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Baldwin Hills
Bi-Annual
News
Winter/Spring 2018

Photos: SBAC Achievement Honorees, Grade 4, Golden HEARt CARD Positive Office Party, Community Explorations in Room 6

Calendar Corner School Culture

We celebrate: Positive Office Parties take place M, W, Th, F, where
students who were noticed as exhibiting “Model of Excellence” behavior
• 02/05: Semester 2 Tutoring begins in their practice of the HEARt CARD virtues are given a golden HEART
• 02/23: End of 2nd Trimester CARD and invited to party in the office with Dr. Davis! We also have
monthly Golden HEARt CARD FUNdraiser dances as another means of
• 02/26 Wk.: Black History Program
celebrating righteous behavior!
• 02/27: NO Banked Day, 2:30 out
We honor: Soaring Scholar Assemblies take place each month where
• 03/04 Wk.: Conferences (12:55 out)
students are recognized by their teacher for righteous conduct as well as
• 03/19 Wk.: 5th Grade Science Camp for academic achievement. Abundant thanks to Mrs. Porter-Morris &
• 3/23: 1:30 dismissal Mrs. Pharris for their leadership in getting our inaugural SBAC
Achievement Awards off the ground and the subsequent honoring of
• 3/26 Wk.: SPRING BREAK these scholars during our Soaring Scholar Awards! Great thanks to our
• 04/02: C. Chavez Day-No School Soaring Scholar Ambassadors for their strong student voices & to all for
getting this monthly honoring cherished here at Baldwin Hills!
• 04/20: UnSat Notices go home
• 05/15: Open House: We affirm: Our school’s motto, “Anchored and grounded in strengths
STEAM/PBL Showcase from our past, poised and ready to soar!” speaks to our commitment to
teach our students of their rich cultural backgrounds and histories, upon
• 05/25: Diversity Day which we all stand; the great heritage of our communities propels us to
• 05/28: Memorial Day-No School greatness—college, career and beyond. This affirmation spans
kindergarten-fifth grade and is underscored with our school!-wide unit
• 06/06: 5th Grade Culmination
themes…for semester 2: community, state, nation & world. We soar!
• 06/07: 1:30 out-Last day of school
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Instruction
Our instructional program’s core objective is to deliver
academically rigorous, culturally responsive instruction yielding
students meeting/exceeding grade level benchmarks year
after year. This spotlight shines on our S.T.E.A.M. instructional
practice:

S.T.E.A.M: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and

Mathematics or S.T.E.A.M. is a core instructional pillar in our
school. As a school community, for our second trimester we
have been studying Earth Science and for trimester 3, Physical
Science, as we work to incorporate the Next Generation
Science Standards. Students are engaging in inquiry-based
explorations, building their knowledge with their peers.

Our scholars engage in S.T.E.A.M. enrichment each week with

yoga, critical thinking through chess instruction, as well as
engineering. In engineering for second semester, scholars are
being guided through discussion and design of bridges,
parachutes, walls, pulley systems and suspension bridges to
develop their understanding of the engineering process.
Photo Credits: 1st Grade Earth Science with Room 10 Scholars and Ms. Carr; Critical thinking through Chess
instruction with 3rd grade scholars in Room 19, Ms. Day

Monthly Family Forum Notes/Announcements

v Attendance: Please continue sending your child to school each day in wellness so we can meet
our goal of proficient attendance. Proficient attendance is maintained by having no more than 1
absence for every 25 days of instruction (maximum of 7 absences for the school year). Students
who are picked up 30 minutes or more before dismissal without a valid excuse are considered
truant. Please make appointments/travel arrangements for outside the school day.
v Classroom Visitors’ Policy: In order to maximize instructional time for each and every scholar,
classroom visitors may not interfere, disrupt or cause substantial disorder in any classroom or
school activity. Visitors are expected to:
o Understand school policy in requesting a classroom visitation, which includes phone call to
classroom prior to visit to ensure minimal interruption
o Sign in and out in the Main Office, completing a visitor’s permit upon arrival at the campus.
o Enter & leave the classroom as quietly as possible, not interfering with any school/room activity.
o Keep the length and frequency of classroom visits reasonable (20 min. recommended).
o Follow established procedures for meeting with the teacher and/or principal following the visit.
o Return the visitor’s permit to the point of origin before leaving the campus.
v Monthly Council Meetings: Every third week of the month we have our monthly council
meetings, spaces for parental input in school decision-making. Mark your calendars: every 3rd
Tuesday afternoon, SSC @ 4:00, 3rd Wednesday morning, ELAC @ 8:15, & 3rd Thursday evening,
GSC, @ 4:00. Meetings are open, so please come out, get involved and share your voice!
v Monthly Family Forums: We have TGIF Morning Family Forums, each first Friday @ 8:15. These are
ongoing opportunities to foster community building between home/school. Please make plans to
join us! If you have yet to do so, stay connected via LAUSD Parent Portal
Possport:passport.lausd.net/ and continue to visit our website for ongoing updates & resources!
v Safety First: Please follow traffic rules during arrival/dismissal. Please take the documented route of
turning onto Burnside instead of Ridgeley. Ensuring safety for our students is all of our responsibility.
Baldwin Hills Elementary Pilot Bi-Annual News: Winter/Spring 2018 Edition
www.balwdinhillselementaryschool.com
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