Monday at our parent-teacher conferences and at the Baldwin Carnival on Friday! 

 

ROARing with Pride,

Dr.  Peña

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.