Dear Baldwin Community,
Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I would share some of the things I am thankful for at Baldwin Elementary.
I am extremely proud and grateful to the children at Baldwin for their perseverance and willingness to share and learn with others. All of the children from PreKindergarten to Fifth Grade have been outstanding Bobcats in their academics and in their social skills. Since classes started in August, the students have been learning and applying new skills. They love to share their learning so stop by and visit with the children and they will show you how much they have learned thus far this year.
I am also very thankful for Mrs. Stevens and the Baldwin Choir. The Baldwin Choir put on a excellent performance on November 10 honoring all Veterans. I want to thank everyone who joined us on that evening to show your support. The children sang some beautiful songs honoring all branches of the military. I have to say that the songs they learned and sang are not easy to sing and they did a superb job. Thank you Baldwin Choir for inspiring us with your beautiful voices!
I am also amazed at the number of volunteers that come to Baldwin. Everyday, Monday through Friday, you will find parents, grandparents, and community members giving of their time and sharing their talents with us at Baldwin. We have an amazing group of ladies that volunteer in the office every week and they never miss their shifts. I wish I could add them to the payroll. We are so lucky to have the extra help because Baldwin is a busy place. Throughout the day, I will see numerous volunteers in the volunteer workroom cutting, pasting, copying, and stapling for our teachers and office staff. I have also seen many volunteers reading with our children in the hallways, in the library and in the classrooms. The days we celebrated with Fall Centers, we had many parents and grandparents leading the activities in the different classrooms. Those were some fun days for all of us. Some of the volunteers have also been spotted in the literacy library checking in new books for our teachers to utilize in the classroom with your children. We would not be able to use these awesome resources if it wasn't for our literacy library volunteers! On any given day, you will also find volunteers in the library, helping to shelve all of the books the students have returned. Our children are readers at Baldwin, which means that we have many books everyday that have to be placed back on the shelves for others to check out. I am thankful for the library aides that come to help us in this way. These are just a few of the volunteers that come to Baldwin on a daily basis. There are many, many more and I we are very appreciative for all of the support!!
I would also like to thank all of the families that supported us with the Coats for Kids Campaign. Your donations helped us gather about 165 coats this year. There will be many children in the Austin area that will now have a coat to keep them warm during the winter season. Thank you for your generosity and thank you to the leaders that stepped up to oversee the coat drive!
The Care and Share Turkey Drive has started and will go through December 3rd. Your child's class has taken a feather or two from the turkey to see how our Baldwin Families can help other families that are in need this Holiday Season. There are also some feathers still available for anyone that would like to come and take one to fill the need that is listed on the feather. In advance, I want to thank you for your generosity and your spirit of giving.
I would also like to thank the PTA and the Carnival Committee for hosting another fabulous Baldwin Carnival in October. The children had so much fun that they are now requesting a Spring Carnival. I don't think they realize all of the hard work that went into putting this amazing event together. I am thankful for the hard workers that put this together and for our PTA and their continuous support! Thank you for being a Baldwin PTA member!!
Oh, by the way, there have also been a few volunteers working on getting the Baldwin Yearbook together for this year. On any given day, you will spot them at Baldwin taking pictures of the children while they are learning or during some of our special events. Don't forget to order your yearbook online; that's the only way to purchase one this year and the deadline is December 1st. Thank you to our Yearbook Volunteers!
I would like to give one last thank you to the Baldwin Teachers and Staff! I am so grateful for their dedication and commitment to our children and our school. They are ready everyday to work with all of our students and they give so much of themselves so willingly. Thank you teachers, support staff, custodians, office staff, cafeteria staff, cafeteria monitors, and crossing guards. All of you make Baldwin such a special to learn and work!
Once again, I am thankful for all of our Baldwin Community and the daily support we are given!
I hope everyone has a special Thanksgiving Holiday and that you are able to share your time with family and friends.
Dr. Peña