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Quicklinks:February 2008 - Letter from the Head of School
Dear Parents,
With this letter, THROUGH THE REGULAR MAIL, I want to bring to your attention several matters of importance, AND to ask you, right upfront, to frequently CHECK THE BALDWIN SCHOOL WEBSITE www.baldwin-school.org for information which IN FUTURE will almost always come to you electronically. This will also be the case when we begin to introduce the EDLINE program (see below) for which all teachers and aides as well as administrators are currently being trained. Notice, for example right now, the following items on our website of interest:
A. The new Strategic Plan 2008-2012 adopted by the Board of Directors
B. The PTO sponsored Family Day/International Fiesta
C. Baldwin students nominated as candidates for the prestigious Presidential Scholar Award
D. Baldwin 8th grader is top scoring student in Puerto Rico in American Mathematics Contest (AMC)
E. HOS (Head of School Letter) of January, which includes basic information about next year's school calendar dates
Here is what I wish to report to you at this time:
1. REMINDER that the re-enrollment papers and deposits are due by Friday, February 8th.
2. The detailed School Calendar 2008/9 (see basic dates under (E) above) will be distributed in late February and published on the website
3. Parent Parking - please note and observe that all parking areas marked with a number other than specifically designated PARENT PARKING is for FACULTY and STAFF ONLY. Faculty and Staff often find their designated parking spot blocked when arriving at school - PLEASE BE SURE not to park in such faculty/staff assigned spaces. Much parking for parents is available in the parking area at the West gate behind the soccer field, near the covered court.4. Professional Development
We had an excellent professional development day with Professor Michael Thompson this past Monday, January 28. He also gave an lecture on "How to Raise Responsible Children" that day in the evening at Commonwealth High School - advertised on our website since before the winter break - which a number of Baldwin parents attended. His books (i.e. “Raising Cain and “The Pressured Child”, among others) are easily available through Amazon.com and I highly recommend him. Also, we will try to get Dr. Thompson again, but probably not until next school year as he is booked well in advance.
Having had this workshop and the one in October on social/emotional learning, we plan to follow up on this at another FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DAY scheduled for Monday, March 31 - which from a parent/student perspective extends the spring holiday by one extra day. I mention this now for your advance planning and more details about this with another reminder will come to you in MARCH - ON THE WEBSITE!!!
5. Cafeteria Service
The School has decided to make a change in the CAFETERIA FOOD SERVICE effective next school year, following the expiration of our contract with the present provider, Mr. Uribe, at the end of this current school year.
The new food services provider is SODEXHO USA, the world’s largest provider that has recently established itself in Puerto Rico, and will be our provider starting August 1, 2008. Sodexho is especially experienced in services to private independent schools (PreK-12) and international schools world-wide. My own knowledge of the quality of their operations - both in food quality and service competence - stems from my past experience heading international schools and my acquaintance with many independent schools in the US.
The decision to make a change in food service, also conveyed to our present provider, is based not so much on looking back as it is to seize the opportunity of having the expertise and resources of a major corporate provider. We now also have enough time to prepare for a smooth transition to the new service after the summer.
IMPORTANT:
6. Strategic Planning, Board Retreat, and Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- Lunch Tickets – make sure to purchase only the number of lunch tickets needed to cover the present service, until the end of May 2008.
- For information about Sodexho, you may wish to look up their website: www.sodexhousa.com.
The Board of Directors will have its Annual Retreat this coming Saturday, February 2 nd where the main issue is the final review of the new STRATEGIC PLAN 2007 - 20012 and the prioritizing and annualizing, with decisions on crucial means of funding, of the core proposals in the several areas of the plan.
I also want to make you aware that the Board of Directors has agreed to a new way to communicate key school matters, and select candidates for vacancies to the Board, by means of an ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, which takes the place of the PTO General Assembly meeting generally set for early May, which also involved parent candidates.
The purpose of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is to report on the status and condition of the school by way of a report from the Chairman of the Board, the Board Treasurer, and the Head of School. This meeting is scheduled for Tuesday May 6 th and will also include, apart from the aforementioned reports, a statement on the process to be followed for the identification and selection of Board members, as vacancies arise.
I am happy to report, as one of the key items in strategic planning, that we continue to be successful in our fundraising for the planned Performing Arts Center (PAC) where the current silent phase for leadership gifts has reached a total of close to $1,300,000. I will report later on other major items and priorities and certainly my Annual Report in May will cover a lot of ground that pertains to initiatives we need to undertake in the immediate next years to preserve and enhance Baldwin's strengths.
6. FAMILY DAYYou have recently received information from the PTO about the Annual Family Day on Saturday, February 23, which this year is the INTERNATIONAL FIESTA. As in past years, this is a great day to come together as a community of students, teachers and staff, families, and alumni and friends of Baldwin. The best way to thank all the VOLUNTEERS who have worked so hard to prepare for this grand event IS TO BE THERE!!!!
PLEASE NOTE THAT IN SUPPORT OF PLANNING FOR FAMILY DAY SCHOOL ENDS AT 12:00 NOON on Friday, February 22, 2008.
Sincerely,
Dr. Gunther Brandt
Head of School
