ROARing News!

Hello Baldwin Community, 

We have been busy at Baldwin since we returned from Winter Break! All of the children have been reacquainting themselves with their friends and classmates and with the expectations set out by their teachers for each of their classes.  

When we returned in January, students in Kinder through 3rd grades participated in a Percussion presentation by a member of the Austin Symphony. The gentleman that came to Baldwin provided our children with a brief explanation of each of the different instruments he brought with him on that day. The students learned a little history about the instruments as well as learning about the different sounds that are made with the instruments. We are so lucky to have the Austin Symphony partner with Austin Schools and share this knowledge and experiences with our children. 

Every year, Austin schools participate in selecting a Teacher of the Year. I am proud to announce that Baldwin's 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year is Mrs. Abbey Smart! She has been teaching at Baldwin for 5 years and has been an asset to our campus since she joined us. She is  a role model to our children and staff. Every year she creates strong, positive learning environments in which all children thrive and succeed. She sees the potential in all children and helps each one succeed by building on his/her individual strengths. She reachers all children with simple, yet profound, motherly instincts and empathy, coupled with complete professionalism. She does not work or serve for awards or accolades, but simply to inspire and impact all those she comes in contact with each day. She teaches her students to strive for excellence, to love reading and writing, and to respect each other and she teaches us (her peers) to give our best for our students every day! Congratulations to Mrs. Smart! We are so proud that Mrs. Smart is a Baldwin Bobcat!

If you haven't heard, last semester we started "Track Attack" and have received and observed very positive feedback from children and parents regarding this early morning opportunity for children and adults to run/walk the track before classes begin. Coach McGray has sent the following message in the Weekly ROAR: 

"Track Attack has been huge success! Kiddos are working hard to stay active and are developing healthy habits that will be with them for a lifetime. We are striving to create a community invested campus and would like to open the opportunity for you to join in and lead our Track Attack mornings.

 

This a great opportunity to show your student that physical activity is fun family activity, get to know the other students in your child’s grade level and promote a strong bond between Baldwin and the community.

Here are a few highlights:

• 15-20 min in the morning before school
• You can sign up for the morning(s) of your choice
• You can choose to run with your child or just count and supervise
• You will have trained student leaders to support you and staff available for assistance.

If you are interested or just have additional questions please email Coach Shawna McGray and attend the informational meeting on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:45am in the Gym." Please consider helping our children and staff with this awesome endeavor!

Parent-Teacher spring conferences are around the corner; these are scheduled to take place on February 15th or during that week. Be sure to reach out to your teacher(s) to schedule the conference. This is an important time to learn more about your child's progress and of ways to support his/her learning at home.

Thank you for your continuous support of Baldwin! I look forward to seeing all of you around our school! 

Roaring with Pride, 

Dr. Peña

 

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.

ROARing News!

Happy 2016 Baldwin Community! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break and that you rang in the New Year with a roar! I am excited to get our spring semester started with all of our children and their families. 

 

We ended the 2015 fall semester with many great events, accomplishments and successes! Before the Thanksgiving Break, we held our second annual Multi-Cultural Fest with parents and grandparent as our presenters and volunteers. The day was a beautiful day of sharing and learning about the diverse community that makes up Baldwin. Every class had the opportunity to visit at least three different locations of interest and learn with our volunteers. Each of the presenters did an amazing job sharing about their country and helping our children expand their knowledge and awareness about each other. Events like this one helps all of us appreciate each other for who we are and the many unique qualities that make up our special learning community. Thank you to our presenters and volunteers; we look forward to next year's event. Thank you to Mrs. Lauren Linahan for organizing this event for our school! 

 

The month of December was a busy one for sure! We had many different activities, field trips and events that took place. The students in grades 2-5 had a special opportunity to learn more about the solar system and our earth by visiting the planetarium that our generous PTA brought to Baldwin. Once again this  year, our students were able to make many science and social studies connections with these presentations. So thank you to our PTA for sponsoring this event again this year at Baldwin!

 

We also held our annual Jingle Bell Run the last week before winter break. I observed all of our children having fun as they ran the course that our coaches set out for them. I heard lots of laughter and saw determination on all of our children's faces as they ran the course. This is one of the many physical fitness events that our school sponsors for our children and families. The Jingle Bell run gave the students a chance to add more miles to their individual Marathon Run charts. Thank you to our coaches for providing this annual event for our children. 

 

I want to thank all of our families for the yummy cookies that were shared with our staff during the December Cookie Exchange. The staff lounge was converted into a bakery on this special day and we all enjoyed so many yummy treats! Thank you for sharing your special treats with us!  Many of us also received very special Christmas Gifts and we are very grateful for your generosity and love. Thank you for showering us with gifts and for sharing your treasures with us! You make us feel very special!

 

Thank you to our PTA for sponsoring Santa Night again this year! This event is always a special way for families to come together at our school to share some quality time with family and friends. I don't know about you but when I saw Santa, I was reminded that I still Believe! Thanks PTA!

Also, a Big thank you to all of you that visited our December Book Fair. It was a great week of shopping and your support will continue to help us stock up our school library with many book that your children love to read! The book fair always reminds me of how I loved visiting the public library when I was a young girl and how much I love the feel of books and the places they take me! I hope you found time to read during the winter break and if you didn't, it isn't too late to start now. 

 

Congratulations to our Robotics Teams! The different teams competed during the fall semester and were recognized in several different categories for their great work. Two of our teams will proceed to the next level, the Invitational Tournament! Way to go Robotics Teams!

 

"Ice Breakers"-Winner of 1^st Place Robot Game Score, 1^st Place Champions and will proceed to Invitation Tournament. The team members are: Cara G. , Helena H., Marissa M., Nadia P. and Ava W.

 

"RoboWolves"- Winner of Most Innovative Solution for Project. The team members are: Jake J. 

Ty J., Alex R. and Joseph W. 

 

"Techtonic Robots"- Winner of Inspiration Award for Core Values. The team members are:  Gabriel D. 

and Major M. 

 

"Lighting Strikers"- Winner of Mechanical Design for their Robot and will proceed to Invitational Tournament. The team members are: Grant B. , Samya C. , William G. , Marcus L. and Darren T.

I look forward to sharing more of our great news and accomplishments throughout the spring semester. Thank you for your continuous support of our school and our children!

Roaring with Pride, 

Dr. Peña

         

Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential student and/or employee information. Unauthorized use of disclosure is prohibited under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g, 34 CFR Part 99, 19 TAC 247.2, Gov’t Code 552.023, Educ. Code 21.355, 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(c)). If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, disclose, copy or disseminate this information. Please call the sender immediately or reply by email and destroy all copies of the original message, including attachments.