May 21, 2020
Dear Baker Families, 

I am hoping that you will join me for an update about our planning for the fall of 2020-2021 this Wednesday at 8 pm. While we can’t predict the regional dynamics at play in the month of August, our planning will help us respond to what the moment requires, with both predictability and flexibility. On the webinar, I will be sharing our scenario planning and decision making process for re-opening school. Be sure to pre-register below in order to receive Zoom details in advance.

This week we are excited to announce our very own Baker Design Engineering camp. We are so excited about these offerings and the ways that students will be able to maintain personal connections while diving into the design process over the summer months. Links to our camp faculty, courses and registration are directly below.

Next week, we’ll share details and registration for Baker Summer Collaborative, four weeks of complimentary summer programming taught by Baker teachers and associate teachers.

Take good care, 
Carly Andrews
Head of School 
Design Engineering Camp Registration OPEN!
If you are looking for a summer filled with design thinking, coding, math and fun for your child, look no further than Baker’s project-based learning environment.  Expert technicians and educators  will lead these  collaborative sessions  designed with clear outcomes so your child can end the week having completed their projects.  Each day   includes live instruction via Zoom, access to office hours for individual attention, a movement break and collaboration with peers!

Space is very limited - we recommend signing up ASAP! Questions? Email our Summer Team.

Upcoming Parent Gathering about Fall 2020
Join us to hear updates from our Head of School.

Gather: PK - 7th Grade Parents
Wednesday, May 27, 8:00 p.m.
Be sure to register in advance to receive Zoom invitation!
Zoom Webinar | Contact Rachel Yantis for details
Topic: Baker's planning for Fall 2020
Complete this form with advance questions.
Pick Up of Student Belongings & 5K T-Shirts
An email was sent last week asking each family to sign up for a time on May 23 or May 26 to pick up your child's belongings and 5K t-shirt.

You will receive an automatic reminder from Sign Up Genius 48 hours before your selected time slot which will include a reminder of the protocols to follow.

If you have any questions, please email Hannah Bielawski .
Spring 2020 - Calendar Highlights





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Sneaker Week and 5K/1K Details - Next Week!
Next week is Baker's Annual Sneaker Week and 5K/1K! We are excited to be able to participate in this event virtually this year. For Sneaker Week, all PE classes will be taught by special guest teachers! Zoom details and times will be shared by classroom teachers and/or in Google Classroom.

On Friday, May 29, the 5K/1K kick-off will begin in morning meetings with classroom teachers or advisors from 10-10:30 a.m. and the day will wrap up at 2:00 p.m. in a closing meeting with classes/advisories. There will not be any additional live classes that day. You can find all the information you need for next week in one place on the  Information Guide . If you have any questions, contact Mr. Dunafin or Ms. Chase . 
Thank you to our presenting sponsor....

 
First Graders Write Letters to Presbyterian Homes Residents
As part of the first-grade curriculum, students learn to write for a variety of purposes. Last week, first graders investigated different forms of letter writing such as how to write a post card and how to write a friendly letter. During this study, they looked at different forms of mail that people send through the post-office. One of the many books about letter writing that they read with Ms. Makagon was The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. This story covers an assortment of mail that people receive based on characters from different fairy tales. As a follow up activity to this lesson, students engaged in a service-learning project related to their writing curriculum. Students have been writing to residents at Presbyterian Homes – Westminster Place in order to cheer them up. A woman who works there is making copies of student letters (for current safety reasons) to pass out to residents for them to read and hopefully respond to our students.





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Announcing 2020 Battle of the Books Winners
4th/5th Grades
1st place - Monkeysaurs
Keira, Leo, Norah T., Vito
2nd place - The White Tigers
Brynn, Harper, Emma
3rd place - Squirrel Power
Naomi, Ally, Hana, Gigi

6th Grade
1st place - The Bookworms
Ryan C., Devon, Lily, Jaidon
2nd place - Seven Legged Octopi
Naomi, Selim, Christian, Cam
3rd place - The Strange Reading People Stuck in Quarantine, Reading Books
Heidi, Kala, Emma T., Leila

Virtual Art Show - Send Student Work to Ms. Toole!
Exciting news! Since our art show (YEA!-Young Evanston Artists) was cancelled this year, Ms. Toole wanted to make sure the Baker artists had an opportunity to share their art. She is creating a virtual art gallery that you can tour through and will be sharing with our community. This is optional, but we would LOVE to have at least one work of art from each Baker artist. It can be 2-D or 3-D. Any media is fine. It can be something they made in class or just something they have made anytime during our remote learning at home. The platform we are using to collect art is Padlet .  This link will take you to Ms. Toole's Padlet and there is a column that says "Baker Kid Art". Click the plus sign and you will have the option of uploading a photo or taking a photo. Once you do that, please add your child's name (there is a place to add text) and the title of their work of art. She will have to approve the photos, so you may not see it pop up instantly. If it is easier, you can simply email photos to Ms. Toole . 
Yearbooks Will Be Shipped to Your Home!
Ms. Crawford will be posting details about custom pages and signatures for yearbooks in Google Classroom. There are some really special features this year through the yearbook company, TreeRing. Please be sure to check those details out if you want any personalized options and complete by May 27.

Yearbooks will be mailed to your homes mid-summer. Questions? Email Ms. Crawford.
Girl Up! Club for Wonder Woman Screening on May 22
Girl Up! Club Event, May 22, 6:00 p.m.
Wonder Woman Screening

A Zoom link will be sent to the email collected on the form to join the screening.

Recommended for grades 5-8; rated PG-13

At the end there will be optional breakout sessions to discuss the movie, led by Girl Up members. Discussion questions will be sent out ahead of time and discussion can happen within families as well.
Emotional Well-Being During COVID-19 Recap
On May 20, a group of parents gathered for the second virtual BPO Chat. The topic was, “Emotional Well-Being During COVID-19,” and covered strategies and resources for both adults and children. Baker’s own school social worker, Cynthia Eudy, delivered a presentation, which was followed by authentic conversation and Q&A among parents. Dr. Renee Dominguez, Director of Family Service Center in Wilmette, was also present to answer questions and provide perspective.

If you missed this valuable discussion, you can see the presentation and a recording of the session by contacting Laura Cinat .
Student Photo of the Week
by Milo, Grade 7





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