Grants from the Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair have provided dance experiences in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, a partnership with Outback Steakhouse helped finance construction of a new playground, the efforts of the Bayer Corporation have revitalized our science program and the collection of Giant Eagle supermarket receipts has brought additional computer hardware and software to the school. The efforts of an active and involved parent group cannot be praised highly enough - their participation has immeasurably enriched the quality of our students' educational lives. Formal assessments indicate that Baker students are achieving far above the national mean and that they have exceeded even the Blue Ribbon School achievement criteria. While achievement is high, data from standardized testing also provides information about relative areas of need which are taken into account as we plan systematic school improvement efforts. Informal and criterion-referenced assessments assist our goal of providing continuous progress for every child.
School is about connections with and for children.
None of us is as strong or as effective as all of us are when we are connected and working together. A librarian dresses up as a character from children's literature to present her lesson. A nutrition center worker prepares a special meal for a child who is vegetarian. The music teacher gives a child an opportunity at the beginning of class to showcase a new piano piece which has been learned. A custodian works with parents on set design for the spring musical.