May 30, 2024

Dear Baker families, 

Tonight’s the night! 8th Grade Graduation day is here!

This semester has been a whirlwind of planning, brainstorming, rough drafts and final products. 

In class these last few weeks, students broke into small groups and shared their speeches with each other. As we walked around the room checking in with each group, it was wonderful to hear all of the laughter and positive feedback the groups were sharing with one another. As we transitioned class into the rehearsals, nerves began to show a bit more, multiple questions popped up, mics pitched, voices quivered, sentences stumbled together while presenting. We shared words of encouragement and went through notes then went right back at it again. Their pace slowed while their words grew more confident. A few off the cuff jokes were added in. We even had some shoulders relax a bit while presenting. They are getting familiar with the space! It was wonderful to witness this progress in just this short time. These students are getting more comfortable sharing their stories and heartfelt projects. This is truly a time to celebrate how far they have come. 

As we approach commencement our future high school students will be ready. They have worked together to put the final touches on their speeches, moving past the words on the page and instead focusing on what the words mean to them to how they want the audience to feel in the moment. In this time, we also want to acknowledge all feelings you may be having too! No matter what grade your student is completing, this time of year brings reflection. How do you feel? What are you proud of? What will you miss? This is the end of a chapter for students AND families. We encourage you to be in the moment a bit more these next few weeks. Take the time to linger, soak in each step. Enjoy it. And, imagine what is possible as we turn the page and look ahead to next year.

The pieces our 8th graders have created truly reflect who they are and what it means to be a Baker Learner. This is both in the classroom and in their community. We look forward to sharing in the celebration of all that encompasses these wonderful humans as they head out onto the next step in their journey. Let’s all take a moment to congratulate our new Baker Class of 2024!

Warmly,

Ms. Dow and Ms. Webber

Graduation Teachers

8th Graders Last Day Video

Watch as teachers and students filled the halls to celebrate Baker 8th graders on their last walk out of the building. What a special tradition to connect our school community.

Calendar Highlights

May 30

Baker Class of 2024 Graduation!

June 4

Baker Family End of Year Picnic 5:00 p.m. - See details below

June 5

Mason's Thank You Event 6:00 p.m. - See details below

June 7

Last Day of School!

Early Dismissal Day: (PK & K - 11:15 p.m. | 1st - 8th Grade - 11:30 p.m. / No BASE)

June 17

Baker Summer Discovery Camp Begins!

Now Available: The 2024-2025 major dates calendar is here.

Baker's public calendar at bakerdemschool.org/calendar

Lost & Found - Retrieve Your Items

The end of the school year is near! After the school year ends we will be emptying out the Lost & Found to make room for next year.

If you believe any of these items are your student's, please retrieve them by Thursday, June 6 at the Lost & Found near the gymnasium.

Any unclaimed items will be donated to Goodwill. 

Baker Summer Discovery Camp

Baker Summer Discovery returns for yet another exciting year of fostering friendships, embracing the great outdoors and engaging in immersive camper-driven activities! We have weekly sessions with spots remaining for Rising Kindergarten, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Graders. All available spots are open on the camp registration page linked below. 

REGISTER HERE

Questions? Reach out to Erin at summer@bakerdemschool.org. 

2024 Teachers & Staff Spring Gift Fund Drive

It's that time of year to show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate all of their hard work!

In June we will be giving faculty and staff a monetary gift. The money will be collected centrally through a Cheddar Up webpage. It will be used for the purchase of the plants and the monetary gift distributed equitably to teachers and staff.

Our goal is to collect $16,500. This goal is based on what we collected last year. The is no donation requirement nor an expected donation amount. Any amount that you would like to give is much appreciated. You can click the link below to donate. The last day to donate is June 2 at 11:59pm.

There is a higher fee to donate using a credit card. If you would prefer to pay a lower fee, please submit your donation before 11:59pm CT on May 30 and choose the echeck option.

You can find further details and stay up to day on our fund drive efforts in the BPO - Parents space in the online Baker Parent Community network here: https://baker-bpo-community.mn.co/.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our Teacher and Staff Appreciation team lead, Mishra Keller. 

Thank you for your participation and support!

Baker BPO Teacher and Staff Appreciation Team

Baker End of Year Picnic: June 4th

Baker Family End of the Year Picnic

Tuesday, June 4th

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

At the Baker Field

Join us in celebration of another successful year at Baker! RSVP here.

Feel free to bring a nut-free picnic, blankets and/chairs, and whatever else you might like to have for fun in the sun. 

• Frisbees
• Bubbles
• Lawn games (cornhole, lawn darts, etc.)
• Footballs, soccer balls, etc.

Event Schedule

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Temporary Tattoos by the Student Leadership Team. Get inked up for the party!

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. A visit from the Kona Truck! *

5:30 p.m. Musical Chairs - Last one sitting wins a Starbucks Gift Card!

6:00 p.m. Penalty Kick Contest - Form a team and kick your way to a Starbucks Gift Card!

6:30 p.m. Balloon Toss - Last pair standing wins a Starbucks Gift Card!

Low-Waste Event

Thanks to the BPO Sustainability Green Team we aim for this to be a low-waste event. We will have composting on-site for this event. Read more about what you can do here. Consider bringing your own utensils and reusable containers for the BYO Picnic to keep things low-waste!

Low-Waste Guide Volunteers

We are looking for a few volunteers to take 30 minute shifts as low-waste guides. Please sign up here. Please contact Lynette Stuhlmacher at lynette_stuhlmacher@yahoo.com with any questions.

*Kona Ice is nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free. Some allergens are on premises. Allergen Information.

Mason's Thank You Event: June 5th

Dear Baker Community, Faculty and Staff, 

The Baker Board of Trustees invites you to an open house at Double Clutch Brewery on June 5th from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. celebrating and thanking Mason Rocca for his leadership as Interim Head of School these last two years. Stop by for the celebration, bring your family, all are welcome! Appetizers provided - beer and food available for purchase. We hope to see you there!

Volunteers Needed: Race Against Hate - June 16th

This year is the 25th Annual Race Against Hate

Sunday, June 16, 2024

7:30 a.m. | Floyd Long Field | Evanston IL

Baker is sponsoring a booth! 

We are looking for 1 or 2 volunteers to work the tent for this event.

Please email communications@bakerdemschool.org to express interest.