Info for the 21-22 School Year at Baldwin

Info for the 21-22 School Year at Baldwin
Posted on 08/27/2021
Click HERE for an audio/video version of this same information. (This is a 10 minute video.)



Dear Families,

It’s time to start getting ready for school and so I’m writing with some details that I hope will make the transition easier for your family. I’m so excited to be starting my fifth year at Baldwin. I have enjoyed some time with my three boys this summer, and I hope your family found some time to relax and play, too.

I believe that our children are treasures and I think about that every day as I plan for safety, but also for joy, belonging, learning and growth for the children in our Baldwin Community. It’s going to be a great year!

Please take the time to read this letter or watch this video (with the exact same information) and you’ll be well on your way to being ready for the first day of school on either September 9th (for 1st-5th graders) or September 13th (JK/K students).

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about family engagement or anything else, always feel free to contact your child’s teacher, John Roderick, Assistant Principal, Susan Tiersch, Family Liaison, or me! See you soon!

Important Information for the Start of the 21-22 School Year

Class Placement
Earlier this summer, your class placement information should have been emailed to you. If you did not receive that, call the school, email me or our school clerk, Elaine Coleman and we’ll get that info to you ASAP!

Community Gathering September 19th
We have a playground meetup on Sunday, September 19th and times are designated by grade level between 2 and 5PM. The JK/K and 1st grade meetup starts at 2PM, 2nd and 3rd graders should arrive at 3PM and 4th and 5th graders should come at 4PM. Special Start students are welcome to join us at 2PM! We hope to see everyone there!

Special Start
If your child is in Special Start, you will get a lot more information directly from Special Start or the Office of Student Services (OSS) about the first days of school, your child’s class and teacher. I wanted to include you on this email as part of our community! A lot of this information won’t apply to you, but please take a look so you know what is happening with the rest of the school. Welcome to the Baldwin Community!

JK/K Students
Students in JK and K are assigned an appointment time to visit their teacher and classroom on either September 9th or 10th. You should receive information about your assigned time from your child’s teacher very soon if you don’t already have it. You can also call the main office to get that information.

Students in JK and K start school officially on Monday, September 13th. Starting on the first day, please follow the arrival and dismissal procedures below.

Drop off and Arrival
All students must arrive wearing a mask. Disposable masks will be provided for students who don’t have one.

Students who arrive on the bus will be met at the bus and escorted to their classroom line-up spots.

Walkers should arrive at 8:40 and look for big signs for their class. See lineup spots below. Their teachers will be there waiting. Students will line up with their class. Students MUST be supervised by caregivers before 8:40.

Parents who drive may do a live drop-off in the bus zone in front of the school starting at 8:40. Students MUST be supervised by caregivers before 8:40. Parking will not be permitted in the bus lane.

After 8:40, teachers and staff will walk students inside the building one class at a time to wash hands and get started with the day. Except by appointment, students and staff are the only ones allowed in the building for safety.

Children/families should not play on the playground after 8:30 once the busses start arriving before school! Thank you!

Morning Line-Up Spots

  • 102, 104--In front of school
  • Special Start, 212, 215, 217--Near garden in courtyard area
  • 1st Grades--On sidewalk on the Sacrament Street Side of School
  • 2nd and 3rd Grades--On the playground (kickball area)
  • 4th and 5th Grades--Near the playground structure

Pickup and Dismissal
Students will line up for busses and be loaded on busses after bus attendance is taken. All students will be checked in before getting on their busses.

Agassiz Baldwin After School students will be escorted to a designated area where the after school teachers meet students.

Parents and caregivers should go to their child’s morning line-up spot (or to the Sacramento street doors for K104) to meet their child for pickup.

COVID Protocols
If you’d like to learn more about COVID protocols, join us for a parent meeting on September 2nd at 6:30 at the following link. Click here >>

Kids will wear masks, be reminded to give others personal space and wash/sanitize their hands frequently.

Meals will be eaten outside under the tents as much as possible and inside the classroom or in the cafeteria at reduced capacity. Safety protocols will be strictly followed when student masks are off inside.

Recess will be outside and students will be allowed to remove their masks if they choose, according to CPSD safety guidelines.

Mask breaks will be provided throughout the day (following safety protocols).

If you’re interested in the most detailed information about CPSD safety protocols, please read the safety manual, which can be found here.

Transportation Information
Find your bus stop here! Due to COVID-19 safety limitations, students can only use the bus stops they are assigned to. If you want to request a change to your morning pick up location or afternoon drop off (including for afterschool programs) you must submit the Transportation Change Form and wait for confirmation from your school clerk. Masks are required on the bus! Review other COVID-19 bus information on bus safety precautions. Contact Tina Fisher, Transportation Supervisor, 617.349.6862 with questions.

Listening Conferences
Starting in September and throughout the first week or so of October, we will hold “listening conferences” with each family. These are opportunities for us to learn more about your child from you! Watch for more information soon.

Supporting Student Learning
Many parents are wondering if their students are below grade level standards. Please know that we regularly monitor and screen students to understand where they are academically. Based on that data, as well as day-to-day information from class observations and classwork, we work as a team to give each student what they need. Please don’t worry that students will enter school behind or “not ready.” We are prepared to meet student needs--no matter what they are. In November, our parent-teacher conferences will include academic updates, which will include some of the data we have collected about your child’s current academic progress.

Instruction During Quarantine
While we hope it doesn’t happen, we know that students might need to quarantine in order to stay safe. Here are the general plans we have for students in this situation.

If a whole class needs to quarantine: Core instruction will be provided remotely and daily to students by Baldwin staff.

If individual students need to quarantine: We will work with caregivers to make plans for supporting learning at home, which will include some live check-ins with Baldwin staff

Parent Conferences and Report Cards
Here’s the schedule of parent conferences and report cards:

  • September-October: Listening Conferences
  • November: Parent Conferences (with academic updates)
  • January: Report Cards
  • April: Parent Conferences (with academic updates)
  • June: Report Cards
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