Spring Break Sports Practice Upper School spring sports teams will practice during spring break. Visit the Athletics homepage for specific dates. Practices are mandatory for varsity players and highly encouraged for JV players.

Rising sixth graders are invited to transition session Students who are member of the Class of 2016 and will be new to the Middle School next year are invited to participate in a summer enrichment session that will to enhance the transition experience for students entering grade six. The sessions will be held Aug. 24 to 28, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day is March 12 Due to Faculty Staff Appreciation Day, on Thursday, March 12, all the girls will need to bring bagged lunches and drinks as the Dining Room will not be open to purchase lunch or drinks.  This allows all our staff to enjoy their day!

Have fun at Spring Family Sports Day The Blue Gray Club will host the Spring Family Sports Day on Sunday, March 15 from noon to 4 p.m. Click on the download on the left for a flyer outlining the spectacular, sporty events planned. Please RVSP, as indicated on the flyer.

The Parents' Association wants You! Nominations, recommendations and interest in positions, are now being accepted for the Parents' Association Executive Board officers, grade representatives, homeroom parents, event chairs and committee chairs for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Summer Sports Camps Baldwin Athletics is offering a winning line-up of Summer Sports Camps designed for every athlete wanting to learn a new game or improve skills and tactics! Click on the download on the left for a complete listing, details, and registration form due May 15

Visit Fifth Grade's 'Dinner Party' If you haven't seen it yet, please stop in this week and take a look at the Fifth Grade Dinner Party in the Residence Art Gallery. The fifth grade students have created their version of Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party" with a place setting for their own personal heroines, from J.K. Rowling to Marian Anderson to Golda Meir. The show will be up through the end of February.

Baldwin offers summer science program for girls Baldwin's Science Department is offering "The Physics of Biology," a summer program for girls in grades six to nine from June 15 to July 3 on the Baldwin campus. These laboratory based hands-on sessions will meet Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

March Sports Clinics Two new clinics: Field Hockey and a Youth Soccer Clinic are being offered in early March. Click on the downloads on the left for flyers and registration forms. To reserve your spot, email Kathleen Simone at ksimone@baldwinschool.org  and return forms as specified.

BSPN Zone Girls with Game Play of the Week A Sneak Peek How often are you the first to know the hottest news in town?  Have you ever had the chance to peek behind the scenes?  We’re going to give you a chance to do both!

Lily Shopping Event All parents are cordially invited to attend a wine and cheese shopping event at the Lily Pulitzer store in Ardmore on March 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. Come choose from the latest spring fashions, and 10 percent of your purchase goes directly to Baldwin. Contact Martha Agate at magate@baldwinschool.org for more information.

Baldwin@Night for Adults Adults in the Baldwin community are invited to come experience Baldwin classrooms after the sun sets on Thursdays, April 2, 9 and 16 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Sign up for spring after school enrichment programs The Spring After School Enrichment Program will run Monday, April 6 to Thursday, May 28. Click on the download in the left column of this newsletter for a list of offerings and registration information. Please return the completed form to dsouth@baldwinschool.org.

Volunteer for the Alex Wake 5K Blue Gray will host a parent volunteer meeting on Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in the Athletic Center Multipurpose Room for the Alex Wake 5K Run and Fun Walk. Many volunteers are needed to assist with race day set-up and logistics, sponsorship, and publicity; please join us if you can help in any way.

It's a Hard Knock Life at Baldwin Middle School stages Annie Junior Just in the time for the recession is the Baldwin Middle School production of Annie Junior, adapted from the original Depression era musical for Middle School students by Thomas Meehan. The show runs Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Drama Workshop on the Baldwin campus. Admission is $8, and tickets are available in the school's Bookstore. Friday night tickets are sold out!

Join Sally Powell at the Volunteer Fair All parents are invited to join Head of School Sally Powell for breakfast and a Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, March 4 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in the Assembly Room.  Come for breakfast and to learn about all of the ways you can volunteer at Baldwin.  Please see the flyer in the left column for more information and RSVP by Feb. 27 to Latrisse Pommells, ext. 0 or lpommells@baldwinschool.org.

Welcome spring at the Elizabethan Banquet Hear ye! Hear ye! All ye who are frozen with the winter winds! Let us make merry and celebrate the Coming of Spring on Sunday, March 1 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Elizabethan Banquet, a scrumptious eating experience that offers entertainment for the whole family.

Save the date for a special day in Lower School A Message from Lower School Director Baiba Vasys Spring still seems far away, but we want to put Monday, May 11 on your radar screen.  It is not too soon to think about Grandparents and Special Persons Day at Baldwin. Having a morning when grandparents, great grandparents, or special persons are invited to visit at school is a wonderful treat for our girls. We want to send invitations directly to grandparents and great grandparents (or special persons), but we need your help to do this.  Included with this week's bulletin, as a download, is a form asking you for their names and addresses. Please fill out the form and return it to the Lower School office by March 9. Be sure to include your the name and grade of your daughter. Official invitations will be mailed out just prior to Spring Break.

Middle School Course Planning and Upcoming Events A Message from Middle School Director Lois Pressman It is that time of year, again!  It is time for all Middle School girls and their families to begin planning for next year. Copies of the Course Planning Booklet can be found on the Middle School parent portal on the Baldwin Web site. Course planning sheets will be under the download section of the e-newsletter. Please call me if you have any questions.

Baldwin undergoes interim evaluation A Message from Head of School Sally Powell One of the accrediting organizations for Baldwin is the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS). Every 10 years, member schools (and there are 67 member schools in the PAIS) engage in an in-depth self study and assess five main areas of school and community life with a rigorous set of standards. Those five areas are Organization and Administration, Program, Personnel, Health and Safety and Physical Plant. Our original study was completed in November 2004, and our next full scale evaluation will be in 2014. However, we completed our interim PAIS evaluation last week. After reviewing the recommendations stipulated in response to our 2004 report, a team of evaluators visited campus Wednesday, Feb. 18 for an interim review.