The Baker Blast

We’re thrilled to celebrate one of Baker Middle School’s brightest young minds. Sri Laasya Modem is an 8th grader who is already making waves across the country. Sri has been named one of 300 Junior Innovators in a prestigious national competition, representing students from 34 states and Puerto Rico. This recognition places her among the top young thinkers in STEM, and she’s still in the running for potential cash awards!

Sri’s award-winning project focuses on a global issue: air quality. Using artificial intelligence, she developed a model that can predict air quality over time, ranging from one to five years into the future. By training two machine learning models with historical AQI (Air Quality Index) data, Sri’s innovation aims to help communities and governments identify areas at risk of pollution, especially those lacking access to real-time air quality information.

Her motivation? A belief that clean air is a human right. Sri’s passion for STEM was inspired by her older brother, Ashwath, who has been a guiding influence and a source of encouragement throughout her journey. Ashwath shared his pride in Sri’s accomplishments, noting how much he’s learned from her work and dedication.

Sri’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact young minds can have when given the opportunity to explore, innovate, and lead. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and look forward to seeing how far her talents will take her.

Congratulations, Sri! You’ve made your Baker Family proud!

September is School Attendance Awareness Month! Did you know that students who miss 2-4 days of school in September are more likely to miss nearly a month of school during the course of a school year? Read more about School Attendance and why it matters at the Attendance Workswebsite.

In Michigan, the official "Count Days" for state school funding are the first Wednesday in October and the second Wednesday in February. These days determine the student membership data used to calculate per-pupil state aid for public schools.

The fall count day, the first Wednesday in October (10/1/25), contributes 90% of a district's state funding. The spring count day, the second Wednesday in February (2/11/26), contributes the remaining 10% of state funding.

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402. (Text Excerpt from the Library of Congress)

The Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences are quickly approaching, and Baker is once again using an online Conference Manager scheduling tool for Parent Teacher Conferences. This software will allow you to pick and choose your own schedule for conferences, which can make for a more efficient and personalized experience for parents. Please click on the link below to visit the Conference Manager website.

The Conference Manager will open Wednesday, October 1st at 6 am and close Wednesday, October 8th at 3 pm.

Because teacher appointments are limited, we are asking that parents refrain from signing up to see their student's advisory teacher or club sponsors. If you have any questions regarding advisory or a club, please reach out to those staff members via Schoology.

A few tips:

• Keep “travel” time in mind and please do not schedule back-to-back conferences as it will take time to travel from room to room. Please allow 5 minutes between time slots.
• Please only schedule one conference per teacher/class (unless you have more than one child per teacher). 6th grade parents may schedule two back-to-back sessions with their ELA teacher since it is a 2-hour block.
• You can add comments/questions when scheduling your time for teacher reference to help guide the conference.
• Need help with directions? You can always call the office, and we will help get you scheduled.

This is a friendly reminder that there is a half day scheduled for Thursday, October 9th & Friday, October 10th. Dismissal is at 11:53 AM. Thank you for making arrangements for your student and their early dismissal.

STUDENTS ATTENDING ATHENS

The shuttle will NOT run on ½ days.

• Student are not expected to attend Athens prior to the start of Baker.
  
• They will be marked exempt (not absent) by their high school teacher.
  
• If you choose, you are able to attend high school courses, parents or an adult on your emergency contact form may provide transportation.

Parents, have you noticed the bobcat mural at the entrance of the gym? While we appreciate the two bobcats breaking out of the cinderblock wall, a symbol of strength and spirit, the mural has been with us since Baker Middle School opened in 2007. It’s time for a refresh!

This year, our PTO is raising $5,000 for the Capital Project Fund to reimagine this space with a new bobcat mural that inspires creativity, pride, and reflects our Baker values: Accountable, Open-Minded, and Kind (AOK).

We’re working with a talented artist to design a mural that truly represents our school community. The updated mural will be a vibrant, modern centerpiece that welcomes students and families with energy and purpose.

If you're ready to see this transformation, you can help!

Please donate to the PTO using the GiveButter donation link above. Every contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference. We deeply appreciate the support of our families and community.

To spark your imagination, we’re including:

• Images of the current mural
• A preview of the new bobcat and AOK logo
• Samples from other schools that have elevated their spaces with inspiring murals

Once we reach our fundraising goal, we’ll share the final rendering and begin bringing this vision to life. Let’s make the Flag Hallway a space that reflects the heart of Baker Middle School. Thank you for your support!

Want to know more about the fun activities going on at the school? Maybe you want to participate? Please fill out the google link below to receive Baker Middle School PTO information right to your email!

The Bob shop is a small shop located in the cafeteria that sells candy, school supplies and small locker novelties. According to the kids it's their favorite place to shop. So for us to put smiles on these kids faces we are asking you to please consider signing up as a shopkeeper.

The bob shop runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11am-2pm and we ask for 2 volunteers each day. Kids are excited, so please help us deliver on another successful year as this only benefits our children. Please use link below to donate your time!

We are looking for adult volunteers to help out in our media center this year during lunch time. Volunteers contribute 1-2 times per month on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and even date Fridays from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm with supervising students, checking books in and out on the computer, shelving, and doing other tasks to help the media center.

Volunteers must be dependable and able to place books in numerical and alphabetical order. Some computer skills are required and will be taught during training.

If you would like to volunteer, please use this link to sign up to attend our volunteer please use this link to sign up to attend our volunteer please use this link to sign up to attend our volunteer please use this link to sign up to attend our volunteer training session on Tuesday, September 30, from 10 am-11 am:

• If you ordered pictures, please have your student bring them to school on picture retake day and give them to the photographer.

The 25-26 Annual iPad Insurance window is open. Please be sure to opt in at the beginning of the school year. The form and ability to opt-in for insurance will close on October 31st.

New Students Troy

New students are scheduled to receive their iPad at their school during the first two weeks of school.

Insurance may be purchased in your PowerSchool Parent Portal. For more information regarding the optional iPad insurance, please visit our website.

7th Grade Families,

Once a year we have an optional meeting for parents concerning the reproductive health unit in health. The purpose of this meeting is to:

• Discuss the content of the lessons in the unit.
  
• Review various materials in advance.
  
• Awareness of parental rights to excuse their child without penalty from any lesson or the unit.
  

This will be the only meeting held this school year so parents of 3rd quarter health students can attend as well. The meeting will be held in the media center. It usually lasts 45-60 minutes.

Please contact Mr. Hosbach if you have any questions.

Join Troy Youth Assistance for The Magic of Hope on October 8 at 7 p.m. in the Troy High Auditorium. Please note this event is intended for middle and high school students and their families. Seats are limited, so register for this free event today!