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Dear Baker families,
What a joy it is to have the creative freedom to express oneself through movement! Here at Baker we are doing just that, as we prepare every part of our bodies and minds for the upcoming performances in February of Matilda the Musical!
Earlier in the school year the focus was on the main dance numbers and larger segments of choreography. Over the last few weeks we have been connecting those portions of the show on a larger scale. Our First and Second graders are learning to share the stage with middle schoolers while doing the similar choreography. Our leads are working on integrating their lines into the spacing of all the dancers in the show. At each grade level, spatial awareness can prove to be tricky. Learning to cohesively dance in a space where others are moving as well, doing different steps and different times with needing to focus on your own body can be daunting. But it can be done. And they are doing it!
The Dancers have worked very hard to learn the choreography. I will add that it can be a bit overwhelming to have so many details to consider as they dance, while singing and oh yes ... while they also are focusing on “performing as a character!” What is happening in this scene? How would my body look? What expression would be on my face and how does the movement reflect all of those details? PHEW! These are many questions to consider when performing in such a show. Students are understanding just how smart they are and how strong they can be by learning to control the movement of their bodies while considering all of the above.
Dance is not only steps while the music is playing, it adds layers to the scene.The music sets the tone, the actors deliver their lines, the choir harmonizes taking you on a journey, while the dancers create the energy of the storyline. It may be through a tightened fist pounded on a desk to the beat of the drum, an orderly march through the school yard, or students rocking out with enormous smiles on their faces while belting a song at the top of their lungs expressing VICTORY! Movement connects the story with a feeling by sharing the visual picture of the moment.
Families, I am proud to share the students have all had such tremendous growth as we delve deeper into the role that dance plays in a show! Weekly I witness the confidence growing in the students as they understand how important each and every one of them are to the success of the show. It is in these moments where our children learn the value they have in their family and in their community. That each one of us has a responsibility to do our best and support each other, for that makes us all better humans. Baker sees and appreciates that art is the perfect, most organic environment to grow confident learners that contribute to their community in a positive way.
I know I speak for all of my amazing team when I say we truly look forward to sharing that growth with you all in February!
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Warmly,
Mary Dow
Dance and Movement Teacher PreK - 8th
Graduation Teacher
She/Her Pronouns
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What a magical performance it was. Thank you for your patience as we prepared the video from this year's Holiday Sing. Our main camera feed unexpectedly cut out at the end of the program. Thanks to community videographers we were able to edit together the full show. Enjoy the video! | |
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January 26
Middle School Movie Night 6:00 p.m. - See details below
January 30
Early deadline to confirm re-enrollment and receive reduced tuition deposit - See details below
February 6
BPO Coffee 8:30 a.m. - See details below
Preview Night for Rising 6th Grade Parents | ZOOM - 6:00 p.m. - See details below
Preview Night for Rising Middle School Parents (Current 5th-7th) | ZOOM 7:00 p.m. - See details below
February 7
Early Dismissal 1:00pm / Professional Development Day / BASE Available
February 8
Preview Night for Rising K-3rd Grade Parents (Current PK-2nd) | ZOOM - 6:00 p.m. - See details below
Preview Night for Rising 4th-5th Grade Parents (Current 3rd-4th) | ZOOM - 7:00 p.m. - See details below
February 14
Baker's Matilda! Dress Rehearsal 9:00 a.m. - See details below
February 15
Baker's Matilda! Performance 6:30 p.m. - See details below
March 8
Baker Benefit | Early bird tickets available! - See details below
You can view Baker's public calendar at bakerdemschool.org/calendar
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Admissions & Re-Enrollment | |
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An email went out with important information and dates about sibling enrollment, re-enrollment dates, tuition assistance and deposit information for all returning families. Please read through that email there are important deadlines in January to be aware of.
Important Upcoming Dates
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January 30th - Early deadline for current Baker families to confirm re-enrollment for the 2024-25 school year and pay a reduced tuition deposit amount (Note: After January 30, 2024, the tuition deposit amount will increase. Amounts differ depending on whether the family is on tuition assistance or not. Details will be in the January tuition deposit invoice.).
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March 1st - Deadline for current Baker families to opt-out of evergreen re-enrollment contract.
*All tuition deposits are non-refundable.
*24-25 Tuition rates may be found on our website
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Preview Nights | ZOOM - Tues. 2/6 & Thurs. 2/8 | |
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As we look ahead to planning for the 2024-25 school year, please, save the dates (see below) for Preview 2024-25 evenings for parents/guardians.
Preview evenings are intended to provide parents with a vision for what is to come in the 2024-25 school year for their child as they move to the next grade level. Preview Nights offer current and prospective parents highlights of the curriculum and overall experience for the upcoming school year. This is a wonderful opportunity that gives parents a vision for what is to come in the 2024-25 school year for their child. Preview 2024-25 meetings will be held on Zoom and facilitated by Dean of Academics, Sarah Mohr’s Zoom.
Tuesday, February 6
Note: Rising 6th grade parents should register for both meetings
6:00 p.m. Preview 6th grade (current 5th grade students)
7:00 p.m. Preview Middle School (current 5th-7th grade students)
Sarah Mohr’s Zoom
Thursday, February 8
6:00 p.m. Preview K-3rd grade (current PK-2nd students)
7:00 p.m. Preview 4th-5th grade (current 3rd-4th grade students)
Sarah Mohr’s Zoom
Preview Nights will be on Zoom. If you have any questions or issues accessing the Preview Nights via Zoom, please email communications@bakerdemschool.org.
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Calling All Middle Schoolers - Rockets for School Team | |
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Baker’s Rockets For Schools Team has their first meeting on February 6th!
Informational Meeting
Have your Middle Schooler pop by Mr. Ellis’s room (Rm. 239) after school next Tuesday, January 30 to grab a snack and learn more about the program.
Rockets for Schools is your opportunity to experience the challenge and excitement of building and launching a six foot tall high-powered rocket. The payload your team designs and builds will be rocketed to an altitude of 3,500 feet by the US Coast Guard over Lake Michigan and recovered for your post flight analysis. When their rocket is not launching, students will be assigned to work at one of the following stations: Recovery, Mission Control, Video Productions, Tracking or Weather Balloon.
Student Commitment
Practices: Tuesdays 3:15-4:45pm Starting Tuesday, Feb 6!
Starting in April, the team will meet on Tuesdays AND Thursdays to prepare for launch weekend!
All Team Members are required to be present during launch weekend activities.
Launch Weekend
Rockets are launched on the weekend of May 10/11 at Spaceport Sheboygan!
Friday, May 10, 2024 - Oral Presentation of Rocket and Payload
Saturday, May 11, 2024 - Rocket Shoot Off with the Coast Guard
Register Here on the BASE Website
Can be found under Winter Enrichments towards the bottom of the page
Please reach out to Owen Ellis at oellis@bakerdemschool.org for more information.
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Middle School Movie Night | |
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Middle School Movie Night
Friday, January 26
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
We will be screening "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
All Baker Middle School students are invited to attend, and there will be a surprise "Mario Bros. Challenge" for any student who would like to participate during the event.
If your student is planning to attend, a chaperone will be checking students in at the front doors at 6:00 p.m. Running time for the movie is just shy of 1 hour and 30 minutes, so we will be beginning as close to 6:00 as possible and dismissing in time for 7:30 p.m. pick-up.
Students in attendance will be required to stay for the entirety of the movie unless they are picked up at the front doors by a pre-approved adult. If families are planning to carpool at the end of the night, please respond directly to this email or check in directly with the chaperone at the front door to let us know!
Questions? Contact Tyler Leach at tleach@bakerdemschool.org.
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Baker Benefit - Early Bird Tickets Available | |
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The Baker Benefit
Friday, March 8, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
PALMHOUSE
619 Howard St, Evanston IL, 60202
Tickets are $125 per person
Early bird tickets are $95 and available for a limited time through 2/9
Tickets & Information: bakerbenefit.givesmart.com
The Baker Benefit is our annual fundraising event to benefit The Baker Tuition Assistance Program. Our tuition assistance program benefits many families directly in our community. It allows more families to make a Baker education accessible for their student. More Baker students makes a richer experience for all of us inside and outside the walls of Baker. Baker students go on to do great things!
What is the Baker Benefit?
It's a fun adults only night out. A chance to dress up a little or a lot. There will be friends, food, drinks, dancing, an online auction with fabulous items, and so more! Everyone who loves Baker or loves a person who loves Baker is invited to attend!
What can you do to help?
- Buy tickets and attend the event
- Sponsor a staff ticket
- Donate an auction item or experience
- Share with possible donors or event sponsors
- Take part in the online auction
Our school community plays a big role in donating items and experiences for our auction. Please help us by contributing yourself and reaching out to spread the word to others you think will want to contribute.
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Our hope is that our whole school community can participate in the event. If the ticket price is prohibitive for your family, please reach out to and we will work with you.
Questions? Contact benefit@bakerdemschool.org.
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Baker's Matilda! Mark Your Calendar | |
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Mark your calendar for Baker's Matilda!
We're excited for this all school musical performance.
Wednesday, February 14 at 9:00 a.m.
Dress Rehearsal
Thursday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Performance
Tickets are free!
Shout Outs
Families with students in Baker's Matilda are invited to create your very own Shout Out design for your student in the production to be added to the show program. Suggested donation of $20. Donations help Baker offer amazing arts programming like this.
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Shout Out Examples
"Break a leg, Sally! Love, your parents"
"Have a blast in your performance!"
Decorate your Shout Out with pictures, photos, or encouraging words!
Click on the link below for details and a form to submit your Shout Out.
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Baker Library - Volunteers Needed | |
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Calling all Library Friends!
We are looking for Baker community volunteers to help organize books and more in our library. To express interest or for more information, contact Librarian Charles Jones at cjones@bakerdemschool.org.
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Thank you to the 1st grade room parents for hosting!
This is a chance to socialize with other parents and hear short updates from the BPO Teams. No RSVP is ever needed, just drop in. We would love for you to attend.
February AM BPO Coffee Meetup
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Baker Cafeteria
Questions contact bpo@bakerdemschool.org.
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BPO Community Service Spotlight | |
“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” - Dr. King | |
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Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World
January 30, 2024
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
ON ZOOM
TODD ROGERS, PH.D.
Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government
ANGELA DUCKWORTH, PH.D.
Founder and CEO of Character Lab, and the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania
Busy readers routinely decide how valuable a message is without actually reading it. In one recent survey, people reported skimming nearly 40 percent of their emails and 20 percent of their texts. We may have been taught the fundamentals of writing well in school—but how do we write effectively in this current hyper-interactive environment? Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World by Todd Rogers, Ph.D. and Jessica Lasky-Fink, Ph.D. is both an essential guide of practical writing advice and a fascinating adventure through the science of why these strategies work.
The book begins by unpacking the science and psychology of how (busy) people read, then details six research-backed principles for effective writing. Along the way, the authors provide intriguing insights drawn from the leading scientific research and hundreds of their own original, randomized experiments on the topic. The principles for effective writing are rooted in the universals of human nature: the mind’s limited attention and focus, the rules of thumb it uses, the behaviors of busy people, and the ways that we give and receive information through written messages.
Rogers is a Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a behavioral scientist specializing in the science of effective communication. He is the faculty director of the Behavioral Insights Group, faculty chair of the executive education program Behavioral Insights and Public Policy, senior scientist at ideas42, and academic advisor at the Behavioral Insights Team. Rogers will be in conversation with Angela Duckworth, Ph.D. (FAN ’12, ’16), co-founder of Character Lab, Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative, founding faculty co-director of Wharton People Analytics, and author of the international bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
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