Dear Baldwin Community,
It is with great enthusiasm that I am able to write as your new Head of School. As we turn from June to July, from our summer camps to summer breaks, the campus is taking a breath, and I hope you are as well. Over these past months, I have been fortunate to work with Mr. Nelligan, the Board of Directors, and the school leadership team to transition as smoothly as possible and support all our efforts towards starting classes on August 16.
Indeed, our goal is to be prepared for our first day of classes on campus for August 16. Our focus will continue to be keeping our students and adults at school as safe as possible so we remain in-person. This will require us to continue to adapt from our experiences last year and adjust on-campus protocols as we both monitor the local situation and receive guidance from authorities. Our principals have already communicated initial information about our August opening, and we will continue to do so as we get closer to the start of school.
There is a lot to be hopeful for as we look ahead to the 21-22 school year and the future of schools like Baldwin. It is clear that Baldwin’s community needs a break from continuously providing rapid responses to what is thrown at us. I have also observed, both in working with our leadership teams and governance these past months, that efforts of all stakeholders to respond, adapt, and innovate have taught us how to best serve our students. Here are some quick takeaways looking towards August:
Baldwin is, and must continue to be, a community hub: Through the experience of leading through COVID, Baldwin was able to provide greater access to families and community members by leveraging technology and staying in communication consistently. However, Baldwin, like so many schools, was fractured through this isolation and some sense of how we interact together, in person, was lost. “Returning to normal” needs to include dedicating resources and time to rebuilding and repairing relationships and strengthening our community.
As educators, we must meet our students where they are and keep high expectations in front of us: As a result of the various innovations and adjustments Baldwin had to make in response to COVID, we increased our capacity to support students where they are and worked hard at adjusting the supports to achieve success. This approach must continue as we come back in person and at full capacity.
See this transition and its lessons as a catalyst for strategic innovation: Prior to the pandemic, strong schools like Baldwin tended to add and never subtract when it came to initiatives and requests of its community. The past year has afforded Baldwin the opportunity to center our mission, concretize our priorities, and refine and shed some practices. The result is strategic innovation. We can continue to be nimble and thoughtful as to what is best for student learning in our spaces and approaches to teaching.
Wellness must be prioritized: There has been significant thought and reflection about the need for schools at large to support student wellness concerns during the past year. It is also true for the adults on campus. In order to learn, one must be engaged. And, in order to be engaged, one must feel safe and well. We will return to school with this precept on our minds.
And to that end, I do hope all of our students and their families are taking opportunities to enjoy the weeks ahead, perhaps reconnecting with some activities they had not been able to in these past months, enjoying the space, or just resting in a way that recharges you and your loved ones. And I hope all can do so safely.
I truly look forward to meeting all of you and beginning the 2021-22 school year next month with energy, continuity, and the sense of community that is clearly a trademark for Baldwin.
Best regards,
Greg MacGilpin, Jr.