We had another excellent week at Baldwin!
Our Baldwin Choir held two performances: one last night and one this morning for the whole student body. Their program "Fun in the Sun" got all of us excited about summer and even brought back a few memories. However, we know that we must finish our last 7 weeks of classes before we get started with our summer vacation. I am so proud of our First Baldwin Choir and Mrs. Stevens our music teacher and choir director. They have set a high standard for our future choir groups. I want to thank all of our parents for supporting our choir throughout this school year and we hope that you will encourage others to join the choir next year.
I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate our 2nd and 3rd graders that participated in the Math Pentathlon tournament on Saturday, April 9th. The results are as follows: Pentathletes: Christopher A., Aiden B., Dawson B., Gavin B., Gabriel C., Rachel C., Annie D., Alexander G., Cynthia H., Madeline M., Abi M., Greyson O., Paul S., Alyssa S., Connor S., Vishwak T., Dylan W., and Jayden W.
Honorable Mention: Sophia C., Noah H., Reha K., Katherine K., Isabella J., Matthew M. and Blake R.
Bronze Medal: Jack B.
Silver Medal: Patrick D., Atticus K., and Lake S.
Gold Medal: Sebastian M. and Ashton W.
I am very proud of our Math Pentathletes and their Coaches! Thanks for all of your hard work! We will be recognizing our Pentathletes on Tuesday, April 19th during morning assembly beginning at 7:35 a.m. Hope to see you there!
This week Brooke G. from Ms. Lentz's first grade class came to read to me because she earned a "Double Wow!" She is a great reader! Way to go Brooke and keep on reading! I also had the great pleasure of attending an "Author's Tea" this morning in Mrs. Lentz's class. Her first graders invited their parents and family members to come hear them read some of their favorite writing pieces. The students read to their family and friends and enjoyed some orange juice, donuts and grapes. Some of the students shared their work with me and I was amazed with their creativity and skills. I am so proud of our first graders and Mrs. Lentz!
Some of the other first graders in Mrs. Lopez's class and Ms. Leblanc's class have also been improving in their writing skills. They have created some books and these are on display in the hallway. I met up with one of our Kindergarten parents this morning who was reading the first graders' books and she commented on how great they were. She was very impressed with the first graders' writing. Way to go first grade!!
On another note, I want to recognize two third grade young ladies from Mrs. Burns' class: Rachel C. and Triana S. On their own, they decided that they wanted to collect some funds to send to the Red Cross to help with "Japan Relief." It is not a big operation but they are doing their best to collect donations to help out in some way. If they decide to expand their efforts, we will let you know so that you can make a contribution too. Thank you to Rachel and Triana for thinking of others and trying to help out in some way!
This Tuesday, April 19th, the Baldwin PTA will be holding a General PTA meeting at 6:30 p.m. and we need everyone to attend because we will be electing the PTA Board for the 2011-2012 school year. Please make plans to join us! Everyone's voice and vote counts!
When you visit the HEB on Escarpment and Slaughter Lane, ask the employees to sack your groceries in a paper bag. You may get one of the paper bags our students' decorated in honor of Earth Day!
One last thing, our PreK students have been studying about the Earth and what they can do to take care of our resources. Keep an eye out for some creative art work that our youngest Bobcats will be displaying in the next week!
Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Peña
Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Hello Baldwin Community,
This past week was a fabulous week at Baldwin!
We had our first Family Fitness Night on Thursday and what a night of fun it was for all! We had different stations for the children and their parents to experience. Some of the stations were: basketball, tennis, yoga, nutrition, karate, and kayaking.
All of the children that attended seemed to be having a great time. I want to thank the parents and friends that came out to help us at each of these stations: Sarah Urbanski, Leslie Ivey, Brandon Maribal, Jeffrey Rockwell, Melissa and Jack Baker, Grant Dorsey, Jamie Dorsey (Mrs. Dorsey's children) and our very own teacher Mrs. Cherry Lee. I also want to thank the following businesses for coming to share their time and talents with our families: Circle Tennis Club, i9 Sports, Austin Diagnostic Clinic, Total Speed and Fitness, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and My Gym Children's Fitness Center. Also, thank you to Coach Grumbles, the science cadre and our parent volunteers for helping organize this fun event.
Every school year In AISD each school chooses a Teacher of the Year as well as a Teacher of Promise. As you already know, Mrs. Julie Burns, third grade teacher, is Baldwin's Teacher of the Year for 2011. We just recently announced Baldwin's Teacher of Promise for 2011: Mrs. Mechele Dorsey, Kindergarten Teacher. The "Teacher of Promise" recognition program is for novice teachers (zero years experience) who are demonstrating "promising practice" in their classrooms. The Office of Educator Quality asks campus principals and Lead Mentor Contacts to nominate a novice teacher who is demonstrating an overall grasp of the components of good teaching. Mrs. Dorsey has been doing an outstanding job with her students and overall on our campus. She provides her students with hands-on, creative and meaningful lessons. She has established strong classroom procedures and routines and positive relationships with all of her students. Please stop by to visit her classroom and to congratulate her for this great honor and her great work with our children! We are very proud of Mrs. Dorsey and so happy that she is a Baldwin Bobcat!
If you are at Baldwin this week, please visit the yellow wing to see some of our first and second grade work that is on display. As you enter the yellow wing, you will first see on display work from Ms. Cheaney and Ms. LeBlanc's classes. These students recently studied Texas and measurement and their learning is on display. The students created Texas Maps as they learned the topography of Texas. They also drew a picture of themselves showing the different measurements of their bodies such as their arm lengths and waist sizes. Mrs. Lentz, Mrs.Perry and Mrs. Fuentes had their students write some poetry and there are some very creative poems on display. The students in these classes learned about different types of poetry and then they each created their own poems. Mrs. Brady's students have been discussing Earth Day and they created some booklets on ways to help take care of our Earth and those are hanging by their classroom. Mrs. Forotanrad and Mrs. Lee's classes wrote some reports on an animal that they researched. There are some very interesting facts about the animals they researched and wrote about. In the orange wing, our third graders created some interesting art work with three dimensional shapes, which is the concept they were recently studying in math. Their creations also include an explanation of their work and the 3-D shapes they used.
Another display that you must see at Baldwin is the art work by some of our fourth graders. As you go up the main staircase in our building, you will be amazed with the beautiful art work that is on display. It took my breath away! I stood their for at least 7 minutes taking it all in! Fourth graders have been learning about Japanese carp, called Koi. Students began with a detailed anatomy drawing of a fish, carefully labeling the body parts and fins. Next, each student learned how to draw a koi from a side view and a bird's eye view. Scales were added to the fish and carefully decorated. Final versions of the koi fish were carefully scratched onto gold scratch board and the background was embellished with waves, bubbles, cherry blossoms and Japanese characters. Way to Go fourth graders and Mrs. Rutledge!
On a different note, I need your help if you drop-off and/or pick up your child at Baldwin. It seems that the traffic flow in the front of the school is not going as smooth and as safe as we need it to. I am once again asking everyone to please stay in the right lane when dropping off and picking up your child. I realize that the right lane may get long at times but it is important for the children's safety that we follow this rule. We will begin blocking the left lane just past the parking lot entrance so that we don't have anyone coming through in the left lane and trying to cut across to the right lane when there is a gap in the traffic. This presents a very dangerous situation so we need everyone to follow the rules. We will continue to do our best to get every child on and off the vehicles as quickly as possible. Thank you for helping us with this very important matter and helping us keep all of our Bobcats safe everyday!
Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Peña
This past week was a fabulous week at Baldwin!
We had our first Family Fitness Night on Thursday and what a night of fun it was for all! We had different stations for the children and their parents to experience. Some of the stations were: basketball, tennis, yoga, nutrition, karate, and kayaking.
All of the children that attended seemed to be having a great time. I want to thank the parents and friends that came out to help us at each of these stations: Sarah Urbanski, Leslie Ivey, Brandon Maribal, Jeffrey Rockwell, Melissa and Jack Baker, Grant Dorsey, Jamie Dorsey (Mrs. Dorsey's children) and our very own teacher Mrs. Cherry Lee. I also want to thank the following businesses for coming to share their time and talents with our families: Circle Tennis Club, i9 Sports, Austin Diagnostic Clinic, Total Speed and Fitness, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and My Gym Children's Fitness Center. Also, thank you to Coach Grumbles, the science cadre and our parent volunteers for helping organize this fun event.
Every school year In AISD each school chooses a Teacher of the Year as well as a Teacher of Promise. As you already know, Mrs. Julie Burns, third grade teacher, is Baldwin's Teacher of the Year for 2011. We just recently announced Baldwin's Teacher of Promise for 2011: Mrs. Mechele Dorsey, Kindergarten Teacher. The "Teacher of Promise" recognition program is for novice teachers (zero years experience) who are demonstrating "promising practice" in their classrooms. The Office of Educator Quality asks campus principals and Lead Mentor Contacts to nominate a novice teacher who is demonstrating an overall grasp of the components of good teaching. Mrs. Dorsey has been doing an outstanding job with her students and overall on our campus. She provides her students with hands-on, creative and meaningful lessons. She has established strong classroom procedures and routines and positive relationships with all of her students. Please stop by to visit her classroom and to congratulate her for this great honor and her great work with our children! We are very proud of Mrs. Dorsey and so happy that she is a Baldwin Bobcat!
If you are at Baldwin this week, please visit the yellow wing to see some of our first and second grade work that is on display. As you enter the yellow wing, you will first see on display work from Ms. Cheaney and Ms. LeBlanc's classes. These students recently studied Texas and measurement and their learning is on display. The students created Texas Maps as they learned the topography of Texas. They also drew a picture of themselves showing the different measurements of their bodies such as their arm lengths and waist sizes. Mrs. Lentz, Mrs.Perry and Mrs. Fuentes had their students write some poetry and there are some very creative poems on display. The students in these classes learned about different types of poetry and then they each created their own poems. Mrs. Brady's students have been discussing Earth Day and they created some booklets on ways to help take care of our Earth and those are hanging by their classroom. Mrs. Forotanrad and Mrs. Lee's classes wrote some reports on an animal that they researched. There are some very interesting facts about the animals they researched and wrote about. In the orange wing, our third graders created some interesting art work with three dimensional shapes, which is the concept they were recently studying in math. Their creations also include an explanation of their work and the 3-D shapes they used.
Another display that you must see at Baldwin is the art work by some of our fourth graders. As you go up the main staircase in our building, you will be amazed with the beautiful art work that is on display. It took my breath away! I stood their for at least 7 minutes taking it all in! Fourth graders have been learning about Japanese carp, called Koi. Students began with a detailed anatomy drawing of a fish, carefully labeling the body parts and fins. Next, each student learned how to draw a koi from a side view and a bird's eye view. Scales were added to the fish and carefully decorated. Final versions of the koi fish were carefully scratched onto gold scratch board and the background was embellished with waves, bubbles, cherry blossoms and Japanese characters. Way to Go fourth graders and Mrs. Rutledge!
On a different note, I need your help if you drop-off and/or pick up your child at Baldwin. It seems that the traffic flow in the front of the school is not going as smooth and as safe as we need it to. I am once again asking everyone to please stay in the right lane when dropping off and picking up your child. I realize that the right lane may get long at times but it is important for the children's safety that we follow this rule. We will begin blocking the left lane just past the parking lot entrance so that we don't have anyone coming through in the left lane and trying to cut across to the right lane when there is a gap in the traffic. This presents a very dangerous situation so we need everyone to follow the rules. We will continue to do our best to get every child on and off the vehicles as quickly as possible. Thank you for helping us with this very important matter and helping us keep all of our Bobcats safe everyday!
Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Peña
Friday, April 1, 2011
Roaring News
Hello Baldwin Community,
Last Saturday, our Kinder and First Grade Math Pentathlon Team participated in the Division I competition. I am so proud to announce that our Kinder-First Grade team did an outstanding job! We will recognize the following students at morning assembly on Monday:
Hall of Fame is the highest award and means the children scored a perfect score - i.e. won all their games. Their names will go into the Math Pentathlon Hall of Fame permanent records.
I would like to thank the two coaches, Mr. Paul Hart and Ms. Andrea Musat for their commitment to our Kinder and First Grade children. They helped instill such great confidence in our young children and have provided them with great learning opportunities. Also a big thank you to Linda Alvarez, our Math Pentathlon Organizer and all of our volunteers that come out every week to coach our different grade level math pentathlon teams. Without their help and hard work we would not have this great after school program. Please join us in honoring our winners on Monday at morning assembly.
At today's morning assembly we honored students that have earned 25 or more points within the designated time period in the AR program with certificates and ribbons. When the last name was called, we had a stage full of first through fifth graders. Other students who had earned some points but not quite the 25 were given ribbons in their classrooms. Thank you for encouraging your children to read AR books and for taking the tests to earn their points. I am seeing more and more children reading and participating in the program. Thank you to Mrs. Kim Tillisch for providing us with such beautiful AR certificates!
Also today, 8 first grade students from Mrs. Lopez's, Mrs. Beeler's and Ms. LeBlanc's classes presented their "Restaurant Project" to Mrs. Lopez's class. These eight students, who are identified GT in the area of math, were given an assignment of creating a Restaurant so that they could show their skills in counting money, giving change, adding and subtracting costs, and incorporating their writing, listening and speaking skills. The students named their restaurant, created menus: child, adult, and dessert and then opened their restaurant to the rest of Mrs. Lopez's class. Mrs. Lopez helped her students transform their classroom into the students' restaurant. The eight boys took turns in playing the roles of waiters, chefs, money counters and hosts. All of the students learned so much from the boys' project. Their next assignment is for them to use the measurement skills they have studied around the school and create some school maps. I can't wait to see their measuring and mapping skills. Keep up the great work!
This week I noticed some creative writing displayed in the Prek and Kindergarten wing. Be sure to stop by the Prek and kinder classroom areas and to read the stories the students have written. The Prek and kinder students have learned so much since August and their writing is a great example of this learning and growth.
This week I also caught a glimpse of Ms. Cheaney's first graders working in the computer lab. They were typing some of their work into a word document. I am so proud of the way our students take pride in their work and in our school. This class was taking good care of the equipment in the lab as they did their best to type their work. The next time you are at Baldwin, take some time to walk around the school hallways to enjoy the beautiful art work and the great student work that is displayed!
Today, at the Parent-Principal coffee hour we discussed our district's budget crisis and the impacts it will have on our campus. I explained the 2011-2012 projected number of students and teachers for each grade level. Our enrollment is expected to increase so at this point we will be reduced only one teacher unit. I reminded parents that our student to teacher ratios will also increase next year, which means a few more students in every class. Next year, we can go up to an average of 23 students in all K-4th grade classrooms. I also shared details of this year's school's budget and the different areas these funds were allocated. Along with this, I showed the group the amount of money our PTA has supplemented us with to date. The PTA has helped us with about $31,000. I wanted to show that without our PTA's support we could not have accomplished all that we have thus far. Along these same lines, I shared next year's preliminary budget and the areas that the funds have been allocated. Again the amount of money we receive to run the school on a day to day basis is minimal and we will continue to need our parents' support every year. Below is a link to the five documents that we discussed this morning. Feel free to email me with any questions, concerns and/or ideas. Also don't forget to visit our district website for specific updates on next year's district's budget.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bz-W5XqjZPKRMWRhOGRlNzctZjcwNC00NDcwLWJmN2ItMmYyMzcxOTQ4NjJj&hl=en
This next Thursday, we will hold our First Family Fitness Night from 6-7 p.m. Please make plans to come to Baldwin as a family to learn more about staying healthy and fit. It will be an evening of fun for all!
Next week, on Monday-Wednesday, our fifth graders will be taking the Math and Reading TAKS tests. Just a friendly reminder to our fifth grade parents that we need our fifth grade students to get plenty of rest this weekend and throughout the week so that they arrive to school on time and ready to do their best on the tests. Also, fifth grade students will not be able to eat with their parents or guests on testing days. For the rest of us, I ask that we show our support to our fifth graders by wearing our school t-shirts, or our school colors on testing days. Go Bobcats!
Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Peña
Last Saturday, our Kinder and First Grade Math Pentathlon Team participated in the Division I competition. I am so proud to announce that our Kinder-First Grade team did an outstanding job! We will recognize the following students at morning assembly on Monday:
Honorable Mention - Ashley B., Cara G., Justin H., Alexander R., Matthew T. and Nathan V.
Bronze Medal - Stephen C., Andrew D., Kennedy H., Sara H., and Maha M.
Silver Medal - Griffin K., and Maddy S.
Hall of Fame - Allyson B., Jacob K., Matthew M., and Cristian V.
Bronze Medal - Stephen C., Andrew D., Kennedy H., Sara H., and Maha M.
Silver Medal - Griffin K., and Maddy S.
Hall of Fame - Allyson B., Jacob K., Matthew M., and Cristian V.
I would like to thank the two coaches, Mr. Paul Hart and Ms. Andrea Musat for their commitment to our Kinder and First Grade children. They helped instill such great confidence in our young children and have provided them with great learning opportunities. Also a big thank you to Linda Alvarez, our Math Pentathlon Organizer and all of our volunteers that come out every week to coach our different grade level math pentathlon teams. Without their help and hard work we would not have this great after school program. Please join us in honoring our winners on Monday at morning assembly.
At today's morning assembly we honored students that have earned 25 or more points within the designated time period in the AR program with certificates and ribbons. When the last name was called, we had a stage full of first through fifth graders. Other students who had earned some points but not quite the 25 were given ribbons in their classrooms. Thank you for encouraging your children to read AR books and for taking the tests to earn their points. I am seeing more and more children reading and participating in the program. Thank you to Mrs. Kim Tillisch for providing us with such beautiful AR certificates!
Also today, 8 first grade students from Mrs. Lopez's, Mrs. Beeler's and Ms. LeBlanc's classes presented their "Restaurant Project" to Mrs. Lopez's class. These eight students, who are identified GT in the area of math, were given an assignment of creating a Restaurant so that they could show their skills in counting money, giving change, adding and subtracting costs, and incorporating their writing, listening and speaking skills. The students named their restaurant, created menus: child, adult, and dessert and then opened their restaurant to the rest of Mrs. Lopez's class. Mrs. Lopez helped her students transform their classroom into the students' restaurant. The eight boys took turns in playing the roles of waiters, chefs, money counters and hosts. All of the students learned so much from the boys' project. Their next assignment is for them to use the measurement skills they have studied around the school and create some school maps. I can't wait to see their measuring and mapping skills. Keep up the great work!
This week I noticed some creative writing displayed in the Prek and Kindergarten wing. Be sure to stop by the Prek and kinder classroom areas and to read the stories the students have written. The Prek and kinder students have learned so much since August and their writing is a great example of this learning and growth.
This week I also caught a glimpse of Ms. Cheaney's first graders working in the computer lab. They were typing some of their work into a word document. I am so proud of the way our students take pride in their work and in our school. This class was taking good care of the equipment in the lab as they did their best to type their work. The next time you are at Baldwin, take some time to walk around the school hallways to enjoy the beautiful art work and the great student work that is displayed!
Today, at the Parent-Principal coffee hour we discussed our district's budget crisis and the impacts it will have on our campus. I explained the 2011-2012 projected number of students and teachers for each grade level. Our enrollment is expected to increase so at this point we will be reduced only one teacher unit. I reminded parents that our student to teacher ratios will also increase next year, which means a few more students in every class. Next year, we can go up to an average of 23 students in all K-4th grade classrooms. I also shared details of this year's school's budget and the different areas these funds were allocated. Along with this, I showed the group the amount of money our PTA has supplemented us with to date. The PTA has helped us with about $31,000. I wanted to show that without our PTA's support we could not have accomplished all that we have thus far. Along these same lines, I shared next year's preliminary budget and the areas that the funds have been allocated. Again the amount of money we receive to run the school on a day to day basis is minimal and we will continue to need our parents' support every year. Below is a link to the five documents that we discussed this morning. Feel free to email me with any questions, concerns and/or ideas. Also don't forget to visit our district website for specific updates on next year's district's budget.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bz-W5XqjZPKRMWRhOGRlNzctZjcwNC00NDcwLWJmN2ItMmYyMzcxOTQ4NjJj&hl=en
This next Thursday, we will hold our First Family Fitness Night from 6-7 p.m. Please make plans to come to Baldwin as a family to learn more about staying healthy and fit. It will be an evening of fun for all!
Next week, on Monday-Wednesday, our fifth graders will be taking the Math and Reading TAKS tests. Just a friendly reminder to our fifth grade parents that we need our fifth grade students to get plenty of rest this weekend and throughout the week so that they arrive to school on time and ready to do their best on the tests. Also, fifth grade students will not be able to eat with their parents or guests on testing days. For the rest of us, I ask that we show our support to our fifth graders by wearing our school t-shirts, or our school colors on testing days. Go Bobcats!
Roaring with Pride,
Dr. Peña
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