Rocket Reader - Spring Edition

Hello there Baldwin Rockets! We are almost at the end of the school year, with a little over a month to go! We know our students will be finishing strong with the many upcoming end-of-year assessments. We encourage parents to be present, an active ear, and supportive to their child as they continue to grow academically and socially. Please be on the lookout for the SOL and PALS testing windows as they are coming soon. These are shared in sections below. We are extremely happy with the improvements you have been making with attendance.Thank you for your attention. Unless sick, please be sure your child is here each and every day. Also remember they can’t learn if they are not here. We hope you find this information helpful and thank you for your partnership this 2022-23 school year!

Mr. Rupert drupert@mcpsva.org

Happy Spring! The flowers and trees are blooming and so are the spring allergies. If your child suffers from seasonal allergies and takes medication, please remember to give them their allergy medication EVERY day before school or EVERY evening after school throughout May. This will help prevent symptoms during their learning day and help them feel as well as possible.

Please send your child to school with a water bottle every day so they stay well hydrated. This helps prevent stomachaches and headaches as well as helps with allergies.

Ms. WIlliams MaryWilliams@mcpsva.org

Please see information below about our Family STEM Night on April 21st from 6-8pm at Weems.

Last Office hour: May 2nd at 5-6pm

Ms. Newman KaylinNewman@mcpsva.org

Please see the information below from our technology team about social awareness in digital life.

Hi Rockets! Your PTO has a few reminders:

• Make sure to read the April Newsletter and fliers for OSA Martial Arts and Bingo when they go home this week!
• This Friday is the final popcorn Friday for the school year! Make sure to bring $1 Friday if you are not already prepaid.
• BINGO Night is coming on April 28! Bingo night is a family-friendly event that will be held in the gym. We have over 50 prizes for bingo and several raffles to enter! Families can prepay for bingo games, food, and raffle tickets at https://bingoprepay.cheddarup.com until April 24. Raffle prizes include gift cards to local cafes and restaurants in Old Towne Manassas, Curves Hair Studio, Olde Towne Auto Repair, an assorted LOL doll basket, an Avatar toy gift basket, prepaid popcorn for next school year, and more! We can't wait to see you there!
• Above and Beyond Staff Nominations are now being accepted through May 7 at https://forms.gle/CFzjoZoHnvf4RLz36.
• And Finally, the PTO is still looking for an officer for next year and committee chairs for popcorn, spirit night/fundraising, and communications. In addition, we’re always looking for parents to be on our volunteer “go to” list, so please contact us at baldwinelementarypto@gmail.com if you’re interested in working with the PTO. The more help we get, the easier the work is and if anyone bilingual in Spanish and English can volunteer, we’d love your help!

That's about it, Rockets! Have a great 4th Quarter!

Tiffany, Catie and Nadda

This year in PE we have done so many different things to keep the students interested in physical activity. We learned how to bowl, throw to targets, dribble a basketball, play cornhole, throw frisbees, use strategy in team games, run bases. For the older kids we added the physical fitness test, learning how to pace ourselves during aerobic activity. We also were able to purchase golf equipment utilizing a grant we won earlier in the year.

The students learned how to putt, and swing a real golf club. By the end they were hitting at targets with several students seeing great success. To finish out this year we look forward to taking the physical fitness test and holding Field Day during the last week of school.

Art- We have had a fantastic year creating art in all grade levels. We’ve worked through the elements of art and many of the principles. Students shared many of our creations using the Baldwin Miniature Museum monthly videos and filled our school hallways with our beautiful art. Some of our second graders were able to take a walking field trip to the Art Factory to work with a local artist, Amaroso, on a project for his exhibit and to view his work. We are currently working with clay to make dragon eyes, pinch pot monsters, lollipops, cupcakes, and bowls. Students look forward to working with clay all year, so they are really enjoying themselves! Our district Art Show is coming up this Friday at Osborn High School. I look forward to seeing what our student artists will create in the month of May.

We are having a lot of fun in Music this year! We are singing and playing all kinds of instruments and music, like Tambourines, Maracas, and Drums. We are also learning about music from different time periods. As well as learning about different music composers every month. Right now the grades are focusing on musicianship and composition. 2nd grade and 4th grade are learning about the different steps in songwriting and the different parts within a song. Kindergarten and 1st graders are learning about various music concepts through song-based lessons where a song is broken down into musical concepts. 3rd grade is currently in the middle of their recorder unit where we focus on proper playing technique for instruments and learning how to read sheet music. As we finish out the year we will continue our exploration into music concepts and make wonderful music doing it.

Third and Fourth grade will be taking thier Standards of Learning Assessments on the following dates:

• May 9th Math 4th grade

• May 10th Math 3rd grade

• May 16th Reading 4th grade

• May 17th Reading 3rd grade

• May 18th VA Studies 4th grade

Please mark your calendars for these dates. Please ensure your child gets a good night's sleep the night before testing. Eating a good breakfast is advised as well. School breakfast will be available as always. Please do you best to ensure your child is at school on these very important days.

Following the assessment, if your child scored between a 375 and a 399, they will have the opportunity to retake the SOL. These are called expedited retakes. If this applies to your child, you will be notified.

PreK through 2nd grade will be taking the (PALS), phonological awareness and linguistics, assessment May 8th to May 19th. This is a wonderful time to measure all the growth. Please encourage your child to do thier best.

April 2023

Heather Hartman

hhartman@mcpsva.org, 571-377-6127

School Counselor for Kindergarten (Smith, Foxwell, Nieves), 1st grade, and 3rd grade

Anna Bang

ybang@mcpsva.org, 571-377-6124

School Counselor for Kindergarten (Akhaury, Jones, Leibert), 2nd grade, and 4th grade

Mrs. Hartman is back! While she was away, Ms. Kline had been supporting the counseling team. Thank you Ms. KIine for your hard work and support during that time!

For the month of March, all students received counseling lessons, learning about Career Awareness. K-2nd students learned about various careers and the tools and hats they use and wear. 3-4th grade students explored about their passion, skills and goals and had a chance to think about what job they would like when they grow up.

Please visit the “Counseling” page on the Baldwin website for more information about resources and counseling services (Counseling / Resources for Families).

• April 21st - 6:00 STEM Night at Weems

• April 24th - After School SOL Program

• April 26th - After School SOL Program

• April 28th - Bingo Night at 5:30

• May 9th - Math 4th grade SOL

• May 9th - PTO Hog Shack Spirit Night

• May 10th - Math 3rd grade SOL

• May 15th - 1st Grade Field Trip to Center for the Arts at George Mason 9:30 am-12:15 pm

• May 16th - Reading 4th grade SOL

• May 16th - KG Field Trip to Frying Pan Park 9:30 am-1:00 pm

• May 17th - Reading 3rd grade SOL

• May 18th - VA Studies 4th grade SOL

• May 25th - Kindergarten and 4th grade Promotion ceremonies

• May 26th - No School - Division Closed

• May 29th - Memorial Day - No School - Division Closed

• May 30th - Field Day 1/2 Day for Students

• May 31st - Field Day 1/2 Day for Students

• May 31st - Last day of school

Promotion Ceremonies will be held on Thursday May 25!

• 9:15 Kinder promotions (3 classrooms)
• 10:00 Kinder promotions (3 classrooms) and AM Pre K
• 11:15 4th grade promotions
• 1:15 PM PreK

The Kindergarten promotion ceremonies will be at 9:15 (3 classes) 10:00 (3 classes). Teachers will invite parents for Kindergarten promotion ceremonies. Families will enter in the front of the building. These ceremonies will take place in the classrooms. More information will be coming.

The 4th Grade promotion ceremony will begin at 11:15 in the gym. Families will park in the back lot. More information will be coming.

The PreK promotion ceremonies will be at 10:00 (AM class) and 1:15 (PM class) in the classrooms. More information will be coming.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Attending school regularly is essential to students gaining the academic, social and emotional skills they need to thrive. Being Chronically absent, no matter its cause, has real life consequences for students, families and society as a whole. Chronic absence—missing 10% of the academic year (1 to 2 days a month)—can leave third graders unable to read proficiently, sixth graders struggling with schoolwork and high school students can get off track for graduation.

Make School Attendance a Priority

· Monitor your child’s attendance and participation and contact the teacher to address any concerns.

· Get and post your child’s class schedule and log in information on the refrigerator or your child’s desk.

· Make sure your child gets the flu vaccine and other required shots.

· If your child seems bored or anxious about school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make your child feel safe and excited about learning.

· Ask for help when you need it. School staff, after-school program providers, and other parents or community agencies are available to help families access online learning, obtain food or housing and address other experiences that make it difficult to attend and participate.

If you have any questions or would like more information about Chronic Absenteeism please contact Ms. Torres (Attendance officer) at 571-247-7695. jtorres@mcpsva.org