Principal's Message

Dear Baldwin Middle School Families,

As we look to the start of the school year, it is with great pleasure and excitement that I welcome you to the 2023-24 school year!  I hope the summer allowed you and your family an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family and recharge your batteries.  For those who may not have met me, I have been a teacher and administrator in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District for the past twenty-seven years. I am excited for this coming school year as we begin reuniting the middle school for Grades Six, Seven & Eight. Mr. Peebles, Assistant Principal, will continue working within the high school building with our dedicated 7th & 8th-grade faculty and Ms. Alicia Johnson, Assistant Principal, will continue working within the Harrison Education Center with our dedicated 6th-grade faculty to foster a positive middle school learning environment where all students can grow academically and socially.  

Over the past summer, both faculty and administration have explored ways in which we can collaborate throughout the school year to fulfill the mission and vision of the district’s newly adopted strategic plan. We have begun to develop and outline plans focusing on the Strategic Plans’ Four Pillars: Learner-Centered, Equity-Driven, Future-Focused and Data-Informed. As part of this process, English Language Arts teachers have begun the process of updating the curriculum and developing lessons and activities based on the newly adopted resources.  Our staff will continue to foster an environment that focuses on the unique needs of the middle school learner. As part of this commitment, the 7th & 8th teachers will continue refining our comprehensive homeroom program, “Habits of Success.” while we will introduce the 6th-grade students to the homeroom program.  Throughout the year, students will participate in lessons and activities focused on study skills development, Common Sense Media, and career planning, along with pertinent social/emotional middle school topics.  

As we reviewed the 22-23 school year, we determined that our re-instated No Cell Phone procedure helped our students better focus during class and alleviated many of the distractions that negatively impacted our students. Based on our assessment, we will continue with the no Cell Phone procedure for students. Students are allowed to carry their cell phones, but they will be expected to keep the Cell Phones turned off and in either their locker, pockets, or purse. If you need to contact your child, you can either call the Middle School main office at 412-885-7505 or email your child using their school email, which they can access via their Chromebook.

The Middle School faculty and staff will continue to develop further opportunities for our students and parents to reconnect with the school and the community, making the middle school years positive and memorable for all of the children. I look forward to working with talented students and a dedicated faculty to develop lifelong learners and responsible citizens as we start the new school year on Monday, August 28, 2023!

 

Sincerely,
Scott D. Ross M.Ed.
Principal