November 16, 2023

Dear Baker families, 

Our 6th grade class recently traveled to the Indiana Dunes National Park for a multi-day overnight adventure! Whether they were life-long Baker students or recently joined our middle-school community, this trip offered a tremendous bonding experience - one where students established friendships, created memories, and had a whole bunch of fun beyond the typical classroom setting.  

Baker’s mission prioritizes outdoor educational experiences, and the Dunes Learning Center is a fantastic destination for hands-on research. Our students hiked through five ecosystems - collecting data, identifying invasive species, running down the dunes, and playing games along the way. I loved watching them skip stones on the beaches of Lake Michigan, sing goofy songs by the campfire, and create informative and humorous dilemma skits about invasive species Emerald Ash Borer beetles and Quagga mussels. 

The students also had reflection time where they studied how Potawatomi Native Americans respectfully lived off the land. They reviewed artifacts and tools that demonstrated principles of sustainability in their use of natural resources. Finally, our proud Baker naturalists achieved the ‘Karner Blue Butterfly’ award for zero food waste over the three day period! Every year, I cannot wait to take the rising 6th graders on this trip - and this year was no exception. 

As we head into Thanksgiving, I'm grateful to be at a school like Baker that provides educational adventures like this one. It's these shared experiences that help our students understand their connection to the land we live on, the stories of those who came before them, and how they will apply their knowledge and skills to shape our future.

Best wishes,

Michelle Rogers

She/Her

6th and 7th Grade Science Teacher

Baker Annual Fund - Important Message

Dear Baker Community,

Unfortunately we came up short on the matching opportunity. We raised $3,665 of the available $15,000 match. This is the first time our community has left matching money on the table, and we are also lagging behind in our participation numbers and overall donations this year. It is important to understand the impact of the Annual Fund on our school programming and experience for students, teachers and families.

Here at Baker, unlike most other independent schools, we don’t charge our enrolled families any fees beyond tuition. There are no fees for field trips, sports teams, technology and school supplies. We have set up this model to make the financial cost of Baker more transparent, equitable, and to also make life simpler for parents. The beauty of the Annual Fund is that if all families contribute something that is meaningful to them, whether it is $25 or $10,000 then we will likely meet our Annual Fund goal and we can keep this model in place. If we don’t have a successful campaign then, depending on the gap, we may need to change the model or even possibly eliminate some of the elements of the Baker experience.  

While the dream is that Baker could get to a financial place where we have a surplus year after year to create a robust endowment, we aren’t there right now, and our budget is break-even. This means that we would need to balance a loss in revenue from the Annual Fund with some expense reductions in our operations. To give you a sense of what different level of gifts can help cover, here is a list of some of our expenses:

This is only a snapshot. Now, for some good news....

>> Our matching donor has decided to give the Baker community one more day to take advantage of this matching opportunity. They are extending the window until tomorrow, 11/17 at 11:59 pm.  

Baker Community - we know this is a busy time, and we can do this. Let's meet this match! Let's go right past the $15,000. Let's get to at least 80% family participation. Let's consider our personal giving and give just a little more. Let's share the Baker Fund with our family and friends - those closest to us. Let them know how much this school means to you and your family... to your student. Let's make sure we can continue to offer all these incredible pieces of what makes a Baker education so unique and special.

1. Give through PayPal using the link. You may set up a monthly gift if you would like.

2. Give a one-time donation using Venmo.

3. Give with a credit card through GiveSmart.

4. Give by sending a direct payment by check or Donor Advised Fund to Baker Demonstration School (Attn: Advancement Office, 201 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 60091)

All donations are tax-deductible.

Calendar Highlights

November 17

Solidarity Week Assembly - wear rainbow colors or pride gear

Baker Annual Fund matching challenge extended! - See details above

November 18

Green Team Garden Workday 1:00 p.m. - See details below

November 22 - 24

Thanksgiving Holiday - No School / No BASE Available

November 29

BPO Coffee 8:30 a.m. - See details below

December 6

Early Dismissal 1:00 p.m. / Prof. Development Day / BASE Available

Parent's Night Out at Double Clutch 6:30 p.m. - See details below

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

BASE (Baker After School Enrichment) Registration

BASE Winter Enrichments - We are looking forward to announcing the new session of enrichment options for families in early December, please be on the lookout here in the BASE section of the bulletin for more details!

The Winter Enrichment session will run - Jan 

Registration for Bonus Day on December 6 is open and accepting registrations. 

Click HERE to access the registration page.

December 6 - Professional Development

• Half Day Care (1:00 - 3:15 pm)
• Fun Swim 

Questions? Please contact Erin at esteiner@bakerdemschool.org or at ext. 5823.

Baker Summer Camp Preview

Baker Summer Discovery returns for yet another exciting year of fostering friendships, embracing the great outdoors and engaging in immersive camper-driven activities! Explore below for weekly session dates and pricing details. Camp registration opens on Friday, December 1st at 10am. The registration link will be shared here in the bulletin. 

Take advantage of our discounted early-bird registration fee, available until January 31, 2024. After this date, fees will be subjected to an increase, so secure your spot early for an unforgettable summer adventure! 

Session 1: June 17th - June 21st: $380

No Camp, Wednesday June 19

Session 2: June 24th - June 28th: $475

Session 3: July 1st - July 3rd: $285

No Camp, Thursday, June 4 + Friday, June 5

Session 4: July 8th - July 12th: $475

Session 5: July 15th - July 19th: $475

Session 6: July 22nd - July 26th: $475

Session 7: July 29th - Aug 2nd: $475

Questions? Please contact Rachael and Erin at summer@bakerdemschool.org. 

Solidarity Week

This year we are proud to be participating in Solidarity Week (formally known as Ally Week), an annual school-centered National GLSEN program about the meaning of solidarity. This program encourages schools to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. It is also an opportunity for all students to reflect on their identities and to practice listening to groups of people who are facing discrimination in our country and taking actions to better support them. This program supports our students’ ability to empathize, connect, and collaborate with a diverse group of peers, skills that are of increasing importance in our multicultural, global society. We are thrilled to join students across the country who want to start the school year with positive, affirming messages and actions for LGBTQ+ people in schools.  

Solidarity Week is November 13 - 17

During Solidarity Week, the Middle School GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) Club will organize activities and curate resources for teachers that focus on encouraging and enhancing solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Monday - LGBTQ+ Solidarity

Tuesday - Two-Spirit Native American and Indigenous Focus Day

Wednesday - LGBTQ+ History

Thursday - Pronouns

Friday - Pride Assembly wear rainbow colors or pride gear!

Read more about Solidarity Week in our FAQs.

Questions? Please feel free to reach out to GSA Advisors: Becky Crawford, Shane Courville, Julie Toole

The GSA fundraising committee has chosen Rainbow Library as our charity for Solidarity Week. There was a table at the book fair manned by our GSA students and advisors. As a thank you for donations, you could choose some of our awesome swag items including pronoun buttons, rainbow bracelets, mini flags, and pride stickers. If you didn't have a chance to give a donation and get some swag at the book fair, do not fear! We will still be accepting donations Friday and next Monday and Tuesday. You can give at the front office or we will have a cart of swag that will be visiting classrooms those days.The money we raise for Rainbow library gives free book sets to teachers and librarians which feature LGBTQ+ characters and storylines in states where these are being banned. 

Take a look at these awesome t-shirts we made for our GSA! We ordered extra to sell to our faculty and due to popular demand, we have printed extras to sell to our community! Shirts are $20 each and come in adult sizes S-2XL. They run a bit small and are 100% cotton. We have a limited supply so please fill out this form if you would like one for your child or for yourself! You can send cash in an envelope, drop off cash or check in the office or use Baker Venmo @BakerDem Proceeds will support Baker GSA.

Questions? Please feel free to reach out to GSA Advisors: Becky Crawford, Shane Courville, Julie Toole

Thanksgiving Resources from Baker Parent EqAT

We welcome the spirit of gratitude for the harvest festival that for many Americans has become Thanksgiving.

At the same time, we recognize that, for many in our country, the Thanksgiving holiday is a day of mourning that recalls the erasure of Indigenous ways of life, and a promotion of a misleading narrative about meetings between Native people and white colonizers.

Here are ways that some Baker families shine a light on the truths of the Thanksgiving narrative while also retaining family rituals of gratitude and togetherness:

READ TOGETHER This collection of opinion writings that remind us that the history of Thanksgiving is much more than a single story.

SET A THANKSGIVING TABLE that honors Native stewardship of our lands. (See inset photo above.) Here is a placemat idea from Ms. Toole to be used at your event as a conversation starter.

GIVE THANKS for the caretakers. Explore this map together to see who originally inhabited your neighborhood and took care of the land you now inhabit.

WATCH/LISTEN to Native voices 11 a.m. CST LIVESTREAM the annual Plymouth Rock protest, begun in 1970.

SPEAK ALOUD Native prayers and expressions of gratitude for the harvest and the natural world with this blog post. 

COMMIT to learning more about the Chicago-area Native community—one of the country’s largest. The Mitchell Museum website is a great place to start! Or check out the Field Museum’s permanent exhibit, Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories.

BPO Community Service - Food & Diaper Drive

Baker families can participate by donating non-perishable food, and/or diapers. Diaper sizes 4, 5 and 6 are the ones needed most. Think non-perishable food items that you might find on a Thanksgiving dinner table. A drop off bin will be near the Baker front office door for diapers, and food donations can be dropped off at the office.

Non-perishable food items can include:

• Boxes of Mac and Cheese
• Instant mashed potatoes
• Canned green beans
• Canned cranberry sauce
• Canned yams
• Canned corn
• Canned chicken or tuna
• Boxes of stuffing
• Peanut butter
• Dry macaroni
• Canned soup
• Canned beans
• Canned peas
• Marshmallows
• Ramen noodles

We will begin accepting donations Monday November 6th until Tuesday November 21st.

Thank you for all your support!

Questions contact Justin Travis at allowishes@gmail.com.

BPO Community Service Spotlight - Bundled Blessings

Diapers are material basic necessities all children require, as essential as food, shelter, and clothing. Yet, most state and national safety-net programs do not recognize diapers as a basic need.

How can we help?

Bundled Blessings is a diaper bank created in 2013 in response to the diaper need experienced by low income families in our community. An outreach program of First United Methodist Church of Evanston and is a member of the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN).

Bundled Blessings works with 18 partner agencies to distribute a monthly supplement of diapers to 700+ children in Evanston & surrounding communities. That is 37,000 diapers each month!

The all-volunteer staff provides information about diaper need, assists families in locating diapers, distributes bundles of diapers, offers opportunities for volunteer service, raises money through diaper drives, grants, fundraising events, and solicits individual and corporate donations.

You can go to their website today and find out how to make a diaper or monetary donation. You can also host a diaper drop-off barrel at your place of business. Or you can host a diaper drive, and that is what we’re going to do here at Baker!

We are adding diapers to our November Food Drive. Details above.

Questions contact Justin Travis at allowishes@gmail.com.

BPO Parents Coffee

The BPO (Baker Parents Organization) will be hosting a BPO Coffee. Please drop in after drop off. 

All are welcome! This is a chance to socialize with other parents and hear short updates from the BPO Teams. No RSVP needed.

November BPO Coffee

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Baker Library

Questions contact bpo@bakerdemschool.org.

Baker Parent's Night Out

Come toast the holidays with fellow Baker parents!

Wednesday, December 6th

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Double Clutch Brewing Company

212 Ashland Avenue, Evanston IL 

Enjoy food and drink while socializing with new and old Baker friends. 10% of all proceeds will be donated to Baker. Please RSVP here. Double Clutch will reserve a section for Baker -- please RSVP by 12/1 if possible, so we have a good head count.

Questions contact nicolejoy.berger@gmail.com

BPO Green Team Update

Garden Clean Up Day - Save the date

The end of the fall gardening season is fast approaching. Please join us in the garden next weekend as we clean up and prepare to put the gardens to bed for winter. 

Saturday, November 18 *new time

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Green Team - Upcoming Planning Meeting Dates

Tuesdays: Nov 14, Dec 5, & Jan 23

7:30 p.m. via Zoom - email for link

Contact bakerdemsfam2027moss@gmail.com and lynette_stuhlmacher@yahoo.com

Pop Up Spirit Wear

Baker Spirit Wear is back and available for purchase online! Place your order today! 

Our first Baker Spirit Wear Friday kicks off on Friday, September 8th. Purchase your Baker Spirit Wear today to be ready for Baker Spirit Fridays (and everyday of the week). 

How does it work?

1. Click on the link below and look through the items.

2. Please note that this spirit wear is for both kids and adults!

3. Place your order online. 

4. Orders will be shipped directly to the buyer's home address listed on the order in 3-4 weeks. 

Featured FAN Event

The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are

Thursday, November 16, 2023, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

On ZOOM

TARIQ TROTTER, AKA BLACK THOUGHT

Platinum-selling, three-time Grammy-winning co-founder of The Roots

THEASTER GATES

Artist, archivist, curator, and professor and Special Advisor to the President at the University of Chicago

Today Tariq Trotter—better known as Black Thought—is the platinum-selling, three-time Grammy-winning co-founder of The Roots, and one of the most exhilaratingly skillful and profound rappers the culture has ever produced. But his story begins with a tragedy: as a child, Trotter burned down his family’s home. The years that followed are the story of a life snatched from the flames, forged in fire.

In The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are, Trotter doesn’t just narrate a riveting and moving portrait of the artist as a young man but gives readers a courageous model of what it means to live an examined life. In vivid vignettes, he tells the dramatic stories of the four powerful relationships that shaped him—community, friends, art, and family—each a complex weave of love, discovery, trauma, and loss. Read More.