Greetings Baxter Families,

I’m truly grateful to be at Baxter with our amazing students, staff and families. It has been such a positive start to the new school year as we have welcomed all of our students to our Baxter Warrior Crew! I will be sending out a monthly newsletter to keep our families informed about the many exciting events and the learning opportunities that are occurring within our school. I hope the information in this newsletter is helpful and supports you in staying informed as a valued member of our school community.

It has been a fantastic start to the school year and our students are doing an excellent job as we complete our second week. Last week, we held our first Grades 1–4 assembly, where we reviewed school expectations, introduced our September character trait which is Respect and concluded by singing our school song together. I visited each kindergarten classroom and shared the assembly information as part of welcoming them to our Baxter Warrior Crew.

We successfully completed our first fire drill on Monday. The students did a great job of following directions and exiting the building quickly, quietly and most importantly safely. In addition, all teachers are reviewing a social story with students to help them understand the appropriate procedures to follow in the event of various emergencies. We will continue to review this information throughout the school year.

At Baxter Elementary, we are excited to take part in the Homecoming Week festivities by participating in the themed dress-up days. Students and staff are welcome to join in the celebration by dressing according to the daily themes, should they choose to participate.

Please see the Homecoming Week Dress-Up Day poster below for more details.

Our Brainerd Warrior Homecoming Parade tradition is going strong!! The parade will take place on Friday, September 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM. Staging for the parade will begin in the BHS Parking Lot on 5th Street at 4:30 PM. The parade route will begin at 5:00 PM in front of BHS and end in the BHS Lower Lot around 5:30 PM. Please sign the Homecoming Parade waiver that will be sent home with your child and bring it with you to the parade. I will be collecting the waivers at that time. 

All elementary aged students are invited to walk in the parade with their classmates, PTO, and school staff as long as they have a parent/guardian walking with them. No students will be allowed to participate in the parade without a parent or guardian present.

We are currently focused on establishing strong routines and clear expectations to ensure that students understand what is being asked of them throughout the school day. At the same time, we have launched into our academic curriculum with an emphasis on building upon each child's individual strengths to support their academic growth throughout the year. We sincerely appreciate your continued support at home, especially in encouraging reading and assisting with homework completion. If you have any questions or need additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher. Thank you for being a valued partner in your child’s educational journey.