Hello Baldwin Community,
Our 15-16 school year got off to a great start! These past two weeks have been filled with excitement for our students and teachers. It has been a time for reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, as well as getting to know our new teachers and their expectations for this school year. We have grown in our enrollment numbers this year and have filled every classroom inside and outside of our building. We are very excited to welcome all of our new Bobcat Families and we hope that each new family will find opportunities to visit and get involved in our school.
The mission of Baldwin Elementary is to promote a learner-centered education, where the unique and whole development of each child is nurtured in a shared partnership between caring, creative staff, parents, and community. We seek to create a challenging learning environment, provided in a nurturing, inclusive, and safe atmosphere that encourages high expectations for success. This learner-centered education inspires children to achieve their potential academically, physically, socially, emotionally, and artistically; fostering a life-long desire to learn.
As I walked through classrooms these past few weeks, I observed students showing their talents and asking questions. In every classroom, I noticed eager and attentive students working with their classmates and their teachers. I am also happy to report that our students continue to use the SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) skills we learned last school year. This will be our second year of implementation of this curriculum and through these lessons we will continue to help all of our students build their cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies. Be sure to read the Weekly Roar; our new counselor will keep you updated on ways for you to continue this learning at home.
This next Thursday, Sept. 10th, will be our first Back to School night event for all parents of students in Prek through 2nd grades. The following week on Sept. 17th, we will host our Back to School night event for all parents of students in grades 3-5. I encourage all of you to attend these events so that you can learn more about the curriculum and expectations for each grade level. At these events, you will also learn about ways to get involved in your child's learning and about the many volunteer opportunities at our school. The school to home connections and relationships are vital to each child's learning. I look forward to seeing all of you at our Back to School night events.
I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage all of our families to join the Baldwin PTA. The PTA provides ongoing support to our students and teachers. A single membership is just $8.50, but join as a family and you receive a discounted rate of $15. You can find a link to the PTA membership application on the Baldwin website, as well as a list of this year's budget and a listing of ways the PTA has supported our school in the past. Don't wait, join today!
I also highly recommend that everyone join the listing to receive the Baldwin Weekly ROAR! This is a weekly electronic newsletter that keeps you informed of all events and activities at our school. You can find the link to join on the Baldwin website. In this week's ROAR, I sent a plea to all of our families asking all of you to consider giving one hour a week to our school by volunteering in our cafeteria. This will help us continue offering a 30 minute unstructured recess time for all classes. The sign up link can be found in this week's Weekly ROAR. Thank you to the parents that have already signed up to help!
I look forward to a successful and fun school year! Enjoy your Labor Day and I will see everyone bright and early Tuesday morning!
Roaring with Pride,