Roaring News

Dear Baldwin Community,

WOW! our first semester as a Baldwin Learning Community has come to an end. It was such a successful first half of the year and we could not have been so successful without all of your support and care!

During the month of December, we had many activities and events for our children and the community at-large. We had well-over 200 coats donated to the "Coats for Kids" campaign and you all helped sponsor 22 families for the Christmas Holidays. I was just amazed with all of the sharing that was given during this time. I also want to thank you for the care you showed our teachers, custodians, cafeteria staff, office staff and administrators during the month of December. On behalf of everyone at Baldwin, I want to thank you for all of the food, cookies, gift cards, gifts, flowers and special hugs. These are deeply appreciated!

We also appreciate all of the support you showed during our "first" Book Fair. Mrs. Dethlefsen, our librarian, was amazed with all of the volunteers that came out to assist at the Book Fair. She told me that this was a very dedicated group of volunteers and that she could not have made it through the week without you. So thank you for giving your time and talents. The MovieNight/Santa Visit Night were tied with a shopping night at the Book Fair and this turned out to be a very special event for everyone. Thank you to our PTA and the numerous volunteers for helping that night and for sponsoring such a fun, family event! We look forward to many more of these nights.

Our "first" Bell Run was a huge success too and what a beautiful day we had for the Bell Run. Thank you Mr. Grumbles, our PE Coach, and his team for organizing such a fun event. I also saw many parents and friends encouraging our students and teachers as they ran through the course. I think I even spotted a few parents running with the students. Ms. Kane and I ran/walked with the fifth graders in the afternoon. For me the hardest part was the slide. I was afraid I wasn't going to fit but luckily I did because I had an audience of fifth graders waiting for me at the bottom of the slide. I landed with a huge "kerplunk!" I'm grateful there is a soft pad at the bottom of the slide, which made the landed a bit softer. It was so much fun I wanted to get back on the slide but I didn't because I had to get back to the task at hand, which was to finish the Bell Run course. Thank you again to everyone for participating in this first Bell Run and for having fun with us at Baldwin.

I don't know if you remember but earlier in the fall we had children submit original work to the PTA Reflections Program. We submitted 20% of the entries, which was a grand total of 13. We submitted art along with all other AISD elementary schools. There were thousands of entries and 2 of our 13 placed. Well, not only did we place, but we have one student's entry moving on to Nationals! Congratulations to Charlotte I. Her entry is going on to the National level competition. Charlotte is one of our youngest Bobcats; she is in Kindergartener. We also had a 2nd grade student that earned a prize. Congratulations to Jayden W. for winning 3rd place. We are so proud of Charlotte and Jayden for their great work!! We wish Charlotte the best of luck at this next level. We hope to have more entries in next year's competition. Thank you to everyone that submitted an entry to the program this year. Let's start thinking about how we can showcase our Bobcat talents next year!

During these two weeks off, I ask that you please continue to read with your children or encourage them to read so that we don't have anyone regress in their progress. You can also practice math facts with them;this would be very helpful too. For our youngest Bobcats, I ask that you begin to talk with them about returning to school a few days before January 4th so that they can be ready to come back to school on that Tuesday morning.

Once again, I thank ALL of you for making the "first" semester at Baldwin so memorable and successful. I wish everyone a great Holiday Break! May your time with family and friends bring you peace and joy both now and in the New Year!

See you bright and early on January 4, 2011! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Roaring with Pride,

Dr. Peña
 

Roaring News

Hello Baldwin Community,

I'm sorry I haven't sent out any news for the past 2 weeks. Our Bobcats were very busy the past two weeks. The children in second grade were learning the concept of multiplication and they were having so much fun with this new concept. Ask them to explain what they learned about mulitiplication and have them show you their mathematical thinking. The students in third grade were also studying multiplication but they had to make the connection to division as well. They had some creative ways of showing the multiplication and division fact families. 

The first and second graders also completed the biographies they had been writing. When you come by to visit us at Baldwin, you will find many of their biographies displayed in the hallways; you will even find one about our Head Custodian, Betty and one about me. If you have a first or second grader, ask them to tell you about the biography they wrote and the process they went through to get it to the publishing stage. Way to Go Baldwin Bobcats!!

Let me begin by thanking all of the Baldwin Families that attended the Ross F. Baldwin Dedication on November 14th. It was a very special celebration for all of us especially for Mr. Baldwin's family and for the Baldwin students and staff. Our Bobcat Choir was amazing. They graced us with their beautiful voices and honored Mr. Baldwin with a melody of patriotic songs. They also showed all of the guests their Bobcat pride by singing the Baldwin School song. At the end of the celebration, the choir took a picture with Mr. Baldwin's son, Randy Baldwin, and the picture was posted on the AISD website under AISD Photos, campus events. At the dedication, we learned that Mr. Ross F. Baldwin was an advocate of public education and that he mentored many children in Austin schools. We also learned that Mr. Baldwin believed in "service before self." He gave of his time, talents and treasures to help others especially children. We are honored to be learning at Baldwin Elementary and I hope that together we will continue to uphold Mr. Baldwin's legacy of giving. Other photos of the dedication can also be viewed on the AISD website. 

In this same spirit of giving, I want to thank all of the children that have donated a coat to the "Coats for Kids" campaign. Our PTA is working with the Baldwin children and families to collect coats to help others who may not have a coat for this winter. We have a box in the school foyer designated for this collection. Although we have collected some coats, we still need more. Please look through your closets and send us your coats that no longer fit anyone in your family. Thanks for your help with this campaign. 

On Friday, November 12, I had a special guest working with me for half of the day. A first grader, Eli, was principal for 1/2 that day. This special afternoon was part of the silent auction. Eli and I visited all of the classrooms that Friday afternoon discussing the work that was posted in the hallways and the work that was taking place in the classrooms. Eli took extensive notes and he had great ideas, questions and connections. I am very proud of Eli and how focused he was on the task at hand. Eli's observations helped me see things from a different perspective. Thank you Eli for being a great student and principal!

This next week is a short week but I guarantee it will be a busy one. Tuesday is College Awareness Day so please have your child wear his or her favorite college/university shirt. We hope to have a representation of the many different choices our children can have to continue their learning after high school graduation. It will be a fun day for all of us!

Don't forget we only have classes on Monday and Tuesday of this week and then we get to take some time off for the Thanksgiving Holidays. We return back to learning on November 29th. 

Also, December 6-10 will be our First Baldwin Book Fair. It is perfect timing for anyone that is looking for some great gifts for the holidays and birthdays. Mark your calendars so you can come by our library during book fair week to do some shopping! 

I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for all that you do to help us be the best at Baldwin Elementary!

Roaring with Pride, 

Dr. Peña

Roaring News

Hello Baldwin Community, 

Last week was a difficult week for all of us at Baldwin having to cope with the death of one of our young Bobcats. Losing a member of our family is never easy, but the death of child just seem so much harder to comprehend and understand. Although we experienced this loss and pain this past week, I was also reminded of the loving and giving community that we have at Baldwin. Everyone came together to help those that were most affected. I do want to thank all of you that have come forward to help us through the grieving process. Let me reassure you that the children were our first priority and that we will continue to be available to help them cope with this loss. Thank you again parents and friends for being so understanding and for helping us through this difficult time. I also want to thank Ms. Klaras, our counselor, for being so well-prepared to help our children and our staff through this time of loss. Please contact us if you feel that your child needs to speak to someone regarding this loss and/or other feelings that may have emerged due to this crisis. 

Another reason I am so proud to be the principal of Baldwin is because no matter how difficult it was last week, our children and staff understood that it was important to keep to our normal routines as much as possible. As I visited classrooms last week, I observed high levels of learning occurring throughout our building. One example of this learning was in Ms. Brady's second grade class. During the time of my visit, Ms. Meixner's Kindergarten Class was reading with Ms. Brady's second grade class. These two classes have paired up as reading buddies. Each kindergarten child is paired up with a second grader and they each practice reading to each other all the while the two teachers are monitoring and providing feedback to them. I heard and saw the children completing book walks and making predictions before they read the story. I heard the Kindergarten children reading their letter-sound cards and/or their favorite beginning reading books. The second grade students were modeling "good" reading strategies including reading with so much expression. Way to go Ms. Meixner and Ms. Brady's students!!

I also observed students in first grade discovering and learning about magnets. They learned about the two poles on the magnets and how and why they attract and repel. It was amazing to hear the conversations the students were having about this learning. I also saw some amazing writing throughout the different grade levels. Your children are very creative and are implementing the good writing techniques they are learning. 

During math times, I observed students using different ways to problem solve and I was so impressed with the way the students are able to explain their thinking processes. Please ask your children to share their learning with you everyday. Ask them open-ended questions about their day and they will be able to share all of the great things I get to see every day. I am very proud of all of our Bobcats and the work they are accomplishing. 

This past Thursday, Baldwin celebrated another "first!" We had our first student performance. The third graders put on a fabulous show "Lighten Up." They sang with so much pride and were so creative with their movements and their jokes. They made me laugh throughout the performance. I am so proud of our third graders and Mrs. Stevens, our Music Teacher, for a beautiful, fun performance! This Thursday, the Baldwin Choir will have a performance at 6:30 p.m. honoring our Veterans. Please join us if you can!

I do want to invite our community to the Ross F. Baldwin School Dedication this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. We will have school tours beginning at 1:00 p.m. and then the actual ceremony will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. There will be a special appearance by the Baldwin Bobcat Choir. You don't want to miss this performance and this great celebration. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday afternoon!

Roaring with pride,

Dr. Pena

Roaring News

Hello Baldwin Community:

What a Wonderful Fall Carnival and Silent Auction we had this past Friday! It was an amazing event. We had so many different activities and events for our children to enjoy themselves. All of the food choices were also great and we had so many sweets to choose from all night long. I want to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to the PTA and the Carnival Committee. Everything was so well organized and child friendly. Thank you to all of our sponsors and to the parents and friends that gave their time to work at a booth(s). I heard many folks saying that night that this was the BEST carnival they have ever attended.  I also want to thank the Auction Committee for all of the auction baskets and the organization of this part of our carnival. Lastly, I want to thank all of the parents that stayed past 8:30 to clean up. When we returned Monday morning, our school looked good as new. Thank you again to everyone for helping with this event and for attending our first carnival. I can't wait for next year's carnival.

Just a friendly reminder that this is Red Ribbon Week and everyday we will be showing  that we are Drug Free at Baldwin! These are the activities for the week: Monday-Red Ribbon Day; Tuesday-wear your sunglasses to show that we are too "bright" to do drugs; Wednesday-"Crazy Sock" Day; Thursday-Wear a Red Shirt and Friday is "Crazy Hat" day. Thanks for participating in these activities.

Today, the Oak Hill Rotary Club presented our third, fourth and fifth graders with dictionaries, atlases and thesauruses. They also presented the Baldwin Library with many books they bought during our summer Barnes and Noble Book Fair. Mr. Baldwin was a member of the Oak Hill Rotary Club and I know he would be so proud of the relationship we are building with the Rotary Club. Thank you to the Oak Hill Rotary Club for the beautiful donations.  

One last reminder: Fall Individual Pictures will be taken this Thursday, October 28th.  

Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Rosa M. Peña

Roaring News

 
Hello Baldwin Community,

On Friday, I had the honor of listening to our fourth graders share their published works. All of the fourth grade classes got together in the commons area and they mixed and mingled to share their published writing. The students have been working through the writing process and were able to get to the publishing stage. During this time, the students from the four 4th grade classes were sharing their stories and giving each other feedback. I heard stories about horses, Elvis, roller coaster, birthday celebrations, the first day of school, and so many more different topics. I am very proud of our fourth grade scholars and their teachers!

I also wanted to tell you that our PTA Carnival Committee and Volunteers have been working around the clock to get everything ready for next Friday's Carnival and Silent Auction. Be sure to stop by the display cases near the cafeteria to see some of the baskets for the auction. They are absolutely beautiful and I bet you will want to bid on them. We hope to see everyone next Friday from 5:30-8:30 at Baldwin for some family fun!

I also want to encourage our families to continue participating in Marathon Kids. You can walk and/or run together so that your child can complete the number of miles needed for this great program. Staying healthy and fit can help your child in their academics too. Thanks for helping your child in this way.

Our classes will be decorating pumpkins for a contest that is being sponsored by Applebee's. Each class will decorate (not carve) a pumpkin. The teachers will involve the students in the planning and the decorating of their class pumpkin. A winner from each grade level will be chosen. For each winning pumpkin, the students will be awarded free kids meals and the winning teacher will be awarded a $10.00 gift certificate to Applebee's. The pumpkins will be collected and taken to Applebee's Restaurant on Monday, 10/25. The pumpkins will then be available to purchase for $10 no earlier than 10/28 at 11:00 a.m. All of the money collected will be given back to Baldwin.

Many of you are aware that I have a suggestion box in the office for anyone that  wants to place a suggestion and/or concern for us to address. I received a concern from a second grade student in Mrs. Perry's class. Kallie was concerned with the trash on our school grounds and that we do not have trash cans around the school. I spoke with Kallie personally about her concern and she told me that she has been going around the neighborhood picking up litter and trying to keep it clean including our school grounds. She suggested we buy some trash cans to put outside near the playground areas. I told her it was a great idea and that we would order outdoor trash cans to place around the school in hopes that this would encourage everyone to throw their trash in the appropriate bins. Thank you Kallie for being brave and submitting your concern and suggestion for improvement. I am also proud of Kallie for being an ambassador for our earth and our school! If you have a concern and/or suggestion, please stop by the office to complete a form and leave in the suggestion box. Together we can make our school the best!


On Friday, I led the students in the Baldwin School Song and they were just amazing. I get goose bumps every time I hear them sing the school song together. There is so much pride in their singing! Ask your child to sing the song to you; you will understand what I mean.

See you at the Fall Carnival on Friday evening!

Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Rosa M. Peña

Roaring News

Hello Baldwin Community!

This was an amazing week of learning and fun at Baldwin Elementary. Today, Ms. Kane and I competed in a Tricycle Race during morning assembly and we had a blast. The Tricycle Race was to promote the Baldwin Carnival and Silent Auction. We wanted to show the students one of the activities that we will have at the Carnival on October 22nd and to get them excited about it. I have to admit, it wasn't easy riding the tricycle from the gym to the stage but we managed to do it gracefully. I do believe I won the race, but we called it a tie! The children were cheering both of us and whenever they saw us in their classrooms or in the hallways, they wanted to talk about it. It was so much fun! I hope that all of you make time to join us at the Baldwin Fall Carnival on October 22nd from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. We will have lots of games, food and different kinds of booths for the whole family to enjoy!

I also have roaring news to share on the academic side of things. All of the different grade levels have been studying and learning about Matter and Energy. For example, in 4th grade, the students compared and contrasted a variety of mixtures and solutions and they learned that physical properties determine how matter is classified, changed, and used. In 5th grade, the students identified changes that occurred in the physical properties of the ingredients of solutions. If you have a fourth or fifth grader, ask them to explain what they have learned in science.

In first and second grade in mathematics, the students were learning how to recognize and solve problems in addition and subtraction situations. The students are able to explain their thinking in their math journals. I am so proud of the vocabulary they are using and the explanations they are able to share with each other. One suggestion for some extra practice would be for you to help your child practice addition and subtraction facts. For the older students, it is important to practice multiplication and division facts. This kind of practice will help your children build their numerical fluency.

I want to take this opportunity to remind you that Parent-Teacher Fall Conferences will be held on October 18th. If you have not scheduled your conference time with your child's teacher, please do so as soon as you can. The teachers want to share your child's progress with you and set some goals for the next nine weeks. By the way, the end of the first nine weeks is October 15th, which means you will be getting your child's first report card on October 20th. I look forward to seeing you at parent conferences on Oct. 18th.

Just a few event reminders so that you can mark your calendars:

October 22-Fall Carnival and Silent Auction
October 25-29-Red Ribbon Week
October 28-Fall Individual Picture Day
October 29-"Crazy" Hat Day

November 2-"Fifties" Day-to celebrate the 50th day of school (more details to come)
November 14-Baldwin School Dedication 2:00 p.m. (our Baldwin Choir will be singing at this event)

Again, I want to thank the many volunteers that help us everyday at Baldwin. You are very committed to our school's success and I am so proud to be working with all of you!

Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Peña

Roaring News

Hello Baldwin Community!

We had an amazing morning today at the Principal-Parent Coffee Hour and at the Volunteer Training Session. Ms. Kane and I had about 50 parents join us for the coffee hour this morning. The discussions this morning ranged from construction updates, drop-off and pick-up procedures, Safety at the Crosswalks, Spanish as a Second Language, the School's Budget and so much more. There were some great ideas and suggestions made this morning and Ms. Kane and I will certainly be reviewing these. Based on today's discussions, you should be expecting a short survey regarding the implementation of Spanish as a Second Language for all of our Baldwin Bobcats. A parent volunteered to help us create the survey so that will be coming your way very soon. I want to personally thank all of the parents that were able to join us this morning. This type of community gathering is very important as we continue to develop our school climate and build the "heart" of the school. We hope to hold a Principal-Parent Coffee Hour once a month, so stay tuned for the next coffee hour.

The Volunteer Training Session was held right after the coffee hour and most of the parents stayed for this too. Baldwin cannot run efficiently and effectively without our parent volunteers so it was important for us to review the Baldwin volunteer guidelines. The volunteers that were present at the training all completed a Confidentiality Form, which is very important for the success of our volunteer program. If you did not attend the volunteer training today, you will be asked to complete a confidentiality form the next time you are volunteering at Baldwin. You will find the short volunteer packet and confidentiality form in the Volunteer Workroom.

Thank you for helping us make Baldwin a Great Place to Learn!

Roaring with Pride,
Dr.  Peña

"Roaring News"

Hello Baldwin Community,

I wanted to express my most sincere appreciation to all of you for the wonderful luncheon you provided today to the Baldwin Staff!! The parents that helped out today transformed our teachers' lounge into a beautiful cafe with purple and gold tablecloths and fresh flowers. Every dish that was prepared looked delicious and I have to admit, I think I tasted almost everything. Most importantly, you made every staff member feel very special! On behalf of the staff, I thank you for your kindness and generosity!!


Today, when I visited classrooms, I was so impressed with our students' work products. In the PreKindergarten class, the students were counting and graphing. They created some bar graphs that showed the number of members in their families. They began with a picture and then were able to create a bar graph. In one Kindergarten class, I noticed the students were writing words that began with the letter T as they searched around the room. Some of the words the students wrote were:  teacher, treasures, trust, tiger, Tuesday and turtle. In first grade, I noticed that the students are using graphic organizers to help them write the sequence of events of a story.  I am so proud of our littlest Bobcats!

In a second grade classroom, I had the pleasure of seeing children work with their teacher as the class reviewed the process for writing a "personal narrative." The students shared their ideas orally and then were able to begin working on their own writing independently. In one of our fourth grade classrooms, I observed the teacher holding writing conferences with the students. The students were editing their compositions and working on their next writing draft. In this same class, I had the opportunity to hear four young ladies share an idea they had with their class. The girls are going to start a class newspaper and they explained to their peers how they would gather their ideas to get the newspaper completed. I was very impressed with their ideas and organizational skills. I told them I would share some of their newspaper stories with you on my blog when they were ready.

During lunch time, the classes with "Purrfect" behavior, (those that follow the cafeteria expectations), earn a paw. When a class earns their 10th paw, the class will get to eat at a special table on the stage. Ask your child, how many paws his or her class has earned thus far. You will be surprised!!

I also want to thank our numerous parent volunteers that have been coming to Baldwin to help us laminate, cut , copy and even read with children.  I have seen parent volunteers in our parent workroom every day helping us out! Thank you!!

Don't forget we are having our first Principal-Parent coffee hour this Friday from 8:00-9:00 in the Bobcat Den, (some of you know it as our Baldwin Cafeteria).  I hope to see you then!

Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Peña

Roaring News

Hello Baldwin Bobcat Community!

Happy Friday to All!  I am just thrilled that we have completed our fifth week of school and I have some more "Roaring" news to share with you. Our Fifth Graders returned from their Camping Trip full of excitement and with many stories to share. One of the fifth graders told me, "the rock wall was the best! I made it to the top!" Another fifth grader told me, "I loved the astronomy lesson. I loved learning about the constellations."  Our teachers told me that the students were superb and that they received many compliments from the camp counselors. I want to thank our fifth grade parents for allowing our students the opportunity to go camping as a team and for helping make this a great success. Thank you to Ms. Webber, Ms. Kane, Mrs. Quiroz and Mr. Crowley for being there to experience this with our children.  Thank you to the PTA for providing some scholarships to make sure all of our students attended the camping trip!

In classrooms this week, I observed and heard kindergartners comparing numbers and sorting objects that were similar and different and using vocabulary such as more than, less than, and the same. The best part of these activities was listening to the students explain their thinking processes and communicating their mathematical ideas to their friends. In third grade this week, I saw the students representing currency amounts in different ways and they were also explaining their thinking. In many of the classrooms,I visited this week, the students were going through the writing process and sharing some excellent stories. I even had four first grade readers come to my office today to share their writing on their favorite characters and on the setting of the story they had read in class. I am so proud of all of our learners and of our teachers!

Today was our first drawing from the Box Top Barrel and Jason A. in Mrs. Lentz's class was the lucky winner and he chose a colorful slinky from the treasure box.  Remember to bring in your box tops in a ziploc bag with your child's name, his/her teacher's name, and the number of box tops that are in the bag. We will be giving more prizes to individual students and to the classes that collect the most box tops. Thank you to Ms. Suzie Bradford for helping us with the Box Tops program.

On Tuesday, we had a fabulous turn out for out PTA General Meeting and our first Bobcat "Paw"ty. Thank you to the PTA for sponsoring this event. I had so much fun dancing with the children in the gym! Next time we want to see more parents on the dance floor!

Our math pentathlon classes are off to a great start too! All of the student participants are so excited about their classes and this is just another way of enriching their lives with math fun!! Thank you to all of the Math Pentathlon Coaches for giving their time and energy.

Next Friday, October 1st will the the first Parent-Principal Coffee Hour! Please make plans to attend on Friday, Oct. 1. We will meet in the cafeteria from 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.  for some coffee and time to talk about your concerns and ideas. I look forward to seeing you on Friday!

Have a great weekend!

With Roaring Pride,

Dr. Peña

Roaring News from Dr. Peña

September 20, 2010

Hello Baldwin Community! We have completed four weeks at our new school and what an exciting adventure it has been thus far! Congratulations to our students, teachers and parents for finishing these four weeks with such enthusiasm and energy.

Since this is my first blog of the new school year, Boy, do I have some "Roaring" news to share with you! Ms. Kane and I have visited classrooms for the past four weeks and we have observed exciting and challenging work in all classrooms. We have observed and heard children sharing their ideas on different topics such as "nifty numbers," "story characters," "personal memoirs," and the "constitution."  We also observed children from all different grade levels using different art tools in art class to show their creativity. As we walk through each hallway of our beautiful new school, Ms. Kane and I have to stop and admire the beautiful work that is displayed by each class.

Some of you are aware that we have morning assembly every day in the cafeteria where either Ms. Kane or I share some thoughts for the day and/or recognize students that are celebrating their birthdays or their accomplishments. We say the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag and the Texas Flag together every morning too. Every class has been assigned a week to lead the pledge of allegiance. It is very rewarding to see our student leaders take pride in modeling this for all of our bobcats. We also review our Baldwin Guidelines for Success which we say that Baldwin Bobcats will "ROAR"-by being R-respectful, O-outstanding, A-accepting, and R-responsible. The children have also become experts at our quiet signal. Ask them to show you what this is if you haven't experienced it with us.  On Fridays, it is even more exciting at morning assembly because we sing the school song together. Mrs. Stevens our music teacher wrote the school song this summer and all of our children sing it with such pride every Friday! They are pros at this! I get goose bumps when I hear them sing the school song with so much pride on Fridays!

Another great accomplishment for us since we are a new school is the formation of our first Baldwin Choir. I want to thank Ms. Stevens, our Music teacher, for taking the time to hold auditions and for getting our choir started. The students I spoke to about the choir were very excited that they were chosen and can't wait to sing for us.  Being involved in extracurricular activities is very important in the development of the whole child. We also thank you parents for encouraging your children to try-out for the Baldwin Choir. We still have many other traditions to establish at Baldwin and we have the whole year to do this together.

On another note, the Accelerated Reader program, which was purchased with funds from some anonymous donors, the PTA and our school budget will begin very soon. We are working on getting all of the necessary class lists to the company so that we can begin using the system. We will send more details on how this program will be implemented in Grades 1-5 at Baldwin.

I want to publicly thank the Baldwin PTA for all that they have accomplished and done for our school. They have been hard at work since the association was formed late last spring. Please mark your calendars for the Fall Carnival. It will take place on October 22 from 5:30-8:30. The PTA is still looking for volunteers so please visit the PTA website for more details on how you can help with this important event.  We want to make this a great carnival so make plans to attend!!

The annual PTA membership drive will be held this week; please read the information that will be sent home with your child or through the Baldwin Google Group to become a member of the Baldwin PTA. The PTA is also holding a general PTA meeting and a spirit "paw"ty  on September 21 at 6:30 p.m.  The meeting will be in the cafeteria for the adults and the "paw"ty will begin in the gym with DJ Guy. Your children will be supervised by adults while you attend the PTA meeting. As soon as the meeting concludes, we will open the partition between the cafeteria and the gym so that you can join the celebration and enjoy some dancing with your children. This will only last an hour so come to the meeting at 6:30 and then be ready to show off your dance moves.

Math Pentathlon coaches' training took place last week and we had many parents and community members join us for this training. Many of our Baldwin parents have volunteered to be coaches. Thank you to everyone who is a part of this fun and challenging program! We know our Bobcats will be learning so much through this after school activity. We are also proud that the Baldwin "Bots" will be starting this year too. Our Sister School, Kiker elementary, was kind enough to let us borrow a couple of robots to help us get started and our Baldwin PTA also donated some funds to help us purchase 2 robots. Thank You PTA for your help and thank you to the parents that are leading the Baldwin "Bots" Club.

I will begin holding a monthly parent-principal coffee hour to talk with you in an informal setting. We will hold the first one on October 1 in the cafeteria at 8:00 a.m. This forum will give us an opportunity to hear your ideas and any concerns.  There is also a principal's suggestion box in the office, if you prefer to present your concerns in an anonymous way feel free to fill out one of the forms in the office and place it in the box. I will do my best to address these concerns at the coffee times once a month and/or through this blog.  Please join us if you can on October 1 for the first parent-principal coffee hour from 8-9 a.m.

I look forward to an exciting first year together. Please visit the PTA website for volunteer opportunities at Baldwin. We will see you at Baldwin!

Go Bobcats!

Roaring with Pride,

Dr. Peña