Above: This week we acquired eight new 9 ft umbrellas for the tables on our outdoor patio. The outdoor patio is a luxury that we are fortunate to have at Baker given the social distance requirements in the building and our need for additional space. Weather permitting, we will be able to use the patio for lunch seating overflow, instruction, and temporary mask breaks. Mr. Schmidt deserves a virtual high five for his successful fundraising efforts making this purchase possible. The Baker staff and students will greatly appreciate this addition.
Upcoming Calendar Items
Please Note that WEDNESDAY 9/30 is a regular A DAY schedule
Virtual Curriculum Night
Last Thursday, we had a successful Curriculum Night. 334 people showed up and several parents share positive feedback about their experience. While our attendance was down from previous years, our 48% attendance is not far off from last year’s 56%. We understand that this is not quite like meeting in person, but the convenience of traveling to each teacher while remaining in the comfort of home had to be a nice treat. I appreciate our teacher's effort in making this a special experience for our families. I am proud of our team for making this work!
New Hybrid Time Schedule
Beginning on Monday, September 28th, all middle schools will return to their regular building start times.
Classes will follow the bell schedule listed above. On Wednesdays, student class time will end at the conclusion of the last class. Student support & intervention time will not take place on Wednesdays. Student support time will ONLY be available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please note that break times have been reduced from 25 minutes to 10 minutes!
Why is the schedule changing on September 28th?
We have already started to transition students back to our buildings across the district in a variety of special programs. Because we have already started our transition, we need to support our 5-tier bus system.
In other words, in order to bus students across the district, we need to space out our bus route times. This is why our schools traditionally start at different times in the morning and release at different times in the afternoon. We are starting next week at 8:20 am to support bussing now and as we transition students back to the building.
Hybrid Instruction Timeline
- September 28th : ALL STUDENTS and staff begin new start and end times as outlined in the Family Guide.
- October 12th: Middle Schools start hybrid model, beginning with Grade 6 students
- October 19th: Middle Schools continue hybrid model phase-in (Structure is TBD)
- October 26th: Middle and High Schools continue hybrid model phase-in, with all in-seat students returning with their cohorts.
IN-SEAT HYBRID INFORMATION
Families interested in attending in-seat beginning in mid-October will be offered the following:
- Families with last names A-K can attend in-seat on Mondays and Tuesdays while families who have elected to remain virtual and families with last names L-Z will attend classes on zoom.
- Families with last names L-Z can attend in-seat on Thursdays and Fridays while families who have elected to remain virtual and families with last names A-K will attend classes on zoom.
- ALL students will attend classes virtually on Wednesdays.
Households that have students with different last names and would like to have their students attend on the same days are allowed to request changes for consistency.
LOCKERS
- Students in grades 6-12 will not have access to lockers other than instrument lockers for purposes of band and orchestra.
- Athletic lockers will not be available.
- Students will need to carry all books, coats, lunches, etc with them throughout the day.
MS STUDENTS TAKING HS COURSES
- All Baker students who are enrolled in a high school course will continue to take the course VIRTUALLY for the remainder of the 2020/2021 school year.
- Students can either report at 7:20 to Baker to begin learning in a designated area or families can keep students home and bring students to school for their next class.
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL
- Students will not be permitted in the building before 8:05 and must report directly to their first class of the day.
- Lockers will not be available this year for student use (instrument lockers are the only exception).
- Students will not be permitted to remain in the building after busses depart at 1:50 pm.
- All students who are not riding a bus must be picked up or walk home.
- Students will not be permitted to remain on school property after the end of the school day.
Save the Dates
Count Day
- Count Day is Wednesday 10/7/20
- This will be a C Day
- During C Days, all classes will meet for 50 minute sessions: Please see the schedule listed above.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Middle School Parent/Teacher Conferences are on October 21st and 22nd
- Parent Teacher Conferences will occur virtually over 2 nights.
- Wednesday, October 21st will have evening conferences ONLY.
- Thursday, October 22nd will have afternoon and evening conferences.
Troy Deli Table and Chairs Donation
Baker Family, I am not sure if you noticed, but Troy Deli recently left their long-time location on Rochester Road across from Torpey. We are big fans of Troy Deli and were concerned that they were going out of business. Fortunately, they are still in business, but they moved up the road by the Detroit Burger Bar to a smaller location with no seating to save money on rent. As a result of their downsizing, they no longer need their furniture. Mr. Schmidt was in contact with Troy Deli and their landlord and requested that they let Baker have the tables and chairs.
Both parties agreed and with their donation, we now can turn our flag hallway into an additional space for our students to socially distance during lunch. We are grateful for Troy Deli's generosity and are interested in supporting their local business. Troy Deli recently reopened after being closed for two months. On Thursday, we placed a large order to say thank you. Our staff enjoyed the experience so much that we are going to declare Tuesdays as Troy Deli Tuesdays. We encourage you to participate and join us in our support for them.
Attendance Hotline
Please call 248.823.4601 to report absences
Attendance is an important factor in your students academic success. Regular and punctual attendance is an expectation for our learning environment, regardless of the format! All student absences must be called in to our attendance hotline before school starts, the morning of your student’s absence (248.823.4601). The attendance hotline is available 24 hours per day.
