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