Baldwin ES Spring Newsletter 23-24
February 27th, 2024
Principal Update
Baldwin Rocket Families,
As we leap into March we are progressing into the last part of the third grading period. As you know, Spring is coming and we would like to provide some important information and updates about happenings at our school. Please be sure to check out the information about Kiss and Ride, Career Day possibilities, and other events before and after Spring Break. A reminder that we will have Family Science Night on March 7th at Baldwin Elementary School and we are planning a Family Engagments Event, Pancake and Parents for K-2 (April 16th 9:00) and 3-4 (April 5th 9:00) on separate dates. Also to note, the division will have its Math in our Community Night on April 18th at Haydon Elementary School. We appreciate your partnership and our doors are always open for our continued collaboration. We are here for you and your family. Please let us know if you have any ideas, questions or concerns. Enjoy the change of the season and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Kiss and Ride and Dismissal Reminders - For safety and efficiency
AM: Thank you to all families for working to arrive before the 8:35 bell. We have had a substantial increase in the amount of car riders in the past year and we are hoping now that the weather is becoming more mild, that you will consider allowing your child to use MCPS transportation. Please remain in your car and do not walk your child in unless you have an appointment in the office. This causes some traffic backups and puts you and your child in danger. If you happen to be tardy/late after 8:35 you will be asked to park and walk your child in as traffic subsides.
PM: We understand that you are excited to see your child after a full day of learning. Please be patient as we have many students who need to get to their parents. Please remain in your car so we can help load your child. Getting out of your vehicle causes considerable delays and safety concerns.
Change in Dismissal: Please call the office before 3:00 if your child will be going home in a different way than their usual dismissal.
Pick up: If you are picking up your child from school, they must be picked up before 3:15. Make sure you have a photo ID.
Counseling Update
Heather Hartman
hhartman@mcpsva.org, 571-377-6127
School Counselor for Kindergarten (Smith, Nieves), 2nd grade, and 4th grade
Anna Bang
abang@mcpsva.org, 571-377-6124
School Counselor for Kindergarten (Akhaury, Jones, Leibert), 1st grade, and 3rd grade
For the month of January, all students received counseling lessons learning about conflict resolution to solve conflicts with their peers. They will learn about the sizes of their problems and the importance of when big problems happen they need a grown-up’s attention right away.
In the month of February, we have National School Counseling Week (February 5 - 9) and Kindness Week (February 12 - 16). During Kindness Week, students will have a checklist of kind actions they can complete.
For March, all students received counseling lessons about Career Awareness. K-2nd students learned about various careers. 3-4th grade students explored their passion, skills, and goals and had a chance to think about what job they would like when they grow up.
As we transition into April, our attention turns to addressing test anxiety among our 3rd and 4th graders, with a specific focus on preparing for the upcoming Standards of Learning (SOLs) in May. We understand the importance of creating a supportive and stress-free environment for our students as they gear up for these assessments. Our commitment to their well-being extends beyond academics, ensuring they feel confident and prepared for the challenges ahead. Together, we'll work to empower our students to face the SOLs with resilience and determination.
Mark your calendars for an exciting event on March 22nd, Friday - Career Day! From 8:30 to 11:00 am, professionals from diverse fields will engage with our students, sharing insights into their careers. To make this day even more enriching, we're calling for volunteers. If you know someone who would be a fantastic addition to Career Day, please fill out this form to suggest them as a volunteer. Volunteers are expected to share their experiences with multiple groups of students (K-4) and bring along an interesting activity to keep the young minds captivated. Let's make Career Day an inspiring and educational experience for our students!
Please visit the “Counseling” page on the Baldwin website for more information about resources and counseling services (Counseling / Resources for Families).
Please visit the “Counseling” page on the Baldwin website for more information about resources and counseling services (Counseling / Resources for Families).
Nurse Update
Please continue to remind your child to wash their hands frequently, cover their coughs into their elbows and to bring a water bottle to school EVERY day. Staying well hydrated prevents many headaches and stomach aches. Flu and Covid are here and spread more easily during winter months. Being vaccinated against these viruses help lessen symptoms as well as helping to contain the spread. Allergy season starts this month and will last through the end of May. Please start daily allergy medication now if your child has seasonal (spring) allergies.
Technology Update
Family Liaison Update
Evening Office Hour: 5:00-6:00 pm February 6th, March 5th (School Division Closed), April 2nd, May 7th
Where: Manassas City Library (10104 Dumfries Rd. Manassas)
Come by with questions or to get help with Parent Portal.
Important dates you need to know for next school year.
Consider prioritizing these dates for vacations:
First day of School: August 12, 2024
Winter Break: December 23, 2024- January 1, 2025
Spring Break: April 14th-18th, 2025
Family Engagement Series: Mental Health
Wednesday, March 13th
Weems Elementary, 8750 Weems Rd.
5:30- 7:00 pm
****All families invited!!! More information is on the flyer below.
PTO Update
Hello Rockets!
Updates:
The two remaining popcorn Fridays will be March 8 and April 26.
Currently, the next Spirit night is at Brusters Ice Cream shop on Sudley April 11 from 4-9pm.
The PTO Needs Board Members Next year!
The PTO needs both officers and committee chairs for next school year or the organization will have to dissolve! If that happens that means no more popcorn, no more Spirit wear or Spirit nights, no more Movie Night or BOOnanza! We need parents to join this organization or it will not exist next year.
We are hosting a virtual meeting (March 11 @ 7:00 pm - Please see the link below.) for all those interested in roles for the 2024-2025 school year. There are so many roles that this year's three officers currently fill and the PTO needs more committed volunteers or we cannot do this next year (also, we are losing an officer because our President will no longer have students at Baldwin next year). Please join us virtually to learn more about board member roles!
A full slate of the PTO consists of the following roles: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Popcorn Chair, Movie Night Chair, BOOnanza Chair, Spirit Night Chair, Spirit Wear Chair, awards chair, and a spring event chair.
JOIN US VIRTUALLY on Google meets on Monday, March 11 at 7pm using the following link: https://meet.google.com/ofx-ipem-bta
PE Update
In class we’ve been learning how to run the bases and balance on scooters. We’ve also been working together to complete treasure hunts, the parachute, and other cooperative games including our holiday games.
Coming up we will learn about Basketball and T-ball. We will continue to do fitness movements and exercises each class. 4th grade will have fitness testing and everyone will try out advanced stretching through a yoga type routine!
Art Update
Announcements
Arbor Day Contest entries due 3/20. We will discuss this contest in class, brainstorm ideas together and start drawing near the end of February. Students will need to finish the poster at home and return it to me by the deadline if they want to enter.
- Poster size must be no smaller than 8x11”, and no larger than 14x18”
- Contest name, “Plant a Tree for You and Me” must be written on the front
- Back of the poster must include: Name, School Name, Grade, and Teacher
- Open to all City of Manassas students, Pre-K through 4th grade
In Class
We’ve recently covered Color theory- color wheel (primary, secondary, tertiary, warm, cool, & complementary colors as well as value) and perspective. Artist Focus: Keith Haring, Jen Aranyi, & Jim Dine. Featured below is some of our work from all grade levels.
We will begin printmaking this month.
Music Update
Accomplishments
The fourth grade BES Chorus traveled to Hylton Performing Arts Center to perform with all of the other chorus members from Manassas City Schools in the All City Chorus Event. It was a great day spent with other musicians in our division. We sang, spent time with our friends, ate pizza together, and put on a great show! It was a wonderful day!
In class
We are working with guitars in 4th grade, recorders in 3rd grade, and melodic concepts in K-2. We hope to put on a concert or two in the next two months to show all that we have learned!
Winter Concert 2023
All City Chorus Event 2024
Library Update
Thanks to all who helped us make our winter Scholastic Book Fair such a success! We have been able to buy many new titles for the library due to your generosity.
We have been sharing many books including titles relating to arctic animals and adaptations like Except Antarctica, how we get our names and why they are important in What’s Your Name, and other languages like King Sejong Invents an Alphabet. We are currently studying reference materials with upper grades and including books to celebrate Black History Month.
3rd and 4th graders were able to use Code.org to brush up on their programming skills, first grade learned Scratch Jr. with Ms. Frischkorn & Mrs. Nicholls, and 3rd grade are currently solving programming puzzles with Dash and Dot robots. So much fun!
Attendance Update
Ms. Torres, Attendance Officer
571-247-7695
As we approach the exciting spring break period, we encourage all students to maintain regular attendance leading up to the break. Consistent attendance is key to academic success, and every day of learning matters. Let’s finish strong before the break and return ready to continue our educational journey refreshed and motivated. Thank you for your continued support in promoting good attendance habits.
Happy New Year Manassas Community Member,
We are writing to share an exciting event in Manassas City Public Schools that needs your support. We are organizing a Math in Our Community Night hosted by Haydon Elementary School on April 18 from 5:30-7:30pm. We will be inviting all MCPS families with students in grades Pk-4. We are looking for community partners who are willing to come and share how math is part of their daily work and lives with our families and students.
Participating community members, businesses, or organizations would need to prepare materials or an activity appropriate for students ages 3-11 and their families. We are happy to provide support and guidance in developing and creating materials that aligns with your focus and promote your business.
Some ideas that might be appropriate for our families include:
- Sharing the mathematics used in the daily operations of your business with a simplified, interactive problem for families to solve
- Posing or sharing math problems related to estimation in your work or life (for example, estimating the number of books in the library, timing a task that you do regularly to determine the total amount of time a week)
- Modeling how money flows through your business or organization
- Presenting graphs and charts used in or displaying data from your business or organization
- We have many other ideas, just reach out to Sara Birkhead, SBirkhead@mcpsva.org
Please communicate to Alicia Marsh, AMarsh@mcpsva.org, by February 29, 2024 if you plan to participate.
All participating community members, businesses, or organizations will be provided with a table and 2 chairs on the night of the event. This will be an information fair environment where families will visit all tables to learn more about your business or organization. You will need to communicate any additional needs (e.g., access to electricity, projection surface, copies) to Alicia Marsh, AMarsh@mcpsva.org, by March 15, 2024.
We understand that not all community members are able to attend the event, and we would still welcome your support in the form of a donation for our raffle prizes for the evening.
All participating community members will be publicly recognized at the event and in communications promoting the event.
Please reach out to Sara Birkhead at SBirkhead@mcpsva.org with any questions.
Thank you for your time and attention in considering your support for our Community Math Event.
Sincerely,
Sara Birkhead
Pk-6 Mathematics Coordinator
Division Level Spelling Bee
Congratulationss to our Spelling Bee Contestants who participated at the division level!
Pictured are our Schoolwide Spelling Bee winner, Uriel Jayden Deffo, Tchinda; Second place, Josephine Schoch (not pictured) and Third place River Florento.
Uriel Jayden Deffo Tchinda
River Florento
River Florento and Uriel Jayden Deffo Tchinda
Upcoming Dates
March 4-8 Read Across America Week
March 5 School Division Closed - Voting
March 6 PEP 5:00
March 7 Family Science Night 6-7:30
March 8 Popcorn Friday
March 15 4th Grade Field Trip to Jamestown
March 19 Spring Picture Day
March 22 End of Quarter
March 25-28 Student and Teacher Holiday
March 29 School Division Closed
April 1 Teacher work day - no school for students
April 4 School Librarian Day
April 5 Report Cards
April 5 Pancakes and Parents grades 3 and 4 at 9:00
April 10 School Division Closed
April 16 Pancake and Parents grades PreK-2 at 9:00
April 19 Disctrict Title 1 Math Night at Haydon
April 29 Early Release for Students
May 27 School Division Closed
May 31 Last Day for Students