Roaring News!

Dear Baldwin Community, 

We had a fantastic second week of classes! Your children are amazing and are already showing great strides. I want to thank everyone that came out to our Back to School Night events last week. Our cafeteria was packed both nights and it was a beautiful sight. Below are some pictures of teachers and parents in the classrooms. 


Mrs. Cruz in her fourth grade classroom explaining some of the grade level expectations to her students' parents. 



Parents of one of our third graders in Mrs. Lee's class. The students in this class left their parents a journal entry and the parents took the time to reply to their child. These proud parents left their son a beautiful and encouraging reply. 


Mrs. Grance's explained the third grade curriculum to her students' parents. 

Fifth Grade teachers enjoying the Gorzycki Steel Drum Band performance at Baldwin at Back to School Night.

Our fifth graders prepared some amazing self portraits for back to school night. Every fifth grader created a self portrait that sat at his/her desk representing themselves to their parents that evening. The self portrait was a series of directions that included mathematical terms and vocabulary that they reviewed the first few days of classes. Along with their self portraits, the students wrote a poem about themselves. The poem was part of the learning that took place during language arts class during these first two weeks of school. I was so impressed with their work that I wanted to share it with everyone. Below is a small sample of the great work by our fifth graders. 

I think the self portraits look just like the children. 

With the start of the new school year, here are some ideas that you may want to implement with your children that could help them with their learning and growing. 

1. Ticket Please-This is for parents that need ideas to limit their youngster's TV time. Every week, give him/her seven slips of paper. Each is good for an hour of television. Remind him/her to plan ahead. For example, if he/she want to watch a two-hour movie on Saturday, he'll/she'll need to save an extra ticket during the week. 

2. Be There! Regular Attendance in elementary school sets up a good pattern for your child's entire school career. Show him/her that school comes first by trying to keep days off for illnesses and family emergencies. Also, schedule routine doctor and dentist appointments for after school or over school breaks. 

3. Better Concentration-Looking for a fun way to improve your youngster's concentration? Try this quick game. The first player makes one motion, like clapping or spinning around. The second person copies him/her and adds another movement. Continue adding new motions until someone forgets the sequence. The last player to get it right starts a new game. 

4. After-school chats-"What's in your backpack?" Greet your child with this question, and you'll discover a lot about what he/she does in class. 

Set aside time each day to go through his/her papers. Try to do it first thing after school when his/her day is fresh in his/her mind. 

Look over your youngster's work together. Help hi/her feel proud by making a specific comment about something he/she has done. For instance, if he/she shows you a pictures he/she drew in art class you might say, "The gray sky and big waves look just like our rainy day a the beach." 

Have him/her talk through math problems or science experiments to show you what he/she has learned. He/She might explain how he/she finds the     perimeter of a triangle or why ants dig tunnels, for example. 

I hope these examples spark other ideas for you to implement with your child throughout this school year. As the school year unfolds, we will continue to make home and school connections so that we are working together for school success. 

I highly recommend that you read over the Baldwin ROAR for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. We are always looking for great help! I am looking forward to another great week at Baldwin. 

Roaring with Pride,

Dr. Peña