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Welcome Back to School!

Dear Baldwin Families,

 

Welcome back to our returning families, and a warm welcome to our newest community members. We've been busy while you were away!

 

Summer School and Summer Camp were again a success. The Baldwin Summer Institutes, in their second year, grew to serve twenty-seven public school teachers and seventy public school students. The program will expand in 2016. We are committed to changing outcomes for all students, public and private, and to growing public-private partnerships for a better Puerto Rico. In addition to the seventy public school students who received a month of direct instruction and support, our Teaching Fellows serve nine hundred students. We can make a difference, we can improve the lives of our children, and we can reduce drop out rates. A big Bulls Pride shout out to the Institute's staff, the Titin Foundation, and all of you who pledged individual support.

 

We continue to renew and develop our campus infrastructure. This summer we attended to the following areas:

  1. New curbing, drainage, surfacing, and sidewalks in central campus for improved aesthetics and, most important, safety.
  2. New layout and computers (IMacs and IPad Airs) for the Elementary Computer Lab.
  3. New tables, chairs, mobile work stations, and tools for the MUS Robotics and Design Cycle Lab.
  4. New elementary and MUS furniture in certain classrooms (a multi-year renewal).
  5. A new science laboratory for Elementary School, which will include hydroponic towers and tanks for aquaculture.
  6. New fencing and other improvements to our pool area.
  7. Refurbishment and improvement of our campus green spaces.
  8. A significant remodel (underway) of our main administrative office spaces. Please pardon our dust for the next few weeks.

 

We have a few more surprises in store over the next two months. Additionally, significant progress was made toward completion of the Elementary extension, and we expect delivery of the building in early September.

 

We welcome a number of new faculty members in all three divisions. We also have a new college counselor, Michael Yager, formerly of the admissions department at Wheaton College. Seniors are encouraged to contact him immediately. Gamaliel Rivera joined us late last year as Director of Finance, and his impact is obvious and outstanding in just these few short months.

 

We continue to progress towards authorization in the International Baccalaureate. Thirty faculty members trained in the Primary Years Program (3y-Grade 5), Middle Years Program (Grades 6-10), and Diploma Program (Grades 11-12) this summer in a range of areas, including pedagogy, assessment, and program components. We move to IB criterion-informed assessment in the coming year, which will certainly look different, but will better inform learning. The PYP will receive authorization this school year, making us officially an IB world school sometime in the Spring. MYP and DP will be authorized in subsequent years.

 

We are in the process of updating our campus software. The implementation of the Veracross and Managebac platforms are, not unexpectedly, a little messy and a little behind. No matter of planning has prevented our condition. All systems will come on line over the next month, but we will need time to deliver on their promise. We ask that you be patient with us. We will be a little "old school" pen and paper while these new systems (that replace outmoded softwares--Edline, Gradequick, and the like) are adapted to all aspects of campus life, including admissions, advancement, business, and communications.

 

Water is on everybody's minds these days, and for good reason. We have taken a number of proactive steps this summer to ensure there are no water outages on campus. We have a new electronic system that monitors our water pressure and automates all water systems, including activation of our cistern. We will be launching a water conservation campaign on campus as the kids return. We are also committed to being good stewards to our community, eliminating power washing and minimizing or eliminating green space water consumption, depending on the space.                                                      

 

We are poised for another great school year, and are excited to have you back.

 

Saludos,

 

James Nelligan

Headmaster