Coho Connection 04/14/26

Dear Sakai Families,

I hope you and your family had a restful and joy-filled Spring Break!

As I’ve said in past newsletters, there is no surer sign that spring is here than the Cherry Trees at Sakai blooming. Each year our school celebrates the Japanese tradition of “Cherry Blossom Festival”, or Hanami. At Sakai, celebrating the Cherry Blossom Festival means a fun surprise for students by eating lunch outside under the trees and enjoying a cherry-flavored dessert. You may have noticed before the break a majority of our trees were in full bloom, however, our day of celebration is determined when the largest tree finally blooms. It’s a last-minute call and a surprise for students who will be informed that morning on the broadcast. We will be closely watching our largest tree and picking a day over the next few weeks.

 

At the heart of Hanami is a moment with family and friends to celebrate Spring and the beauty of nature. It is also a time of reflection and appreciation. Reflecting on this year we have had so many wonderful moments outside of our normal learning time with intramurals, Leaving Our Island Day, after-school clubs, and the food drive. I am so immensely proud of our staff and students for their hard work this year. And, I am grateful to you for your continued partnership. This week’s Family Dare is to have everyone think of 1 person they are grateful for and write them a letter telling them all the reasons they are appreciated. Challenge yourselves by getting specific about why they’ve influenced you and the role they have played in your life.

Finally, this week we will be spending lots of time revisiting our school expectations so we can finish the year strong. On that note, I have received communication from our neighbors in North Town Woods about the increase in families picking up there in the afternoon. Please refrain from doing so as this causes an unsafe environment with an inability for emergency vehicles to access those streets. If you are picking up your student from school use the school pick-up area or Island Church as an alternative. We have a crossing guard and a fenced path to the church. I appreciate your help with this. 

I hope you have a wonderful week, Sakai! 

Drew

This month the following students were honored for outstanding spirit:

These students invited a friend to attend a pizza party with Mr. Crandall. Thank you to That's a Some Pizza and PTO for sponsoring our student incentive program. The nominations are made in reference to Sakai's Four R's: Responsible, Respectful, Reasonable, Reliable.  ​​​​

Please join us at the next Sakai PTO meeting on Thursday, April 16th, at 9:00 a.m. 

You are welcome to attend the PTO meeting either in-person at Sakai in room 229 or via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent to families prior to the meeting. 

During the week of April 20th, the Sakai PTO will be hosting the Scholastics Book Fair. We need volunteers to come help run the bookfair while our students shop the books.  

Pleae sign up for as many shifts as you are able to attend. Please note that you must be cleared by the BISD as a volunteer prior to volunteering.  

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week is May 5th–9th, and we need your help! This year we're bringing the Farmer's Market to Sakai with a full week of goodies, a staff night out, breakfast, and lunch to celebrate the amazing people who show up for our kids every day.

Sign up to donate items or volunteer your time.

Non-perishables can be dropped at the main office starting April 27th. 

Questions? Contact Sarah Mann (sarahalida@hotmail.com) or Michelle Hobbs (mlmaguire@gmail.com). 

We would like to provide a game room alternative during lunch recess! Game Room will be available during recess on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We would love one parent volunteer to supervise each of these. Please sign up for the available slots if you are able. 

Please remember that all volunteers who help in the classroom, on field trips, and other various activities must be cleared by the district: Volunteering with BISD. The approval process can take up to two weeks. Once approved, you are ready to volunteer and your approval is valid for two years.

Please bring your driver's license or id each time you sign into any school in the district.

WHAT: Sakai Choir sings at Mariners vs. White Sox game

WHEN: Monday, May 18th, 6:40 pm

  

WHERE: T-Mobile Park

Tickets are being sold at a discounted rate of $25 plus $5.41 for taxes and fees. Part of the proceeds go to supporting our choir program. We hope to see you at the game on May 18th, Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago White Sox! Use the QR code or fevo link below to get access to the discounted tickets. Deadline to purchase is May 15th.

Students singing in the choir do NOT need to purchase a ticket via the link below.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Ms. Gibbs via email. kregan@bisd303.org. 

Go Sakai, Go Mariners, and GO CHOIR!

If you know your student will not attend BISD in the fall, please let us know by contacting the school office, or by sending an email to: studentrecords@bisd303.org with your educational plan so that we may adjust our records accordingly.

 

Our Annual Back to school Check-in process (ABC) is now open and is available by logging in to your Family Access account. Look in the left menu and choose: ABC 26-27 to move through the steps to complete this process ASAP.

It should take about 15 minutes (or less!) to complete the process for each child in your household.

This data collection allows BISD to gather information regarding your students’ plans for the upcoming year. Having an accurate understanding of the number of expected students helps us determine staffing needs, class size and building capacity to better serve our students. In addition to this valuable information, it allows BISD to fulfill its annual notification requirements for public schools in Washington state.

The ABC 26-27 process must be completed for ALL students in the district whether they are brand new to the district or returning.

*NOTE: For students with more than one family, ONLY the Primary Family will have access to complete the ABC’s. Guardians of Non-Primary Families will have “read-only” access. If this is a hardship for your family, please contact the school office for guidance, or send an email to studentrecords@bisd303.org. All families have the ability to make changes to their specific demographic information at any time via Family Access>Student Info>Change Requests link (in the top right corner).

Check out the Community Events Page for fun and engaging activities around the island!