Category Archives: Dr. Baker’s General Blog

Update on the Bellingham Promise and our focus on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We are proud of our work for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in Bellingham Public Schools—and we know we can always be doing better. As we ring in 2019, I shared some initiatives we are working on to continue to bring EDI to the forefront of our work. We are working to revise The Bellingham…

Condolences and Reflections Blog

In the aftermath of the hate-filled violence that occurred Saturday at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, I sent this message to our families to acknowledge the pain, the fear and the impact of these events and these words and offer my condolences. There are many in our community who are affected not only by anti-Semitism, but…

Best First Day of School Quotes (so far!)

Happy second week of school! One of our principals (thanks Meagan!) emailed me some first day quotes (see below) and it’s inspired me to ask you to send me your favorite back to school quotes. I look forward to reading your quotes and comments.   From Meagan Dawson, Kulshan Middle School principal.   From a…

High School Schedule Check-in

As we are now well into the second half of the school year, I thought it would be a good time to check in with families, students and staff about the changes we implemented to the high school schedule this year. I recently shared this message about the high school schedule. Staff and families may take…

Financial Impact of the 2018 Facilities Bond

Election day is less than one week away, and I wanted to address one of the most common questions I receive about the bond: what is the financial impact? With past levies and bonds, it’s been easier to explain to voters what will happen with their property tax rate.  Due to the new changes happening at the…

Blog About Athletics, Activities, Arts and The Bellingham Promise

Sept. 25, 2017 Update: Thank you for your feedback. Please take a moment to read my update about athletics, activities and arts.  As part of our work to expand opportunities for students, The Bellingham Promise guides us to look at the whole child, including our athletic and activity programs. For decades, research has shown that…

High School Schedule

For the first time in recent years, all four of high schools are on the same schedule. Here’s a sampling of the initial feedback I’ve been receiving regarding the new 4×8 high school schedule: It feels calmer for our daughter and family. There’s more time to prepare before the next class meets. My son is…

A One Schoolhouse Approach to Facilities

This spring, a Facilities Planning Task Force looked at our current facilities and made a recommendation to meet our greatest needs. The task force listened to presentations, had discussions and spent many weeks studying our schools and district buildings. They submitted this recommendation to me and I have accepted it. I’m particularly excited that this…

Future School Year Calendar Feedback

We are looking for feedback from families, staff and the community about our school year calendar for future years. We hope you’ve had a chance to read about our calendar development process and watch our video. Our survey is open through noon on June 6. Please also feel free to blog with me if you have…