August 31st, 2023

Dear Baker families,

What an amazing first week of school we are having! As I stand by the front door in the morning I see faces full of emotions from parents, children, faculty and staff. I see nervousness, excitement, hesitation, courage, fear, pride, trepidation, confidence and determination. The first days of school are such a momentous time in all of our lives and our students' lives. I feel so lucky to be able to bear witness to this moment for our community. I also see the bonds of our community forming each day. I see older students comforting nervous younger students, and I see returning students welcoming new students. First days of school don't always go smoothly for everyone, but when you have others there to support you it is a huge help.

There has already been so much activity this week that it is impossible for me to recount it all. On the first day of school, I popped my head into our Carlson Auditorium where the Middle Schoolers were getting an overview of how Middle School works and all the teachers that are part of the team. On Day 1, the Middle Schoolers learned about the amazing selection of Fall Arts Core classes. Arts Core classes are electives that the Middle School students get to select every trimester. The Fall offerings include: Artists as Activists, Open Studio, Maker Space, The Art & Craft of Bookmaking, Matilda (performance), Dance and Move for Matilda, Come Dance and Move With Me, Band and Choir. As you probably deduced, the MS is putting on the musical Matilda this year, and it is going to be an awesome collaboration of acting, dancing, and music. The performance will take place after the 2nd trimester, so you'll have to wait, but I guarantee you won't be disappointed! Collaboration amongst our teachers across disciplines is a hallmark of our programming and we are blessed to have so many talented teachers who love working together.

Today, I caught the 4th and 5th graders heading to Lighthouse beach. It is a perfect day for an outdoor excursion and when I quizzed the 4th graders what they were going to do there, I got some enthusiastic replies: "Eat lunch", "Dip our toes in the water", "Study landforms", "Play on the sand", & "Have fun!" The outdoors is a big part of progressive education and giving students opportunities to interact with their surroundings, learn while doing so, and of course, "Have fun!" is something that you'll see at all the grade levels. We are fortunate to be near some great outdoor areas, and Lighthouse Beach is no exception. The students will be checking out the dunes that have formed at the beach. Here is a fascinating article that describes their history.

After the first day of school drop off, I joined the BPO and many enthusiastic parents for our initial coffee gathering. There was great energy in the group and I'm thrilled that so many folks are ready to pitch in and help. If you missed the coffee, don't worry, there is more info below about how you can join in. The BPO is a great way to get to know other parents and do meaningful work that helps the school tremendously. Please take some time to consider joining in.

Finally, please check out the section below on Gratitude Notes. This is an important way of communicating with our faculty and staff to show them love for all their hard work. Gratitude is powerful, let's use it to build our community! There are a lot of other important pieces of info below too, so please take the time to read through it.

Tomorrow is Friday and that means we'll be having music at carpool pick-up to celebrate the weekend, see you soon.

Gratitude Notes

As we build community, relationships and connect with each other, showing gratitude is one of our most powerful tools. It fosters a sense of belonging and shares not only valuable feedback, but also appreciation. We all live busy lives, but taking a moment to thank someone at the school will go a long way. This form will be up all year, and we hope you visit frequently! The notes will all be passed onto the recipients.

Gratitude Notes

Back to School Nights Info

Back to School Nights will be in person on Tuesday, September 12th and Thursday, September 14th. We look forward to welcoming you to campus to get a glimpse of life in Baker classrooms; faculty will be here to share all that is happening right now, as well as plans for the year as a whole. Please review the schedules below, as different grade level cohorts meet at different times. Unlike last year, we will be doing a State of the School event later in the year, rather than during Back To School Nights.

We are pleased to share that BASE is offering complimentary care during Back to School Nights on Tuesday, Sept 12 and Thursday, Sept 14. Care will be provided in the EC BASE Room (G-57). Please complete the form to register your child/ren. Child/ren must be at least 3 years old and fully potty trained. Non-Baker siblings welcome!

Tuesday, September 12th (1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade)

5:30 - 6:15 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade Presentations (In Classrooms)

6:15 - 7:00 4th & 5th Grade Presentations (in classrooms)

Thursday, September 14th (PreK, Kindergarten, Middle School) 

5:30- 6:15 Preschool, Kindergarten Presentations (in classrooms)

5:30-7:45 Middle School (Begin in Advisory Groups) 

 5:30- 5:45 : Advisory 

5:50- 6:00: 1st Period

6:05- 6:15: 2nd Period

6:20- 6:45: ARTS CORE (6:20-6:30 M/W/F Elective & 6:35 -6:45 T/Th Elective)

6:50- 7:00: 4th period

7:05- 7:15: 5th period

7:20- 7:30: 7th period

7:35- 7:45: 8th period

Calendar Highlights

September 4

Labor Day, No School, No BASE

September 5

Admission Tour Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.

September 9

Wilmette Block Party, See details below

September 12

Admission Tour Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.

September 12 & 14

Back to School Nights, See schedule above

September 20

BPO meeting 8:30 

You can view Baker's public calendar at bakerdemschool.org/calendar

BASE is ready to support your family needs from day one! Registration is open for all BASE programming this fall: BASE Program Packages, Enrichments, Drop-In Care, Private Music Lessons and Semi-Private Art Classes. 

Enrichment classes begin next week! Enrichment classes are filling quickly. Register for your desired classes today!

New this year - Our BASE Early Childhood room has moved down the hall to the right! Located right next door to the Kindergarten room, this new location offers more space for our after school cohort. 

Click HERE to Register 

Offerings Include 

• Semi-Private Art Classes with Ms. Toole
• High School Test Prep through Educational Endeavours
• Robotics Team led by Ms. Crawford
• Karate offered by Fonseca Martial Arts

SY24 BASE Program Guide - for program details and class descriptions! 

For more questions, please reach out to Erin Fentanes Steiner at esteiner@bakerdemschool.org

Baker Robotics Program - New Offerings

Robotics! This Fall we are offering two different programs that will compete through the First Lego League. No experience is required, but a willingness to work with a team is.

• Our returning team of Baker Bots will be offered for grades 5-8, with a maximum of 10 participants. This team will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 - 4:45.
• Our new team will be offered for grades 2-4, and will meet on Mondays from 3:15 - 4:20.. Maximum: 6 participants.

 FIRST®LEGO® League Challenge (Grades 5-8)

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams design, build and program an autonomous robot using SPIKE Prime technology and create innovative solutions to problems facing today’s scientists while embracing the Core Values. Elementary and middle-school students in 4th - 8th grade get to:

• Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO SPIKE Prime or Mindstorms
• Apply real-world math and science concepts in an open-ended format
• Research challenges facing today’s scientists and communities
• Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills
• Participate in tournaments and celebrations

Introduces young people, ages 9 to 14 to the fun and excitement of science and technology while building self-confidence, knowledge, and valuable employment and life skills.

 FIRST® LEGO® League Explore (Grades 2-4)

FIRST® LEGO® League Explore captures young children's curiosity and directs it toward discovering the wonders of science and technology. This program features a real-world scientific concept to be explored through research, teamwork, construction, and imagination. Guided by adult Coaches, teams use LEGO® bricks to build a model that moves and develop a Show Me Poster to illustrate their journey.

Children in grades 2-4 will get to:

• Design and build a challenge-related model using LEGO® components
• Create a Team Poster and practice presentation skills
• Explore challenges facing today's scientists
• Discover real-world math, science, and engineering
• Begin developing teamwork skills
• Choose to participate in season capstone events: festivals
• Engage in team activities guided by FLL Explore Core Values

Focused on building an interest in science and engineering in children ages 6-10, students work with LEGO elements and moving parts to build ideas and concepts and present them for review.

The Baker Bot team will compete in a local Qualifier event usually in December. The competition focuses on the following areas: Teamwork, Robot Design, and Season Theme solutions. For the Explore Team, we will keep you posted.

Join us at the Kids' Zone - Wilmette Block Party

Calling ALL Baker families, staff, and students! Baker will once again have a booth at the Wilmette Block Party - Kids Zone on Saturday, September 9th from NOON - 4 PM. Setup will begin at 11 AM. We will have a tent, swag, face painting, sidewalk chalk, and tattoos. This is an easy way for new families to get involved alongside veteran families. Please sign up here or email Stacie Erck

BPO - Learn More and Get Involved

Baker Parent Organization (BPO)

BPO hosted our annual First Day Coffee on Monday. Thanks to Social Team Lead Nicole Berger for a great event. There are 10 parent-led Teams that support the work of the school, with varied opportunities for engagement. 

Please take a look at the Team Descriptions and fill out this BPO Team Interest Form to request more information about a specific team.

All parents are welcome and encouraged to get involved. These are great ways to build connections, serve our community, and support the good work of the teachers.

All of us coming together is what makes Baker so vibrant! 

Click here to learn more. 

Save the date for the BPO's September meeting on Wednesday, September 20th, 8:30-9:30 at Baker. 

Email bpo@bakerdemschool.org with questions.

FAN Season Coming Soon!

Coming in mid-September! The fall season of the FAN speaker series! 

Look for information about Baker-sponsored FAN programs in upcoming bulletins throughout the school year. FAN continues to offer convenient online (Zoom webinar) author events, and has added in-person events back into the schedule as well (many held in the ETHS auditorium). Live, in-person programs are viewable via recording in the days following the event.

We are so lucky to have such a high quality speaker series in our back yard! See you there!