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Baldwin Hills
Bi-Annual
News
Winter/Spring 2017

Photos: Soaring Scholar Awards, Golden HEARt CARD Positive Office Party, Community Explorations in Room 6

Calendar Corner School Culture

02/15-4/6: Semester 2 Tutoring
02/24: End of 2nd Trimester
02/27 Wk.: Black History Program
02/28: NO Banked Day, 2:30 out
03/06 Wk.: Conferences (12:55 out)
03/13 Wk.: 5th Grade Science Camp
03/31: C. Chavez Day-No School
School-wide Positive Behavior Support is a District mandate and we at
Baldwin Hills are working to make our school one where students are
empowered to govern their own decisions as we recognize the virtuous
humanity of each and every child.
We celebrate: Positive Office Parties take place M, W, Th, F, where
students who were noticed as exhibiting Model of Excellence behavior
in their practice of the HEARt CARD virtues are given a golden HEART
CARD and invited to party in the office with Dr. Davis! We also have
monthly Golden HEARt CARD FUNdraiser dances as another means of
celebrating righteous behavior!

04/07: 1:30 dismissal We honor: Soaring Scholar Assemblies take place each month, where
04/10-04/14: Spring Break students are recognized by their teacher for righteous conduct as well as
for academic achievement. Abundant thanks to Mrs. Porter-Morris and
04/28: UnSat Notices go home the Soaring Scholar Ambassadors for their continued leadership in
05/16: Open House: getting this program in place and cherished here at Baldwin Hills!
STEAM/PBL Showcase
We affirm: Our schools motto, Anchored and grounded in strengths
05/24: Multicultural Festival from our past, poised and ready to soar! speaks to our commitment to
05/31: Memorial Day-No School teach our students of their rich cultural backgrounds and histories, upon
which we all stand; the great heritage of our communities propels us to
06/02: 5th Grade Culmination greatnesscollege, career and beyond. This affirmation spans
06/09: 1:30 out-Last day of school kindergarten-fifth grade and is underscored with our school!-wide unit
themesfor semester 2: community, state, nation & world. We soar!
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Instruction
Our instructional programs core objective is to deliver
academically rigorous, culturally responsive instruction yielding
students meeting/exceeding grade level benchmarks year
after year. This spotlight shines on our S.T.E.A.M. instructional
practice:

S.T.E.A.M: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and

Mathematics or S.T.E.A.M. is a core instructional pillar in our
school. As a school community, for our second trimester we
have been studying Earth Science and for trimester 3, Physical
Science, as we work to incorporate the Next Generation
Science Standards. Students are engaging in inquiry-based
explorations, building their knowledge with their peers.

Our scholars engage in S.T.E.A.M. enrichment each week with

yoga, critical thinking through chess instruction, as well as
engineering. In engineering for second semester, scholars are
being guided through discussion and design of bridges,
parachutes, walls, pulley systems and suspension bridges to
develop their understanding of the engineering process.
Photo Credits: 5th Grade Earth Science with Room 4 Scholars & Engineering with grade 4, taught by 2nd/4th grade
parent, Mr. Louis

Monthly Family Forum Notes/Announcements

v Attendance: Please continue sending to your child to school each day in wellness so we can meet
our goal of proficient attendance. Proficient attendance is maintained by having no more than 1
absence for every 25 days of instruction (maximum of 7 absences for the school year). Students
who are picked up 30 minutes or more before dismissal without a valid excuse are considered
truant. Please make appointments/travel arrangements for outside the school day.
v Classroom Visitors Policy: In order to maximize instructional time for each and every scholar,
classroom visitors may not interfere, disrupt or cause substantial disorder in any classroom or
school activity. Visitors are expected to:
o Understand school policy in requesting a classroom visitation, which includes phone call to
classroom prior to visit to ensure minimal interruption
o Sign in and out in the Main Office, completing a visitors permit upon arrival at the campus.
o Enter & leave the classroom as quietly as possible, not interfering with any school/room activity.
o Keep the length and frequency of classroom visits reasonable (20 min. recommended).
o Follow established procedures for meeting with the teacher and/or principal following the visit.
o Return the visitors permit to the point of origin before leaving the campus.
v Monthly Council Meetings: Every third week of the month we have our monthly council
meetings, spaces for parental input in school decision-making. Mark your calendars: every 3rd
Wednesday morning, ELAC @ 8:15, every 3rd Thursday evening, SSC @ 4:30 and GSC, @ 5:45.
Meetings are open, so please come out, get involved and share your voice!
v Monthly Family Forums: We have TGIF Morning Family Forums, each first Friday @ 8:15 and with
support from a grant from Penny Appeal, we have Evening Family Forums during the fourth week of
the month @ 5:30. These are ongoing opportunities to foster community building between
home/school. Please make plans to join us! Continue to visit our website
v Safety First: Please follow traffic rules during arrival/dismissal. Please take the documented route of
turning onto Burnside instead of Ridgeley. Ensuring safety for our students is all of our responsibility.
Baldwin Hills Elementary Pilot Bi-Annual News: Winter/Spring 2017 Edition
www.balwdinhillselementaryschool.com and like/find/follow us on Facebook page: @Baldwinelementary
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