New student work in the Principal's Rotating Art Gallery

Each month I'm proud to display several pieces of student art work in my office as a part of our rotating Principal's Art Gallery. It's always exciting to show the great work that our students do every day in school. Our recent selections are from our very popular Safari September project that is a collaboration between our Art and Music teachers. Check out more of their great work in the hallways near the Art and Music classrooms!

Safari September!

Our August student work selections

Faculty meeting 9-18-2014

Ever wonder what Baker-Butler teachers do when students aren't around? On Thursday afternoons they gather together for different types of meetings, including our faculty meetings, which are when the entire staff discusses topics such as effective instructional strategies.  

Today in our faculty meeting our teachers met in our Creation Station. We started with a Responsive Classroom meeting format, and then they gathered in their grade level teams to participate in a puzzle challenge. They competed to see which team could solve their puzzle the fastest...without talking. We used this activity to discuss the importance of communication and teamwork as a staff. 

We then spent time unpacking and analyzing our academic achievement data to determine our focus areas as a staff this year. So what do teachers do at Baker-Butler when the students aren't around? They collaborate, they communicate, they analyze topics creatively, and they think critically...which are the same things that our students do every day.

The staff during their Responsive Classroom meeting activities.

Each team competed to complete a puzzle...without talking.

Analyzing data together

Sculpture update

UVA Sculpture students working on 9-17-2014

We are excited to provide an update on the Rammed Earth Sculpture behind our school. This project is a partnership between Baker-Butler and the University of Virginia's McIntire Department of Art (Sculpture Department). We have had several meetings over the past few months with the sculptors, and they have begun working to finish the project in the coming months. Over the past few weeks they have put in a new wooden fence, excavated more of the hill, and begun placing some of the blocks for the base of the sculpture. We will continue to provide updates in the coming months, and we look forward to this sculpture being completed this year for our school community.

Welcome!

 

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year! I am honored to serve as your principal here at Baker-Butler Elementary School.

Over the past few weeks we have had an amazing start to the school year as we welcomed back more than 60 teachers and staff along with our 623 students. Our teachers and students are working hard every day in their classrooms, and the energy level in the building is high and positive.

As just one example of the excitement we’ve seen in the past few weeks, our annual Bike Rodeo event was a tremendous success. Hundreds of students and their families joined together to ride their bikes, eat delicious food and spend time together at our first community event. We’d like to share a very special thanks to our incredible PTO for their hard work to make this event successful for so many students and their families.

We know that relationships – and in particular the relationships between our students and teachers- are one of the most important components of our school. Strong relationships help develop the incredible sense of community that we experience every day at Baker-Butler.

Recently I had an opportunity to experience that sense of community through the eyes of a new student on the morning of his first day at Baker-Butler. He and I said goodbye to his parents in the office, who were understandably nervous about his new school, and we walked down the hallway to his new classroom. As we talked about his favorite sport (soccer) he began to share that he was nervous about not knowing anyone in his new school. We opened the door to his new classroom and walked in, and he immediately recognized someone he already knew. His friend saw him, jumped up and ran to give him a hug and said “I am so glad you’re here!”  His new teacher put her arm around him, looked him in the eyes, and said “I’m glad you’re here, too. We’re so excited you’re going to be with us. Come, let’s see the seat that your new friends saved for you.” As he walked into his classroom, his friend on one side and his teacher on the other, he forgot about all of his nervousness and he was instead thrilled to be welcomed into his new classroom.

In this moment I saw the power of relationships in building strong communities for all of our students. Every time I have visited that classroom since that day I have seen that particular student smiling and enjoying class with all of his new friends, and every time I am reminded of the power of relationships as a key component of our mission to educate the whole child.

This story is but one example that shows that our school is a special place. As principal of Baker-Butler, I am fortunate to experience moments like this every day.

We are off to a great start, and we are all excited about the coming year. We look forward to working with you and your children in the coming months.

Sincerely,
Steve Saunders

Principal

A little bit about Ms. Eckerle...

A Little about Ms. Eckerle:

 

It all began in a small town in Mt. Pleasant Michigan where I graduated from Central Michigan University (The Home of the Mighty Chippewas, now known as the Chips!) with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education.  After teaching for a few years, I wanted to learn more about how students learned to read, so I pursued a Master of Science Degree with a focus in Reading and Literacy from Walden University. Being a lifelong learner and wanting to sharpen my skills even more I decided to go back to school again where I obtained my endorsement in Administration and Supervision through a grant offered by the University of Virginia and the Virginia Department of Education. While working hard on my endorsement in Administration and Supervision, I began working towards National Board Certification and became a National Board Certified Teacher in December of 2006.

I have been fortunate to have taught many grade levels such as K, 1, 2, 4, 5, Title 1 and Literacy specialist over my career. The wide variety of teaching experiences has allowed me to gain a depth of knowledge of how students learn.

My mission is to enrich the daily path for my students. To encourage them to be the best they can be and embrace the learning. To look for patterns in the world and find the key that opens the door to the many opportunities in front of them.  I believe in every child and set high academic and social expectations for them to reach. Teaching and learning is a life long journey that I will continue to embrace.

I am honored to join the staff and community of Baker-Bulter Elementary School. We have a wonderful year of hands on learning and community building ahead of us.

 

 

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Bus safety lessons taught by Ms. Eckerle and Mr. Saunders to all BBES students

Bus safety lessons
 
Ms. Eckerle and Mr. Saunders are teaching bus safety lessons to all students at Baker-Butler. 

Here are some pictures of our lessons:

Riding the Bus:

Jim Foley, Director of Transportation joined Baker-Bulter to promote the Safe Schools Healthy Students Bus Lessons called “Riding the Bus.” We followed the four sequential components of a Morning Meeting, which included:

1. The Morning Message

2. The Greeting

3. Sharing

4. The Activity

Our goal was to promote how to be safe and respectful bus riders. Thanks Mr. Foley for joining us!

Our Bike Rodeo!

The Bike Rodeo:

 

The Bike Rodeo was a huge success.  A big THANK YOU to the PTO for this well organized family event. There were lots of smiling faces all night!!