We are excited to welcome you to the 2019 -2020 school year. Our staff returned from the summer break with a renewed energy and strong commitment to living in our TSD Pillars. This week we engaged in our fall professional development activities, set up classrooms preparing for our students, and worked collaboratively with our professional learning community.

The first day of school always brings excitement for all of the members of our community and maybe a few jitters for students and parents. In this Blast you will find helpful information to assist with your planning while making those final preparations for the start of the school year. I can't state enough how much we look forward to working with you and seeing our students return for another great year!

Half Days & Early Release Reminder

The first day of school with be a half day. Students will attend all of their classes. Students that are attending the high school for classes should report to Baker on the first day of school. The above image shows all of our half-days for the year and the different start stop times for half and early release days.

• Half Day (8:19 am - 11:54 am)
• Early Release Day (8:19 am - 12:09 pm)

Half-Day & Early Release Transportation Reminder: Shuttles will run on Full and Early Release Days only. Students taking courses at the high school and elementary students taking math courses at Baker will not have a shuttle on Half-Days.

Picture Make Up

September 10th

Every student at Baker will take a picture and receive a school ID. These pictures will be used in our yearbook and Powerschool data base. If you were unable to attend registration and are in need of having your child's picture taken, there is a picture make-up day September 10th.

Immunization Information

All children entering 7th grade and all children ages 11-18 years of age who are changing school districts must have on file a signed Consent form for Disclosure of Immunization Information and the following vaccinations:

• One dose of meningococcal (MCV4 or MPSV4) vaccine
• One dose of tetanus/diphtheria/acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine
• Two doses of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine or have history of chickenpox disease
• Four doses of Polio
• Two doses of MMR
• Three doses of Hepatitis B

Non-medical waivers will need to be obtained from the Oakland County Health Department to exempt your student from this requirement. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, requires written parental consent for your child’s immunization information to be shared with the health department. For additional information, please reference the form below.

IMMUNIZATION DISCLOSURE FORM

Online Emergency Contact Information

If you have questions regarding PowerSchool please email pssupport@troy.k12.mi.us.

On August 14th, every family received an email from our district with information on how to complete their online emergency card. If you did not receive the email or cannot find it, the information below details how to reach the PowerSchool website, how to log in, and then complete the emergency card.

Please be sure to submit an online emergency contact information form for each student in your family prior to the first day of school. The online form replaces paper emergency cards used in previous years. At least ONE emergency contact who does not reside with your family is required.

Please be sure to provide up to date contact information including work numbers and cell phone numbers to reach you throughout the day. In addition, please be sure to provide full names and details for any other family members or adults that may be granted permission to also pick up your child from school. Thank you for your assistance in making sure we have accurate information in our database.

Directions for accessing your child’s Emergency Contact Information form:

1. Log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal: Click on the link below

2. ​​​​​​​Click 19-20 Emergency Contact Update in the left menu on your screen:

Note: if you receive an error message that a snapcode has been associated with a different family account, this means that someone else who has a PowerSchool account and is associated with your child has started or completed the emergency contact update form.

Please review all items marked Required. The form will alert you to missing information when you try to submit it.

Transportation

First Student Transportation Services

Your child’s bus stop information was emailed out Tuesday, August 20th. Please note: Newly enrolled students are being added to bus stops on a daily basis. If you did not receive your assignment, have questions or recently registered and know your child is eligible for transportation, please contact our transportation department at 248-823-4054 between the hours of 7:00 am and 4:00 pm.

School Supply Lists

School supply lists for teachers are located on the Baker website. Please click on the link below to access them. Please be sure to talk with your child about how they would like to organize their school work. At Baker, backpacks are expected to be used to transport items to and from school and are then kept in the student's locker. Because of space and safety reasons, we do not allow backpacks in the lunch room or the classroom.

Student iPad Responsibility & Optional Insurance Form

Required for all Baker students

Each year, parents need to complete the iPad Responsibility Form and opt in or out of the optional insurance program. The form and details about the optional insurance program are available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal under the Form and Links tab. If this form is not completed by September 20, 2019, your child will not be able to have the iPad for home use. The window to purchase insurance for the 2019/20 school year closes on September 20th.

1. Log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal: Click on the link below

Select your student then click the Forms and Links menu item on the left menu on your screen:

2.Click the Student iPad Responsibility & Optional Insurance Form:

3. Read through the details of the iPad program and explanation of fees. At the bottom of the page, click on the text in the blue bar to continue to the form.

4. Select one of the options for insurance coverage and click Submit:

5. If you selected the insurance option, payment instructions will appear. If you wish to pay online via PaySchools, click the available link. Cash and check payments may be sent directly to the Technology Department as noted in the instructions.

6. Once the Technology Department has acknowledged your payment, the yellow bar will disappear and you will see the acknowledgement message:

8th Grade Washington DC Trip

8th Grade Washington DC Important Dates and Information

• Parent Meeting: September 5th at 6 pm in the Baker Cafeteria
• Washington DC Trip: February 14th - 18th

For additional information and questions please contact Contact - Mr. MacIntosh - zmacintosh@troy.k12.mi.us

PTO Color Run

Save the Date! PTO Color Run - Wednesday, October 2nd

The PTO Color Run is Baker's biggest event of the year and will take place after school on Wednesday, October 2nd. This is a 2 mile race or 1.5 mile walk fundraising event that is fun for the whole family. Students, teachers, staff, family, friends, and neighbors are all invited to participate. Spread the word! Lots of prizes will be given out! All participants receive a white t-shirt and color packet. The race will end with a Blast of Color!

Adventure Island

This year we had several of our incoming 6th grade students participate in Adventure Island. It is exciting to see so many of our future Bobcats dedicating time out of their summer break to plan and prepare for the start of the school year. Students that participate in this program have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the building, some of their teachers, and several of their new classmates. This program has proven to help the transition from elementary to middle school. We appreciate the hardworking and energy that our teachers put into making this a special experience for our students.

Baker Family Therapy Dog

Science Olympiad